On June 1, 2021, B.C.'s lowest paid workers will get a pay boost, with the general minimum wage increasing to $15.20 an hour and the lower discriminatory minimum wage for liquor servers ending.Over the past four years, B.C.'s general minimum wage has increased from $11.35 to $15.20 per hour. It has benefited close to 400,000 British Columbians over those years - the majority of whom are women, immigrants and youth."In 2017, our government made a commitment to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by June 2021, through regular, measured and predictable increases," said Harry Bains, Minister

Two people are in hospital after a fire on a boat in Pitt Lake. One of the injured is in critical condition. Emergency Health Services says crews were called to the Grand Narrows boat launch yesterday afternoon after reports of an explosion. One person was airlifted to hospital while the other was transported by ambulance. Video from the scene shows a small motorboat engulfed in flames and thick black smoke pouring out.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asked that flags on all federal buildings be flown at half-mast in honour of the lives of 215 children whose remains were found at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.Trudeau says he has made the request, which will include the Peace Tower flag, to honour all Indigenous children who "never made it home", the survivors of the school and their families.Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation in British Columbia said the remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were confirmed last weekend with the help of groun

As the country is battling the second wave of COVID-19, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party led NDA government at the Centre for the mismangement in tackling the pandemic and said that 97 per cent Indians have witnessed depreciation in their income due to the arrogance of the Central leadership.He also mentioned that the various mutants of Coronavirus is the second reason for the economic devastation.The Congress leader shared a report that stated that lockdowns imposed in various parts of the country to contain the second wave has left 97 per cent of Indi

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on World No Tobacco Day informed that risk of fatal outcome from COVID-19 is 40-50 per cent higher in people who smoke. "People who smoke tobacco have a 40-50% hig her risk of fatal outcomes due to COVID. This causes not only diseases like lung, heart and cancer but also affects every part of the body," said Dr Harsh Vardhan.

The national capital reported about 900 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. This is the first time the daily figure went below the 1,000 mark during the second COVID-19 wave, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday."Around 900 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours. This is for the first time (during second wave) that we have reported cases below 1,000," Kejriwal told reporters after inaugurating a drive-through vaccination centre in the city. He further said he was hopeful about unlocking more activities in the city as cases decrease further. "I a

British Columbia health officials say COVID-19 is still spreading with new cases and clusters as the province begins to reopen in a four-step plan. In a news release, they say it is important to get vaccinated while maintaining social distance and using masks to stay safe during this period of transition. Officials say there has been a COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care facility, Brookside Lodge in Surrey, where one resident and a staff member have tested positive. The province reported 317 new cases of the infection for a total of 143,581. They also reported two more deaths, brining the n

Procurement Minister Anita Anand says Canada has confirmed shipments of 15 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines from three suppliers. She says every eligible Canadian will have access to a second dose by the end of the summer. She says 2.4 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech will arrive each week over five weeks in June and nine million more will arrive in July. As announced yesterday, she says Moderna has provided an updated delivery schedule for the first part of June, with 500,000 doses in two shipments starting next week. She also says 1.5 million doses of Moderna are arriving the week of

Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the COVID-19 situation has taken a turn for the better in the country over the past month. She says more than 22 million doses of vaccines have been administered across the country and Canada's efforts have gotten it over the peak of the third wave nationally. Dr. Tam says average case counts are now less than half of what they were during the peak of the third wave in mid-April, with under 3,400 cases being reported daily over the past seven days. Dr. Tam says the number of people experiencing severe or critical illness is also decrea