The RCMP say the B.C. Prosecution Service has approved 13 charges against a former social worker alleged to have stolen money from foster children in his care. The Mounties say in a news release they began an investigation nearly three years ago into the alleged fraudulent activity of Robert Riley Saunders. They say Saunders was employed with the Ministry of Children and Family Development from 1996 to 2018. Supt. Kara Triance of the RCMP's detachment in Kelowna says the police began their investigation in March 2018. Prosecutors have approved 13 charges against Saunders including 10 counts o

The US Department of Justice is refusing to comment on media reports that its lawyers are seeking a plea deal of sorts with Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou. The Wall Street Journal reports Justice Department lawyers have approached Huawei's chief financial officer about the possibility of a so-called deferred prosecution agreement. The newspaper says in exchange for admitting wrongdoing, Meng would be allowed to leave Canada and Vancouver, where she has been awaiting possible extradition to the US for the last two years. Meng was arrested in Vancouver two years ago at the behest of US off

The prime minister is not commenting on a Wall Street Journal report that the US Department of Justice has approached Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou with a plea deal of sorts. When pressed today, Justin Trudeau would only repeat what he has said in the past: that he is hopeful of winning the release of two Canadians caught up in the diplomatic standoff that started with Meng's arrest. Meng's 2018 arrest at Vancouver's airport at the behest of the US sparked the diplomatic standoff, and is widely believed to be behind China's decision days later to detain Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kov

New data shows Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is showing signs of producing lasting immunity. The American biotech firm says it will have as many as 125 million doses available by the end of March. Health Canada is expected to approve Moderna's candidate shortly, and Ottawa has signed an agreement with the drugmaker to buy at least 20 million doses. Currently only two million doses are supposed to arrive in the first three months of 2021, but the company says it should have 15 to 25 million doses available for non-U. S. deliveries before the end of March.

CN Rail says it's investigating why one of its trains derailed overnight Wednesday in the Fraser Canyon. The company says in a statement that seven empty grain cars went off the tracks near North Bend, across the Fraser River from Boston Bar. The statement says there is no danger to public safety and there were no leaks, fires or dangerous goods spilled. It says no one was hurt, no train cars went into the river and rail operations returned to normal yesterday.

Police in Abbotsford say a federal inmate is back in custody following a brief escape. They say in a statement that officers with Correctional Service Canada were escorting a federal offender to a medical appointment yesterday when he escaped. Police say that while officers tried to apprehend the offender, a correctional officer shot a gun but no one was injured. They say the inmate was found with the help of police, police dogs and an R-C-M-P helicopter without incident.

Vancouver's transit authority says it's working to determine how it became the target of a computer system attack and what information may have been affected. TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond says in a statement that a forensic investigation will probe the malicious software known as ransomware, which demands a fee in order to make a system work again. Customers have been unable to pay using credit or debit cards at Compass vending terminals or Tap-to-Pay fare terminals for days, but Desmond says that service is resuming. He says TransLink uses a third-party to process fare payments and does not s

The rate of job growth continued to slow in November with the economy adding 62,000 jobs, down from 84,000 in October. The gains were mostly focused in full-time work with a gain of 99,000 jobs, offset somewhat by a decline in part-time work of 37,000 positions, Statistics Canada reported Friday. The average economist estimate had been for a gain of 20,000 jobs and an unchanged unemployment rate, according to financial data firm Refinitiv. The gains in November left the country 574,000 jobs short of recouping the approximately three million jobs lost from lockdowns in March and April that sen

Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has urged Haryana Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya to call a special session of assembly to discuss issues related to farmers amid their protest."Haryana governor is requested to convene a special Assembly session and discuss the problem of farmers," Hooda said at a press conference here. He said Congress will bring a no-confidence motion against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Haryana government in the assembly as it has "lost the trust of the people"."Farmers are being insulted. They are being called 'Khalistanis' and 'Congre