A Nanaimo high school was placed under a precautionary lockdown Wednesday afternoon after school staff were alerted to a threat directed at a student. The incident at Nanaimo District Secondary School began around 2:30 p.m., prompting administrators to activate established safety procedures. Nanaimo RCMP officers responded immediately and remained on site while classrooms were secured. Police and school officials said the lockdown lasted roughly 30 minutes, and students and staff were released shortly after 3 p.m. once officers determined there was no ongoing risk. The district says students w

Vancouver Police say a loaded rifle and several other weapons were taken off the street this week after officers arrested a man suspected of trafficking drugs in the Downtown Eastside. The incident took place Tuesday afternoon near East Hastings and Columbia Street, an area where frontline police and community workers have long raised concerns about violence linked to the drug trade. According to the Vancouver Police Department, members of the Beat Enforcement Team were on routine patrol around 2:35 p.m. on December 9 when they arrested a 32-year-old Surrey resident outside a residential build

Former United States president Donald Trump announced on Thursday the launch of a new immigration initiative he calls the Gold Card, opening the application process for the program. Under the plan, individuals can apply for the Gold Card at a fee of US$1 million, while companies wishing to secure a card for executives or employees would pay US$2 million. Trump’s campaign says cardholders would receive a U.S. passport, full voting rights and the same benefits enjoyed by other American citizens. Trump framed the Gold Card as part of his broader “America First” policy agenda, asserting the

Communities across southern British Columbia are facing new evacuation orders and travel disruptions after heavy rainfall triggered flooding and landslides that severed key routes between the Lower Mainland and the Interior. Provincial officials say multiple highways, including the Coquihalla and Highways 1, 3, 5 and 11, remain shut as crews assess washouts and unstable slopes. The closure of Highway 11 has also halted access to the Sumas border crossing. In Abbotsford, 371 properties on the Sumas Prairie were ordered evacuated overnight as waters linked to the overflowing Nooksack River conti

The Canada Revenue Agency says it plans to bring on roughly 1,700 additional call centre staff in the coming months as it prepares for a surge in taxpayer inquiries during the upcoming filing season. Agency officials say the goal is to expand the workforce to about 4,500 agents, citing internal forecasts that anticipate heavy call volumes. Melanie Serjak, an assistant commissioner with the CRA, told reporters that it is routine for the agency to scale up its operations for tax season, when daily call volumes can exceed 300,000. She said last year’s peak staffing level reached about 3,300 age

Members of Parliament are expected to wrap up the fall sitting as early as Thursday, ending the session ahead of the scheduled Friday adjournment and beginning a six-week winter break. MPs are due to return to the House on January 26, leaving several major pieces of government legislation still awaiting final approval. Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon said the minority Liberal government considers the fall session productive, noting progress on budget and public-safety bills that have not yet cleared Parliament. This sitting was the first full session under Prime Minister Mark Carney,

Two people have been sentenced to five years in prison for the 2023 killing of Maple Ridge resident Surinderjit “Jack” Singh. The case, which involved extensive work by homicide investigators and local RCMP, concluded last week with a pair of manslaughter convictions. Police were called to the 21800 block of 122 Avenue on the morning of March 4, 2023, where officers found the 55-year-old victim deceased at the scene. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team took charge of the file, working with Ridge Meadows RCMP, forensic specialists, and the BC Coroners Service. Investigators later ide

Federal RCMP officers say a synthetic drug lab operating in a Surrey neighbourhood has been dismantled following coordinated searches in Surrey and Richmond this fall. Investigators with the RCMP Federal Policing Pacific Region CLEAR Team carried out warrants on September 14, uncovering large quantities of suspected fentanyl along with a cache of weapons and precursor chemicals. Police say the investigation began earlier in the summer and led officers to a property in the 12900 block of 54A Avenue in Surrey, where they located what they believe was an active fentanyl production site. Officers

Quebec’s anticorruption police force has launched a criminal investigation into the provincial Liberal Party, adding to a period of internal turmoil for the long-standing political organization. A spokesperson for the force confirmed the probe today but declined to provide details, citing the active nature of the case. The confirmation follows disclosures last month that investigators were reviewing allegations of wrongdoing to determine whether a formal investigation was warranted. The decision to proceed suggests authorities found sufficient grounds to examine the matter further. The Liber