Striking public service workers in British Columbia have expanded pickets at provincial liquor and cannabis stores again, adding 20 more locations to the list. The B.C. General Employees’ Union says the escalation also includes job action by front-line staff at several ministry offices. It says more than 17,000 public service workers are now taking job action across the province, which is half the 34,000 workers represented by the union. Union president Paul Finch says in a statement that every day the government delays, pressure on public services will grow, and it will continue to step up

Kap's Cafe, which was the target of two shootings in Surrey, has reopened again. The cafe was closed for about 10 days after the first shooting on July 10. Kapil Sharma had initially shared a post about the cafe's reopening, but within weeks of reopening in July, the cafe was again the target of a shooting in early August. The cafe reopened again on October 1, the Connect FM team reached the cafe on Thursday (Oct. 2nd) and tried to get comments from the cafe manager. The manager denied any comment on camera and said that the management had refused to provide any official information. At aroun

Schools across Alberta are preparing to close their doors while the province readies a home curriculum for students ahead of Monday's provincewide teachers strike. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the province has already put online a curriculum that parents can use to teach their children should the 51,000 members of the Alberta Teachers' Association make good on their promise to walk out. Nicolaides says it's not fair that students would be forced to bear the brunt of the walkout, which would affect more than 700,000 students across public, separate and francophone sch

Canada Post says it has sent new offers to striking postal workers. The offer includes the same 13.59 per cent compounded wage increase over four years that it presented as part of its final offer in May to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. It says that due to the Crown corporation's worsening financial situation, it can no longer offer a signing bonus. Canada Post says the new proposal includes terms to help support the transformation of the postal service that the federal government has initiated. Workers went on strike last week after the government announced the changes including endin

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday as trade negotiations continue. It will be Carney's second visit to the White House since he became prime minister. The Prime Minister's Office says Carney's visit will focus on shared priorities in a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the United States. Ottawa has been trying to find an off-ramp from Trump's sectoral tariffs, which are hammering Canada's steel, aluminum and automobile industries. The Trump administration is also increasing duties on lumber

An international student Jatinderpal Singh from India has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty in Saskatoon provincial court to charges of drug trafficking and possessing the proceeds of crime. Jatinderpal Singh, who came to Canada to study at a university in Ontario, said he turned to selling drugs in Saskatchewan in order to pay off his debts, according to the written decision by Saskatoon provincial court Judge Lisa Watson, who presided over Singh's sentencing. Singh, 27, passed his first year of studies but couldn't complete his second year because he couldn't afford

The British Columbia government says more than half of 20 communities surveyed saw an increase in homelessness since the last count in 2023. The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs says in a statement that the count provides a snapshot of a community's homeless population during a 24-hour period. It says the latest count found 12 of the 20 communities they looked at had an increase in those who were homeless, while eight saw a drop. Many of the cities reporting higher numbers are in the Interior, including Williams Lake, Cranbrook, Merritt, Quesnel, Penticton and Salmon Arm. But the coun

Charges have been sworn against a man following a Surrey Police Service (SPS) investigation into an alleged theft and sexual assault that occurred in the early morning hours of August 26, 2025, in the 9800 block of King George Boulevard, Surrey. On August 26, 2025, at approximately 3:10 am, a man was walking in the 9800 block of King George Boulevard, Surrey when he was approached by a stranger, an adult South Asian male. During the interaction between the two, the stranger allegedly stole the man’s cell phone. A short time later, a woman was walking in the same area and was approached by

Garry Begg, MLA for Surrey-Guildford, has been selected as the new chair of the BC NDP caucus. Begg was first elected MLA in 2017, and re-elected in 2020 and 2024. Before entering politics, he served as an RCMP officer for more than 38 years. Premier David Eby said: “Garry Begg brings with him a lifetime of experience serving the people of British Columbia. Garry will be a great caucus chair, keeping us focused on the needs of the people across the province who sent us here to get results on their behalf. I want to thank Stephanie Higginson for her diligent work, guiding us through the la