Cruise ship season officially launches in British Columbia as the Sapphire Princess berths in Victoria for a one-day visit.The vessel then travels to Vancouver to begin that city's season.The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority expects 330 ships between April and October, bringing at least 850,000 passengers to the capital.The Port of Vancouver says 331 cruise ships are scheduled over the same period, potentially delivering more than one million visitors into the downtown core, with almost daily arrivals and departures at the height of the season between May and September.Prince Rupert's cruise

The union that represents the RCMP's emergency dispatchers and 911 operators is calling for the force to come up with a recruitment plan to fix worsening staff shortages.CUPE Local 104 president Kathleen Hippern says hundreds of people are off on long-term sick leave, but the force has not hired replacements for many of them.Hippern says that few centres are fully staffed, specifying that in Nova Scotia, staffing is only at about 50 per cent.She says morale is "abysmal" and she believes the lack of staff is affecting public safety by leaving callers sometimes waiting for minutes before someone

Quebec's electric utility says it still can't say with certainty when power will return to all the homes and businesses affected by last week's ice storm.About 16,000 customers are still off the grid, and Hydro-Québec says the majority of them are in the Montreal area.Utility spokesman Francis Labbé says work is particularly complicated in areas where mature trees have damaged power lines and need to be removed before crews can conduct repairs.Hydro-Québec says it has restored power to 99 per cent of the 1.1 million customers who lost electricity after freezing rain sent trees crashing onto

The CEO and most members of the board of directions for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation say they are stepping down because of the political climate that has recently surrounded their work.In a statement posted on its website, the foundation says the politicization of a donation it received seven years ago has put a great deal of pressure on its management, volunteer board of directors and staff.The resignations come after the Globe and Mail newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources, that Chinese billionaire Zhang Bin and another Chinese businessman, Niu Gensheng, donated $200,000 to th

Forecasters are warning of swollen creeks and rivers as heavy rain sweeps over southern British Columbia.High streamflow advisories have been posted for all of Vancouver Island, the south coast and the southern Interior, warning that the possible rapid rise in rivers poses a risk to public safety.Environment Canada says a Pacific frontal system washed over Vancouver Island and the south coast over the weekend, bringing up to 90 millimetres to Haida Gwaii and more than 80 millimetres on Saturna Island.The River Forecast Centre says streams and rivers on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Fra

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff, Katie Telford, will appear before a parliamentary committee on Friday.The Prime Minister's Office says Telford will testify at the procedure and House affairs committee on the issue of foreign interference in Canadian elections.The office says an exact time has not been scheduled.Telford agreed to meet with the committee last month, but not before the Liberals launched a filibuster that spanned several meetings in an attempt to keep her from appearing.At the time, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh had said his party would back a Conservative motion to cal

Montreal police say a 32-year-old man is facing a mischief charge after allegedly smashing his way into a downtown mosque early Sunday morning.Const. Véronique Dubuc says investigators don't believe the incident was a hate crime, adding that the suspect will appear in court at a later date.A national Muslim group posted surveillance videos to social media showing someone using a rock to break into the mosque and to smash into the prayer room.The video by the Canadian Muslim Forum also shows an altercation involving the perpetrator and a handful of worshippers at the Al-Omah Al-Islamiah mosque

WorkSafeBC is reminding employers of their obligation to prevent violence in the workplace and ensure the safety of their workers. Over the last five years, acts of violence have increased by 25 per cent in B.C., from 2,292 accepted claims in 2018 to 2,868 in 2022. WorkSafeBC regulations require that employers conduct a risk assessment, have policies and procedures in place to protect workers from the risk of violence, and to provide instruction to workers. Employers must identify potential hazards and implement measures to eliminate or minimize the risk of harm for workers who work alone or i

A handful of homeless people set up tents overnight along a stretch of Vancouver's Hastings Street that was cleared Wednesday in a co-ordinated effort by city officials and Vancouver police.Mayor Ken Sim ordered the long-standing encampment removed after the city's police and fire chiefs warned of escalating crime and an unacceptable fire risk.At the camp's peak, about 180 structures covered the sidewalk along the busy street.Now there are questions about where the displaced residents will go, and many have vowed to return to the only place they feel safe as soon as enforcement lifts.Vancouver