It’s not the news we want to hear on the COVID front. Canada's chief public health officer says we are seeing a steady increase in the B-A-2 variant of the virus. Dr. Theresa Tam says the rising numbers are totally expected because anytime we relax public health measures and increase in-person activities then cases are going to go up. She also says the B-A-2 variant is more transmissible and that will significantly impact people who aren’t up to date with their COVID vaccinations. Dr. Tam’s parting message at her briefing today was, Get your booster.

This has been an emotional day for Indigenous Canadians, who have finally received an apology from the Roman Catholic Church for itsrole in the residential school system.Pope Francis made the historic apology at the Vatican, begging forgiveness and telling about 190 Indigenous delegates that he hopes to visit Canada around the Feast of St. Anna, which falls on July 26th.Chief Gerald Antoine says Francis recognized the cultural genocide that was inflicted on Indigenous children, calling today a first step on the path of reconciliation.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says today wouldn't have happe

B.C. is reporting 249 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 356,501 cases in the province.There are 281 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 42 are in intensive care.In the past 24 hours, two new deaths (Fraser Health) have been reported, for an overall total of 2,998.There have been two new health-care facility outbreaks at Parkview Place and Monahsee Mews (Interior Health), for a total of nine facilities with ongoing outbreaks. From March 23-29, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 17.3% of cases and from March 16-29 they accounted for 21.9% of hospi

In an effort to better protect the health and safety of women and girls, the Alberta government is working to strengthen legislation banning female genital mutilation (FGM) in the province. Bill 10, the Health Professions (Protecting Women and Girls) Amendment Act 2022, if passed, will mean health professionals and practitioners who perform or facilitate FGM would be removed from practicing medicine. Further, under Bill 10, if a health professional is convicted of having practiced FGM in another jurisdiction, they would not be allowed to practice in Alberta. Those who are witness to conduct r

Alberta's police watchdog says four Edmonton police officers shot and killed a suspect last week after shocking him twice with a stun gun. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team says the 55 year old man had two potential improvised firearms and one modified imitation firearm. Investigators say officers first noticed him sitting at a picnic table and holding what appeared to be a handgun in front of Edmonton Police Service headquarters. The man is the fourth person to die in Edmonton police shootings since the start of the year.

The unsolved murders of Lisa Gavin and Glenna "Dusty" Sowan have been added to the Vancouver Police Department’s cold case website, with hopes someone will come forward with information to solve the 34-year-old killings. "No homicide case is ever closed until it’s solved, and we know there’s someone out there with information that can help solve these two murders," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "Even the smallest bit of information could lead to a break in these cases and help us catch the killers."Gavin and Sowan were friends when they were killed just six weeks apart in 1988.Gavin was l

Charges of aggravated assault have been approved for two youths arrested by Metro Vancouver Transit Police in connection with an alleged assault involving a machete in Coquitlam. On March 10, 2022, just after 6 p.m., a man was chased into the Burquitlam SkyTrain Station by two suspects, one of whom was seen carrying a large machete. The man attempted to use a pylon to protect himself, while one of the suspects allegedly swung the machete in his direction several times. The machete eventually made contact with the side of the victim’s head.The suspects then ran out of the station while a witn

Vaccinated travellers will no longer need a COVID-19 test to enter Canada as of Friday. The change is a departure from Canada's policy since the early days of the pandemic, and the struggling tourism industry describes it as a major boon. Travel agents say they've seen a surge in demand for flights since the change was announced two weeks ago. Domestic tourism groups also report a big bump in bookings over the last few weeks. While no test will be required after April 1 for people who are considered fully vaccinated, Health Canada still requires that anyone arriving from outside the country w

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says the brakes on a CP Rail locomotive failed due to cold temperatures, leading to a 2019 train derailment that killed three workers. The train was parked on a grade near Field, BC, when it started rolling. Investigators found it gained speed before 99 grain cars and two locomotives plummeted off a bridge. An inbound train engineer had warned the trainmaster of brake system irregularities, but due to inexperience and a lack of training, he did not see that they were problematic. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released its findings into