CanadaFeb 10, 2021
India will 'do its best' to get COVID-19 vaccines to Canada, says PM Narendra Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says his country "will do its best" to help Canada get COVID-19 vaccines but stopped short of making any specific guarantee that India would ship doses to Canada.Canada is also not among 25 countries cleared by the Indian government to receive exported doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine this month, though federal officials indicated last week Canada's shipments weren't expected to start arriving until at least April.The Serum Institute of India has a contract with AstraZeneca to make at least one billion vaccine doses, and Health Canada is currently reviewing th
BCFeb 10, 2021
Ski resorts across BC stepping up enforcement to reduce the surge of COVID-19 in places like Whistler
Ski resorts across BC are stepping up enforcement to reduce the surge of COVID-19 in places like Whistler, where provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry says social gatherings are a major concern. Christopher Nicolson, who heads the Canada West Ski Areas Association, says work has been underway with various levels of government and community groups as part of a plan to avoid getting shut down by BC's top doctor. Nicolson says the messaging is clear for people to follow public safety orders because so much is at stake if the industry is forced to shut down. Whistler recorded 547 cases be
BCFeb 10, 2021
Forecasters warn cold snap brings wind chill values of -25 for parts of south coast
Snowfall warnings have been issued for parts of British Columbia's inner south coast as much of the province shivers through a deep freeze and forecasters call for the coldest day, yet. Environment Canada is warning of heavy flurries dumping as much as five centimetres of snow on Vancouver Island between Courtenay and Campbell River, as well as a section of the Sunshine Coast. The weather office says rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult in some locations, but it says conditions should stabilize as another system approaches Thursday. Extreme cold, arctic outflow and special we
IndiaFeb 10, 2021
Twitter suspends over 500 accounts for breach of policy after India's 'legal requests'
In response to the ''legal requests'' from the Central government, Twitter on Wednesday informed that it has taken multiple enforcement actions -- including permanent suspension of over 500 accounts for clear violations of Twitter's rules.
The social media giant in a statement said, "Separate to our enforcement under the Twitter Rules, over the course of the last 10 days, Twitter has been served with several separate blocking orders by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act."
"We took a range of
CanadaFeb 10, 2021
Feds promise new funds for public transit, most money won't arrive for years
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will provide nearly $15 billion for public-transit projects across the country — though most of the money won't arrive until later in the decade.Trudeau says the promised $14.9 billion in new public-transit funding will be spread over eight years, though most of the money won't start flowing until 2026.The government says the new funds will provide cities with predictable funding to plan for their long-term needs while helping Canadians move around easier and fight climate change.Trudeau announced the new funding during a teleconfere
BCFeb 10, 2021
435 new COVID-19 cases and 4 deaths reported in B.C.; 4,393 active cases in the province
British Columbia health officials say progress is being made in the efforts to push back the COVID-19 virus and get to the days of fewer restrictions in the province. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement Tuesday that there are 435 new cases of the virus, for a total of 4,393 active cases. Some 241 people are in hospital, of whom 68 are in intensive care, and the remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. There have been four new COVID-19-related deaths, for a total of 1,263 fatalities linked to the viru
BCFeb 10, 2021
PHSA is not effectively managing cybersecurity threats for medical devices and has not evaluated the risk to patients: BC's auditor general
British Columbia's auditor general says the Provincial Health Services Authority is not effectively managing cybersecurity threats for medical devices and has not evaluated the risk to patients.Michael Pickup says ineffective cybersecurity management means the authority can't apply proper security controls to its systems and devices, and may not be able to detect cyberattacks.The audit covered more 18,000 devices in the Lower Mainland, ranging from infusion pumps to MRI systems, and the systems supporting their operation.He recommends the authority evaluate cybersecurity threats and the potent
BCFeb 10, 2021
10,000 B.C. waterfront workers to receive anti-harassment, anti-violence training
A new program aimed at training workers to speak up against harassment, violence and bullying is coming to BC's waterfront. The federal government, longshore unions and management announced the program today, which is based on the 'Be More Than a Bystander' campaign developed by the Ending Violence Association of BC. Association spokeswoman Tracy Porteous says working with longshore unions may seem like an odd fit but it will add the "voices and committed interventions of men" to those of women and minorities who have long been calling for an end to abuse and inequity. Rob Ashton with the lon
BCFeb 09, 2021
Illegal after-hours nightclub in Surrey gets thousands of dollars in fines: Surrey RCMP
Surrey Mounties and a COVID compliance team used a search warrant to break up an illegal after-hours nightclub in the city. RCMP say when officers and the enforcement team went in around 1 am on Sunday they found 22 people inside. Police say 26 tickets worth almost six-thousand dollars in fines were handed out for everything from failure to wear a mask to attending a non-compliant event and belligerent behaviour. The host of the event was not issued the usual $2,300 ticket but instead received a notice to appear in court. Surrey Mounties say the nightclub operating near King George Boulevard