With recovery efforts still underway in communities affected by severe flooding and highways damaged by flooding and mudslides, the Province is extending the provincial state of emergency.Given the continued need for public safety measures under the Emergency Program Act and ongoing work to repair damaged highways, the provincial state of emergency is being extended until the end of the day on Dec. 28, 2021."While we’re making significant progress in our recovery, there is still a lot of work to do to reopen our highways and get people back into their homes," said Mike Farnworth, Minister of

Winter weather is making its way back into southern B.C. with Environment Canada issuing heavy snowfall warnings for several areas. The agency says a low-pressure system is moving into the southern part of the province starting Monday night and is expected to stay on until Tuesday, bringing up to 20 centimetres of snow in some areas. It says the areas affected will include parts of Elk Valley, the Fraser Canyon along Highway 3, and Lytton, Boston Bar and Hope. The highway is the only provincial access route into the Interior and remains open to essential traffic only. Environment Canada says

The University of Victoria says it will no longer be holding in-person exams this year to reduce COVID-19 risks. School officials issued a statement asking teachers to adjust their exam plans to offer assessments online or in another format starting today. They are also asking students to avoid campus if they feel sick or test positive for the virus, saying ``timely academic consideration'' will be given if a student becomes too sick to complete their schoolwork. The university says the decision was made after consulting with public health experts at Island Health.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam's annual report says the pandemic has been a wake-up call about the need for public health renewal. She's urging the federal government to transform the public health system so it is better equipped to handle both present and future health threats. Dr. Tam is warning the government it should not scale back public health funding once the emergency has passed, leaving it vulnerable at the start of the next crisis. Canada's top doctor says community transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is already happening. Dr. Theresa Tam says the highly co

Defence Minister Anita Anand says Ottawa has long failed to protect those who signed up to protect the country. She made a formal apology today to victims of military sexual misconduct on behalf of the federal government, and also apologized the government didn't put the right systems in place to ensure justice and accountability for victims. Her apology, and those made by chief of the defence staff General Wayne Eyre and Defence Department deputy minister Jody Thomas form a key part of the federal government's 600 million dollar settlement in several overlapping class-action lawsuits. Defence

Nearly 80,000 Ontarians remain without power on Sunday evening after high winds brought down trees and power lines across the southern part of the province on Saturday night. Ontario utility Hydro One said crews are still working to restore power after Saturday's wind storm left about 490,000 customers in the dark. "Our crews are in position and responding to significant power outages caused by Ontario's worst storm in recent years," said David Lebeter, Hydro One's chief operating officer.

R-C-M-P say they're investigating what's believed to a targeted weekend shooting in Nanaimo. Police say a man was treated in hospital for serious but non-life-threatening injuries and that a vehicle was seen speeding from the scene Saturday night. Mounties then received a call about a vehicle on fire and say it's believed to have been associated with the shooting. Constable Gary O'Brien says police don't believe there's any risk to the public but anyone who has information about the incident is being asked to call the detachment.

B.C. is reporting 437 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 222,013 cases in the province.There are currently 2,994 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 216,542 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 211 individuals are currently in hospital and 72 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, three new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,381.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: oneVancouver Coastal Health: oneIsland Health: oneThere have been 10 cases of the Omicron variant of conc

Highway 11, between Hazelwood Avenue and Clayburn Road, is open to commercial vehicle traffic, supporting the movement of goods and services between the Sumas border, Abbotsford and Mission. This stretch of highway was reopened to passenger and emergency vehicles on Dec. 6. Traffic is moving on the two southbound lanes of Highway 11 using a single lane in each direction. Drivers should expect a slower commute and delays.The two northbound lanes remain closed until the highway can be repaired. A timeline for these repairs has not been determined. Although it is not subject to the essential trav