Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is shooting back at China's criticism of efforts to build international support for freeing two detained Canadians. Champagne tells The Canadian Press he'll take no lessons from China when it comes to defending Canadian interests and standing up for Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. He has led Canadian efforts to create a coalition of dozens of countries pushing China to release the two men, whom they say are being arbitrarily and unjustly imprisoned. Kovrig and Spavor were arrested two years ago this month and now face what Canada and its

British Columbia's top doctor is advising people with chronic health conditions to contact their family doctor to determine if they should get vaccinated for COVID-19. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was tested primarily on healthy people of varying ages and it's not known if it will work or is safe for those with chronic liver or kidney diseases, for example. Clinical trials of the Moderna vaccine, which is expected to be the next one to be approved in Canada, also excluded people who are immunocompromised. Dr. Henry says 1,215 health-care workers have been vaccinated so fa

Finance Minister Selina Robinson says the province is showing signs of rebuilding its economy despite the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Robinson's latest economic update forecasts three per cent economic growth next year and says employment is steady. But she says 2020 was one of the most difficult years in the province's history and the economy is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until late 2022 or early 2023. She also reported that the projected deficit for this fiscal year has risen to 13.6 billion dollars from the 12.8 billion predicted in September. The Provi

BC's police complaints commissioner says it will launch a disciplinary-conduct investigation into the actions of seven Vancouver officers who took part in the arrest of a Sechelt man in August 2015. The BC Prosecution Service has said the injuries suffered by 33 year old Myles Gray during his arrest included a broken eye socket, a possible partially dislocated jaw and a voice box fracture. Gray died after going into cardiac arrest while he was being restrained. The prosecution service said none of the officers involved would be charged because the accusations couldn't be proven beyond a reaso

BC's government has set a new target for cutting greenhouse gases by 2025. Target has been set after determining it was further from reaching its goals than previously forecasted. The new target requires greenhouse gases in BC to fall 16 per cent below 2007 levels within the next five years. A government report says emissions rose in 2018 due to increases in fuel consumed in heavy-duty diesel vehicles, among other things. Environment Minister George Heyman says completing a plan to reach the legislated targets has been more challenging than anticipated.

The RCMP say they've launched a criminal investigation into the fatal CP train derailment near the BC-Alberta boundary in February 2019. A train carrying more than 100 grain cars was parked on a grade near Field before it started moving on its own, gaining speeds far above the limit. Sergeant Janelle Shoihet says the investigation comes after a preliminary review of the incident that killed three rail company employees. She says police consulted with the Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada and the BC Prosecution Service and determined further investigation was warranted. She would n

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he wants the government to tell the Canada Revenue Agency not to go after vulnerable people who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told The Canadian Press that no one will be forced to pay back money if they aren't able, or applied in good faith for the aid. But Singh says that's not going far enough. He wants Trudeau to issue a directive right away to tell the CRA not to go after artists and young people that are vulnerable. New Democrats have spoken with Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough's officials, but Singh says

An approaching snowstorm has forced the Nova Scotia RCMP to suspend the shoreline search for five missing fishermen whose scallop dragger sank in the Bay of Fundy on Tuesday. Snowfall warnings have been issued for much of the province, where the southern mainland can expect up to 25 centimetres of snow by late tonight, with higher amounts possible inland. The RCMP assumed the lead role in the search on Wednesday at 5 p.m. when the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax decided there was no hope that the crews aboard military aircraft or coast guard vessels would find any survivors. The

A mother who gave birth while in a coma due to complications from COVID-19 is awake and has met her newborn son for the first time. Name of the woman is Gillian McIntosh. Gillian was given an emergency C-section and placed in an induced coma after arriving at a hospital in Abbotsford, B.C., with COVID-19 symptoms in November. McIntosh's family says in a statement that she was eased out of sedation late last week and has been taken off the ventilator. She was able to meet her son, named Travis Len, for the first time over the weekend.