Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday said his father and SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal has sent a strong message to the union government by returning his Padma Vibhushan award "as a sign of protest" against the government.In a telephonic interview to ANI, Sukhbir Singh Badal said, "Parkash Singh Badal fought for his whole life for farmers. If you look at the whole country, he is the tallest farmer leader and all his life he struggled for them.""He even spent 16 years in jail. So, he felt that to send a strong message to the government and for them to immediat

British Columbia's top doctor says COVID-19 cases have levelled off in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions, but they've been rising in the North, Interior and to a lesser extent on Vancouver Island. Dr. Bonnie Henry says there is some variability in how the illness is spreading in different areas, but social interactions are driving transmissions across the province. Dr. Henry says transmissions remain high and while health restrictions on travel and social gatherings are set to end Monday, it's possible the rules could be extended. Dr. Henry is also urging people to avoid travell

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is fine-tuning its COVID-19 vaccination plan to ensure Canadians can get inoculated as soon as doses are available. But opposition parties are criticizing the Liberals' reluctance to reveal exactly how and when it will distribute a vaccine once one is approved by Health Canada. Opposition Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole questioned the prime minister about his vaccine plan today in the House of Commons.The Conservatives are expected to introduce a motion tomorrow that could compel the government to release details of the plan by the middle of

The death of a teenager in Burnaby, B.C., is now being investigated as a homicide. A statement from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 18 year old woman was found in a Burnaby home on Sunday. She was suffering from critical injuries and died in hospital. Sgt. Frank Jang with the homicide team says one man was arrested at the scene but has been released without charges as the investigation continues. Jang says the woman knew her attacker, the case is considered isolated and there is no risk to the public. He urges anyone with information to contact investigators.

Abbotsford police are asking for help identifying a driver and vehicle involved in a hit-and-run. Police say in a statement the incident happened just after 5 pm Monday at Harris Road and Riverside Street. They say a 20 year old pedestrian was injured when she was walking on the roadside and knocked into a ditch. Police have limited information about the vehicle but say they believe it will have substantial damage to the windshield and passenger side view mirror.

Residents of southern BC may be looking at a mild December but things are expected to chill off in the New Year. Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist says December will likely be warmer than usual in Metro Vancouver. But he says conditions for January are predicted to be colder, wetter and whiter than usual. He says it's a La Nina year, which usually brings colder temperature right away, but a ridge of high pressure is delaying the freeze.

The Conservatives are criticizing the Trudeau government for not moving faster after Britain became the first country in the world to approve Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. Health Canada is still reviewing the drug. Conservative MP Michael Barrett says Canadians are being forced to wait. He said the people in the UK, and soon the US and other countries are preparing to get vaccinated.

Metro Vancouver's transit authority says it's investigating suspicious network activity affecting its computer systems. TransLink says in a statement that it has disabled access to some online services, which may affect customers, out of an abundance of caution. It says that means customers won't be able to use credit or debit cards at Compass Card vending machines or Tap-to-Pay fare gates. TransLink also says stored values may take longer to load and other online services, like the Trip Planning tool, have been disabled.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says November home sales were down from October, but still well above this time last year, as the market catches up to the effects of COVID-19. The board says real estate agents sold 3,064 homes last month, down 16.9 per cent from October but up 22.7 per cent from November 2019. The board's report says the benchmark price of a Vancouver home hit $1,044,000, up 5.8 per cent from November 2019. Board chair Colette Gerber says Vancouver is a seller's market, as demand for detached houses and townhomes is pushing prices higher while the rate of new listi