COVID-19 cases are threatening to overwhelm hospitals in several parts of Canada, with hospitalizations nearing or reaching record highs in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. Former CEO of the University Health Network and Ontario deputy health minister Dr. Bob Bell says every Western country dealing with COVID's fast spreading Omicron variant has a stressed hospital system right now. But he says Canada will pursue lockdowns and restrictions sooner than places such as the United States because Canada has a lower tolerance for deaths from the virus. Meanwhile, students in British Columbia a

Students are heading back to school in British Columbia today after a one-week delay caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The province has warned there may be functional closures due to staff illness and that COVID-19 exposure notices will no longer be sent unless there are significant dips in attendance. The back-to-class plan also includes mandatory three-layer masking in indoor areas, staggered start and break times and measures to reduce crowding in common areas. Despite an ongoing fifth wave of infections, provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry has said schools need to rem

B.C. is reporting 3,144 new cases of COVID-19, including six epi-linked cases, for a total of 276,875 cases in the province.There are 33,184 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 240,198 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 349 individuals are in hospital and 93 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:1,416 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 15,704483 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 9,449526 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases: 3,183244 new

On January 7th, just before 2:00 p.m., Langley RCMP was called to the intersection of 88 Avenue and 202 Stree after a report of a shooting was received. Upon police attendance, an adult male victim was located suffering from gunshot wounds. The male has succumbed to his injuries.Based on the investigative theory in this initial phase, this does not appear to be a random act. The area surrounding the scene will be cordoned off for a significant amount of time. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) has been called and will be working in partnership with Langley RCMP.Police are curren

School begins for British Columbia students Monday, with the province's top doctor laying out plans for keeping children safe as COVID-19 infections surge. Dr. Bonnie Henry says it is essential to keep schools open for the emotional, physical and intellectual well-being of children. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says safety measures include virtual assemblies, visitor restrictions, staggered break times and access to three-layered masks as they navigate this wave of COVID-19. Whiteside says school attendance will be monitored and an unusual dip will trigger a response from public heal

A shoplifter charged with robbery and released on conditions earlier this week has been re-arrested by Vancouver Police after he threatened another man with a knife.Early yesterday morning, the 23-year-old man was asked to leave private property near Burrard and Helmcken streets by a security guard. The suspect presented a knife to the security guard and threatened to stab him. Within minutes, officers arrived and arrested the suspect.Cody Echlin has been charged with breaching his release order. He has been released pending his next court date.Echlin was charged with robbery on January 3 afte

Canada's chief public health officer says the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is causing an "enormous" volume of cases. In a news conference this morning, Dr. Theresa Tam said the average daily case count has increased 65 per cent from last week.Tam says testing capacity is challenged in many areas of the country, but public health officials continue to use other indicators to measure the progress of the virus. Dr. Theresa Tam said the new variant is now "predominating and widespread" in much of the country.Tam says the portion of laboratory tests coming back positive is estimated at 29 per cent,

RCMP in Burnaby say more than 150 vehicles were pulled over yesterday for snow-related visibility problems. Police say some vehicles only had small portions of their windows cleared, leaving minimal visibility for the driver. Other vehicles had snow on top that had not been cleared, creating a moving hazard on the road. Police say 16 written warnings and 11 violation tickets were handed out. Burnaby RCMP on Twitter: Clear your vehicle: More than 150 vehicles pulled over for snow-related visibility issuesRead more: http://bit.ly/336Yd6w

The Victoria Police Department is preparing to move all its available officers to front-line policing duties as it anticipates staffing shortages caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. A statement from the department says, for the first time, it is enacting a clause in its contract with its police union that allows for the potential assignment of all officers to front-line duties. That work includes anything related to serving the public, such as traffic or crowd control, criminal investigations and arrests. The statement says the change begins this weekend as some Vic