BC Premier John Horgan is expressing his gratitude to health-care workers after protests outside some hospitals in the province. The provincial government will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 later this month from residents participating in non-essential activities, such as visiting restaurants, gyms and movie theatres. Demonstrations against the government's approach on COVID-19 outside hospitals prompted Horgan to issue a statement in support of health-care workers, calling them ``the true heroes'' throughout the pandemic. Kathy MacNeil, president and CEO of the Island Health

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021.Fires:Wildfires currently burning in B.C.: 216Since April 1, 2021:1,562 wildfires865,299 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 24Coastal: 18Kamloops: 64Northwest: 5Prince George: 49Southeast: 56Resources:Firefighters and other personnel currently fighting the fires: 2,940Out-of-province firefighters: 455Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 119Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 17 (-1) Evacuation alerts: 49 (-19) Properties:Num

The first televised debate of the federal election campaign takes place tonight.Only four leaders — the Liberals' Justin Trudeau, the Conservatives' Erin O'Toole, the Bloc Québécois' Yves-Francois Blanchet and the NDP's Jagmeet Singh will face off.The Green party's Annamie Paul and the Peoples' party's Maxime Bernier were not invited to participate.The French debate on TVA, one of Quebec's most-watched networks, comes at the mid-point of the campaign and could prove crucial to the outcome on Sept. 20.The TVA debate is in addition to two official debates organized by the Leaders' Debates Co

A day after comparing Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) working presidents with "Panj Pyare", Congress in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat on Wednesday issued an apology and said that he was taking his words back.Addressing the media here, Rawat said that for the atonement of his mistake, he will sweep the floors of a Gurudwara in Uttarakhand."I used that word (Panj Pyare) as a reference for a respected person. Still, if my words hurt the feelings of any person, I apologise and take my words back. For atonement, I'll sweep the floors of a Gurudwara in my state (Uttarakhand)," Punjab Congre

B.C. is reporting 785 new cases of COVID-19, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 166,853 cases in the province.There are currently 5,873 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 158,900 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 199 individuals are in hospital and 112 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.Note: Intensive care numbers are a subset of the total in hospital. They are not in addition to the number of people in hospital.The new/active cases include:246 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases:

Public transit is now free for all children 12 and under in B.C., saving families money, increasing access to affordable transportation options and encouraging more people to use public transit.The free transit for children 12 and under program was officially launched at the Pacific National Exhibition fairgrounds in Vancouver on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021."I’m thrilled to be here to celebrate the start of free transit for children 12 and under," said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. "This is a landmark achievement for free public transit in this province and an impo

Canada claimed its first women's world hockey championship in almost a decade when Marie-Philip Poulin scored the overtime winner in a 3-2 victory over the United States. The Canadians won gold nine years after their last time atop the podium in 2012. It was also redemption after the team failed to reach the final for the first time in the history of the tournament in 2019. Assistant captain Blayre Turnbull suffered a leg injury during the celebration pileup, but returned to the ice to celebrate from a stretcher with her teammates during the Canadian anthem.

On Monday, August 30, at approximately 1:40 p.m., an unknown man approached a 25-year-old woman and wrestled her to the ground in the area of Edmonds Street and Canada Way. It’s believed the victim may have been followed for a short distance.The victim, who did not sustain any serious injuries, does not know the suspect.The suspect is described as: Tanned skin 5’816-22 years oldBlack wavy hairWearing:Black hoodieLight coloured jeans Black running shoesIn the early hours of Wednesday morning (September 1) in the Edmonds area, a similar report was received in Burnaby. The victim was not inju

When Greg Stewart stepped into the circle for his first throw on Wednesday and pulled the shot put tight into the broad neck of his 7-2 frame, he thought of the words of his coach Dylan Armstrong. ``Dylan always says, make sure you throw your furthest, your hardest on the very first one, and let the other people have to deal with it,'' Stewart said. Stewart executed the Olympic bronze medallist's instructions perfectly. On his opening throw, the 35 year old from Kamloops, B.C., unleashed a Paralympic record of 16.75 metres, and then let out a huge roar to match, to win shot put gold at the To