Health officials are urging eligible British Columbians to register online for a vaccine in order to reduce growing pressure on health-care workers getting "pushed to the limits" at hospitals. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say those aged 35 and up can now register for a vaccine as part of the province's age-based vaccination stream. Dix and Dr. Henry say 849 more people have become infected with COVID-19 and one more person has died for a total of 1,539 fatalities since the pandemic began. They say 456 people are in hospital and 148 of them are i

The provincial deficit is predicted to hit a record this year with billions of dollars in new spending promised for infrastructure and supports for families and businesses. Finance Minister Selina Robinson forecasts a 9.7-billion-dollar deficit this fiscal year and says it may take seven to nine years to balance the books. She says the province will help the recovery with 8.7 billion dollars in infrastructure spending over three years that will create 85 thousand jobs. Another 1.6 billion dollars is promised for poverty reduction strategies and an extra 3.1 billion for the health-care and men

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland both say they are seeking appointments at a pharmacy to get vaccinated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19. Both Trudeau, 49, and Freeland, 52, became eligible today when Ontario dropped the age to get that vaccine to 40 and above. Trudeau says he is still working out the details for getting his shot. Freeland says she has her children online trying to get her an appointment and is now on a waitlist. Extension of hotel quarantines in Canada Canada is extending the use of quarantine hotels for international

More than 3,000 National Guard soldiers, along with police officers, sheriffs deputies and other law enforcement personnel have flooded Minneapolis in the wake of a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with murder in the death last year of George Floyd. The jury on Tuesday found Chauvin guilty on all charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. But in the city that has come to epitomize America's debate over police killings, there remain places where Minneapolis can feel almost like a police state. Concret

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says details are still being arranged, but travel restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 will not include random stops. A statement from Farnworth's office says the restrictions are meant to discourage recreational travel and will include checks at ferry terminals and along major highways out of Metro Vancouver. He says the rules are not meant as punishment and his ministry is also working to ensure racialized communities are not unfairly affected. Travel regulations were announced for the province yesterday and will remain in effect until

The Fraser Health authority says it will be vaccinating residents 40 years and older in a variety of neighbourhoods it has deemed to be high-risk for COVID-19. Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO of the health authority, says vaccinating residents in certain neighbourhoods in Surrey, North Delta and Langley will help reduce the burden being placed on hospitals due to COVID-19. Lee estimates 50 to 70 non-essential surgeries have been cancelled and hospitals in the region are at 96 per cent capacity. As of this morning, there were an estimated 229 COVID-19 patients in Fraser Health hospitals. D

Former BC premier Christy Clark spent the morning testifying before BC's money laundering inquiry. Clark led the Liberal government between 2011 and 2017, a period when several NDP reports say a rapid growth in money laundering occurred in BC's casinos, real estate and luxury car industries. Clark testified she first heard about a spike in suspicious cash through BC casinos in 2015 and says her government acted quickly to implement a report recommending changes to anti-money laundering strategies. The NDP ordered inquiry is examining how money laundering flourished, and Clark says confirmatio

A top military commander says that Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno has been killed on the battlefield in a fight against rebels. He has died after more than three decades in power. The stunning announcement on national television and radio came just hours after election officials had declared him the winner of the April 11 vote, paving the way for him to stay in power for six more years. The circumstances of Deby's death could not immediately be independently confirmed due to the remote location. It was not known why the president would have visited the area or participated in ongoing clas

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are talking up the benefits of yesterday's federal budget. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Freeland in promoting the budget, calling it a plan to help Canada and Canadians through the COVID-19 crisis and set the table for a strong comeback. Trudeau calls it a historic plan for a historic moment. Trudeau says it's important to make the right investments in what comes next. He says his government won't make the mistake of cutting support too quickly like the previous government did following the great recession of 2008. Fr