Health Canada says it's begun its first review of a possible vaccine for COVID-19. The agency says it's evaluating the vaccine candidate being worked on by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. The possible vaccine is undergoing what's called a ``rolling review,'' in which Health Canada accepts data and results from the company's trials as it comes in, rather than waiting for everything to be complete. Health Canada cautions that starting a rolling review is just one step on the road to approval. The federal government has put in an advance order for 20 million dose

Canada is forming its own forensic examination and assessment team to examine evidence and information after Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down a Ukrainian jetliner in January, killing all 176 people on board. The office of Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told The Associated Press the team will collect, organize and analyze all available information, evidence and intelligence about after the Jan. 8 crash near Tehran, and will advise the Canadian government on its credibility. Canadian experts have been present as observers in the probe of the crash being carried out under inter

An outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Fraser Health issued a statement this morning saying there is evidence of transmission in a medicine unit at the hospital. It says one patient and one staff member have tested positive for the new coronavirus but the outbreak is limited to a single unit, which has been temporarily closed to admissions. The hospital has implemented enhanced infection prevention and control measures, including additional cleaning, and is also using contact tracing to halt any further spread of the virus by those who may not be showing sympto

New Democrat Leader John Horgan was in Squamish at Carbon Engineering (BC-based clean energy company) today to announce a plan to commit BC to net-zero carbon emissions in 30 years if his government is re-elected on October 24th. "The unprecedented challenges we face today, from the economic shock of a global pandemic to the threat of a changing climate, also present opportunities," said Horgan. "As a leader in clean energy, British Columbia is uniquely placed to seize these opportunities. Meeting this ambitious target of net-zero emissions will help us create good jobs through the recovery wh

Federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Ottawa is not trying to block provinces from getting access to new rapid COVID-19 testing devices. Manitoba's Central Services Minister Reg Helwer says Ottawa is forbidding Abbott Laboratories from selling its new ID Now tests directly to the provinces. Helwer says the federal government is insisting on controlling the supply and allocating shipments to the provinces. Health Canada recently approved the ID Now tests, which deliver results in about 15 minutes without having to send the specimen to a lab for processing. Helwer says

The real estate market in Vancouver had its best September on record this year in terms of the number of homes sold. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says 3,643 were sold in September this year, up 56.2 per cent from the 2,333 sold in September 2019. Sales were also up 19.6 per cent from the 3,047 homes sold in August. The MLS home price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties hit $1,041,300 in September, up 5.8 per cent from September 2019. Real estate board chairwoman Colette Gerber says that while a wave of homes hit the market last month, it was not enough

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19.Trump tweeted the update early this morning. Trump's positive test comes just hours after the White House announced that senior aide Hope Hicks came down with the virus after travelling with the president several times this week.It also comes after he spent much of the last year downplaying the threat of COVID-19.Trump's White House doctor has issued a statement saying the president will continue carrying out his duties ``without disruption'' after contracting COVID-19.Dr. Sean Conley, the physician to th

A judge has told WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange he will likely have to spend another three months inside a British prison cell before finding out whether he can be sent to the United States to face espionage charges that carry a maximum prison sentence of 175 years. After hearing nearly four weeks of evidence in Assange's extradition hearing in London, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said she would deliver her decision at 10 a.m. on Jan. 4. The judge's ruling won’t necessarily end the proceedings. Whichever side loses is expected to appeal. By the time the decision is announced, the U.S.

Police say a man has been killed and another wounded in what appears to be a targeted shooting in North Vancouver. Sergeant Frank Jang of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the two men were sitting in a vehicle outside a duplex when they were shot late last night. Jang says neither man lived in the duplex and police don't know why the men were at that location. He is asking the public for any information that may help their investigation.