A high volume of online applications for the British Columbia COVID-19 recovery benefit has slowed the process. Some users have reported getting an error on the site when making their application for the benefit of up to $1,000. A Finance Ministry spokeswoman says there were about 2,500 applications in the first few minutes of the site opening on Friday, but the page hasn't crashed and those applying are being urged to be patient. Finance Minister Selina Robinson has asked the public to be respectful to staff at a Service BC call centre as they help people apply for the benefit, which was pro

The RCMP has set up a dedicated witness phone line and email after concluding a fire at Burnaby Hospital last month was set on purpose. Fraser Health has said the November 15th fire contributed to COVID-19 outbreak declared at the hospital one week earlier. It says patients had to be moved for their immediate safety and at least 10 people died from COVID-19 during the outbreak. The hospital's emergency department was temporarily closed and some medical appointments and surgeries were rescheduled. Fraser Health said the fire started in one wing and affected several other parts of the building

More than 300 schoolboys kidnapped last week in an attack on their school in northwest Nigeria have arrived in the capital of Katsina state to celebrate their release. The boys were abducted one week ago from the all-boys Government Science Secondary School in Kankara in Katsina state village. Nigeria's Boko Haram jihadist rebels claimed responsibility for the abduction, saying they attacked the school because it believes Western education is un-Islamic, factional leader Abubakar Shekau said in a video earlier this week. More than 800 students were at the school at the time of the attack. Hun

Farm laws have not been introduced overnight, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday while adding that over the last 20 to 30 years, Centre and State Governments had detailed discussions on these reforms. "Farm Laws have not been introduced overnight. Over the last 20-30 years, central government and state governments had detailed discussions on these reforms. Agriculture experts, economists and progressive farmers have been demanding reforms," said PM Modi while addressing farmers at the 'Kisan Kalyan' event in Raisen through video conferencing. "I request all political parties with fol

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is shooting back at China's criticism of efforts to build international support for freeing two detained Canadians. Champagne tells The Canadian Press he'll take no lessons from China when it comes to defending Canadian interests and standing up for Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. He has led Canadian efforts to create a coalition of dozens of countries pushing China to release the two men, whom they say are being arbitrarily and unjustly imprisoned. Kovrig and Spavor were arrested two years ago this month and now face what Canada and its

British Columbia's top doctor is advising people with chronic health conditions to contact their family doctor to determine if they should get vaccinated for COVID-19. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was tested primarily on healthy people of varying ages and it's not known if it will work or is safe for those with chronic liver or kidney diseases, for example. Clinical trials of the Moderna vaccine, which is expected to be the next one to be approved in Canada, also excluded people who are immunocompromised. Dr. Henry says 1,215 health-care workers have been vaccinated so fa

Finance Minister Selina Robinson says the province is showing signs of rebuilding its economy despite the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Robinson's latest economic update forecasts three per cent economic growth next year and says employment is steady. But she says 2020 was one of the most difficult years in the province's history and the economy is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until late 2022 or early 2023. She also reported that the projected deficit for this fiscal year has risen to 13.6 billion dollars from the 12.8 billion predicted in September. The Provi

BC's police complaints commissioner says it will launch a disciplinary-conduct investigation into the actions of seven Vancouver officers who took part in the arrest of a Sechelt man in August 2015. The BC Prosecution Service has said the injuries suffered by 33 year old Myles Gray during his arrest included a broken eye socket, a possible partially dislocated jaw and a voice box fracture. Gray died after going into cardiac arrest while he was being restrained. The prosecution service said none of the officers involved would be charged because the accusations couldn't be proven beyond a reaso

BC's government has set a new target for cutting greenhouse gases by 2025. Target has been set after determining it was further from reaching its goals than previously forecasted. The new target requires greenhouse gases in BC to fall 16 per cent below 2007 levels within the next five years. A government report says emissions rose in 2018 due to increases in fuel consumed in heavy-duty diesel vehicles, among other things. Environment Minister George Heyman says completing a plan to reach the legislated targets has been more challenging than anticipated.