Workers at British Columbia’s 911 emergency service centres began voting Wednesday on potential strike action, with the union citing staffing shortages, rising call volumes and increasing workplace pressure. The union representing E-Comm employees said staff are already facing significant mental strain as members respond to more than two million emergency calls each year. The union said the work is stressful even under normal conditions, but current staffing levels have added to the pressure on employees. A key issue in the dispute involves mandatory overtime tied to the upcoming FIFA World

Two Surrey men are facing firearm-related charges following an investigation into an alleged shooting at a Surrey residence connected to reported extortion threats, according to Surrey Police Service. Police said frontline officers responded to reports of shots fired at about 12:40 a.m. on April 22 in the 13400 block of 87A Avenue. Investigators confirmed damage to a home and a vehicle. The residence was occupied at the time, but no injuries were reported. According to Surrey Police Service, the file was transferred to the department’s Extortion Response Team, which identified a suspect vehi

RCMP say several passengers were taken to hospital with serious injuries after a charter bus rolled off a highway near Beaverlodge in northwestern Alberta early Wednesday morning. Police said officers responded to the crash at about 7 a.m. on Highway 672, west of Grande Prairie and northwest of Edmonton. According to RCMP, 17 people were on board the bus at the time of the rollover. Several passengers were transported to hospital, while others were assessed at the scene for minor injuries. Cpl. Mathew Howell said no fatalities had been reported as of Wednesday morning. Police have not said wha

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari during a visit to New Delhi on Wednesday. Senior Punjab government officials were also present at the meeting. According to the Punjab government, discussions focused on National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) projects in Punjab, including several works that have been delayed. Mann said the two sides discussed steps to expedite and complete the pending projects. Later, the chief minister also met Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Mann said the meeting included detailed discu

An Edmonton court heard testimony Wednesday about a previous violent dog attack involving two Cane Corsos at the centre of a criminal negligence trial tied to the death of an 11-year-old boy. Shawn Hesse testified that in 2023, his Pomeranian escaped from his property and ran toward the two dogs later involved in the death of Kache Grist. According to Hesse, the Cane Corsos grabbed the smaller dog from opposite sides and attempted to tear it apart. Hesse told the court he rushed the injured Pomeranian to a veterinarian, but the dog later died from its injuries. The Cane Corsos were owned by Cr

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for Immigration Minister Lena Diab to be removed from cabinet, accusing the Liberal government of failing to manage Canada’s immigration system as millions of temporary visas approach expiry. Speaking about immigration and labour pressures, Poilievre alleged the federal government does not have a clear plan to track or manage people whose visas are expiring. He claimed there is no effective system in place to determine who has left Canada after their visa expired and who may still be in the country. Poilievre also accused Prime Minister Mark Ca

A 24-year-old Surrey man is facing several firearm-related charges following a vehicle stop by Surrey Police Service officers in the City Centre area Sunday evening. According to Surrey Police Service, officers with the Crime Reduction Unit stopped a vehicle near 146 Street and 108 Avenue at about 7:45 p.m. on May 11 for a traffic-related infraction. During the investigation, police allege one of the occupants was found in possession of a firearm. Police said Gurwinder Singh has been charged with seven Criminal Code offences, including possession of a loaded restricted or prohibited firearm, c

The Canada Border Services Agency says it has launched hundreds of immigration investigations tied to alleged extortion networks operating across Canada, with dozens of foreign nationals already deported as part of the enforcement effort. According to information shared during a public safety roundtable in British Columbia, the agency had opened 446 immigration investigations nationwide as of May 7 involving foreign nationals suspected of participating in or being connected to extortion-related activities. The CBSA said 118 removal orders have been issued following those investigations, while

Elections Alberta says the man linked to a major voter information leak has not co-operated with an ongoing investigation into the unauthorized use of the province’s official voter registry. In a statement, the agency said Centurion Project leader David Parker has not complied with a cease-and-desist letter issued last week. The letter required Parker to sign a declaration confirming he would stop using Alberta’s official voter list, which contains the names and addresses of nearly three million residents. According to Elections Alberta, investigators identified the Centurion Project as th