The B.C. government’s decision under Premier David Eby to suddenly shut down its online directory of government employees to the general public has sparked a political controversy in the province. Opposition parties have accused the government of hiding information from the public and undermining transparency. The government, however, says the decision was made to protect employees’ safety, privacy and cybersecurity. Through the directory, members of the public could previously find out which employees worked in different government departments, their positions and how to contact them. Lan

The issue of bail for serious offenders in Canada has once again come under the spotlight. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has criticized the Liberal government, accusing it of allowing dangerous offenders to remain in the community because of what he calls weak bail laws. Poilievre pointed to a recent incident in Windsor, Ont., involving 22-year-old Qasim Sabi, who has been accused of sexually assaulting two young boys. Police say Sabi was already facing allegations in an earlier case and was out under court-ordered conditions when the latest incidents allegedly occurred. According to po

Canada’s 2026 wildfire season is on track to become the country’s fourth-worst on record, with millions of hectares already affected and hundreds of fires still active. Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski said during a virtual briefing Tuesday evening that the country remains in the middle of the wildfire season, with some regions facing difficult and uncertain conditions. According to the federal government, about 4.1 million hectares have been affected by wildfires so far this season. Roughly 580 fires are currently active across Canada, including about 30 that remain

B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad has accused Premier David Eby of blaming U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs for the province’s forestry-sector decline in an attempt to hide his government’s own failures. In a statement Tuesday, Rustad said U.S. tariffs are harmful and should be strongly opposed. However, he said forestry production in B.C.’s Interior began declining as early as 2016, long before Trump returned to office, and has now fallen by about 50 per cent. According to Rustad, poor provincial policies, permit processes that can take two to three years, and uncertaint

Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says his party would not hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty while Donald Trump remains president of the United States. St-Pierre Plamondon says the party still intends to hold a referendum on whether Quebec should separate from Canada during its first mandate if elected. However, he says such a crucial decision about Quebec’s future requires a clear and calm debate. He says the referendum debate should not be disrupted by American politics or unexpected announcements from the U.S. president. According to St-Pierre Plamondon, the unpredic

Sentencing arguments begin today for 62-year-old Richard Mantha, who was convicted of sexually assaulting three vulnerable women and drugging one of them. Mantha was found guilty of six offences following a trial that lasted more than two years. The full day has been set aside for the Crown and defence to present their arguments on what sentence he should receive. He was convicted of two counts of sexual assault, as well as choking while committing a sexual assault and administering a noxious substance. Mantha was also found guilty of assault with a weapon and uttering threats against a fourth

A 27-year-old man has died after getting into distress while swimming near Goldstream Falls in Goldstream Provincial Park on Monday evening. West Shore RCMP said officers responded to the incident at around 7:35 p.m. on August 17. The man reportedly went underwater while swimming near the waterfall and did not resurface. Bystanders pulled him from the water and immediately began life-saving measures. Police, BC Emergency Health Services and Langford Fire Department later arrived and continued the emergency response. The man was taken to hospital for further treatment but later succumbed to his

Canada’s main opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, has launched a strong attack on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government over its electric vehicle policy. Poilievre alleges that while the government is moving to scrap the existing EV sales mandate, it is planning to bring back a similar requirement through the “back door” using tougher emissions standards. According to a notice published in the Canada Gazette, the government has recently started the process of repealing the previous EV Sales Mandate, which required 20 per cent of new vehicles sold in 2026 to be electric. Reacting to

Unionized Metro Vancouver outside workers have stepped up job action, with picket lines established at two water main projects in Vancouver and North Vancouver. The Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union says the projects must be completed before planned dredging beneath the Second Narrows Ironworkers Memorial Bridge can begin in September. The dredging is intended to allow larger oil tankers carrying greater loads to navigate Burrard Inlet. The plan has received support from the federal government. The outside workers and Metro Vancouver have been without a new collective agre