The B.C. government is warning of ``severe winter weather'' involving significant snowfall, avalanche risks and heavy water flow in many parts of the province this weekend. The government says in an advisory that heavy rain on the coast, snow in parts of the Interior and mountain passes, and high winds across much of the province may pose further challenges from Friday through Sunday in areas recovering from November's storms. Of particular concern is Highway 3, which remains closed to non-essential travel but is the main link between the Lower Mainland and the Interior while repairs continue

A report by the auditor general shows Canada failed to adequately enforce border measures designed to keep international travellers from importing cases of COVID-19. The AG says the Public Health Agency of Canada had no idea what became of 59 per cent of travellers suspected of flouting quarantine orders. The auditor assessed enforcement of quarantine and COVID-19 test mandates between July 1st, 2020, and June 30th, 2021. The report comes as Canada reinstitutes several stringent border measures, including mandatory quarantines, because of the emergence of the Omicron variant.

The RCMP in Surrey say they're investigating after a 26 year old man who is known to police sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a shooting. They say officers responded to a report of shots being fired around 1:15 am this morning and found the man injured inside a home. The Mounties say the man who was not co-operating with the police investigation was taken to hospital and has since been released. Constable Sarbjit Sangha says in a statement that no links to gang conflict in the Lower Mainland have been identified so far.

Police are investigating an assault near the British Columbia legislature where a cabinet minister was knocked to the ground by a person. Victoria police say they are looking for witnesses and information following a report that Katrine Conroy was injured Tuesday night around 8 p.m. while walking near the legislature. Conroy is B.C.'s minister of forests, lands, natural resource operations and rural development. Police didn't say how badly hurt she was, but say she went to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Police say they would like to speak with a Good Samarit

British Columbia has recorded its highest-ever monthly number of suspected overdose deaths from toxic illicit drugs. A statement from the coroners' service says there were 201 fatalities in October from illicit drug toxicity, an average of about 6.5 people per day.It says the 1,782 overdose deaths recorded between January and October are already the highest ever recorded in a calendar year in B.C. Almost 80 per cent of those who died were male, and about 71 per cent of the fatalities were people between 30 and 59 years of age.The service says the powerful opioid fentanyl has been linked to 84

Hundreds more flood evacuees are returning home to the devastated agricultural zone of Abbotsford, B-C, as people in the area continue cleaning up from last month's catastrophic flooding. Mayor Henry Braun says rapid damage assessments have been completed for houses, barns and garages in the southern Sumas Prairie, allowing officials to lift an evacuation order for 400 properties. About 200 homes still remain under evacuation order. Officials say people living in the Lake Bottom area of Sumas Prairie _ the last remaining area with floodwaters _ could be able to return home in the coming days.

B.C. is reporting 379 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 221,235 cases in the province.There are 2,874 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 215,884 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 224 individuals are currently in hospital and 77 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, six new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,369.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: twoNorthern Health: oneIsland Health: threeThere have been no new health-care facility outbreaks, for a total of five

Police in Abbotsford are asking for the public's help in identifying a white SUV that was involved in a series of break-ins in a subdivision. They say three suspects smashed the windows of parked vehicles in order to use the owners' garage door openers to get inside garages in the Eagle Mountain-area yesterday. Police say property was stolen in four burglaries. They're reminding residents to remove garage door openers from vehicles that are parked on the street overnight. Abbotsford Police on Twitter: Four Break & Enters in Thirty-Five Minutes On Dec7th, 2021, between 3:10 am and 3:45 am,

Mounties in Surrey say 19 people have been arrested as police targeted thefts at malls. They say the arrests took place over two days and suspects ranged in age from 14 to 57 years old, with stolen items including cosmetics, electronics, tools and liquor. Police say the arrests led to 10 charges for theft under five-thousand dollars. They say six of those arrested at the Guildford Town Centre and Central City Shopping Centre had outstanding arrest warrants for other crimes. Surrey RCMP on Twitter: Surrey RCMP Community Response Unit arrested 19 people during two days of proactively targeting