On behalf of City Council, I want to wish everyone a very happy and safe Diwali this year. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali is a much-loved cultural tradition in Surrey that promotes the message of unity, warmth and joy. Like all big celebrations, Diwali is traditionally a time for family and friends to come together to enjoy food and each other’s company. This year, however, celebrations must be approached differently. With the recent sharp rise of new COVID-19 cases in Metro Vancouver a new Provincial Health Order was issued this past weekend and it is vital that Diwali celebra

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says provinces and territories should not hesitate to ask for federal help to fight COVID-19. He says federal supports should make it easier to make decisions about what to shut down or open. Trudeau insists health measures should not be compromised because of economic fears. He says that's how we'd end up with a worse pandemic, more people sick and more businesses harmed. "Government will give 61-million dollars to help Indigenous communities in Manitoba" Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is addressing the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba. Trudeau says th

RCMP say the City of Prince George has become the victim of a significant fraud. The city called police in September when staff sent two payments to a contractor for more than $700,000, but the cash was never received. Police say the money was fraudulently redirected. The Mounties say in a news release investigators worked with financial institutions to recover most of one payment, but $375,000 remains lost. They say officers are following several leads and working with international partners to identify those responsible for the sophisticated computer-based fraud. Cpl. Craig Douglass says th

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says the province is at a critical point in its fight against COVID-19, and is taking drastic action to curb surging cases. Starting Thursday, non-essential stores across the province will be limited to curbside pickup and delivery. Social and religious gatherings outside immediate household members are banned, and restaurants, museums, theatres and recreational activities must close. Schools will remain open as the province's chief public health officer says they are not a venue for much transmission.

A Vancouver biotech company is getting worldwide attention for its role in helping develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer says the vaccine could be up to 90 per cent effective. Vancouver's Acuitas Therapeutics developed lipid nanoparticles that act as the so-called delivery system for the vaccine, moving it through the body and into cells before the body breaks it down. Pfizer's ongoing study involves more than 43-thousand participants from six countries and the vaccine requires two doses taken three weeks apart. Canada has ordered 20 million doses and Ottawa is

More than two-thirds of Canadians say they would support a curfew if the COVID-19 pandemic became serious enough, according to a new poll.The survey by Léger and the Association for Canadian Studies found that 67 per cent of Canadians would back a temporary nighttime curfew,10 p.m. to 5 a.m., to curb viral spread in dire circumstances.However, respondents' enthusiasm varied by age, with young people less disposed to the notion.Fifty-five per cent of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they would support a curfew, while three-quarters of those aged 55 and over endorsed it, including 80 per cent of

More than two years after he drove down a van down a Toronto sidewalk, killing 10 people and injuring 16 others, Alek Minassian is set to go on trial today. The judge has said the case will turn on Minassian's state of mind on April 23rd, 2018, not whether he committed the attack, which he has admitted to in court. The defence is expected to argue Minassian was not criminally responsible for his actions. Hours after the attack, Minassian told police he had done it as retribution against society, because women would not have sex with him.

British Columbia's top doctor has clarified a public health order requiring people living in two health regions to cut back on their social interactions in order to slow the rising COVID-19 case count. The details of Dr. Bonnie Henry's latest directive on Saturday are now posted online and explain that people in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health regions may only socialize with those in their ``core bubble.'' The provincial webpage notes a person's core bubble consists of others who live in the same home and may also include a partner, co-parent, relative or friend who lives in a differe

Statistics Canada says that during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant drop in certain criminal activity reported to 17 police services across Canada. The services say selected criminal incidents were down by 17 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier, with the lone exception being uttering threats by a family member, which rose by four per cent. The number of service calls also rose by eight per cent, particularly for wellness checks, mental health calls and calls to attend domestic disturbances. The statistics agency says that when the physic