CanadaJan 31, 2020
Survey: Vancouver has worst traffic congestion among Canadian cities
An international survey finds Vancouver continues to face the worst traffic congestion among major Canadian cities. The TomTom Traffic Index for 2019 gives Vancouver a congestion level of 39 per cent, the highest in Canada for the third year since the study began and up slightly from 38 per cent in 2017 and 2018. That means the average trip in the city takes 39 per cent longer than it would if the roads were free of traffic gridlock. Vancouver is 40th on the list of 416 cities studied across the globe but still far behind Bangalore and Manila which top the list with a congestion level of 71 p
BCJan 30, 2020
Claire Trevena's statement on additional initiatives with the taxi industry
Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, has issued the following statement outlining new government initiatives designed to benefit the passenger transportation industry and passengers: “As part of our continued efforts to ensure fairness and opportunity for those who make a living in the passenger transportation industry and the passengers they carry, I am pleased to share two additional government initiatives. “For the past several months, our government has been working with ICBC and the taxi industry to create a new insurance product option for taxi drivers. The
BCJan 30, 2020
Suspect linked to seven alleged assaults of women identified
The RCMP says it has identified a suspect linked to seven alleged assaults of women in or near Glen Park in Coquitlam, B.C. The Mounties say plainclothes investigators have identified the individual who was previously unknown to police. Cpl. Michael McLaughlin says in a news release there are ``extenuating circumstances'' involving the suspect that may have played a role in the alleged assaults. He says due to privacy concerns, the RCMP cannot go into detail about the suspect's circumstances, but public safety is its priority. The RCMP has previously said that the suspect targeted adult women
BCJan 30, 2020
Teenage girl fights off attacker on Vancouver's west side, police say
Police are warning the public about the sex assault of a teenage girl on Vancouver's west side. Vancouver police say a 17-year-old girl was walking home around 6 p.m. Tuesday. Police say an unknown man grabbed her from behind but she was able to fight him off and run away. The man is described as tall and wearing all black clothing. Police are asking anyone who was driving in the area of West 54th Avenue and Oak Street on Tuesday evening to contact police. Officers hope to track down footage from dash cams or Tesla vehicles equipped with factory video surveillance.
InternationalJan 30, 2020
China counts 170 virus deaths, new countries find infections
China counted 170 deaths from a new virus Thursday and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical observation and even isolation. India and the Philippines reported their first cases, in a traveller and a student who had both been in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the new type of coronavirus first surfaced in December. South Korea confirmed a case that was locally spread, in a man who had contact with a patient diagnosed earlier. Locally spread cases outside China have been a worrying con
WorldJan 30, 2020
W.H.O. declares coronavirus a global health emergency
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of new virus from China a global emergency after the number of infected people spiked more than tenfold in a week.
The United Nations health agency made the determination on Thursday as more cases of human-to-human transmission were being reported worldwide.
To date, China has reported more than 7,700 cases, including 170 deaths.
Eighteen other countries have reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is.
BCJan 30, 2020
Premier says McCallum is putting up unnecessary roadblocks to ride-hailing
Premier John Horgan says Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum is putting up unnecessary roadblocks to ride-hailing and should listen to citizens in his community who want to see competition.
The premier made the comments after the mayor alleged Uber was operating illegally in his city and threatened to issue 500 dollar tickets to drivers.
Uber has responded by filing a court injunction to block the city from issuing the fines, which it says are illegal.
The company says it holds a provincial permit to operate and Surrey has not created its own business licence for ride-hailing, so there is no bylaw t
CanadaJan 30, 2020
Care access up in Canada but electronic medical-record use lags behind
Family doctors in Canada are providing increased access to care compared with most of their counterparts in 10 other countries but still lag behind when it comes to using electronic medical records, findings of a survey show.The Commonwealth Fund Survey also found few doctors can share patients' lab and diagnostic test results because health systems are not fully connected.It involved over 13,000 doctors, 2,500 of them from Canada, and was the basis of a report released Thursday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.Physicians from Germany, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, th
BCJan 30, 2020
Vancouver police didn't contribute to crash that killed cab driver: watchdog
British Columbia's police oversight agency says the actions of Vancouver police did not contribute to a crash that killed a cab driver last month.The Independent Investigations Office says police reported that just before 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, a Car2Go smart car made off from a road check on the city's east side.The office says a short time later an officer saw the same car driving at a high speed and the officer turned around to follow the car but lost sight of it and couldn't find it again.About 10 minutes later, the office says police received a report of a collision between a cab and the
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