Metro Vancouver mayors say they need 190-million dollars in provincial grant funding, plus additional loan financing, and they want the same amounts from the federal government if they hope to address the region's housing crisis. The mayors made the request during an online meeting with David Eby, the minister responsible for housing. Eby told the group that one of his main concerns is getting faster approval from local governments to build homes that can handle what he says is BC's ``population explosion.'' The minister has previously warned municipalities he could bring in legislation that

The first weekly report of COVID-19 data after the province moved away from daily updates shows 11 people died due to the virus during the week of March 27th to April 2nd. The report also shows 193 people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and a total of just over 1,700 new cases were confirmed. The Health Ministry says the switch to weekly reports aligns with a shift away from a case-management model to a surveillance model. It says the weekly reports will focus on identifying meaningful changes in key COVID-19 measurements and trends over time. Click the link to read about the changes

As British Columbia continues to take the next step in its COVID-19 response, the Province is transitioning from daily to weekly COVID-19 reporting.Beginning on Thursday, April 7, 2022, COVID-19 dashboards and reports issued by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control will be updated on weekly basis here: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/dataThe new reports will focus on key measures of severity and trends over time, similar to how other communicable diseases are reported.The new system continues to provide the data required to guide public health decision-ma

A grand welcome given to Punjabi Press Club of BC in BC Legislative Assembly, Victoria The Speaker of the BC Legislative Assembly Hon'ble Raj Chauhan specially invited the Punjabi Press Club of BC, the premier body of the Punjabi media in British Columbia to BC Legislative Assembly, Victoria. This was a special initiative on the 75th anniversary of the right of Indians to vote in Canada and the 'Sikh Heritage Month', dedicated to the Khalsa Sajna. This was the first time in the BC assembly that the Punjabi Press Club was given such an honour as an institution. In the BC Assembly, Ms. Harvinder

Efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccines to as many drug users as possible in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have paid off, prompting an advocate to urge communities with similar, vulnerable populations across the country to learn lessons from a targeted, well-resourced approach. Karen Ward said a study that showed high vaccine uptake in the neighbourhood also suggests a co-ordinated strategy can work with a marginalized group that sometimes faces discrimination in the health-care system.Ward, who was not involved in the study, said drop-in clinics, including at a community centre, a market, a hote

The federal Liberal government is promising $500 million in additional military aid to Ukraine as well as more humanitarian and financial support to Kyiv in response to Russia’s invasion. The commitments are contained in today’s federal budget and follow previous promises from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other ministers that Canada is looking at sending more weapons and other assistance to Ukraine.Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says while Canada and its allies have sanctioned Russia over its invasion, recent allegations of Russian war crimes show the Ukrainians need more help.The

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled the 2022 federal budget on Thursday. Here are some of the smaller promises that you might have missed:— $1.9 billion over 24 years to build and operate the new Canadarm3 for the next generation NASA Lunar Gateway project.— $1.3 billion over the next five years and $331.2 million on going to support the long-term stability of Canada’s asylum system to better help people seeking refuge from violence and persecution.— $159 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, to protect Canadian post-secondary and research institutions from foreign intell

The U.N. General Assembly has voted to suspend Russia from the U.N.'s leading human rights body over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, which the United States and Ukraine have called tantamount to war crimes. Russia is the second country to have its membership rights stripped at the Human Rights Council, which was established in 2006. In 2011, the assembly suspended Libya when upheaval in the North African country brought down longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. The vote on Thursday was 93-24 with 58 abstentions. Defence Minister Anita Anand says the 93-to

Changes that make collective bargaining more accessible will help protect workers who want more say about workplace safety, compensation and benefits. The new single-step certification process will enable workers to join a union when a clear majority of employees indicate they want to, as is the case in jurisdictions such as Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and federally regulated workplaces.Collective bargaining helps workers obtain better pay and workplace benefits, supporting an inclusive economy that works for everyone."Throughout this pandemic, we’ve seen that many people wan