Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says it is well past the time for the protest in Ottawa to come to an end. He is one of six federal cabinet ministers who held a news conference this afternoon to address the protests that have paralyzed the area around Parliament Hill for more than a week. Protesters and some MPs are urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet the protest organizers but he has been adamant that he has no intention of meeting with what he calls a ``fringe minority'' that holds ``unacceptable views.'' NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling for an emergency debate in Par

American skateboarder and social media influencer Josh Neuman was one of four men killed when a sightseeing plane crashed into a lake in Iceland. Neuman, who was 22, was on the flight to create commercial content for the Belgian fashion brand Suspicious Antwerp along with company sponsorship manager Tim Alings and Belgian social media influencer Nicola Bellavia. Pilot Haraldur Diego was also killed when the plane came down in Lake Thingvallavatn, Iceland's second-largest lake. Icelandic police say poor weather has prevented divers retrieving the bodies. Neuman was best known for creating one

B.C. is reporting 1,799 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 330,942 cases in the province.Note: The numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.There are currently 25,479 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 301,573 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 946 COVID-positive individuals are currently in hospital and 139 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:551 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 9,987294 ne

New Conservative Interim Leader Candice Bergen has done a clean sweep of former leader Erin O'Toole's leadership team in Parliament. Tory MPs were informed Friday of the major shakeup, which follows their decision to force O'Toole from the job by a vote of 73 to 45. Bergen announced that effective immediately Quebec MP Gerard Deltell, Ontario's Michael Barrett, Alberta's Blake Richards and fellow Manitoba MP James Bezan were off the team. She replaced them with Ontario MP John Brassard, who will serve as her House leader, as well as Tom Kmiec, who will be the Tories' deputy House leader. Both

Crowdfunding site GoFundMe will reimburse or redirect to charities the vast majority of the more than $10 million raised by demonstrators protesting COVID-19 measures in Ottawa, saying the event has become an occupation. The move could deny participants a vital source of funds as Ottawa braces for a new wave of protesters slated to arrive in the national capital this weekend. GoFundMe says it supports peaceful protest and that it believes that was the initial intention of the Ottawa event. The crowdfunding site says it now has evidence from law enforcement that the demonstration ``has become

Premier John Horgan shared a message on twitter to share his views about the growing problem of cancer on the occasion of world cancer day. Premier John Horgan wrote: It’s #WorldCancerDay. About 85 British Columbians will get a cancer diagnosis today. Another 85 tomorrow.My family knows this feeling. Like so many other patients battling cancer, I was impressed & deeply touched by the care I received from doctors & other health care workers.BC has a well-deserved reputation for excellence in cancer treatment. We’re ensuring more people get the care needed.Our 10-year plan makes us a

At approximately 2:05 a.m., members of the Delta Police Department (DPD) responded to a shots fired call at a residence in the 11800 block of 92nd Ave. Upon arrival DPD members located a male victim suffering from gunshot injuries. Lifesaving efforts were conducted by members of the DPD, EHS and Delta Fire. Unfortunately the victim died as a result of the shooting. DPD Major Crime has assumed conduct of this homicide. The victim and the residence are known to the police and this is believed to be a targeted attack.The victim’s identity will not be released until next of kin have been notifie

Canadian flag-bearers Marie-Philip Poulin and Charles Hamelin waved the Maple Leaf together at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. It was a cold and clear evening in Beijing as Chinese President Xi (shee) Jinping declared the Games open during a ceremony heavy on winter imagery. Canada didn't send any official representatives to the Games as part of a diplomatic boycott over human rights abuses. Competition began at the Games on Wednesday, and medal events are on tap tomorrow.

The Ottawa police are deploying a ``surge'' of about 150 extra police officers to the areas of the city most affected by the protest against COVID-19 mandates that has been going on for days. Police Chief Peter Sloly says the patrolling officers will be focused on dealing with mischief, hate, harassment, threats and other intimidating behaviours. Late Thursday, federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the RCMP had approved Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson's request for Mounties to support city police. Mendicino said the convoy has caused significant disruptions to local residents including