The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says home sales were up 53.4 per cent in the final month of 2020 compared with December 2019, hitting a new record for the month.The board says 3,093 homes were sold in December, up from 2,016 in December 2019 and slightly more than the 3,064 homes sold in November.Vancouver real estate agents sold 1,026 detached homes, a 71.3 jump from December 2019.The board says the composite home price in Vancouver ended the year at $1,047,400, up 5.4 percent from the same time last year.Board chair Colette Gerber says the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major cause

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said that the central government should regularly talk to farmers, accept their demands to revoke the new farm laws and not make it a prestige issue."Why is the central government taking four days in between every meeting with the farmers? The farmers have clarified that central government must withdraw new agricultural laws. In this cold weather, the government should talk to farmers daily and must accept their demands," Gehlot tweeted."If a government has to withdraw a law according to public sentiments, it is welcomed in democracy. The centra

British Columbia's top doctor says immunizations are expected to be ramped up in the coming weeks as Health Canada approves more COVID-19 vaccines, but a major challenge will be for people to ensure they get immunized. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the aim is to vaccinate about 150,000 people by the end of February, with priority given to residents and staff of long-term care homes as well as First Nations communities. For the rest of the population, she says those over the age of 80 will be next in line for vaccinations, which will then be administered based on descending five-year age groupings. Dr

A 64 year old man has died after something went wrong during a scuba-diving outing off West Vancouver. Police in West Vancouver say the man was pulled unconscious from the water near Whytecliffe Park last Wednesday. Bystanders and paramedics tried to revive the person but could not be revived. The coroners service is assisting with the investigation but the death is not considered suspicious. The man's name has not been released.

The family of a Calgary police officer killed while attempting a traffic stop last week says he was looking forward to becoming a father for the first time. Sgt. Andrew Harnett, who was 37, had pulled over an SUV on New Year's Eve and was hit and dragged when the vehicle took off. Two teens have been charged with first-degree murder and made first court appearances today. The Harnett family has issued a statement saying the last few days have been indescribable and overwhelming , but adding that an outpouring of support from the public has been helpful. The statement says Harnett and his part

The Conservative leader in the Senate took a personal trip to Mexico shortly after Christmas. A spokesperson for Sen. Don Plett says the senator travelled to Mexico on Dec. 28. Upon his arrival, the spokesperson says, Plett "reflected on his decision to travel" and immediately made arrangements to return home to Manitoba. He returned on Dec. 31 and is quarantining for 14 days as required by Manitoba public health protocols. The spokesperson says this was Plett's only trip outside the country since last March, when the COVID-19 pandemic first swept across Canada. Plett is the latest in a numbe

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has brought the hammer down on members of his staff and caucus who recently travelled abroad. In a Facebook post, Kenney says he has accepted the resignation of Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard and fired Jamie Huckabay as his chief of staff. Other backbench members of his United Conservative caucus who travelled to sunnier climes over Christmas have been stripped of responsibilities. Kenney says the individuals demonstrated "extremely poor judgment," and he has listened to anger from the public in recent days. Saskatchewan Highways Minister Joe Hargrave res

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson orders new national lockdown as Britain faces `critical moment' in coronavirus pandemic. The decision came on the same day as UK became the first country in the world to start using the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca, with a dialysis patient named Brian Pinker the first to get the shot. Pinker says he was very pleased to get the vaccine, adding that he can now look forward to celebrating his 48th wedding anniversary with his wife Shirley later this year. Britain is in the midst of an acute outbreak, recording more than

RCMP in Prince George say they deployed "significant resources" to investigate the death of a man on New Year's Day. Mounties say in a news release they received a report of a homicide at a home in the early hours of January 1st. They say officers found a 50 year old man dead and secured the scene. Police say they believe the death was targeted. RCMP's Serious Crime Unit is leading the investigation.