The BC government has introduced legislation to provide a pandemic recovery benefit of one thousand dollars for eligible families and 500-dollars for individuals. Finance Minister Selina Robinson says the cost of the COVID-19 aid program is about 1.7 billion dollars, including 150 dollars a month in increases to income and disability assistance starting in January. Robinson says about 3.7 million people will receive the one-time pandemic benefit and can start applying on December 18th. She says she expects some people will receive it before Christmas, while others will get the money deposited

BC's seniors advocate has started a separate review into elder abuse in the province after finding an increase in the problem in her annual review. Isobel Mackenzie's report says calls to the seniors abuse and information line saw a 17 per cent increase. But her report also says it's unclear how big the problem is because they don't have the proper tools to measure abuse or neglect of seniors, prompting her further review with a report due next year. She says the RCMP reports that almost 1,700 seniors experienced a violent event last year and 19-thousand reported property crimes such as theft

Victoria police say they're looking for both the victim and witnesses to a hate crime on a BC Transit bus. Police say it happened November 28 when a man got on bus number 15 and began targeting the lone Black man with racial slurs for several minutes. A witness reported it to police and officers obtained the surveillance video on the bus. Police say they've now identified a suspect, but say the need to speak with the victim to continue their investigation.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised that the first COVID-19 vaccines will be administered next week. But health officials say the first doses will be highly localized to 14 sites where the vaccines are initially being delivered. Doctor Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, says initially the plan is to move the doses as little as possible because of their complicated storage requirements. Canadian officials are also assuring they don't expect disruptions in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines as a result of actions taken by US President Donald Trump. Trump is expected to sig

A COVID-19 outbreak at Ridge Meadows Hospital in Maple Ridge has been declared over more than a month after it started. The Fraser Health Authority says the outbreak started November 5th with evidence of transmission in the in-patient rehabilitation unit. Ridge Meadows was one of five acute-care facilities with current outbreaks. Burnaby, Langley Memorial, Lions Gate and Surrey Memorial hospitals remain on the list for outbreaks.

An RCMP officer who was tasked as a point person for US investigators during the 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver's airport says he didn't see himself as working for them. Sergeant Ross Lundie told the BC Supreme Court yesterday that he updated the Federal Bureau of Investigation when the Huawei executive was arrested but he didn't see anything wrong with that. He told the court in Meng's ongoing extradition case that he wasn't acting on behalf of the FBI, but he was there working as an RCMP member. Meng's lawyers are seeking evidence to support an abuse of process claim that alleges

Green Leader Sonia Furstenau says many of the details in yesterday's throne speech outlined actions the government launched before October's election. She says the speech also provides few details on what people can expect as an economic recovery plan from the NDP. The BC Liberal party's interim leader says the Opposition plans to use the legislative session to push the New Democrats to address problems beyond the pandemic, especially on the province's finances. Shirley Bond says the legislature should also be doing more than passing one piece of legislation before Christmas to allow COVID-19

Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother on Tuesday became the first Briton/person in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine shot outside of a clinical trial.The United Kingdom has become the first Western nation to begin vaccinating its citizens with a coronavirus shot outside of clinical trials, a landmark moment amid the pandemic, CNN reported.Those who are vaccinated will be issued with a "vaccination passport" containing details such as date of vaccination and date of the first inoculation to remind people when to receive the second jab.The vaccine has to be administered twice

COVID-19 restrictions in British Columbia have been extended to Jan. 8 as the province continues to experience high levels of transmission and community spread of the virus. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, says restrictions on gatherings are being extended. All worship services and community and social events remain suspended, along with high-intensity group fitness, such as interval training, hot yoga and spin classes. The latest order includes an exemption for drive-thru events like light festivals and drop-off toy drives. Dr. Henry says 2,020 new cases of the illness have