Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc concedes Julie Payette's resignation as governor general shows a need to strengthen the process for vetting vice-regal appointments.Payette resigned Thursday, about a week after the government received the damning findings of an independent investigation into allegations that she presided over a toxic work environment at Rideau Hall.LeBlanc says the report, commissioned by the Privy Council Office which he oversees, came to ``compelling'' and ``stark'' conclusions.He says the debacle of Payette's tenure shows that the vetting system for such

BC reported 564 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, bringing the province's total since the pandemic started to 62,976. There are 4,450 actives cases and 15 new deaths. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that despite the number of COVID-19 cases trending downward, the province is continuing to see new community outbreaks and clusters. They say residents need to work to break the chains of transmission. To date, 104,901 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 1,663 of which are second doses. COVID-19 community cluste

Julie Payette has resigned as Governor General following an investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace at Rideau Hall. She issued a statement apologizing for tensions in her office but did not take direct responsibility for creating such an atmosphere. Says Payette, "We all experience things differently, but we should always strive to do better, and be attentive to one another's perceptions." She also suggests the move was made for personal reasons, citing her father's declining health. The allegations against Payette include that she belittled and publicly humiliated employees, redu

St. Paul's Hospital in downtown Vancouver is reporting a new outbreak of COVID-19, this time in the renal unit on the sixth floor. Providence Health Care, which operates St. Paul's, says the outbreak was announced yesterday and is in addition to outbreaks earlier this month in two units of the hospital's Heart Centre and in the cardiac surgery intensive care unit. Services of the renal unit are being maintained in other areas while new admissions and transfers are halted. The rest of the busy hospital, including its emergency room, remains open. Providence Health Care is also dealing with a C

A BC man convicted of two counts of criminal negligence causing death has lost an appeal of the indeterminate sentence he received after being declared a dangerous offender. Martin Tremblay was convicted for the March 2010 deaths of two teenagers who were plied with alcohol and drugs before being sexually assaulted in Tremblay's Richmond home. His trial heard he invited 16 year old Kayla Lalonde and 17 year old Martha Jackson to his home, gave them drugs and alcohol until they passed out, sexually assaulted them and then failed to get help when their conditions deteriorated.The BC Court of Ap

Someone hit it very big in a hard-luck Appalachian coal-mining community, where a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket worth $731 million was sold this week. The Maryland Lottery says the fifth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history was won by someone who bought a ticket at Coney Market in Lonaconing. That's in a remote corner of Maryland where jobs are few and poverty runs deep. Maryland is a state that allows lottery winners to remain anonymous. Shop owner Richard Ravenscroft told The Associated Press he hopes whoever won it will use it wisely and enable others to benefit as well.

Health officials have called off the regular COVID-19 briefing in British Columbia as they prepare to update the province's strategy for immunization against the virus. An advisory from the premier's office says the briefing by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix is cancelled. Instead they will join a news conference Friday with Premier John Horgan and Dr. Penny Ballem, who is leading B.C.'s COVID-19 immunization rollout. The four are expected to comment on the next steps in the immunization program that has been complicated by a hiccup in vaccine supply f

Gov. Gen. Julie Payette is resigning. The news comes as the results of an investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace environment at Rideau Hall are expected to be released. The Privy Council Office revealed last year that Quintet Consulting Corp. had been hired to conduct a third-party investigation into allegations of workplace harassment in the office of the Governor General. That came after CBC reports alleged that Payette belittled and publicly humiliated employees, reducing some to tears or prompting them to quit. That prompted the Privy Council Office to launch a workplace revie

A former British Columbia finance minister and a current member of the legislature are part of a seven-member committee overseeing the upcoming Liberal leadership campaign to replace former leader Andrew Wilkinson. Colin Hansen, a former Liberal cabinet minister, has been appointed co-chair of the party's Leadership Election Organizing Committee, sharing the job with Victoria lawyer Roxanne Helme. Wilkinson resigned after the Liberals not only lost the election last fall, but seats that were once considered safe for the party. Prince George Liberal Shirley Bond is currently serving as interim