The RCMP say they've arrested two people after recovering $33,000 worth of government-issued cheques that were allegedly stolen from several places in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. The Mounties in Surrey say the cheques include Canada Emergency Response Benefits, GST cheques and income tax refunds, in addition to cheques issued by other organizations. They were recovered by the RCMP's COVID-19 compliance and enforcement team, which conducts patrols to educate people about and prevent contraventions of public health safety orders. The Mounties say in a statement they recovered the cheques

Vancouver police say they safely detonated a suspected improvised explosive device found in a vehicle in the Downtown East Side. Police say officers found the device during a search of the vehicle after they spotted fentanyl in plain view during a traffic stop last night. Sergeant Aaron Roed says officers secured the area to protect the public and then used a specialized robot and other tools to properly disable and dispose of the device. A 25 year old Surrey resident was arrested for unauthorized possession of an explosive device but has been released with no charges at this time.

Premier John Horgan says his government will announce plans next week to start loosening some restrictions imposed to curtail the spread of COVID-19. He says he's resisted laying out roadmaps as other provinces have done because people assume that's the green light to resume regular activity, but that's not the case. Horgan also says B.C. is better off than other regions because it has allowed construction, agriculture and other industries to continue operating. Despite looking forward to re-opening the economy, his government has extended a provincial state of emergency as he warns the provi

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is reporting four new deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all at long-term care homes for seniors. That brings the provincial death toll to 109. Henry says there have been 34 new cases of COVID-19 for at total of two thousand and 87. She says there have been two new outbreaks at long term care homes, assisted living facilities and acute facilities for seniors, including a new case at a care home where an outbreak had earlier been declared over.

The Canadian military says it has lost contact with one of its helicopters in the Mediterranean. In a statement, the military says the aircraft from HMCS Fredericton went missing during an exercise off the coast of Greece. It says a search-and-rescue operation is underway. NATO spokeswoman Col. Juanita Chang earlier confirmed an incident involving a helicopter from a ship under NATO command. Chang did not reveal the nationality of the aircraft or vessels. HMCS Fredericton left Halifax for a six-month deployment around Europe in January with one of the Royal Canadian Air Force's new Cyclones o

The Canadian Armed Forces is deploying its famed Snowbirds aerobatics team on a cross-country tour aimed at boosting morale as Canadians continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the planned spectacle this morning as he took a page from the U.S., where the American military's own flight demonstration teams have been flying over cities in honour of frontline workers and first responders. The Snowbirds cut their season short last year after one of the Snowbirds' famous Tutor aircraft crashed on Oct. 13 prior to an air show at the Atlanta Motor Spee

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is looking at what support it can offer to the Canadian Football League. League commissioner Randy Ambrosie revealed to The Canadian Press yesterday that the CFL has asked for up to $150 million in assistance due to the pandemic. The league was supposed to start its regular season on June 11, but has pushed that date back to July at the earliest. Ambrosie says the league's long-term future would be in peril if the season was cancelled.

Two more poultry processing plants in British Columbia say they have workers who have tested positive for COVID-19. Sofina Foods Inc. in Port Coquitlam and Fraser Valley Specialty Poultry in Chilliwack say each of their facilities has one worker who has tested positive. Sofina Foods says in a statement its employee lives with relatives who work at another plant that was recently closed after several workers tested positive for COVID-19. The company, which employees over 400 workers, says the plant remains fully operational, and that disinfection protocols and physical distancing measures are

Ontario is reporting 347 new COVID-19 cases today, and 45 more deaths. That brings the province to a total of 15,728 cases, a 2.3 per cent increase over the previous day, which is the lowest growth rate in weeks. More than 60 per cent of the total cases, 9,612 are ones that have been resolved, and there have been a total of 996 deaths. In long-term care, there was an increase of 70 deaths to 775, though the numbers come from a separate database from the provincial totals.