The BC Coroners Service says preliminary figures show deaths among the province's homeless population climbed dramatically last year, compared with 2021. A statement from the coroners office says 247 deaths were recorded among people experiencing homelessness last year, a 75 per cent leap over 2020. Coroner Lisa Lapointe says the findings highlight the risks that the homeless face every day, including physical and mental health concerns, disabilities and substance use issues. The report shows an average of 153 deaths were reported annually among the homeless between 2016 and 2020 and deaths f

The British Columbia recall petition launched against Harwinder Sandhu, the member of the legislature for Vernon-Monashee, was a failure. Elections BC says in a statement the recall petition was not submitted by the Oct. 11 deadline under the Recall and Initiative Act. Genevieve Ring was issued the petition and 28 voters registered as canvassers to collect signatures. Elections BC says that despite the failure, the recall proponent must return the petition sheets to Elections BC, although signature counts won't be released or verified. Both Ring and the Sandhu must file financial disclosure r

Coquitlam RCMP is requesting the public’s assistance with identifying the suspect of an assault on a taxi driver that occurred August 22, 2022. Coquitlam Front-line officers attended the area of Sunnyside Road and East Road in Anmore after a male suspect assaulted a taxi driver with a beer bottle. The male suspect hit the glass partition inside the taxi causing the glass to shattered. The taxi driver suffered minor injuries to his hand. The suspect can be described as: -Caucasian male-5’7 - 5’10 tall-Medium build-30 - 35 years old-Beard The male suspect was seen wearing: -White t-shirt-B

Two Vancouver teens were hospitalized last night following a violent encounter on the city’s west side, which Vancouver Police believe started when one youth accused the other of stealing a vape pen. One teen suffered multiple stab wounds and required surgery. Several witnesses reported seeing two people fighting near a bus stop at Dunbar and West 41st Avenue around 8:30 p.m. When VPD officers responded, they located a 17-year-old suffering from a number of life-threatening wounds. The victim was bleeding profusely, and a VPD officer applied pressure to the wounds to stem the bleeding. The

One of the police officers killed in a shooting in Innisfil, north of Toronto, has been identified as a 33 year veteran of the South Simcoe Police Service. 54 year old Constable Morgan Russell was a trained crisis negotiator. He and 33 year old Constable Devon Northrup, who was a member of the mental health crisis outreach team, died after responding to a disturbance call at a home last night. A 23 year old man was also killed. Neighbours say an elderly couple with an adult grandson lived in the house where the shooting took place.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it took too long for Hockey Canada's leadership to step down and their departure now is only the first step to transforming the culture of hockey in Canada. The president of Hockey Canada and the board of directors left their roles Tuesday following months of pressure for change at the top of the organization amid questions of their handling of abuse and sexual assault cases. Trudeau says there is a culture to change in the sport to protect employees, athletes and children across the country. He and Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge have been demanding the resi

Vancouver Police are investigating after shots were fired and bear spray was deployed in the Downtown Eastside this morning. "Officers were at the scene within minutes but were not able to find a victim," says Constable Jason Doucette. "This is a heavily populated area and we are concerned someone may have been hit. We encourage anyone who may have been injured to seek medical help, and to report the incident to police."Just before 11:00 this morning, the VPD received 9-1-1 calls reporting a man standing at East Hastings and Columbia Street had just fired a gun, then ran out of the area. The w

King Charles III will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a ceremony that will embrace the past but look to the modern world after the 70-year reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Buckingham Palace said in Tuesday’s announcement. The coronation of King Charles III will take place on May 6, 2023, Buckingham Palace has announced. While the palace provided few details, British media reported that the guest list would be pared to 2,000 from 8,000. Charles will be crowned in a solemn religious ceremony conducted by Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, the palace said in a statemen

Surrey RCMP is seeking information on a shooting that occurred on Sunday and requesting anyone with dash camera footage from the area to contact police. On October 9, 2022, at approximately 6:13 p.m., Surrey RCMP received a report that a man with a gunshot wound had attended a hospital in another jurisdiction. The man was allegedly shot while in his vehicle waiting at a red light in the area of Scott Road and 110 Avenue in Surrey. The man sustained an injury to his hand, allegedly drove himself to an area hospital, and has since been released. Surrey RCMP’s General Investigation Unit has c