Property taxes in Vancouver will jump by nearly 11 per cent this year after city councillors approved a $1.97 billion operating budget for 2023.Council voted Tuesday to pass the budget which contains a property tax increase of 10.7 per cent, one per cent higher than the hike proposed last month and more than double the five per cent amount put forward by staff last November. A statement from the city says that it means average increases of $549 for business properties, $326 for single-family homes and $125 for condominiums, although the assessed value of each property will determine the specif

B.C. Finance Minister Katrine Conroy while presenting the budget today said that her budget was addressing affordability issues and now was the time to bring in more relief for renters.The highlights of the 2023 British Columbia budget presented on Tuesday include:$6.4 billion in new health spending, including $2.6 billion for health services such as cancer care, $1.1 billion to attract and retain family doctors, and more than $1 billion for mental health and addictions services. There’s also $875 million in 2023-2024 for COVID-19 measures.$4.2 billion in new housing funding, including $1.7

The Northwest Territories government says COVID-19 vaccines for children age six months to five years will be temporarily unavailable until a new shipment arrives in Canada.The territory says its current inventory of Moderna's Spikevax infant pediatric vaccine will soon expire.That vaccine will be available in the Northwest Territories until March 8.The territory says there will then be a gap of four to six weeks until a new supply is available for distribution.While Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine is also available for children in this age range, the territory says it does not have that va

Traffic is back to normal through central Kelowna, B.C., after RCMP detonated an explosive device found near a busy route in the Okanagan city.A stretch of Highway 97N, also known as Harvey Avenue, was closed in both directions for more than seven hours on Monday.Police say a suspicious package was spotted at around noon and the highway, which runs past restaurants, businesses and busy malls, was closed as a precaution.A bomb disposal unit was sent from Vancouver to assist.It arrived shortly before 6 p.m. and detonated the device about an hour later.RCMP say more information is expected later

Some Canadian politicians have started deactivating their TikTok accounts after the federal government decided to ban the app from government-issued devices.Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has already suspended his use of the TikTok video app and a spokesman says all members of caucus will do the same.NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he plans to step away from the social media platform, although did not say whether all of his MPs would follow suit.The House of Commons is also prohibiting the installation or use of the app on its managed devices beginning Friday.Treasury Board President Mona

Canada Border Services Agency says it has seized more than 1,350 prohibited weapons and firearms linked to residences in Chilliwack, B.C. A statement from the agency says parcels imported from China using a false declaration were intercepted at Vancouver International Airport last month. In late January, the agency says an unnamed Chilliwack resident was arrested for suspected offences under the Customs Act and a number of prohibited weapons and firearms were found during the arrest. The agency says more prohibited weapons were also found at a Chilliwack home the day after the arrest. It says

British Columbia's premier has announced $500 million in new funding for BC Ferries to keep fares low for passengers. David Eby says a recent submission to the BC Ferries commissioner showed global inflation over the past 18 months means travellers could see a fare increase of more than 10 per cent a year between 2024 and 2028. He says this investment aims to keep annual fare increases below 3 per cent, though the final cost will be determined by the commissioner. The province says the increase in costs like fuel and inflation are driving up overall fees for the service, and the funding will a

The federal government is banning TikTok from its mobile devices days after federal and provincial privacy commissioners launched an investigation into the social media platform.A statement from Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says the application will be removed from government-issued mobile devices on Tuesday.The statement says the decision follows a review by the chief information officer of Canada, who determined that TikTok "presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security."Last week, the federal privacy watchdog and its counterparts in B.C., Alberta and Quebec announc

Four Quebec snowmobilers have died in separate crashes since Friday.Provincial police say a man in his 60s died in St-Cuthbert, Que., around 90 kilometres northeast of Montreal, after his snowmobile collided with a tree yesterday morning.A day earlier, a man in his 50s died in Saguenay, Que., from injuries he suffered after his vehicle hit a tree.On Friday, a snowmobiler in his 40s died after colliding with another snowmobile in Quebec's Beauce-Centre region, south of Quebec City.Also on Friday, a snowmobiler in his 30s died after his snowmobile swerved off a trail in Ste-Hélène-de-Bagot, Qu