The British Columbia government says it will introduce mandatory crane-related licensing and permitting following a series of fatal workplace accidents over the past five years. In a statement Tuesday, the province said it plans to establish a new WorkSafeBC crane licensing and permitting program to ensure crane operations meet “consistent, high-quality safety requirements.” According to the government, there have been seven crane-related fatalities in B.C. during that period, with 373 cranes currently in operation across the province. The announcement follows a WorkSafeBC report into the

Canada has asked Oman for permission to use its airspace if evacuations become necessary as tensions escalate in the Middle East, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said. Anand confirmed she spoke with her Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi, about securing potential access to Oman’s airspace to help extract Canadians from the region if required. According to federal officials, about 100,000 Canadians are currently in the affected area. Ottawa has not announced any government-organized repatriation flights. The federal government is advising Canadians to leave the region by commercial means

Air Canada says it is increasing capacity between Canada and India as it suspends several Middle East routes due to current conditions in the region. The airline announced it will add one additional flight on its Toronto–Delhi route from March 7 to March 21. That will bring the total to two daily flights between Toronto and Delhi during that period. Air Canada also said it will deploy larger aircraft on select Toronto–London–Mumbai flights to accommodate additional passenger demand. The changes come after the airline suspended all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv until March 22. Ai

British Columbia Chief Coroner Jatinder Baidwan announced Tuesday that a formal investigation will be conducted into the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. Speaking at a press conference in Victoria, Baidwan said the purpose of the investigation is to establish the facts surrounding the incident and issue recommendations aimed at preventing similar tragedies in the future. He said the process is also intended to help restore public confidence in the system. According to the BC Coroners Service, the investigation will examine how individuals experiencing a mental health crisis are identified and w

The BC government has introduced Bill 7, in the legislature to provide education quality assurance, strengthen oversight, and crack down on bad actors. In this regard, in an exclusive interview with Connect FM today, BC's Minister of Post-Secondary education and Future Skills, Jessie Sooner, answered questions about the need for the bill, its timeline, identification of bad actors and penalties, and its alignment with federal laws. Minister Sunner said, “this legislation will provide more tools and will be useful in maintaining international education standards.” Minister Sunner said that

The Kelowna RCMP says provincial funding through British Columbia’s Special Investigations and Targeted Enforcement program has led to 121 arrests, the recommendation of 163 criminal charges and the seizure of firearms, drugs and cash over a seven-month period. According to a Kelowna RCMP news release, the detachment received funding from the Province of British Columbia and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to support additional intelligence-led enforcement between June 1, 2025, and Jan. 15, 2026. The initiative focused on violent crime, repeat offenders and organized crim

Two Langford residents were arrested after police seized more than 350 grams of suspected cocaine, cash and silver during a drug trafficking investigation in the West Shore area. According to a release from the Westshore RCMP Drugs and Organized Crime Unit, the investigation began in February 2026 into a suspected drug trafficker operating in the region. On February 20, officers arrested a 44-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman and executed two search warrants at a Langford residence. Police said investigators located evidence consistent with a drug trafficking operation, including packaging

Unseasonably warm weather has returned to British Columbia, with five communities setting new daily high temperature records this week, according to Environment Canada. In Pemberton, about 150 kilometres north of Vancouver, temperatures reached nearly 16 C on Monday, surpassing the previous daily record by almost 13 degrees. The earlier record had been set in 2025. In Trail, in the West Kootenay region, the temperature climbed to 14 C, breaking the previous record of 11 C set in 2021. Cranbrook, near the Alberta boundary, recorded 12.4 C, edging out the 12.1 C mark set in 1986. Environment Can

More than 250 flights were cancelled at four major Indian airports as tensions escalate between the United States, Israel and Iran, airport authorities said. According to airport officials, 80 flights were cancelled at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, while 107 flights were cancelled at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. In Bengaluru, approximately 42 flights were cancelled for the day at Kempegowda International Airport, and 30 flights were cancelled at Chennai International Airport. Officials said the cancellations are linked to disruptions in inter