The Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation says it would be ``deeply meaningful'' to welcome Pope Francis to Kamloops when the pontiff visits Canada on yet-to-be-determined dates. The Vatican announced yesterday that the pope will willing to visit this country as part of the process of reconciliation with Indigenous people. But Tk'emlups Chief Rosanne Casimir says in a statement issued this morning that if the only objective is reconciliation, and there's no concrete action associated with the visit, the visit will miss the ``hard truths'' First Nations are confronting as they recover from the g

Vancouver Police are investigating another stranger assault in the Downtown Eastside, after a woman was stabbed in the leg with a hypodermic needle Wednesday night."All signs point to this being a random and unprovoked assault on a victim who did nothing wrong," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "Fortunately, the woman quickly called police and we were able to identify a suspect."The troubling incident happened around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, as the 23-year-old victim was leaving a coffee shop near Main and East Pender streets."Investigators believe the woman may have been followed out of the coffee sh

A Port Alberni man who sexually assaulted several sex trade workers on Vancouver Island will spend up to six years in prison. Stephen Ewing has been sentenced after pleading guilty to seven charges dating back to 2018. The 42 year old will be listed on the National Sex Offender Registry for the rest of his life and has also received a lifetime ban on gun ownership. In addition to the six year sentence, minus 45 days for time already served, Ewing must provide his D-N-A to the national database for 15 years after he is released from custody.

Authorities say an American Airlines flight from New York to California was diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant. Flight 976 was heading Wednesday evening from Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana when it landed at Denver International Airport and taxied safely to the gate. The airline says the passenger was removed and the flight continued on to California. The flight attendant was reportedly taken to a hospital. The FBI is investigating, but no arrests have been made. The assault comes amid a surge this year in unruly airline passenge

A neo-Nazi group member has been sentenced to nine years in prison in a case that highlighted a broader federal crackdown on far-right extremists. FBI agents arrested former Canadian Armed Forces reservist Patrik Jordan Mathews and two other members of a group called The Base four days before a pro-gun rally in Virginia in January 2020. Surveillance equipment installed in their Delaware apartment captured Mathews and fellow Base member Brian Mark Lemley Jr. discussing an attack at the rally at Virginia's Capitol in Richmond. The judge who sentenced Mathews to prison concluded that he and Leml

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is embarking on a six-day trip to Europe. He'll attend planned climate discussions at the upcoming G-20 summit and United Nations COP 26 meeting. It's the first time Trudeau will be at a COP meeting since the Paris agreement was signed just weeks after he first became prime minister in 2015.Catherine Abreu, executive director of Destination Zero, says there's been a growing recognition of the disconnect between Canada's climate promises and actual progress.Canada's emissions have risen more than three per cent since 2016, the most of any G-7 nation.

B.C. is reporting 609 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 203,582 cases in the province.Note: The numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.There are currently 4,748 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 196,342 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 422 individuals are currently in hospital and 157 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, six new deaths have been reported, for a total of 2,137.The new deaths include:Fraser

The coast guard says a more complete count confirms 106 containers fell from the MV Zim Kingston last week when the vessel ran into foul weather west of Vancouver Island. That's more than double the 40 containers initially thought to have toppled off the ship but a statement from the coast guard says only two of the 106 are believed to be packed with hazardous chemicals. The estimate comes as crews have managed to contain a blaze on the cargo ship, allowing them to get a better inventory of the roughly two-thousand containers aboard, including roughly one-thousand on the deck of the Kingston.

RCMP in Mayerthorpe, Alberta, hope sharp-eyed Metro Vancouver residents can help them find a missing woman. Mayerthorpe Mounties say 31 year old Franky Daylene Potts left her family in Alberta in August, with plans to head west, and was confirmed to be in Langley three weeks ago. The 5'1" and 115 pound woman with burn and skin graft scars on both arms, was reported missing October 16th and is believed to be in the Langley or Surrey areas. Police say there is concern for her safety because she hasn't contacted family, and investigators would like to speak to anyone who may have seen her.