5.39°C Vancouver

News

covid-19-numbers-continue-to-surge-in-ontario-quebec-ahead-of-thanksgiving-weekend
CanadaOct 08, 2020

COVID-19 numbers continue to surge in Ontario, Quebec ahead of Thanksgiving weekend

COVID-19 numbers continue to surge in Ontario, Quebec ahead of Thanksgiving weekend Canada's largest province is reporting the most new cases of COVID-19 it's had in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. Ontario has announced 797 new cases of the virus, and Health Minister Christine Elliott says 57 per cent of those infected are people under the age of 40. Quebec's surging numbers continue with 1,078 new cases. The province is also reporting nine more deaths, and Premier Francois Legault says hospitalizations have increased by 16. Legault says his government was right to recently
feds-ontario-ante-up-millions-to-produce-electric-vehicles-at-fords-oakville-plant
CanadaOct 08, 2020

Feds, Ontario ante up millions to produce electric vehicles at Ford's Oakville plant

The federal and Ontario governments are each chipping in more than $250 million to mass produce electric vehicles and the batteries that power them at Ford Motor Co.'s plant in Oakville, Ont. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are to announce the joint investment today. It is part of a three-year agreement worth nearly $2 billion that was announced last month between the automaker and Unifor, the union that represents autoworkers in Canada.The Oakville plant employs 3,400 Ford workers and Unifor president Jerry Dias has said retooling the plant to produce electric veh
BCOct 08, 2020

BC Green Party releases plan to help tourism operators and small businesses battered by the COVID-19

BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau has released a plan to help tourism operators and small businesses battered by the COVID-19 pandemic get through the winter. Furstenau says if the Greens win the election later this month, the targeted plan will get help more quickly where it's really needed. It includes a 300-million dollar rent subsidy program that would cover 25 per cent of rental costs for qualifying small businesses. Furstenau is also promising to retool the provincial grant program to focus on supporting small tourism operators and to ensure grant money can start to flow immediately.
CanadaOct 08, 2020

People seeking entry in Canada on compassionate grounds can start applying tomorrow

As of tomorrow, romantic partners of more than one year, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren and those seeking entry on compassionate grounds can apply to enter Canada. Ottawa is lifting cross-border travel restrictions for a wider range of family members. Specific details on who qualifies, what documents are required and how to apply will be released tomorrow. The closure of the border between Canada and the U-S has left many couples and families stranded on opposite sides for the past eight months.
calls-for-homeless-camp-to-be-shut-in-vancouver-park-as-council-considers-plan
BCOct 07, 2020

Calls for homeless camp to be shut in Vancouver park as council considers plan

Residents of a Vancouver neighbourhood want the city to shut down a homeless encampment at a park where people have been living in about 400 tents since the summer. Kelsey Mulyk says families in Strathcona have lost use of the park in June. Data from police show calls to the area more than tripled between June and September compared with the same period last year. Mayor Kennedy Stewart has called a special council meeting for tomorrow night on the city's homelessness problem. He wants councillors to approve his 30-million-dollar plan to buy or lease hotels and vacant commercial buildings to h
BCOct 07, 2020

Seven-year-old girl to be honoured by Squamish RCMP

A seven-year-old girl will be honoured for helping rescue her mother after a car crash. Squamish RCMP say Adelaide Prince and her mom were driving on Highway 99 near Squamish early last month when they were both hurt after their car veered down a steep embankment. With her mom trapped, Adelaide managed to get out of the car and crawl back up to the road where she flagged down a driver who called for help. Now that daughter and mother have recovered, Squamish RCMP and the Britannia Beach Volunteer Fire Department plan to recognize the Grade Two student for her bravery and quick thinking in a ce
CanadaOct 07, 2020

Upon approval, COVID-19 vaccine will be free for all Canadians: Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says when Health Canada approves a COVID-19 vaccine, it will be free for all Canadians. Trudeau made the pledge today after N-D-P Leader Jagmeet Singh told the House of Commons Canadians are concerned about whether they will have to pay to be inoculated against the deadly virus. But how the vaccine will be distributed and who will receive it first is still unclear. Trudeau told the Commons a committee of experts will counsel the government on how to fairly distribute vaccines to everyone.
CanadaOct 07, 2020

Canadian defence minister calls out China for 'hostage diplomacy'

Canada's defence minister is calling out China over what he describes as its ``hostage diplomacy'' and says the NATO military alliance needs to keep tabs on the increasingly assertive Asian giant. Harjit Sajjan's comments came during a online panel discussion with counterparts from Slovakia and Latvia as two Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor remain in Chinese custody. The two Michaels were arrested in apparent retaliation for Canadian authorities' having detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in December 2018 to face fraud charges in the United States. Sajjan said China
liberals-promise-funding-for-mental-health-workers-to-partner-with-police
BCOct 07, 2020

Liberals promise funding for mental health workers to partner with police

B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson says his party would expand a program that pairs police officers with mental health workers if the party wins the provincial election. During a campaign event in Vancouver today, Wilkinson said a Liberal government would provide $58 million to hire 100 psychiatric social workers and registered nurses to staff joint teams with police to answer mental health calls. He says the Liberals would also hire 200 more police officers to fill vacancies across British Columbia and 40 new Crown prosecutors. As Wilkinson sought to boost the party's law-and-order brand

Just In

public-dialogue-on-memory-identity-and-institutions-convened-on-international-human-rights-day
British ColumbiaDec 12, 2025

Public Dialogue on Memory, Identity, and Institutions Convened on International Human Rights Day

On International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2025, Wanjara Nomad Collections, with participation from the Guru Nanak Jahaz Heritage Society, hosted a three-hour public dialogue titled “Let’s Talk” in Surrey, British Columbia. The program examined questions of memory, identity, and institutional responsibility within Sikh Canadian public life. Wanjara Nomad Collections organized the dialogue and brought together elders, representatives of gurdwara societies, human rights advocates, scholars, artists, and members of the public. The gathering functioned as a dialogue-based forum that emph
threat-prompts-brief-lockdown-at-nanaimo-high-school
BCDec 11, 2025

Threat prompts brief lockdown at Nanaimo high school

A Nanaimo high school was placed under a precautionary lockdown Wednesday afternoon after school staff were alerted to a threat directed at a student. The incident at Nanaimo District Secondary School began around 2:30 p.m., prompting administrators to activate established safety procedures. Nanaimo RCMP officers responded immediately and remained on site while classrooms were secured. Police and school officials said the lockdown lasted roughly 30 minutes, and students and staff were released shortly after 3 p.m. once officers determined there was no ongoing risk. The district says students w
vancouver-police-seize-loaded-rifle-and-drugs-during-downtown-eastside-arrest
BCDec 11, 2025

Vancouver Police seize loaded rifle and drugs during Downtown Eastside arrest

Vancouver Police say a loaded rifle and several other weapons were taken off the street this week after officers arrested a man suspected of trafficking drugs in the Downtown Eastside. The incident took place Tuesday afternoon near East Hastings and Columbia Street, an area where frontline police and community workers have long raised concerns about violence linked to the drug trade. According to the Vancouver Police Department, members of the Beat Enforcement Team were on routine patrol around 2:35 p.m. on December 9 when they arrested a 32-year-old Surrey resident outside a residential build
donald-trump-unveils-new-gold-card-immigration-program
WorldDec 11, 2025

Donald Trump unveils new ‘Gold Card’ immigration program

Former United States president Donald Trump announced on Thursday the launch of a new immigration initiative he calls the Gold Card, opening the application process for the program. Under the plan, individuals can apply for the Gold Card at a fee of US$1 million, while companies wishing to secure a card for executives or employees would pay US$2 million. Trump’s campaign says cardholders would receive a U.S. passport, full voting rights and the same benefits enjoyed by other American citizens. Trump framed the Gold Card as part of his broader “America First” policy agenda, asserting the
flooding-prompts-wider-evacuations-and-highway-closures-across-southern-b-c
BCDec 11, 2025

Flooding prompts wider evacuations and highway closures across southern B.C.

Communities across southern British Columbia are facing new evacuation orders and travel disruptions after heavy rainfall triggered flooding and landslides that severed key routes between the Lower Mainland and the Interior. Provincial officials say multiple highways, including the Coquihalla and Highways 1, 3, 5 and 11, remain shut as crews assess washouts and unstable slopes. The closure of Highway 11 has also halted access to the Sumas border crossing. In Abbotsford, 371 properties on the Sumas Prairie were ordered evacuated overnight as waters linked to the overflowing Nooksack River conti