An officer with the RCMP detachment in Surrey, B.C., has been suspended amid a criminal investigation that's expected to lead to formal charges. RCMP spokeswoman Dawn Roberts says the Mountie was arrested last week and released, noting an internal code-of-conduct investigation is also underway. She says the officer was still within a two-year probationary period after just a few months on the job. Roberts says the ongoing criminal investigation by members of the RCMP's provincial headquarters had been underway "for some time" before the Mountie was taken into custody. She declined to provide d

Health officials in British Columbia say specific students and staff at a Maple Ridge high school will receive COVID-19 tests after a person at the school had close contact with someone carrying a new strain of the virus that causes the illness.Fraser Health says Garibaldi Secondary School remains open while efforts are underway to manage the exposure because the variant strain is not one currently in the community. Mutations of COVID-19 are known to spread more quickly, but doctors say they do not seem to cause more severe illness, interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines or affect testi

Congress MPs from Punjab -- Jasbir Singh Gill and Gurjeet Singh Aujla -- wore a black gown to the Parliament on Monday, as a mark of their protest against the three farm laws which have led to farmers protesting at Delhi borders for over two months.This comes at a day when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting Union Budget 2021-22 in Parliament."Internet has been suspended at Haryana borders. Is it a digital India? They are presenting the digital budget but do not provide access to the internet to people. The government is not listening to its people. We are here to be the voice of

BC's provincial health officer says the recent announcements about a drop in COVID-19 vaccine availability took her by surprise. Dr. Bonnie Henry says next week's supply of the Moderna vaccine will be reduced by 20 per cent, combined with previous vaccine shortfalls announced by Pfizer. She says more than 124,000 people have received a dose of vaccine, and all long-term care staff and residents have been offered it, which she says makes her feel relieved. Dr. Henry says it will be a challenging few weeks after seeing the benefits of a consistent supply of vaccines. But she says the federal go

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada's other vaccine supplier has to cut back on its deliveries next week. Moderna will ship only about three-quarters of the expected supply, cutting Canada's next shipment by more than 50,000 doses. Similar cuts are being made to Europe's deliveries, with Italy, France and Switzerland all reporting they, too, are getting less than 80 per cent of their expected doses. It is more bad news for Canada's already troubled vaccine supplies, after Pfizer cut back its deliveries by more than two-thirds since mid-January. Pfizer is also pushing Canada to change th

A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has refused to ease Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's bail conditions, saying the current restrictions are the minimum required to ensure she does not flee Canada. Justice William Ehrcke dismissed Meng's application for changes to her bail conditions, which would have allowed her to leave her Vancouver home outside the hours of her overnight curfew without the presence of security. Meng's husband testified earlier this month that she has underlying health conditions and he believes she's at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 because of her proximity to

British Columbia's premier says the province supports the federal government's move to impose new travel restrictions due to COVID-19. John Horgan says in a statement the decision to limit international travel will help keep British Columbians safe. On Wednesday, Horgan said the province had no immediate plans to impose travel restrictions requiring anyone entering the province to self-isolate for 14 days. Health Minister Adrian Dix told a news conference today that B.C. has been concerned about the followup on quarantine protocols across the country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced n

Australian officials have released the final report into a deadly seaplane crash near Sydney in December 2017 that killed six people, including the BC pilot. The report confirms the findings of an interim review that determined 44 year old former North Vancouver resident and experienced pilot Gareth Morgan was likely confused and disoriented by exhaust fumes that had seeped into the cabin through cracks in the plane's exhaust collector ring. The de Havilland Beaver nosedived into waters north of Sydney while on a sightseeing flight killing 58 year old British businessman Richard Cousins, his

RCMP are warning the public and students around the University of British Columbia to be vigilant after a jogger was attacked. Mounties allege in a news release the student was out for a run in Pacific Spirit Park this Wednesday around noon when she was assaulted and robbed. They say the woman was approached by an unknown man who struck her without warning. The suspect then fled with her cellphone. RCMP suggest those who jog or walk with ear buds to keep the volume low. RCMP also suggests, if possible, to exercise in pairs or in populated areas.