Fraser Health has declared new outbreaks of COVID-19 at a meat processing facility in Surrey, B.C., and two area long-term care homes. The health authority says evidence of transmission was found among staff at J&L Beef Ltd., where 13 people have tested positive for the illness so far. It says public health workers first became aware of a potential outbreak 10 days ago, after receiving a positive lab test from an employee on Oct. 8. Fraser Health says it's working with the facility to strengthen COVID-19 mitigation strategies. It says one staff member at the The Village, an assiste

Restrictions on non-essential travel between Canada and the United States are being extended until at least Nov. 21. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair confirmed the news today on Twitter. Incidental travel, vacations, day trips and cross-border shopping excursions has been forbidden since March in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. The restrictions do not apply to those providing essential services in either country, including trade shipments and cross-border workers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the restrictions won't be lifted until there's clear evidence the pandemic is e

BC has had 155 new cases of COVID-19. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and deputy health minister Stephen Brown say there are 1,513 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Another 3,713 are being monitored after an identified exposure to known cases. There has been one more COVID-19 related death, for a total of 251 deaths in British Columbia. 155 people have tested positive in the province, bringing B.C.'s total to 11,189. An outbreak of COVID-19 at the main Tim Hortons restaurant in Merritt, B.C., has set off a voluntary closure of the restaurant. The Interior Health authority

The man who quit as the BC Liberal party candidate in Chilliwack-Kent yesterday is now running as an Independent in the same riding. Laurie Throness lost the Liberal representation after he said during an all-candidates meeting that the NDP plan to offer free birth control had a whiff of past eugenics experiments to stop poor people from having more children. Throness announced on his Facebook page that he has always spoken with his heart and conscience and many people have urged him to stay in the race. Elections BC says his name will remain under the Liberal banner on the ballot, but Throne

Security footage allegedly showing the murder of a 58-year-old volunteer outside a Toronto mosque last month has been posted online. The grainy, 46 second security camera clip appears to show someone walking up behind a person seated outside the International Muslim Organization. There's a brief physical altercation before the seated person collapses to the ground and the other runs away. Guilherme (William) Von Neutegem has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Mohamed-Aslim Zafis. Toronto Mayor John Tory says the attack is part of a concerning trend.

The remains of a missing 35 year old Nakusp man have been found, more than a year after he disappeared. RCMP Corporal Jesse O'Donaghey says the body of Christopher Sanford was found October 10th by a couple hiking the shoreline of Upper Arrow Lake in Needles, about 60 kilometres south of Nakusp. Sanford was reported missing on August 5th of last year and his abandoned pickup truck was found a short time later in Fauquier, not far from Needles. Police say the family has been informed and investigators are now trying to determine if any criminality is involved.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says provinces must do more to address racism in the health-care system, saying reconciliation with Indigenous people is not up to the federal government alone.The issue of anti-Indigenous racism in health care gained new attention from outrage over the treatment of Joyce Echaquan, who used her phone to livestream hospital staff using racist slurs against her as she lay dying in a Quebec hospital last month.Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Thursday the federal government is ready to use its financial leverage over the health system to fight anti-Indig

The annual flu vaccination campaign has begun as officials in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities remind residents across BC that a flu shot is especially important this year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Fraser Health launched its campaign today while Vancouver Coastal says clinics will open later this month and shots are available through some family doctors, many local pharmacists, walk-in clinics and at public health influenza clinics. Locations of all BC clinics or pharmacies where the vaccine is available are listed on the Immunize BC (dot) ca website under ``find

Environment Canada says as much as 20 centimetres of snow could blanket parts of eastern BC by this afternoon and it warns of potentially hazardous conditions, especially through mountain passes. Snowfall warnings cover higher elevations of the Shuswap, Columbia, Yoho, Yellowhead and Kinbasket regions north to the Peace River area, although the northern edge of the system is easing and only another five centimetres is expected around Tumbler Ridge and the Yellowhead Pass. The weather office says snow should change to rain and then taper off this evening, and it says heavy rain that drenched t