Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are announcing 50 new cases, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 3,641 cases in British Columbia. "There are 278 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,168 people who tested positive have recovered. "Of the total COVID-19 cases, five individuals are hospitalized, two of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-

A national Muslim association is calling for action after it says two of its Toronto mosques were vandalized repeatedly, including a pair of incidents in the lead-up to a major holiday. The Muslim Association of Canada is asking police and elected officials for help after it says two of its facilities were targeted in five separate incidents over the past two months. In a statement Thursday, the association says two of the incidents occurred at the same location on the same day this week, just as Muslims were preparing to mark Eid al-Adha.A spokeswoman for Toronto police says the force is awar

Documents from lawyers for Canada's attorney general say a series of witnesses will prove Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou lied to HSBC bank about the company's relationship's with Skycom in Iran. The documents released Friday are the government's arguments to be used during a hearing next April and they say there's enough to prove fraud in support of Meng's extradition to the United States. The documents say witnesses, including former employees of Huawei, FBI investigators and officials with HSBC _ the bank at the centre of the allegations _ will say Meng falsely said Huawei didn't control Sky

New COVID-19 guidelines for post-secondary institutions, ranging from transportation to support for international students, have been released as colleges and universities gear up for the start of classes in the fall. Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training Melanie Mark says in a statement that the "Go Forward" guidelines will provide greater certainty to staff, students and faculty. She says the guidelines provide a minimum standard for institutions to follow. Mark says her ministry will work with the sector toward a full reopening, when it's safe. She expects all 25 of B.C.'s pos

The BC Prosecution Service says there will be no charges against a Langley RCMP officer involved in an off-duty motorcycle crash last year.The officer's SUV and the motorcycle collided in a Langley intersection on July 1, 2019, seriously injuring the motorcycle driver.B.C.'s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, looked into the crash and filed its report in April to the prosecution service for consideration of charges.The officer faced potential charges including careless driving and unsafe lane change. But the prosecution service says the available evidence doesn't meet its

The number of fatal overdoses in Yukon has leaped to 13 so far this year, more than doubling the number recorded in the territory for all of last year. Yukon Health Minister Pauline Frost says most of the deaths are linked to increasingly toxic opioids that have replaced the regular supply of street drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says drug testing will be stepped up across Yukon and several other harm reduction measures are being launched. Enhanced training on the use of naloxone, which can reverse opioid overdoses, begins next week in Watson Lake and the community will proclaim Augu

A worker at an overdose prevention site in Vancouver is being remembered as a ``beautiful person'' who ``saved many lives.'' Vancouver police say 41 year old Thomas Donaghy was fatally stabbed after being involved in a fight with an unknown man outside the overdose prevention clinic where he was working. Fellow volunteers at the clinic say Donaghy had just stepped out for a break at about 8:30 Monday when he was attacked and stabbed. Police are seeking dash cam video taken near St. Paul's Hospital at that time and say investigators believe several witnesses to the city's ninth murder of the y

British Columbia's massive Site C hydroelectric dam project has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and now faces construction delays and rising costs.BC Hydro president Chris O'Riley says in a quarterly update submitted to the B.C. Utilities Commission that the pandemic has had a material impact on safety, cost and schedule for the project in northeast B.C.Site C's budget in April 2018 was estimated at $10.7 billion, including reserve and contingency funds amounting to about $1.5 billion for unexpected costs.O'Riley's update to the utilities commission does not estimate the extent of incre

The government is going to create a transitional benefit to help workers such as gig or contract employees, who exhaust the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and don't qualify for employment insurance.The CERB is due to wind down in several weeks. Today's announcement means those who are eligible for E-I will move to the separate program. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the program will include access to training, and the ability to work more hours without having such a steep clawback of benefit payments.