Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian government began preparing for a possible pandemic when it first got word of a mysterious cluster of cases of pneumonia in China on New Year's Eve. The federal government is facing accusations it didn't act quickly enough to warn Canadians about how dangerous COVID-19 was to their health and the economy. Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says there was a lot of work done in January and February, including getting labs ready to test for the novel coronavirus. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu told Canadians as late as March 1

Ministry of Health in B.C. has issued a statement in regards to the closure of Banquet Halls. The decision to close stand alone banquet halls and nightclubs was made by the Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.Dr. Henry made the decision to take action to address the risks of COVID-19 transmission at a number of types of venues, including also closing nightclubs and limiting late night alcohol sales in all bars, pubs and restaurants.She made this decision because public health officials have seen exposure and transmission events happen repeatedly at standalone banquet halls, bars and ni

A new report from British Columbia's auditor general says the largest amount the provincial government had allocated by mid-August in its pandemic response was for individuals and households.Michael Pickup's report says of the $2.6 billion his office has identified as being allocated by the government as of Aug. 18, $1.9 billion was targeted at individuals and households. Another $642 million was for critical services, and $100 million was allocated for business and industry.The government has announced a $5-billion COVID-19 response and a $1-billion contribution to a federal cost-sharing prog

Heat advisories have ended in British Columbia following several days of record breaking temperatures in some areas, but Environment Canada's advisories about wildfire smoke still stand.The weather office is maintaining smoky skies bulletins for most of Vancouver Island and all of the inner south coast and southern B.C., east to the Kootenay region. The advisory says forecast models over the next 24 to 48 hours show the potential for long-range transport of smoke from dozens of wildfires in the northwestern United States.Environment Canada's air quality health index lists air quality at moder

The RCMP say they've charged former Liberal MP Raj Grewal with fraud and breach of trust.They allege the former MP for Brampton East took millions of dollars in personal loans without telling the federal ethics commissioner, and that he used his political position to solicit those loans.They also say he used his government-funded constituency office budget for his own benefit.Grewal was a rookie MP when he left the Liberal caucus in 2018, amid the beginning of the police investigation, for what he said were personal and health reasons.The Prime Minister's Office said at the time that he was se

Gang leader Jamie Bacon has been sentenced to 18 years in prison, less time served, for his part in six fatal shootings in a Surrey highrise 13 years ago. It means the 35 year old client will spend a further five years and seven months behind bars. Bacon pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to murder Corey Lal in the so-called Surrey Six case and one count of counselling to commit murder related to a separate, non-fatal shooting in December, 2008. The slaying and attempted murder were related to drug trafficking conducted while Bacon was one of the leaders of a gang known as the Red Scor

British Columbia reached a record of daily COVID-19 cases today as schools reopened across the province. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 139 new cases for a provincial total of 6,830 since the pandemic began. Hospitalizations also rose to 42, with 14 of those people in intensive care. There are no new deaths and the total number of fatalities remains at 213. Dr. Henry says she understands the first day of school can be an anxious event, especially this year during a global pandemic. She says public health teams are ready to support schools, which will be alerted as soon a

British Columbia's health minister is celebrating a judge's decision against a surgeon advocating for the rights of patients to pay for private medical care. Adrian Dix says it highlights the significant role of the public health-care system as a cornerstone of Canada's identity. Doctor Brian Day challenged the province's Medicare Protection Act, which bans extra billing and private insurance for medically necessary procedures. After a four year trial, a judge ruled that Day and other plaintiffs failed to show patients' rights are being infringed by the act, adding its focus is on equitable a

Victoria police are asking any witnesses to come forward if they have information about a violent sexual assault that happened just north of the downtown core late Monday night. Police say the victim was injured and was treated in hospital after being attacked and then sexually assaulted by an unknown man just after 10 p.m. The victim reports the attacker was 30 to 40 years old, black, about six feet tall and spoke with an East African accent. He also wore a mask, jeans and T-shirt and was pushing an older-style racing bicycle.