Recent rain and cooler weather have sharply cut the wildfire risk across B.C., but Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Bowinn Ma says the showers won't make any difference to the severe drought gripping the province. Ma made the comment while delivering an update today on wildfires in B.C. which have already charred more area than during any other fire season on record.The number of active wildfires has fallen to about 400 down roughly 100 since earlier this month, while the B.C. Wildfire Service says just eight new fires were recorded over the last 24 hours.But there is concer

Marc Miller, Canada's newly minted immigration minister takes office today amidst calls for new policies that will twin the rapid arrival of newcomers with increased affordable housing supply.He has also been given a list of nine priority areas ranging from fixing the technical glitches in visa processing systems to reimagining the international student program that the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA) wants him to address.It is worth mentioning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau handed over the federal housing file to Sean Fraser, who was previously Immigration minister.

The meeting of the Surrey Police Board was held for the first time yesterday after the instructions given by the state government regarding the transfer of the Surrey Police.This meeting was very stressful.The meeting was chaired by Brenda Locke, Mayor of Surrey and Chair of the Surrey Police Board.Mayor Locke meanwhile asked all the members present to treat each other with respect.It is worth noting that some board members mentioned that the Mayor and Council should have stood firm in keeping the RCMP.The Mayor while reading a pre-prepared statement, pleaded that while she would encourage pro

In the cabinet reshuffle in Ottawa this morning, nearly two-thirds of the portfolios have been changed.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has added seven new faces to his cabinet and some important ministerial departments have changed.Anita Anand has been removed from the defence portfolio and made the Treasury Board President.In her place, Bill Blair will be the country's new defence minister.Emergency preparedness ministry has been taken from him.Dominique LeBlanc has been made Minister of Public Safety and new cabinet member Arif Virani has been made Minister of Justice.Taking back this departme

British Columbia's wildfire season is the most destructive on record, with more than 15,000 square kilometres of the province burned, surpassing the previous high of 13,543 square kilometres set in 2018.Here are some statistics about the current season from the BC Wildfire Service website, as of 12 p.m. Pacific time, July 26.Burnt area:15,055 square kilometresFires currently burning: 439, including 23 fires of noteNew fires in the past 24 hours:9Out-of-control fires:246Total number of fires this season:1,486Causes of all fires:Lightning, 69 per cent; humans (deliberate and accidental), 25 per

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handing over the federal housing file to Sean Fraser, who was previously Immigration minister.Trudeau is shuffling his cabinet today in a bid to present a fresh team to lead the Liberals into the next election.Ahmed Hussen, who was Housing minister since 2021, has faced criticism for his handling of the file as the housing crisis worsened across the country.Hussen is staying in cabinet as minister of International Development.The federal government is facing considerable pressure to address the lack of affordable housing, which experts say is the result of a ho

Police say they have credible information that two children who are the subject of an Amber Alert have been taken 'off the grid' in an alleged preplanned abduction by their mother.Surrey RCMP say they believe Verity Bolton, along with her father Robert and boyfriend Abraxus Glazov, are living in trailers in a rural area after the woman failed to return the children to their father earlier this month.Police say they've received 180 tips on the case, but the whereabouts of 8-year-old Aurora and 10-year-old Joshuah Bolton remain unknown, with the last confirmed sighting at a Merritt, B.C. gas sta

The federal government says it has signed a contract with European aviation company Airbus to replace its aging Polaris fleet at a cost of $3.6 billion.The Royal Canadian Air Force uses the Polaris planes for transporting high-ranking government officials, including the prime minister and Governor General, as well as for air-to-air refuelling and transport.The new fleet, which will be named the CC-330 Husky, includes four new and five used aircraft that are being outfitted to feature the same capabilities.The government bought the used planes from a company in Kuwait, and two of them are expec

Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth has announced new programs and policing standards to support sexual assault survivors.A statement from the ministry says stable funding for programs, plus new policing standards for responding to sexual assaults, will support survivors while ensuring more effective investigations.Farnworth says the annual funding is immediately available for 68 new sexual assault programs across the province.The new police standards due to start next year will include police and victim-services working together to consider a person's unique needs when