British Columbia's provincial health officer says she expects the province to catch up to Ontario in the proportion of variant COVID-19 cases that were first identified in the United Kingdom. Dr. Bonnie Henry says about a third of BC's cases are from that variant while the strain represents about 60 per cent of Ontario's new cases. But she expects BC to match that figure in about a month. Dr. Henry says the variants are worrying but of the three thousand, seven hundred and sixty six variant cases, only 266 are active. That represents about three per cent of all the active COVID-19 cases in BC

A commission of inquiry into money laundering in British Columbia is adding former and current cabinet ministers to its witness list. On its website, the Cullen commission says former premier Christy Clark is among those scheduled to testify later this month. Former B.C. Liberal cabinet ministers Rich Coleman, Michael de Jong and Kash Heed will also testify, along with Shirley Bond, the party's interim leader who served as Clark's public safety minister and attorney general. The commission says Attorney General David Eby will testify as well. They are expected to testify from April 19 to 30.

Montreal police say they will be investigating a video posted to social media that appears to show a man shooting an air pistol at a city mosque. The Centre Communautaire Islamique Assahaba in east-end Montreal posted a security video on its Facebook page this morning that it says shows an attack on the mosque Monday evening. The video shows a man wearing a hoodie and a blue medical-style mask firing a hand-held gun 11 times before running away. In the Facebook post, the mosque says windows were broken in the incident but no one was injured. The mosque did not immediately respond to a request

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government continues to seek justice for the victims of the 2020 shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane that killed 176 people, many of them Canadian. Trudeau commented today after 10 officials were indicted in Iran over the downing of the jetliner. Ten officials have been indicted in Iran over the military shootdown, but the move has done nothing to quell Canadian demands for accountability. More than 100 of the 176 victims, at least one of whom was pregnant, had ties to Canada, and 55 were Canadian citizens.Conservative Opposition Leader Erin O'Toole

Surrey RCMP Special Victim’s Unit and Sophie’s Place are working in a coordinated effort in response to a report of a sexual assault involving a child and youth. On April 5, 2021, at approximately 1:30 p.m. Surrey RCMP responded to a report of a sexual assault at Blumsen Park in the 15400-block of 34 Avenue. The victim in this incidentis a child (a person 12 years of age or younger), and the suspect who has been identified, is a 13-year-old youth. The victim in this incident did not sustain any serious physical injuries; however, this is an upsetting incident for them and their family. Sur

Today the City of Surrey’s Community Safety section launched a new website dedicated to helping parents, caregivers and other trusted adults buildprotective factors among Surrey children and youth to reduce their susceptibility for gang involvement. Called Empower Surrey, the website aims to enhance the impact of the Surrey Anti Gang Family Empowerment program and is available in over 80 languages. It features information on Surrey’s unique gang landscape, how to identify and address risk factors, tips and tools to start early conversationswith children and youth, and links to free prevent

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is delivering the final instalment from billions of dollars announced last summer to help provinces and territories through the COVID-19 pandemic. He says the federal funding has been used to bolster the capacity of Canada's health-care systems, secure personal protective equipment for essential workers and protect the most vulnerable. It has also helped support child-care needs during the pandemic and keep municipalities and public transit operating. Trudeau now says $700 million, the final instalment from the Safe Restart Agreement,

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says this is an especially difficult day for a lot of people as we mark three years since the terrible bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. Trudeau says we remember 16 people who were taken much too soon. A virtual tribute is planned for today to mark the third anniversary of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Sixteen people died and 13 were injured when a semi-trailer ran a stop sign and into the path of the junior hockey team's bus near Tisdale, Sask., on April 6, 2018. The service from St. Augustine Catholic Church is to be livestreamed on

British Columbia is shifting into its next phase in the vaccine rollout, allowing people to book their appointments online. The provincial government wants people to register first to get a confirmation code, then book an appointment for a shot when they are contacted by email, text or phone.Starting today, people born in 1950 or earlier, Indigenous people 18 and older, and those who have certain medical conditions can book their appointments through the online portal.Those aged 55 to 65 and living in the Lower Mainland also have the option of booking at pharmacies to get an Oxford-AstraZenec