Health Minister Patty Hajdu is tapping a former national security adviser to lead a probe into whether Canada's pandemic warning system fell down just before COVID-19 reared up. Margaret Bloodworth will chair a three-member review panel studying what went wrong with the Global Public Health Intelligence Network. She will be joined by former deputy public health officer Dr. Paul Gully, and Mylaine Breton, Canada Research Chair in Clinical Governance on Primary Health Care at Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec. The network, known commonly as GPHIN, was created more than two decades ago and help

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says he's preparing to table a motion that would see city council vote on decriminalization of possession of illicit drugs for personal use. He says the city has been at the forefront of drug policy change and it could become the first jurisdiction in Canada to make such a move. After tabling the motion next week, Stewart says he'll write to federal officials requesting an exemption under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that would end at the city's boundaries. The mayor says there have been more than 1,500 overdose deaths in Vancouver since the

Vancouver council approves plan that could set fees to drive into the downtown core. Vancouver city council has approved a Climate Emergency Action Plan that could see a levy placed on all vehicles entering the downtown core. Green Coun. Pete Fry says in a social media post that council voted in favour of the plan Tuesday night. It's said to be part of a drive to make Vancouver one of the greenest cities in the world. Another section of the plan proposes a carbon pollution surcharge on gas or diesel vehicles. The entire strategy is not slated to take effect until at least 2025 and meetings wi

The head of the BC Trucking Association says COVID-19 transmission rates for essential service drivers who have to cross the US border are low. Dave Earle says workers and their employers are doing everything they can reduce the risk of exposing their families when they come home. He says they've had to adapt by doing things like packing their own food to minimize interactions south of the border. Earle adds everyone understands the importance of keeping the supply chain going, so enhanced screening protocols are also in place.

Canada will not immediately follow the U.S. in allowing the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to return to Canadian airspace.Minister of Transport Marc Garneau said in a statement Wednesday that Canada will impose different requirements than the U.S. before it lifts the grounding orders for the plane, including additional procedures on the flight deck and pre-flight and differences in training for flight operators.Garneau added that he expects Transport Canada's validation process to conclude very soon.His remarks followed a U.S. announcement allowing the Boeing 737 MAX to fly again once the company ma

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says all Canadians should avoid international travel, even as some remain set on heading south for the winter. Trudeau says the pandemic is resurgent across large swaths of the United States, including in the south, and says Canadians are safest at home. However, he says the choice is in the hands of individuals, and suggests those who do make the trip get comprehensive health and travel insurance and make sure that regional health-care facilities in the places they're going to are not overwhelmed. PM Trudeau warns young people of the seriousness of virus Prime

British Columbia has reached new COVID-19 highs with 11 more deaths and 717 new cases. It's the first time new cases have surged over 700 and it has pushed the total case count to 23,661. The 11 deaths is also the largest daily toll and brings the total number of deaths in the province to 310. Almost 11,000 people are under active public health monitoring because they've had contact with someone who tested positive, while 16,469 people are considered recovered.

Walk-in patients are welcome again in Burnaby Hospital's emergency room after fire forced a temporary closure. However, a statement from Fraser Health says patients who must be admitted to the hospital will still be transported to neighbouring health facilities. The fire in the hospital's Cascade building affected several areas of the hospital and while the ER wasn't damaged, it was closed to allow a focus on current patients and staff. The authority had said the fire was believed to be electrical, but now says it's learning more and the source is considered inconclusive.

Elections B.C. says a judicial recount in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky has affirmed incumbent B.C. Liberal Jordan Sturdy as the winner.On election night, the riding went to the B.C. Green party, giving the party its first seat on the mainland, but an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots saw Sturdy win by just 41 votesThe tight margin triggered an automatic judicial recount that confirmed Sturdy beat Green candidate Jeremy Valeriote by 60 votes. Sturdy's re-election confirms the B.C. Liberals have 28 seats after the Oct. 24 election that also gave the New Democrats a majority government with 57