Responding to queries on Twitter suspending nearly 500 accounts after receiving orders from the Indian government, the US reiterated its commitment to supporting democratic values including freedom of expression."What I would say generally, is that around the world, we are committed to supporting democratic values including freedom of expression. I think when it comes to Twitter's policies we would have to refer you to Twitter itself," said US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price, when asked on his comments on the situation.This comes after Twitter on Wednesday informed that it has taken

Bombardier Inc. said Thursday it will reduce its overall workforce by about 1,600 jobs as it moves to cut costs.The company said it is making the cuts as it consolidates its Global aircraft completion work in Montreal and reviews options for underutilized hangar and industrial space at its Quebec facilities.``Workforce reductions are always very difficult, and we regret seeing talented and dedicated employees leave the company for any reason,'' Bombardier chief executive Eric Martel said in a statement.``But these reductions are absolutely necessary for us to rebuild our company while we cont

There's another 469 new cases of COVID-19 in BC. A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says 230 people are hospital, 66 of those are in intensive care. There have been six more deaths for a total of 1,269 fatalities since the pandemic began. Dix and Dr. Henry are asking people to stay home this Family Day long weekend in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. To date, 157,797 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 14,316 of which are second doses. There are 4,305 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. One new

Premier John Horgan says concerns about spreading COVID-19 as people from British Columbia and Washington state meet in a cross-border park should be directed to the federal government. The border has been closed for months to prevent the spread of COVID, but two Surrey-area members of the legislature say in a letter to Horgan that local constituents are worried as dozens of Canadians and Americans visit inside tents on the U.S. side of Peace Arch Park. B.C. Liberals Stephanie Cadieux and Trevor Halford say Horgan must contact Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and demand he close public access to th

A human rights defender who graduated from the University of BC has been freed from prison in Saudi Arabia. Loujain al-Hathloul has been in a Saudi prison for the last three years and says she was tortured, assaulted and abused while in custody. She returned to Saudi Arabia after graduating from UBC and was charged with spying for foreign parties and conspiring against the kingdom when she spoke up on behalf of women and demanded an end to the male guardianship system there. Although she has been released, al-Hathloul is still prevented from leaving Saudi Arabia and Amnesty International is c

One person has died and RCMP say there is an "undetermined number" of injuries in a crash just outside Hope, B.C. Cpl. Mike Halskov with RCMP Traffic Services says the multi-vehicle crash happened just before 10 a.m. The statement says an investigation is just beginning, but it appears road conditions were a major factor. Highway 5 northbound to the Coquihalla is closed at the junction with Highway 3 and there is no word when the route will reopen. Halskov urges drivers to consider delaying travel plans or to take an alternate route. DriveBC, the provincial government website providing detail

As one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, building new transit infrastructure is a massive priority for the City of Surrey. When it comes to new rapid transit, Surrey has been lagging behind for decades. That is why I wholeheartedly applaud this morning’s announcement by Prime Minister Trudeau. His commitment of $14.9 billion to public transit projects over the next eight years makes good sense. Despite the current malaise of the COVID pandemic, it will not last forever, and things will eventually return to normal. When that happens, people will once again turn to public transit to get

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says his country "will do its best" to help Canada get COVID-19 vaccines but stopped short of making any specific guarantee that India would ship doses to Canada.Canada is also not among 25 countries cleared by the Indian government to receive exported doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine this month, though federal officials indicated last week Canada's shipments weren't expected to start arriving until at least April.The Serum Institute of India has a contract with AstraZeneca to make at least one billion vaccine doses, and Health Canada is currently reviewing th

Ski resorts across BC are stepping up enforcement to reduce the surge of COVID-19 in places like Whistler, where provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry says social gatherings are a major concern. Christopher Nicolson, who heads the Canada West Ski Areas Association, says work has been underway with various levels of government and community groups as part of a plan to avoid getting shut down by BC's top doctor. Nicolson says the messaging is clear for people to follow public safety orders because so much is at stake if the industry is forced to shut down. Whistler recorded 547 cases be