BCAug 17, 2020
Calgary woman standing for a photo slipped into a B.C. river and
A Calgary woman has died after slipping into a river and being swept away in B.C.'s Kootenay National Park.The RCMP say in a statement they were called Sunday and told a water rescue was underway in Marble Canyon. Police say they learned that a 34-year-old woman was being photographed near the river when she lost her footing and fell into the water.Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey says the woman was pulled out of the water about a kilometre downstream and bystanders, including a medical professional, attempted resuscitation but she died at the scene. A 29-year-old Calgary man who also tried to save the
BCAug 17, 2020
Emergency support extended for B.C.'s most vulnerable amid Covid-19 situation
The BC government has announced a four month extension to its temporary crisis supplement for people on income or disability assistance. The funds also cover low-income seniors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Poverty Reduction Minister Shane Simpson says B-C's restart plan is beginning to help some sectors affected by the pandemic, but low- or no-income people remain disproportionately affected. Payments will continue to be automatically added to assistance cheques through to December 16th and those eligible for the three-hundred dollar per month supplement must not be receiving other pand
BCAug 17, 2020
Health officials in northeast B.C. warn of COVID-19 exposure at religious event
The health authority in northern British Columbia has issued an alert after more than a dozen people tested positive for COVID-19. The alert says the outbreak is linked to a religious gathering held between July 30 and Aug. 2 in Deadwood, Alta. Anyone who attended the It Is Time event is asked to monitor themselves, self-isolate and seek testing if any COVID-19 symptoms develop. Northern Health says 17 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified so far, with 12 related to attendance at the event and the other five linked to secondary exposures. Most of the cases are in Fort St. John,
CanadaAug 17, 2020
Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales hit record high in July
The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales in July hit a record high as they continued their rebound from the lows of earlier this year when the COVID-19 pandemic froze the market.CREA says the 62,355 sales in July 2020 marked the highest monthly sales figure on record, with data going back more than 40 years.Sales in July were up 30.5 per cent compared with the same month a year ago.On a month-over-month basis, sales were up 26 per cent.The jump in sales came as the number of newly listed homes climbed by 7.6 per cent in July compared with June.CREA says the actual national average
CanadaAug 17, 2020
CRA expects online services back Wednesday following cyberbreaches
The Canada Revenue Agency expects online services to be fully restored by Wednesday after hackers used thousands of stolen usernames and passwords to fraudulently obtain government services.About 5,600 CRA accounts were targeted in what the federal government describes as "credential stuffing" schemes, in which hackers used passwords and usernames from other websites to access Canadians' revenue agency accounts.Officials say the RCMP is investigating the breaches.The suspension of CRA's online services comes as many Canadians are using the revenue agency's website to access financial support
CanadaAug 15, 2020
Constant rise of COVID-19 cases in Canada
There are 121,652 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 61,004 confirmed (including 5,718 deaths, 53,598 resolved) Ontario: 40,459 confirmed (including 2,788 deaths, 36,772 resolved) Alberta: 12,053 confirmed (including 221 deaths, 10,796 resolved) British Columbia: 4,358 confirmed (including 196 deaths, 3,533 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,541 confirmed (including 20 deaths, 1,347 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,072 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,007 resolved) Manitoba: 628 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 389 resolved), 15 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 268 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 263 reso
BCAug 15, 2020
Officials issue distancing reminder as B.C. announces 84 new COVID-19 cases
British Columbia's health minister and provincial health officer are urging people to follow physical distancing guidelines amid a rise in COVID-19 cases across the province. Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry issued a joint statement on Friday urging residents to stick together and keep a safe distance from people they may not know or who aren't in their social bubble. They say the province has the ability to bend the pandemic curve back down, but only if everyone takes part in measures related to the fight against COVID-19. Dix and Henry warn that transmission of the virus has forced nightclub
BCAug 15, 2020
Four hikers found safe on Vancouver's North Shore mountain trails
Three hikers who set out on one of Vancouver's North Shore mountain trails late yesterday afternoon had to call for help when darkness fell and they got lost. North Shore Rescue was called in at about 10:30, located the trio overnight, and although the three men were not hurt, they were helicoptered out of the area this morning. The call was one of three the rescue group says it received in the last 24 hours. One involved a hiker on Mount Seymour who set out late in the day yesterday and ended up spending the night on the mountain but was able to hike out this morning, while the third involve
CanadaAug 14, 2020
Dr. Theresa Tam warning about new surges in the number of COVID-19 cases
Canada's chief public health officer is warning that there will be new surges in the number of COVID-19 cases heading into the fall. Dr. Theresa Tam says the federal government is planning for what she calls a ``reasonable worst-case scenario.'' But she says health officials will also ramp up prevention measures since they are also expecting the usual flu season as well as COVID-19. The health model suggests the number of cases by August 23rd could be as high as 127,000 and the number of deaths as high as 9,115. Tam says continuing to build hospital capacity, while encouraging people to follo