A protest blocking the highway at Alberta's main border crossing into the United States has thinned out but remains in place, a day after Mounties tried to disperse truckers and others who want COVID-19 restrictions dropped. About 40 vehicles are jamming up the southbound lane near Coutts and another 60 or so are tying up the northbound lane. The numbers are fewer than on Tuesday when some truckers left after police said they would begin making arrests. That threat of arrests prompted chaos in another location: a number of vehicles north of the blockade breached a police barricade to race dow

President Joe Biden is sending about 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland and Germany this week and sending part of an infantry Stryker squadron of roughly 1,000 troops based in Germany to Romania. That's from a senior administration official speaking on condition of anonymity. Biden has said he will not put American troops in Ukraine to fight any Russian incursion, although the United States is supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend itself. The military moves come amid stalled talks with Russia over its military buildup at Ukraine's borders.

More snow is forecast for parts of British Columbia on Groundhog Day. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Sunshine Coast, East Vancouver Island and the Malahat Highway, saying these areas could see up to five centimetres of snow. The weather agency says a Pacific frontal system will move onto the B-C South Coast on Wednesday, which will initially bring snow before warmer air pushes in allowing it to change to rain. It says up to 10 centimetres of snow is forecast in Whitehorse, Teslin, Atlin, and Dease Lake with the heaviest amounts

B.C. is reporting 1,236 new cases of COVID-19, including two new epi-linked cases, for a total of 325,851 cases in the province.There are 28,302 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 293,488 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 1,035 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 139 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:253 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 11,756212 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 5,878406 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active

Alberta's premier says a trucker blockade at the province's southern border with the US has turned violent. Jason Kenney says he has been briefed that protesters were assaulting Mounties and that someone tried to ram a police cruiser. He says while he respects peaceful protest, he condemns attacks on police. The standoff at the Coutts (KOOTS) border crossing began Saturday, in support of others happening in Ottawa and countrywide to protest vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers and other COVID-19 public health measures. RCMP had begun to peacefully break up the protest when events moved

BC's top doctor says children aged 12 to 17 should expect to wait six months after their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to get a boost shot. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the guidance is based on recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization. She says invitations for a booster shot will be sent to everyone in that age group along with the information on the benefits and risks. But she suggests boosters may be necessary for youth at high risk, including those with diabetes, while a fourth dose may be needed for those who are immunocompromised or clinic

Coquitlam RCMP is informing the public of an investigation by Coquitlam RCMP Drugs and Organized Crime Section that resulted in the crucial seizure of firearms, drugs, cash and luxury vehicles.In September 2020, Coquitlam RCMP received information about an alleged drug trafficking network that prompted the Coquitlam Drugs and Organized Crime Section to start an intensive, in-depth investigation. After a thorough multi-jurisdictional investigation, police obtained seven search warrants that were executed between April and December of 2021.Coquitlam RCMP would like to thank the Vancouver Police

British Columbia's top doctor says COVID-19 hospitalizations are at their highest level and over 60 per cent of patients since December have tested positive for the virus after being admitted for other reasons. Dr. Bonnie Henry says 706 people have been hospitalized in the last week, but the numbers appear to be peaking. She says patients who contracted the dominant Omicron variant are going home in about half the time compared with those who are sickened with the Delta variant. Dr. Henry says 16 per cent of people hospitalized since Dec. 1 have needed critical care, a much smaller proportion

The independent office that investigates all cases of police-involved serious harm or death has ruled that jail officials in Central Saanich aren't at fault after a man who was in custody had a serious, life-altering heart attack. A report from the Independent Investigations Office says the man, who was in custody on an assault charge, suffered the attack on August 8th when the civilian jail attendant who was monitoring the cell cameras was briefly away from the desk. But the report says efforts at assistance began just minutes after the staff member returned, checked the cameras, realized