A new health centre dedicated to serving British Columbia's French-language speakers will open its doors this fall in Vancouver. A statement from B.C.’s Ministry of Health says the current Vancouver Urban Health Centre cannot accommodate the needs of the Lower Mainland’s growing French-speaking community even though it offers primary care in both French and English. It says the new centre, expected to open in October in Vancouver, will be equipped with a care team of family doctors, nurses and social workers. The government hopes to connect 4,400 people to primary care by 2029. Provincial

Taseko Mines Ltd. says it has reached a tentative agreement with striking employees at its Gibraltar Mine in central British Columbia. The deal is subject to ratification by the workers, who are represented by Unifor. Voting is expected to take place on Monday and Tuesday. Workers at the mine have been on strike since June 1. Taseko says if the agreement is ratified, it expects to resume operations at the mine on Wednesday. Gibraltar is an open pit copper-and-molybdenum mine located about 200 kilometres south of Prince George, B.C.

A major provincial park expansion will create a protection zone of almost 2,000 square kilometres for caribou and other species in northeastern British Columbia. The Ministry of Environment says in a statement that the addition to the Klinse-za Park will make it the largest provincial park established in the province in a decade. The park addition is the result of a partnership in 2020 between the province and the Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations, where they agreed to help stabilize and protect the threatened southern mountain caribou. Klinse-za Park is located just west of Chetwynd, B.

British Columbia Premier David Eby has found an ally in his claims of unequal funding from the federal government: Newfoundland and Labrador. Eby is hosting Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey in Vancouver today and says B.C. will consider joining the Furey government's court challenge over federal equalization payments in an effort to get "fair treatment" from Ottawa. The B.C. premier has been highly critical of unfair federal funding for Western Canada, saying the lack of money for projects such as flood prevention, while cash flows to Quebec and Ontario, shows those provinces get

Uber says regulation changes for ride-share and delivery workers in British Columbia will drive up costs and reduce demands for local restaurants. The company says in a statement that it supports some of the new rules coming in September, such as an increased minimum wage and health and safety coverage, but forcing platforms to pay workers for using a personal vehicle is "unreasonable." At the same time, Unifor, the country's largest private-sector union says B.C.'s changes are leading the way to enshrine the basic rights of the gig workers. The Ministry of Labour announced this week the first

British Columbia has finalized regulations to provide a minimum-wage and basic protections for ride-hailing and delivery workers using app-based platforms such as Uber, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes. The Ministry of Labour says in a statement the regulations that will take effect on Sept. 3 are a first in Canada. It says the changes are the result of years of engagement with various stakeholders, and they address workers' top concerns, including low and unpredictable pay, tip protection and lack of workers' compensation. The new rules set the minimum wage for the time a worker is engaged in a job

Premier David Eby is expanding his criticism of what he says is an unfair share of federal funding being given to Western Canada. Eby says Ottawa's "special treatment for Quebec and Ontario" eventually gets "to be too much" and it's "disingenuous" for federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller to suggest that B.C.'s concerns are simply about asylum seekers. Eby and Miller have traded comments this week since the premier suggested at the Western Premiers' Conference on Monday that Ottawa was "showering" Ontario and Quebec with money, after offering Quebec a $750 million deal to help with immigrat

Vancouver police have arrested and charged a 32-year-old man in the stabbing death of a Japanese restaurant chef near the city's Chinatown last week. Police say Timothy Isborn faces a second-degree murder charge following their six-day investigation. The stabbing happened in the early hours of June 5, when 32-year-old chef Wataru Kakiuchi was found injured and died before he could be taken to hospital. Police say the suspect and the victim did not know each other before the fatal attack. VPD spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison says in a statement that the arrest comes after extensive evidence collec

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says British Columbia needs to step up and take on more asylum seekers who come to Canada. He was responding today to criticism from the B.C. premier, who says he's frustrated to see Quebec and Ontario "showered" with federal cash to help cope with an influx of asylum seekers and temporary residents. David Eby says Western provinces deserve a share of the $750-million deal Ottawa recently struck with Quebec to help pay for the services, but Miller says the premier may be confused about what the money was for. Miller says the federal government will help provinc