BCFeb 21, 2025
LifeLabs Workers Launch Phased Strike Across BC
LifeLabs workers have initiated a phased strike across British Columbia, with 18 LifeLabs centres closed on the first day of the strike, Thursday. Leaders of the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) have warned that protests may escalate if the issues of wages, benefits, and working conditions are not addressed through negotiations with the US-based company.
Union president Paul Finch warned that workers are prepared to expand the strike to more than 100 centres. Speaking to supporters outside Vancouver’s Cityview LifeLabs, he stated that the fight would continue until their demands are met.
BCFeb 18, 2025
B.C. LifeLabs prepares for rotating closures after notice of strike
LifeLabs in British Columbia says some of its more than 100 centres in the province will be subject to rotating temporary closures starting on Thursday as part of job action taken by the union.
The B.C. General Employees' Union, which represents about 1,200 LifeLab workers, issued a strike notice on Sunday after what it said was months of negotiations and LifeLabs' refusal to bring wages and benefits in line with the cost of living.
LifeLabs, a lab testing service provider, says in a statement that as a designated essential service, it will continue to operate and do everything in its control
BCFeb 14, 2025
B.C. minimum wage increases by 45 cents per hour starting June 1
The British Columbia government says the province's lowest-paid workers are getting a wage boost to keep pace with inflation.
The Ministry of Labour says the minimum wage will increase from $17.40 to $17.85 per hour starting in June. It says the 2.6 per cent increase follows changes made last spring to the Employment Standards Act, which mandated yearly wage rises.
Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside says those adjustments were made last year because minimum-wage workers are most vulnerable to jumps in prices for living expenses like groceries, rent and gas.
The province says the changes align
BCFeb 12, 2025
B.C. snowpack at 72% of normal as of Feb. 1 after 'extremely dry' January
British Columbia's latest snow and water supply bulletin says it was "extremely dry" across much of the province last month, with average snowpack measuring 28 per cent below normal as of Feb. 1.
The latest snow pack figures released Tuesday come after the province started the year with a snowpack at 13 per cent below normal.
The bulletin, release by from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, says last month fell within the top 10 driest Januaries across much of the province, while Abbotsford, Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, Cranbrook and Chetwynd were in the top five since record-
BCFeb 11, 2025
Teens body recovered after fall through ice on B.C.'s Shuswap Lake
The body of an 18-year-old man has been recovered from Shuswap Lake in British Columbia's Interior after he fell through the ice over the weekend.
Police say in a statement that the RCMP's underwater recover team found the teen's body on Monday.
Salmon Arm Search and Rescue, the fire department and BC Emergency Health Services were called to the scene on Saturday to help search for the man.
Staff Sgt. Simon Scott, the Salmon Arm RCMP detachment commander, says the death is a heartbreaking tragedy that has deeply affected the man's family, first responders and the community.
Scott says changing
BCFeb 07, 2025
B.C. Government Approves Controversial Supportive Housing Project in Richmond
The B.C. government has approved a six-storey, 90-unit supportive housing project in Richmond, sparking backlash from locals. The project, initially paused in August ahead of the October provincial election, was greenlit Thursday evening.
Three Conservative MLAs from Richmond oppose the project, citing a lack of consultation with residents and issues arising from the city’s temporary modular housing sites.
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon clarified that the new permanent building will be separate from the temporary housing initiative, aiming to address community concerns.
BCFeb 06, 2025
Abbotsford, B.C., daycare owner charged with six counts of assaulting children
Police say an East Abbotsford daycare owner has been charged with allegedly assaulting children in her care.
Abbotsford Police say officers launched an investigation into reports that the 60-year-old had assaulted children in October.
They say the alleged incidents date back to 2022 and involved children between the ages of two and six years old.
They say woman was arrested on Tuesday.
Police say she has since been charged with six counts of assault and has been released under court-ordered conditions including that she have no contact with any person under the age of 16.
Detectives with the d
BCFeb 05, 2025
Two arrested, including a Surrey woman, in catalytic converter theft in Burnaby
Mounties in Burnaby say two women have been arrested after stealing a catalytic converter from a van in a parking lot in the area of Brighton Avenue and Lougheed Highway. They say that on January 22nd, officers responded to reports of the women underneath the vehicle, but the pair left the scene before they arrived.
The R-C-M-P say the 9-1-1 caller was able to describe their car and the women were arrested a short time later with several
catalytic converters in their possession. Police say the 38-year-old from Surrey and 39-year-old from Abbotsford are expected to face numerous charges,
BCFeb 04, 2025
B.C. wildfire crews return from California deployment to combat L.A. fires
More than 30 firefighters from British Columbia's Wildfire Service have returned home from a deployment fighting large fires that destroyed thousands of homes around Southern California.
The Ministry of Forests say the crews are part of two separate groups, the first consisting of 13 technical specialists who were deployed on Jan. 11 to support the effort to combat the Palisades wildfire in L.A.
Then, on Jan. 16, the BC Wildfire Service sent another 22 front-line firefighters along with an agency representative to California.
The second crew worked on front-line fire suppression and other acti