Open burning will be banned across much of northern British Columbia starting next week after officials warned dry conditions could mean early wildfire activity this spring. The ban in the Prince George Fire Centre is earlier than usual, a move the BC Wildfire Service says is aimed at preventing human-caused wildfires, while protecting public safety from a "high grass fire hazard." An update posted to the service's web page says the ban will start next Thursday and is scheduled to remain in effect until mid-October. It prohibits any fires larger than half a metre high by half a metre wide in a

The BC Coroners Service has called an inquest into a police shooting in 2019 that left two people dead, including the hostage officers were trying to save. B.C.'s police watchdog cleared officers of wrongdoing in the deaths of Nona McEwan and Randy Crosson in 2020. The Independent Investigations Office said in its report then that the RCMP's emergency response team entered the home on March 29, 2019, to rescue McEwan, who was being held by her partner. It said officers entered and found Crosson holding a knife to McEwan's neck and he had what appeared to be a gun in his other hand. The office

Unprecedented drought in British Columbia last year has prompted the provincial government to invest $80 million to help manage, collect and store water for crops and livestock. Premier David Eby made the announcement while inside a bell pepper greenhouse in Delta, B.C., saying says this summer's drought may be even worse than last year as snow levels remain "remarkably" low. He says climate change-related events, particularly drought, make it tough for farmers to secure enough water for animals, feed and crops, which makes grocery prices soar. The funding will be distributed through the Agric

Police say two people have been arrested after the murder of a woman at a home on the edge of the University of British Columbia campus. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says in a statement that police were called to a residence on the University Endowment Lands near midnight Wednesday after a report of a woman in medical distress. Police say the victim died from her injuries, and a man and a woman were arrested at the scene in relation to what investigators called a murder. The statement does not identify the victim but says she is believed to be "associated to the residence" where

The B.C. government says it will cull 25 deer in the Kootenay region to test for chronic wasting disease. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says two deer in the region tested positive for the disease earlier this year. The ministry says the animals will be collected in a 10-kilometre area around where the two diseased animals were found. It says wildlife experts will use the samples to determine if more animals have the condition, which impairs brain function. The province says it has recently begun mandatory testing for chronic wasting disease of any deer, moose, elk and ca

A strike by more than 5,000 Edmonton civic workers expected to begin this morning has been delayed by 24 hours. A spokeswoman for the Civic Service Union confirmed the strike is now slated to begin Friday at 11 a.m. It's not clear how the delay will affect city facilities such as libraries, which had planned to close this morning. Workers expected to walk off the job tomorrow include library staff as well as administrative workers for the Edmonton Police Service and the municipal government. Others include emergency 9-1-1 operators, help-line operators, recreation centre staff, acco

Penalties for commercial truck crashes into overpasses or other infrastructure in British Columbia are set to soar, including fines of up to $100,000 and jail sentences up to 18 months. The New Democrat government says it's proposing changes to the Commercial Transport Act that currently prescribes fines for over-height vehicles of $500 to $598, levels that are unchanged for decades. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says the proposed changes are in response to 35 crashes involving over-height commercial vehicles since late 2021. The province last month cancelled the operating licence of B.C

Extreme cold near the start of this year in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan has led to a damage bill that the Insurance Bureau of Canada says is more than $180 million. The bureau says about 70 per cent of the insurance claims related to the extreme cold were for personal property and damage caused by frozen and burst water pipes. The cold moved in Jan. 12, breaking dozens of daily minimum records, including in Edmonton where there were four straight days of cold ranging from minus 40 to minus 45 degrees. Rob de Pruis, the national director, consumer and industry relations with the

Whistler Blackcomb ski resort says a Vancouver woman has died in a "serious incident" over the weekend. The resort says in a statement that the 32-year-old woman died Saturday after becoming separated from her partner while visiting at the resort. It says the partner alerted the ski patrol, who found the woman unresponsive on the Renegade trail, described as an advanced trail. No other details have been released by the resort, and the RCMP in Whistler, B.C., did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Whistler Blackcomb COO Belinda Trembath says in the statement that the resort is off