A pigeon wearing a tiny empty backpack has been captured inside a federal prison in British Columbia, in what a union official says was likely another plan by inmates to smuggle drugs.The discovery at the Matsqui prison in the Fraser Valley comes just a few months after another pigeon was captured carrying a bird-size backpack full of crystal methamphetamine at the Pacific Institution right next door.John Randle, the Pacific regional president at the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says the latest pigeon's pack was made of blue jeans and bedsheets, materials easily available to inmate

RCMP in British Columbia say they've disrupted major organized crime groups that are flooding the streets with toxic drugs in two separate investigations involving transnational drug production and distribution operations.Police in Surrey, B.C., announced the seizure of a massive cache of precursor chemicals used to make the powerful opioid fentanyl and MDMA, also known as ecstasy.Police say they executed several search warrants in late February across Metro Vancouver, leading to the arrests of a man and woman and the seizure of the chemicals in addition to luxury cars, electronics, watches an

Authorities in British Columbia are investigating after 17 wild horses were shot in what Mounties are calling a "disheartening act."The RCMP say in a news release that Tk’emlups Rural RCMP received a report of several dead horses found about 65 kilometres west of Kamloops, near Walhachin, B.C., on Friday.Police say the RCMP’s Forensic Identification Section carefully examined the scene, along with a veterinarian and a livestock investigator.They say the animals appear to have been from a herd of feral horses that frequent that area.RCMP say the motive has not yet been confirmed and the inv

Anyone who has been in foster care in B.C. and is at least 19 years old, will soon be eligible for a post-secondary tuition waiver. The B.C. government says the 2017 program that waives tuition fees for foster care recipients aged 19 to 26 will be expanded next August to remove the upper age cap. To be eligible, students must be undergraduates studying full or part time at a B-C public, post-secondary institution, the Native Education College or with one of 10 approved trades-training providers. Just under 2000 people have had tuition fees waived since the program launched six years ago, an

As of April 3, 2023, BC Public Service employees will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.The decision to rescind the policy was made based on the high level of vaccination among public-service employees and the current state of the pandemic.More than 98% of employees met the requirement, which helped keep everyone safe.Rescinding the vaccination policy means a small number of employees on administrative leave due to non-compliance will be provided the opportunity to return to the workplace.The Public Service Agency has provided direction to ministries and wi

The Supreme Court of Canada has overturned a British Columbia court ruling and restored two voyeurism convictions against a former Metro Vancouver minor hockey coach.Randy Downes had coached minor hockey and children's baseball in Burnaby and Coquitlam for 30 years when he was charged in 2016 after border agents found images on his phone as he returned to Canada from Washington state.All the images involved youths who were clothed and none were deemed pornographic, but Downes was convicted of two counts of voyeurism in 2019 for separate events where surreptitious cellphone photos were taken of

The B.C Civil Liberties Association is the latest to strip an award from a once powerful advocate and educator whose claims of Indigenous ancestry have been discredited.The association says it has rescinded the Reg Robson civil liberties award granted to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond in 2020.A statement from the association says Turpel-Lafond, B.C's former representative for children and youth has not explained allegations about her claim to Cree heritage and remains quiet about professional accomplishments that are now being questioned, such as her reported designation as a Queen's Counsel in Sask

More than 1,000 volunteers have fanned out across Metro Vancouver for the first homeless count since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.The Homeless Services Association of BC says 11 municipalities across the Lower Mainland are taking part in the 24-hour, point-in-time count, which began Tuesday evening.The association says its volunteers try to be as accurate as possible in order to understand who is living without safe, affordable, appropriate housing, and why they are in that situation.The hidden homeless, such as couch surfers or those living in vehicles, are likely under-represented, but

On the occasion of Hola Mohalla, Premier David Eby has issued a statement wishing a happy and joyous festival to the Sikh community of B.C. and worldwide. The statement read, "Today, we join the many Sikhs in British Columbia and around the world who will celebrate the beginning of Hola Mohalla. The three-day festival is a time for communal meals, prayer and religious songs, as well as lively, colourful processions, including displays of Gatka, the traditional Sikh form of self-defence martial arts. On behalf of all British Columbians, I wish a joyous festival to everyone celebrating Hola Moha