Fraser Health has declared two new COVID-19 outbreaks, one at Queen's Park Care Centre in New Westminster, where two residents tested positive, and the other at Heritage Villa in Chilliwack, where one resident and two staff were diagnosed. The health authority says enhanced infection control measures are in place. Vancouver Coastal Health has also declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Amica Lions Gate, a private care facility where two residents tested positive. There were 15 active COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care and assisted living as of the province's latest update, as well as four in hospi

The chief of B-C's Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations and residential school survivors will speak before Justin Trudeau gets his turn today.The prime minister is making his first visit to the community since it announced back in the spring that it had found some 200 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school.The First Nation issued several invitations to Trudeau to attend its event marking Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation but was outraged that he chose to go on vacation instead.

The Transportation Safety Board was scheduled to release the results of its investigation today into the "possible relation" between train activities and a wildfire this summer in Lytton, B.C.The fire raced through the town on June 30, killing two people and leaving few buildings undamaged, after a heat wave pushed the temperature up to a Canadian record of 49.6 C in Lytton.The safety board said in July that it sent investigators to the area to investigate any potential link to trains.Canadian Pacific Railway said in a statement in July that it found nothing to indicate that any of its trains

B.C. is reporting 605 new cases of COVID-19, including 18 epi-linked cases, for a total of 195,186 cases in the province.There are 5,172 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 187,564 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 374 people are in hospital and 153 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, four new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,033.The new deaths include:Northern Health: threeIsland Health: one There has been one new health-care facility outbreak at Tofino General Ho

The British Columbia government says a $132 million program that adds staff, beds and services across the province seeks to help people who require substance-use treatment and recovery care. Sheila Malcolmson, the province's minister of mental health and addictions, says the program will include 65 new or improved services, about 130 more staff and 195 new substance-use treatment beds. She says some of the new initiatives include a sobering centre in Prince George, an addiction medicine treatment team at Burnaby Hospital and withdrawal services at several locations in B.C.'s Interior. Dr. Pat

The BC Federation of Labour is launching a campaign aimed at encouraging the province to include 10 days of employer-paid sick leave when it announces details of BC's new permanent sick leave program in the next several weeks. Federation president Laird Cronk says 10 days of sick leave is needed to ensure workers don't have to choose between going to work sick or paying their bills. The campaign includes an open, multilingual letter calling on the Minister of Labour, key cabinet ministers and local politicians to back the government's 10 day option. Rallies are also planned in Victoria, Burna

We should find out tomorrow if the Transportation Safety Board has any evidence that a passing freight train could have sparked the wildfire that destroyed Lytton. The board has called a news conference for tomorrow morning, one hour after it posts the results of its investigation on its website. Two people died in the June 30th blaze that tore through the Fraser Canyon village, destroying most of it and causing an estimated 77 million dollars in insured damage. Safety board investigators were sent to the village after the RCMP and wildfire service shared information about a possible cause of

The RCMP arrested a woman after she tried to rob a passenger and threatened to stab a BC Ferries staff member at the Swartz Bay ferry terminal in North Saanich on Saturday. Police say the victim refused to give the woman their phone and BC Ferries workers intervened, resulting in the woman threatening to stab the staff before she fled the terminal. While officers were responding, they say they received another call that the woman was attempting to break into a nearby residence, and they soon found and arrested her. RCMP say the woman, who is from Victoria, now faces multiple charges including

A trio of BC ski resorts will be requiring staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to be eligible to work. Grouse Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb and Big White Ski Resort have all brought in vaccine mandates for their employees. Michael Ballingall, from Big White, which was the site of a large outbreak earlier in the pandemic, says no one is really pushing back against their mandate. He says he's hoping for a more financially successful ski season this year, adding the Lower Mainland is the resort's biggest market in the world.