The B.C. government has announced its plans for nearly $50 million in federal funding that will be used to train, recruit and retain more early childhood educators. Katrina Chen, B.C.'s minister of state for child care, announced Friday that $25.5 million will provide bursaries for students entering the field over the next three to four years. She says more than $11 million will go toward recruiting and retaining early childhood educators, while another $7.5 million will be spent on professional development and peer mentoring. The government anticipates there will be more than 10,000 job open

Surrey RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance with locating a woman who has gone missing in Newton.Amita MINHAS was last seen on February 16, 2022 around 10:00 am in the 12800 block of 72B Avenue in Surrey. She has not been seen or heard from since. Amita MINHAS is described as a 36 year old South Asian female, 5’4" tall, 110 lbs. She has shoulder length black hair and brown eyes. There is no clothing description at this time. Police and family are concerned for her wellbeing. Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 and quote file# 2022-24319.If

B.C. is reporting 782 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 343,064 cases in the province.Note: The numbers of new and total cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh.The new cases include:Fraser Health: 226Vancouver Coastal Health: 132Interior Health: 191Northern Health: 111Island Health: 122People who reside outside of Canada: zeroThere are 744 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 120 are in intensive care.In the past 24 hours, five new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,781. There have been three new health-care facility outbreaks at Burnaby Hospital (Frase

The provincial health officer (PHO) has updated the Provincial Health Officer Order on Workplace Safety, to support the transition of employees back into the workplace.The previous version of the order contained a section that has been removed. That section required employers to allow workers to work from their private residence, if possible, given the nature of the work involved, unless the employer had an operational requirement to have the worker at the workplace.All workplaces must continue to have COVID-19 safety plans in place, and the PHO’s Face Coverings Order continues to apply to s

Today, February 17th, 2022, at 08:35 am, school administration from Colleen & Gordie Howe contacted the Abbotsford Police Department advising that a bomb threat to the school was received.Given the nature of the threat, Colleen & Gordie Howe was immediately put into Lockdown as per standard procedures. As well, noting the proximity to WJ Mouat Secondary, WJ Mouat Secondary was placed into Shelter in place as a precaution.Upon arrival, members of AbbyPD evacuated all students & staff from Colleen & Gordie Howe in a controlled fashion, relocating them to nearby offsite locations.

One person has been seriously hurt in a shooting in Vancouver. Police say it happened just before nine last night on the eastern edge of the Gastown neighbourhood. A statement from police says an investigation is continuing but doesn't indicate if any suspects have been identified. It says no charges have been laid. Multiple 9-1-1 callers reported hearing gun shots near East Cordova and Carrall streets at around 8:45 p.m. February 16. One person was taken to hospital for serious injuries.The investigation is ongoing. No charges have been laid.

Mounties in Maple Ridge found a unique use for their handcuffs this week as they worked with conservation officers to save a curious but unwelcome cougar. The big cat had wandered into a busy neighbourhood of the Metro Vancouver city on a sunny Sunday and there were concerns it might have to be shot because so many people were nearby. Instead, police shooed residents into their homes and secured the area while conservation officers tranquilized the cougar and police handcuffed its front paws as a precaution in case it woke up and tried to run before it was caged. The statement from Maple Ridg

Premier John Horgan has laid out what he says is BC's new, long-term economic plan, which includes a goal of filling one million jobs over the next decade, though the announcement offers just one immediate first step. Horgan says his government will invest nearly 137 million dollars in a trades and technology complex at the BC Institute of Technology campus in Burnaby. He says more than 20 trades and technologies will provide skills training, help develop resilient communities and mark BC as a world leader in a low-carbon economy. Other goals of the ``StrongerBC Economic Plan'' include antici

B.C. is reporting 750 new cases of COVID-19, including three epi-linked cases, for a total of 342,282 cases in the province.The new cases include:Fraser Health: 167Vancouver Coastal Health: 93Interior Health: 277Northern Health: 108Island Health: 105People who reside outside of Canada: zeroThere are 762 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 121 are in intensive care.In the past 24 hours, 11 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,777.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreaks at Queen’s Park Care Centre (Fraser Health), Arrowsmith Lodge and Woo