Members of Parliament have re-elected Liberal Anthony Rota as Speaker of the House of Commons. His re-election was no surprise as he had been widely praised, even by opposition parties, for deftly steering the House through the COVID-19 pandemic. The last parliamentary session was unprecedented, with the introduction of a hybrid format to give MPs the option to participate virtually in proceedings to avoid spreading the virus. Rota had also been widely praised for his calm demeanour refereeing the Commons during what were often heated exchanges among MPs from rival parties. Six other MPs ran

The officer in charge of the Surrey RCMP is accusing the city's ruling slate of undermining public safety. Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards issued a statement on Sunday criticizing comments made by the Safe Surrey Coalition. The coalition issued a statement to social media saying hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent by Mounties to undermine the civic slate's authority. Edwards says the comments could directly impact Mounties' efforts to maintain public safety.

The federal government says BC residents displaced or left jobless due to extreme flooding should immediately apply for employment insurance benefits. Federal employment Minister Carla Qualtrough says the federal government is waiving the requirement for applicants to show a record of employment, recognizing that it may be difficult for many to obtain the proper documentation right now. She says the government is looking at the possibility that people may have exhausted their EI due to receiving pandemic benefits. Qualtrough says the government will figure out a solution and Ottawa will help

British Columbia's finance minister says the province's economy was on track toward a strong economic rebound in its latest financial results to the end of September, but uncertainties remain, especially stemming from the damage caused by recent floods and mudslides. Selina Robinson says the province will factor in the cleanup costs associated with the disastrous floods and mudslides that hit communities, highways and railways in February's budget. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth hasn't been able to provide an estimate on last week's damage other than to say it would be a huge cost for the p

Environment Canada is warning that another rain storm is headed for British Columbia's North Coast.The national forecaster says a second atmospheric river will bring heavy rains to the province for a second weekend in a row.More than 100 millimeters of rain are expected for Haida Gwaii, with the storm then expected to move south to already hard-hit regions on Monday and Tuesday.Environment Canada says flooding and landslides could occur in northern B.C. as a result of the heavy rain.Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the government is keeping a close eye on areas that are dealing with

B.C. is reporting 468 new cases of COVID-19, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 214,150 cases in the province.There are 3,345 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 208,284 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 355 individuals are currently in hospital and 110 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the last 24 hours, nine new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,290.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: fiveInterior Health: oneNorthern Health: twoIsland Health: oneFrom Nov. 10-16, peo

Defence Minister Anita Anand says if needed thousands of Canadian Armed Forces personnel are on standby to help flood-ravaged BC. She says the military can provide both air and ground support if the province asks for that help, as well as officers who are expert in planning and logistics. She says soldiers are ready to help BC get through this crisis. Anand says the Canadian military is already supporting search and rescue efforts and has rescued more than 300 stranded motorists and nearly 30 family pets. Anand says in the 48 hours before a formal request for help, the Canadian military wa

The BC government is offering aid to eligible BC residents whose homes, properties or businesses have been affected by recent floods or landslides. The Public Safety Ministry says disaster financial assistance is available for residents in the southwest, central and southeastern parts of the province. The ministry says homeowners, residential tenants, business owners, local governments, Indigenous communities, farmers and charitable organizations that could not get insurance to cover disaster-related losses can receive up to 80 per cent of eligible damage, to a maximum of 300,000 dollars. Cla

The mayor of Abbotsford, BC is talking with Washington state Governor Jay Inslee today as the two discuss severe flooding on the Canadian side of the border. The flooding was at least partially caused by swollen rivers in the US. Mayor Henry Braun says Inslee's office reached out to him as the Nooksak River in Washington state continues to send torrents of water into BC. Braun says he's not worried about the rain coming today, but he's concerned about the amount of precipitation expected early next week.