Residents across British Columbia are being advised to prepare a well-stocked emergency kit for what BC Hydro warns could be a stormy fall and winter made worse by the effects of a severe summer drought. The latest report from the Crown utility says record-breaking heat between June and August in many parts of the province killed trees or weakened their root systems. It says unstable trees, combined with predicted stormier La Nina weather conditions, create the potential for more power outages if they topple across power lines. BC Hydro says conditions heading into the fall mirror those in 20

Health Minister Adrian Dix says BC won't be taking any COVID-19 patients from Alberta as that province grapples with the highest number of cases in the country and braces for the possible collapse of its health-care system in just over a week. Dix says BC has its own pandemic demands but will try to help in other ways and maybe take patients in the future. Alberta has reintroduced restrictions on gatherings and elements of a vaccine passport. There have been massive cancellations of non-urgent surgery across Alberta as staff are reassigned to COVID care.

Environment Canada is forecasting extra wet and windy conditions for British Columbia's south coast today. It says in a weather warning that a robust frontal system will bring heavy rain and gusty winds that should ease tonight. The warning says 50 to 70 millimetres of rainfall is expected from eastern Vancouver Island to the Fraser Valley and up to Whistler, with potentially higher amounts over Howe Sound and the North Shore mountains. It warns heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads and says drivers should turn on their lights if visibility is reduced and maintain

B.C. is reporting 706 new cases of COVID-19, including three epi-linked cases, for a total of 177,186 cases in the province.There are 5,844 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 169,083 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 291 individuals are in hospital and 134 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 1,877.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: threeNorthern Health: one From Sept. 8-14, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 76.1%

The RCMP say they now believe a man whose body was found near Nicola Lake in British Columbia was the victim of a homicide. Officers found the body in the rural area Tuesday and initially described the death as suspicious. Investigators from the Southeast District Major Crime Unit are identifying the man as 51 year old Dennis Michael Walters of Merritt, B.C. Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet says in a news release that investigators are working on a timeline of events leading up to his death. Anyone with information or knowledge of Walters' whereabouts on Monday until the discovery of his body Tuesd

Environment and Climate Change Canada says CN Rail has been fined 2.5 million dollars for spraying pesticides along tracks beside part of the Skeena River in northwestern BC. The railway was charged with a Fisheries Act violation and pleaded guilty yesterday in provincial court in Prince Rupert. The offence occurred in August 2017 between Terrace and Prince Rupert and tests later confirmed the pesticides were harmful to fish. A statement from Environment Canada says CN will be added to its environmental offenders registry and the fine will go into the department's fund supporting environmenta

Vancouver Police want to hear from a woman who witnesses say was pushing a baby stroller when she narrowly escaped injury as an out of control driver careened through the streets of the Yaletown neighbourhood. Sergeant Steve Addison says a number of people saw the woman jump out of the way to avoid being hit on September 8th. Police a 27 year old man was arrested at the scene and evidence is still being collected. They believe the woman with the stroller has valuable information that could help with the investigation.

A man has been shot and killed in what Vancouver police say was a targeted attack. It happened at around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the parkade of the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel on Vancouver's inner harbour. Const. Tania Visintin says the victim has been identified as 35 year old Amandeep Manj. She says officers were also called to a vehicle fire in east Vancouver early Thursday and are trying to determine if there is any connection between that arson and the murder. A statement from Visintin issued Wednesday called the slaying ``brazen.'' She says no arrests have been made.

B.C. is reporting 661 new cases of COVID-19, including two epi-linked cases, for a total of 176,480 cases in the province.There are currently 5,791 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 168,459 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 288 individuals are in hospital and 137 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, seven new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,873.The new deaths include:Vancouver Coastal Health: twoInterior Health: threeIsland Health: two From Sept. 7-13, people no