Today the City of Surrey’s Community Safety section launched a new website dedicated to helping parents, caregivers and other trusted adults buildprotective factors among Surrey children and youth to reduce their susceptibility for gang involvement. Called Empower Surrey, the website aims to enhance the impact of the Surrey Anti Gang Family Empowerment program and is available in over 80 languages. It features information on Surrey’s unique gang landscape, how to identify and address risk factors, tips and tools to start early conversationswith children and youth, and links to free prevent

British Columbia is shifting into its next phase in the vaccine rollout, allowing people to book their appointments online. The provincial government wants people to register first to get a confirmation code, then book an appointment for a shot when they are contacted by email, text or phone.Starting today, people born in 1950 or earlier, Indigenous people 18 and older, and those who have certain medical conditions can book their appointments through the online portal.Those aged 55 to 65 and living in the Lower Mainland also have the option of booking at pharmacies to get an Oxford-AstraZenec

There have been more than four-thousand COVID-19 cases and 23 people have died over the last four days in British Columbia. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix also say there are three thousand 599 cases involving COVID-19 variants and almost 600 of those are still active. There are 318 people in hospital and the number of those in intensive care has grown to 95. More than 893 thousand doses of all three brands of the COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed. Starting tomorrow, people born in 1950 or earlier, those with certain medical conditions, and Indig

Wildfire season is officially underway in BC. The season runs from April 1st to October 1st and although there are no current fires of note, 10 small ones are considered active and the wildfire service says two were sparked yesterday. BC residents are being urged to try the new wildfire service app which can send information about wildfires directly to a mobile device. Wildfire service spokeswoman Kyla Fraser says the app is a great resource. Just under 145 square kilometres of timber and bush burned in BC last year, making the 2020 season one of the quietest in more than a decade.

One person has died in an early morning house fire in Surrey, not far from the boundary with Delta. Fire officials say a body was pulled from a basement suite as crews responded to the blaze after flames broke out at around 6 a.m. According to reports the house was located at 117B street and 96 Avenue. The identity of the victim has not been released. A cause of the fire remains under investigation and the name of the victim has not been released.

BC's public safety minister is promising consequences for businesses flouting provincial health orders against indoor dining as COVID-19 cases hit record highs. Mike Farnworth issued the warning after at least two Vancouver restaurants were served with closure notices in keeping with restrictions that will continue at least until April 19th. He says harassment of enforcement officers will not be tolerated and closure orders by Vancouver Coastal Health or any other health authority must be respected. The owner of a Vancouver restaurant that was packed with customers on Saturday when it was ser

RCMP are investigating an unprecedented spate of shootings in Coquitlam, three in the past week. The latest happened late Sunday morning. Officers responding to a shots fired call found a wounded male in the middle of the street. Two other males were wounded in separate shooting incidents on Tuesday and Wednesday. Police believe gang-related activities involving drugs may be connected to the earlier shootings but say the victims are not co-operating with investigators. They're urging the public to come forward if they have information or security footage linked to any of the shootings.

Just weeks after a deadly COVID-19 outbreak ended at a northwestern British Columbia care home, health officials report a new outbreak at the same facility. Northern Health says two residents at Acropolis Manor in Prince Rupert have tested positive for the virus. In a statement issued Sunday, the agency says the two residents live in the facility's west pod and proactive testing is underway to identify if any other residents, staff or families have been infected. Sixteen residents died during a COVID-19 outbreak that began at Acropolis Manor in mid-January and was declared over on March 16. So

BC Ferries has indefinitely cancelled four round-trips, a total of eight sailings, between Tsawwassen and Duke Point in Nanaimo starting tomorrow morning due to mechanical issues with the Queen of New Westminster. It says in a release the cancelled sailings start at 5:15 a.m. from Tsawwassen. BC Ferries says the ship has a problem with a propeller and that the Coastal Inspiration will offer eight daily sailings between the two terminals but customers with reservations on the Queen of New Westminster's cancelled sailings will be contacted regarding the status of their bookings. It's recommendi