British Columbia’s top two doctors are defending the province's approach to releasing data on COVID-19 but say they'll provide more information that may be helpful for the public. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and her deputy, Dr. Réka Gustafson, say they wouldn't characterize data first released to the Vancouver Sun by someone at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control as "leaked" because it would have been available in some form later anyway. Documents from the centre show higher rates of COVID-19 in some neighbourhoods of Surrey, for example, but Henry says the province has said

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia. "Today, we are reporting 722 new cases, for a total of 134,341 cases in British Columbia. "There are 6,757 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. A further 125,799 people who tested positive have recovered. "Of the active cases, 445 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 157 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. "There have be

The Mounties in British Columbia say no cars were forced to turn around at a roadblock in place to ensure residents abide by travel restrictions due to COVID-19 as enforcement spreads over the weekend. Cpl. Chris Manseau says 127 vehicles were stopped at a roadblock in the Manning Park area with no fines handed out. Manseau says there are clear indications of an upcoming roadblock so drivers are well aware they are approaching one. The RCMP say three other roadblocks will be set up over the weekend on Highway 1 in the Boston Bar area, Highway 5 in the Old Toll Booth area, and at Highway 99 in

Abbotsford Police Youth officers are investigating a suspicious incident that occurred today, Friday, May 7th, at 10:22 am on Mouat Drive. A 14-year-old high school student was waiting to be picked up when a vehicle pulled up to her, and the male driver stated, "your mom sent me. I am here to pick you up". The student knew this was not true, turned, and walked away. The driver parked nearby for a short time and then left, driving eastbound on Mouat Drive. The suspect is described as a South Asian male in his 40’s to 50s, short dark hair gelled back (with some grey), receding hairline, a r

Nanaimo RCMP hope someone has dashcam video of a collision between two transport trucks earlier this week that critically injured one driver. The big rigs crashed early Wednesday (near the intersection of Northfield Road and the Nanaimo Parkway) at a busy merge point on the city's west side. The 35 year old woman driving one of the trucks suffered potentially life-threatening injuries but police say she has since been upgraded to stable condition, while the 71 year old driver of the other rig was not badly hurt. A cause of the crash hasn't been determined and police hope dashcam video will he

Vancouver Police are looking for witnesses and dash cam footage as an investigation continues into a serious collision yesterday involving a cyclist and a motorist in East Vancouver. "Investigators do not believe speed, alcohol or drugs were factors in the collision," says Constable Tania Visintin, VPD. "The driver remained on scene and was cooperative with police."A cyclist was travelling north on Rupert Street on May 6 just after 12:30 a.m. when he was hit by the driver of a white Tesla that was travelling east on Grandview Highway. The 20-year-old cyclist was taken to hospital for serious,

Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economy Recovery and Innovation, has issued a statement on the release of Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey for April 2021. "The Labour Force Survey for the month of April showed B.C. lost 43,000 jobs as the impacts of the provincial health officer's temporary orders were felt by businesses and workers."The decline in April follows 11 consecutive months of job gains. B.C. currently leads all major provinces in job recovery."The vast majority of the job losses last month were part time and in accommodation and food services, as well as information, culture a

A new report from BC Hydro says a concerning trend is emerging as British Columbians seek relief from COVID-19 restrictions by sprucing up the yards around their homes. The Crown utility says electrical contact incidents involving weekend tree trimmers, gardeners and landscapers have soared 30 per cent since the pandemic hit last March. The report says tree trimming is the most common offence as novice pruners drop branches across power lines, frequently causing outages. More than 100 reports linked to what BC Hydro calls ``backyard logging'' have been received since March 2020, but the utili

Grocery workers aged 18 and up are now eligible to register for a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine in British Columbia's largest health region. Fraser Health says all workers, whether they are unionized or not, will get information from their employers on how to register and book appointments online, as well as an access code. Staff must provide identification and proof of employment, such as a pay stub or work identification, when they arrive for an appointment. Supplies of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine were quickly snapped up last month when the province lowered the eligibility age for th