BC NDP Leader John Horgan says elders living in long-term care facilities in British Columbia deserve their own rooms. He is promising a 10-year plan today that would cost $1.4 billion to revamp elder care after the COVID-19 pandemic showed a vulnerability in the system for people living in care facilities. Horgan says the NDP campaign platform for the Oct. 24 election will include more details of the party's plan in the coming days, but at a campaign stop in Surrey he said workers can expect fair wages and families more dignity for their loved ones. He says the pandemic has hit older people

A police investigation into the group-home death of a British Columbia teen has wrapped up without criminal charges, but several Indigenous organizations say more must be done. A statement from Abbotsford police says a group-home care worker reported the 17-year-old missing Sept. 15 and he was found dead three days later. A release from the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs says the teen was found in the closet of his bedroom at the Aboriginal Agency group home where he was last seen, and had been there the whole time. The statement from First Nations leaders says troubling circumstances surrounded

Lawyers for the federal government are preparing to present their side of the story at the extradition trial of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Her lawyers are just wrapping up their arguments in BC Supreme Court in Vancouver regarding the admissibility of evidence at Meng's trial. They contend proceedings against Meng should be tossed on the grounds that the United States misled Canadian officials in summarizing the case against her, leading to her arrest in Vancouver in December 2018. Meng and Huawei deny allegations they attempted to mislead a bank, potentially causing it to violate US trad

A 74 year old woman has been hit and killed by a vehicle on Vancouver's west side, the sixth pedestrian death in the city this year. Police say the unnamed victim was crossing at an intersection in the Point Grey neighbourhood when she was hit by a turning vehicle. The woman was rushed to hospital but could not be saved. The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and investigators want to speak to anyone who may have seen the crash or have dashcam video of it.

BC Liberals leader Andrew Wilkinson was in Campbell River while BC NDP leader John Horgan was in Coquitlam this morning, for their continuing election campaigns.Wilkinson said that promised PST cut would reduce the cost of heavy machinery and in this way, help forestry.Responding to a question on Strathcona Park tent city, Wilkinson said the people shouldn’t feel under siege from street crime and disorder in their community. The situation has gotten worse under NDP and dealing with it is the top priority of any incoming government, Wilkinson said. Responding to a question about protest in St

BC's chief electoral officer says schools won't be used as polling places during the upcoming election, at least not on weekdays. Anton Boegman says two days of advance polling fall on the weekend, and school gyms and auditoriums will be used then, while election day is a Saturday, so school facilities will also be available. But he says advance polls slated for weekdays will be held in other facilities because he understands parents' and teachers' concerns about keeping COVID-19 exposures out of schools. Boegman says using schools for election activities on weekends means all necessary clean

B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson promised today that if elected, BC liberal government will immediately eliminate the provincial sales tax (PST) for a year. In second year, the PST will be slashed down to three per cent from the current seven percent rate, until the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, said Wilkinson. Wilkinson hopes the step will save people money, bring investment back to BC and stimulate growth for struggling small businesses. "Countless people are still out of work, small businesses are facing bankruptcy, and the public health threat from COVID-19 is still ver

BC has another 98 cases of COVID and one new death to report. A statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there are over 1,300 active cases in the province. Around 3,500 people are under health monitoring because they were exposed to those who have the virus. COVID-19 has killed 230 people in the province. 62 people are in hospital and 19 are in intensive care. There have been 8,641 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and 230 deaths.

The head of B.C.'s money laundering inquiry has delayed the resumption of the hearings because of the B.C. election. Austin Cullen says the hearings will start again on Oct. 26, two days after the provincial election is to be held. Cullen says in a statement he delayed the hearings to preserve the independence of the commission and to protect the integrity of the electoral process. The inquiry was to resume on Oct. 13, and Cullen says he was told the inquiry would hear about issues that had been identified, but not the complete evidence and that could invite speculation. He says difficulty ar