British Columbia's COVID-19 infection rate keeps climbing, fuelled by the Delta variant and unvaccinated people in the Okanagan. About 80 per cent of the new infections in the central Okanagan are of the Delta variant, prompting provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry to announce new restrictions on gatherings and bar and nightclub closures in that area. BC reported 464 new cases today, more than half of which are in the Interior. Dr. Henry says many of the cases are in those between the ages of 20 and 40 who haven't been vaccinated or who have had just one shot. Almost 82 per cent of thos

Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon says employment figures for July show BC is the only province with employment above pre-pandemic levels. Statistics Canada says unemployment stood at 6.6 per cent in BC last month, the same as June. A statement from Kahlon's office says that's one of the lowest rates in Canada and although the province lost 6,500 part-time jobs in July, it gained 3,300 full-time positions. He says July's data reflects increased travel within B-C as COVID-19 restrictions relax but bans on international travel continue to limit growth in some sectors. StatsCan says the national unempl

Surrey RCMP is investigating collision and fatality involving a garbage truck and a pedestrian, in Whalley. On August 6, 2021, at approximately 2:55 a.m., Surrey RCMP received a report of collision involving a garbage truck and a pedestrian in the 10600-block of King George Blvd. Emergency Health Services responded to the incident but sadly, the pedestrian was confirmed deceased at the scene of the incident. The driver remained at the scene of the collision and has spoken to police. The Surrey RCMP Criminal Collision Investigation Team has taken conduct of the investigation. Investigators are

BC's police watchdog has been called to investigate after one man died and two women suffered non-life-threatening injuries in an incident in the North Okanagan. The RCMP didn't identify the man they say died of apparent self-inflicted wounds, but they say he was one of two people targeted in a Kelowna shooting on July 31st, and he had been the subject of a public warning. They say officers in Vernon responded shortly after midnight on Thursday to a call about an alleged double stabbing of two women with a male suspect acting erratically at a campground near Enderby. They say the man was loca

B.C. is reporting 402 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 151,375 cases in the province.There are currently 2,066 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 147,510 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 58 individuals are currently in hospital and 21 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,772. Since December 2020, the Province has administered 6,965,062 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. As of Thursday,

Vancouver Police have identified 40-year-old Michael Bailey as the victim in Vancouver’s 11th homicide of the year. Bailey was shot inside the London Hotel at around 5 a.m. on July 20. Two suspects fled the area prior to police arrival. VPD investigators believe the incident was targeted. The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call VPD’s Major Crime Section at 604-717-2500. Vancouver police on Twitter: #VPDNews: Vancouver Police have identified 40-year-old Michael Bailey as the victim in Vancouver’s 11th homicide of the year. http

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.For real-time updates on evacuation alerts and orders, visit: https://twitter.com/EmergencyInfoBCFor the latest wildfire information, visit: www.bcwildfire.caFires:Wildfires currently burning in B.C.: 286Since April 1, 2021:1,372 wildfires567,950 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 53Coastal: 20Kamloops: 78Northwest: 8Prince George: 59Southeast: 68Resources:Firefighters and other personnel currently fighting the fires: 3,612Out-of-p

The man convicted as a teenager for a double slaying in Tsawwassen more than 30 years ago will remain on day parole for at least another six months. Derik Lord, who is now 48, has always denied his role in the 1990 slayings of Sharon Huenemann and Doris Leatherbarrow. Lord and two other teens, including the son and grandson of the victims, were convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths. Because Lord maintained his innocence, he was denied parole more than 10 times before receiving it in March last year, and the parole board has allowed his day parole to continue, with re-evaluation plann

Hundreds of residents living along a stretch of Highway 97 between Kamloops and Vernon have been told to evacuate as the White Rock Lake wildfire advances. There's concern that winds today could fan the 325-square kilometre fire, so the roughly 600 residents of the community of Falkland were ordered out last night, along with residents in the Westwold and Monte Lake area. The number of wildfires in BC has grown significantly this week to almost 300 and the wildfire service says nearly 42 per cent of those blazes remain out of control. There is some positive news as evacuation orders issued la