BCAug 25, 2020
B.C. reaches highest 1-day total of COVID-19 cases as police hand out more fines
British Columbia has hit its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 109 people testing positive for the disease. The milestone was reached between Friday and Saturday, surpassing the 100 cases reported on Aug. 14. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says 269 cases were reported between Friday and Sunday, and one person died, for a total of 203 fatalities in B.C. Dr. Henry says the province has ramped up testing, with up to 5,000 tests being done every day, and that the undetected transmission rate remains low. However, she says keeping the number o
BCAug 24, 2020
Traffic stop in Kamloops results in seizure of more than 840,000 dollars
A recent traffic stop in Kamloops resulted in the seizure of more than 840,000 dollars. Corporal Mike Halskov says a semi-truck had returned to BC from Alberta and it's suspected the cash was drug money. He says a police dog indicated that the money inside smelled like illicit drugs. The driver was a man from Surrey in his 50s and a charge of possession of the proceeds of crime is expected to be laid.
BCAug 24, 2020
Athletes across BC will soon have more opportunities to play and compete
Athletes across BC will have more opportunities to play and compete as viaSport moves into the third phase of its safe return to sport guidelines today. ViaSport is the BC government's lead delivery agency for amateur sports programs that were curtailed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The province says the BC Centre for Disease Control has reviewed viaSport's latest guidelines that cover contact activities, competitions, high-performance training environments and travel. The guidelines offer additional training opportunities, increased group sizes depending on the type of activity, and
BCAug 24, 2020
Evacuation alert lifted for Penticton, B.C., wildfire threat has 'subsided'
Residents who were prepared to leave more than 36-hundred properties threatened by a wildfire southeast of Penticton are no longer under evacuation alert as of this morning.The nearly one-week alert for the properties has been lifted after cooler weather on Sunday helped keep strong winds that threatened to push the fire north toward the city at bay.Donny van Dyk, director of Penticton's emergency operation centre, says B-C Wildfire and regional partners determined the threat caused by the so-called Christie Mountain fire has subsided.An additional 300 or so properties north of Okanagan Falls
BCAug 24, 2020
B.C. announces children's complex care transition facility in Vancouver
Children in British Columbia with extraordinary health needs that require complex care are to receive support at a single site scheduled to open in Vancouver.Health Minister Adrian Dix says the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children will become a transition centre to help children with complex care needs. Sunny Hill is to relocate to the main campus of the B.C. Children's and Women's Hospitals at the end of August as the third and final phase of its redevelopment.Dix says the Vancouver transition centre will be the first facility in Canada providing a comprehensive range of supports at a singl
BCAug 21, 2020
90 new COVID-19 cases reported in B.C., number of active cases rise past 800
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Réka Gustafson, B.C.’s deputy provincial health officer, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are announcing 90 new cases, for a total of 4,915 cases in British Columbia. "There are 824 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 2,594 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 3,889 people who tested positive have recovered. "Currently, 13 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, five of whom are in
BCAug 21, 2020
Officials in BC urging sports fans to ``stay out of the penalty box''
The Vancouver Canucks could make a rare advance to the next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a victory over last year's champions, the St. Louis Blues, in Edmonton tonight. But officials in BC are urging sports fans to ``stay out of the penalty box'' as they enjoy the game. Surrey RCMP say in a release that, in past years, fans have gathered at the intersection of 72nd Street and Scott Road to celebrate a victory. Police say officers will join them tonight to ensure everyone is peaceful, liquor and other laws are respected and crowds maintain appropriate physical distancing to slow the
BCAug 21, 2020
One critically and one seriously injured in a fight in Surrey
One man has critical injuries and another is listed in serious condition following a fight in Surrey. RCMP say the fight, involving around one dozen people, broke out shortly before 9 last night. Corporal Eleanor Sturko says both men were hurt during the melee but she doesn't say what caused their injuries, what happened to the other combatants or why the fight occurred. The serious crime unit has taken over the case and anyone with information about the assaults is urged to contact police.
BCAug 21, 2020
B.C. clamps down on COVID-19 enforcement with fines for large party hosts
As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to climb in BC, especially among young people, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says a party is ``not worth someone's life.'' Farnworth says $2,000 tickets can now be issued to the owner of a home where a large party is underway or to the organizer of an event such as a drum circle if such gatherings violate health rules. $200 tickets can also be issued to anyone refusing to leave a gathering or who is abusive to staff trying to maintain physical distancing rules. Farnworth says a small minority of people are either wilfully ignorant