Health officials in British Columbia say specific students and staff at a Maple Ridge high school will receive COVID-19 tests after a person at the school had close contact with someone carrying a new strain of the virus that causes the illness.Fraser Health says Garibaldi Secondary School remains open while efforts are underway to manage the exposure because the variant strain is not one currently in the community. Mutations of COVID-19 are known to spread more quickly, but doctors say they do not seem to cause more severe illness, interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines or affect testi

BC's provincial health officer says the recent announcements about a drop in COVID-19 vaccine availability took her by surprise. Dr. Bonnie Henry says next week's supply of the Moderna vaccine will be reduced by 20 per cent, combined with previous vaccine shortfalls announced by Pfizer. She says more than 124,000 people have received a dose of vaccine, and all long-term care staff and residents have been offered it, which she says makes her feel relieved. Dr. Henry says it will be a challenging few weeks after seeing the benefits of a consistent supply of vaccines. But she says the federal go

A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has refused to ease Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's bail conditions, saying the current restrictions are the minimum required to ensure she does not flee Canada. Justice William Ehrcke dismissed Meng's application for changes to her bail conditions, which would have allowed her to leave her Vancouver home outside the hours of her overnight curfew without the presence of security. Meng's husband testified earlier this month that she has underlying health conditions and he believes she's at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 because of her proximity to

British Columbia's premier says the province supports the federal government's move to impose new travel restrictions due to COVID-19. John Horgan says in a statement the decision to limit international travel will help keep British Columbians safe. On Wednesday, Horgan said the province had no immediate plans to impose travel restrictions requiring anyone entering the province to self-isolate for 14 days. Health Minister Adrian Dix told a news conference today that B.C. has been concerned about the followup on quarantine protocols across the country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced n

Australian officials have released the final report into a deadly seaplane crash near Sydney in December 2017 that killed six people, including the BC pilot. The report confirms the findings of an interim review that determined 44 year old former North Vancouver resident and experienced pilot Gareth Morgan was likely confused and disoriented by exhaust fumes that had seeped into the cabin through cracks in the plane's exhaust collector ring. The de Havilland Beaver nosedived into waters north of Sydney while on a sightseeing flight killing 58 year old British businessman Richard Cousins, his

RCMP are warning the public and students around the University of British Columbia to be vigilant after a jogger was attacked. Mounties allege in a news release the student was out for a run in Pacific Spirit Park this Wednesday around noon when she was assaulted and robbed. They say the woman was approached by an unknown man who struck her without warning. The suspect then fled with her cellphone. RCMP suggest those who jog or walk with ear buds to keep the volume low. RCMP also suggests, if possible, to exercise in pairs or in populated areas.

The union representing employees at a BC prison say six members were sounding the alarm about the spread of COVID-19 among inmates five days before health officials formally declared an outbreak. The BC Government and Service Employees Union says six employees at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre refused to take part in unsafe work last week. A WorkSafe BC inspection of the facility was triggered by the employees refusing to work. Inspection report concluded that some of the concerns raised were outside of the inspection's scope while others did not constitute an undue hazard. Union pre

Vancouver Coastal Health says 288 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Whistler from the start of the year through Tuesday. It says most of them are young people in their 20s and 30s who live, work and socialize together. The health agency is urging Whistler residents and potential visitors to continue to follow public health restrictions to lower the rising number of COVID-19 infections. It says Whistler experienced a similar spike in cases in November, which was resolved in early December. B.C. reported 546 new cases, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 66,265 cases. There a

A new report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation shows the rental market vacancy rate in this country's largest cities reached 3.2 per cent last year, while the rate in Metro Vancouver more than doubled to 2.6, the highest it has been in more than two decades. CMHC chief economist Bob Dugan says the pandemic cut into rental demand for several reasons including lower international migration, fewer student renters and a sagging employment market. But the report says rents continue to creep up in large cities. Report suggests Vancouver is leading the pack at just under 1,800 dollars per