Shareholders of Vancouver-based West Fraser Timber and Toronto-based Norbord have voted to join forces. The move unites two of Canada's largest producers of wood products, creating a single Vancouver-based firm which keeps the West Fraser name. It now boasts 10,000 employees. Officials behind the merger say the new company, which will be owned 56% by West Fraser shareholders and 44% by Norbord investors, aims to be a "one-stop shop" for construction customers. West Fraser has 45 mills and other facilities across BC, Alberta, and the southern US, while Norbord has an oriented strand board mill

A medical health officer with Interior Health says COVID-19 is still spreading among people who live and work at a Kelowna ski resort. Dr. Silvina Mema says the health authority is testing broadly at Big White and 28 more cases have been linked to the cluster identified last month. The latest cases push the total to 203. It includes 43 active infections. Ski resort and local authorities are working to map possible exposures. Big White says in an update posted online Interior Health has advised that most people affected work on the mountain.

Illicit drug overdoses are rising in northern British Columbia and health officials warn a new mix of street drugs can make a key life-saving medication less effective. Northern Health and the First Nations Health Authority have issued an overdose alert, warning that benzodiazepines, or benzos, have been found in illicit drugs circulating in the region. The alert says users of drugs contaminated with benzos might be difficult to rouse and could also be slow to respond to naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses. Health officials say benzos impede brain activity and raise the potentia

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia."Today, we are reporting 465 new cases, including 13 epi-linked cases, for a total of 61,912 cases in British Columbia."There are 4,331 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 329 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 70 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. "To date, 92,369 doses of COVID-19 vaccine h

British Columbia's health minister says the province will adjust its vaccination plans in light of the news that Pfizer-BioNTech will not send any doses to Canada next week. Adrian Dix says the province had expected to receive about 5,800 Pfizer-BioNTech doses, a relatively small amount compared with the roughly 25,000 it's supposed to receive the week after. But he says the 5,800 doses are still "very significant" to B.C. and any time the province gets news it will receive less vaccine, it is "obviously disappointing." Dix says the province will have to devote more of the Pfizer-BioNTech vac

The new member of Parliament for the Victoria riding, Laurel Collins, says she's running again in the next federal election, regardless of personal circumstances or when the vote is called. Collins makes the pledge as she announces she and her partner are expecting a baby in April. She has issued a statement saying leaders such as New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern have paved the way for new moms in politics, and there is no reason why women starting a family should be barred from pursuing meaningful roles. Collins won the Victoria riding for the NDP last fall. She replaced Murray Rankin who steppe

A man and woman have each been fined for pretending to cough on customers in a gym just steps from Vancouver police headquarters. A statement from police says the owner of the gym flagged down two passing constables outside the business Saturday night. He said a man and woman, who were not wearing masks and were not members of the gym, were inside coughing in the general direction of patrons and equipment. A 60 year old man and his 25 year old girlfriend told the officers they were only pretending to cough. Police say the couple claimed they reacted because gym members were staring at them. Th

RCMP in Mission say a 14 year old student was arrested and released pending an investigation after another case of violence on school grounds. The Mounties say the student from Heritage Park Middle School was arrested after an assault at Mission Secondary last Wednesday. That's after video footage showed another assault on the Heritage Park school grounds last Monday, resulting in the arrests of two teen girls. The video circulated on social media shows two people kicking and punching the victim while a crowd looks on, laughing. A drive-by rally was held Sunday in support of the 13 year old t

A cluster of COVID-19 cases has prompted a private school in Duncan to close its doors until February 1st, while students learn remotely. Duncan Christian School says exposures first reported on January 6th have affected a high number of staff, making it difficult to operate. The number of cases linked to the school has not been released, while Island Health has categorized the situation as a "cluster," which is less severe than an outbreak in which transmission is likely widespread. A letter sent to members of the school community says Island Health would contact any students or staff identi