Police say they issued tickets totalling over $900 to two BC Ferries passengers for refusing to follow COVID-19 safety protocols while on board.Nanaimo RCMP say in a news release they were called to the Departure Bay ferry terminal to meet the Queen of Cowichan, which was arriving from Horseshoe Bay just after midnight Sunday, to escort two women off the vessel. They say the women, aged 19 and 43, ignored the mask requirement on board and were heard yelling and screaming at staff. RCMP arrested them for being intoxicated in a public place but later decided not to lay criminal charges. They say

BC health officials are reporting 456 new cases of COVID-19 today. Two additional deaths have also been announced, bringing the total to 1,338. There are 4,668 active cases in the province, including 237 people who are hospitalized with COVID-19. Sixty-four of those patients are in intensive care. To date, 230,875 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 62,608 of which are second doses. There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreak at Creekside Landing (Interior Health) is now over.

The RCMP say a crash on Highway 16 west of Prince George has killed a Metro Vancouver man and injured a 20 year old Alberta resident. An RCMP statement says the collision happened Monday as the Alberta man in a westbound pickup was overtaking an empty logging truck. The passing lane ended before the pickup had finished its manoeuvre and police say it collided with an oncoming car. Police say the driver of the car, who was in his 40s, died a short time later in hospital. Officers in Prince George are leading the investigation and want to speak with the logging truck driver, who stopped to assi

Victoria police say they arrested a man after a city bylaw vehicle was damaged. They say officers were called to Beacon Hill Park after City of Victoria bylaw officers reported that a man had allegedly smashed their truck window with a sledgehammer. They say the man was found and arrested after he fled to a park on a bicycle. Police say the man was later released with a court date. The police later corrected it was a City of Victoria Parks vehicle. Victoria police on Twitter: Officers are looking for witnesses after man was arrested after reportedly smashing a @cityofvictoria bylaw vehicle's

A Canada lynx that invaded a henhouse looking for an easy and quick meal got a earful instead from the farm owner. And Chris Paulson also recorded himself holding up the animal by the scruff of its neck and telling off the seemingly growling and scowling cat with its black, tufted ear tips, massive paws, and thick grey fur about the damage the feline left behind. The video went viral. Paulson says he heard a commotion coming from his chicken coop on Sunday and went to check it out when he saw the lynx had killed two chickens and was going for more. However, Sergant Ron LeBlanc of the BC Conse

Two more units have been added to a COVID-19 outbreak declared at Vancouver General Hospital.A statement from Vancouver Coastal Health says outbreaks are underway on inpatient units T-14-G and T-11-G in the highrise tower of the hospital's Jim Pattison Pavilion.The health authority says the outbreaks are in addition to one declared Sunday in unit T-10-C in the same tower.The statement says, in total, 16 patients and 13 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.Visits to all three units have been suspended, except for end-of-life compassionate visits, and the hospital says infection prev

British Columbia is expected to start informing people over age 80 about their vaccinations for COVID-19 starting next week as the province prepares to open mass clinics while doing more in-depth testing for variants. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. is in a phase of "vaccine hope and pandemic reality" but an age-based immunization plan will remain in place despite some calls to prioritize essential workers. Dr. Henry says the province is expanding its pool of immunizers to include dentists, midwives and paramedics before 172 sites open up to eventually offer a vaccine to

Teachers marched today outside an elementary school in Surrey, B.C., where a confirmed case of a COVID-19 variant has been reported to demand more safety measures. Members of the Surrey Teachers Association dressed in red and also marched with their colleagues outside Woodward Hill Elementary in a physically distanced protest before classes began. Matt Westphal, the president of the Surrey Teachers Association, says the biggest concern is that students in elementary schools are not required to wear masks inside their classrooms. Earlier this month, the province changed safety protocols to requ

The only Indigenous councillor ever elected to Terrace council says systemic racism has forced her to resign. Jessica McCallum-Miller, who is also the youngest person ever elected to council in that northwestern BC city, made the comment in a social media post announcing her departure. McCallum-Miller was just 25 when she won a council seat in 2018 and says, since then, she has felt "unheard or unsupported" due to her ethnicity, age and gender. Terrace Mayor Carol Leclerc says council has become "better" for McCallum-Miller's "honesty, dedication and thoughtfulness," and more details will be