The BC Teachers' Federation says it wants smaller classes and mandatory masks whereever possible as part of the provincial back-to-school plan amid the pandemic. A statement from president Teri Mooring says the restart plan for Kindergarten to Grade 12 has made no change to classroom density and it's impossible to physical distance with 30 people in a classroom. The union also wants dedicated funding for heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and expanding mandatory mask use for children aged 10 and older. The provincial government has said masks will be required whenever student

Vancouver Coastal Health is opening another COVID-19 assessment centre in preparation for a potential increase in cases as the cold and flu season approaches.The new site is at the north parking lot of Vancouver Community College on East 7th Avenue. It will be from 9 a-m to 7:30 p-m and will take both walk-in and drive-through clients. The authority says an additional centre in North Vancouver is expected to open in the next couple of weeks and operating hours in Richmond and other locations will also be increasing.

Hundreds of residents just south of Penticton have been ordered out of their homes and thousands more are on evacuation alert as an aggressive wildfire burns nearby. The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen issued an evacuation order for more than 300 properties in the Heritage Hills area yesterday afternoon. The City of Penticton has warned residents of nearly 3700 properties on its southeast side to be ready to leave on short notice, and 116 properties in the Upper Carmi area are also on alert. A separate 18 hectare fire near Beverdell south of Carmi has also prompted an evacuation al

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 83 new cases, for a total of 4,677 cases in British Columbia. "There are 775 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 3,704 people who tested positive have recovered. "Currently, six individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, three of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. As well, 2,326

Lawyers representing Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou are back in BC Supreme Court today fighting to win release of more confidential documents tied to the case. Meng's legal team says some of the documents relate to her detention at Vancouver's airport in December 2018 and could shed light on her claim that her rights were violated before her arrest. Meng is wanted in the US on fraud charges, which she and Huawei deny, and this chapter in her extradition battle began yesterday with Meng attending via phone link. The matter could continue all week and today's arguments will focus on the technica

The BC Wildfire Service says 79 wildfires have been sparked in the last two days, in the wake of a fierce lightning storm that moved across southern BC Sunday night. The wildfire service website says 74 per cent of the new fires were caused by lightning, including 14 of 15 reported on southern Vancouver Island. Most remain very small, with only a handful larger than a hectare, although a fire on the eastern shore of Sooke Lake, east of Langford, is listed at eight hectares and considered out of control. In all, 475 fires have been reported across B-C since the start of the fire season in Apri

Another hot day is unfolding across much of southern B-C, but Environment Canada has dropped heat warnings for all but the Fraser Canyon and Kootenay Lake regions. Temperatures above 35 degrees, with nighttime lows not falling below 18, will continue there for at least another day but the weather office is calling for slightly cooler conditions tonight. It's still set to be a scorcher for many areas with the mercury nudging the mid-30s in the Kamloops, Kelowna, Cranbrook and Trail areas. There's also the risk of more thunderstorms across southeastern B-C where the wildfire service rates wildf

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the B.C. government will announce stricter penalties this week for those who flout public health rules as COVID-19 cases climb in the province. Officials announced 236 new cases since Friday during a briefing today, including the second highest single-day increase of 100 since the pandemic began. Hospitalizations decreased from 12 cases to four. Deputy provincial health officer Dr. Reka Gustafson says most of those testing positive are young, which suggests the province has done a relatively good job of protecting the most vulnerable. However, she says young pe

Coquitlam Little League says it has barely $3,000 in the bank after funds totalling almost $230,000 disappeared from its account. A club statement says it was told in early June that more than 200,000 was on hand, but just weeks later members reported refunds for the pandemic-cancelled season had not arrived. Club president Sandon Fraser says the RCMP has taken over the case and the team's financial statements are being reviewed by an independent accountant. Coquitlam RCMP says it expects to issue a statement later today.