British Columbia's Health Ministry says there will be measures in place to make sure people don't jump the queue for the COVID-19 vaccine when it begins immunizing the general public. The Ministry says in a statement that part of the process for Phase 3 and 4 of the plan will require evidence of age and residence in BC. It says no one in the general public will be able to pre-register for an appointment until their age category is eligible. Rod and Ekaterina Baker, a Vancouver couple, drew public condemnation after allegedly flying to a remote Yukon community to get a dose of the vaccine befo

Interior Health is reiterating warnings against social gatherings as a COVID-19 cluster grows in Williams Lake, BC. The health authority says in a statement that 46 cases have been linked to a community cluster first identified one week ago today. The cluster was first declared on Jan. 20. Since New Year's Day, a total of 314 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the region. Among these 150 cases are currently active. Interior Health says most of the transmission occurred at recent social events and gatherings. Interior Health on Twitter:Interior Health has identified an additional 46 c

A man has been charged in connection with the death of a woman in Vernon, BC.The death was reported almost three years ago. RCMP say in a news release that a woman named Heather Baker was brought to Vernon Jubilee Hospital. She was in an unresponsive state and died March 15th, 2018. They arrested 43 year old Shaun Wiebe and charged him with manslaughter and assault causing bodily harm. The Mounties say Crown prosecutors approved the charges following a comprehensive and exhaustive investigation.

Members of a Metro Vancouver homicide team are focused on a pockmarked car and casing-littered street as they investigate a suspected deadly attack in Langley, B.C.An online post from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team confirms its members have joined Langley RCMP officers probing what happened in a residential area of the municipality.A tent is set up over an idling Honda Civic with numerous holes in its windshield and the area beside the car is shrouded from view while dozens of evidence markers dot the street nearby.RCMP are also investigating at least one burning vehicle in an are

Health officials in British Columbia say the number of new daily cases of COVID-19 is too high and they are repeating calls for everyone's help to bend the curve. The province recorded 407 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed active infections to 4,260. Among those, 313 people are hospitalized, including 71 in intensive care. An additional 14 people died in the past day and the death toll in B.C. from COVID-19 rose to 1,168. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that now is the time for anyone who has p

Family members of a man missing in British Columbia's southern Interior are appealing for information on the second anniversary of his disappearance. Ben Tyner's father, mother and brother released the videotaped appeal from their home in Wyoming, urging anyone with information about the case to come forward. Tyner was 33 years old and managing the Nicola Ranch near Merritt when he was last seen leaving the compound on horseback, possibly to search for cattle in the surrounding hills about 300 kilometres northeast of Vancouver. His still-saddled horse was found two days later on a logging road

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the alleged actions of a BC couple accused of trying to jump the COVID-19 vaccination queue show a "complete lack of any sort of ethical or moral compass." Farnworth says the matter is "one of the most despicable things he's heard in a long time," but he notes that the former Great Canadian Gaming CEO Rodney Baker has paid a high price in losing what he says is a "10-million-dollar-a-year job." Baker, who's 55, and his 32-year-old wife Ekaterina Baker, are accused of flying to the Yukon, violating self-isolation rules and getting a COVID-19 vaccinati

A cougar has attacked and severely mauled a man in British Columbia. A statement from the Environment Ministry, which oversees the Conservation Officer Service, says the 69 year old victim is recovering in hospital from serious injuries to his face and hand. The attack occurred Monday near the man's property in the Soo Valley, about 150 km's north of Vancouver, between Whistler and Pemberton. The ministry says Whistler RCMP officers were first on the scene and shot and killed a cougar prowling nearby. Conservation officers with a specialized team that investigates predator attacks also respon

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is warning that British Columbia is at a critical juncture in the fight against COVID-19. New variants originally identified in South Africa and the United Kingdom have made their way to BC, and with new cases plateauing at around 500 a day, Dr. Henry says she's "very concerned." She says the strategy for fighting the new variants is the same as for the predominant strain and urged British Columbians not to travel right now unless it's essential. At the same time, she says officials are temporarily widening the gap between two doses of the Pfizer vac