A motorboat driver has been charged with operating a vessel without due care after a crash with an Indigenous racing canoe on Cultus Lake in B.C.'s Fraser Valley. RCMP in Chilliwack says they were called after the collision last Wednesday and found the lone occupant of the canoe on shore, but the boat and its driver gone. The person who had been in the canoe was treated in hospital for injuries and released. Police say their investigation later led them to the alleged operator of the motorboat. A 67 year old Langley man has now been charged under the Canada Shipping Act. RCMP Cpl. Mike Rail s

Metro Vancouver's latest homeless count shows more seniors without a place to live, while the number of young people without a home is shrinking. The count took place in March and shows three thousand 634 people were homeless, about the same number as 2017. However, the figures show that those aged 55 and over now account for 25 per cent of the homeless, up two per cent from 2017, while the number of those under 25 on the street has been cut in half _ from 16 to eight per cent. The communities with the highest number of homeless are Vancouver, Surrey and Langley.

A worker has been killed at a gold mine in northwestern BC. Vancouver-based Pretium Resources says the unnamed man was doing maintenance work Friday at the surface of the mine northwest of Stewart when he was severely injured. The company says he was treated immediately by medics at the mine and then transported to hospital in Terrace, where he died Sunday. Pretium says it is co-operating with an outside investigation and will conduct its own probe, but its first concern is to support the victim's family and friends, and other workers at the mine.

Buyers purchased 3,128 homes in the Greater Vancouver area last month, up both from June and from July 2019.The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said on Wednesday that sales in July were up 22.3 per cent from this time last year, and up 28 per cent from June, as the economy has largely recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown. Home prices also rose in Vancouver, hitting a benchmark of $1,031,400, 4.5 per cent higher on a year-over-year basis.While more homes hit the market in July compared to June, the total number of homes listed for sale, 12,083, is down compared to last July

British Columbia health minister is urging residents not to attend private parties and gatherings after recent increases in the number of COVID-19 cases across the province. Health Minister Adrian Dix says many of the latest cases stem from such events and the numbers serve as a reminder that people must adhere to public health rules this summer. B.C.'s top doctor says public health workers are tracing the contacts of almost all the new cases. But Dr. Bonnie Henry says that's possible because transmission remains low and residents must ensure it stays that way. She says common factors in many

The province is ramping up its response to the leaping number of overdose deaths related to illicit drugs. The coroner says B-C set records for the highest number of overdose deaths in May and broke that record in June as supply issues during the pandemic have made illicit drugs increasingly toxic. Mental Health and Addictions Minister Judy Darcy says a total of 29 new supervised consumption or inhalation services will open around B-C and more staff will ensure users are connected to the help they need.She says the funds come from 10.5-million dollars set aside to aid those who have seen deva

The British Columbia government says new rules for private cannabis retailers will allow pot to be reserved and paid for online, but customers still have to pick up their orders in person.The province says the regulations now allow private cannabis stores to accept payments made on a website, app or by telephone. Previous licence conditions allowed customers to reserve cannabis products online, but required them to visit a store to complete the payment and obtain their purchases.The province says it changed its policies because of a request from private retailers, which felt online orders wou

RCMP say a shooting Saturday evening in Maple Ridge was targeted. Ridge Meadows RCMP say it happened at about 10:30 p.m. on August 1st and seriously injured a 30-year-old man they describe as known to them. He was sitting in his car when another vehicle drove by and someone inside fired several shots but investigators say the injured man was able to drive himself to hospital for treatment. Mounties say they responded quickly and determined the attack was isolated and not random, but have not said if a suspect has been identified.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued an evacuation alert for 43 properties northwest of Princeton as a small wildfire burns nearby. The blaze was sparked Sunday by lightning but had charred just 22 hectares by yesterday evening. A crew of 50, backed by heavy equipment, helicopters and airtankers, is assigned to contain the fire, which is the largest of just over 20 that broke out over the long weekend. The BC Wildfire Service lists the fire danger across much of the southern quarter of the province as high to extreme but Environment Canada says cooler weather and rain are