Councillors in Vancouver have voted unanimously to ask the federal government to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs. Mayor Kennedy Stewart put forward the motion earlier this month saying it is time to develop a ``health-focused'' approach to substance use and end the stigma against drug users. In a statement issued late Wednesday after the vote, Stewart thanked groups such as the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, which he says have pursued decriminalization for years. In the same process used to create its first supervised injection clinic almost two decades ago,

Provincial health officials say they are working on British Columbia's plan to handle COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, says Dr. Ross Brown of Vancouver Coastal Health will join the group working to organize the logistics around the distribution of vaccines. B.C. recorded another 13 deaths and 738 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total to 29,086. The province also issued a correction for nine days of case totals in the Fraser Health region, revising Tuesday's COVID-19 case count to 706 instead of 941. Dr. Henry says front-line workers as well

The BC Coroners Service says the number of overdose deaths in each health authority is at or near the highest monthly total ever recorded. Chief coroner Lisa Lapoint says there were 162 overdose deaths in BC last month, more than double the 75 recorded in October last year. Lapoint says the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the supply of street drugs and is urging doctors and nurses to prescribe safer pharmaceutical alternatives. But advocates for drug users say medical personnel still are not prescribing those alternatives to the extent they should be.

Five people have died and 55 patients have tested positive at Burnaby Hospital in an outbreak of COVID-19 that health officials believe was compounded by a recent fire at the facility. Fraser Health chief medical health officer Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin says 40 staff members are also infected, although the health authority is still trying to track the source of all those illnesses. The outbreak began at the hospital on November 9th, but as smoke billowed through hallways during the November 15th fire, patients were quickly moved to common areas and infection control measures could not be stringen

A hotel worker in Nelson, B.C., suffered a heart attack shortly after a confrontation with a patron who refused to wear a mask and wouldn't leave the hotel's coffee shop. Rob Little, manager of The Adventure Hotel, says it happened last Friday when their accountant was called to help deal with a man who was shouting and ignoring new provincial rules to wear a mask to slow the spread of COVID-19. Little says when the woman intervened, the man spat on her and walked away. Police were called and Little says about 90 minutes later, the accountant, who's in her 50s, collapsed from a heart attack t

If your phone vibrates or makes an unusual sound at 1:55 this afternoon (2:55 p.m. Mountain time) you'll know you are ready to receive important safety alerts. Emergency Management BC is testing its Alert Ready system this afternoon to ensure it is able to send safety alerts through television, radio and 4G capable wireless devices such as phones. The system is only used during major disasters or emergencies and the tone indicates vital information is about to follow, although during today's test you'll only hear the tone or feel your phone vibrate, a message won't be attached. In a real emer

Police in Victoria say they've handed out two tickets for people failing to follow COVID-19 safety protocols in a restaurant and attempting to leave without paying. Police say they were called to a restaurant just after 7:30 pm Monday night for reports that a group had left without paying. After locating the group, police escorted them back to pay where they discovered that one man had been abusive towards staff and refused to follow COVID-19 safety protocols. The man was located later that night and issued two tickets for 230 dollars apiece.

BC's solicitor general announced new fines for those who refuse to follow provincial orders on wearing masks in public spaces. Those who refuse to wear masks are subject to a 230 dollar fine. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says in a release that masks are required for a range of public spaces, but those unable to put on or remove a mask without assistance are exempt. The province also extended its state of emergency until December 8th.

British Columbia health officials are reporting a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases, while they order a pause indoor physical activities. B.C. recorded 941 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and 10 deaths. There are 7,732 active COVID-19 cases in B.C., and 284 people are in hospital. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that residents need to support B.C.'s health-care workers by slowing the spread of COVID-19. The latest peak in numbers comes as health officials ordered dance studios, yoga studios and other indoor physical activity s