First Nations health officials say the COVID-19 pandemic has had only a modest effect on BC's Indigenous communities, and the reason is rooted in history. Dr. Shannon McDonald, acting chief medical officer for the First Nations Health Authority and Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC's provincial health officer, made those comments during a news conference this morning. They say First Nations suppressed the spread of COVID-19 by relying on lessons learned centuries ago as diseases carried by outsiders decimated Indigenous populations. McDonald says 87 cases of the virus have been reported among B-C's Indige

BC is reporting 20 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths, both residents of long-term care centres. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says one of the new cases is a teacher in the Fraser Health region but she says no students were exposed to the virus. It's the second case linked to a school since classes resumed earlier this month. Henry notes today is the last day of classes for the current school year and congratulates students for making it through one of the most challenging years anyone can remember. The new cases push the total in the province to 2,869 including 173 deaths

Following conversations with business and worker representatives, the Province of British Columbia has extended the temporary layoffs provisions to a maximum of 24 weeks expiring on Aug. 30, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.The extension will give employers and workers additional flexibility to support economic recovery in the province with the expectation that businesses honour their obligations to workers and reach agreement with their employees in the event a further extension is required."This extension will provide even more certainty and flexibility," said Harry Bains, Minister of Labo

BC is easing more health restrictions imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, including allowing spas, hotels, resorts and RV parks to resume operating. Premier John Horgan say the province can gradually move into the third phase of its reopening plan because it's been successful in flattening the curve of the pandemic. But while more businesses and recreational areas are allowed to open, large public gatherings will remain capped at a maximum of 50 people. The province has also released summer travel guidelines that include people respecting local travel advisories to remote communities an

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia: "Today, we are announcing 14 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 2,849 cases in British Columbia."There are 162 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,516 people who tested positive have recovered."Of the total COVID-19 cases, 14 individuals are hospitalized, seven of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation."Si

Homicide detectives in Metro Vancouver are appealing for information as they investigate the murder of a 41-year-old woman who died in hospital on June 17.A statement from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says little is known about Bo Fan, who was dropped off at a Surrey hospital with life-threatening injuries and died a short time later.Sgt. Frank Jang says police do not believe her murder was random.He says investigators have determined she was a citizen of China, had links to a group known as either Golden Touch or Create Abundance, and had been living in Surrey since February 20

British Columbia's top doctor says old-fashioned contact tracing, not an app, is the primary tool that's been helping public health officials find people who could be infected with COVID-19. Dr. Bonnie Henry says officials are accustomed to tracking people who could have come into contact with carriers of other diseases and COVID-19 is no different, except that 600 people have been focused on the task. Henry says an app would be more useful for when people may have spread or contracted the illness in a large crowd of people. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promoted a voluntary app called CO

School trustees in both Vancouver and Victoria have voted to examine the role of police liaison officers in their facilities. The separate, unanimous votes came during school board meetings last night when trustees also rejected calls for immediate suspension of the liaison program while the reviews are underway. Supporters of the liaison program, which sees officers with special training assigned to specific elementary or high schools, say it helps police develop relationships, especially with at-risk youth. But critics question who the program is actually protecting.

The Government of British Columbia is taking action to help stratas better mitigate the rising costs of insurance.Actions include bringing more transparency to the strata insurance industry, closing loopholes related to depreciation reports, ending referral fees paid to property managers and giving strata owners and corporations the tools they need to do their part."The rising cost of strata insurance is a major financial pressure facing thousands of British Columbians during an already challenging time," said Carole James, Minister of Finance. "This is an extremely complex issue playing out i