Almost 20 per cent of those who are eligible for a vaccine in British Columbia have had their shot. A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says 946,096 doses of the three vaccines have been administered, and of those, more than 87,000 were second doses. The province recorded another 997 new cases on Wednesday and two more deaths. There are 330 people in hospital and the number in intensive care has grown to 105. Additional genome sequencing hasn't been completed since the Tuesday report, so the number for variants of concern remains at

A grass fire east of Merritt has now scorched more than eight square kilometres as the BC Wildfire Service works to control it. An official with the service says the size of the fire has been increased because of more accurate mapping and although it remains out of control, the fire behaviour is not extreme. Nicole Bonnett says the fire in the Quilchena Creek area north of the Coquihalla Connector is a "larger" grass fire but isn't uncommon for this time of year. The wildfire service lists the blaze as one of 13 currently active around B-C, including five started in the last two days, with mo

Three city councillors in Vancouver say they have been blindsided by their party's announcement of a mayoral candidate to represent the Non-Partisan Association in next year's civic election. An online statement posted by NPA Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung, and signed by councillors Lisa Dominato and Colleen Hardwick, says they are "extremely disappointed" their party did not offer an "open, transparent and democratic" call for candidates. The statement says the three only learned the NPA had named park board commissioner John Coupar as its mayoral candidate shortly before the selection was made publ

BC RCMP responded to a serious two vehicle head-on collision on Highway 1 seven kilometers east of Sicamous.On April 6, 2021, just after 1pm, BC RCMP frontline members from Sicamous Detachment and RCMP Traffic Services responded to a report of a serious two vehicle head-on collision seven kilometers east of Sicamous on the Trans Canada Highway 1.The subsequent investigation found the 73 year old male driver of a westbound pickup truck from Sicamous crossed the centre line colliding with an eastbound sedan driven by a 46 year old female from Salmon Arm. Sadly, both drivers were deceased upon ar

British Columbia's provincial health officer says she expects the province to catch up to Ontario in the proportion of variant COVID-19 cases that were first identified in the United Kingdom. Dr. Bonnie Henry says about a third of BC's cases are from that variant while the strain represents about 60 per cent of Ontario's new cases. But she expects BC to match that figure in about a month. Dr. Henry says the variants are worrying but of the three thousand, seven hundred and sixty six variant cases, only 266 are active. That represents about three per cent of all the active COVID-19 cases in BC

A commission of inquiry into money laundering in British Columbia is adding former and current cabinet ministers to its witness list. On its website, the Cullen commission says former premier Christy Clark is among those scheduled to testify later this month. Former B.C. Liberal cabinet ministers Rich Coleman, Michael de Jong and Kash Heed will also testify, along with Shirley Bond, the party's interim leader who served as Clark's public safety minister and attorney general. The commission says Attorney General David Eby will testify as well. They are expected to testify from April 19 to 30.

Surrey RCMP Special Victim’s Unit and Sophie’s Place are working in a coordinated effort in response to a report of a sexual assault involving a child and youth. On April 5, 2021, at approximately 1:30 p.m. Surrey RCMP responded to a report of a sexual assault at Blumsen Park in the 15400-block of 34 Avenue. The victim in this incidentis a child (a person 12 years of age or younger), and the suspect who has been identified, is a 13-year-old youth. The victim in this incident did not sustain any serious physical injuries; however, this is an upsetting incident for them and their family. Sur

Today the City of Surrey’s Community Safety section launched a new website dedicated to helping parents, caregivers and other trusted adults buildprotective factors among Surrey children and youth to reduce their susceptibility for gang involvement. Called Empower Surrey, the website aims to enhance the impact of the Surrey Anti Gang Family Empowerment program and is available in over 80 languages. It features information on Surrey’s unique gang landscape, how to identify and address risk factors, tips and tools to start early conversationswith children and youth, and links to free prevent

British Columbia is shifting into its next phase in the vaccine rollout, allowing people to book their appointments online. The provincial government wants people to register first to get a confirmation code, then book an appointment for a shot when they are contacted by email, text or phone.Starting today, people born in 1950 or earlier, Indigenous people 18 and older, and those who have certain medical conditions can book their appointments through the online portal.Those aged 55 to 65 and living in the Lower Mainland also have the option of booking at pharmacies to get an Oxford-AstraZenec