Premier John Horgan is welcoming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to work with the provinces to give workers 10 days of paid sick leave. Horgan has called for a paid sick leave program to prevent people from feeling financial pressure to work while ill during the COVID-19 pandemic. He says the virus affects every part of the country so he's glad to see the federal government has committed to working with the provinces to provide a national response. Sick leave pay was a key demand of the federal NDP to gain their support for a motion to limit sittings and votes in the House of Commons

BC has had 12 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in the last two days, for a total of two thousand five hundred and 30 cases. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says four more people have died for a death toll of one hundred and 61. The latest community outbreak involves five workers at Nature's Touch, a frozen fruit processing plant in Abbotsford. Henry says there have been no cases of workers passing on COVID-19 through packaging and the food supply is safe.

Vancouver looks at slow streets to create space for pedestrians amid pandemic Vancouver is considering plans to repurpose 50 kilometres of roadway in an effort to create more space for restaurant patios, lines outside of businesses, walking and cycling. The city says the so-called ``slow streets'' will have signs and barriers telling people to drive slowly and use the streets for local access only. It says the plans include expediting the permitting process for outdoor patios to give room to serve people as they maintain physical distancing requirements. A news release from the city says 12 k

Anti-Asian racism has spiked since COVID-19 forced B.C. into a state of emergency in March and Vancouver police say that has driven an increase in overall hate crimes. Howard Chow, the department's deputy chief constable for operations, says investigators have opened 29 files involving anti-Asian racism since March, compared with four over the same time period last year. Chow says there have been 77 hate-associated police files in 2020 and another 10 active files from April and May that could later be classified as hate crimes. Deputy Chief Const. Laurence Rankin says the alleged offences ran

A survey of British Columbia businesses finds barely one quarter believe they can open and operate profitably as the province gradually eases COVID-19 restrictions. More than 1,300 member businesses of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, the BC Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of British Columbia were asked about the second phase of B.C.'s restart plan. A statement from the board of trade says 26 per cent expect to open and operate at a profit while 75 per cent worry about attracting customers. Other concerns include a lack of cash to meet expenses or new safety standards and th

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says chances are that a second wave of COVID-19 could sweep back into BC along with other colds and flu in the fall. Dr. Henry says they've been watching a similar pattern elsewhere and because the virus hasn't been wiped out in the province, there is potential for it to rapidly take off. She says in South Korea the virus spread to hundreds of people through nightclubs. 12 new COVID-19 cases reported Twelve more people have tested positive for the virus in BC for a total of 2,479, while2,020 have fully recovered. Three more people have died, bri

British Columbia businesses devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic will still have to pay a scheduled increase in the minimum wage next month just as many are struggling to get back in operation. Labour Minister Harry Bains says the province will push ahead with the planned minimum wage increase on June 1 to $14.60 per hour from $13.85 an hour. He says the lowest paid workers need money in their pockets to help them support their livelihoods and contribute more dollars to local businesses. Bains says B.C.'s economic restart plan launched this week after steady declines in COVID-19 cases aims to

Over a week since Official Opposition Leader Andrew Wilkinson called on the provincial government to help with funding toprovide access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for small businesses, the BC Liberals are again pushing John Horgan for action. “Last Tuesday I wrote to Premier Horgan hoping to get his support for funding PPE access for small businesses and non-profits looking to safely reopenbut we have yet to see any action on this important requirement for safely restarting our economy,” said Wilkinson. "Without help to buy required PPE and safety upgrades, local businesses a

BC health officials say the use of non-medical masks in public settings is a good way to protect those around you. A joint statement from Health Minister Adrian Dix and public health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says masks should be used when it's difficult to keep a physical distance. Canada's public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam also says Canadians should wear masks as an added layer of protection. Dix and Henry say face coverings keep the users' droplets in but won't prevent the virus from being transmitted by others. There have been 21 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in the province today, u