British Columbia announced 161 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and three additional deaths related to the virus. In a statement, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and deputy health minister Stephen Brown say there are 1,302 active cases in the province. 63 people were being treated in hospital, with 16 of them in intensive care. The province has had a total of 9,381 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began and the number of people who have died stood at 238. The statement says there were 3,114 people being monitored because they have been exposed to a known case. On Thursday, Henry

An outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Fraser Health issued a statement this morning saying there is evidence of transmission in a medicine unit at the hospital. It says one patient and one staff member have tested positive for the new coronavirus but the outbreak is limited to a single unit, which has been temporarily closed to admissions. The hospital has implemented enhanced infection prevention and control measures, including additional cleaning, and is also using contact tracing to halt any further spread of the virus by those who may not be showing sympto

New Democrat Leader John Horgan was in Squamish at Carbon Engineering (BC-based clean energy company) today to announce a plan to commit BC to net-zero carbon emissions in 30 years if his government is re-elected on October 24th. "The unprecedented challenges we face today, from the economic shock of a global pandemic to the threat of a changing climate, also present opportunities," said Horgan. "As a leader in clean energy, British Columbia is uniquely placed to seize these opportunities. Meeting this ambitious target of net-zero emissions will help us create good jobs through the recovery wh

The real estate market in Vancouver had its best September on record this year in terms of the number of homes sold. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says 3,643 were sold in September this year, up 56.2 per cent from the 2,333 sold in September 2019. Sales were also up 19.6 per cent from the 3,047 homes sold in August. The MLS home price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties hit $1,041,300 in September, up 5.8 per cent from September 2019. Real estate board chairwoman Colette Gerber says that while a wave of homes hit the market last month, it was not enough

Police say a man has been killed and another wounded in what appears to be a targeted shooting in North Vancouver. Sergeant Frank Jang of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the two men were sitting in a vehicle outside a duplex when they were shot late last night. Jang says neither man lived in the duplex and police don't know why the men were at that location. He is asking the public for any information that may help their investigation.

Two people in Metro Vancouver are accused of colluding with foreign nationals to make fraudulent claims for refugee protection in Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency says Roger Bhatti of Delta and Sofiane Dahak of Vancouver face more than two dozen charges, including forgery, counselling misrepresentation of facts and use of forged documents. The agency alleges the offences involved people originating from Central Europe and took place between 2002 and 2014.It says in a news release that Bhatti, who is 61, practised as a lawyer and Dahak, who is 52, was an interpreter when the alleged of

BC NDP candidate Ravi Kahlon has written a letter to B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson on Thursday, to seek clarity on BC Liberal candidate from Surrey-Fleetwood, Garry Thind’s role in his campaign’s alleged plan to illegally request mail-in ballots on behalf of other people. Talking to journalists over telephone, Kahlon said that Wilkinson avoided a direct question about Thind’s knowledge of the plan on Wednesday.Kahlon said that the BC Liberals have fired the campaign worker involved, but have not disclosed any information on Thind’s involvement. The letter seeks the information t

The NDP is promising to increase a British Columbia government student grant program up to $4,000 for eligible students to help them pay tuition, textbook and supply costs. New Democrat Leader John Horgan says a re-elected NDP will also add 2,000 more technology spaces in post-secondary programs across B.C. Horgan says the NDP will provide more details about its post-secondary education plans when it releases its election platform next week. He says the grant program will be expanded to allow more middle-class and low-income students access to receive up to $4,000 each. Liberal Leader Andrew

British Columbia has confirmed 125 new cases of COVID-19 in the past day. The number of active cases ticked up by 16 to 1,284, including 72 people who are in hospital. In a joint statement, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and deputy health minister Stephen Brown say public health workers are monitoring more than 3,200 people who were exposed to a known case. They say outbreaks are ongoing at 14 long-term care or assisted-living homes and three acute-care facilities. B.C. has recorded 9,138 cases of COVID-19 so far and 7,591 people who tested positive for the illness have recovered.