Six more judges have been appointed to British Columbia's provincial court in an effort to clear away the backlog stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The province says in an information bulletin that it has reappointed three senior judges and appointed three new judges. The bulletin says the appointments will increase the capacity of the provincial court and reduce court delays around the province. It says the senior judges will help address the backlog of cases and support the response to the impacts of COVID-19 on the judicial system. Jane Cartwright, Thomas Gove and Richard Miller are bac

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are reporting 30 new cases, including one epi-linked case since we reported on Monday, for a total of 3,328 cases in British Columbia. "There are 266 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,873 people who tested positive have recovered. "Of the total COVID-19 cases, 15 individuals are hospitalized, three of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are reco

British Columbia's health minister says the province has hired more staff and increased operating-room hours to catch up on cancelled surgeries but a significant surge in COVID-19 cases could impact recovery. Adrian Dix says 32,400 procedures were not done or not scheduled as of mid-March to retain beds that may have been needed for COVID-19 patients. Combined with patients already on wait lists, the number of people waiting for procedures ballooned to over 95,000. However, Dix says over half the patients whose surgeries were cancelled in the spring had them between May 18 and June 25. Michae

BC Transit has launched a province-wide campaign encouraging considerate etiquette on all BC buses, SeaBuses and SkyTrains. The ``Together We Ride'' campaign reminds riders to be courteous and respectful during the ongoing pandemic and whenever possible to wear a mask while travelling. The eight week campaign will use a variety of methods from TV commercials to social media posts to reach target audiences. Transit says although wearing a mask is not mandatory, it can help to promote a more comfortable experience as people return to transit while the economy gradually re-opens.

A 23 year old cyclist has died after being hit by a pickup truck while riding on the Lougheed Highway through Maple Ridge. The woman was hit late yesterday afternoon and Ridge Meadows RCMP say she died at the scene. The 37 year old Mission man driving the pickup stayed to speak with police and is co-operating with the investigation. Police say drugs and alcohol do not appear to have been involved but the case is still open and further information is not being released.

British Columbia's provincial health officer says a higher number of COVID-19 cases over the last three days means the province could experience a rapid rebound of infections after successfully ``bending the curve.'' Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. recorded 102 cases of the virus since Friday because people have increased their contacts by 20 or 30 people in some cases, from a low of three to four, so it's time to ``pay attention now.'' Henry says she's concerned the province is at a ``tipping point'' and it's more challenging for public health workers to do contact tracing when an infected person

The Province is bringing into force regulations to fully implement the Province's leading-edge vaping action plan, which was announced in November 2019.The regulations restrict the content, flavour, packaging, advertising and sale of vapour products in British Columbia.B.C.'s ministries of Health and Education will also establish a provincial youth advisory council to develop, pilot and launch youth-informed strategies to reduce vaping by young people. "We heard from young people across the province that vaping companies are targeting them with a product that poses real and serious health and

Walmart Canada is going to build two new distribution centres, one north of Toronto and the other in Surrey, as part of a five-year, $3.5-billion plan.The retailer says it aims to improve service in stores and on the web.Walmart is going to renovate 150 stores, which will create hundreds of construction jobs.It also plans to work with Canadian high-tech companies to develop a system that will let customers use their mobile device to pay for purchases anywhere in the store.

BC's top doctor is urging residents not to let COVID-19 steal their summer as she reported more outbreaks and cases around the province. Doctor Bonnie Henry says she feels for those people who want to get out and have fun, but it needs to be done in a way that minimizes the risk of community transmission. She says there are now 35 cases connected to COVID-19 exposures in the Kelowna area that Health Minister Adrian Dix had said were connected to private parties around Canada Day. That's in addition to a new outbreak reported at the neo-natal intensive care unit at St. Paul's Hospital in Vanco