B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson wants three televised debates during the provincial election campaign so voters can hear what each party has to offer. Wilkinson says voters need information and debates are the best way to provide it during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wilkinson began the first day of the election campaign for the Oct. 24 election by touting the Liberals' candidates so far, adding he expects to have an entire slate by the end of the week. He highlighted transportation as a big need in Surrey, the fastest-growing city in the province, and says those working in the trucking and t

Evacuation alerts have now been lifted for the only remaining properties in British Columbia still affected by a wildfire. The Regional District of Central Kootenay says it has removed alerts covering 46 properties in the Slocan Valley based on advice from the BC Wildfire Service.Evacuation alerts originally covered 305 properties as a wildfire flared on Aug. 17 about 30 kilometres north of Castlegar.The wildfire service says the lightning-caused blaze covered 13 square kilometres and remained active but rain was expected over the region Wednesday. The wildfire season officially ends Oct. 15

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the response to COVID-19 will not be interrupted by the BC election next month. Dr. Henry says her powers under the Public Health Act are independent and she will be continuing to meet daily with senior health officials. She adds Premier John Horgan did not ask for her advice on an early election call. Dr. Henry says she has been working for months with Elections BC to ensure guidelines are in place for safe elections and details will be released tomorrow. The province is announcing 366 new cases of COVID-19 over the past three days. Dr. Bonnie

The leaders of the Liberal and Green parties in British Columbia are not happy that NDP Premier John Horgan has called a snap election for next month. Andrew Wilkinson criticized Horgan for calling an election that could potentially harm the health of B-C residents during a pandemic. He says the NDP are just trying to secure their own employment. The newly-elected leader of the BC Green Party says Premier John Horgan's decision to call a snap election in the middle of a pandemic is politics at its worst. Sonia Furstenau says the Green Party has worked in good faith with NDP for three years an

Investigators are asking drivers with any dash cam footage in the area of a fatal shooting in Richmond to contact them immediately. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says a 44 year old man died and another was injured in the shooting at the Manzo restaurant on Friday night. IHIT says both victims are well known to police and the shooting is believed to be targeted. But they say there's no evidence to suggest it's connected to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict or any of the other recent acts of violence.

BC's Information and Privacy Commissioner, Michael McEvoy, will investigate a complaint by a coalition of First Nations about how the Health Ministry releases details about COVID-19. The Heiltsuk Tribal Council, Tsilhqot'in National Government and Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council say a lack of timely, specific information about confirmed cases makes it difficult to keep the virus out of their communities, or track cases when they emerge. McEvoy says he agreed to take on the complaint after he reviewed correspondence between the First Nations and the ministry and determined an informal solution w

John Horgan met with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin today, and later announced a provincial election. Election will be held on Oct. 24th. Horgan called an 11 a.m. news conference following the meeting with the lieutenant-governor. Horgan says, "British Columbians deserve a say in our economic recovery and will decide the future of our province.'' B.C. had a fixed election date set for October 2021, but Horgan had earlier said he was considering his political options. The NDP formed a minority government in B.C. three years ago after signing a deal with the Green party. But in recent weeks, Horgan has s

The B.C. government says it will launch three cannabis programs over the next two years to help small and Indigenous growers compete with larger rivals.A farm-gate program would allow growers to sell their products at stores located at their production sites. Another program would allow small cannabis producers, licensed by Health Canada, to deliver cannabis directly to authorized retailers. The government did not say how it will define small producers, but says nurseries will be included in the policy. Both programs are expected to launch in 2022, a year after the province hopes to start an i

Another MLA has added her name to the list of B.C. cabinet ministers who say they won't seek re-election.Transportation Minister Claire Trevena says in a news release that after serving as the North Island's representative for 15 years, the time has come for a new challenge.Trevena joins ministers Judy Darcy, Michelle Mungall, Shane Simpson, Scott Fraser and Doug Donaldson in recently revealing plans to step away from provincial politics.Finance Minister Carole James announced in March she won't seek re-election for health reasons.