The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has turned British Columbia's budget forecast from black to red. The government's final budget numbers show a deficit of $321 million from a projected surplus of $274 million for the 2019-20 budget.Finance Minister Carole James says that while the first three quarters of the fiscal year saw steady economic growth, the province's financial picture dimmed because of the pandemic.She says declines in tax revenues, losses at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, and early measures to tackle the pandemic plunged the fiscal year into deficit.In a fiscal u

The Vancouver Aquarium is shutting down again because of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the elimination of 209 staff. The aquarium stays in a statement it is putting its programming on pause while it attempts to recovery from the financial devastation of COVID-19. Ocean Wise says it will close Sept. 7 and all animals on site will continue to receive care from 75 specialized staff.The Vancouver Aquarium reopened in June following a three-month closure at the start of the pandemic. Ocean Wise, the non-profit that runs the aquarium, says in a statement it will focus on transforming to a new model

Saturday night at 9:55 pm, Abbotsford Police patrol officers were called to the 33800 block of Mayfair Ave for a report of a shots fired. Upon arrival, officers spoke to the 22-year-old victim, who advised that he and his girlfriend were in their vehicle in the driveway, when the occupants of a dark pick-up fired a gun towards him, hitting their vehicle in the driveway and the residence. The occupants of the suspect vehicle fled the area. Fortunately, no one was injured. Investigators are in the preliminary stages of this investigation, while the motive is not known at this time, police do not

BC is reporting 124 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 204. In a joint news release, Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry say there are 974 active cases of the illness in the province. They say 2,796 people are being actively monitored by public health workers as a result of exposure to known cases. 23 people are hospitalized with the illness, including seven who are in intensive care, while 4,310 people who tested positive have recovered.

ICBC says it is adding more road test appointments over the coming weeks as new examiners start work and more test sites open. The insurance agency says those who have booked road tests should visit its online booking site to see if they can get an earlier appointment. ICBC says it has added a total of two thousand road test appointments for testing dates starting September 9th. Over the coming weeks, an additional six thousand new appointment slots will be added, with most of them available at testing locations in the Lower Mainland.

The Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP say they have made a significant suspected drug seizure and arrest at the Pacific Highway border crossing in BC. The Mounties say border officers sent a commercial driver for further inspection on August 12th when X-ray imaging of the tractor and trailer revealed anomalies. Police say a further examination found seven boxes of suspected dried opium poppy plants including the pods that weighed 29 kilograms. Officers arrested the driver, who was released pending the ongoing investigation.

British Columbia reported one new community outbreak of COVID-19 today at a construction site for a water treatment facility in the Interior Health region. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there are seven cases in the outbreak, and that six of the workers live in Alberta. Health officials also released a map showing the spread of the illness in the province, with most of the infections in the Lower Mainland. The province reported 68 additional cases of COVID-19 and one death, bringing the total number of fatalities to 204. B.C. now has 5,372 confirmed cases while 4,253 people h

A boat launch and the surrounding area in Kamloops is closed as police investigate the discovery of a plastic bag containing explosives. R-C-M-P say they got a call from a local angler who found the bag near the Lafarge Bridge yesterday evening.They say he put the bag back into the water just off the boat launch at the north end of the bridge. The R-C-M-P explosives disposal unit and dive team will be there today in hopes of finding and safely disposing of the bag.

BC is reporting 62 cases of COVID-19 today and no new deaths. In a joint news release, Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry say the number of active cases has ticked down slightly from 925 to 896. The number of people who are under active monitoring by public health workers as a result of exposure to known cases has increased by 55 to 2,730. Vancouver Coastal Health has also warned of a possible public exposure to the virus at the Banter Room bar and restaurant between August 20th and 22nd.