It's been a year since the first case of COVID-19 showed up in BC and health officials are urging residents to keep their guard up against allowing the virus to spread. A joint statement from provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says there are infection hot spots in the province, including Fernie and Williams Lake. Fraser Health reports that nine inmates and two staff at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge have tested positive. BC recorded 485 new case yesterday and four more COVID-19 related deaths for a total of 1,172 fatalities. Ja

The search has been called off for a plane that went missing between Victoria and Port Angeles, Washington, on Tuesday. The United States Coast Guard says in a tweet that American and Canadian rescuers covered an area of more than 3,000 square kilometres without finding the lone pilot.The pilot who issued a mayday call before losing contact. Crews worked through the night Tuesday and used all the daylight hours yesterday to cover a massive search area in the Juan de Fuca Strait. A Canadian Coast Guard vessel and a search plane from Comox, BC, assisted in the American-led efforts to find the s

Premier John Horgan says most people in British Columbia are doing their best to follow public health guidelines during COVID-19 pandemic, but some are acting badly. The premier called a B.C. couple "un-Canadian" for travelling to Yukon where they're alleged to have jumped the queue to get an early COVID-19 vaccine shot. Horgan says it's disconcerting that some people are holding large gatherings in Vancouver penthouses and others are looking for parties in Whistler despite health restrictions. But he says while a few people are looking for loopholes, most are sticking to the rules and contrib

BC is reporting 485 new cases of COVID-19 and four more deaths. That brings the death toll in the province to 1,172 and total cases to 65,719. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says BC's first case of COVID-19 was confirmed one year ago, and that year has shown one case can turn into thousands. She says it has also shown that following public health restrictions can keep people safe and push the curve of the outbreak back down again. To date, 124,365 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 4,160 of which are second doses. There is one new health-care facility outbre

Vancouver police say an officer broke his leg in a confrontation after a man refused to wear a mask inside a courthouse.Const. Tania Visintin says the officer was injured when the man fell on him while being taken into custody.She says two officers were at the court on Tuesday and intervened when the man allegedly refused a sheriff's order to put on a mask, and then refused to leave the building.A statement from police says the man was allegedly argumentative, kicked one of the officers and then tried to reach for his firearm, leading to the scuffle.Police say the officer could be off work for

The RCMP say a stunt that involved an airborne car in Prince George, B.C., put lives at risk. A Facebook video received more than 125,000 views before it was removed from the platform on Monday, two days after the jump was done. Pictures show an unfenced shopping centre parking lot that ends at a steep hill leading down to a secondary school playing field, several metres below the lot. A small car can be seen speeding through the parking lot and off the edge, then going airborne and landing on the snow-covered lower section of the hill before running across the playing field. No one was hurt b

British Columbia's Health Ministry says there will be measures in place to make sure people don't jump the queue for the COVID-19 vaccine when it begins immunizing the general public. The Ministry says in a statement that part of the process for Phase 3 and 4 of the plan will require evidence of age and residence in BC. It says no one in the general public will be able to pre-register for an appointment until their age category is eligible. Rod and Ekaterina Baker, a Vancouver couple, drew public condemnation after allegedly flying to a remote Yukon community to get a dose of the vaccine befo

Interior Health is reiterating warnings against social gatherings as a COVID-19 cluster grows in Williams Lake, BC. The health authority says in a statement that 46 cases have been linked to a community cluster first identified one week ago today. The cluster was first declared on Jan. 20. Since New Year's Day, a total of 314 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the region. Among these 150 cases are currently active. Interior Health says most of the transmission occurred at recent social events and gatherings. Interior Health on Twitter:Interior Health has identified an additional 46 c

A man has been charged in connection with the death of a woman in Vernon, BC.The death was reported almost three years ago. RCMP say in a news release that a woman named Heather Baker was brought to Vernon Jubilee Hospital. She was in an unresponsive state and died March 15th, 2018. They arrested 43 year old Shaun Wiebe and charged him with manslaughter and assault causing bodily harm. The Mounties say Crown prosecutors approved the charges following a comprehensive and exhaustive investigation.