To ensure schools are ready to welcome students into classrooms for the week of Sept. 8-11, 2020, there will be a gradual restart to allow extra time to orient students and staff on the new health and safety measures in place."Schools are going to look different in September," said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. "Staff, students and parents need time to get familiar with all the new health and safety procedures that are designed to keep them safe and confident in their school settings." Starting Sept. 8, all staff will meet with their school's joint health and safety committee to receive

The British Columbia Coroners Service says two people have died after a Canadian fishing boat sank in waters west of Vancouver Island.The United States Coast Guard says it received a distress call early Tuesday advising the Arctic Fox II was in trouble more than 100 kilometres off the northwestern tip of Washington State.The 20-metre boat was gone by the time a helicopter reached the scene, but the coast guard says a single crew member was rescued from a lifeboat. The bodies of the other two crew members, who were both Canadian, have been recovered and the coroners s

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 announcing 46 new cases, for a total of 4,111 cases in British Columbia. "There are 472 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,444 people who tested positive have recovered. "Currently, eight people are hospitalized with COVID-19, five of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. "There have been no new COVID

The financially struggling BC Ferries will be eligible to receive funding through the joint federal and provincial Safe Restart Agreement.Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the ferry service will be eligible for some of the $540-million financial package meant to spur recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.Wilkinson says the B.C. government will have to match the funds and it will determine how much BC Ferries and other transit providers will receive. Provincial Transportation Minister Claire Trevena says the province is working closely with BC Ferries, BC Transit and TransLink to under

The health authority in Vancouver is warning those who shopped at the Foot Locker on Robson Street to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19. Vancouver Coastal Health says the potential exposure dates were Aug. 4 and Aug. 5 during operating hours. It says the possible exposures are believed to be low risk, but it asks those who may have visited the store during that time to monitor for symptoms and get tested if they are feeling ill. Advisories have also been issued for passengers on several planes arriving or leaving Vancouver after positive COVID-19 tests related to those flights. Affected flight

Squamish RCMP say a man has died after slipping off an inflatable at a lake in Murrin Provincial Park. Mounties say they were called early yesterday evening about a swimmer missing on Browning Lake. When they arrived they say they were told the man, in his 20s, had slipped off the inflatable and couldn't be found. He was located a short time later, pulled from the water and rushed to hospital but police say he didn't survive.

Vancouver police are seeking witnesses to an assault last week on the city's Downtown Eastside, saying the details could be critical to what is now a homicide investigation. A statement from police says 64-year-old Jeff Strom was assaulted and seriously injured last Thursday and died two days later in hospital. The death is Vancouver's tenth homicide of the year.An arrest was made following the assault and charges against the man in custody have been upgraded to manslaughter.Sgt. Aaron Roed says investigators believe there may be more witnesses who haven't spoken with detectives and their inf

British Columbia's provincial health officer says the public needs to do a better job at lowering the number of COVID-19 cases and encouraged younger residents to avoid large social gatherings. Dr. Bonnie Henry says a pandemic is a good excuse to skip a party. Dr. Henry says gatherings of young people, even if it is less than the 50 person limit, are a concern for health officials. She says when alcohol is involved, people often don't take the precautions they normally would. B.C. reported 131 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, bringing the provincial total to 4,065. There have been no new d

A man has been charged with manslaughter just over two months after a woman died in Surrey. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 47 year old man was arrested Friday and court documents show he is expected to return to court in early September. A statement from the homicide team says he was questioned because he was with 40 year old Karlee Dixon when she was found unconscious in a Surrey home on June 2nd. She died later in hospital and the homicide team says it worked with RCMP to gather evidence and submit a charge recommendation to Crown.