Residents of about 80 homes in Penticton, B.C., were allowed to return to their properties just hours after being forced out by an aggressive grass fire. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen says an order to evacuate a section of Penticton's West Bench region was lifted early Thursday afternoon. First responders began ordering people to leave the area at about 9 a.m. as the fire flared, briefly closing Highway 97, but limited traffic was moving again around noon. All affected residents have been allowed to return but only pedestrian access was available to 17 properties until fire ho

Vancouver Coastal Health is warning the public about a possible exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 at Lions Bay Beach Park. The health authority says the possible exposure occurred on July 26, 27, 29, 30 and 31.A statement from Vancouver Coastal Health says the exposure is believed to be low risk, but anyone who was at the park on those days needs to self-monitor for symptoms.Fraser Health is also warning of a public exposure at the Hookah Lounge on King George Boulevard.It says in a statement that the potential exposure was over two early mornings, between midnight and 5 a.m

Premier John Horgan says B.C.'s plan to fully re-open primary and secondary schools in September will be an ``unprecedented challenge.'' But he says medical experts, who have provided dependable advice throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, believe the plan is workable. Speaking while announcing a new regional cancer centre in Surrey, Horgan says his government would not put children at risk if ``the danger was overwhelming.'' The BC Teachers' Association says in a statement that full re-opening of schools next month ``needs a lot more work'' to keep children and teachers safe.

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 47 new cases, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 3,834 cases in British Columbia. "There are 351 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,288 people who tested positive have recovered. "Currently, nine individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, six of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolatio

The British Columbia government is offering rebates of up to $50,000 to businesses, regional governments and non-profit groups buying electric passenger vehicles. Energy Minister Bruce Ralston and Environment Minister George Heyman announced Wednesday the money would come from $2 million in additional funding to the CleanBC program. The rebates range from $1,700 to $50,000, covering everything from electric motorcycles to cube trucks and shuttle buses.Heyman says it's the kind of innovation that creates jobs and makes every B.C. resident proud of what's being done to diversify the economy and

A motorboat driver has been charged with operating a vessel without due care after a crash with an Indigenous racing canoe on Cultus Lake in B.C.'s Fraser Valley. RCMP in Chilliwack says they were called after the collision last Wednesday and found the lone occupant of the canoe on shore, but the boat and its driver gone. The person who had been in the canoe was treated in hospital for injuries and released. Police say their investigation later led them to the alleged operator of the motorboat. A 67 year old Langley man has now been charged under the Canada Shipping Act. RCMP Cpl. Mike Rail s

Metro Vancouver's latest homeless count shows more seniors without a place to live, while the number of young people without a home is shrinking. The count took place in March and shows three thousand 634 people were homeless, about the same number as 2017. However, the figures show that those aged 55 and over now account for 25 per cent of the homeless, up two per cent from 2017, while the number of those under 25 on the street has been cut in half _ from 16 to eight per cent. The communities with the highest number of homeless are Vancouver, Surrey and Langley.

A worker has been killed at a gold mine in northwestern BC. Vancouver-based Pretium Resources says the unnamed man was doing maintenance work Friday at the surface of the mine northwest of Stewart when he was severely injured. The company says he was treated immediately by medics at the mine and then transported to hospital in Terrace, where he died Sunday. Pretium says it is co-operating with an outside investigation and will conduct its own probe, but its first concern is to support the victim's family and friends, and other workers at the mine.

Buyers purchased 3,128 homes in the Greater Vancouver area last month, up both from June and from July 2019.The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said on Wednesday that sales in July were up 22.3 per cent from this time last year, and up 28 per cent from June, as the economy has largely recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown. Home prices also rose in Vancouver, hitting a benchmark of $1,031,400, 4.5 per cent higher on a year-over-year basis.While more homes hit the market in July compared to June, the total number of homes listed for sale, 12,083, is down compared to last July