The province reported 217 new COVID-19 cases today for a total of 13,588, but no new deaths. With Halloween around the corner, officials in the Fraser Health region are urging people not to hold private parties this weekend to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Doctor Elizabeth Brodkin, chief medical health officer for the region, says it's fine to take children trick-or-treating in a safe way but people shouldn't be gathering in homes. Fraser Health has reported 7,674 cases since the start of the pandemic with most of the infections in people aged 20 to 29.

Roughly 80 million dollars will be spread among three BC cities as the federal government unveils its one-billion dollar Rapid Housing Initiative. The program was announced this morning and includes 500 million dollars shared among 15 Canadian cities to help buy properties to build or renovate for low-income housing. Vancouver receives 51.5 million, Surrey is in line for 16 million dollars and Victoria gets 13 million, while Canada's largest city, Toronto, receives 203 million. Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart welcomes his city's share of the cash, saying it shows the federal government suppor

RCMP say an extensive search continues today for a father and son reported missing after going mushroom picking last Thursday. Mounties in Pemberton say the local tribal police service called early Friday to request help searching for the pair identified by the Lil'wat Nation as 48 year old Peter Oleski and his 21year old son River Leo. Police say 55 people from at least nine search and rescue teams around BC have joined the efforts, along with dogs and helicopters. They're asking anyone on the mountain ridges northeast of Pemberton, in the area of the McKenzie forest service road and Upper M

A three-storey apartment building near the shores of Skaha Lake on Penticton's southeast side has been heavily damaged in an early morning fire. Social media posts from the Penticton fire department show flames engulfing most of the top floor of the 30 unit complex. The blaze was so intense that firefighters are still waiting to conduct a sweep through the building to ensure everyone made it out safely. Crews from Summerland helped their Penticton counterparts control the fire while displaced residents have been taken to a city-run reception centre and will be housed temporarily in area hotel

A Vancouver Island man is facing charges after choosing a poor time and place to let his creative impulses flow. Nanaimo RCMP say an officer was called to a doughnut shop on Sunday when staff reported someone had just spray-painted the shop floor. The suspect was gone by the time police arrived, but as the officer was taking photos of the damaged floor, a bystander noticed someone was spray-painting the RCMP cruiser parked outside. Const. Gary O'Brien says the person was ``meticulously painting the windshield'' before delivering a final blast of paint to the side of the cruiser as the officer

Four men from the Surrey and Langley areas are facing charges in connection with a cannabis exportation investigation that saw five search warrants executed in the lower mainland last year. In June, 2018, Federal BC RCMP Major Projects investigators commenced Project EPROMINENT, assisted by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), RCMP Liaison Office in The Hague and the Belgian Federal Public Service Finance, Customs and Excise division, into the export of illicit cannabis from Canada to Europe. The investigation culminated in the execution of five search warrants on June 18, 2019 in Langley

Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry has announced a new limit on gatherings in private homes to immediate family members and no more than an additional safe six guests. Dr. Henry made the announcement as she reported 817 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday. This is the highest number recorded over a three-day period in B.C. She also reported three more deaths, all residents of long-term care facilities in Vancouver Coastal health. Dr. Henry says two schools have also closed due to COVID outbreaks, one in Fraser Health and one in Kelowna in a previously announced outbreak.

Premier-elect John Horgan says he'll be returning to work today with an aim to win the confidence of voters in rural areas after picking up mostly urban seats. Horgan says sectors like forestry are important in smaller communities and he intends to meet the needs of those dependent on that industry. The NDP's win of 53 seats means the party is no longer dependent on the Greens for support, but Horgan says he'll work across party lines for the benefit of all BC residents. The Liberals won 27 seats and the Greens three, while four ridings were too close to call. More than half a million mail-in

BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson has announced his resignation after the party's worst election loss in decades. Wilkinson says he'll step down as soon as a replacement is selected. He took no questions at a news conference today following the party's loss of about a dozen seats in Saturday's election. The former provincial cabinet minster took over as party leader in 2018 after Christy Clark stepped down when the Liberals lost power after the 2017 election.