British Columbia's top doctor says she's pleased a travel ban between Canada and the United States has been extended but anyone seeing American licence plates north of the crossing should not be quick to judge. Dr. Bonnie Henry says some Canadians living in the US may be returning to care for family members and given the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases south of the border it's not surprising they're in BC. The border closure has been extended by another 30 days for a fourth time, to Aug. 21, but Henry says considerations may need to be made for students who contribute to research programs at uni

Police say a 75 year old Coquitlam man has been charged following six allegations of historical sexual abuse involving three teenage boys and one young man. In a news release on Tuesday, the RCMP say their investigation began last December and resulted in Raymond Howard Gaglardi being charged with four counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation. The alleged offences took place between 1993 and 2007 at the accused's home, where police say therapy sessions were offered to young people who were met primarily through their parents at church. Police say Gaglardi has been associ

BC Finance Minister Carole James is forecasting the province will run up a 12.5 billion dollar deficit this fiscal year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That's a sharp reversal from the balanced budget James predicted before COVID-19 hit. She says the province has lost more than 230,000 jobs and seen a staggering decline in economic growth since February. That includes a 15.9 per cent drop in retail sales due to lockdowns ordered in March to flatten the curve of the pandemic that are now being gradually lifted.

A 30 year old man has been identified as the victim of Vancouver's latest homicide. Police say the body of Amin Shahin Shakur was found after 11 last night as officers responded to a call behind several small shops in south Vancouver (at Main Street and 48th Avenue.) A statement from police says Shakur does not have an extensive police history and there is no risk to the public. It's Vancouver's eighth slaying this year, with four of the homicides occurring in July, including a stabbing on Canada Day and a double murder in east Vancouver, although arrests have been made in those cases.

Passengers on board an Air Canada flight from Kelowna to Vancouver last week are being warned they may have been exposed to COVID-19. The BC Centre for Disease Control is asking passengers on board flight AC 8421 on July 6th to self-isolate for 14 days from the date of travel. They are also being asked to self-monitor for symptoms of the coronavirus. The flight is the latest on a listed posted on the Centre's website of those beginning or ending in BC where it has learned there was a case of COVID-19 on board.

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 providing case updates for three 24-hour reporting periods. In the first reporting period from July 10 to July 11, we had 21 new cases. From July 11 to July 12, we had 20 new cases and in the last 24 hours, we have had a further 21 new cases."This represents 62 new cases since we reported on Friday, for a total of 3,115 cases in British Columbia."There are 208 active cases of CO

British Columbia's health minister says several COVID-19 exposures linked to the city of Kelowna are believed to stem from private parties held by people in their 20s and 30s. Adrian Dix says that the cases involved people from three different regions of BC and serve as a reminder of the risks posed by private gatherings. Interior Health says eight positive tests for the virus are linked to visits to downtown Kelowna and the city's waterfront between June 25th and July 9th. An advisory warns of possible exposures at a resort, bed and breakfast, restaurant and spin studio. The cases follow the

A 24 year old Langley man is in custody, charged with three counts of second-degree murder related to the slayings of his mother, younger sister and his mother's common-law partner. Kia Ebrahimian was charged Friday, almost a month after fire tore through the Langley home were he and the three victims lived. Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Sergeant Frank Jang says Ebrahimian was not injured in the fire but his 50 year old mother and 23 year old sister were found dead in the home, while the body of his mother's 46 year old partner was found in the backyard. Jang isn't saying how the vic

Surrey RCMP are investigating a robbery and sexual assault near the King George SkyTrain station on Friday night. Police say a woman was walking under the Expo line near the Fraser Highway at around 10:45 p.m. when a man approached her with a weapon. The woman was allegedly robbed, pulled into nearby bushes and sexually assaulted. The suspect is described as white, 30 to 40 years old, about five-foot-10, and wearing a red and blue bandana on his face and all black clothing.