British Columbia's health minister and provincial health officer say officials are closely monitoring an international outbreak of respiratory illness linked to a novel coronavirus after a case was confirmed across the border in Washington state Tuesday. Minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement there have been no cases of illness caused by the coronavirus in Canada and the risk to British Columbians is considered low. However, they say health-care workers have been asked to be vigilant and take a travel history for anyone reporting respiratory symptoms following an out

The R-C-M-P says the driver of a pickup truck was killed after hitting two transport trucks in separate collisions a kilometre apart east of Revelstoke. Police say the westbound pickup hit one tractor trailer last night on the TransCanada highway and was then involved in a head-on collision with another a short distance away. The pickup driver from Alberta was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver of the second transport was taken to hospital with serious neck and back injuries. The Mounties say alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.

RCMP say a 13-year-old boy has been arrested for an alleged assault in Port Coquitlam, B.C., and they are asking the public to avoid making ``snap judgments'' about the case based on what's being said on social media. The teen was arrested after police say they received a call on Jan. 10 about an alleged assault on the grounds of Citadel Middle School. The RCMP say their initial investigation determined there was a ``verbal confrontation'' between four male and one female youths, which ``escalated when the girl used a low level of physical force.'' The Mounties say at that time, a 13-year-old

There will soon be a bit more breathing room for train passengers on the Canada Line between Richmond and Vancouver. TransLink announced that four new trains will be put into service today, increasing customer capacity by 15 per cent during the peak hours. It says the new trains will provide more space, frequency and comfort for the service that was popular when it opened a decade ago and has growing in ridership by 25 per cent since then. The addition is the first of 12 new trains being rolled out as part of the Mayors' 10-year transit expansion plan in Metro Vancouver.

British Columbia's anti-gang squad says it has seized about 50 kilograms of illicit drugs after a vehicle fled when police officers tried to stop it in Surrey on Jan. 8. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says when the vehicle was stopped, police seized 38 kilograms of suspected heroin and 10 kilos of imitation prescription painkiller. Police say both drugs are believed to contain the powerful opioid fentanyl. The arrest prompted six additional search warrants in the Lower Mainland, which police say resulted in the discovery of about $20,000 in cash and three firearms. The driver an

A new affordable rental housing project for seniors and families on Southwest Marine Drive is part of the 3,500 new homes underway or completed in Vancouver, thanks to partnerships between the Province, the City of Vancouver and community partners. “People in Vancouver deserve safe, secure and affordable housing, but the last provincial government chose to ignore the housing crisis,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We’re making different choices and investing in the housing people need. Working with our community partners and the City of Vancouver, we

The lawyer representing Huawei (WAH'-way) executive Meng Wanzhou says fraud allegations against his client are ``fiction.'' Richard Peck says the case against Meng is really about the United States attempting to enforce sanctions against Iran. Peck made the comments on the first day of a hearing in Vancouver designed to test the concept of ``double criminality'' -- to determine if the charges facing Meng are actually a crime in Canada and should lead to her extradition to the United States. Peck told the judge the case would not exist -- except for U-S sanction laws -- and since Canada doe

Five people in their 20s are safe after spending a frigid night stranded on Eagle Mountain in Coquitlam. Search and rescue crews say the hikers were on the mountain for over 20 hours before they were found early yesterday. Al Hurley of Coquitlam Search and Rescue says the group was unprepared and only wearing thin clothing for the hike. He says the walk down the mountain was difficult in icy, steep conditions, but fortunately no one was harmed.

All eyes will be on BC Supreme Court today as an extradition hearing for arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou begins.The United States is seeking Meng's extradition on fraud charges linked to the alleged violation of sanctions against Iran. The hearing in Vancouver will consider the legal test of double criminality, meaning that if the allegations are also a crime in Canada then she should be extradited to the US. Meng denies the allegations and her arrest has soured relations between Canada and China.