British Columbia is looking to temporarily relocate over 1,000 people from tent encampments in Vancouver and Victoria to hotel and community centre accommodations to protect them from the ongoing pandemic. Shane Simpson, Social Development and Poverty Reduction Minister, says 686 hotel and community centre accommodations in Vancouver and 324 hotel spaces in Victoria have been secured by the province. Simpson says people will have their own living space and access to services, such as meals, laundry, washroom facilities, health-care services, addictions treatment and harm reduction, storage for

Thirty-five workers at the United Poultry plant in Vancouver have now tested positive for COVID-19. That's up from 29 and in addition to two cases at a sister plant in Coquitlam. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that 10 cases of the virus in B.C. have been connected to the Kearl Lake project near Fort McMurray, Alta. Seventy-eight inmates and staff have also tested positive at the Mission Institution in the Fraser Valley. The province is reporting four more deaths, for a total of 98 deaths, and 29 new cases. The province has a

The BC legislature will be lit in red tonight to honour the 22 victims who died in a killing rampage in Nova Scotia last weekend. A virtual vigil for the victims will be livestreamed on Facebook this evening since large gatherings are banned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BC government says it stands in mourning with all Nova Scotians. Premier John Horgan says in a tweet that he is also wearing red today to show he is standing with the families in mourning.

A flood warning has been issued for a river near Prince George, B.C., after it rose nearly 35 centimetres in a day. The B.C. River Forecast Centre, which assesses water supply, flood risk and predicts flows in provincial waterways, upgraded the warning for the Chilako River early Friday. It says the river and its tributaries southwest of Prince George are expected to continue to rise, possibly into the weekend. The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George issued evacuation orders late Thursday for 40 properties on part of Upper Mud River Road near the Chilako River, 30 kilometres southwest of

A White Rock man says he found out he'd cleaned up in a Lotto 649 draw while checking his numbers in the washroom. Tibor Tusnady says he Googled the numbers for the April 15th draw and then checked again and again after seeing he'd won the 16 million dollar jackpot. He says didn't know how to tell his wife so he took the night to sleep on it and told her the next day after lunch. Tusnady says the family plans to travel once the COVID-19 pandemic is resolved, and he'll let his wife choose the first destination.

The BC government says it will start accepting applications next month for a new emergency benefit for workers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. It says the one thousand dollar benefit is to help those whose ability to work has been affected by the pandemic. It says those who are eligible for the federal government's emergency response benefits are also eligible to apply for the BC program starting May 1st. Payments are expected to be processed within days of applications being filed.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is reporting a COVID-19 outbreak at a second poultry processing plant in the province. Henry says two cases have been confirmed at the Superior Poultry plant in Coquitlam. She says it's a sister plant to the United Poultry facility in east Vancouver that was closed earlier this week after an outbreak where 29 people have tested positive for the virus. Henry is reporting 29 new cases of the virus and four new deaths raising the total to 1,824 with 94 deaths.

Police say they are investigating the discovery of a dead infant in a portable public toilet in Vancouver. A statement from the police department says the remains were found Wednesday on the city's Downtown Eastside. Const. Tania Visintin says officers were called to the area at around 6 p.m. She says it was obvious to responding officers that the baby was deceased. Visintin says there's concern for the physical and mental well-being of the mother and police are searching for her. She says the discovery was a ``extremely tragic.''

An evacuation alert has been issued for people who live in a small village in central British Columbia as flood water levels rise.Wendy Coomber, communications director for the Cache Creek Emergency Operation Centre, says about 400 people in 160 residences along the Bonaparte River have been told they may have to leave on short notice.She says people in at least 10 properties were evacuated Wednesday, including two motels and one campground.Coomber says there are other properties along the river that are not yet included in the alert but that could change depending on water levels.Cache Creek