British Columbia's premier says calls for defunding police are a simplistic approach to a complex problem. John Horgan says police are increasingly burdened with a range of challenges in areas including homelessness, mental health and addiction which need more funding. He says it's inappropriate to expect law enforcement to take on those issues as they deal with public safety concerns. Horgan says he envisions expanding the capacity for communities to ensure they're not asking police for more than they're capable of delivering. He says defunding issues arising from George Floyd's police-involv

British Columbia is marking the sixth day in a row with no additional deaths due to COVID-19. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the death toll is still 167 and there have been no new community or health-care outbreaks identified since Wednesday. She says 14 more people have tested positive for the disease, bringing the total to 2,694. There are 183 active cases, including 13 people in hospital with five in intensive care. Henry says 2,344 people have recovered so far. Health Minister Adrian Dix says the situation in B.C. is not necessarily typical, since cases of COVID-19 a

British Columbia has recorded the highest number of illicit drug overdose deaths in a single month. The coroner's service says 170 people died in May, as concentrations of the deadly opioid fentanyl have increased. It says the number of deaths last month were 93 per cent higher than a year earlier. Nearly 45-hundred people have fatally overdosed on fentanyl in B.C. since 2016, when the province declared a public heath emergency.

Vancouver's mayor wants the B.C. government to conduct a review of policing across the province.Kennedy Stewart says city council can do little to change policing in Vancouver and the provincial government could override any potential decision.The comments come after the Vancouver Police Board asked council to rescind a one per cent budget cut last week.The board says George Floyd's death in Minneapolis has led to large scale protests that will affect the police department's budget.The mayor's announcement comes after the organizers of the Vancouver Pride Parade said all police and corrections

The B.C. Supreme Court has granted an injunction against a tent city set up at a park on property owned by the port authority in Vancouver. The encampment was established in CRAB Park mid-May in a parking lot owned by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority after a tent city at nearby Oppenheimer Park was shut down. Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ruled on Wednesday that campers have three days to pack up their belongings and leave the property, but he did not include an enforcement order. Hinkson says allowing campers to stay on the port's land would lead to the same health and safety conce

British Columbia's premier says the province and its top doctor have approved a proposal for the NHL to make Vancouver a possible playoff hub city in Western Canada during the pandemic. John Horgan says he has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to advance the initiative put together by all three sides based on a modification of quarantine measures that would allow a team to remain together as a family or bubble. Horgan says a team would stay in a hotel and travel together to Rogers Arena for games using private transportation, be responsible for any COVID-19 testing and agree to not i

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia: "Today, we are announcing 12 new cases who have tested positive for COVID-19, for a total of 2,680 cases in British Columbia. "There are 185 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,328 people who tested positive have recovered. "Of the total COVID-19 cases, 12 individuals are hospitalized, four of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self

A pedestrian in Surrey is recovering in hospital after being knocked down by a car that veered onto the sidewalk following a crash. RCMP say the unnamed woman suffered serious injuries when the two cars collided just after 6 last night in northeast Surrey, and one of the vehicles ricocheted into her. Neither driver was badly hurt and both remained at the scene to speak with police. The intersection was closed for several hours and police say a cause of the crash is still under investigation.

In line with B.C.'s Restart Plan, ICBC is now moving forward with a phased approach to offering in-person driver licensing services. Commercial road tests (Class 1 - 4) can resume next week, and will be by appointment only.Starting June 11, customers wishing to obtain a commercial licence can call 1-800-950-1498 to book an appointment. We ask customers for their patience as we anticipate high call volumes. Priority appointments will initially be provided to customers who had their commercial road test appointments cancelled between March 17th and March 30th.The plan for resuming road tests is