Organizers have cancelled the 2020 Surrey Vaisakhi Parade, one of Metro Vancouver’s largest annual gatherings, citing COVID-19 health risks and advice from provincial officials. The event, hosted by Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar, had been scheduled for April 25 and typically draws more than 500,000 people, making it the largest Vaisakhi parade outside India. Parade organizers said the decision followed consultations with Fraser Health and the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, adding that “public safety remains the highest priority.” The cancellation will have ripple effects across Surrey, wher

An RCMP officer in British Columbia has been charged with 11 counts related to alleged indecent acts. A statement from the Richmond detachment says the incidents allegedly occurred near a school in Vancouver. Supt. Will Ng, the detachment commander for the Richmond RCMP, says senior Mounties were alerted early last year that an off-duty officer was the subject of an investigation by Vancouver police. Ng says the RCMP also launched an internal code of conduct investigation. The BC Prosecution Service has approved charges against Andrew Seangio, including 10 counts of indecent act and one count

British Columbia now has 46 cases of COVID-19, including its first one on Vancouver Island. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says seven of the newly diagnosed people include two workers at a long term care home where four other employees have been infected. The North Vancouver facility is also where a man in his 80s died earlier this week. Henry says three of the new cases are linked to Egypt and include a visitor in his 70s whose relatives in the Fraser Valley are now also in isolation. She says the province will put more focus on enhancing prevention of the novel coronavirus at lo

RCMP from five northwestern BC detachments had to work together to catch a suspect wanted for a series of thefts that began Monday in Smithers and ended more than six hours, and several crashes later in Burns Lake. Corporal Madonna Saunderson says it started with the theft of a white Ford F150 pickup truck in Terrace but police weren't alerted until the alleged suspect left that vehicle in Smithers and made off in a black truck before abandoning it in favour of another Ford pickup, this one possibly stowed with firearms and other weapons. Over the next several hours, one stolen trucks was cra

The women's world curling championship in Prince George will go ahead as planned starting Saturday despite the ongoing global spread of the new coronavirus. Provincial Health Officer Doctor Bonnie Henry says the province and the Northern Health authority have been working with the event's organizers to limit the risk of transmission. Teams from countries grappling with outbreaks of COVID-19, including Japan, South Korea, China and Italy, will participate in the annual tournament at the 6,000-seat C-N Centre. Health Minister Adrian Dix says fans should stay home if they're feeling sick, adding

Surrey’s proposed municipal police force would employ 1,150 staff, including 805 officers, at a cost of $192.5 million in 2021 — about $18.9 million more than the RCMP, according to a transition report chaired by former attorney general Wally Oppal. The report also outlines a $45.2 million one-time setup cost, while noting a 16% increase in front-line patrol officers. Mayor Doug McCallum says the plan will give Surrey more local control, but critics such as Coun. Brenda Locke warn it will place a heavy burden on taxpayers. Residents remain divided. Some, like Kamaljit Dhillon, fear higher

Seven additional people in British Columbia have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 39. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says two of the new cases are health care workers at the same long term care facility where a small outbreak has already been identified. A total of eight cases are now linked to the Lynn Valley Care Centre, including two family members or close contacts of a health-care worker. Henry says the initial health-care worker who tested positive at the seniors facility has been admitted to hospital for monitoring, adding that no additional re

Surrey RCMP is teaming up with the Bolo Program, a social media site that posts rewards and spreads information about wanted criminals, in hopes of tracking a man wanted for an alleged kidnapping in Surrey last year. A 50 thousand dollar reward has now been offered for information that could lead to the arrest of Meaz Nour-Eldin, who Surrey RCMP say is also wanted on warrants in BC, Alberta and Ontario for drug trafficking, human trafficking and sexual assault. In announcing the collaboration with the Bolo Program, Mounties say the attempted kidnapping occurred July 4, 2019 and the alleged vi

The Transportation Safety Board says seven rail cars that derailed in northern British Columbia last Thursday were filled with liquefied petroleum gas. Board spokesman Alexandre Fournier says in an email that seven of the 28 derailed cars were filled with the gas, which is classed by the federal government as a flammable and dangerous commodity. Canadian National Railway could not immediately be reached for comment, but last week the company said there was no danger to the public as a result of the derailment. The local school district says Giscome Elementary was evacuated after the derailmen