British Columbia didn't report any new deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, but there have been 11 additional cases of the virus. A total of 2,542 people in B.C. have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and 2,122 have recovered. There have been 161 deaths. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry urged people to continue their approaches to protecting themselves from COVID-19 as B.C. enters the second week of its economic restart plan and more activities resume. Many B.C. businesses, including restaurants, hair salons and dentists' offices, started reopening last week. Henry says B.C. may see an incre

Vancouver police have made an arrest in what they say was a random, unprovoked incident in Chinatown on the weekend. Police say two Asian women were sitting inside a parked vehicle on Saturday when a man yelled obscenities at them and then smashed a window of the vehicle with a chisel. Sergeant Aaron Roed says the incident was particularly concerning considering the rash of anti-Asian crime and incidents seen in Vancouver recently. A suspect was arrested but released on an undertaking to appear which requires him to report to court on a future date.

The British Columbia government has announced a three-year, $10 million grant program to provide swift access to compassionate and comprehensive care for survivors of sexual assault. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenging times and gender-based violence, including sexual assault, is known to increase during periods of crisis. He says the grant program will provide funds to front-line organizations across the province, including those working in Indigenous communities. Ending Violence Association of B.C. will administer the program to help orga

Two people have been taken to hospital with serious injuries following a stabbing on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Constable Tania Visintin says officers were called at around 6 am to a report of a multiple stabbing. She says the two victims are expected to survive. No arrests have been made but investigators say there is no threat to the public. They say the stabbings appear to be isolated. Hastings Street just east of Main Street remains closed. Visintin says police will update the traffic situation via social media as conditions change.

Premier John Horgan is welcoming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to work with the provinces to give workers 10 days of paid sick leave. Horgan has called for a paid sick leave program to prevent people from feeling financial pressure to work while ill during the COVID-19 pandemic. He says the virus affects every part of the country so he's glad to see the federal government has committed to working with the provinces to provide a national response. Sick leave pay was a key demand of the federal NDP to gain their support for a motion to limit sittings and votes in the House of Commons

BC has had 12 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in the last two days, for a total of two thousand five hundred and 30 cases. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says four more people have died for a death toll of one hundred and 61. The latest community outbreak involves five workers at Nature's Touch, a frozen fruit processing plant in Abbotsford. Henry says there have been no cases of workers passing on COVID-19 through packaging and the food supply is safe.

Vancouver looks at slow streets to create space for pedestrians amid pandemic Vancouver is considering plans to repurpose 50 kilometres of roadway in an effort to create more space for restaurant patios, lines outside of businesses, walking and cycling. The city says the so-called ``slow streets'' will have signs and barriers telling people to drive slowly and use the streets for local access only. It says the plans include expediting the permitting process for outdoor patios to give room to serve people as they maintain physical distancing requirements. A news release from the city says 12 k

Anti-Asian racism has spiked since COVID-19 forced B.C. into a state of emergency in March and Vancouver police say that has driven an increase in overall hate crimes. Howard Chow, the department's deputy chief constable for operations, says investigators have opened 29 files involving anti-Asian racism since March, compared with four over the same time period last year. Chow says there have been 77 hate-associated police files in 2020 and another 10 active files from April and May that could later be classified as hate crimes. Deputy Chief Const. Laurence Rankin says the alleged offences ran

A survey of British Columbia businesses finds barely one quarter believe they can open and operate profitably as the province gradually eases COVID-19 restrictions. More than 1,300 member businesses of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, the BC Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of British Columbia were asked about the second phase of B.C.'s restart plan. A statement from the board of trade says 26 per cent expect to open and operate at a profit while 75 per cent worry about attracting customers. Other concerns include a lack of cash to meet expenses or new safety standards and th