British Columbia's minister responsible for multiculturalism says she can no longer remain silent about the rising number of hate crimes toward people of Asian heritage during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, Anne Kang says she is deeply saddened by the recent rise in physical and verbal attacks as well as an increase in vandalism. Kang says she is ``compelled as a government representative, immigrant and British Columbian to speak out against these vicious acts.'' The Vancouver Police Department has reported that the number of anti-Asian, hate-related crimes spiked in April, with 11 oc

British Columbia's workplace safety agency has released new guidelines as businesses across the province get set to reopen. WorkSafe BC's guidelines cover sectors ranging from restaurants to office space. It says specific guidelines for sports and recreation as well as child care will be released later. But before reopening, WorkSafe says businesses need to ensure they have a COVID-19 safety plan to protect workers and it must be displayed. The agency says it will continue developing industry-specific guidelines as more businesses across B.C. begin reopening over the coming months. Provincial

Parents in British Columbia will be given the choice of allowing their children to return to class on a part-time basis in June. The government says its goal is for the return of full-time classes in September, if it is safe. Under the part-time plan, the number of students allowed in schools will be reduced. For kindergarten to Grade 5, most students will go to school half time, such as alternating days, while grades 6 to 12 will go to school about one day a week. The province says there are already about 5,000 students in classrooms, including children of essential workers and those needing

A collision between a car and a motorcycle on the outskirts of Kamloops has left one person dead. RCMP say a woman on the motorcycle died at the scene yesterday afternoon when a vehicle with Alberta plates turned left in front of her, on a red light. The victim's name has not been released but investigators say she was a local resident in her 50s, while the woman driving the car is in her 70s and was not hurt. An investigation continues and Mounties are appealing for information, although they say the crash was caught on a nearby surveillance camera.

British Columbia's public health officer is suggesting walking, running or biking to work during the COVID-19 pandemic rather than getting on a packed train or bus. Dr. Bonnie Henry says public health officials are working on guidelines to protect people as well as transit workers. She says 15 people in B.C. have tested positive for the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours bringing the total to 2,392. B.C. also reported three more deaths, bringing the death toll to 135. The number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 is 1,885.

Vancouver's police department is protesting a one-per cent cut in his department's 314-million dollar budget, saying the cut will reduce the city's policing levels to those last seen in the 1990s. Council voted in-camera last night to impose the cut, despite a note from the chairman of the police board finance committee. In it, Barj Dhahan reminded councillors that demand for police services remains high during the COVID-19 pandemic. Council says it anticipates a revenue loss of 152-million dollars due to the new coronavirus, yet it's required by law to balance its books, and it wants all dep

The COVID-19 pandemic has sideswiped British Columbia's public vehicle insurer, but the attorney general says it's too soon to assess the potential damage. David Eby, who is also the minister responsible for the Insurance Corporation of B.C., said Thursday claim costs are down by about $160 million because there have been fewer accidents as drivers stay home. But he said plunging prices on global stock markets have hit the corporation's investment portfolio. Eby says the clear picture of the pandemic's impact on ICBC won't be truly known until the end of the current fiscal year in about 10 mo

British Columbia has announced details on how it plans to spend $120 million in federal funds earmarked for cleaning up inactive oil and gas well sites across the province. Premier John Horgan says restoring more than 2,000 inactive oil and gas wells would support upwards of 1,200 jobs in B.C. The federal government announced $120 million for cleaning up so-called orphan wells in B.C. in mid-April, money the province says it intends to spend on three new programs once a final agreement is reached with Ottawa. B.C. says up to $100 million would be used to reclaim wells that have been inacti

Provincial health official Doctor Bonnie Henry says the response to a COVID-19 survey launched by the province yesterday has been outstanding. Dr. Henry says 75,000 people had provided input by noon today on their experiences during the pandemic. She says the province wants information from a lot of people in order to understand the unintended consequences of public health measures put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Henry reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 today and one new death, bringing the total to 2,376 cases with 132 fatalities.