Premier John Horgan says he was horrified to see what happened to George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. Horgan told a media briefing today that the province strives to make sure police treat everyone equally, but he acknowledged there have been issues in B.C. The premier says despite attempts to address it, racism exists in the province. He's encouraging those who want to join anti-racism protests in B.C. to follow physical distancing rules and wear a mask so they don't potentially expose others to COVID-19.

The top RCMP officer at the detachment in Kelowna, BC, says a video circulating on social media that appears to show one of his officers punching a combative driver doesn't tell the full story.The video was filmed by a passerby and shows two officers wrestling with a man in a local parking lot on Saturday, and when a third officer arrives, he hits the man in the face.Superintendent Brent Mundle says he recognizes that the tactics in the video are shocking to many people and it's always the intention to make a peaceful arrests.But he says when circumstances require it, officers may have to use

Home prices remained steady across Metro Vancouver in May but data from the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board shows sales see-sawed as the COVID-19 pandemic affects the market.A statement from the board says the composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Vancouver is just over one-million dollars -- virtually unchanged since April and up nearly three percent since May 2019.But the board says sales last month were 54 per cent below the 10-year May sales average and plunged almost 44 per cent compared with May of last year, but jumped 34 per cent since April.The board says thi

BC's Auditor General has issued a new report examining an immigration program that attracts and retains immigrants to help the province meet labour market needs and build the economy.The report finds the B-C Provincial Nominee Program fills labour gaps but needs better safeguards against fraud.It says B-C has done a good job finding nominees to bring to the province to fill vacancies, and more than 90 per cent of those nominees are still employed.But it says despite safeguards to protect against fraudulent activity within the program, the Jobs Ministry has not assessed all the potential fraud

BC's Labour Minister Harry Bains says he understands the pressures facing employers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but workers are also struggling and the minimum wage will increase as planned on Monday.The BC government announced a series of minimum wage increases in 2018 and the June 1st wage boost goes up 75 cents per hour to $14.60.Bains says Labour Ministry data shows 60 per cent of people earning minimum wage in BC are female and 93 per cent of the province's minimum wage paying jobs are in the service sector, including cleaning services, grocery stores and restaurants.He says businesses

The province is reporting just four new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths. That brings the total number of cases in B.C. to 2,562, including 164 deaths. 228 cases of COVID-19 remain active in B.C. The province says there have been no new health-care facility outbreaks, leaving 15 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and one acute-care unit with active cases.

The provincial government has purchased a former motel in Campbell River to house residents displaced by a blaze that left 92 people homeless in that city in April. BC Housing's purchase of the former Heritage River Inn will provide 41 units of stable, long-term, affordable rental housing for the low-income residents who escaped the fire. Finding a home in the Campbell River area is challenging at the best of times but the COVID-19 pandemic has made the search even more complicated. North Island MLA Claire Trevena says purchase of the old motel will provide security and peace of mind while th

Police in Metro Vancouver are searching for a woman who casually approached a senior who was using a walker, tripped her from behind and walked away.Burnaby RCMP have released video of the April 3 assault that was caught on surveillance cameras mounted at the Metrotown SkyTrain station.Police say the 84-year-old victim, who is of Asian descent, was shaken but not seriously hurt. The suspect is described as a woman, possibly Asian, wearing a face mask, a long, dark puffy jacket, dark tights, light shoes and carrying a large, beige purse.Investigators say there is no immediate indication the ca

The COVID-19 outbreak at the Mission prison in BC's Fraser Valley has been declared over. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there have been no new cases for two incubation periods in what was one of the largest outbreaks in the province. More than 130 inmates and staff tested positive for the virus and one inmate died. Henry says the protocols that were developed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the prison are being used in federal correctional facilities across the country. Two more people died in the province and nine others were diagnosed with the virus, while two thousan