B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there's clear evidence that measures being taken to fight the spread of COVID-19 are working. Over the past two days, 50 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total to 1,998. Three more people have died, raising the provincial toll to 103. Henry says the rate of transmission has slowed and they're finding more links to outbreaks with increased surveillance, which means it's getting closer to the time to start easing restrictions.

The body of a missing British Columbia woman has been found two months after she disappeared. A statement from New Westminster police says the body believed to be that of Nirla Sharma was discovered Sunday along the Fraser River between New Westminster and Burnaby. The woman's disappearance from her New Westminster home sparked a major search in late February. Sgt. Jeff Scott says there is no indication of foul play but the cause of death has not yet been determined. The 44 year old was last seen Feb. 23 when she went to bed but it's believed she left her home the next day because a family mem

B.C. has pledged to double its contribution to help support caregivers and seniors as part of its emergency COVID-19 response plan.The province's seniors advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, says B.C. is providing an additional 500,000 to help support caregivers and seniors.She says this doubles the funding to Family Caregivers of B.C. to $1 million for the year and will help expand toll-free support line hours, emotional supports and healthcare navigation.Family Caregivers of B.C. is a not-for-profit organization that supports people who care for senior citizens.

British Columbia is looking to temporarily relocate over 1,000 people from tent encampments in Vancouver and Victoria to hotel and community centre accommodations to protect them from the ongoing pandemic. Shane Simpson, Social Development and Poverty Reduction Minister, says 686 hotel and community centre accommodations in Vancouver and 324 hotel spaces in Victoria have been secured by the province. Simpson says people will have their own living space and access to services, such as meals, laundry, washroom facilities, health-care services, addictions treatment and harm reduction, storage for

Thirty-five workers at the United Poultry plant in Vancouver have now tested positive for COVID-19. That's up from 29 and in addition to two cases at a sister plant in Coquitlam. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that 10 cases of the virus in B.C. have been connected to the Kearl Lake project near Fort McMurray, Alta. Seventy-eight inmates and staff have also tested positive at the Mission Institution in the Fraser Valley. The province is reporting four more deaths, for a total of 98 deaths, and 29 new cases. The province has a

The BC legislature will be lit in red tonight to honour the 22 victims who died in a killing rampage in Nova Scotia last weekend. A virtual vigil for the victims will be livestreamed on Facebook this evening since large gatherings are banned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BC government says it stands in mourning with all Nova Scotians. Premier John Horgan says in a tweet that he is also wearing red today to show he is standing with the families in mourning.

A flood warning has been issued for a river near Prince George, B.C., after it rose nearly 35 centimetres in a day. The B.C. River Forecast Centre, which assesses water supply, flood risk and predicts flows in provincial waterways, upgraded the warning for the Chilako River early Friday. It says the river and its tributaries southwest of Prince George are expected to continue to rise, possibly into the weekend. The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George issued evacuation orders late Thursday for 40 properties on part of Upper Mud River Road near the Chilako River, 30 kilometres southwest of

A White Rock man says he found out he'd cleaned up in a Lotto 649 draw while checking his numbers in the washroom. Tibor Tusnady says he Googled the numbers for the April 15th draw and then checked again and again after seeing he'd won the 16 million dollar jackpot. He says didn't know how to tell his wife so he took the night to sleep on it and told her the next day after lunch. Tusnady says the family plans to travel once the COVID-19 pandemic is resolved, and he'll let his wife choose the first destination.

The BC government says it will start accepting applications next month for a new emergency benefit for workers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. It says the one thousand dollar benefit is to help those whose ability to work has been affected by the pandemic. It says those who are eligible for the federal government's emergency response benefits are also eligible to apply for the BC program starting May 1st. Payments are expected to be processed within days of applications being filed.