Talks are resuming between the union representing British Columbia's public service workers and the provincial government. Paul Finch, president of the BC General Employees' Union, says the government has reached out to the union saying it has a new offer and negotiations will start again on Monday. Finch says union pickets will remain up. The union has been conducting escalating strike action over the last four weeks, with up to 15,000 workers conducting job actions including picketing and overtime bans. Finch told a gathering in Victoria that there has been unprecedented level

The Transportation Department will immediately tighten up the requirements for non-citizens to get commercial drivers licenses after three fatal crashes this year in Florida, Texas and Alabama that officials say were caused by immigrant truck drivers who never should have received licenses. The nationwide audit of these licenses began after a fatal U-turn crash in Florida that killed two people caused by a truck driver who officials said was in the country illegally. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said also threatened to revoke $160 million in federal funding for California because inve

Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.2 per cent in July, the first increase in four months. However, its early estimate for August indicated that real GDP for that month was essentially unchanged. The agency says the growth in July was driven by goods-producing industries which grew 0.6 per cent for the month. The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector added 1.4 per cent in July as mining and quarrying, except oil and gas, rose 2.6 per cent. The oil and gas extraction subsector grew 0.9 per cent in July. The manufacturing sector grew 0.7 per cent as durable g

On the third day after the visit of the Dera Beas chief, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal also reached Nabha jail to meet Bikram Singh Majithia. Harsimrat Badal and Ganiv Kaur Majithia were also present with him. Bikram Majithia has been lodged in Nabha jail since July 6 and Sukhbir Badal reached the jail for the first time today to meet Majithia. On July 15, Sukhbir Badal did not go to Nabha to meet Majithia. A few days before his arrest, Bikram Majithia had criticized the removal of Panthic Jathedars. So far, the speculations that Sukhbir Badal is keeping his distance

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the "ongoing delay" in carrying out the cull of ostriches at a British Columbia farm presents "potential animal and human health risks." The agency says in a statement that it will continue to feed the birds under veterinary oversight, and it will be using the feed provided by Universal Ostrich Farms' regular suppliers. The statement says it has determined there are between 300 and 330 ostriches on the farm in southeastern B.C., and work on determining a more precise count is ongoing. The agency also says it has identified one ostrich on-site "with comp

An incident from July 4, 2025, in which a bicycle was stolen from an unsuspecting youth has resulted in charges and the offender being remanded into police custody on numerous other criminal code offences. The news release that followed the bike theft garnered significant interest and outrage from the public via social media. The investigation was handled by the Special Investigations/Targeted Enforcement unit (SITE). This team, consisting of highly motivated skilled investigators caught a break on the file when on August 24, 2025, the primary suspect in the theft was arrested for shoplifting

Heavy rain is forecast to return to British Columbia's coast this week, with parts of Vancouver Island expecting up to 100 millimetres of precipitation. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a rainfall warning for much of the west coast of Vancouver Island, covering communities including Sooke and Tofino. The weather agency says heavy rain is expected to begin later today and continue into Saturday morning. It says the heavy rain could cause flash floods, while low-lying areas may also experience localized flooding. The weather office says the heavy rain is due to a Pacific storm sy

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says 13 per cent more cargo moved through Canada's biggest port during the first six months of the year than during the same period of 2024. That amounted to a record 85 million metric tonnes being handled at the Port of Vancouver. The biggest increase could be seen in crude oil exports, which were almost five times higher than the first half of last year thanks to the startup of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in May 2024. About 60 per cent of the crude export volumes during the first half of 2025 went to China. Canola oil exports moving through the p

Police in Lillooet, B.C., have confirmed that a pilot has died when a small plane crashed near the community's airport. RCMP say they were notified that a bush plane had crashed just after 5 p.m. on Wednesday. They say emergency responders pulled the unconscious pilot from the aircraft, but that they died at the scene. The Transportation Safety Board has said that a team of investigators would be sent to the site. The agency described the aircraft as a privately registered Bushmaster Super 22, but no additional information was released. BC Emergency Health Services has said that multiple ambul