The West Kelowna fire chief says at least 50 structures have been destroyed by the McDougal Creek fire on both sides of Okanagan Lake.Jason Brolund says the damage assessment is not complete and the status of more buildings is likely to be confirmed in the coming days.Officials, however, have said that the crew has made good progress in the last few days and no casualties have been reported in the last 24 hours.The fire is still spreading in about 11,000 hectares.Evacuation orders and alerts continue for various communities in Kelowna and West Kelowna.

A Canadian government minister on Friday demanded that Meta remove a ban on domestic news from its platform so that the country's people can get information about wildfires in the West.Meta began blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada this month.Transport Minister Pablo Rodríguez said that what Meta is doing now is completely unacceptable, and that it is very wrong not to get such information to the public.They demanded that Meta withdraw the decision.A Meta spokesperson, on the other hand, said the company has activated a "Safety Check" feature on Faceb

Kelowna International Airport closed its airspace on Friday morning and canceled most of the flights.Flights have been canceled to make room for aerial crews battling raging wildfires burning around the city in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.According to the airport's website, most flights in and out of Kelowna have been canceled till Friday afternoon.It is worth mentioning that the city of Kelowna in British Columbia has also come under the grip of wild fire.A state of emergency has been declared in Kelowna city.Evacuation orders have been issued to people living in Clifton Road North, Ke

The chief of the Kwikwetlem First Nation says his entire community is grieving the sudden loss of one of its councillors.Police have said Stephanie Patterson was found dead in a rural area in Mission, B.C. on Tuesday.Chief Ron Giesbrecht says in a statement that Patterson was a keen learner who had been passionate about helping all members of their community.He says the nation is not commenting on the arrest and second-degree murder charge of 57-year-old David Hall in relation to Patterson's murder, and is asking for privacy for her family and the community.

A reception centre for Yellowknife wildfire evacuees opens today in Edmonton.The Edmonton EXPO Centre is expected to start accepting evacuees at noon.It is to provide temporary lodging, food, clothing, pet daycare and health care.Some 20,000 residents of the capital of the Northwest Territories have been ordered to leave by noon today as a wildfire threatens the main highway out of the city.

A Calgary teacher has been charged after a sexually motivated offence at a school in late May.Police say administrators from Chinook Winds Adventist Academy reported that a teacher had engaged in an inappropriate sexual act while allegedly watching students through a window.Detectives conducted an investigation, which included speaking to several witnesses and analyzing evidence.Police say they arrested a man on Tuesday.Nathanial Arthur Gordon, who is 41, has been charged with one count of voyeurism and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 28.Police say it's believed it was a sexually moti

The director of provincial operations for the B.C. Wildfire Service says the next 24 to 48 hours could be the most challenging for crews battling the wildfires.Cliff Chapman says that an incoming cold front, after hitting a high-pressure system, produces significant, sustained winds of 30 to 40 kilometers per hour.Chapman says gusts of up to 60 km/h can be expected, and the cold front is likely to produce lightning, which could spark new fires.Chapman urged that everyone follow evacuation orders if they are issued.

In the case of the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijhar, the police have also included a third suspect and seeking help from the general public to trace him.Timothy Pierotti, a spokesman for the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, told reporters on Wednesday that on the day of murder, a suspect was seen waiting in a car near 121st Street and 68th Avenue, and was ready to drive away.Police believe that this suspect helped two other suspects flee the scene.According to police, the vehicle driven by the suspect is a silver colored 2008 Toyota Camry.The team has released an image of the suspect vehi

A new survey says more children aged 12 and older in Canada have been treated for drug overdoses.The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program says that serious and life-threatening overdoses have been reported with sedatives and opioids.The report states that drug overdose is a public health emergency.According to the report, fatal overdoses are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 in Western Canada.This problem exists across the country in ten states where paediatric specialists are treating children who are victims of overdose.