British Columbia's provincial health officer says she's optimistic the province is moving to a "better place" that could see more COVID-19 restrictions lifted by mid-March, before spring break.Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that a decline in hospitalizations, immunity from vaccination and the availability of at-home rapid tests point the way forward to normal activities like high school graduations, which youth in particular need to feel connected to others.However, she said not everyone will be ready or able to leave behind some pandemic measures like masks and physical distancing so it's impo

Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, announced additional humanitarian support to respond to immediate needs arising from the Ukraine crisis at the virtual joint launch of the Humanitarian Flash Appeal and the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Ukraine.Canada stands united with those affected by the conflict in Ukraine, which is why we’re announcing an additional $100 million in humanitarian assistance to help experienced partners address the most pressing humanitarian nee

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 974 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 348,305 cases in the province:Feb. 25-26: 398 new casesFeb. 26-27: 297 new casesFeb. 27-28: 279 new casesThere are 549 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 85 are in intensive care.In the past 72 hours, 22 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,873.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: fiveVancouver Coastal Health: twoInterior Health: fourNorthern Health: sixIsland Health: fiveThere have been two new health-care facility outbreaks at Sun Pointe Village and Fischer Place (Interior Health

The federal government has asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to review the presence of the Russian state-run broadcaster, RT, on Canada's airwaves. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says action is needed to combat falsehoods and disinformation by Russia about the invasion of Ukraine, including on social media. The move follows the decision of Rogers, Bell and Shaw to pull the Kremlin- backed broadcaster from their lineup of channels. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez applauded Telus for joining Canadian broadcasters "in giving RT the boot" in a tweet earlier tod

Vancouver Police are appealing for victims and witnesses, after a 38-year-old man allegedly attacked at least five women and caused thousands of dollars in property damage during a 40-minute crime spree in Vancouver’s Fairview neighbourhood Saturday afternoon."Once again, these attacks appear completely unprovoked, and they must have been terrifying for everyone involved," says Constable Tania Visintin. "We believe there are more victims, and likely dozens of witnesses, who have information and cell phone video footage that can help the police investigation."Vancouver Police began receiving

Another round of Canadian sanctions will target Russian President Vladimir Putin along with his chief of staff and foreign minister. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also says Canada is confirming its support to remove Russia from SWIFT, a critical part of the global banking system. He says excluding Russian banks from the system would make it even harder for Putin to ``finance his brutalities.'' Canada will also levy additional sanctions on Belarus and its leaders for helping Putin's invasion, targeting 57 individuals, in addition to existing sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko's regime for

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is imposing more severe sanctions on Russia in response to its military strike against Ukraine. The new sanctions will target 58 people and entities connected to Russia, including members of that country's elite and their families, the paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group and major Russian banks. The sanctions, announced today after Trudeau attended a virtual G7 meeting, will also affect members of the Russian Security Council, including key cabinet ministers. Canada is also cancelling existing export permits for Russia and will not iss

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has revoked the Emergencies Act. Trudeau had said right up until yesterday that the government would not keep the Act in effect a moment longer than needed. Today he says that at the time, it was the right thing to do but there is no longer a state of emergency. He adds existing laws are sufficient to keep Canadians safe. The Act was invoked to end the weeks of truck protests against government COVID-19 health measures and vaccine mandates. Trudeau says there will be an inquiry into the whole process.

A 6 year old girl has been honoured by RCMP in Kamloops, B.C., after she managed to get out of a crashed car, cross a busy highway and summon help for her injured grandmother. A post on the City of Kamloops Facebook page says Jane Deelstra received a certificate from Kamloops RCMP Supt. Syd Lecky on Tuesday, recognizing her ``great bravery and perseverance.'' The social media post says Deelstra's grandmother suffered a medical emergency while driving on the weekend and crashed at an exit along Highway 1, east of Kamloops. Deelstra was not hurt but her grandmother needed help, so the post says