The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of new virus from China a global emergency after the number of infected people spiked more than tenfold in a week. The United Nations health agency made the determination on Thursday as more cases of human-to-human transmission were being reported worldwide. To date, China has reported more than 7,700 cases, including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is.

Premier John Horgan says Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum is putting up unnecessary roadblocks to ride-hailing and should listen to citizens in his community who want to see competition. The premier made the comments after the mayor alleged Uber was operating illegally in his city and threatened to issue 500 dollar tickets to drivers. Uber has responded by filing a court injunction to block the city from issuing the fines, which it says are illegal. The company says it holds a provincial permit to operate and Surrey has not created its own business licence for ride-hailing, so there is no bylaw t

New Brunswick MP John Williamson is exploring a bid for leadership of the federal Conservatives, he said Wednesday. Williamson's announcement emerged as many Tories are grappling with whom to support in the contest now that some high-powered candidates have left the field, including former interim leader Rona Ambrose and longtime Tory MP Pierre Poilievre. "The race is wide open and there is room, I believe, for a movement Conservative candidate and those are the waters that I'm testing right now," he said.Former Conservative cabinet ministers Peter MacKay and Erin O'Toole are the only declare

Health officials say a case of corona virus has been identified in B.C. But provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the first case is not unexpected. She says a man in his 40s returned to the Metro Vancouver area last week from a trip to Wuhan, China and began showing symptoms of the virus a day or two later. Henry says the man had already self-isolated himself so any contact was primarily limited to family members but none of them have shown symptoms and the man is recovering in isolation at home. Health officials say the risk of spread remains low in B.C.

Sonia Furstenau, a Green member of the British Columbia legislature known for her fight against a contaminated-soil quarry in her community, is running for the party's leadership. Furstenau, who represents the Cowichan Valley riding on Vancouver Island, promised at a news conference Monday to build on her party's progress and set it up for another election breakthrough. Former leader Andrew Weaver was the lone Green member of the legislature until Furstenau and Adam Olsen joined him following the 2017 election, marking a historic moment for the party. The three-member caucus signed a deal to s

It is expected to take several days for officials to recover the bodies of former NBA star Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others from a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles. LA County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jonathan Lucas says the next priority after recovery is identification and notifying the families involved. The Bryants were on the flight with Orange Coast College coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri and daughter, Alyssa, who was about 13 and played on the same basketball team as Bryant's daughter, Gianna.

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Claire Trevena made it clear today on Connect FM’s 'Sver Wala Show' that municipalities do not have the power to block ride sharing companies from operating.She said that a city’s role is limited to issuing business licenses to these companies.After a long wait of over two years, the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) on Thursday, finally granted ride sharing giants Uber and Lyft licenses to operate in Metro Vancouver and Whistler.The Mayor’s Council is working on an interim regional license which will save ride sharing companies the troub

The World Health Organization says a viral illness in China that has sickened hundreds of people is not yet a global health emergency. The decision came after Chinese authorities moved to lock down three cities on Thursday and cancelled major events in the capital, Beijing, during the Lunar New Year holiday period to try to contain the new virus. The United Nations health agency announced the decision after independent experts spent two days assessing information about the spread of the newly identified coronavirus. WHO defines a global emergency as an ``extraordinary event'' that constitu

Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu says several people in Canada are being monitored for signs they may have contracted a coronavirus from China.Hajdu says five or six people, including at least one in Quebec and another in Vancouver, are under observation but stresses the risk to Canadians remains low. She says there are no confirmed cases in Canada yet.At least 500 people in China are infected with the virus and 17 people have died.The city at the centre of the outbreak, Wuhan, is under quarantine as health officials scramble to understand the virus and keep it from spreading.The World Heal