Newly installed Premier David Eby has been fast off the mark to offer new relief measures for BC residents feeling the squeeze from higher inflation. Immediately after he was sworn in to replace John Horgan, Eby announced that BC Hydro customers will be getting a one-time, 100-dollar cost of living credit on their electricity bills this fall. He also announced a BC Affordability Credit for low and middle-income residents starting in January that will provide up to 164-dollars for adults and 41-dollars for children. Eby says the programs are aimed at helping those most affected by the rising c

British Columbia's outgoing premier says he has offered a helping hand in resolving a gridlock over health care between provincial and territorial leaders and the federal government. John Horgan, who will pass the premiership to NDP Leader David Eby in an inauguration ceremony Friday, emphasized he's not looking for a job, but says he sent a group text message to his counterparts saying he'd be happy to help any way he can and has indicated the same to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Horgan says he knows the file, he's passionate about it and believes he has the confidence of leaders across th

A Chinese spokesperson has accused Canada of acting in a ``condescending manner'' following a testy exchange between President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that underscores the depths to which the bilateral relationship has fallen. The comments by a Foreign Ministry spokesperson came after Xi chastised Trudeau at the Group of 20 summit over media reports on an earlier meeting during which Trudeau expressed concern about Chinese interference in Canada's internal affairs. The apparently spontaneous exchange with a translator present was captured on video. The Foreign Mi

Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says there is no need for the ``heavy hand'' of a mask mandate as respiratory illnesses climb in many areas of BC. Dr. Henry made the comment during a news conference this morning where she noted that 90 per cent of BC residents have some COVID-19 immunity through vaccination, infection or both. She and Health Minister Adrian Dix confirm the province is seeing an expected increase in flu cases while COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV are also becoming more common, but not at rates seen in other parts of Canada. Henry and Dix recommend

Poland says it was a Russian-made missile that fell in a village in the eastern part of the country and killed two people. Its foreign minister summoned the Russian ambassador and demanded an immediate detailed explanation. The confirmation means this is the first time in the war that a Russian weapon has come down in a NATO member country. Canada and other NATO members on both sides of the Atlantic are scrambling over how to respond to a potential escalation of the war in Ukraine. Canada and other NATO members on both sides of the Atlantic are scrambling over how to respond to a potential es

Vancouver police say they've identified the suspects who threw maple syrup on an Emily Carr painting and glued themselves to a wall at the Vancouver Art Gallery over the weekend. Sgt. Steve Addison says an investigation is underway and officers will be speaking to witnesses, reviewing security video and assessing the cost of the damage.The Vancouver Art Gallery says in a statement that Carr's "Stumps and Sky" painting suffered no permanent harm.It quotes director and CEO Anthony Kiendl as saying the gallery "condemns acts of vandalism" towards works of cultural significance in its care, or in

The union representing members of the fledgling Surrey Police Service says its officers and civilian workers have "no intention" of joining the RCMP, should the municipal force be scrapped.A statement from the Surrey Police Union says 94 per cent of its members have signed a pledge to refuse to apply to, or join, the Mounties, if newly elected Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke makes good on a campaign promise to cancel the city's switch from the national police force to a municipal one.The union says it issued the statement after a media interview quoted Locke as saying she is working on a plan with t

The City of Surrey is encouraging residents to take part in one of the various Remembrance Day ceremonies taking place across the city this Friday. Services will be held at Veteran’s Square at 17610 56A Avenue; at Surrey Centre Cemetery at 16671 Old McLellan Road; at the Whalley Cenotaph at 13633 Grosvenor Road and at the Royal Canadian Legion Crescent Branch at 2643 128th Street. They will occur between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. with the traditional two-minute silent tribute taking place at 11 a.m. Residents are encouraged to arrive early to find parking, or consider walking, biking or taking tran

Federal health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the federal government will add more money to health care, if provinces and territories contribute information to a national database on health information. Ministers are meeting in Vancouver this week, and host Minister Adrian Dix says they are pleased the federal government has had a change of heart on extra funding, but their governments have long been keeping track of their health systems.Dix says they have asked that health transfers be increased to about 35 per cent of the health budget, up from the current 22 per cent.