British Columbia's coroner says over 9,400 people in the province have died of an overdose from toxic illicit drugs since the government declared a public health emergency six years ago. Lisa Lapointe says urgent action is needed to decriminalize small amounts of drugs for personal use and to provide more people with a safer supply of substances that would replace the profit-driven illicit market.Lapointe says she understands that the concept of a safer drug supply is difficult for some people to understand, given decades of a punitive, enforcement-based approach to substance use, but more peo

A BC scientist is calling for better public access to COVID-19 data as the province enters what could be a sixth wave of the pandemic. In its latest report, the independent BC COVID-19 Modelling Group says it believes BC is at the beginning of a second Omicron wave. Sarah Otto, a mathematical biologist, UBC professor and modelling group member, says the severity of that wave remains unclear due to uncertainty on multiple fronts, including reliable data. She says data that's been made publicly available in B-C lags behind other Canadian jurisdictions, and is not sufficient to do proper statist

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled the 2022 federal budget on Thursday. Here are some of the smaller promises that you might have missed:— $1.9 billion over 24 years to build and operate the new Canadarm3 for the next generation NASA Lunar Gateway project.— $1.3 billion over the next five years and $331.2 million on going to support the long-term stability of Canada’s asylum system to better help people seeking refuge from violence and persecution.— $159 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, to protect Canadian post-secondary and research institutions from foreign intell

The U.N. General Assembly has voted to suspend Russia from the U.N.'s leading human rights body over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, which the United States and Ukraine have called tantamount to war crimes. Russia is the second country to have its membership rights stripped at the Human Rights Council, which was established in 2006. In 2011, the assembly suspended Libya when upheaval in the North African country brought down longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. The vote on Thursday was 93-24 with 58 abstentions. Defence Minister Anita Anand says the 93-to

Air Canada will suspend its flights between Vancouver and Delhi beginning June 2 until early September 2022. The route is operationally constrained because of extended flying times and a re-fueling stop that is required due to the current flight paths taken to go around Russian and Ukraine airspace. Summer wind and weather conditions in South Asia are expected to compound these constraints, making the route unviable during this period.If you are scheduled to travel on an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Delhi from June 2 until Sept. 6 (June 4 to Sept. 8 from Delhi to Vancouver), you will be

A fugitive from Surrey faces multiple charges after attempting to flee from police and causing a multi-car collision in East Vancouver Tuesday night. A Vancouver Police officer was patrolling near Main Street and Terminal Avenue when he attempted to stop a vehicle that was allegedly driven by a 29-year-old man with 10 Canada-wide warrants, including charges for firearms and drug trafficking.The driver allegedly fled in the vehicle, striking multiple other cars before colliding with a building near Quebec Street and East 2nd Avenue. He then allegedly ran away from the crashed car and was arrest

British Columbia is offering a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines to seniors, starting with residents of long-term care and assisted-living homes. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says those vaccinations have already begun and people over age 70 in the community will be getting invitations in the coming weeks for a second booster shot. She says the province will also be considering a fourth dose for Indigenous people over the age of 55, as well as those who are clinically extremely vulnerable in order to reduce hospitalizations. Dr. Henry says immunity is expected to be waning in all

The Transportation Ministry says a five-kilometre section of Highway 1 in southeastern BC will be closed for nearly a month as upgrades are underway along the route through the Kicking Horse Canyon. Starting in two weeks and continuing until May 20th, the ministry says all through traffic on Highway 1 from Golden to Castle Junction will be detoured via Radium Hot Springs, adding about 90 minutes of travel time. It says the complete closure will allow crews to leave heavy equipment on the roadway and minimize travel disruptions during the peak summer season. A statement from the ministry says

British Columbia Premier John Horgan says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home. Horgan announced on his verified Twitter account that he tested positive for COVID-19 today.He says his symptoms are mild and he is thankful to be fully vaccinated.Horgan, who recently underwent radiation treatments for throat cancer, says he is following public health guidelines, so he is isolating and working from home until his symptoms resolve.The premier was at the legislature last Wednesday when he participated in the government's introduction of a plan to implement goals for its law o