British Columbia recorded 515 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, continuing a downward trend of infections as the vaccination rate accelerates. Health officials say in a news release that 6,020 people have active infections, 426 of whom are hospitalized, including 141 in intensive care. Two more people have died, bringing the death toll to 1,624. More than 2.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered, 110,516 of which are second doses. The government is also extending the provincial state of emergency through May 25, saying it would allow health and emergency management officials to

A coalition of 15 groups wants the City of Vancouver and the federal government to rethink plans for drug decriminalization. The coalition says users have been excluded from discussions with the federal health department about decriminalization, meaning current proposals, if adopted unchanged, could do more harm that good. In a letter to Health Minister Patty Hajdu, the coalition says police have too much input in developing what is being called the ``Vancouver model'' of decriminalization covering simple possession of small amounts of drugs. The Vancouver model suggests people should be allo

The White House says President Joe Biden is being briefed daily on developments in Jerusalem and Gaza, and has directed his team to engage intensively with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials as well as leaders throughout the Middle East. Press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that Biden's team is communicating a clear and consistent message in support of de escalation. ``That is our primary focus,'' she said, adding that Biden supports Israel's ``legitimate right to defend itself and its people'' and at the same time condemns ongoing ``rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist grou

A quick response by Surrey RCMP Frontline officers, the Surrey Gang Enforcement Team (SGET), and Air 1 led to the arrest of a man and woman and the preservation of evidence, including a loaded gun.On May 6, 2021 at 7:20 p.m., Frontline officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop with a vehicle for a Motor Vehicle Act violation. The vehicle failed to stop for Police and fled at a high rate of speed. The Air 1 helicopter was in the area and was able to observe the vehicle from a distance and provide direction to officers on the ground. Following the directions of Air 1, Frontline officers and S

A man in Austria has been convicted of intentionally infecting his ex-wife with the coronavirus by coughing at her. A spokesman for the Linz regional court said Tuesday that the 63-year-old was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for three years. Judges had convicted the man Monday of attempted serious bodily harm for giving the victim COVID-19 while they were still living in the same house pending the finalization of their divorce last November. The defendant had coughed at the 70-year-old woman after learning that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He was also convicted of threatening

Workers will soon have access to a made-in-B.C. paid sick leave program that will support workers to stay home when they are sick during the pandemic and afterward, including permanent paid sick leave, as a result of legislation tabled Tuesday, May 11, 2021.To better support workers during the pandemic, amendments to the Employment Standards Act will bring in three days of paid sick leave related to COVID-19, such as having symptoms, self-isolating and waiting for a test result. Employers will be required to pay workers their full wages and the Province will reimburse employers without an exis

RCMP are asking for the public's help in locating a person of interest in the suspicious death of a woman whose body was found last week along a highway in Kootenay National Park. Police say a 41-year-old man that Brenda Ware knew is being sought and that her body was discovered last Thursday, about 50 kilometres northeast of Radium. Superintendent Sanjaya Wijayakoon of the R-C-M-P's Major Crime Section says details aren't being released about the nature of the pair's relationship. The man is described as Caucasian and nearly six feet tall. BC RCMP on Twitter: #BCSoutheastDistrict #ColumbiaVa

Doctors in British Columbia are being warned they could face investigation or penalties from their regulatory body if they contradict public health orders or guidance about COVID-19. The warning is contained in a joint statement from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. and the First Nations Health Authority. The statement says the college and authority have become aware that some B.C. physicians oppose vaccines and are spreading ``misinformation'' about mask wearing, physical distancing and lockdowns. There's also concern that certain doctors are promoting COVID-19 treatments ``not

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Alberta has stopped administering first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in favour of other types of immunization. The newspaper quotes Kristin Klein, the co-lead of the province’s vaccine task force, as saying the province has decided to shift to mRNA vaccines for first doses.The report says the move is partly due to the greater supply of mRNA shots, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna ones, and partly due to concerns over a rare blood clot condition linked to AstraZeneca.Klein says AstraZeneca shots will still be made available to t