Almost 20 per cent of those who are eligible for a vaccine in British Columbia have had their shot. A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says 946,096 doses of the three vaccines have been administered, and of those, more than 87,000 were second doses. The province recorded another 997 new cases on Wednesday and two more deaths. There are 330 people in hospital and the number in intensive care has grown to 105. Additional genome sequencing hasn't been completed since the Tuesday report, so the number for variants of concern remains at

Metal fences have been put up around the GraceLife church just west of Edmonton and Alberta Health Services says it will stay closed until it complies with COVID-19 health rules. The church has ignored public health warnings for months, and its pastor spent a month in jail. Churches are allowed to be open at 15 per cent capacity, but officials say hundreds of people have attended GraceLife's services. Several doctors say public-health restrictions introduced by government are not enough Several doctors from Calgary and Edmonton say that with cases involving COVID-19 variants doubling every w

A grass fire east of Merritt has now scorched more than eight square kilometres as the BC Wildfire Service works to control it. An official with the service says the size of the fire has been increased because of more accurate mapping and although it remains out of control, the fire behaviour is not extreme. Nicole Bonnett says the fire in the Quilchena Creek area north of the Coquihalla Connector is a "larger" grass fire but isn't uncommon for this time of year. The wildfire service lists the blaze as one of 13 currently active around B-C, including five started in the last two days, with mo

Ontario residents are facing new stay-at-home orders as officials in several provinces tighten restrictions and crack down on rule-breakers in a race against COVID-19 and its variants. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the order will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and it will mean stores selling essential items can stay open but will only be permitted to sell grocery and pharmacy items. Premier Doug Ford says his government will declare its third state of emergency of the pandemic to invoke the new measures. He says the order is necessary to fight the third wave of the pandemic that threate

Three city councillors in Vancouver say they have been blindsided by their party's announcement of a mayoral candidate to represent the Non-Partisan Association in next year's civic election. An online statement posted by NPA Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung, and signed by councillors Lisa Dominato and Colleen Hardwick, says they are "extremely disappointed" their party did not offer an "open, transparent and democratic" call for candidates. The statement says the three only learned the NPA had named park board commissioner John Coupar as its mayoral candidate shortly before the selection was made publ

A use-of-force expert says Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd's neck the entire time that he was handcuffed behind his back and lying facedown. Jody Stiger is a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant serving as a prosecution witness. He testified Wednesday that his review of video evidence found that Chauvin's knee was on Floyd's neck from the time officers put Floyd on the ground until paramedics arrived, about 9 1/2 minutes, by prosecutors' reckoning. Stiger also says bystanders didn't appear to be a threat to police. Chauvin's attorney has suggested officers were distracted by angr

BC RCMP responded to a serious two vehicle head-on collision on Highway 1 seven kilometers east of Sicamous.On April 6, 2021, just after 1pm, BC RCMP frontline members from Sicamous Detachment and RCMP Traffic Services responded to a report of a serious two vehicle head-on collision seven kilometers east of Sicamous on the Trans Canada Highway 1.The subsequent investigation found the 73 year old male driver of a westbound pickup truck from Sicamous crossed the centre line colliding with an eastbound sedan driven by a 46 year old female from Salmon Arm. Sadly, both drivers were deceased upon ar

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization says it is standing by its emergency recommendation to extend the delivery of second doses of COVID-19 vaccines up to four months.The panel's ``rapid'' response recommendation a month ago was followed by further research on the vaccines.NACI's experts say they still believe that extending the time to give a second dose will bring protection to Canadians more quickly.The panel says it expects the administration of second doses won't end up taking as long as four months based on Canada's expected vaccine supply.NACI, an external advisory body that

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting with the High Level Committee (HLC) on Wednesday at 11 am to commemorate the 400th Birth Anniversary (Prakash Purab) of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji on April 8.PM Modi will participate in the meeting through video conferencing, an official statement informed.Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also attend the meeting. The meeting will discuss the year-long calendar of events planned to mark this special occasion.The HLC was constituted by the Union Government on October 24, 2020, to approve policies, plans and programs related to the commemoration o