The BC government says enhanced driver's licences and enhanced ID cards for non-drivers will be phased out over the next five years. A statement from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General says the program has not been offered since ICBC curtailed services as the pandemic began last March, and interest in the specialized cards was already plummeting by then. The travel cards allow Canadians to enter the United States at land or marine crossings without presenting a passport but the ministry says other travel documents such as the NEXUS card are more popular, cost less and remain

BC Liberal MLA Mike Bernier has been appointed Chair for the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, a committee tasked with scrutinizing the economy,effectiveness and efficiency of government organizations and auditing reports from the Auditor General. "It is an honour to be appointed as the Chair of this committee and I look forward to stepping into this new role," said Bernier, BC Liberal Finance Critic and MLA for Peace River South. "British Columbians put their trust in the government to spend public funds wisely, which makes this committee’s responsibility to hold the government

Surrey Police Service announces the appointment of the second of three Deputy Chief Constables. The latest Deputy Chief Constable to be hired by the Surrey Police Service is Mike LeSage who brings exemplary service, expertise, and leadership in operational and cultural diversity policing. His anticipated start date with the Surrey Police Service is early February 2021. Deputy Chief Mike LeSage brings over 24 years of policing service that is local, national, and international in scope. He has worked in a variety of divisions across the nation from large urban centers to small, isolated fly-in

More people appear to be taking to cold-water swims as a way to beat the COVID-19 blues. Victoria's Andy Bernhart says when he started taking cold ocean dips at Willows Beach there were only a few diehards, but people are now flocking to the chilly water. He says a cold-water swimmers Facebook page he started in Victoria has grown to 258 members.He said this growth has occurred in about a year and other groups are also boasting more swimmers. Bernhart says a jolt of cold water can help relieve pandemic-related stress and depression.

Transition documents suggest president-elect Joe Biden plans to block the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in the White House.The documents, seen by The Canadian Press, include a to-do list dated Wednesday that includes rescinding the construction permit signed by predecessor Donald Trump.Campaign officials promised in May that if elected, Biden would cancel the controversial cross-border project, but the timeline was never clear until now.The pipeline expansion would ferry up to 830,000 additional barrels a day of diluted bitumen from Alberta's oilsands to refineries along the U.S. Gulf

BC reported 509 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the province's total to 60,117. There have been nine new deaths from the virus since the province's last update. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that there are 4,604 active cases of COVID-19. They say residents must continue to work together as short-term production delays affect the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. So far, 75,614 people have received COVID-19 vaccine shots in BC. 349 people are currently hospitalized, of those 68 are in intensive care.

Search and rescue crews say they have found an Instagram influencer who got lost yesterday in Cypress Mountain Provincial Park. According to fresh reports, the woman has died. North Shore Rescue says the 21 year old identified only as an influencer from Toronto named Nikki got lost on the Howe Sound Crest Trail yesterday. It says she had posted from the top of St. Mark's and was located late this morning in a steep drainage. Rescue crews said she would have to be flown out but there was no word on her condition. Message posted by North Shore Rescue on Facebook before Nikki was found: (NSR is

The Victoria councillor who admits to ignoring public health advice and travelling to East Africa last month has now apologized to his fellow council members. Sharmarke Dubow offered the apology yesterday during a council committee meeting. In his first in-person comments since returning from Somalia and Kenya, Dubow says he considered his trip was essential because his family in Africa depends on him for financial assistance, but he now realizes his choice was wrong. He told council that by travelling when so many others were not, he "let down" the community.Dubow says he recognizes the "inc

Canada's top doctor says BC is sending an important message to the rest of the country as officials in this province explore limits on interprovincial travel. Doctor Theresa Tam, chief medical officer of health, says now is not the time for vacation travel, across the country or anywhere else. She says halting interprovincial travel would be a difficult decision but could limit potential contact with COVID-19 carriers, slowing the spread of the virus. Premier John Horgan said yesterday that his government is seeking legal opinions on whether restrictions can be placed on visitors to BC. This