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pandemic-related-disability-support-to-cost-feds-792-million-pbo-says
CanadaAug 26, 2020

Pandemic-related disability support to cost feds $792 million, PBO says

The parliamentary budget office says a one-time payment to people with disabilities this fall will cost the federal treasury $792 million.The majority of that amount will go to about 1.67 million people in payments of up to $600, which the Liberals say are aimed at offsetting any extra costs linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.The total cost should hit federal books this year, but the budget office warns there may be potential fiscal impacts in subsequent years.The first legislative push to provide the special payments failed in June when the minority Liberal government couldn't gain opposition s
323-covid-19-cases-reported-in-canada
CanadaAug 26, 2020

323 COVID-19 cases reported in Canada

There are 125,969 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 61,803 confirmed (including 5,746 deaths, 54,850 resolved) Ontario: 41,607 confirmed (including 2,800 deaths, 37,748 resolved) Alberta: 13,083 confirmed (including 235 deaths, 11,714 resolved) British Columbia: 5,242 confirmed (including 203 deaths, 4,114 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,601 confirmed (including 23 deaths, 1,490 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,080 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,011 resolved) Manitoba: 1,018 confirmed (including 13 deaths, 606 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador: 268 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 265 resolved) New Bru
officials-declare-covid-19-outbreaks-at-two-b-c-health-facilities-58-new-cases-reported-in-b-c
BCAug 26, 2020

Officials declare COVID-19 outbreaks at two B.C. health facilities, 58 new cases reported in B.C.

British Columbia has two outbreaks of COVID-19 at health care facilities as officials reported 58 new cases across the province on Tuesday. They say the two outbreaks are in the Fraser Health region, one at Bear Creek Villa and the other at Langley Memorial Hospital. Health officials declared an outbreak at the hospital in Langley when a patient tested positive after being discharged Monday and noticed symptoms on returning home. Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin, Fraser Health's interim chief medical health officer, says they are working to identify how many people may have been exposed. She says the ho
WorldAug 25, 2020

Death of police officer's wife in Miami being considered an accident

The death of a police officer's wife in the Miami area is being considered an accident. 56 year old Clara Paulino climbed into the backseat of her husband's marked SUV Friday to find something and got trapped inside when the doors closed and the self-locking device engaged. She was trapped for about four hours on a hot afternoon as her husband slept after finishing a midnight shift. The SUV has a cage that separates the back seat from the front seat and has bars on the windows and doors that can only be opened from the outside.
CanadaAug 25, 2020

Erin O'Toole says he wants to see the Trudeau government address western alienation

The new leader of the federal Conservatives says while he isn't afraid to fight in a fall election, he wants to first try co-operating with the Liberal government to bring effective leadership to Canada during the pandemic. Erin O'Toole isn't saying if he will support Liberal's speech from the throne on September 23rd, which will lay out the government's post-pandemic plan and will be followed by a confidence vote. O'Toole says he wants to see the Trudeau government address western alienation. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says as prime minister, he would lead a government that rebuilds th
CanadaAug 25, 2020

Alberta gets new justice, economy ministers in cabinet 'reset'

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has made a ``limited reset'' of his cabinet to accommodate a renamed portfolio for jobs, the economy and innovation.Doug Schweitzer, who was justice minister, will hold the post, which Kenney says is a rebrand of the Economic Development, Trade and Tourism Ministry.Kenney says Schweitzer will work to implement Alberta's recently launched economic plan to help the province recover from the ``double whammy'' of low oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Conference Board of Canada is forecasting Alberta will be the most heavily hit province this year with an 11 per
BCAug 25, 2020

More than 200 firefighters move around smouldering wildfire near Penticton, B.C.

A wildfire south of Penticton is dying down, allowing firefighting crews to move around its flanks as officials inspect the area to ensure it's safe for evacuees to return to their homes. The fire has scorched more than 20 square kilometres of land on the east side of Skaha Lake and destroyed one home since last week.The B-C Wildfire Service says the fire is now classified as rank one on a scale of six, which refers to smoldering ground fires with no open flames and white smoke that can be attacked by ground crews using hand tools, pumps and hoses. An evacuation alert was lifted for nearly 37
stats-canada-survey-suggests-some-canadians-worried-about-safety-of-covid-19-vaccine
CanadaAug 25, 2020

Stats Canada survey suggests some Canadians worried about safety of COVID-19 vaccine

A new Statistics Canada survey suggests that while the vast majority of Canadians would get a COVID-19 vaccine if and when it becomes available, more than one in 10 likely would not.The survey comes as governments around the world are rushing to develop a vaccine for the illness that has infected more than 23 million people around the world, including 126,000 in Canada.Among the reasons respondents gave for not wanting the vaccine were concerns about its safety and potential side effects, while some said they did not trust vaccines in general.Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Ta
BCAug 25, 2020

Calls for safer supply of drugs as B.C. records 175 overdose deaths in July

British Columbia's chief coroner says 175 people fatally overdosed in July, matching the same total in June as access to harm-reduction services such as a safer supply of drugs remains a challenge.Lisa Lapointe says a disruption in the typical supply of drugs due to border closures during the pandemic has led to the trafficking of substances with extreme concentrations of illicit fentanyl. July's death toll represents a 136 per cent increase over the 74 deaths during the same month last year. B.C. set a monthly overdose record in May, when 171 people died.Almost 6,000 people have fatally over

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public-dialogue-on-memory-identity-and-institutions-convened-on-international-human-rights-day
British ColumbiaDec 12, 2025

Public Dialogue on Memory, Identity, and Institutions Convened on International Human Rights Day

On International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2025, Wanjara Nomad Collections, with participation from the Guru Nanak Jahaz Heritage Society, hosted a three-hour public dialogue titled “Let’s Talk” in Surrey, British Columbia. The program examined questions of memory, identity, and institutional responsibility within Sikh Canadian public life. Wanjara Nomad Collections organized the dialogue and brought together elders, representatives of gurdwara societies, human rights advocates, scholars, artists, and members of the public. The gathering functioned as a dialogue-based forum that emph
threat-prompts-brief-lockdown-at-nanaimo-high-school
BCDec 11, 2025

Threat prompts brief lockdown at Nanaimo high school

A Nanaimo high school was placed under a precautionary lockdown Wednesday afternoon after school staff were alerted to a threat directed at a student. The incident at Nanaimo District Secondary School began around 2:30 p.m., prompting administrators to activate established safety procedures. Nanaimo RCMP officers responded immediately and remained on site while classrooms were secured. Police and school officials said the lockdown lasted roughly 30 minutes, and students and staff were released shortly after 3 p.m. once officers determined there was no ongoing risk. The district says students w
vancouver-police-seize-loaded-rifle-and-drugs-during-downtown-eastside-arrest
BCDec 11, 2025

Vancouver Police seize loaded rifle and drugs during Downtown Eastside arrest

Vancouver Police say a loaded rifle and several other weapons were taken off the street this week after officers arrested a man suspected of trafficking drugs in the Downtown Eastside. The incident took place Tuesday afternoon near East Hastings and Columbia Street, an area where frontline police and community workers have long raised concerns about violence linked to the drug trade. According to the Vancouver Police Department, members of the Beat Enforcement Team were on routine patrol around 2:35 p.m. on December 9 when they arrested a 32-year-old Surrey resident outside a residential build
donald-trump-unveils-new-gold-card-immigration-program
WorldDec 11, 2025

Donald Trump unveils new ‘Gold Card’ immigration program

Former United States president Donald Trump announced on Thursday the launch of a new immigration initiative he calls the Gold Card, opening the application process for the program. Under the plan, individuals can apply for the Gold Card at a fee of US$1 million, while companies wishing to secure a card for executives or employees would pay US$2 million. Trump’s campaign says cardholders would receive a U.S. passport, full voting rights and the same benefits enjoyed by other American citizens. Trump framed the Gold Card as part of his broader “America First” policy agenda, asserting the
flooding-prompts-wider-evacuations-and-highway-closures-across-southern-b-c
BCDec 11, 2025

Flooding prompts wider evacuations and highway closures across southern B.C.

Communities across southern British Columbia are facing new evacuation orders and travel disruptions after heavy rainfall triggered flooding and landslides that severed key routes between the Lower Mainland and the Interior. Provincial officials say multiple highways, including the Coquihalla and Highways 1, 3, 5 and 11, remain shut as crews assess washouts and unstable slopes. The closure of Highway 11 has also halted access to the Sumas border crossing. In Abbotsford, 371 properties on the Sumas Prairie were ordered evacuated overnight as waters linked to the overflowing Nooksack River conti