Job-protected leave has been written into British Columbia's Employment Standards Act to give workers time off to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. Labour Minister Harry Bains says the safeguard will ensure that no one will lose their job if they need time away to get vaccinated. The changes allow part-time and full-time workers to take as much time as needed to travel and receive the vaccine or to take a dependent family member to get their shot, though no specific time has been set out. Bains says he know that most businesses understand the importance of having their employees vaccinated to

An inspection of a long-term care home that was the site of BC's deadliest COVID-19 outbreak found staffing levels were low and cleaning was inadequate as the virus spread throughout the facility. The Vancouver Coastal Health inspection report obtained through a freedom of information request says these two issues were corrected while the outbreak was still underway in Little Mountain Place. Bernadette Cheung filed a complaint that prompted the report after her grandmother died of COVID-19 at the Vancouver home along with 40 other residents. Cheung says the report doesn't provide details, suc

Beginning one month today, electric car drivers will have to pay to power-up their vehicles at fast-charge stations. BC Hydro gave the thumbs up to start applying user fees after getting the OK from the BC Utilities Commission to charge anywhere from 12 to 27 cents per minute. But John Stonier of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association worries the rates are too low. He says that in order to encourage hotels, restaurants and service centres along highways to install charging stations, those businesses need to get their money back through charging.

A decision by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal says anyone denied service for refusing to wear a mask must be ready to prove they have a disability if they intend to file a complaint. The warning is contained in a screening decision published Wednesday as tribunal member Steven Adamson addresses what he describes as a large volume of complaints alleging discrimination related to mask requirements. Screening decisions are among the first steps in a tribunal investigation and are rarely released, but Adamson says he's publishing his findings because there have been many similar compla

British Columbia is introducing new training requirements for commercial truck drivers that the government says will make highways safer.B.C. is the latest province to require mandatory entry-level training (MELT) for commercial drivers, requiring 140 hours of training.It says in a news release the mandatory entry-level training for new Class-1 commercial licence applicants exceeds national requirements.The training for applicants will be required before road tests, beginning October 18th and list of approved training providers will be released by mid-June, the province announced.Lawrence and

Lakhs of farmers, protesting against the three farm laws passed by the union government last year, will march towards the Parliament on foot sometime in the middle of the month of May, said All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) General Secretary Hannan Mollah on Thursday.Mollah told ANI that the march is being organised because "the government is not listening to the voices of the farmers"."Modi Government and Parliament are not listening to the farmers then it is our right to go in front of Parliament and raise our demand and we will decide sometime between the middle in the month of May. Thousands of

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of protesting farmer unions against central farm laws, has announced a 'Parliament March' in the first fortnight of May."SKM has announced a Parliament March in the first fortnight of May. Other than farmers and labourers, here women, Dalit-Adivasi-Bahujans, unemployed youth and every section of society will be part of this march. This program will be completely peaceful," read a release by the SKM on Wednesday.The farmers' body said people will come in their vehicles from their villages to the borders of Delhi."After this, a Paidal March will

A Delhi court will hear the bail plea of Punjabi actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, accused of January 26 tractor rally violence, on April 8.On Wednesday, the Tis Hazari court had adjourned the hearing on the bail application filed by Sidhu after a jurisdictional issue arose.Sidhu, accused of allegedly inciting violence near the Red Fort on Republic Day, had moved his bail petition in the court on Tuesday.Police had arrested Sidhu on February 9.The names of Sidhu and others were included in the FIR registered in connection with the violence, Delhi Police had said earlier while adding that Sidhu

Police say a parolee who was convicted of killing his mother nearly two decades ago has been arrested on charges including felony assault as a hate crime for a brutal attack on an Asian American woman near New York City's Times Square. Police said Brandon Elliot is the man seen on video kicking and stomping the woman on Monday. It's not clear whether he has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf. The New York Times reports that victim's daughter has identified her as Vilma Kari, a 65 year old woman who immigrated from the Philippines. NYPD on Twitter: At today’s press conference @NYPDShea sha