A former British Columbia finance minister and a current member of the legislature are part of a seven-member committee overseeing the upcoming Liberal leadership campaign to replace former leader Andrew Wilkinson. Colin Hansen, a former Liberal cabinet minister, has been appointed co-chair of the party's Leadership Election Organizing Committee, sharing the job with Victoria lawyer Roxanne Helme. Wilkinson resigned after the Liberals not only lost the election last fall, but seats that were once considered safe for the party. Prince George Liberal Shirley Bond is currently serving as interim

BC's public safety minister says those who continue to break COVID-19 public health orders may face more than a fine. It comes as recent numbers show more than half of the total fines handed out were over the last month. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says recent incidents, such as a Vancouver couple pretending to cough on people at a gym, are reprehensible and repugnant. But Farnworth adds that many people appear to be following the rules. 119 tickets have been issued in past 2 weeks. Since Aug. 21st last year, a total of 693 tickets have been issued. Among the tickets issued during p

Federal officials say COVID-19 case counts in Canada seem to be on the decline, but warn that infection rates are still highest among the people most vulnerable to severe illness. In a daily update, Dr. Theresa Tam says Canada has averaged 6,309 new diagnoses a day over the past week, and 148 deaths from the illness each day. But Tam says she expects that cases of severe illness will continue to rise, because it takes several days for symptoms to get bad enough to require hospitalization. The downward trend in infections seems to be holding steady in two of Canada's hardest-hit provinces. Ont

Mounties in 100 Mile House are watching a church that's alleged to have held Sunday morning services in violation of rules on public gatherings. RCMP say they were called to the 100 Mile House Baptist Church after receiving a complaint and watched people leaving the building with no visible face coverings. In a recording of the service posted online, the pastor thanks people for coming and asks them to open their Bibles to a specific passage. Police say they took down licence plate numbers and owner registration information and while no fines were handed out, they say potential action could b

A day after the government proposed that it is ready to put new farm laws on hold for about 18 months, the protesting farmer unions rejected the proposal and insisted on their demand for the repeal of the three laws. A press release issued by Samyukta Kisan Morcha after a full general body meeting on Thursday said that "the proposal put forth by the Government yesterday was rejected". "A full repeal of three central farm laws and enacting legislation for remunerative minimum support price (MSP) for all farmers were reiterated as the pending demands of the movement," said the release signed by

The White House says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will speak with newly inaugurated U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday.Press secretary Jen Psaki says Trudeau will be the first foreign leader to speak with Biden since his inauguration.The two have a lot to talk about: hours after his inauguration, Biden signed an executive order effectively cancelling the US$8-billion Keystone XL pipeline expansion.In a statement, Trudeau says he's disappointed in the decision, but appreciates Biden's commitment to climate change — a sign Ottawa isn't going to push hard on trying to reverse the decision.He

British Columbia's provincial health officer and health minister say the province's COVID-19 case count is ``trending in the right direction.'' Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say public restrictions will ease if the number of COVID-19 cases continue to drop. The province reported 500 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. There have been a total of 62,412 cases since the pandemic began and there are 4,345 active cases. There have also been 14 new deaths, bringing to 1,104 the number of COVID-19 related fatalities since March. Dr. Henry and Dix say in a joint statement that 98,12

Controversial MP Derek Sloan has been kicked out of the Conservative caucus in a move party leader Erin O'Toole said was due to a "pattern of destructive behaviour" that had become a distraction. But Sloan is not going quietly. On Facebook, he urged so-called "blue" Tories to keep their party memberships and make their voices heard at an upcoming policy convention. Party leader Erin O'Toole initiated the caucus removal process late Monday after news of the donation surfaced. Sloan did not dispute he received the money from Paul Fromm, but has said he was unaware of it. Sloan has been in hot wa

President Joe Biden has signed a series of executive orders from the Oval Office hours after his inauguration. Biden wore a mask while seated behind the Resolute Desk with a stack of orders early Wednesday evening. He said there was "no time to start like today." The first order Biden signed was related to the coronavirus pandemic. He also signed an order reentering the U.S. into the Paris climate accord. While his predecessor Donald Trump broke long-standing practice by skipping Biden's inauguration, he did follow through on one tradition and left behind a letter for Biden. The new Democrati