The BC Coroners Service says 127 people fatally overdosed on illicit drugs in September, up from 60 deaths during the same period last year. It says an average of four people died every day in September, but the number of fatalities declined from 150 in August and is lower than the record number of 183 in June. The service says 70 per cent of the fatalities this year have been among those aged 30 to 59 and most of the dead have been men. Fatal overdoses began declining in B.C. at the beginning of the year, with 79 fatalities recorded in January, but started rising in March as the COVID-19 pan

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his children are not going trick-or-treating for Halloween this year. He says this is because Ottawa, where he and his family live, is considered a COVID-19 hot spot and local public health officials have advised against children going door-to-door this year. He says his children might take part in a hunt for candy around the house instead. Trudeau says he understands how frustrating the pandemic is for parents and children but stressed it is important to listen to the guidance of local public health officials. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health o

B.C.'s political leaders are campaigning in Metro Vancouver in the final few days of the provincial election. B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson defended a news release put out by his party that accused the NDP of trying to suppress the vote by calling an election during a pandemic. Speaking at a dairy farm in Surrey, Wilkinson says NDP Leader John Horgan's ``selfishness'' in calling an early election as the province hit a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic shouldn't override the public's right to get out and vote. Horgan took his campaign to Coquitlam, where he pushed his health-care pla

Premier Doug Ford is encouraging anyone with COVID-19 symptoms who lives in a virus hot spot to get tested. Ford says the province has set up additional testing units in those regions but some people seem to be holding back from getting an assessment. His comments come as the province reports that it conducted 24,049 tests in the last day, with nearly the same amount being processed. Ford says the province now has the capacity to process up to 50,000 tests per day and has eliminated its testing backlog. He says the government would like to see more people getting tested in regions where the vi

Ottawa is committing 12-million-dollars to a fund to help small business owners respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The money is to be made available through the Canada United Small Business Resilience Fund. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he knows things have been challenging for small business owners. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the resilience and creativity shown by small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic is an inspiration. The new federal funding will help small business owners buy personal protective equipment, renovate their spaces to respond to local public health me

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says he's willing to change the name and mandate of a proposed committee to probe COVID-19 relief programs to make it clear his party doesn't want to force an election. The Liberals have said that in pushing for an "anticorruption committee", the Tories are effectively saying they've lost confidence in the government, so the vote on setting it up ought to be one of confidence.That means if the Tories get the support of the Bloc Quebecois and NDP for the motion, they could topple the government.O'Toole says the Liberals' approach is nonsense and Canadians shoul

British Columbia is reporting 499 cases of COVID-19 detected over three days between Friday and Monday. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. is in the midst of a second wave, but it's still not recording new infections at the same rate as other provinces. She is once again reminding people that they can help control the trajectory of the outbreak by keeping social interactions low so schools and scheduled surgeries can continue. She adds that the number of people in hospital with the illness in B.C. has stabilized and sits at 67 people among 1,639 active cases. Two more people

President Donald Trump says people are tired of hearing from Dr. Anthony Fauci ``and all these idiots'' about the coronavirus. Trump has made no secret of his growing impatience with Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert. Speaking Monday to campaign staffers, Trump called Fauci a ``disaster'' but said he'd create bigger issues for himself if he fired the doctor. Fauci is head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is a member of the White House coronavirus task force. Trump has needled Fauci over his advice on wearing face masks. Nearly 220,000 Americ

Canada has marked a bleak COVID-19 milestone. The second wave of the pandemic has pushed the total case count past 200,000. This comes as tougher restrictions take effect in regions facing a surge in infections. Canada saw its first confirmed case in late January and marked 100,000 cases in mid-June, about five months later. Health experts say it's crucial to remember Canada is in the midst of the second wave and these kinds of milestones serve as a reminder of the need for continued vigilance. Today, Quebec is reporting 1,038 new cases of COVID-19 and six more deaths attributed to the novel