British Columbia's provincial health officer says the public needs to do a better job at lowering the number of COVID-19 cases and encouraged younger residents to avoid large social gatherings. Dr. Bonnie Henry says a pandemic is a good excuse to skip a party. Dr. Henry says gatherings of young people, even if it is less than the 50 person limit, are a concern for health officials. She says when alcohol is involved, people often don't take the precautions they normally would. B.C. reported 131 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, bringing the provincial total to 4,065. There have been no new d

A man has been charged with manslaughter just over two months after a woman died in Surrey. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 47 year old man was arrested Friday and court documents show he is expected to return to court in early September. A statement from the homicide team says he was questioned because he was with 40 year old Karlee Dixon when she was found unconscious in a Surrey home on June 2nd. She died later in hospital and the homicide team says it worked with RCMP to gather evidence and submit a charge recommendation to Crown.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canada is ``deeply concerned'' by a violent crackdown following presidential elections in Belarus. Dozens of people have been injured and thousands detained in the country since Sunday's vote, with police brutally breaking up mostly young protesters. The protests came as Belarusian election officials said authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko had won a sixth term in office with 80 per cent of the vote. Election officials say opposition challenger Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya received 10 per cent of the vote, but she has dismissed th

A group of hotel workers has launched a hunger strike to demand help for hospitality workers across BC. The unionized protesters, members of Unite Here Local 40, have gathered on the steps of the legislature to highlight their request for provincial assistance. They want the province to ensure 50,000 hotel workers laid off during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic will get their jobs back before BC considers assistance for the tourism sector. Tourism operators are proposing a $680-million dollar bail out package but Unite Here says its members should be first in line for any aid.

First responders in Delta had their hands full last night when a total of nine people were hurt as two vehicles collided.Delta police say a car coming through a North Delta intersection hit a left-turning vehicle and both cars ended up on the sidewalk, striking a pedestrian in the process.The statement from Delta police says four people were in each car and two of those eight were young children, but their injuries are considered minor.Injuries suffered by the seven adults range from minor to serious but none is listed as life-threatening and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Opposition MPs on the Commons finance committee want to know more about an agreement between Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and a company where the husband of the prime minister's chief of staff works.Katie Telford's husband Rob Silver is an executive vice-president at M-CAP, which the government tapped to administer a rent-assistance program for small businesses affected by COVID-19.The Prime Minister's Office says Telford established clear ethical walls between herself and M-CAP back in January. CMHC says it didn't have the internal capacity to quickly get the program running and t

Fraser Health says a staff member at a long-term care home has tested positive for COVID-19.The health authority says in a statement that the case is at New Vista Care Home, which is operated by New Vista Care Society.A Fraser Health rapid response team is on site, and communication with residents and families is underway.Fraser Health says the outbreak is limited to one unit in the building.It says the staff member is self isolating at home.The health authority says it is working with staff to identify anyone who may have been exposed.

Vancouver Coastal Health says Sunset Beach is not suitable for swimming because of high E. coli levels.The health authority put an advisory in place Saturday after a water quality test showed 1,375 E. coli per 100 mL.It says the standard is less than 400 E. coli/100mL.Vancouver Coastal Health says high E. coli counts in recreational waters may increase the chances or gastrointestinal issues, upper respiratory illnesses, and skin and eye infection.It says the risk of getting sick is higher if people swallow water or otherwise get it in their nose, eyes, ears or an open wound.Bowen Island's Snug

The federal Liberal government has turned over thousands of pages of documents related to the WE controversy to a House of Commons' committee, which lawyers are now vetting for personal information and cabinet secrets. The finance committee demanded the documents last month as it probes whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's relationship with WE Charity influenced the government's ill-fated decision to have the organization run a $912-million student-volunteer program. The Liberals handed more than 5,000 pages about the decision to the committee over the weekend, but it isn't clear when they