BCJan 19, 2021
Man, woman, each fined $230 for coughing on patrons of Vancouver gym: police
A man and woman have each been fined for pretending to cough on customers in a gym just steps from Vancouver police headquarters. A statement from police says the owner of the gym flagged down two passing constables outside the business Saturday night. He said a man and woman, who were not wearing masks and were not members of the gym, were inside coughing in the general direction of patrons and equipment. A 60 year old man and his 25 year old girlfriend told the officers they were only pretending to cough. Police say the couple claimed they reacted because gym members were staring at them. Th
BCJan 19, 2021
14 year old student arrested after another case of violence on school grounds in Mission
RCMP in Mission say a 14 year old student was arrested and released pending an investigation after another case of violence on school grounds. The Mounties say the student from Heritage Park Middle School was arrested after an assault at Mission Secondary last Wednesday. That's after video footage showed another assault on the Heritage Park school grounds last Monday, resulting in the arrests of two teen girls. The video circulated on social media shows two people kicking and punching the victim while a crowd looks on, laughing. A drive-by rally was held Sunday in support of the 13 year old t
CanadaJan 19, 2021
PM Trudeau warns to cancel international trips; government could at any time, and without warning, enforce new restrictions on return to Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says any Canadian planning an international trip should cancel it. Trudeau is warning that while Canadians have the right to travel, the government could at any time, and without warning, enforce new restrictions on travellers returning to Canada. New variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 add a level of uncertainty that could affect decisions about how to handle international arrivals. The Public Health Agency of Canada has documented 183 flights arriving in Canada from abroad since Jan. 4 alone, on which at least one passenger had COVID-19. That includes fo
BCJan 19, 2021
Cluster of COVID-19 cases prompts a private school in Duncan to close its doors
A cluster of COVID-19 cases has prompted a private school in Duncan to close its doors until February 1st, while students learn remotely. Duncan Christian School says exposures first reported on January 6th have affected a high number of staff, making it difficult to operate. The number of cases linked to the school has not been released, while Island Health has categorized the situation as a "cluster," which is less severe than an outbreak in which transmission is likely widespread. A letter sent to members of the school community says Island Health would contact any students or staff identi
CanadaJan 19, 2021
Tory MP Derek Sloan says he'll fight efforts to expel him from party ranks
Ontario Conservative MP Derek Sloan says he'll fight efforts by his party's leader to boot him from caucus.Sloan says a decision by leader Erin O'Toole that he should be tossed out over a donation to his leadership campaign by a known white supremacist is ridiculous.O'Toole announced he's launching the effort to remove Sloan late Monday, after news broke that Sloan's campaign had received a donation from Paul Fromm last year.O'Toole framed the decision as being a question of having no tolerance for racism within his party.But Sloan is raising questions about that approach, saying Fromm is a p
IndiaJan 19, 2021
Centre postpones tenth round of talks with farmers to January 20
The central government has postponed the tenth round of scheduled talks with the protesting farmers' representatives to January 20, informed the Agriculture Ministry on Monday. The meeting was earlier scheduled for Tuesday, January 19 and now it will be held on Wednesday at Vigyan Bhavan at 2 pm. "The government's ministerial meeting with farmers unions will be held on January 20 at 2 pm at Vigyan Bhawan, instead of January 19," the Ministry said in a statement.As the ninth round of talks between the central government and farmer unions on January 15 remained inconclusive, Union Agriculture Mi
BCJan 19, 2021
B.C. COVID-19 immunizations still on track for end of March: Dr. Bonnie Henry
British Columbia's top doctor says production delays for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are a temporary setback that will slow down the delivery of first doses in the province over the next few weeks. But Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. is still on track to vaccinate its most vulnerable residents by the end of March, ahead of a significant expansion of the province's immunization program in April. She says a shortfall of about 60,000 doses of vaccine should be made up in March. B.C. has recorded 1,330 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, including 301 in the last 24 hours, the lowest single-d
CanadaJan 19, 2021
Alberta is putting a pause on administering the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines: Premier Kenney
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the province is putting a pause on administering the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Kenney says he is "deeply disappointed" by pharmaceutical company Pfizer's decision to cut back on promised deliveries of vaccine doses to Canada over the next four weeks. Meantime, Ontario is stretching the time for a second dose to 42 days instead of 21, and BC is thinking of going beyond 35 days. Biden should give Canada a chance to make the case for pipeline Alberta Premier Jason Kenney wants US President elect Joe Biden to give the Canadian government a chance to make
BCJan 19, 2021
Rescue society praises B.C.'s teens survival skills after he got lost snowmobiling
Search and rescue volunteers are praising the actions of a teen who spent several hours lost in the backcountry over the weekend. The South Cariboo Search and Rescue Society says the 17 year old made responsible choices when he found himself separated from his group of snowmobilers on Saturday. The youth dug a snow cave, and thanks to the food and water he was also carrying, was warm and comfortable while awaiting rescue.He got separated near Mahood Lake, about 80 kilometres east of 100 Mile House. Fellow snowmobilers called search and rescue when their own two-hour search failed to find the