The new leader of the federal Conservatives says while he isn't afraid to fight in a fall election, he wants to first try co-operating with the Liberal government to bring effective leadership to Canada during the pandemic. Erin O'Toole isn't saying if he will support Liberal's speech from the throne on September 23rd, which will lay out the government's post-pandemic plan and will be followed by a confidence vote. O'Toole says he wants to see the Trudeau government address western alienation. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says as prime minister, he would lead a government that rebuilds th

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has made a ``limited reset'' of his cabinet to accommodate a renamed portfolio for jobs, the economy and innovation.Doug Schweitzer, who was justice minister, will hold the post, which Kenney says is a rebrand of the Economic Development, Trade and Tourism Ministry.Kenney says Schweitzer will work to implement Alberta's recently launched economic plan to help the province recover from the ``double whammy'' of low oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Conference Board of Canada is forecasting Alberta will be the most heavily hit province this year with an 11 per

A wildfire south of Penticton is dying down, allowing firefighting crews to move around its flanks as officials inspect the area to ensure it's safe for evacuees to return to their homes. The fire has scorched more than 20 square kilometres of land on the east side of Skaha Lake and destroyed one home since last week.The B-C Wildfire Service says the fire is now classified as rank one on a scale of six, which refers to smoldering ground fires with no open flames and white smoke that can be attacked by ground crews using hand tools, pumps and hoses. An evacuation alert was lifted for nearly 37

A new Statistics Canada survey suggests that while the vast majority of Canadians would get a COVID-19 vaccine if and when it becomes available, more than one in 10 likely would not.The survey comes as governments around the world are rushing to develop a vaccine for the illness that has infected more than 23 million people around the world, including 126,000 in Canada.Among the reasons respondents gave for not wanting the vaccine were concerns about its safety and potential side effects, while some said they did not trust vaccines in general.Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Ta

British Columbia's chief coroner says 175 people fatally overdosed in July, matching the same total in June as access to harm-reduction services such as a safer supply of drugs remains a challenge.Lisa Lapointe says a disruption in the typical supply of drugs due to border closures during the pandemic has led to the trafficking of substances with extreme concentrations of illicit fentanyl. July's death toll represents a 136 per cent increase over the 74 deaths during the same month last year. B.C. set a monthly overdose record in May, when 171 people died.Almost 6,000 people have fatally over

A new survey suggests Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals are well placed if they end up losing a confidence vote this fall, seen as the party best able to care for Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic and to get the economy back on its feet.Respondents to the online survey, conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, were split about the prospect of a federal election this fall, with 42 per cent opposed to the idea and 38 per cent in favour.But if there were an election today, 38 per cent of decided voters said they'd support the Liberals, compared to 30 per cent for

There are 125,647 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 61,741 confirmed (including 5,744 deaths, 54,761 resolved) Ontario: 41,507 confirmed (including 2,798 deaths, 37,673 resolved) Alberta: 13,006 confirmed (including 234 deaths, 11,600 resolved) British Columbia: 5,184 confirmed (including 203 deaths, 4,068 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,602 confirmed (including 22 deaths, 1,482 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,080 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,008 resolved) Manitoba: 993 confirmed (including 12 deaths, 586 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador: 268 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 265 resolved) New Bruns

British Columbia has hit its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 109 people testing positive for the disease. The milestone was reached between Friday and Saturday, surpassing the 100 cases reported on Aug. 14. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says 269 cases were reported between Friday and Sunday, and one person died, for a total of 203 fatalities in B.C. Dr. Henry says the province has ramped up testing, with up to 5,000 tests being done every day, and that the undetected transmission rate remains low. However, she says keeping the number o

A recent traffic stop in Kamloops resulted in the seizure of more than 840,000 dollars. Corporal Mike Halskov says a semi-truck had returned to BC from Alberta and it's suspected the cash was drug money. He says a police dog indicated that the money inside smelled like illicit drugs. The driver was a man from Surrey in his 50s and a charge of possession of the proceeds of crime is expected to be laid.