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

Residents of a tiny community in northeastern British Columbia are suing the local and provincial governments over two slow-moving landslides they claim caused their property values to plummet. In a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court this week, 35 residents in Old Fort., B.C., allege negligence and breach of their charter right to security of the person. Evacuation orders and alerts were issued in September 2018 and June 2020 after a slope above the community of about 50 homes slumped, damaging the only road in and out. The claim alleges that the first slide was caused by activ

People in a tiny Indian village surrounded by rice paddies have flocked to a Hindu temple, burst crackers and uttered prayers in celebration. Locals lit diyas at native village of Kamala Harris' mother in Thulasendrapuram on the day of her swearing-in ceremony for US Vice Presidential post. They watched on television as village descendant Kamala Harris took the oath to become US vice president. Harris' maternal grandfather was born in the village near the southern coastal city of Chennai. Harris, who is also Black, has often talked about her South Asian roots. Harris entered her new office bui

Shareholders of Vancouver-based West Fraser Timber and Toronto-based Norbord have voted to join forces. The move unites two of Canada's largest producers of wood products, creating a single Vancouver-based firm which keeps the West Fraser name. It now boasts 10,000 employees. Officials behind the merger say the new company, which will be owned 56% by West Fraser shareholders and 44% by Norbord investors, aims to be a "one-stop shop" for construction customers. West Fraser has 45 mills and other facilities across BC, Alberta, and the southern US, while Norbord has an oriented strand board mill

Kamala Harris has been sworn in as the nation's first female vice-president. The former U.S. senator from California is also the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice presidency and becomes the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in government. She was sworn in Wednesday by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court. Vice-President Mike Pence, standing in for President Donald Trump, was sitting nearby as Lady Gaga sang the national anthem accompanied by the U.S. Marine Corps band. Multiple glass ceilings shattered in W

A medical health officer with Interior Health says COVID-19 is still spreading among people who live and work at a Kelowna ski resort. Dr. Silvina Mema says the health authority is testing broadly at Big White and 28 more cases have been linked to the cluster identified last month. The latest cases push the total to 203. It includes 43 active infections. Ski resort and local authorities are working to map possible exposures. Big White says in an update posted online Interior Health has advised that most people affected work on the mountain.

Illicit drug overdoses are rising in northern British Columbia and health officials warn a new mix of street drugs can make a key life-saving medication less effective. Northern Health and the First Nations Health Authority have issued an overdose alert, warning that benzodiazepines, or benzos, have been found in illicit drugs circulating in the region. The alert says users of drugs contaminated with benzos might be difficult to rouse and could also be slow to respond to naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses. Health officials say benzos impede brain activity and raise the potentia