BCSep 18, 2021
B.C. reports 768 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths
B.C. is reporting 768 new cases of COVID-19, including 19 epi-linked cases, for a total of 177,954 cases in the province.There are currently 6,031 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 169,653 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 298 individuals are in hospital and 135 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, 11 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,888.From Sept. 9-15, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 75.9% of cases and from Sept. 2-15 they accounted for 86.2% of ho
BCSep 17, 2021
Drought-weakened trees, fall storms could mean more power outages: BC Hydro
Residents across British Columbia are being advised to prepare a well-stocked emergency kit for what BC Hydro warns could be a stormy fall and winter made worse by the effects of a severe summer drought. The latest report from the Crown utility says record-breaking heat between June and August in many parts of the province killed trees or weakened their root systems. It says unstable trees, combined with predicted stormier La Nina weather conditions, create the potential for more power outages if they topple across power lines. BC Hydro says conditions heading into the fall mirror those in 20
BCSep 17, 2021
BC won't take COVID-19 patients from Alberta: Adrian Dix
Health Minister Adrian Dix says BC won't be taking any COVID-19 patients from Alberta as that province grapples with the highest number of cases in the country and braces for the possible collapse of its health-care system in just over a week. Dix says BC has its own pandemic demands but will try to help in other ways and maybe take patients in the future. Alberta has reintroduced restrictions on gatherings and elements of a vaccine passport. There have been massive cancellations of non-urgent surgery across Alberta as staff are reassigned to COVID care.
BCSep 17, 2021
Predictions of extra wet and windy conditions in B.C.'s south coast: Environment Canada
Environment Canada is forecasting extra wet and windy conditions for British Columbia's south coast today. It says in a weather warning that a robust frontal system will bring heavy rain and gusty winds that should ease tonight. The warning says 50 to 70 millimetres of rainfall is expected from eastern Vancouver Island to the Fraser Valley and up to Whistler, with potentially higher amounts over Howe Sound and the North Shore mountains. It warns heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads and says drivers should turn on their lights if visibility is reduced and maintain
CanadaSep 17, 2021
Former defence chief Jonathan Vance's case adjourned to October
Former defence chief Jonathan Vance's obstruction of justice case has been adjourned till next month after its first, brief, virtual courtroom proceeding. Military police charged the former Canadian Armed Forces commander, who was not present but represented by a lawyer at the hearing Friday, with one count of obstruction of justice in July. Investigators referred the case to the civilian court system, citing what it described as "the limitations of the military justice system" in trying Canada's top military officer. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service alleged in court document
CanadaSep 17, 2021
Leaders make get-out-the-vote plea for Monday as campaign race hits
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says the federal campaign won't be an exercise in futility even if voters choose another minority government.With just days to go before Monday's vote, polls suggest Trudeau's Liberals and Erin O'Toole's Conservatives are running neck-and-neck and that neither could land a majority mandate.Speaking in the border city of Windsor, Ont., Trudeau says the policy debates Canadians have had over the past five weeks will underpin the next government's agenda.Trudeau adds that voters may not see an election being necessary for a path out of the pandemic, but he says it's
BCSep 17, 2021
B.C. reports 706 new COVID-19 cases and 4 deaths
B.C. is reporting 706 new cases of COVID-19, including three epi-linked cases, for a total of 177,186 cases in the province.There are 5,844 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 169,083 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 291 individuals are in hospital and 134 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, four new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,877.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: threeNorthern Health: one From Sept. 8-14, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 76.1%
CanadaSep 16, 2021
Western University to mandate sexual violence training following allegations
An Ontario university investigating allegations of sexual misconduct will require all students living in residence to take training on sexual assault and consent. Western University has introduced the measure as part of a new ``action plan'' to address concerns around sexual violence and student safety. The school says it plans to make the training mandatory for all students, but that it's starting with those who live on campus, with the first sessions happening Monday. Western will also hire one-hundred new ``safety ambassadors'' a mix of upper-year undergraduates and graduate students who w
BCSep 16, 2021
Police identify man whose body was found near Nicola Lake, classify death as homicide
The RCMP say they now believe a man whose body was found near Nicola Lake in British Columbia was the victim of a homicide. Officers found the body in the rural area Tuesday and initially described the death as suspicious. Investigators from the Southeast District Major Crime Unit are identifying the man as 51 year old Dennis Michael Walters of Merritt, B.C. Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet says in a news release that investigators are working on a timeline of events leading up to his death. Anyone with information or knowledge of Walters' whereabouts on Monday until the discovery of his body Tuesd