BC's police watchdog has cleared Vancouver officers involve in a fatal shooting in the city's Downtown Eastside earlier this year. A report from the Independent Investigations Office says the officers' use of force in the January 5th shooting was, quote, ``justified, necessary and proportionate'' because ``they had no choice.'' It says the officers feared the man, who was not named by the oversight agency, would either stab them or bystanders with a sword he was carrying. The watchdog's report says the officers were not carrying a stun gun and fired a total of five shots from their firearms f

Vancouver Police released video today showing a violent and unprovoked attack on a homeless man, and ask anyone who can identify the suspect to call police. "We’d like everyone to take a good look at these images," says Sergeant Steve Addison, VPD. "We’re confident someone knows these people and can help us solve this crime."The bystander video was taken around 1 a.m. on July 26, on Hamilton Street in Yaletown. It shows a man in his 20s arguing for several minutes with a group of people, who he appears to know. When a homeless man walked by the group, the suspect swatted him in the head, c

Canada's women's issues minister faced questions today after she referred to the Taliban as "our brothers" during a news conference on the escalating crisis in Afghanistan. But Maryam Monsef dismissed the criticism, noting that Canada continues to see the Taliban as a terrorist organization. Monsef issued a direct appeal to the Taliban today, calling on them to allow safe passage to Kabul airport for anyone wanting to leave Afghanistan. The Taliban has refused to allow Afghan nationals from passing their checkpoints around the airport. Under questioning from reporters, Monsef later said the "b

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole made a campaign stop in Brantford, Ontario this morning to promise that a Tory government would work with the provinces to invest in mental health initiatives. He says the mental health crisis is the epidemic within the COVID-19 pandemic. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is promising to raise the corporate income tax rate for big banks and insurance companies to fund programs that would help people bounce back from the hard times of the pandemic. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is promising to take on the big telecom companies if elected and get them to lower cellphone

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021.Fires:Wildfires currently burning in B.C.: 249Since April 1, 2021:1,551 wildfires861,283 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 26Coastal: 18Kamloops: 86Northwest: 5Prince George: 52Southeast: 62Resources:Firefighters and other personnel currently fighting the fires: 3,374Out-of-province firefighters: 464Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 161Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 48 (-6)Evacuation alerts: 96 (-15)Properties:Number

Emergency Management BC says about 3,700 properties are on evacuation order, down from nearly 8,200 a week ago.A news release says nearly 11,300 properties are on evacuation alert — which means people must be ready to leave on short notice — also down from more than 23,000 last week.The Regional District of Central Okanagan says the evacuation order for more than 1,300 properties and alert for about 850 of them remains unchanged as the White Rock Lake Creek wildfire continues to burn.The White Rock Lake Creek wildfire is still classified as out-of-control and is estimated to be 810 square

A Canadian military aircraft with more than 500 evacuees aboard flew out of Kabul on Wednesday.It was one of a stream of military planes that took off as evacuees lined up on the tarmac.Others desperate to get on a flight remain outside, some standing knee-deep in sewage and waving identity documents at Western soldiers in hopes of being allowed to go beyond the barbed wire fencing.Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says Canada is keeping boots on the ground and planes in the air for as long as possible.But he says there are significant challenges since the Taliban controls checkpoints leadi

B.C. is reporting 641 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 161,271 cases in the province.There are currently 5,357 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 153,967 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 138 individuals are currently in hospital and 78 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,801.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreak at KinVillage West Court (Fraser Health) has b

Vancouver Police arrested a 36-year-old man Monday after two apparently random assaults in Marpole. "VPD has been alarmed by the significant increase in seemingly-unprovoked assaults throughout the city in recent weeks, and we’re pleased to have made an immediate arrest in this case," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "We’re continuing to investigate any possible connections to other unsolved crimes."The two victims, a 65-year-old man and a 37-year-old man, were allegedly assaulted near Ontario Street and South East Marine Drive around 3 p.m. Monday afternoon. Police believe the suspect approac