The archbishop of Edmonton says the apology from Pope Francis for the role the Roman Catholic Church played in the residential school system is just the first step on the road to healing. Archbishop Richard Smith, who was part of a delegation to the Vatican that included several Indigenous leaders, says the apology was a milestone and historic and is part of a springboard for reconciliation. The Indigenous groups involved in the delegation also requested the church provide reparations, return artifacts and share any documents about residential schools. Smith says although the pontiff has indi

A member of the BC Liberal caucus is resigning her Surrey-area seat after 13 years in order to become Canada's first Chief Accessibility Officer. Stephanie Cadieux is the first woman with a disability to serve in the legislature and in cabinet, where she held a number of portfolios including children and family development, social development and labour. The 49 year old has used a wheelchair since she suffered spinal injuries in a car accident when she was 18 years old. A document from Employment and Social Development Canada announcing Cadieux as the first Chief Accessibility Officer says sh

The BC government says it's taking steps to help alleviate a shortage of veterinarians by doubling the number of seats it subsidizes at veterinary college. Advanced Education Minister Anne Kang says the province will provide nearly 10.7-million dollars to support 40 students entering the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan this fall, up from 20. Kang says BC is also considering how to improve the recognition of foreign credentials and looking at opportunities for veterinarians who would like to move to BC to help shorten wait times for the care of pets and livestock. Victor

A 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to a year in an open-custody facility and six months of community supervision in a crash that killed two children in Vaughan, Ont., north of Toronto. York Regional Police say the teen, who was 16 at the time of the crash, also faces a six-year driving ban. They say he pleaded guilty in December to two counts of dangerous driving causing death and one of dangerous driving causing bodily harm. Police say the boy, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, was at the wheel of a Mercedes that went off the road and struck three people in a residential driv

Environment Canada says a powerful windstorm was expected to lash much of the west coast of Vancouver Island with strong gusts and towering waves capable of inundating low-lying shorelines. The weather office warned of dangerous storm surges on Monday as west winds gust to 100 kilometres per hour. The agency said the winds could send waves of up to 12 metres ``crashing onshore'' during the height of the storm. A wind warning was also issued for Greater Victoria with west winds of 70 to 90 kilometres forecast over the region until Tuesday. The incoming system was also slated to blanket souther

On April 3rd, 2022, at 3:54 am, AbbyPD patrol officers responded to a report of a sexual assault within the 32900 block of South Fraser Way. A female victim reported walking through a local business parking lot when she was approached by an unknown man driving a grey or silver van. During this encounter, the victim was sexually assaulted.The suspect male is described as South Asian, 30 years of age, with short brown hair and a beard.The AbbyPD Major Crime Unit is in the preliminary stages of this investigation; however, the initial investigation suggests this to be a random incident. No suspec

British Columbia Premier John Horgan says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home. Horgan announced on his verified Twitter account that he tested positive for COVID-19 today.He says his symptoms are mild and he is thankful to be fully vaccinated.Horgan, who recently underwent radiation treatments for throat cancer, says he is following public health guidelines, so he is isolating and working from home until his symptoms resolve.The premier was at the legislature last Wednesday when he participated in the government's introduction of a plan to implement goals for its law o

President Joe Biden on Monday called for war crimes trial against Russia President Vladimir Putin and said he’d seek more sanctions after reported atrocities in Ukraine."You saw what happened in Bucha," Biden said. He added that Putin "is a war criminal" Biden’s comments to reporters came after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha, one of the towns surrounding Kyiv where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found. Zelenskyy called the Russian actions "genocide" and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia.The bodies of 410 civilians

B.C. is reporting 357 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 356,858 cases in the province.There are 274 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 35 are in intensive care.In the past 24 hours, four new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 3,002. From March 24-30, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 18% of cases.From March 17-30, they accounted for 20.9% of hospitalizations.Past week cases (March 24-30) - Total 1,608Not vaccinated: 261 (16.3%)Partially vaccinated: 28 (1.7%)Fully vaccinated: 1,319 (82%)Past two weeks cases hospitalized (March 17-30) - Total 382Not vaccinated