Homeowners in British Columbia whose property is valued at just under $2 million will still be eligible for the annual homeowner grant. The provincial government announced Wednesday it has raised the grant threshold to $1.975 million for this year.The government says in a news release that the new cap will ensure 92 per cent of residential properties are covered, lowering the amount of taxes people pay on their principal residence. Those who own and live in their homes in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Capital Regional districts are eligible for the $570 basic grant, or up to $845 for

President Joe Biden and members of Congress are solemnly marking the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection. Biden assailed then-President Donald Trump and his supporters, saying that ``they failed'' to overturn democracy. The ceremonies at the Capitol were widely attended by Democrats, but almost every Republican on Capitol Hill was absent. It's a stark reminder of the rupture between the parties, worsening since hundreds of Trump's supporters violently pushed past police, broke through the Capitol's windows and interrupted the certification of Biden's victory. Biden said t

Surging cases of COVID-19 driven by the rapidly transmissible Omicron variant are pushing the health-care system to the brink and putting pressure on some police and transit services. With 170 personnel booked off on leave related to COVID-19, the Winnipeg Police Service declared a state of emergency Wednesday and the Edmonton and Calgary police services warned of staffing challenges after a growing number of members tested positive or were in isolation. Ontario's GO Transit says a temporary reduction in train and bus service in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton regions is set to begin within d

B.C. is reporting 3,798 new cases of COVID-19, including 11 epi-linked cases, for a total of 270,508 cases in the province.There are 29,967 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 237,195 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 317 individuals are in hospital and 83 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:1,739 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 13,920840 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 9,100473 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases: 2,563179 new

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls videos of a party on a recent Sunwing Airlines flight from Montreal to Cancun, Mexico a ``slap in the face'' to those who have tried to stay safe. Air Transat says passengers who were partying maskless on a recent Sunwing flight from Montreal to Mexico are not allowed on its planes as they attempt to return to Canada. Video on social media showed people partying on the flight swigging vodka from the same bottle and vaping. Videos of the December 30th flight shared on social media appear to show passengers not wearing masks as they sang and danced in the ais

Prime Minister Trudeau has reiterated that there are enough vaccine doses for every Canadian to get a booster. At his first COVID-19 update for 2022, Trudeau again called for people to get vaccinated. Trudeau also says rapid testing is part of the path through this latest wave of the pandemic. But Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says the Liberals have shown a lack of leadership on rapid testing. He said today's announcement of 140 million tests being distributed this month hasn't come soon enough and also accuses the Trudeau government of incentivizing lockdowns by offering financial sup

The deadliest single fire in Philadelphia in at least a century has killed 13 people, including seven children, and sent two people to hospitals. Those numbers could grow after officials said at a news conference hours after the fire early Wednesday that 26 people were staying at the duplex rowhome. It appears that as many as eight people were able to escape. The cause is still being investigated. A fire official says there were four smoke detectors in the building but that none appeared to be working. The Philadelphia Housing Authority owned the house. It says the alarms had been inspected a

Canada's chief medical officer of health says she understands why some provinces have shortened the isolation period for COVID-19 infection. Over the holidays, Ontario and Quebec cut the length of isolation periods for infected people by half, to just five days. Dr. Theresa Tam says the provinces are trying to pull off a balancing act for the economy. Tam's deputy, Dr. Howard Njoo, says the federal public health agency is in discussions with provinces and the Centers for Disease Control in the United States about the ideal isolation period.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says home sales in Metro Vancouver hit an all-time record last year. The board says sales in 2021 rose 42.2 per cent to 43,999 compared with 30,944 in 2020. The previous record was 42,326 set in 2015. The record year came as home sales in the region in December totalled 2,688, down from 3,093 sales recorded in December 2020 and 3,428 homes sold in November 2021. The benchmark price for all residential properties increased 17.3 per cent from the prior year to $1.23 million. Sales of detached homes in December 2021 totalled 794, down from 1,026 sales i