Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada may need to do more at the border to protect against the Omicron variant of COVID-19 coming to Canada. The government has already banned foreign nationals who have recently travelled to several southern African countries. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters public health advice will guide their actions.The World Health Organization warned against the potentially dangerous impact of the Omicron variant again today, though there are still many questions about its transmissibility and the severity of illness it causes.

Unvaccinated travellers over the age of 12 won't be able to board a plane or train in Canada beginning today, and a negative COVID-19 test will no longer serve as a substitute for most people. The policy came into effect on Oct. 30, but the federal government allowed a short transition period for unvaccinated travellers who could board as long as they provided a negative molecular COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours before their trip. The stringent new requirement comes into effect as Canada reacts to the emergence of the new, highly mutated Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Flood warnings have been issued for the Coldwater, Coquihalla, Nicola and Tulameen rivers as the third rainstorm in less than a week is set to bring heavy rain to southern and coastal B-C. Rising waters on the rivers caused serious flood damage earlier this month to cities and towns along their banks, including Merritt, Spences Bridge, Princeton and Hope. A flood warning also remains in effect for the Sumas River through Abbotsford, where crews set up a portable dam last night to protect a key stretch of Highway 1, which remains closed between McCallum Road in Abbotsford and Yale Road in Chill

Ontario has reported two more cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus. Ontario had earlier reported Canada's first two cases of the Omicron variant of concern on the weekend. The total number of cases detected in Ontario has now reached 4. The province said today the two infected people were recently in Nigeria and were tested for the virus in Montreal before travelling on to Ottawa. Quebec health officials have also confirmed a case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Health Minister Christian Dubé made the announcement today at a news conference. Dubé says 115 people who recently tr

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 970 new cases of COVID-19, including two epi-linked cases, for a total of 218,068 cases in the province:Nov. 26-27: 389 new casesNov. 27-28: 309 new casesNov. 28-29: 272 new casesThere are currently 2,882 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 212,704 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 303 individuals are currently in hospital and 115 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 72 hours, 11 new deaths have been reported, for a total of 2,333.The new deaths include

British Columbia's health minister says the government is pleased that so many parents are interested in ensuring their children are vaccinated for COVID-19. Adrian Dix says those who registered their children aged five to 11 should expect to receive an invitation to book an appointment starting Monday. Dix says about 104,000 children of that group are registered to get vaccinated of the 350,000 eligible to receive the modified dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Health Canada approved the pediatric shot for use in Canada after an independent scientific review confirmed the first vaccine for

British Columbia is extending fuel rationing until Dec. 14 until the Trans Mountain pipeline is back online after a series of devastating storms in the southern part of the province. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the province is also extending the state of emergency until the same date in order to ensure emergency services have the resources they need. The pipeline has been shut down since Nov. 14, when a storm known as an atmospheric river hammered parts of southern B.C., flooding communities, farmland and washing away roads and bridges. Energy Minister Bruce Ralston says the pi

Nations around the world are trying to keep the COVID-19 Omicron variant at bay with travel bans and further restrictions, even as it remains unclear what it means for the pandemic. Cases of the variant identified by researchers in South Africa have appeared from Hong Kong and Australia to Portugal. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says very little is known about the new variant. He says many of us might think we are done with COVID-19, but it's not done with us.Tedros issued the warning at a virtual three-day summit that has aims to establish an internatio

Surrey RCMP is cautioning members of the public following a series of robberies that originated through escort service sites.Recently, Surrey RCMP has seen a few instances of men hiring an escort, meeting at a prearranged location for a sexual encounter and then being robbed. It is believed that others may have been victimized but have not come forward to police. Surrey RCMP are encouraging any additional victims to contact police at 604-599-0502.Any encounters that involve meeting up with unknown individuals that take place behind closed doors, brings about inherent risk to all parties involv