BC is reporting 531 new cases of COVID-19 and one additional death. Health officials say there are 4,861active cases in the province. 244 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, including 66 in intensive care. There are 51 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 variants of concern, for a total of 627 cases. BC Health Minister Adrian Dix says vast improvements have been made in the province's vaccine roll out since a rough start on Monday, which means they can now accelerate the pace. Health authorities first started booking appointments for people 90 years and older as well as for Indigenous people

One of Saudi Arabia's most prominent political activists has lost an appeal that would have allowed her to travel freely after her release from prison. Loujain al-Hathloul had hoped to lift a five-year ban on travelling outside Saudi Arabia that the court imposed as a condition of her release last month. Her 1001 day detention drew fierce international criticism of the kingdom's human rights record. She also faces three years of probation. Her supporters say the court on Wednesday upheld the original sentence. Her yearslong travel ban underscores the government's efforts to manage dissent in

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his office knew there was an allegation of sexual misconduct against then-defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance in 2018. But Trudeau says he and others in government did not know the specifics of the allegation until a Global News report last month. The prime minister made the comments this afternoon in the House of Commons, confirming that then-military ombudsman Gary Walbourne spoke to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan about an allegation against Vance in March 2018. Trudeau says his office knew that Sajjan had directed Walbourne to take the allegation to "indepe

Prince George councillors want a word with CN Rail after it upgraded a rail crossing in the city and surprised council with a 118,000 dollar bill. Councillor Cori Ramsay says the need for flashing lights, bells, gates and other security devices at the crossing is not in dispute, but she says some notice from the railway giant about the incoming bill would have been nice. Ramsay says council spends hours trying to trim its budget, and faces a "huge hit" just three months into the year as it takes more than 100,000 dollars from its contingency fund. Council's intergovernmental relations committ

Health authorities have stepped up COVID-19 vaccination efforts as a consistent spread of new infections and related deaths continue. As a result, the Public Health Agency of Canada urges caution in the lifting of anti-pandemic restrictions. Dr. Theresa Tam, the country's chief public health officer, has repeated a warning that the vast majority of Canadians can still get COVID-19. She says infections had been declining nationally from mid-January through mid-February, but have now levelled off. She says "with the continued increase of cases and outbreaks associated with more contagious varia

A Manitoba man who rammed a gate at Rideau Hall before arming himself and heading on foot toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's home last July was sentenced today to six years in prison. Corey Hurren, a 46 year old sausage-maker and military reservist, had faced 21 weapons charges and one of threatening the prime minister. He pleaded guilty last month to seven weapons charges related to possession of prohibited or restricted firearms "for a purpose contrary to the public peace" and one charge of mischief by wilfully causing $100,000 worth of damage to the Rideau Hall gate. In delivering the

Yukon Premier Sandy Silver says, with no new cases of COVID-19 in his territory for another week, his government is ready to revise some of the restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus. Speaking at a news conference this morning, Silver says full-time, in-class learning will begin next month for Grades 10 to 12, while universities are expected to return to face-to-face learning by September. Decisions about increasing the number of social contacts are also expected this spring or summer, although exact details will depend on immunization levels that health officials hope will soo

Health Canada expects more than two million doses of vaccine to be delivered from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in two weeks. Pfizer alone will ship more than a million doses a week itself between March 22 and April 18. Pfizer recently said it would increase its planned shipments to Canada by 1.5 million doses before the end of March, and send an extra million doses in both April and May. The company has now confirmed its delivery schedule through mid-April, shipping 1.2 million doses the weeks of March 22 and March 29, and one million doses the weeks of April 5 and April 18. To date, Canada ha

Health officials say COVID-19 outbreaks remain stubbornly frequent in one northwestern British Columbia city and are prompting a new approach to vaccinations. Northern Health, the Ministry of Health and the Provincial Health Officer say the entire community of Prince Rupert and nearby Port Edward will be immunized over the next three weeks. The first clinics for roughly 12,000 Prince Rupert-area residents begin Monday and continue until April 1. Those eligible can dial a dedicated phone line and appointments will be assigned based on age, with vaccinations for the city's oldest residents star