British Columbia officials are reassuring residents that health and emergency services are ready to help people through another heat wave this week. The Health Ministry is urging those in areas where heat and smoky skies warnings have been posted to take steps to keep cool and stay safe as many parts of the province continue to experience poor air quality due to wildfires. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says in a statement that people must be extra vigilant and check in with those who are most at risk during heat waves, including seniors, infants, children and those with chronic he

The COVID-19 infection rate in British Columbia has leaped to 536, a figure not seen since mid-May. A Health Ministry statement says there are more than 3,500 active cases in the province and more than half of those are in the Interior Health region. New restrictions were introduced last week by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in the central Okanagan region as case counts multiplied, spurred by the more contagious Delta variant. There has been one more death and outbreaks are increasing in B.C.'s long-term care sector, with the discovery of COVID-19 in eight care homes around the p

Police say two people are dead after a collision between a semi-truck and a five-tonne truck on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Calgary. RCMP say the deadly crash took place just before noon today near Morley, Alta. Cpl. Susan Richter says at least one other person suffered serious inquires in the crash. She says they aren't sure what led to the collision, but it is under investigation by police. Traffic on the highway is expected to be affected for several hours. Police say motorists travelling west are being rerouted through Morley Road to Highway 1A.

Vancouver Police are warning the public about a significant increase in reported sexual assaults city-wide."We have seen a 129 per cent increase in stranger sexual assaults reported to us in July alone when compared to July of 2019," says Constable Tania Visintin, VPD. "In particular, there has been a 167 per cent increase in sexual assaults related to the Granville Entertainment District when compared to the three-year average for the month of July. This is obviously very concerning."Since July 1 of this year, there have been eight incidents related to the Granville Entertainment District. Th

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021.FiresWildfires currently burning in B.C.: 260​Since April 1, 2021:1, 454 wildfires655,934 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 33Coastal: 21Kamloops: 80Northwest: 6Prince George: 57Southeast: 63ResourcesFirefighters and other personnel currently fighting fires: 3,633Out-of-province firefighters: 341Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 203EvacuationsEvacuation orders: 60 (-3)Evacuation alerts: 105 (-3)Properties: Number of

Admiral Art McDonald says he has decided to return to his position as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces after military investigators opted not to charge him following an investigation into his conduct. McDonald stepped down in February as chief of the defence staff as a result of a Canadian Forces National Investigation Service investigation into an allegation of misconduct. But in a statement released by his legal team this afternoon, McDonald says he is returning to the position after the six-month investigation completely exonerated him and that he is returning to his post. It was not

U-S President Joe Biden plans to host a virtual summit for democracy in early December in a global stand against rising autocratic forces.Biden wants to assemble government, civil society and private sector leaders to discuss three key themes -- defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.The announcement came not long after Afghan officials announced the Taliban had seized three more provincial capitals from the elected, American-backed government in Kabul.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau says Canada will continue to fight for the release of Michael Spavor after a Chinese court sentenced him to 11 years in prison.Garneau in a news conference this morning condemned the prison sentence, which followed a closed-door trial in March that Garneau says did not meet the standards of international law. He added that Canada is working with its allies, including the United States, to secure the release of both Spavor and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig, though he refused to provide details.The prisoners who have become known as the two Michaels have be

During the hearing of a plea filed in Delhi High Court against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his tweet allegedly disclosing and sharing the identity of a rape victim's family in Delhi Cantonment area, Twitter India informed the court on Wednesday that they had removed Gandhi's tweet and also locked his account."Rahul Gandhi tweet violated our policy also, we have already removed that tweet and his Twitter account is also been locked," Twitter informed Delhi HC.Twitter counsel further said, "Petitioner has wrongly impleaded @TwitterIndia. We have removed it (Rahul Gandhi's Tweet). It is agai