Health Minister Patty Hajdu is thanking Canadians for altering their travel plans because of the pandemic. During a virtual news conference with cabinet ministers and public health officials, Hajdu said there is evidence the message is getting through and people are not leaving the country. She says over the past week, over 50,000 people have cancelled their flights and postponed travel. Earlier today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government is considering a number of options that will make it harder for people to return to Canada. The decision being taken as the new variants of COV

The BC government has created three post-COVID recovery clinics for patients enduring long-term effects from the novel coronavirus. The clinics, at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital and at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre in Surrey, will offer interdisciplinary care from a range of health experts. A statement from the province says the three clinics will also help specialists gain a better understanding of the long-term adverse effects of COVID-19. Doctors at St. Paul's say they have already seen more than 160 post-COVID patients reporting some long time sympt

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says there have been 90 reports of adverse events for a patient in Canada who received one of the COVID-19 vaccines. She said those include all health problems after the vaccine was given and may not all be related to the vaccine. Twenty-seven of those events, or one in 22,000 doses injected, were serious, including allergic reactions. 31 cases of the COVID-19 variant first identified in the UK reported in CanadaChief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says there have now been 31 cases of the COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdo

Vancouver is opening more indoor spaces to ensure people without homes have shelter as the first snowy, cold snap of the season looms. The city says warming centres will be open at three locations, the Powell Street Getaway, Vancouver Aquatic Centre and Creekside Community Centre, starting today and continuing until next Wednesday. The statement says the centres are activated as a life-saving measure for people sleeping outside during the winter months. Vancouver also says it has more than 100 vehicles, three-thousand tonnes of salt and hundreds of staff ready for deployment to keep city stre

RCMP are investigating a possible mobile drug lab. It was found this week in a motel parking lot in Cache Creek. Corporal Jesse O'Donaghey says a rented moving van was found abandoned at the motel.Although he did not give an exact location. He says the van was impounded on Tuesday, and police found items inside that were likely used to produce illicit drugs. O'Donaghey says federal drug-lab teams have been called in from Surrey, and says HAZMAT teams are investigating the van as well.

Police say a search is underway for a man who is believed to be a risk to the public and allegedly cut off his ankle monitoring bracelet while in Richmond, B.C. A statement from Richmond RCMP says the monitoring bracelet worn by 57 year old Woon Chan went off-line Thursday. He was being monitored by BC Corrections staff who contacted Mounties when the signal was lost. Police say officers "flooded" an area near Minoru Park and located the ankle bracelet but no trace of Chan. The RCMP statement does not say why the 5-foot-6, 130 pound man is considered a risk. It says Chan was last seen wearing

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc concedes Julie Payette's resignation as governor general shows a need to strengthen the process for vetting vice-regal appointments.Payette resigned Thursday, about a week after the government received the damning findings of an independent investigation into allegations that she presided over a toxic work environment at Rideau Hall.LeBlanc says the report, commissioned by the Privy Council Office which he oversees, came to ``compelling'' and ``stark'' conclusions.He says the debacle of Payette's tenure shows that the vetting system for such

BC reported 564 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, bringing the province's total since the pandemic started to 62,976. There are 4,450 actives cases and 15 new deaths. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that despite the number of COVID-19 cases trending downward, the province is continuing to see new community outbreaks and clusters. They say residents need to work to break the chains of transmission. To date, 104,901 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 1,663 of which are second doses. COVID-19 community cluste

Julie Payette has resigned as Governor General following an investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace at Rideau Hall. She issued a statement apologizing for tensions in her office but did not take direct responsibility for creating such an atmosphere. Says Payette, "We all experience things differently, but we should always strive to do better, and be attentive to one another's perceptions." She also suggests the move was made for personal reasons, citing her father's declining health. The allegations against Payette include that she belittled and publicly humiliated employees, redu