BC Jobs Minister Michelle Mungall says there have been positive employment gains for four months in a row after the pandemic shut down the economy. BC's jobless rate last month was 10.7 per cent, slightly higher than the national average of 10.2 per cent. The BC rate for August has improved from the July unemployment rate of 11.1 per cent. Mungall says BC has now recovered almost 247,000 jobs and total employment now stands at 94 per cent of the pre-pandemic level in February.

British Columbia has recorded another 121 cases of COVID-19 and one death related to the virus. In a joint statement on Friday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say there has been a total of 6,162 cases since the pandemic began. COVID-19 has claimed 211 lives in the province. Almost 2,800 people in the province are under active health monitoring after being identified as being exposed to someone who has tested positive, and 4,706 people have recovered. KinVillage long-term care home in Delta is the latest facility with an outbreak after a worker tested

A new 377 million dollar hospital has been announced for Dawson Creek. Health Minister Adrian Dix says it became clear during the business planning stage of the upgrade on the current hospital that a new, modern hospital was needed. Dix says the new hospital will bring jobs to the region and help retain health-care professionals. There will be 70 beds and the new emergency department will be double the size of the one in the current hospital with the expectation of about 25,000 visits a year.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canada and its G7 allies are taking Russia's denials of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny with a ``grain of salt.'' Champagne tells The Canadian Press Canada is working with Germany and G7 partners on a co-ordinated response to Russia's attack on the leading political opposition figure. The minister is also working on Canada's next moves on Hong Kong as he speaks from a post-trip quarantine after visiting four countries last week. Champagne recently took part in a virtual G20 foreign ministers' meeting, which includes Russia, but Canada

Federal transport officials have issued the first fines to air passengers who refused to wear face masks on Canadian flights, in violation of a government order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Transport Canada says two unnamed people have been fined $1,000 each for refusing to follow directions from air crews to wear their face coverings. The first incident occurred June 14 on a WestJet flight from Calgary to Waterloo, Ont., while the second took place July 7 on a WestJet flight from Vancouver to Calgary.Transport Canada says the passengers were each directed repeatedly by the air cre

The Conservative Party's fundraising arm has a new chair for the first time in two decades.Leader Erin O'Toole says he is nominating his longtime campaign fundraiser James Dodds to be chair of the Conservative Fund, replacing former senator Irving Gerstein, who is retiring. The nomination must be approved by the party's national council. Dodds is a vice-president at the TD Bank Group in Toronto and has aided O'Toole in both his bids to be the Conservative leader. O'Toole became the new leader Aug. 23 and is now putting his stamp on the party. On Wednesday he named his House of Commons team, i

Statistics Canada says the economy added 246,000 in August as the pace of job gains slowed compared with July, when 419,000 jobs were added. The figure marked the fourth consecutive month of gains from COVID-19 related lockdowns this spring, bringing the number to within 1.1 million of pre-pandemic levels. Gains in August were largely concentrated in full-time work, which had been lagging behind gains in part-time employment. Employment also rose at a faster pace for women than men for the third straight month as Statistics Canada reported women gained about 150,000 positions in August comp

Police say five people have been found dead and another with serious injuries following an early morning shooting in a home east of Toronto. A spokesman says multiple calls came in around 1:20 a.m. Friday reporting the sound of gunshots from a home in Oshawa, Ontario. Constable George Tudos says four of the deceased are believed to be men and one of them is believed to be a woman, but adds police are waiting on the coroner to confirm ages. A woman also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.Investigators believe the shooter is among the dead.

British Columbia is celebrating the contributions of the Punjabi Canadian community to its economy, history and culture through the development of new educational supports, exhibits and online resources. The project is part of the Province’s commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive society. “The Punjabi community has a long and unique history that has contributed significantly to the strength and success of our province,” said Premier John Horgan. “The Punjabi Canadian Legacy Project will share these stories with future generations, while honouring the resilience and diversity