Police suspect a deadly batch of drugs may be circulating in Surrey, B.C. A statement from Surrey RCMP says three people have died within 12 hours in the city and fatal overdoses are suspected in each case. Investigators say there do not appear to be any other connections between the victims. The statement says it is dangerous to use non-prescription drugs purchased from unregulated sources but anyone who makes that choice should follow several safety measures. Those measures include not using them alone and being careful about dosage size. Police say users should also have a naloxone kit cap

BC has recorded 762 new cases of COVID-19, another record as the province battles a second wave of infections. Health officials are also reporting 10 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 320. The province currently has 6,861 active cases of COVID-19, including 209 individuals who are hospitalized. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says BC needs to put the brakes on COVID-19 because the second surge is putting a strain on the health-care system, workplaces and everyone. The health authorities in a joint statement said, "This second surge is putting a strain on our health-care s

Premier John Horgan wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to tell people to stay in their own provinces until a COVID-19 vaccine is available. Horgan says he's not asking for federal travel restrictions but says the connection between travel and the spread of COVID-19 needs to be addressed nationally. He says he plans to bring up his proposal at the first ministers' meetings this week. The premier says he's confident Trudeau will agree to tell Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel between provinces.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan says a proposed two-week quarantine for anyone travelling to Vancouver Island may not be the best way to proceed. Horgan was commenting on a proposal from Dr. Richard Stanwick, the chief medical officer for Vancouver Island, on limiting the potential spread of COVID-19 through mandatory quarantines. The premier says he will let provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry determine whether the plan should be implemented, but he says a quarantine plan may not be the right approach. Dr. Stanwick says in an interview that roughly half of the COVID-19 cases on V

Ontario's health minister on Wednesday suggested Canada could start receiving millions of doses of COVID-19 as soon as January, providing a glimmer of hope on an otherwise dark day marked by rising cases and death counts in many provinces. Christine Elliott said in question period that the country is set to get four million doses of the Pfizer vaccine between January and March as well as two million doses of Moderna's vaccine. She said in question period that 1.6 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 800,000 of the Moderna vaccine are destined for Ontario. "Really exciting" that Canada is w

Health Minister Patty Hajdu is tapping a former national security adviser to lead a probe into whether Canada's pandemic warning system fell down just before COVID-19 reared up. Margaret Bloodworth will chair a three-member review panel studying what went wrong with the Global Public Health Intelligence Network. She will be joined by former deputy public health officer Dr. Paul Gully, and Mylaine Breton, Canada Research Chair in Clinical Governance on Primary Health Care at Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec. The network, known commonly as GPHIN, was created more than two decades ago and help

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says he's preparing to table a motion that would see city council vote on decriminalization of possession of illicit drugs for personal use. He says the city has been at the forefront of drug policy change and it could become the first jurisdiction in Canada to make such a move. After tabling the motion next week, Stewart says he'll write to federal officials requesting an exemption under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that would end at the city's boundaries. The mayor says there have been more than 1,500 overdose deaths in Vancouver since the

Vancouver council approves plan that could set fees to drive into the downtown core. Vancouver city council has approved a Climate Emergency Action Plan that could see a levy placed on all vehicles entering the downtown core. Green Coun. Pete Fry says in a social media post that council voted in favour of the plan Tuesday night. It's said to be part of a drive to make Vancouver one of the greenest cities in the world. Another section of the plan proposes a carbon pollution surcharge on gas or diesel vehicles. The entire strategy is not slated to take effect until at least 2025 and meetings wi

The head of the BC Trucking Association says COVID-19 transmission rates for essential service drivers who have to cross the US border are low. Dave Earle says workers and their employers are doing everything they can reduce the risk of exposing their families when they come home. He says they've had to adapt by doing things like packing their own food to minimize interactions south of the border. Earle adds everyone understands the importance of keeping the supply chain going, so enhanced screening protocols are also in place.