British Columbia health officials say the province ranks among the highest in the world in the number of people who have their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In a news release, they say more than 76 per cent of eligible people have received their first shot while 710,847 people have had their second. Health officials say a number of locations are offering extended hours and mobile clinics so more people can get immunized. The province reported 113 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 146,674. It also recorded four COVID-19-related deaths for a total of 1,738 fatalities. British Columbia en

Annamie Paul is firing back against the party executives who sought to oust her as Green party leader, calling them out for ``racist'' and ``sexist'' accusations. Her fiery response today comes after she survived a move to push her out last night. Paul says respect for diversity is a Green value but the change she represents can be perceived as a threat to existing gatekeepers. The Canadian Press has obtained a scathing letter that accompanied a non-confidence motion signed by six of 15 federal council members. It accuses Paul of acting with an ``autocratic attitude of hostility,'' attending f

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has launched an effort to gain intervener status in a human rights case involving an Indigenous man and his granddaughter over their treatment by Vancouver police while attempting to open a bank account. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a former judge who represents the union, says the organization wants to have a voice in Maxwell Johnson's case to highlight what it alleges is a history of systemic racism against Indigenous people by Vancouver's police force. Johnson, who is from the Heiltsuk Nation on B.C.'s central coast, says both he and his 12-year-old granddaught

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is being allowed to check out from his quarantine hotel roughly 12 hours after checking in. Trudeau's office says he received his negative COVID-19 test Wednesday morning and can now leave the three-star Ottawa lodging. Members of his delegation to Europe who landed in Ottawa around 7 p.m. were tested on arrival and received negative test results the next day at about 8 a.m. Trudeau was overseas from last Thursday until Tuesday for summits with other G7, NATO and European leaders. Air travellers landing in Canada without an exemption are currently required to boo

Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Swiss star Roger Federer 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the second round of the Noventi Open on Wednesday. It was the first career meeting between the 20-year-old Auger-Aliassime and the 39-year-old Federer, who were born on the same date (Aug. 8) 19 years apart. Federer, seeded fifth and the tournament and ranked eighth in the world, is considered one of the best players in tennis history, having won 20 career singles Grand Slams. Auger-Aliassime, from Montreal, won 88 per cent of points when he got his first serve in at the ATP Tour 500 grass-court event. The Canadian

US President Joe Biden says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in detail the next steps their countries should take on arms control. At a news conference in Geneva, Biden said this means diplomats and military experts from both countries will meet for what he called a ``strategic stability dialogue.'' Biden says he stressed human rights issues in his meeting with Putin. That includes the cases of two Americans who Biden says are wrongfully imprisoned in Russia. Putin hailed Biden as a constructive and highly experienced leader after their meeting.

The death of 27 year old Amy Watts, whose body was discovered in downtown Nanaimo, is being treated as a homicide. The deceased was discovered on Thursday June 3, 2021, in a small wooded steep ravine near the intersection of Albert St and Victoria Crescent. The Nanaimo RCMP Serious Crime Unit has overall responsibility for the investigation. Police spoke with the family of the deceased last week and informed them on the status of the investigation. Police are fully engaged and are actively pursuing all investigative steps, said Constable Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP. To date, no arrests

Two RCMP officers have been cleared of wrongdoing related to the fatal crash of an all-terrain vehicle in northwestern B.C. The Independent Investigations Office, which examines all cases of death or serious harm involving police, says its review has determined two officers from the Terrace RCMP detachment did not commit any offences related to the May 23 crash. The officers had attempted to pull over the ATV on a forest service road near Terrace because none of the three riders had helmets. The ATV did not stop and continued about 10 kilometres north before crashing, injuring a woman who ev

Statistics Canada says the consumer price index in May was up 3.6 per cent compared with a year ago, its largest yearly increase since May 2011. The reading for May compared with a year-over-year gain of 3.4 per cent in April, which at the time was the fast annual rate in nearly a decade.Part of the rise in the headline inflation barometer is due to comparing prices to the low levels seen last year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as for gasoline, furniture and beef products.Excluding gasoline, the consumer price index in May was up 2.5 per cent compared with a year ago.However, Sta