British Columbians eligible to make a COVID-19 vaccination appointment are being urged to keep trying if they failed to get through Monday on phone lines overwhelmed by calls.The Health Ministry confirms just under 15,000 appointments were booked on the first day residents over the age of 90 or Indigenous elders over 65 could make appointments.Only Fraser Health offered an online option for booking appointments and 8,722 were made there, while the Interior and Vancouver Island health authorities each recorded just under 2,500 bookings and residents in the north made just over 1,000.The minist

Amid the ongoing farmers protest against the three farm laws, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the deployment of 93 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the national capital till March 15 for law and order duties."The MHA has extended the deployment of 93 companies of CAPFs including Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in Delhi till March 15," informed the ministry on Tuesday."Rest 20 companies of CRPF, BSF and CISF will be de-induc

India on Tuesday called the UK Westminster discussion on press freedom and farmers' stir as "one-sided and based on false assertions".The High Commission of India asserted that the question of lack of press freedom in India does not arise as the foreign media, including the British media, here have witnessed the events under discussion first-hand."The High Commission of India would normally refrain from commenting on an internal discussion involving a small group of Parliamentarians in a limited quorum. However, when aspersions are cast on India by anyone, there's a need to set record straight

BC's top doctor says officials are working with faith leaders on a gradual return to in-person religious services, which have mostly been prohibited since November under COVID-19 restrictions. Doctor Bonnie Henry says she knows there are many important dates coming up in different faiths and the province will look at easing the rules to meet their specific needs while ensuring certain safety measures remain in place. She also advised post-secondary institutions to prepare for a full return to on-campus education this fall, with Advanced Education Minister Anne Kang saying the province will cr

Call centres open today across British Columbia to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments for some of the province's most elderly residents.B.C. says the vaccine call centres will open at 7 a.m. at the Fraser, Island, Interior, Northern and Vancouver Coastal health authorities to make appointments for people 90 years and older and Indigenous people who are 65 and older or identify as elders.Health authorities announced dozens of sites Sunday where B.C.'s most elderly residents will go to receive their vaccine.Island Health's pandemic planner Victoria Schmid says people 90 years old and older and I

Canada's expert panel on immunization didn't contact Pfizer before its recommendation that the second dose be delayed up to four months. Pfizer Canada's president, Cole Pinnow, made that point today when he spoke to the House of Commons health committee. The advice came from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization because real-world data on one dose shows it is highly effective and with limited supplies, more people could get vaccinated with one dose sooner. Pinnow says one reason is that Pfizer believed the vaccine wouldn't get approved here until well after the New Year. Cole Pinnow

A manslaughter charge has been laid following an investigation into the death of an off-duty police constable from Abbotsford, B.C. 55 year old Const. Allan Young died in July last year, several days after an altercation with another man while Young was visiting Nelson, B.C. Alex Willness, a 26 year old Castlegar resident, made his first appearance on the manslaughter charge last week and is scheduled to appear in a Nelson courtroom on Tuesday. A statement from the Nelson Police Department says Willness remains in custody. Young was placed on life support and died on July 22, almost a week af

In a statement issued to mark International Women's Day, Premier John Horgan says BC's recovery from COVID-19 must be rooted in equality, with opportunities available to all, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Horgan says BC has taken meaningful strides toward gender equality, but the pandemic has highlighted how much more work is needed. He says data shows women have shouldered much of the pandemic burden, with more women working in the hardest-hit sectors, coping with additional caregiving responsibilities for children or family members and facing a jump in reports of intimate partner and f

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the pandemic has been especially hard for women, who are leaving the workforce at a higher rate than men and often taking on the greater share of childcare duties. He told a virtual Daughters of the Vote event that the legacy of the pandemic should not be rolling back progress that women had made. This International Women's Day, he says more needs to be done to lift up Indigenous, Black, and women of colour to build a stronger and more equitable country. Speaking today at a virtual Daughters of the Vote event organized by Equal Voice, Trudeau said politician