British Columbia's top doctor says old-fashioned contact tracing, not an app, is the primary tool that's been helping public health officials find people who could be infected with COVID-19. Dr. Bonnie Henry says officials are accustomed to tracking people who could have come into contact with carriers of other diseases and COVID-19 is no different, except that 600 people have been focused on the task. Henry says an app would be more useful for when people may have spread or contracted the illness in a large crowd of people. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promoted a voluntary app called CO

School trustees in both Vancouver and Victoria have voted to examine the role of police liaison officers in their facilities. The separate, unanimous votes came during school board meetings last night when trustees also rejected calls for immediate suspension of the liaison program while the reviews are underway. Supporters of the liaison program, which sees officers with special training assigned to specific elementary or high schools, say it helps police develop relationships, especially with at-risk youth. But critics question who the program is actually protecting.

The Government of British Columbia is taking action to help stratas better mitigate the rising costs of insurance.Actions include bringing more transparency to the strata insurance industry, closing loopholes related to depreciation reports, ending referral fees paid to property managers and giving strata owners and corporations the tools they need to do their part."The rising cost of strata insurance is a major financial pressure facing thousands of British Columbians during an already challenging time," said Carole James, Minister of Finance. "This is an extremely complex issue playing out i

Final arguments in the extradition case for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou will take place early next year. The BC Supreme Court approved a schedule proposed by the Crown and Meng's defence team. In a letter to Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes, Crown lawyer John Gibb-Carsley says the schedule aims to resolve all necessary evidentiary issues through the summer and early fall. Hearings are to resume on August 17th, when the court will meet for five days to hear arguments over privilege claims in the case.

Rayshard Brooks was remembered at the Atlanta church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. The private funeral for the man who was shot by a police officer was held Tuesday at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The Rev. Raphael Warnock delivered the eulogy. Officer Garrett Rolfe shot Brooks in the back after Brooks fired a Taser in his direction while running away after a struggle with officers outside a Wendy's restaurant on June 12. Rolfe is white. Brooks was Black. King's daughter, the Rev. Bernice King, also delivered remarks at the funeral.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he has repaid two mortgages with a Chinese state bank and refinanced them with a Canadian financial institution.Champagne disclosed the development during testimony today before the House of Commons health committee, saying he decided to refinance the mortgages to avoid a distraction.Earlier this month, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer called on Champagne to explain how the mortgages with a Chinese state bank would not compromise his ability to handle Canada's tense relations with the People's Republic.Champagne says he disclosed the t

The federal government will make the case to the Trump administration that Canadian aluminum is no threat to the American market, as the mercurial president reportedly prepares to slap on tariffs anew.Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos says federal officials will push back against any new protectionist effort by the U.S. administration to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum.A report from Bloomberg says the Trump administration is planning to impose a 10 per cent tariff on aluminum imports from Canada.Duclos would not say whether the government is aware of a new round of tariffs, but sa

Aurora Cannabis Inc. is continuing to restructure with more layoffs and facility closures. The Edmonton-based cannabis company says it will reduce its selling, general and administrative workforce by 25 per cent immediately.Another 30 per cent of production staff will be laid off from the company over the next two quarters.Aurora has also decided to cease operations at five facilities over the next two quarters in order to focus production and manufacturing at the company's larger scale and more efficient sites.The affected facilities are Aurora Prairie, Aurora Mountain, Aurora Ridge, Aurora V

Novak Djokovic tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday after taking part in a tennis exhibition series he organized in Serbia and Croatia. The top-ranked Serb is the fourth player to test positive for the virus after first playing in Belgrade and then again last weekend in Zadar, Croatia. His wife also tested positive. “The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena’s, while the results of our children are negative," Djokovic said in a statement. Djokovic has been criticized for organizing the tournament and bringing in players from oth