The agency that handles most emergency calls in British Columbia has announced 2022 was its busiest year, but along with managing life-saving communications, EComm says it is still receiving an unacceptable number of senseless calls. EComm, which handles all but a fraction of B.C.'s 911 call volume, has released a list of top 10 frivolous complaints it says came in last year. The list ranges from children drawing with chalk in a playground to a messy roommate, broken windshield wiper, cellphone stuck in a bench and, No. 1 on the list, a malfunctioning nozzle at a gas station. Call takers say

Ontario's premier was among those who spoke today at the funeral for a provincial police officer who was killed in what the OPP has called an ambush. Doug Ford says the death of Constable Greg Pierzchala is a painful reminder that policing is a ``family calling.'' Police have said the 28 year old Pierzchala was attacked as he responded to a call for a vehicle in a ditch west of Hagersville on December 27th. Two people have been charged with first-degree murder.

Surrey RCMP is advising the public of a shooting in Whalley and requesting anyone with information to contact police. On January 4, 2023, at approximately 5:10 a.m. Surrey RCMP received a report of shots fired in the 10600-block of 138 Street. Officers attended the scene and located evidence consistent with a shooting which included damage to a residence. Although there were multiple people inside the residence at the time of the shooting, no injuries were reported. Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit has assumed conduct of the investigation and are in the evidence gathering stage. The sho

People bringing forward human rights claims will soon have better access to justice through increased funding for the BC Human Rights Tribunal and the Community Legal Assistance Society. "Nobody should be forced to live with intolerance and bigotry – that’s why our government has prioritized supporting people and communities in fighting racism and other forms of discrimination," said Premier David Eby. "I’m glad that more people than ever before are standing up against discrimination and hate, including through the BC Human Rights Tribunal. By supporting faster access to justice at the t

China's government is not happy that Canada and other countries are creating new COVID-19 restrictions for people flying from China. Beginning Thursday, Canada will require air travellers from China to have a recent negative test, similar to the US and some European countries. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says those rules are based on politics instead of science, and that some policies are ``disproportionate and simply unacceptable.'' China lifted many of its strict COVID-19 policies last month, sparking a wave of infections.

A 19 year old man is facing terrorism-related charges for allegedly posting threatening tweets targeted at Parliament Hill, the Department of National Defence and two embassies. Daniel Houde is charged with four counts each of a terrorist hoax, threatening to cause death or bodily harm to a person and threatening to burn, damage and destroy property. Police say he allegedly targeted the embassies of the United States and the People's Republic of China in Ottawa.

A chronic offender with more than 115 previous convictions faces more charges after Vancouver Police arrested him for allegedly stealing nearly $40,000 in fine art from a South Granville gallery. VPD officers made the arrest Saturday, after the art gallery owner called 9-1-1 to report that a known thief had walked in and stolen a pricey piece of art. "Our officers responded quickly, reviewed security video, and immediately recognized the suspect," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "The thief had fled prior to our arrival, but the officers drove to his home in East Vancouver, waited for him, and arr

Officials say there were no working smoke alarms in a Hamilton townhouse where a fire killed four people, including two children, last week. Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg says the on-scene portion of his office's investigation is complete and confirmed the fire's origin as an upholstered sofa on the house's ground floor, though its cause is still being investigated. Pegg says the location of the fire and layout of the house blocked the victims' ability to descend down the stairwell from the second floor. Police have said they were called to help with the townhouse fire in southeast Hamilton l

The BC Court of Appeal has refused to reverse a ministerial extradition order for a BC man facing drug charges in the United States. In a reserved decision released today, a three-justice panel of the province's highest court rejects Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's request for a judicial review of the extradition that will send him to the US to face charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin in Washington state. Sandhu is one of five people charged in the case, which allegedly occurred over several months in 2014. The Appeal Court rejects Sandhu's arguments that the extradition ord