Surrey Forward Mayoral candidate Jinny Sims will end the ban on cannabis shops in Surrey if elected Mayor. "The current ban is based on outdated evidence," said Sims. "It was assumed that prohibited sales would reduce use, protect our youth and ensure community safety. None of that has occurred." There are three reasons to allow Cannabis sales in Surrey: 1. To curtail the impact of gangs and illegal sellers of cannabis. Legal sales reduce illegal demand.2. Ensure the safe supply of cannabis products in Surrey.3. Stop dealers from moving recreational cannabis users on to more dangerous drugs.

British Columbia's chief coroner says the province has lost more than 10,000 lives to illicit drugs since the province declared a public health emergency in April 2016. Lisa Lapointe says the province is on track to lose another record number of people to the toxic drug supply this year, with the number of deaths in the first half of 2022 surpassing those of the same period in 2021. New data from the coroner's service says at least 1,095 residents are believed to have died from January to June this year, at an average of six deaths per day. The report found more than three-quarters of the tho

Youth jobless rate in China has hit a record high of 19.9 percent, media reports said citing the country's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Chinese local media portal Global Times while citing the Ministry of Education noted that the number of college graduates in 2022 is expected to reach 10.76 million, exceeding 10 million for the first time, which is 1.67 million more than 2021. The surveyed urban unemployment in July was 5.4 percent, down 0.1 percentage points compared with the previous month, Fu Linghui, a spokesperson from the NBS, said during a press conference. Meanwhile, Urban un

A new 64-unit seniors' complex has opened in southern Alberta. The federal and provincial governments have contributed about eight-million dollars toward the 15-point-eight-million-dollar cost of the facility in Lethbridge. The complex is located near shopping, medical services and walking trails along a nearby lake. It offers a mixed-income rental model based on household income and all units are fully or partially accessible. Lethbridge and Region Community Housing Corporation CAO Robin James says there are currently around 600 seniors on a waitlist who are looking for appropriate accommodat

Former Union minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal slammed the Punjab government for not taking note of the damage that the 'Lumpy Skin Disease' had been causing in the region and demanded a compensation of Rs 50 thousand per animal to mitigate the burden on the rearers. She also stressed that the disease had proved to be fatal for hundreds of bovines in the northern state. "LumpySkinDisease is ravaging livestock in Punjab. Hundreds of bovines have died and thousands are severely infected of this contagious disease that is causing enormous economic loss to our farmers an

First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House announced Tuesday. She had been vacationing with President Joe Biden in South Carolina when she began experiencing symptoms on Monday. She has been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will isolate at the vacation home for at least five days. Joe Biden tested negative for the virus on Tuesday morning, the White House said, but would be wearing a mask indoors for 10 days in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. He recovered from a rebound case of the virus

RCMP say a woman found dead at a seniors' home east of Calgary was a victim of homicide, but won't be arresting a suspect in the crime. Police responded to a sudden death of a 63-year-old woman at Age Care Sagewood in Strathmore last Friday. Investigators identified a suspect, but he was found dead in Calgary. Investigators say both the victim and suspect were known to each other. They are not searching for any other suspects Autopsies on both have been conducted, but RCMP won't be releasing any further information.

Vancouver Police are urging occupants of the Hastings Street encampment to be vigilant and report suspicious activity, after someone began distributed threatening flyers throughout the Downtown Eastside this weekend. VPD has launched an investigation to identify who is responsible for the flyers, which threaten to burn tents with gasoline and propane if people don’t leave within seven days. The flyers also include threats against Insite, the supervised injection site near Main and Hastings."We are working to identify the person or people responsible for these messages, which have understanda

Jennifer Cole says the decision to set up a lottery subscription on BCLC’s PlayNow.com in May was one of the best of her life. After all, she won a life-changing $31-million jackpot just months later from the July 8, 2022, Lotto Max draw. "I heard that the jackpot was won on PlayNow.com, so I logged on to my account," recalled Cole of the moment she found out that she won the largest lottery prize ever awarded from a ticket purchased on PlayNow.com. "When I saw the number in my account, it was a lot more than expected." The West Kelowna resident first told her family of the win. "My family i