Coquitlam RCMP say a former B.C. correctional officer has been charged with two counts of breach of trust following an investigation that began more than two years ago. Police began the investigation in September 2022 after receiving information related to alleged misconduct involving an employee at the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam. The B.C. Prosecution Service has since approved two charges against Abbotsford resident Ramandeep Rai (née Bassi). According to RCMP, the first alleged offence occurred between July 14 and September 29, 2022, and the second between September 11 a

The Quebec government is moving to prohibit the wearing of religious symbols in the province’s daycare centres, expanding its existing secularism policies in early childhood settings. Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge said there is broad public agreement that Quebec’s commitment to secular values should be reinforced. The decision follows recommendations made earlier this year by a provincial advisory committee that studied ways to strengthen secularism laws. Quebec’s current legislation already restricts public employees in positions of authority, including teachers, police off

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will introduce back-to-work legislation on Monday if no deal is reached to end the provincewide teachers’ strike. Smith said the walkout, now in its third week, has caused “intolerable hardship” for students and families, adding that the government cannot allow the disruption to continue. The strike has shut down classrooms for about 51,000 teachers and 750,000 students in public, separate, and francophone schools across the province. While formal negotiations between the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the province are not currently

The North Vancouver RCMP has a new Officer-in-Charge. Superintendent Peri Mainwaring has been appointed to lead the detachment, bringing more than three decades of policing experience with the RCMP. Mainwaring began her career in Saskatchewan and has served in municipal, provincial and federal roles across the country. Before her latest promotion, she was the Community Programs Officer with the Burnaby RCMP, where she helped strengthen community safety initiatives and led work on mental health and crisis intervention. Her connection to North Vancouver is longstanding — Mainwaring previously

India has invited Prime Minister Mark Carney to New Delhi early in the new year for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This could pave the way for a new economic relationship and a free trade agreement between the two countries. India's High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Kumar Patnaik said that a sincere effort is being made by the two leaders to improve diplomatic relations and increase trade and investment opportunities amid the tariff war with the US. Patnaik said that if the two countries negotiate a far-reaching agreement, annual trade between Canada and India could cross $50-billio

Interior Health is planning a pilot project that would use virtual emergency care to help keep small hospitals in British Columbia’s Interior open during staffing shortages. The proposal would link hospitals in Clearwater, Nakusp, Lillooet, and Princeton, allowing physicians to share responsibilities through a combination of on-site and remote support. Interior Health says the four facilities face similar challenges, with low overnight patient volumes but frequent service interruptions due to limited staffing. The health authority says it is consulting with local doctors and staff to determi

In India, the activities of political parties have intensified regarding the Bihar elections. Meanwhile, RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav has been made the Chief Ministerial Face of the Grand Alliance for the Bihar elections. Gehlot said that Tejashwi Yadav is our leader, now the NDA should announce who will be their Chief Ministerial Face, just saying that we will fight the elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar will not be enough. 14 leaders of seven parties attended the joint press conference of the Grand Alliance, which included RJD, Congress and VIP parties.

The federal and Ontario governments are putting a total of $3 billion toward a project to build four small nuclear reactors in the Greater Toronto Area. Prime Minister Mark Carney has added the Darlington New Nuclear Project to his list of projects deemed to be in the national interest and therefore worthy of fast tracking. He and Premier Doug Ford are at the site east of Toronto today to announce that their governments are contributing $2 billion and $1 billion, respectively. Ontario Power Generation has said the entire project should cost about $21 billion. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commis

British Columbia's health minister says she is concerned about a "growing amount of misinformation and disinformation" related to vaccines as the province rolls out its campaign for the respiratory illness season. Josie Osborne says much of the false and misleading information is coming from outside Canada, particularly the United States. She told a news conference on Wednesday that false claims about vaccines undermine confidence in proven public health measures in B.C., where officials base their decisions on strong scientific evidence and expert medical advice. Osborne says the false inform