The federal government says its preliminary deficit for the last fiscal year was $314 billion, an unprecedented figure caused by an equally unprecedented economic shock.The early deficit figure for the 12-month period between April 2020 to March 2021 compares to a deficit of $21.8 billion over the preceding fiscal year.The government says in its monthly fiscal monitor that the deep deficit reflects the unexpected shift in economic activity and emergency spending in response to the pandemic.The government said in its April budget that the deficit in the last fiscal year would be $354.2 billion,

BC's First Nations Health Authority says Indigenous people accounted for nearly 15 per cent of all toxic drug deaths last year although they represent only 3.3 per cent of the province's total population. Deputy chief medical officer Doctor Nel Wieman says 254 Indigenous people died from toxic drugs last year, a nearly 120 per cent increase from 2019. She says the death rate began to rise after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a public health emergency. The pandemic has led to the closure of the border with the US, which officials say disrupted the usual flow of illicit drugs, prompting the

The remains of 215 children have been found buried on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation says in a news release that the remains were confirmed last weekend with the help of a ground-penetrating radar specialist.Casimir calls the discovery an ``unthinkable loss that was spoken about but never documented at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.''She says it's believed the deaths are undocumented, although a local museum archivist is working with the Royal British Columbia Museum to see if any records of t

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia. "Today, we are reporting 378 new cases, for a total of 143,264 cases in British Columbia."There are 3,543 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and a further 137,929 people who tested positive have recovered."Of the active cases, 286 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 88 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. There have be

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the time between COVID-19 vaccinations is being reduced to eight weeks from the former maximum of 16 weeks. Dr. Henry says the province has sufficient supplies of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to make the change. She says everyone who is eligible should have their second dose of vaccine by the end of the summer. Dr. Henry says the province will try to provide people with the same vaccine for their booster shot, but a shortage of Moderna may mean some people will have to get a Pfizer shot instead. Adrian Dix on Twitter: With the large numb

A 53-year-old woman has been charged with aggravated assault after a stabbing at the Vancouver Law Courts this week. Sgt. Steve Addison of Vancouver police says in an email statement that the accused and the victim were at the court for a civil matter that was scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday. Addison says the stabbing occurred before the court session began. He says the 53-year-old victim was seriously hurt and taken to hospital. Addison says sheriffs held the suspect until police arrived. Catherine Shen is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Police have named the victim of Vancouver's seventh homicide of 2021. They say 59-year-old Richard Hooper was stabbed numerous times and died in hospital on Monday. He was attacked in a home in east Vancouver on May 22. Rajesh Narayan, who police say is known to the victim, was arrested nearby. The 38-year-old is charged with second-degree murder. Narayan remains in custody and documents show his next court appearance is scheduled for June 18.

On May 26, 2021 at approximately 145 p.m., Boston Bar RCMP responded to the report of a body just off Highway 1 north of Yale BC. Upon attendance, police located the remains of a deceased individual. The area surrounding the scene remains cordoned off for a significant amount of time. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) is engaged and working in partnership with the Hope RCMP and BC Coroners Service. Police are currently in the early evidence gathering stages of their investigation. No further information is available for release at this time. Further information to be forwarded

The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) is alleging that a Vancouver man and a company run by his father defrauded a B.C. investor and illegally distributed securities.In a Notice of Hearing, the BCSC says that Geoffrey Rajay Sidhu met the investor through a social network website, and learned that she owned a home mortgage-free and had a modest income. Sidhu offered to give her financial advice to improve her financial situation, and the investor accepted his offer.Sidhu recommended that the investor obtain a mortgage against her home and use the proceeds to invest in real estate. S