Voter turnout in the British Columbia election dropped to just 52.4 per cent, the lowest participation rate in more than 90 years. Statistics from Elections BC going back to 1928 show the second lowest voter turnout was 55.14 per cent during the 2009 election. The elections agency says in a statement the calculation this year includes ballots cast in advanced polls and on election day, as well as estimates of the numbers of absentee and mail-in ballots returned. It says fewer people voted on election day that those who voted in advanced polls. While there were more than 700,000 requests for v

One of the largest illicit drug labs ever found in BC has been raided in the north Okanagan. RCMP say the lab in Lumby was busted earlier this month and five BC men and an Alberta man are charged, but two of the BC suspects haven't been caught, although the other four men are expected to appear in a Kelowna courtroom tomorrow. Police say large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl were seized in the October 19th raid, along with hundreds of litres of chemicals and enough waste material to put area residents at risk and cause serious contamination to nearby farms. Removal and disposal of

Fraser Health has confirmed outbreaks of COVID-19 at two more assisted-living or long-term care homes in the hard-hit region. The health authority says in a statement individual staff members at Amenida Seniors' Community in Surrey, B.C., and Agassiz Seniors' Community near Chilliwack have tested positive. It says enhanced outbreak control measures are in place at each site and communication with residents and families is underway at both facilities that are privately owned and operated. B.C. reported 223 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, tipping the number of active infections over 2,000, whi

A coalition of about 200 Quebec gym, yoga, dance studio and martial arts business owners say they intend to reopen their doors on Thursday in defiance of provincial health restrictions. The businesses are calling on Quebec Premier Francois Legault to lift COVID-19 restrictions that were imposed on fitness facilities Oct. 8. In a statement, they say their facilities were not the source of COVID-19 outbreaks and they contribute to the overall physical and mental health of the population. They say the lockdown measures will force them out of business after they've made significant investments to

President Donald Trump has wrapped up the first of three campaign rallies in Pennsylvania, where he told supporters that he wanted to discuss an issue of "existential importance" as he focuses on former Vice-President Joe Biden's policies on energy. Pennsylvania is the second leading producer of natural gas in the country behind Texas. Trump claims that Biden would "abolish the entire U.S. oil industry." Trump says that means no fracking and no jobs for Pennsylvania families, adding "Biden's plan is an economic death sentence for Pennsylvania's energy sector." He is seizing on Biden's comme

A man is dead and a woman is hurt after their vehicle crashed as police tried to pull it over, just north of Vernon, B.C. A statement from RCMP says an officer from the Vernon North Okanagan detachment spotted the Mazda 6 near Armstrong just after 3 a.m. Sunday and suspected it was stolen. It crashed into a shallow ditch minutes later, killing the driver and injuring the female passenger. The Independent Investigations Office, which examines all police-involved deaths or serious injures in B.C., confirms it has been called. It says a team will determine whether police actions or inactions con

Federal Procurement Minister Anita Anand says a proposed parliamentary investigation of the Trudeau government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic could trigger the release of commercially sensitive information. She says that could risk the health of Canadians by scaring off manufacturers and drug companies that would otherwise do business with Ottawa. Opposition parties are poised to approve the probe this afternoon despite growing objections from industry and experts. Canada's procurement minister says a Conservative motion to probe the government's pandemic spending will put federal contra

British Columbia's election results show a divided province with Liberal victories in many rural ridings and the New Democrats in urban areas, but Premier John Horgan says his government will be influenced by good ideas, not politics. Horgan says now that he has a majority government he plans to spend more time outside of the legislature meeting people across the province.BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson didn't concede defeat on Saturday night.But Sunday afternoon, he tweeted that he had spoken to Horgan and congratulated him on his election win, saying that the people of BC have spoken. Wit

John Horgan says there are still hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots yet to be counted following Saturday's election, but one thing is certain: he's headed back to the premier's office on Monday. The NDP leader took the risk of calling the snap election in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to gain a majority government after working with the Greens in a minority for the last 3 1/2 years. The final results of the election won't be known until at least Nov. 16, after Elections BC staff have screened and counted an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots. But Saturday's ballots were enough