City of Merritt announced final phases of Return Home Plan

The City of Surrey says it filed a civil lawsuit against a former employee, looking to recover $2.5 million worth of ``irregular transactions.'' A statement from city manager Rob Costanzo Thursday says the lawsuit was filed last year after staff identified problems dating back to 2017 involving dormant development-deposit accounts. Costanzo says staff first spotted irregularities in early 2024 and the city conducted an internal review, engaged external forensic specialists, and reported the situation to the RCMP. He says police are conducting a criminal investigation and the cit

Police in Vancouver have arrested a man who they say is a member of the Zone 43 gang and was wanted nationwide for drugs and firearms offences. They say the 31-year-old was convicted of 10 different charges after an investigation by the Ottawa Police Service, but fled and has been operating in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood for more than a year. The department says an arrest warrant was issued in Ontario, but VPD officers were unable to enforce it because it was only valid within a 400-kilometre radius of Ottawa. It says the VPD Metro Team worked with the Ottawa Poli

India’s biggest domestic cricket tournament was suspended for one week on Friday following the escalating military tensions with Pakistan. The Indian Premier League, which attracts top players from around the world, was halted with immediate effect, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said. The decision comes aftera night of artillery exchangesbetween Indian and Pakistani soldiers across their frontier in Kashmir, amid a growingmilitary standoffthat erupted following an attack on tourists in the India-controlled portion of the disputed region. The IPL is the most popular cricket tourna

More than 300 people in Alberta have fallen ill from measles since March and a group of doctors are warning the virus could grow exponentially in the coming weeks. The Alberta government is reporting 16 new measles cases to bring the province's total count to 313. The rising number has prompted the association representing Alberta doctors to warn of an outbreak that could quickly reach the thousands. Dr. James Talbot, Alberta's former chief medical officer of health, says cases are likely much higher than reported and that for every 1,000 cases, one to three people will likely die.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Thursday with the prime minister of Pakistan and India's foreign minister as the Trump administration stepped up efforts to prevent the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals from going to war. In separate calls with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Rubio ``emphasized the need for immediate de-escalation,'' the State Department said Rubio also ``expressed U.S. support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,'' according to readout