Vancouver's top cop is reporting a 700 per cent spike in violent shoplifting across the city compared to pre-pandemic stats for 2019. Chief Adam Palmer says 844 cases have been recorded so far this year and he expects that number to top a thousand by January. He says the force has increased foot and bike patrols in an effort to respond faster to calls. Palmer adds that many officers are working a lot of overtime monitoring protests and handling pandemic-related complaints.

Canada's chief public health officer says the latest data shows a continued decline in the COVID-19 case count in most jurisdictions.Dr. Theresa Tam says Canada is approaching the level of 90 per cent of the population having at least one dose of vaccine.But she notes no vaccine is perfect and there will continue to be breakthrough cases.Tam says over the past week, a total of 28-hundred cases were reported daily across the country and the numbers of severe illness are stabilizing.

A northern Alberta First Nation says it has completed the first phase of ground-penetrating radar in its search for children'sremains at a former residential school site. Kapawe'no First Nation northwest of Edmonton says that finding any unmarked graves at Grouard Indian Residential School, also known as St. Bernard Mission School, is imperative to the community's collective healing.The school was opened by the Roman Catholic Church in 1894 and closed about 60 years ago. The First Nation says the archeology department at the University of Alberta is leading the project and a report on its find

Alberta's public inquiry into the role of foreign funding of campaigns opposing oilsands development has found environmental groups have done nothing wrong.Inquiry commissioner Steve Allan says the groups behind those campaigns were within their free speech rights. Allan also says the campaigns have not been unlawful or dishonest.But Allan recommends a series of reforms to improve transparency in the charitable sector, as well as an industry-led campaign to rebrand Canadian energy.

Alberta's chief medical officer of health says COVID-19 case numbers in the province continue to recede. But Dr. Deena Hinshaw cautions that the hospital situation remains precarious given the high number of patients. And she says Albertans can't afford to let up on health restrictions, particularly with Halloween coming up. There were 770 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday for a new total of 10,434 active cases. There were eight more deaths, bringing that total to 3,014. Alberta Health Services says there are 912 people in hospital with COVID-19, and that 201 of them are in intensive care.

In addition, 89.8% (3,884,354) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose and 84.4% (3,652,493) received their second dose.B.C. is reporting 715 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 200,249 cases in the province.There are 4,965 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 192,819 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 377 individuals are in hospital and 136 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, four new deaths (Northern Health) have been reported, for an overall total of 2,096.Ther

Authorities say remains found in a Florida wilderness park are those of Brian Laundrie, who was a person of interest in the death of girlfriend Gabby Petito. Petito was found slain at a Wyoming national park months while the pair was on a cross-country van trip chronicled on social media. The FBI's Denver office said in a news release that a comparison of dental records confirmed that the remains were Laundrie. The remains were discovered Wednesday in a swampy nature preserve near North Port, Florida, after a massive search. That search began shortly after Laundrie disappeared Sept. 14, two w

A pedestrian has been killed while walking along Highway 1 near Abbotsford. Police say it happened just before 10 last night when the victim was hit by a westbound transport truck. The unnamed pedestrian was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later. Investigators in Abbotsford are appealing for dashcam video or witnesses who may have seen the pedestrian along the highway in the moments before they were hit. Abbotsford Police Department on Twitter: AbbyPD & #ICARS on scene of fatal collision involving semi & pedestrian on Hwy 1. Hwy 1 closed westbound btwn Sumas Way & McCallu

Surrey RCMP Community Response Unit seized a large amount of drugs, cash and a vehicle during proactive patrols in South Surrey.On October 8, 2021, at 5:00 pm, Community Response Unit (CRU) officers observed what was believed to be a drug trafficking transaction between the driver of a vehicle and a man on foot in the 3000 block of 152 Street. Officers conducted a roadside traffic stop with the vehicle, which lead to both occupants of the vehicle being arrested.Police seized 151 oxycodone pills, 51 morphine pill, and 21 grams of cocaine, which was packaged for street level sale. In addition to