On the occasion of Vaisakhi, British Columbia Premier David Eby has issued the following statement marking Vaisakhi:"Today, Sikhs here in British Columbia and around the world will gather to celebrate Vaisakhi. Marking the formation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh Ji more than three centuries ago, Vaisakhi is among the holiest days in the Sikh calendar. Vaisakhi is a time for family and community, and of coming together in worship and celebration. This year, it will be marked by prayer and reflection in gurdwaras across the province, in parades and Nagar Kirtans, and gatherings with family.

In another glaring incident of hate crime, a woman passed racial comment and later spat on an Arabic speaking man’s face in a Vancouver café.This video has been released by Vancouver Police department claiming that a 38 year old man was playing cards and drinking coffee with a group of friends near West 4th Avenue and Alma street when they were approached by a stranger around 10:45 p.m. on February 26.After initially engaging in friendly conversation, the woman asked the men what language they were speaking. When one of the men told her they were speaking Arabic, the woman allegedly made a

British Columbia's premier says Mounties and Metro Vancouver Transit Police have increased their presence and stepped up patrols on bus and train lines so passengers can feel safe when travelling.David Eby says the stabbing death of a 17-year-old male on a Surrey bus on Tuesday is every parent's nightmare.The premier says Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth is reaching out to transit authorities and police to see if more resources are needed to ensure transit safety.The teen’s death is among a series of attacks on commuters across Canada that includes a shooting on a Calgary bus on Wednesd

An earthquake measuring 6 has shaken the seabed a few hundred kilometres off Vancouver Island.The National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska says a dangerous wave is not expected from the quake.The U.S. Geological Survey website shows the quake was only lightly felt in areas ranging from Port Hardy, just over 200 kilometres from the epicentre, to Kitimat, more than 500 kilometres away.Earthquakes Canada estimated the quake that happened at about 8 a.m. local time was magnitude 5.8, while the tsunami warning centre said it reached 6.2.The earthquake was centred along the eastern edge of the Juan

Quebec's power utility says its website and mobile application have been knocked offline by a cyberattack.Hydro-Québec says it was targeted at around 3 a.m. by a denial-of-service assault when attackers flood an internet server with traffic and overwhelm it.The utility says the attack has shut down its website and cellphone application but says its critical systems are not affected.Hydro also says there was no data breach and personal data was not compromised.In recent days, Canadian websites have been targeted by cyberattacks with pro-Russian groups claiming responsibility.Targets included w

Cruise ship season officially launches in British Columbia as the Sapphire Princess berths in Victoria for a one-day visit.The vessel then travels to Vancouver to begin that city's season.The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority expects 330 ships between April and October, bringing at least 850,000 passengers to the capital.The Port of Vancouver says 331 cruise ships are scheduled over the same period, potentially delivering more than one million visitors into the downtown core, with almost daily arrivals and departures at the height of the season between May and September.Prince Rupert's cruise

The union that represents the RCMP's emergency dispatchers and 911 operators is calling for the force to come up with a recruitment plan to fix worsening staff shortages.CUPE Local 104 president Kathleen Hippern says hundreds of people are off on long-term sick leave, but the force has not hired replacements for many of them.Hippern says that few centres are fully staffed, specifying that in Nova Scotia, staffing is only at about 50 per cent.She says morale is "abysmal" and she believes the lack of staff is affecting public safety by leaving callers sometimes waiting for minutes before someone

Quebec's electric utility says it still can't say with certainty when power will return to all the homes and businesses affected by last week's ice storm.About 16,000 customers are still off the grid, and Hydro-Québec says the majority of them are in the Montreal area.Utility spokesman Francis Labbé says work is particularly complicated in areas where mature trees have damaged power lines and need to be removed before crews can conduct repairs.Hydro-Québec says it has restored power to 99 per cent of the 1.1 million customers who lost electricity after freezing rain sent trees crashing onto

The CEO and most members of the board of directions for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation say they are stepping down because of the political climate that has recently surrounded their work.In a statement posted on its website, the foundation says the politicization of a donation it received seven years ago has put a great deal of pressure on its management, volunteer board of directors and staff.The resignations come after the Globe and Mail newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources, that Chinese billionaire Zhang Bin and another Chinese businessman, Niu Gensheng, donated $200,000 to th