A report commissioned by the town of Jasper says crews did their best to fight last year's devastating wildfire but the Alberta government complicated the response. The report was based on surveyed participants and firefighters who battled the blaze that destroyed much of the mountain town. It says the Alberta government wasn't jurisdictionally responsible to lead the crisis but made things more difficult with regular information requests and by seeking to exercise decision-making authority. The report says incident commanders had their focus disrupted and were forced to spend precio

B-C Health Minister Josie Osborne says she's reinstated funding for drug coverage for a ten-year-old Langford girl who suffers from a rare neurodegenerative disease. Osborne says she spoke to Charleigh Pollock's family on Thursday evening and told them that the funding will be available for as long as her doctor and the family deem appropriate. The minister says a letter from experts on Batten disease confirmed that there's ``significant disagreement'' about the drug Brineura, which costs around $1 million a year. Pollock is the only person in B-C with the disease, and one of around 2

Canada’s National Housing Agency says eliminating interprovincial trade barriers could lead to 30,000 more new homes being built in Canada each year. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said in a report Thursday that this would bring the total number of annual housing starts to nearly 280,000, a meaningful step toward addressing Canada’s housing supply gap. To achieve this goal, Canada will need to reduce provincial barriers that hinder transportation infrastructure from west to east, said CMHC chief economist Matthew LeBridge. The agency said this would help maximize the use of

Surrey Police Service is taking over patrols on the West Side of South Surrey from RCMP on July 28. SPS will also take over street patrols on the East Side on November 20. This information was provided by Chief Constable Norm Lipinski. Lipinski said that we are fully prepared for this transition and are working closely with our RCMP partners to ensure that this transition can happen smoothly. This is another phase in the ongoing transformation of Surrey Police Service, with SPS gradually taking over full responsibility as the city’s police force. The transition process is expected to be co

BC Highway Patrol in Golden is asking people to slow down and drive sober during a summer spike in excessive speeding and dangerous driving. It’s all happening amidst a huge increase in traffic volume on Highway #1. Summer is always a busy season on the Trans Canada, but we all need to obey the speed limit and drive with more caution, says Corporal Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. Our officers feel like we are pulling people over moments before catastrophe, especially when drivers are speeding through national parks and construction zones. It’s also a good time to remember that t

A large haul of suspected cocaine has been seized during a search of a pickup truck at a B.C. border crossing. The Canada Border Services Agency said it was being smuggled into Canada. The statement said that on June 11, officers searched a pickup truck at the Osoyoos Port of Entry and found 70 kilograms of suspected cocaine in the form of bricks, equivalent to an estimated 144,000 individual doses. The driver was not named and has not yet been charged, but the Canada Border Services Agency said he was turned over to police. Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandsangri called it a ma

A Calgary man convicted of manslaughter in the death of his five-year-old grandson has been granted statutory release from prison. The Parole Board of Canada says in a decision that Allan Perdomo Lopez is to have no contact with children. The now-65-year-old was sentenced in 2019 to nine years after Emilio Perdomo died of a traumatic brain injury. Five months earlier, the boy had been sent to Canada from Mexico by his mother for a better life. Court heard the boy was subjected to months of physical abuse, with bruising and scars found all over his body. The trial heard a recor

Premier David Eby has announced a major cabinet shuffle aimed at strengthening British Columbia’s economy and job growth, with several high-profile changes affecting portfolios central to the province’s future. Ravi Kahlon, MLA for Delta North, will take over as Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth, moving from the housing file. He replaces Diana Gibson, who moves to Citizens’ Services. Among other shifts: Nina Krieger becomes Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, replacing Garry Begg. Christine Boyle assumes the Housing and Municipal Affairs portfolio. Spencer Chandra-

Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a meeting with First Nations leaders today that Bill C-5 is going to bring prosperity to their future generations. Carney said that Bill C-5, passed by Parliament in June, is designed to strengthen and transform our national economy at a time when Canada is facing threats from Trump. The Prime Minister said that the potential benefits from the construction of new railways, ports and energy corridors will go to First Nations because Indigenous economic development is at the heart of this new framework. Carney said that the government will ensure that major