BC NDP Leader John Horgan says elders living in long-term care facilities in British Columbia deserve their own rooms. He is promising a 10-year plan today that would cost $1.4 billion to revamp elder care after the COVID-19 pandemic showed a vulnerability in the system for people living in care facilities. Horgan says the NDP campaign platform for the Oct. 24 election will include more details of the party's plan in the coming days, but at a campaign stop in Surrey he said workers can expect fair wages and families more dignity for their loved ones. He says the pandemic has hit older people

A lawyer for the Canadian government says a lawsuit filed by 15 youth across the country should be dismissed because their claims about the harms of climate change are too broad. Joseph Cheng says greenhouse gas emissions are cumulative and a worldwide problem that affects all countries so Canada cannot act alone to resolve the impact of climate change. The lawsuit filed in October 2019 by youth who are now between 11 and 20 asks the court to compel Canada to develop a climate recovery plan based on the best available science. Cheng says extreme weather events caused by climate change, such a

A police investigation into the group-home death of a British Columbia teen has wrapped up without criminal charges, but several Indigenous organizations say more must be done. A statement from Abbotsford police says a group-home care worker reported the 17-year-old missing Sept. 15 and he was found dead three days later. A release from the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs says the teen was found in the closet of his bedroom at the Aboriginal Agency group home where he was last seen, and had been there the whole time. The statement from First Nations leaders says troubling circumstances surrounded

The vote was unanimous, 306 for and none against, as MP's passed legislation authorizing new pandemic benefits for workers still struggling in the COVID-19 era.Bill C-4 includes a replacement program for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit reworking the existing employment insurance program to be more flexible and generous.The Senate is expected to gather today to debate and pass the emergency aid legislation swiftly. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says Parliament unanimously passed a COVID-19 aid bill for workers in what he calls a ``shut up'' procedure.Blanchet says M-Ps wer

Lawyers for the federal government are preparing to present their side of the story at the extradition trial of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Her lawyers are just wrapping up their arguments in BC Supreme Court in Vancouver regarding the admissibility of evidence at Meng's trial. They contend proceedings against Meng should be tossed on the grounds that the United States misled Canadian officials in summarizing the case against her, leading to her arrest in Vancouver in December 2018. Meng and Huawei deny allegations they attempted to mislead a bank, potentially causing it to violate US trad

Quebec restaurateurs say they are in shock after the government ordered restaurant dining areas closed for 28 days in the province's two biggest cities.The order was one of several announced by authorities on Monday as they moved Montreal and Quebec City to the highest COVID-19 alert level, banning private indoor gatherings and shutting bars and cinemas.Martin Vezina, spokesman for Quebec's restaurateur association, said today that restaurants aren't the problem, and that many of his members have spent thousands of dollars on measures to protect diners and staff. Montreal's public he

The federal government has reached an agreement with American company Abbott to buy 7.9 million rapid-test devices once they are approved by Health Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, is pushing back against calls for Ottawa to quickly approve rapid tests for COVID-19, saying the decision is ultimately up to federal scientists. Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says rolling out inaccurate COVID-19 tests can lead to further infections if there is a large number of false negatives. Public Procurement Minister Anita Anand says with the numbers of COVID-19 cases r

India's Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu has tested positive for the coronavirus and will home quarantine. His office says in a tweet on Tuesday the 71 year old Naidu is asymptomatic and in good health. His wife, Usha Naidu, has tested negative and is in self-isolation. Naidu recently attended a session of India's Parliament that was cut short after more than 20 lawmakers tested positive. India's Home Minister Amit Shah tested positive last month and recovered in a hospital. India registered 70,589 new cases and 776 more confirmed deaths in the last 24 hours. That pushed the totals to more th

The U.S. State Department has condemned a rocket attack that killed Iraqi civilians and called on the government to take action amid an impending diplomatic crisis between Baghdad and Washington. The attack and subsequent condemnation by State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus on Tuesday come after the U.S. threatened to close its embassy in Baghdad, unless Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi can reign in the armed groups responsible for a barrage of rocket attacks targeting the American presence. A Katyusha rocket struck a residential home in the vicinity of Baghdad airport Monday and kill