Health officials are reminding everyone to keep social circles small, particularly in the Fraser Health region, which remains the epicentre of rising case counts in British Columbia. The province says in a release much of the recent transmission is connected to social gatherings and Fraser Health officials are asking residents to avoid hosting anyone from outside their household. B.C. reports 299 new cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths on Tuesday, bringing the death toll from the illness to 272. The province says 3,017 cases are currently active, including 92 people who are in hospital, w

Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam says the country has about 30,000 active cases of COVID-19 now. She's making a pitch for Canadians wearing a non-medical mask to use three layers to further reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others. Dr. Tam says nobody has really studied non-medical masks in the past and now there is more research into different materials, the number of layers and the fit. Dr. Tam says the fit of the mask is crucial too, saying it should be pinched at the nose and must completely cover the mouth and nose. But federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu says

Washington state prosecutors have charged four men with first-degree assault in connection with on attack on a fellow member of a Sikh temple in the Seattle suburb of Renton. Prosecutors said 33 year old Kuljit Singh, 62 year old Harinderbir Singh Gill, 37 year old Maninder Pal Singh Dahb and 50 year old Harbhajan Singh committed the assault in October with a baseball bat, ceremonial sword, dagger, iron bracelets and their feet. Renton police were still attempting to identify a fifth man they said participated in the attack, The Seattle Times reported Monday. The victim was not publicly ident

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada stands with the people of Austria, following last night's deadly mass shooting by an Islamic extremist. Four people were killed and more than a dozen injured when the man opened fire in a crowded nightlife district before he was shot dead by police. Trudeau condemned the attack and other recent violent incidents in France and at Kabul University in Afghanistan. "Canada is prepared to work with whoever wins today's US presidential election"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is prepared to work with whoever wins today's US presidential election.

The Quebec government has launched an online registry to collect messages of condolence following Saturday night's sword attack that left two dead in Quebec City. Premier Francois Legault is inviting Quebecers to express their sympathy to the family and loved ones of Suzanne Clermont and Francois Duchesne, who died after crossing paths with the attacker. Five other people were injured but authorities say their lives are not in danger. In a written message, Legault calls the Halloween night attack a terrible tragedy and says all of Quebec is in mourning. A 24 year old man from north of Montrea

A dance studio east of Vancouver is the site of the latest significant outbreak of COVID-19 in British Columbia. Fraser Health says Capella Dance Academy in Chilliwack closed voluntarily last Wednesday after 26 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The academy offers a variety of classes for toddlers to teenagers and has about one dozen instructors but the health authority hasn't said how many of the illnesses are among students or staff. It says all those identified as cases and close contacts have been instructed to self-isolate and health officials are also working with area sc

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says October home sales were up 29 per cent compared to a year ago, making it the second-best October on record. The board says its agents sold 3,687 homes last month, up from2,858 sold in October 2019. Home sales were also up 1.2 per cent from September amid a surge in sales of detached homes. The benchmark price for Vancouver homes hit $1,045,100 in October, up six per cent from last October and 0.4 per cent from September. The housing market has been catching up after COVID-19 lockdowns earlier this year stymied the spring selling season. Board ch

Victoria's mayor says the vandalism of a mural on systemic racism has led to difficult conversations. Lisa Helps says she was disappointed by the vandalism, adding that the new language on the mural fits with the city's public art policy and is a reflection of the artists' experience of the past few weeks and months. The ``More Justice, More Peace'' mural was vandalized with spray paint on Saturday morning. The mural in the city's Bastion Square was criticized by the police chief in August, because it included the acronym ACAB, which is commonly held to mean ``All Cops Are Bastards'' or ``All

BC is reporting a record 1,120 new cases of COVID-19 over the three-day weekend reporting period. Health officials are also reporting six deaths linked to the pandemic, bringing the total to 269 fatalities. The province now has two-thousand-945 active cases, including 90 people who are being treated in hospital. Health officials say the numbers are concerning but the vast majority of people are following safety precautions, despite images of crowds in Vancouver on Halloween night.