BC Hydro says the massive Site C dam project in northeastern British Columbia has started generating power. The provincial electric utility says in a statement that the first of six generating units on the Site C dam has begun operations after completing testing and commissioning procedures. It’s expected that the site will be in full service by fall 2025, adding about eight per cent more supply to B.C.'s electricity grid. BC Hydro says the reservoir is now reaching more than 90 per cent full, with the water level at the dam rising by about 40 metres since late August when the filling proces

RCMP say a traffic stop in British Columbia's southern Interior led to the discovery of about 73 kilograms of cocaine in a vehicle. Insp. Lori Orstad with B.C. Highway Patrol says their preliminary investigation suggests the discovery earlier this month has "all the earmarks of organized crime." Police say officers arrested the 28-year-old man from Surrey who was driving the vehicle, and he's since been released with conditions and a scheduled court date. A statement from police says the traffic stop on Oct. 8 involved a roadblock on the Trans Canada Highway near Malakwa, east of Sicamous. The

Coastal British Columbia will see strong winds overnight with gusts that could reach speeds of between 90 and 110 kilometres per hour. Warnings from Environment Canada span the Greater Victoria area, the southern Gulf Islands, eastern Vancouver Island, southern parts of Metro Vancouver and Haida Gwaii. The weather office says most areas will see winds gusting up to 90 kilometres per hour before conditions are expected to ease Saturday morning, while winds over Haida Gwaii could peak at 110 kilometres per hour. The warnings come a week after an atmospheric river weather system drenched B.C.'s c

Voting officials say recounts in two ridings that could determine the outcome of British Columbia's election won't start until Sunday afternoon.Elections BC says results of the Surrey City Centre recount will be posted on Sunday when it is complete, with the results from the Juan De Fuca - Malhat recount to be posted on Monday. The election agency also says in a statement that screening of uncounted absentee and mail-in ballots has identified 65,000 ballots province-wide must also be tallied in a process running from Saturday until Monday, up from the previous estimate of 49,000.

Illicit drug deaths are down slightly in British Columbia from the same period last year, but the coroners service says females are dying at a much higher rate. The service says in a statement that 26 per cent of the 1,749 toxicity deaths so far this year were women or girls, and the rate of death among females is up 60 per cent from four years ago. There were 187 overdose deaths in B.C. in August and 183 in September. The service says the nine-month total is an eight per cent decrease from the same period last year, although it still represents about six people a day dying from unregulated dr

Green Leader Sonia Furstenau is set to meet the media for the first time since British Columbia's indecisive election on Saturday, amid speculation about a possible minority government.The Greens announced Tuesday that Furstenau is staying on as leader despite losing her seat in the legislature, saying she was "instrumental" in B.C.'s 2017 minority government and her guidance of the party's new caucus will be "critical."The Greens say their two elected members, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau's leadership as they "navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in th

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will face down his own caucus members in a hotly anticipated meeting this morning, as several of them plan to try to convince him to step aside. Rumours have circulated for weeks about an undisclosed number of Liberal MPs who have signed on to the effort to oust the prime minister in the hopes of improving the party's chances in the next election. Trudeau's personal poll numbers plummeted more than a year ago, and successive byelection losses have compounded concerns about his leadership. The MPs have no formal mechanism to depose Trudeau as leader, which means

Police say a youth has been arrested after a report of online threats against a school in the Metro Vancouver community of Richmond, B.C. RCMP say the Richmond School District contacted them on Saturday about alleged threats that a shooting would take place at a particular school on Monday. The Mounties say they began investigating immediately, identifying and arresting a youth that day. They say nothing so far indicates the threat was being followed through on, and there are no further safety concerns at the school. Insp. Michael Cohee says such a threat is "extremely serious" and police want

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his leadership of the Liberal party is not in danger, even as members of his caucus prepare to confront him Wednesday in the hopes of convincing him to step down. He brushed off those concerns as he headed into his regular Tuesday meeting with cabinet ministers. While members of the cabinet have defended Trudeau staying on as leader, a number of Liberal MPs have signed onto a letter that aims to convince him to step aside before the next election. It's not clear how many members of Trudeau's team of MPs plan to confront him, or exactly what their message will