The president of London Drugs has issued a letter apologizing for a cybersecurity incident that forced the company to close stores for more than a week, but he says there's no evidence customer databases were compromised. The letter from Clint Mahlman says the Richmond, B.C.-based company is still investigating the April 28 incident, and should it find that any customer information was affected, it would inform people according to privacy laws. Mahlman says London Drugs works with experts to ensure its systems are secure, and independent auditors regularly review the company's security practic

Most drivers in British Columbia will receive a $110 vehicle insurance rebate this year. The Insurance Corporation of B.C. says strong investment and financial returns and the 2021 shift to the "enhanced care" model for providing health coverage for people involved in crashes has put the Crown corporation in a solid position to offer rebates. Corporation president David Wong says vehicle insurance rates will also remain frozen until at least March 2026. He says the last basic insurance rate increase was 2019. Wong says preliminary financial results show ICBC will earn net income of $1.5 billio

A court date has been set for the third man charged with the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, coinciding with that of the other two suspects. Case listings from Surrey Provincial Court in B.C. show that Kamalpreet Singh will appear next on May 21. Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar are Indian nationals who were arrested in Edmonton last week for the June 2023 death of Nijjar, who was shot dead in his truck while leaving the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh temple. Appearance dates had already been set for Karanpreet Singh and Brar, but fixing a da

London Drugs is gradually reopening its stores across Western Canada more than a week after a cybersecurity breach forced the retailer to close. The company says it is working with independent cybersecurity experts to securely bring its systems back online after it was discovered April 28. The Richmond, B.C.-based pharmacy and retailer operates about 80 London Drugs locations across Western Canada. The retailer says on its website more than two dozen stores are back in operation in B.C., while six are open in Alberta, three in Saskatchewan and one in Manitoba. The company notes that some store

Canada's first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel will officially be brought into the Pacific fleet today and Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles, is scheduled to take part in its commissioning ceremony. A news release says Anne will be attending the ceremony in her role as commodore-in-chief for the Canadian Fleet Pacific. National Defence says HMCS Max Bernays arrived in its new home port in Esquimalt last month, calling it a "pivotal milestone" in the expansion of the fleet. It says the introduction of the ship, named after a Canadian naval hero during the Second World War’s Battle o

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. Police in New Westminster, B.C., say they were called to a post-secondary school in the city when staff reported that a woman armed with a knife was inside the building. The woman was not a student at the institution and police say students and staff feared for their safety. Before police arrived, security had isolated the armed woman and police cleared out the building. Police called in the emergency response team, which convinced the woman to give herself up and she was safely arrested. Charges related to mischief and threats are being considered, police say. Royal Aven

A B.C. Conservative private member's bill to classify publicly funded sports teams and events according to the "biological sex" of participants, banning transgender athletes, didn't make it out of the starting blocks. The Fairness in Women's and Girls' Sports Act was voted down at first reading, a fate that's a rarity in the legislature. The majority New Democrats, joined by two Green Party members and two Independents, voted down the proposed bill introduced by Conservative Leader John Rustad. New Democrat House Leader Ravi Kahlon said outside the legislature the proposed bill was "hateful an

London Drugs is investigating whether personal data was compromised in a cybersecurity incident that prompted the company to close all of its stores across Western Canada until further notice. A statement from the retailer and pharmacy chain says it will notify "affected individuals" if the probe finds their data was breached. The company says it's working with third-party cybersecurity experts to securely bring its operations back online after discovering the incident on Sunday. An earlier statement said there was no reason to believe customer or employee data had been affected by the inciden

British Columbia has secured eight new sites for its BC Builds program, in which land owned by the province, non-profits or community groups is pre-zoned to build middle-income rental housing. The new sites include three in the Township of Langley, one each in Kelowna and Kamloops, as well as properties in Sooke and Chemainus on Vancouver Island and Elkford in East Kootenay region. The province says it is now seeking proposals for all eight sites to "fast-track" rental homes, as BC Builds backs the projects with low-cost financing. B.C. Premier David Eby says the program's continued growth is