The mayor of the regional municipality that includes Fort Nelson, B.C., that was evacuated due to a threatening wildfire says local officials are pushing for a Monday or Tuesday deadline to start allowing about 4,700 residents home after nearly two weeks. Rob Fraser says the "imminent risk" posed by the Parker Lake fire has been reduced, and officials are focused on rolling out a phased approach to residents' return. He says in a video posted late Wednesday that some doctors had returned to the community along with grocery staff who were restocking shelves. Fraser says water, hydro and hydroel

The mayor of the regional municipality that includes the evacuated community of Fort Nelson, B.C., says he's optimistic crews have "a very good handle" on the wildfire burning outside town and plans are underway for residents to return. Rob Fraser says the first phase involved ensuring it was safe enough to move the Fort Nelson emergency operations centre back into town after it was moved as the fire threatened earlier this month, and the second phase involves utility services. Fraser posted a video update late Tuesday saying hydro, natural gas and telecommunications crews were in town working

Retailer London Drugs says it is "unwilling and unable" to pay a multimillion-dollar ransom to cybercriminals who claim to have stolen data in a hacking attack that recently shut down its stores for more than a week. The company says in a statement that the criminals could leak stolen corporate files containing employee information on the dark web, calling the situation "deeply distressing." It says it notified all employees and is providing them with two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. The retailer was responding to an image posted on the social media platfo

A rainy Thursday in and around Fort Nelson was exactly what fire crews were looking for. In a video released late Thursday night by the B.C. Wildfire Service, fire behaviour specialist for the Parker Lake and Patry Creek blazes Evan Peck said recent rain was much needed and made for excellent conditions for fire suppression crews. While more rain is forecast in the coming days, Peck says there's not been nearly enough precipitation yet to overcome long-term drought conditions in northeast British Columbia. Crews continue to battle the Parker Lake and Patry Creek blazes, both of which are threa

British Columbia's wildfire service says the blaze threatening the northern community of Fort Nelson now spans nearly 130 square kilometres, but it had spread away from the town along its southern flank. The service says the Parker Lake fire has been mapped at 127 square kilometres in size, up from 84 square kilometres earlier this week. It says cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity were expected to make for more favourable conditions over the next couple of days fighting the fire that was only two kilometres southwest of the town earlier this week. There may be some light rain, but

A fourth man accused in the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar will next appear at provincial court on May 21, the same day the other three accused are scheduled for a hearing. The BC Prosecution Service says 22-year-old Amandeep Singh appeared via video link for his first appearance in a Surrey, B.C., court on Wednesday, and the matter has been put forward to next week. The three other men accused in Nijjar's murder Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh will all appear in Surrey court on the same date. Amandeep Singh was charged with first-degree murder

A former British Columbia forests minister says the province is on the right track as it responds to worsening wildfires, but the scale of the challenge is so great, it's falling behind and needs to prioritize a "whole-of-society" approach. Doug Donaldson says the place to start should be a dedicated provincial wildfire strategy that lays out responsibilities for each government ministry, while supporting the participation of local communities, civil society and the forest industry. The former member of the legislature for Stikine, who served as forests minister from 2017 to 2020, says the BC

The wildfire burning near Fort Nelson continues to grow rapidly. As of Tuesday morning, the B.C. Wildfire Service reported the fire had grown to over 84 square kilometres. That marks a significant expansion of the fire, which as of Monday morning, was just under 53 square kilometres in size. This comes as efforts to evacuate Fort Nelson continue to be made due to the Parker Lake wildfire, which is still two kilometres outside the town. Mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Rob Fraser says efforts were made to call "holdouts" in the last few days, with some of those efforts being

A fire behaviour specialist with the B.C. Wildfire Service says an intense wildfire could hit Fort Nelson this morning, based on forecasts that have been calling for strong winds that have been fuelling the out-of-control blaze to continue throughout the day. Ben Boghean said in a video posted to social media Sunday night that the extreme fire behaviour, made worse by years of drought and a below-normal snowpack this past winter, could end up threatening the crews that have been fighting the Parker Lake wildfire. Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality based in Fort Nel