Twelve of the 400 or so blazes burning in British Columbia are described by the province's wildfire service as "wildfires of note," meaning they are highly visible or pose a threat to public safety. Here is a look at the 12 fires, with information provided by the BC Wildfire Service as of Friday at 1 p.m., Pacific time: Name: Bush Creek East WildfireLocation:West and East of Adams Lake, north of Shuswap and Little Shuswap lakes, south of Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento Size: 431 square kilometres Suspected cause: Lightning Name: Casper Creek WildfireLocation: 24 kilometres west of Lilloo

British Columbia's state of emergency over wildfires has been extended for another two weeks.This information has been given by Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma.The minister says rains in the southern part of the province have helped control the wildfires, but the heat wave in the north has worsened the situation, extending the state of emergency for another two weeks.Ma said that 4,200 people are under evacuation orders due to wildfires, and 65,000 people are on evacuation alert.She said that the danger of forest fires still remains.It may be mentioned that the state of emergency was d

British Columbia Premier David Eby is calling on the Bank of Canada to halt further interest rate hikes.In a letter today to Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem, Eby urges him to consider the full human impact of rate hikes and not increase them at this time.The Bank of Canada is set to make an interest rate decision early next month.Eby has also written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attaching his letter to Macklem and calling for a targeted approach to fighting inflation, focusing on housing and infrastructure improvements.Eby's letter to Trudeau says a targeted approach to key sectors w

A man who stabbed a woman to death and injured six others outside a library in North Vancouver two years ago was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.Yannick Bandaogo has been charged with second degree murder, attempted murder.Yannick Bandaogo has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 15 years.It is worth noting that during the court proceedings in July, Bandaogo apologized to the victims and told the court about a troubled childhood, due to which he took to drugs.On March 27, 2021, Bandaogo went on a stabbing rampage in and around the Lynn Valley Public Library,

An audited public accounting of British Columbia's financial records shows the province posted a surplus of more than $700 million in the 2022-2023 budget year.Finance Minister Katrine Conroy outlined the province's financial performance in the government's public accounts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.The government's budget forecasts have been on an up-and-down ride for the past two years, with the 2022-2023 budget originally forecast in February last year to show a $5.5 billion deficit, before that was revised to a surplus of almost $6 billion, then downgraded to a $3.6 billion

The first case of the BA.2.86 variant of Covid has been reported in Canada.This is the first case found in British Columbia.B.C. health officials have confirmed this variant.B.C.'s Centers for Disease Control confirmed that the variant was found in a person in the Fraser Health Region, east of Vancouver, who has not traveled outside the province.Medical Director of Vancouver Infectious Disease Control Dr. Brian Conway says the new BA.2.86 variant has not yet been shown to cause more severe disease.Conway says the first case being recorded here in B.C. is a reminder that COVID never truly went

The death toll from toxic drug overdoses in British Columbia has risen to 200.According to the B.C. Coroner's Service report, 200 people died in July.The BC Coroner's Service says 198 people died last month.The coroner says at least 1,455 deaths between January and July this year have been linked to the supply of the unregulated toxic drug."We will be recognizing International Overdose Awareness Day in two days," said Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe.Drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people between the ages of 10 and 59, more than murder, suicide, accidents and disease combined, Lis

The number of properties damaged or completely destroyed in B.C.'s Okanagan wildfires has risen to 189.Central Okanagan Emergency Operations made the announcement on Monday.These properties were damaged in the regional district of West Kelowna and Central Okanagan West Electoral Area A.The devastating McDougall Creek fire is still out of control, West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said in a briefing.Chief Administrative Officer Sally Ginter says the center is contacting all affected homeowners and asking them to recheck their property status online at cordemergency.ca/propertyinfo.Ginter sa

Persistent heat is expected to continue today in parts of British Columbia as the province continues to battle almost 400 active wildfires.Environment Canada says several communities in northern B.C. are facing heat warnings, with daily high temperatures predicted to reach in excess of 30 degrees.Communities currently under a heat warning include Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Tumbler Ridge and Terrace.According to Environment Canada data, Fort Nelson is expected to reach 32 C again today after breaking its historic high temperature for August 27 at 32.4 C.Historic daily high temper