New data from the BC Coroners Service says at least 458 people experiencing homelessness in the province died in 2023, with the toll almost tripling in just three years. The service says in a news release there's been a 23 per cent increase from the 373 recorded deaths of unhoused people the year before. It says 91 per cent of the 2023 deaths were classified as accidental, including 86 per cent due to drug toxicity. The data show 79 per cent of those who died were male, while more than half were between the ages of 30 and 49. Chief Coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan says the numbers speak to the "tr

Parts of Canada, including British Columbia (BC), will move their clocks forward by one hour on Sunday, March 9. Daylight saving time (DST) will officially take effect at 2 a.m. on that day. The change is expected to influence sleep patterns and daily routines. DST has a long history. In 1784, Benjamin Franklin proposed the concept while serving as the U.S. ambassador to France. However, it wasn’t formally adopted in Canada until 1918, during World War I, as a measure to increase productivity. Following the end of World War I, the Canadian government discontinued DST, only to reinstate it d

British Columbia health officials say another travel-related measles infection has been confirmed in the Lower Mainland, in a resident who visited Southeast Asia. Fraser Health says in a statement that the case is unrelated to an infection last month involving a resident of the Vancouver Coastal Health region who was also infected after a trip to Southeast Asia. It says the new case involves a Fraser Health resident, and health officials are directly following up with people known to have been exposed to the virus. The statement says members of the public might have been exposed to measles if

The British Columbia and federal governments have signed a four-year, $670-million pharmacare agreement, giving universal access to contraceptive and diabetes medications. The plan will support nearly 550,000 B.C. residents with diabetes and provide 1.3 million people with a range of contraceptives. B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne and federal Health Minister Mark Holland announced the agreement will also mean free public coverage of hormone replacement therapy to treat menopause symptoms.

British Columbia Premier David Eby says the government is making contingency plans to reduce the province's reliance on electricity from the United States after the start of the continental trade war. He says similar planning happens in the event of natural disasters and now it's due to a "man-made disaster" created by U.S. President Donald Trump, who imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports on Tuesday. Eby says uncertainty and potential instability coming from south of the border mean the province needs backup plans so B.C. will never again be "so dependent on the United States." The prem

More families in the province will benefit from B.C.’s Rental Assistance Program following an increase in the annual income limit for low-income working families. In Budget 2025, the David Eby government raised the income limit from $40,000 to $60,000. The provincial government anticipates that this change will increase the number of families receiving the rental supplement from 3,200 to around 6,000. Additionally, the amount of the rental supplement will rise by approximately 75%, from $400 per month to $700 per month. Furthermore, the income limit and average supplement amount for the She

British Columbia's finance minister is preparing to deliver a budget today that she says will brace the province against four years of "uncertainty and disorder" amid the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump. Brenda Bailey's budget is being handed down on the same day that Trump says a 25 per cent U.S. tariff will be placed on Canadian goods, while Canadian energy will face 10 per cent tariffs. Bailey says Trump's tariffs came "completely out of nowhere" when he announced them last November and they've already changed B.C.'s financial circumstances. The NDP government has cancelled its election pro

BC Finance Minister Brenda Bailey is set to present the provincial budget tomorrow, a significant event coinciding with the anticipated implementation of Trump’s 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods. The budget will also serve as a major test for Premier David Eby, who made ambitious campaign promises during the election. Eby pledged that his BC NDP government would build new hospitals, expand rapid transit, and invest in schools if re-elected. However, the looming tariffs and the pressure to address the province’s $9.4 billion deficit suggest that these promises may not feature prominentl

An earthquake has shaken awake some B.C. residents, the latest in a series of tremors for the province. Earthquakes Canada says the 4.1 magnitude earthquake was detected at 5:02 a.m. PST roughly 44 kilometres northeast of Victoria, B.C., and 75 kilometres southeast of Vancouver but it isn't believed to have caused any damage. The agency says the quake would have been lightly felt around Victoria and Vancouver, and by 6 a.m. more than 1,500 people had reported feeling the quake to the agency. Many people also took to social media to report being shaken awake by the tremor. The U.S. National Tsu