New data shared by British Columbia's Centre for Disease Control shows the province has one of the worst flu rates in Canada, as a holiday-season spike in respiratory illnesses continues. But the data also shows the province has one of the lowest COVID-19 test positivity rates in the country, at about half the national rate. Dr. Jennifer Vines, interim medical director for public health response at the B.C. CDC, says respiratory illness has been “steadily climbing” over the past several weeks, with RSV and influenza “driving the increase right now.” The report says about 13.5 per cent

B.C.’s main opposition leader, John Rustad, has called for an independent investigation into the 2024 legislative election. Rustad claimed that a team investigating his candidate’s defeat in Surrey-Guildford found multiple irregularities that could have potentially altered the final results. He also questioned the electoral process, alleging that BC Elections did not verify whether those who voted were Canadian citizens. Rustad called for electoral reforms to ensure that only Canadian citizens are eligible to vote. The party further alleged that someone in Surrey-Guildford had voted twice

BC patients may face ambulance delays due to a tightening of overtime limits as part of a cost-cutting measure. According to reports, BC Emergency Health Services is implementing this change, and front-line workers are concerned that it will lead to further delays in patient care. The province’s emergency health department is reportedly facing a $200 million budget shortfall. The paramedics' union has expressed that the overtime policy change, effective January 1, has placed an increased burden on front-line workers. With fewer workers available to manage the situation amid a staffing short

Elections BC says it is looking into a complaint of voting irregularities from a B.C. Conservative candidate in a riding narrowly won by the NDP, giving the government a one-seat majority in October’s provincial election. It says the complaint was lodged by B.C. Conservative Honveer Singh Randhawa last Friday and it is “under review.” Elections BC declared the NDP’s Garry Begg winner of the Surrey-Guildford riding by 22 votes over Randhawa after a judicial recount conducted by hand. BC Conservative Leader John Rustad and Randhawa are scheduled to address a news conference this morning

The BC Centre for Disease Control says it is comparing the genetic features of a local teenager's avian flu case with that of a Louisiana patient who died earlier this week. Clinical microbiologist Dr. Agatha Jassem, co-program head of the virology lab at the BCCDC Public Health Laboratory, says they want to understand how the viruses in the two cases are related to each other, as well as to viruses circulating in birds. This will help to assess how easily it adapts and transmits between animals and humans. Both cases are related to viruses detected in wild birds and poultry. While th

Mounties in British Columbia say officers have seized more than $1.7 million worth of contraband tobacco after executing a search warrant at a property in Langford. West Shore RCMP say in a news release that the warrant was granted in relation to suspected trafficking of the tobacco, and was executed by officers on Dec. 30 at a residential property on Setchfield Ave. Police say they seized about 17,100 cartons, containing more than 171,000 packs of contraband cigarettes. Todd Preston, superintendent in charge of West Shore RCMP, says it was the "largest seizure of illicit tobacco" by the depar

Mounties in Chilliwack, B.C., say a person was struck and killed by a train near an overpass in the city early this morning. They say officers responded to a report of a pedestrian struck near the Yale Road Overpass and McIntosh Drive around 3:19 a.m. Police say first responders at the scene found the body and have determined the victim was female. They say she has not yet been identified. The RCMP say the incident does not appear to be suspicious, but police are working to figure out who she was. They say the investigation is also being done in partnership with the BC Coroners Service.

B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad has criticized Premier David Eby's government for the state of health care in the province. Rustad highlighted a recent incident at a Victoria hospital where a mother waited 14 hours in the emergency room for her sick child, who had a high fever. He called the situation unacceptable and accused Eby's government of prioritizing its own interests over addressing the public's needs. Rustad claimed that B.C.'s health services have deteriorated to an alarming level and emphasized the need for urgent, major reforms to improve the system.

B.C. has reported its first case of avian flu in 2025, confirmed in the Fraser Valley. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that bird flu was detected at a commercial facility in Abbotsford yesterday. The number of infected chickens in the province has now surpassed 8.5 million, according to the latest figures on the CFIA website. The federal agency also emphasized that the virus poses no food safety risk, as it does not spread to humans through properly cooked poultry and eggs.