British Columbia Premier David Eby says U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has made a "declaration of economic war" on Canada and B.C. with his proposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods. Eby and Finance Minister Brenda Bailey released costings that suggest the tariffs and a similar response from Canada would cumulatively cost B.C. $69 billion by 2028. The costings also estimate 124,000 fewer jobs in the province by 2028 and that the unemployment rate would rise to 7.1 per cent next year.

BC Premier David Eby has voiced support for the federal government’s plan to counter Trump’s proposed tariffs. The plan includes possible export taxes or targeted restrictions on Canadian supplies of key goods to the United States. Eby emphasized that the premiers are united in their commitment to eliminating interprovincial trade barriers and exploring trade partnerships beyond the U.S. However, while most premiers oppose Trump’s tariffs and support measures like banning exports of certain goods to the U.S., Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has declined to back the federal plan. Smith st

Former B.C. premier Christy Clark will not run in the Liberal leadership race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, she said Tuesday. Sources tell Clark was “emotional” telling her core team about her decision on a conference call. “I have made the difficult decision to step back,” Clark wrote in an email sent to her supporters. Clark had expressed interest in running for the leadership, but has faced criticism for walking back claims about whether or not she joined the Conservative party three years ago to vote in its leadership race.

British Columbia’s forests minister says a crew from the province’s wildfire service left for California Saturday afternoon to help battle the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area. Ravi Parmar says in a video posted to social media Saturday afternoon that The B.C. Wildfire Service's crews had left the province and are expected to touch down in Los Angeles around 4 p.m. Pacific. The fire crew was first promised by Premier David Eby, who committed the crew on Friday after a request from California’s Forestry and Fire Protection Department. Eby says his province will also send ground cre

Former BC Premier Christy Clark could run for the Liberal Party leadership to replace Trudeau. Clark left provincial politics in 2017 and joined law firm Bennett Jones as a senior advisor. Reports suggest she is also receiving offers to help raise funds for a potential campaign. Sources say she has been preparing for the leadership race for months. Mike de Jong, who worked with her as finance minister for a long time, says Clark's political acumen cannot be underestimated. BC Conservative leader John Rustad also supported de Jong's comments. Rustad, who served as a cabinet minister in the Cla

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