At least 12 new evacuation orders or alerts have been issued over the last day in British Columbia as lightning storms and drought conditions add to the challenge of fighting hundreds of wildfires.The orders and alerts cover thousands of hectares of land mainly in the Prince George and Northwest fire centres. The BC Wildfire Service says just over two-thirds of the province's roughly 330 fires are raging in those two centres. Environment Canada has posted air-quality statements for much of central and northern B.C. and parts of Yukon as far north as Faro, with conditions not expected to ease f

The federal labour minster has asked mediators for terms to end the B.C. port strike within 24 hours.Seamus O'Regan issued a statement saying the scale of this disruption shows how important the relationship between the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada is to our national interest.He says that once he has received the terms from the mediator, he will forward them to both sides and they will have another 24 hours to decide whether to ratify the principles of the deal.

Police in British Columbia are raising concerns about the rise of 3D-printed guns and other privately made firearms, saying the risks posed by the weapons that often resemble "harmless toys" may not be understood by parents or teachers.The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit has shared a photo of an array of weapons printed in colourful plastic, with names including Songbird, Biden's Bane and Macdaddy.Others appear to be replicas of commercially made guns including an AR-15 rifle and handguns by Glock and Smith & Wesson.The unit says in a news release that although a fully functional

Some patients had to be shifted to other hospitals due to a fire in the emergency department of Surrey Memorial Hospital on Monday morning.According to Fraser Health, a flammable liquid caught fire in a hospital bathroom and a patient in the bathroom was injured and is being treated.The police said that the fire was not deliberately set and no criminal investigation is underway against anyone.The bathroom of the hospital is reported to be badly damaged in this incident.It may be noted that Surrey Memorial Hospital has been in limelight for a few months regarding staff shortages and long delays

Hundreds of lightning strikes in many parts of British Columbia almost tripled the number of active wildfires in the province over the weekend, with most burning in central and northern B.C. The BC Wildfire Service is reporting more than 300 fires, with 87 spotted in the last 24 hours and almost 200 of the total number ranked as out of control. The wildfire service is bracing for challenging conditions, with lightning storms still in the forecast for most of the week, as well as heat warnings or above-average temperatures through the central Interior. Of the 13 blazes listed as "fires of note,

The B.C. RCMP says a former probationary constable at the force's Surrey detachment has been charged with multiple offences after a months-long corruption investigation.Mounties say the ex-constable faces 13 charges related to drug trafficking, breach of trust, theft, cannabis distribution and conspiracy to commit robbery.Police say the force started a covert investigation in the summer of 2020 after becoming aware that the former constable was allegedly associating with criminals.They say he was arrested after a six-month investigation in January 2021 for offences allegedly committed both on

Airbnb has won a court ruling that quashes an order from British Columbia's privacy commissioner that would have identified hosts and their home addresses in Vancouver.The B.C. Supreme Court ruling released Wednesday says the Information and Privacy Commissioner got it wrong when it ordered the City of Vancouver to release the information about hosts who hold short-term rental licences without notifying them.Justice Jasvinder Basran's ruling says the privacy commissioner must reconsider its findings after notifying Airbnb hosts about the potential release of the information.The ruling says bot

The police have released the identity of the youth who was murdered on Sunday in Coquitlam.The deceased was Punjabi youth Karnvir Singh Garcha.He was 25 years old.Police said that Karnvir Singh was found injured near Foster Avenue near North Road at 9.30 pm and despite all efforts, he died on the spot. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said that Garcha along with another person had been issued a warning by the police in December to avoid gangs as their names were associated with gang violence and drug trade.Surrey RCMP described Garcha as a risk to the community at the time.Police sai

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says strong demand for the few homes listed for sale last month helped boost the benchmark price for all residential properties in the region to just over 1.2 million dollars.The board says that's up 1.3 per cent in a single month, although it's still more than two per cent below the benchmark price set one year ago.Overall, the board says the housing market continues to outperform expectations with the apartment or condo market eclipsing slightly slower sales in the townhouse and detached home sectors.The board also notes that sales continue to outst