B.C. Conservative MLA for Abbotsford-South Bruce Banman has left the party and announced that he will sit as an independent member in the legislature. Banman is the sixth MLA to leave the party this month amid growing concerns over leader Karin Kirkpatrick Findlay’s leadership. In a statement, Banman said he had been receiving consistent feedback from residents that Findlay, who currently does not hold a seat in the legislature, is unable to lead the party to an election victory. He said the party needs to broaden its political appeal to defeat Premier David Eby’s NDP government, but argue

Two people were killed in a serious crash involving a Volkswagen Jetta and a Kia Sedona minivan on Highway 19 near Lantzville on Vancouver Island early Friday morning. According to B.C. Highway Patrol, the collision occurred around 3 a.m. near the intersection of Ware Road, involving two vehicles travelling in the southbound lanes. Police said two occupants of the Volkswagen died at the scene. The 16-year-old girl driving the Kia minivan was also injured and remains in hospital for treatment. The teenage driver has been charged with impaired driving causing death and dangerous operation of a m

Metro Vancouver is set to ease its water restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1 starting Sept. 1, allowing residents and businesses to water their lawns once a week. Under Stage 1, residential properties with even-numbered addresses can water their lawns on Saturdays, while odd-numbered addresses can do so on Sundays. Automatic watering is permitted from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., while manual watering is allowed from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. For commercial properties, lawn watering will be allowed on Mondays for even-numbered addresses and Tuesdays for odd-numbered addresses. Trees, shrubs and flowers can als

A 43-year-old man, Dustin Gastel, has been sentenced to three years in prison for desecrating human remains in connection with a 2023 homicide in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The case came to light on January 3, 2023, when Vancouver Fire Rescue Services discovered burned human remains while extinguishing a suspicious outdoor fire near Powell Street and Raymur Avenue. Police later identified the victim as 34-year-old Jeff Genty, who was the first homicide victim recorded in Vancouver that year. According to Vancouver police, Gastel was sentenced by the court on August 10. His three-year sen

Prince George RCMP officers have seized a large quantity of suspected illicit drugs, cash, firearms and ammunition during a drug investigation at a local residence. The investigation began on August 24, 2026, at a home in the 6200-block of Monterey Road. Police searched the residence and seized approximately $29,000 in cash, along with more than 100 grams of two unidentified substances believed to be illicit drugs. Officers also recovered two firearms, ammunition and drug-trafficking paraphernalia during the investigation. The only person inside the residence at the time was arrested and later

A 44-year-old Williams Lake man has been charged in connection with a fatal crash on Highway 1 near Lytton last year that claimed the lives of two people. Joel Chenier has been charged under the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act with driving without due care and attention. The crash occurred around 5 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2025, near Spences Bridge. According to police, a black Ford SUV crossed the centre line of the highway and collided head-on with an oncoming pickup truck. The impact was so severe that both vehicles caught fire. A woman travelling in the SUV and a man in the pickup truck died at the scene.

A woman’s body was found at a farm in Delta after a fire broke out early Wednesday morning, with police now investigating the circumstances surrounding her death. According to a brief statement from the Delta Police Department, officers were called to a farm in the 6400-block of River Road at around 6:10 a.m. after receiving a report of a fire and a deceased woman. The area is located just south of the Fraser River, near the Deas Slough Bridge. Investigators are working to confirm the woman’s identity and determine the cause and circumstances of her death. Police are currently treating the

B.C. Premier David Eby has sharply criticized the ongoing political turmoil within the opposition B.C. Conservative Party, calling it a “centre of chaos” while ruling out the possibility of an early provincial election. Eby’s comments came after four B.C. Conservative MLAs recently resigned from the party amid growing tensions and dissatisfaction with the leadership. Taking aim at Conservative Leader Karin Kirkpatrick, Eby described the B.C. Conservatives as a far-right party and questioned how British Columbians could place their trust in a party when its own MLAs are unable to stand be

Two B.C. Conservative MLAs, Rosalyn Bird of Prince George-Valemount and Teresa Wat of Richmond-Bridgeport, have resigned from the party and will now sit as independent members in the legislature. The departures mark the fourth major setback for the party in just 12 days under the leadership of Kerry-Lyn Findlay. Both Bird and Wat have expressed dissatisfaction with Findlay’s leadership and the way the party has been operating. Earlier, two senior MLAs, Ian Paton and Peter Milobar, also left the party after raising concerns about Findlay’s leadership and her approach to running the party. T