Several British Columbia media reports say one of two Central Saanich Police officers charged with sexual assaulting a woman they met on duty has died by suicide. The Times Colonist cites four sources saying 43-year-old Sgt. Matthew Ball has died, while other outlets cite police sources saying Ball died by suicide. Mounties say in a news release they are investigating the discovery of a body in a forested area of Shawnigan Lake, which is about 40 kilometres northwest of Victoria. RCMP say they are looking into whether any criminality was involved and the coroner's service is also investigating

Premier David Eby's government is facing sharp criticism from the opposition for increasing this year’s record budget deficit by $429 million. BC Conservative finance critic Peter Milobar highlighted the province's growing economic challenges, pointing to the $9.4-billion deficit estimate as evidence of deepening debt. Milobar argued that the fiscal update reflects a slowing economy, declining tax revenues from resources and businesses, and escalating costs of major projects such as Vancouver’s Broadway SkyTrain. He suggested that if voters had been aware of the province's worsening finan

British Columbia's budget deficit could reach a record $9.4 billion this year, the province's new finance minister, Brenda Bailey, revealed. Bailey stated that the province's budget deficit for 2024-25 has increased by $429 million from the estimate in the previous fiscal update in September, mainly due to a decrease in revenue. However, she assured that the provincial government will not cut services in response to the increased deficit estimate, and instead will focus on targeted investments to grow the economy. Bailey also promised affordable relief for the people of the province. It is wo

Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is hailing a decisive British Columbia byelection victory in Cloverdale-Langley City, where Tamara Jansen has won with about two-thirds of the vote. Monday's byelection in the Fraser Valley seat, which had been held by the Liberals and is traditionally closely contested, came on the day Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ruling party was thrown into turmoil by finance minister Chrystia Freeland's resignation. Poilievre congratulated Jansen in a post to social media, saying she earned "twice as many votes as all the other candidates combined." Elections

An eight-year-old boy is in hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a vehicle in Nanaimo, B.C. RCMP say it happened in a school parking lot just before eight on Tuesday morning. The Montessori school where the crash happened is located on Jingle Pot Road.Police, fire and B.C. Emergency Health Services personnel all attended the accident. Mounties say the driver remained at the scene of the crash and is co-operating with investigators.

Voters in the Liberal-held British Columbia riding of Cloverdale—Langley City go to the polls today to pick a new member of Parliament, in another test for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Liberal candidate Madison Fleischer, a local business owner, will face Conservative Tamara Jansen who previously held the seat. The byelection comes after the Liberals have already lost two long-held seats in the last several months. The successive byelection losses and dismal poll numbers have inspired public calls from inside and outside of Trudeau's caucus for him to resign as party leader. Cloverdale—L

British Columbia's NDP government says it has reached an agreement with the provincial Green Party to work together on a specific set of shared priorities. A statement from Premier David Eby's office says the two parties are distinct, and they won't always agree, but they have "many shared values" and the deal will help stabilize the New Democrats' slim majority government.

Victoria, the capital of BC, has been named the top city in Canada on GoFundMe’s list of the most generous cities. This is the second year in a row that the capital has received this honor. According to GoFundMe, the city of about 92,000 residents contributed more than 19,500 donations in 2024. North Vancouver ranked second, followed by the Newfoundland city of St. John’s, Vancouver, and the Ontario town of Milton. Victoria is also among the leaders in donations to Canadian charities. It was ranked fifth by CanadaHelps, the country’s largest online platform for donating and fundraising.

Dan Coulter, a former member of British Columbia's legislature and a New Democrat cabinet minister, has died at age 49. The BC New Democratic Party says in a statement that Coulter was a "devoted advocate" for the people of B.C. The party says Coulter "always championed the underdog," citing his work in the legislature after his election in Chilliwack in 2020, his former role of chair of the Chilliwack school board and as the Parliamentary secretary for accessibility and minister of state for infrastructure and transit. The party's provincial director Heather Stoutenburg said last week in a st