Nurse practitioners in British Columbia now have expanded authority to assess people in crisis for involuntary admission to a treatment facility under the Mental Health Act.The New Democrat government says it changed the Mental Health Act last spring to help people get care during a mental health crisis, while respecting their legal rights.Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.'s mental health and addictions minister, says giving nurse practitioners authority to approve involuntary admission for a patient will reduce pressures on emergency departments and help people get faster treatment.She says when a per

Bitterly cold weather is gripping much of British Columbia and forecasters don't expect conditions in some areas to ease until at least Thursday, while the threat of snow lies ahead for other regions.Extreme cold or Arctic outflow warnings are posted for the central and north coasts, Chilcotin and Peace River areas and the southeastern corner of B.C.With the wind chill, Environment Canada warns conditions will feel close to -40 C in the Elk Valley and Peace regions, and -20 C in Terrace, Kitimat and Stewart.A special weather statement also warns of snow before Thursday over most of central, ea

Local governments and First Nations in British Columbia are getting more support to prepare for the risk of natural disasters related to climate change.The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness says it will add $180 million to support projects that help communitiesprepare for and mitigate the effects of natural disasters.The ministry says the government's Community Emergency Preparedness Fund has previously supported projects that include a dike in Merritt, public cooling infrastructure in Victoria and tsunami evacuation planning in Tofino.It says it will also now provide a on

Two people have died and one was hurt in an avalanche in the Purcell Mountains in southeastern British Columbia.Avalanche Canada says a group of five snowboarders and one skier were caught in the slide on Thursday in an area known as Terminator 2.5 outside of a ski area boundary near the town of Golden.It says the avalanche was triggered by the group and three people were buried in the snow, one partly and two completely.Avalanche Canada says the two buried victims did not survive and the one person partly buried was rescued with injuries.It says a second group of snowboarders that was lower o

A retired North Vancouver elementary school teacher is facing a dozen charges connected to alleged sex offenses.Brian Moore has been charged with 10 counts of indecent assault on a male, one count of sexual touching of a person under 14 years old, and one count of sexual assault.North Vancouver RCMP say Moore, now 83, taught at Upper Lynn Elementary School starting in 1970 before the end of his employment in 1982.Police say it's alleged that Moore committed at least one of these acts after his tenure as a teacher, in 2007.When Moore was originally arrested in August of last year, police said a

British Columbia's Appeal Court has overturned a lower-court ruling and ordered the Hells Angels motorcycle club to surrender three properties under the province's Civil Forfeiture Act.The unanimous decision by a three-member panel issued Wednesday, says a B.C. Supreme Court justice was wrong to find "no evidence" that the Hells Angels' clubhouses in Nanaimo, Kelowna and Vancouver were used for the planning or commission of criminal activity.She finds the trial judge did not account for evidence showing Hells Angels members had "committed serious crimes" in the past or that the clubhouses "pro

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki announced her resignation as head of the National Police Force on Wednesday.She said that she will officially exit on March 17.Lucky said that she tried her best during her career to ensure that the RCMP continues to shine in its 150th year.She admitted that together with the senior executive team and RCMP personnel, she modernized the system and addressed several internal challenges.Lucki was appointed to the post in 2018, and was the first woman to hold the role.

Two backcountry skiers are dead after being caught in an avalanche in south central British Columbia.A report from Avalanche Canada says the skiers were on a slope called Potato Peak, south of Tatla Lake, about 750 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.It says both victims were fully buried during the slide that happened Saturday.Search and rescue crews were notified when the victims were reported overdue and their bodies were later recovered from the scene of the avalanche.Avalanche Canada says the area of the slide was highly wind-affected, leaving some parts of the slope thin and rocky, while o

Every community in British Columbia will be eligible for infrastructure grants coming from a one-time $1-billion government fund.Premier David Eby says the money has been set aside in the provincial budget surplus, which was estimated at $5.7 billion last fall.He says he expects the government's Growing Communities Fund grants to help local municipalities improve roads, build arenas and water facilities and improve recreation options for families.The premier says the grants are available to B.C.'s 188 municipalities and regional districts, and can be used to prepare for future growth and build