A British Columbia man is facing almost two dozen charges over allegations of online sexual extortion that police say stem from reports by several victims in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. A statement from RCMP in Burnaby, B.C., says they began an investigation in December 2022 after 19-year-old Anwer Jelassi was identified as the suspect. It says the victims had come forward to report they were being extorted after sharing explicit images with someone they met on social media platforms. The Mounties say the suspect then allegedly demanded money under threat of sending those images to the vi

The leader of British Columbia's Opposition says he would introduce the largest provincial income tax cut in provincial history if his party is elected to form government this fall. Kevin Falcon says BC United would eliminate the tax on the first $50,000 earned by every person in B.C., allowing taxpayers to keep an additional $2,050 on average. He says the cut would eliminate provincial income tax for 60 per cent of B.C. residents, or more than 2.4 million people. Falcon says the tax cut would benefit many elderly people on fixed incomes and families who struggle with the high costs of living.

Police in British Columbia's southern Interior say a single-vehicle crash on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Savona has killed one person. RCMP say they were called Sunday to respond to the crash involving two women from the Metro Vancouver community of Port Coquitlam. Police say their early investigation suggests the pickup truck hit the ditch, then rolled over into the opposite ditch after "overcorrecting." Both women were trapped inside, and police say firefighters helped get them free. They say the passenger was found dead, while the driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The

Police on Vancouver Island are investigating a two-vehicle highway crash that killed one person over the weekend. Nanaimo RCMP say witnesses told police they saw the driver of a car cross the median on the Nanaimo Parkway and hit an SUV head on. Police say the driver of the SUV died of their injuries after being taken to hospital. The other driver has serious but non-life-threatening injuries. It happened at about 8:30 Saturday night and the Mounties say investigators, including a collision analyst, were at the scene most of the night. The crash occurred on the parkway between the Dunster Road

Experts from the navy were dispatched to a Vancouver Island thrift store to deal with what police are calling a "historical military explosive device." Mounties from the Sidney North Saanich detachment say employees from the store in Sidney, B.C., called them around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, reporting the device being dropped off there. RCMP say they evacuated the store and blocked the area as part of the safety measures while waiting for assistance from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt. Explosive experts from the navy arrived at the scene around 5:30 p.m. Saturday and found the device to be a fake, p

An evacuation order issued Saturday due to out-of-control wildfires south of Valemount, B.C., has been cancelled. Residents in the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George and the Village of Valemount that were ordered to flee can return home. Residents from properties east of Highway 5, south of 17th Ave, and north of the Canoe River were ordered to leave Saturday, and an evacuation alert is now in place for the Cedarside area meaning residents can remain home but should prepare for a potential order to evacuate. Officials say they were able to cancel the order thanks to the fast action of BC

Police in southeastern British Columbia say one person is dead after a highway crash just outside the community of Field, B.C., near the Alberta boundary. RCMP say the two-vehicle crash on Thursday involved a pick-up truck carrying two people from the United States and a minivan with three people from Alberta. They say evidence at the scene suggests the truck crossed the centre line of Highway 1, hitting the oncoming van. Everyone involved was taken to hospital, including two who were airlifted to Calgary. Police say the passenger of the pick-up truck has since died from her injuries, while th

Evacuation orders and alerts have been issued in British Columbia's North Okanagan as a nearby wildfire burns out of control, nearly doubling in size since Tuesday. Tracy Hughes, communications co-ordinator for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District says 17 properties in the district are on evacuation order, while alerts were also expanded to 25 more properties, bringing the total in the region to 69. The neighbouring township of Spallumcheen and the Splatsin First Nation have also issued evacuation orders and alerts in response to the growing blaze. The BC Wildfire Service says the 6.7 square

National Defence Minister Bill Blair says British Columbia's CFB Esquimalt will be the site of a new 480-room military housing project. The minister was at the Victoria-area naval base to announce a $10.1-million contract for design work for the project, estimated to total about $165 million. Blair says the new, modern highrise building will provide single-occupancy rooms, coffee shops, postal services and a dining area capable of serving 700 people. He says the accommodation project is part of the government's plan to improve the quality of life for members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Blair