Mounties in British Columbia say there's no evidence that the devastating fire that swept through the community of Lytton more than three years ago was arson. Police have concluded their investigation into the June 2021 wildfire, saying they can't pinpoint the cause of the blaze that killed two people and wiped out much of the village and part of the First Nation, a day after a Canadian temperature record of 49.6 C was set in Lytton. A statement from the RCMP says there is "no evidence to suggest the fire was intentionally set by the actions, or inactions, of any individual(s)" and the crimina

Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week. No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night. About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service

A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has declared a mistrial in the case of Kane Carter, who was accused of murdering a gang member and an innocent teenager who was passing by in his parents' vehicle. The jury came back Tuesday saying it was deadlocked after five days of deliberations in Carter's trial. He was charged with the second-degree murders of 15-year-old Alfred Wong and 23-year-old Kevin Whiteside after they were killed in an exchange of gunfire along Vancouver's busy Broadway avenue in January 2018. The Crown told the jury that Carter was protecting a gang associate at a nearby res

The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province. Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, says it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a "better and second chance at life in the wild." B.C. government figures say conservation officers destroyed 603 black and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year. Scapillati says the group will publish a

The BC Wildfire Service says rain, light winds and cooler temperatures are expected to decrease fire behaviour in the province this week, just as a newly discovered blaze in the East Kootenays prompts an evacuation order and alerts for more than 50 properties. The service says in its situational report Tuesday that a cold front is sweeping across the Kamloops and Southeast Fire Centres, bringing shifting winds and potential thunder storms as temperatures drop. It says rain is also forecast in the Peace region. The update comes as crews battle a fire discovered on Monday in the Southeast Fire C

British Columbia's Public Safety Ministry says it has filed an unexplained wealth order application in court following a 2023 shooting at a Vancouver home. As part of a criminal investigation, the ministry says a suspect's home was searched and police discovered an illegal cannabis-growing operation, ammunition and more than $1.4 million in cash. The ministry says two other properties owned by the suspect and his partner were also searched and police uncovered another illegal cannabis operation, an air rifle and more than $21,000 in cash. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says in a news release

Wildfire smoke has prompted Environment Canada to issue an air-quality advisory for several regions in central and northeastern British Columbia.The weather office says pollution levels are either expected or occurring in the region, and are likely to persist for the next 24 to 48 hours. The advisory comes after the BC Wildfire Service says the fire situation is still active as above seasonal temperatures persist in the province.The service says in its situational report posted Monday that much of B.C. remains "unseasonably dry" due to the ongoing drought, leaving fuels susceptible to ignitio

A 24-year-old woman faces a charge for what RCMP in Kelowna, B.C., say was a home invasion where another woman was repeatedly stabbed. Officers responded to the call on Saturday and found a 28-year-old woman with life-threatening injuries after she had been stabbed several times. RCMP say the unknown suspect left the scene after "being confronted" by others in the home, but officers found a woman who matched her description later the same day. She has been charged with aggravated assault. The woman remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. Police say the victim was is

Most services for Metro Vancouver's specialized HandyDART transit system remain cancelled for a second week, with the operator saying it will respond to a new proposal from the union representing striking workers on Thursday. TransDev Canada says that's when talks were "previously scheduled" to resume, and no agreements were reached in Sunday's initial mediated talks. Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says it's disappointed as it was willing to negotiate around the clock for its riders, accusing Transdev of lacking the same urgency. About 600 employees of the d