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

Boeing Canada plans to invest $61 million in British Columbia for an aerospace manufacturing training facility as well as research and development. The announcement is the latest from the American aviation giant as part of a multibillion-dollar deal with Ottawa on the purchase of new military surveillance planes. Minister of National Defence Bill Blair welcomed the spending at the Boeing Canada facility in Richmond, B.C., saying that as the government invests more in defence, it's ensuring it also delivers value for Canada's economy and its workers. The federal government announced last year t

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services say a crane has collapsed on a construction site as crews battle multiple blazes that broke out Tuesday in the city's west side. Firefighters are working to extinguish the fires in locations including on Dunbar Street and W. 41st Avenue. They say in an email a crane fell down but they didn't say if the fire broke because of the collapse. Videos posted on social media show a crane toppling in huge flames. Residents are being evacuated from the area. No fatalities or injuries have been reported at this time. The services are urging people to stay inside if an a

British Columbia's Highway Patrol says people have died and "multiple others" have been injured in a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 1 in Chilliwack. It says the crash happened around 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, near Yale Road West. Multiple first responders, including Chilliwack RCMP, attended the scene. Police closed the eastbound lanes of the highway at the crash site and also shut one lane westbound to traffic. The highway patrol has not confirmed how many people were involved in the crash or the number of deaths. It says the investigation is in its early stages but the Integrated Collision Analy

High waters that flowed over top of a massive landslide in British Columbia's Chilcotin River are churning in the Fraser River towards British Columbia's Lower Mainland today. Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma says the fast-flowing waters are forecast to raise river levels by about a metre at Hope, B.C., located about 150 kilometres east of Vancouver. She says the river levels will be similar to spring runoff conditions on the Fraser River, but there is potential danger from trees and other debris in the river. A landslide last week at Farwell Canyon located about 22 kilometres south of

Greater Vancouver Realtors says last month's home sales in the region dropped five per cent from a year ago, even as the number of new listings jumped 20 per cent. The real estate body says sales in the market totalled 2,333 last month, while new listings reached 5,597. The composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver was about $1.2 million. That's both a 0.8 per cent decrease from last July 2023 and from June 2024. Greater Vancouver Realtors' director of economics and data analytics says the numbers indicate the buyer hesitance that materialized months ago conti

Police in British Columbia's Lower Mainland say a yearslong drug-trafficking investigation has led to charges against eight people, as well as the seizure of illicit drugs, drug-making supplies, and two guns with prohibited magazines. A statement from B.C.'s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says the investigation began in Langley in December 2022 and expanded as investigators determined the suspects were connected to "gang and organized crime activity." Police say the probe led to the execution of 10 search warrants in Richmond, Coquitlam, Surrey and Langley between April and May last

A wildfire rampaging through Jasper National Park remains out of control as crews work to reduce the risk of it spreading. Parks Canada says sprinklers have been installed on some buildings north of the park's townsite, as fire activity is expected to increase. Power has been restored to the downtown and crews are working to clean up debris. Highway 16 is now open to trucks, tractors and trailers during certain hours of the day. Thousands of people fled the town and park last week due to the fire, which eventually spread into the community and destroyed one-third of its buildings. Parks Canada

British Columbia's Ministry of Land and Water says personnel are conducting assessments near a landslide that blocked the Chilcotin River in the province's Interior, including to understand risks that might exist downstream. A government statement says the landslide Wednesday blocked the river that feeds into the Fraser River, and a sudden release of water "may cause rapid rises in river levels downstream along the Fraser River" south to Hope, B.C. The River Forecast Centre has issued a flood warning for the Chilcotin River upstream of the landslide and a flood watch downstream. A flood watch