The British Columbia Coroners Service says 182 people died in April from drug overdoses. A statement from the service says the toll represents a 24 per cent decrease in deaths from April 2023, but "the risk posed by unregulated drug supply remains very high." It says in the eight years since the public-health emergency was declared, 14,582 people in the province have died from toxic drugs, including 763 in the first four months of this year. The coroner says fentanyl continues to be the primary driver of overdoses this year, and was detected in 82 per cent of toxicological tests. Unregulated d

Two men face more than a dozen charges each after British Columbia's provincial auto crime team recovered 29 high-end vehicles valued at $2.5 million. RCMP say in a news release that they started their investigation in February when numerous newer-model trucks and SUVs were stolen across the Lower Mainland. They say the vehicles, including Range Rovers and Toyota Tundras, were allegedly taken using sophisticated technology to get past anti-theft mechanisms. The two suspects, aged 20 and 29 from Delta, B.C., were arrested last month and face 14 criminal charges, including theft of a motor vehic

A British Columbia Second World War veteran who landed at Normandy on D-Day 80 years ago will be presented with France's highest decoration in a ceremony in Vancouver today. Joseph Vogelgesang, who is 99 years old, went to France along with 14,000 other Canadians, in what would be the start of the liberation of Western Europe. A statement from the Consulate General of France in Vancouver says Vogelgesang will be decorated as a Knight of the Legion of Honour to acknowledge his contribution and bravery in the liberation of France. Consul General Nicolas Baudouin says the medal shows “profound

British Columbia's police watchdog is investigating police actions after a man was shot and killed by an officer in Mackenzie, B.C. The BC RCMP say they received a report of a man trying to cash a fraudulent cheque at a bank around 2 p.m. on Saturday. They say officers responded and attempted to arrest the man. But, as they escorted him outside the bank, police say a struggle ensued wherein the man produced a weapon. Mounties say an officer shot the suspect during the struggle and he was then brought to the hospital where he was declared dead. They say the province's Independent Investigations

Another BC United member has left the party to join the Conservative Party of BC just months before the provincial election. Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko says in a statement that she's joining the provincial Conservatives to "rebuild the coalition that's needed to defeat the NDP." Her move comes after Lorne Doerkson, the former BC United caucus chair, defected from the official Opposition on Friday, bringing the number of Conservative members in the legislature to four. The Conservatives rejected a proposal last month from BC United to create a "non-competition" agreement, with Conservative

BC Transit says several buses in its Victoria fleet are affected by a Transport Canada recall. The agency says a number of its CNG Vicinity Motor Corp. buses contain a manufacturer part that was in the recall. It adds the buses are temporarily removed from service. BC Transit says replacement parts are expected to arrive later in the week and buses will return to service after the part is fixed. It warns transit users of delays and trip cancellations as the agency works to replace parts. Transport Canada issued a recall last week for certain Vicinity buses with fuel system-related defects whic

Vancouver police say they are recommending multiple dangerous driving and impaired driving charges for a man who crashed his car into several other vehicles and nearly hit pedestrians downtown last week. They say the driver of a white Mercedes allegedly "smashed into and sideswiped" a grey Mazda CX5 on Alberni Street around 10 p.m. on Friday. They allege he then accelerated through the Bute Street intersection, jumping a curb and nearly hitting pedestrians before crashing into a bike rack and street sign and splitting a tree in half. Vancouver Police say the driver then crashed into three othe

A spokeswoman for Squamish Search and Rescue in British Columbia says an "active search" is underway for three experienced mountaineers who have been missing since Friday. Christy Allan says in an interview that the climbers were last seen Friday morning on Atwell Peak, located on the southern edge of Mount Garibaldi. She says the organization was contacted Friday night by the RCMP to help search for the overdue mountaineers. Allan says the climbers, who have not yet been identified, were last seen in "really complex and remote terrain." She says members would usually access the region by air

Serial killer Robert Pickton has died after he was assaulted in prison earlier this month, Quebec provincial police and Correctional Service Canada say. The correctional service says Pickton, an inmate at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec, died on Friday at the age of 74. It says in a statement that Pickton's next of kin have been notified as well as victims who had registered to be told. It says an investigation is underway into the May 19 assault that involved another inmate. Quebec provincial police spokesman Frédéric Deshaies says Pickton died "in the last few hours." He says police co