British Columbia has launched a new helpline for people who witness or experience a racist incident, with support available in more than 240 languages. The province says callers will receive support and guidance, which could include referrals to local community support services, such as counselling or help with reporting to police. It says callers will be asked to describe where and what happened, and whether they'd like to disclose "basic demographic information." The province says data from the helpline will help officials better understand where and how such incidents are happening in B.C.,

British Columbia will cover the cost of an antiviral drug aimed at treating mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 as the federal government ends its coverage. A statement from B.C.'s Health Ministry says the province will provide 100 per cent coverage for the treatment sold under the brand name Paxlovid, for B.C. residents with an active medical services plan. A provincial government web page says the change took effect on Tuesday, after the federal government stopped supplying Paxlovid in March, and pharmacies are to obtain Paxlovid supplies from their wholesaler. The Health Ministry says the dr

Police in Metro Vancouver say a DNA match led to a man's arrest and conviction more than 22 years after he broke into a woman's home and sexually assaulted her. Richmond RCMP say Christopher Sharafi, also known as Mohammed Mendi Sharafi, was found guilty last October, and in April he was sentenced to five years in prison for the two offences dating back to December 2001. The Mounties say the victim reported waking up to find a man standing in her room, and he then climbed into her bed and assaulted her as she tried to fight back. They say in a statement that police collected and submitted DNA

The U.S. Department of Justice says two men are facing human smuggling charges in Seattle for their alleged role in what it calls a dangerous scheme to transport people out of British Columbia and across the border on freight trains. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Tessa Gorman says Jesus Ortiz-Plata, 45, of Oregon and Juan Pablo Cuellar Medina, 35, of Washington were arrested last week, along with three non-citizens who were allegedly smuggled out of Canada. Gorman says Ortiz-Plata and Medina employed "an extremely dangerous smuggling scheme," and that in one case last Au

A report from the BC Coroners Service says 126 children and youth younger than 19 died from toxic drugs between 2019 and 2023. That makes unregulated drug toxicity the leading cause of unnatural death for the age group over those five years. The report says fentanyl or related drugs were detected in 83 per cent of the deaths, either alone or in combination with other substances. It says about two-thirds of those who died were receiving services offered through the Ministry of Children and Family Development, or had previously received them. About 60 per cent of those who died were aged 17 or 1

Police in British Columbia say a man from Vancouver Island has been arrested and charged with child exploitation offences following a tip from American authorities. RCMP say in a statement that the B.C. Integrated Child Exploitation Unit received information from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations last September about a suspect who was allegedly exploiting children using a social media application. The Mounties say they identified a suspect in Langford, B.C., just outside Victoria, who allegedly lured three girls and exploited them by creating child sexual abuse materials that he posted on

The Nature Conservancy of Canada says a new conservation area north of Cranbrook, B.C., will protect important bird habitat and preserve grasslands in the province's southeast. The conservancy says money from the federal government and private donors went to buying up 271 hectares of land in the Skookumchuk Prairie in the province's southeast corner. Richard Klafki, a B.C. program director with the Nature Conservancy, says the land which also includes wetlands and forests is a "key biodiversity area," and came up for sale when the former owner, a local rancher, decided to downsize. Klafki says

Residents in Fort Nelson are able to go home today after being evacuated for more than two weeks due to wildfires. The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and the Fort Nelson First Nation say they'll jointly rescind their evacuation orders at 8 a.m., lift roadblocks and allow people to return. About 4,700 residents were evacuated from Fort Nelson on May 10, when strong winds pushed the Parker Lake wildfire within a few kilometres of the town. The fire destroyed four homes and damaged six other properties in the area. Crews are also fighting the Patry Creek fire north of town, which is a hol

Mounties say two people have died following a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. A statement from the RCMP says police were able to access the remote crash site south of Squamish, on the west side of Howe Sound, by air on Saturday and confirm the two occupants of the plane did not survive. The plane crash was reported Friday evening after an automatic crash notification from a smartphone. The police statement says investigators are working with the Transportation Safety Board and the BC Coroners Service to determine the cause of the crash. The statement thanks Squamish Search and Rescue, Blackcom