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four-found-dead-in-prince-rupert-b-c-home-police-say-deaths-considered-homicide
BCJun 15, 2023

Four found dead in Prince Rupert, B.C. home; police say deaths considered homicide

Four people have been found dead in a home in British Columbia's northwest in what police are calling a homicide.Prince Rupert RCMP say officers responded to a call on Tuesday evening to the 100 block of Silversides Drive.Once there, police say they found four individuals dead in the home and began a homicide investigation.Police say they do not believe there are any outstanding suspects in the case at this time, and there should be no further risk to the public.Prince Rupert is located about 1,200 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.
b-c-becomes-first-province-to-provide-universal-coverage-for-opioid-treatments
BCJun 14, 2023

B.C. becomes first province to provide universal coverage for opioid treatments

B.C. is expanding the program it uses to help patients kick their dependence on opioids.A statement from the Health Ministry says B.C. will now provide universal coverage for eligible drugs which include methadone that are rated as opioid agonist treatment medications.The statement says the expanded program differs from safer supply which provides alternatives to illicit drugs and will help the roughly 1600 B.C. patients who can't get PharmaCare coverage for the drugs needed to manage their opioid-use disorder.Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside says removing cost barriers
vancouver-family-who-lost-son-to-fentanyl-donates-20-million-to-recovery-centre
BCJun 12, 2023

Vancouver family who lost son to fentanyl donates $20 million to recovery centre

A Vancouver family known for its philanthropy is making a $20 million donation to a British Columbia substance use treatment centre in memory of their adult son and brother who died of an opioid overdose.Jill Diamond, executive director of Vancouver's Diamond Foundation and sister to Steven Diamond, said in a statement that her brother might still be alive today if he had received the care being offered at Vancouver's St. Paul's Hospital."No matter where we turned, we never found the help that Steven needed," Diamond said in a news release."We’re speaking out today for the first time because
b-c-to-require-licence-for-asbestos-abatement-contractors-by-2024
BCJun 09, 2023

B.C. to require licence for asbestos abatement contractors by 2024

British Columbia will soon be the first jurisdiction in Canada to implement a licensing requirement for asbestos abatement contractors.The Labour Ministry says workers must be licensed by Jan. 1.This comes following changes to the Workers Compensation Act last year, requiring that contractors who remove the cancer-causing material use only trained and certified workers.The ministry says required training for worker certification is scheduled to begin this summer.It says WorkSafeBC will begin to accept applications from contractors performing asbestos abatement work by September.The ministry sa
vancouver-coastal-health-reverts-to-new-overdose-text-alert-system-for-bad-drugs
BCJun 02, 2023

Vancouver Coastal Health reverts to new overdose text alert system for bad drugs

Vancouver Coastal Health is joining other health authorities in the province in a move to a unified provincial text alert system warning of toxic drugs.Vancouver began its own system called Radar in 2017, while a toxic drug and health alert system developed by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control has been adopted by all other health districts in the last year.Those who want to get the alerts need to text the word ``join'' to 253787, and Vancouver Coastal says in a statement that anyone who receives the Radar messages will be automatically added to the province wide alert for toxic drugs.Jennife
british-columbia-and-edmonton-men-face-charges-in-whitehorse-drug-raid
BCJun 01, 2023

British Columbia and Edmonton men face charges in Whitehorse drug raid

Two men, one from Metro Vancouver and another from Alberta, face several charges following a weekend drug raid in Whitehorse.A statement from Yukon RCMP says a search warrant was executed at a Whitehorse home on Saturday and a 22-year-old Richmond manand 23-year-old Edmonton resident were arrested.Charges against them include trafficking, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000, and money laundering.Mounties say more than $130,000 in cash was seized during the bust, along with cellphones, scales and nearly two-thirds of a kilogram o
b-c-names-10-cities-for-faster-development-to-help-address-housing-crisis
BCMay 31, 2023

B.C. names 10 cities for faster development to help address housing crisis

British Columbia's housing minster says more homes will be built sooner under a plan to set construction targets in 10 cities or municipalities in an effort to fast track development. Ravi Kahlon announced housing targets will be set for Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Delta, Port Moody, Abbotsford, Victoria, Oak Bay, Saanich and Kamloops.Kahlon says the government chose the first 10 communities based on the needs in the province and projected growth.The targets won't be released to the public until this summer, but Kahlon says they'll be meeting with the cities in the next few wee
doctors-at-surrey-b-c-hospital-raise-alarm-over-staffing-and-patient-care-crisis
BCMay 31, 2023

Doctors at Surrey, B.C., hospital raise alarm over staffing and patient-care crisis

The association representing Surrey Memorial Hospital doctors has issued another letter demanding that either the emergency room vacancies be filled, or the emergency room be closed to new patients.A letter was written on May 19 by the Medical Staff Association of Surrey Memorial Hospital.According to that letter, it has become difficult to provide services due to the lack of hospital staff in the emergency and the patients coming in have not been adequately cared for.The letter, written to Fraser Health CEO Dr Victoria Lee, Health Minister Adrian Dix and other leaders, also said that no actio
b-c-housing-non-profit-at-heart-of-controversy-names-interim-ceo
BCMay 30, 2023

B.C. housing non-profit at heart of controversy names interim CEO

The Atira Women's Resource Society says it has named a new interim CEO after former head Janice Abbott stepped down amid a conflict-of-interest controversy involving her husband, former BC Housing CEO Shayne Ramsay.Atira says its new CEO Catherine Roome is an experienced leader in both the public and private sectors and will head the organization until a permanent replacement for Abbott is found.Atira board chair Elva Kim says recruiting Roome is part of its effort to restore public confidence in the housing provider after Abbott's departure earlier this month.The housing provider says it's co

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BCJul 15, 2026

Elderly woman distracted and robbed of gold necklace in Vancouver, police seek suspects

A 76-year-old woman was allegedly robbed of her gold necklace after being distracted by an unknown woman in Vancouver's East 11th Avenue and Victoria Drive area on Tuesday, according to the Vancouver Police Department. Police said the incident occurred at about 12:30 p.m. while the senior was waiting for family members. An unidentified woman approached her and claimed she looked like her mother, whose birthday she said it was. The suspect then hugged the victim and, during the interaction, allegedly removed the woman's gold necklace and replaced it with a fake one. The victim reportedly discov
AlbertaJul 15, 2026

Alberta launches online bike lane complaint form ahead of planned legislation

The Alberta government has launched an online public feedback form inviting residents to report concerns about bike lanes as it prepares legislation expected this fall. According to the Alberta government, Albertans can use the online form to share concerns about bike lanes in their communities, including whether they believe a lane is underused, has reduced on-street parking, contributed to traffic congestion, affected local businesses, or delayed emergency response times. The province says the feedback will help inform future transportation policy decisions. Transportation Minister Devin Dre
canada-pauses-new-parent-and-grandparent-sponsorship-applications-for-2026
CanadaJul 15, 2026

Canada pauses new parent and grandparent sponsorship applications for 2026

The federal government says it will not accept any new applications this year under Canada's Parents and Grandparents Program as it works to reduce processing times and manage a large backlog of existing files. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), approximately 60,500 sponsorship applications are currently being processed. The department said it expects to approve about 15,000 parents and grandparents each year over the next two years from applications already in the system. IRCC said the temporary pause is intended to improve processing efficiency. The department
federal-government-names-new-members-to-independent-senate-appointments-advisory-board
CanadaJul 15, 2026

Federal government names new members to independent Senate appointments advisory board

The federal government has announced new appointments to the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, one week after Prime Minister Mark Carney named four new senators to the upper chamber. According to a federal government news release, the advisory board will continue to provide non-binding recommendations to the prime minister on Senate appointments. The board was established in 2016 to support a merit-based and independent appointments process. The government said the board will continue to include three federal members, including a chair, along with two additional members from
BCJul 15, 2026

Surrey man sentenced to nearly five years in prison in extortion-related shooting and arson case

A Surrey Provincial Court judge has sentenced Abhijeet Kingra to nearly five years in prison for his role in a 2024 extortion-related shooting and arson targeting a Surrey home. According to court records, Kingra pleaded guilty on July 6 to charges of discharging a firearm at a residence and committing arson. The offences stem from an Aug. 10, 2024 incident in which a home belonging to a person who had reportedly received extortion threats was shot at and set on fire. The court imposed a two-year sentence for arson and a sentence of four years, 10 months and 19 days for the shooting offence. T