The BC Coroners Service says 177 people died in February due to "toxic, unregulated drugs." The service says at least 175 people have died because of the toxic drug supply in each of the last 20 consecutive months. It says the latest numbers are down 11 per cent compared with February 2023, but the province still saw an average of about six deaths per day this past February. A statement released by the Public Safety Ministry says the overdose death rate in B.C. is still "significantly elevated," with 40.1 deaths per 100,000 residents in the first two months of this year. The statement says tha

BC Hydro is looking for more clean power to add to its grids as electricity demands are expected to increase by 15 per cent in the next six years. The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation says the Crown power utility has issued its first call in 15 years and is looking to acquire about 3,000 gigawatt hours per year. The ministry says in a statement that it would add about five per cent to its current supply, which would provide clean electricity to 270,000 homes or about a million electric vehicles per year. The added need is due to population growth, housing construction, indus

The British Columbia Transportation Ministry says commercial trucks above a certain weight will soon be required to be fitted with technology to limit how fast they travel on provincial roadways. The ministry says the "speed-limiter devices" will be mandatory on April 5 for commercial trucks weighing more than 11,793 kilograms and if they were built after 1994. An information bulletin from the Transportation Ministry says the technology will limit vehicles fitted with the devices to 105 kilometres per hour. The ministry says the new requirement stems from amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act an

Data from Vancouver police shows a "dramatic" drop in small drug seizures after decriminalization came into effect in British Columbia last year. The department says during the first nine months of the program officers did not seize any drugs under 2.5 grams, as is outlined in Health Canada's three-year exemption. It says all drug possession seizures, regardless of weight, dropped 76 per cent in the city compared with the previous four-year average for the same time period. The exemption began Jan. 31, 2023, and decriminalizes possession of small amounts of opioids, including heroin and fentan

The British Columbia government is warning people about a scam involving its PayBC website, where an "identical fake website" is collecting personal and credit card information. The PayBC site gives residents a secure place to pay their bills or for services from the provincial government, but it says it has become aware of phishing attempts against users. A statement from the government says the two sites can't be told apart, although the website addresses are different. It says the site was created by "malicious actors" to steal personal and financial information. The government says in the

Police in Vancouver say a man has been charged with assault and remains in custody after allegedly waving a kitchen knife as he advanced toward two officers at a busy city intersection. It happened Wednesday, around the same time police say another man with a knife was allegedly chasing people on city streets in the downtown core. That suspect has also been arrested and police say he's been charged with assault after allegedly slashing a 61-year-old man, who is expected to recover from his injuries. Police say they responded to a 911 call reporting a man waving a knife in the direction of pass

British Columbia has released a comprehensive flood strategy to help communities reduce risk and respond to extreme events. Nathan Cullen, minister of water, land and resource stewardship, says the province worked alongside local governments and First Nations to draft the B.C. Flood Strategy, which will be a road map to navigate climate events. Consultations for the plan began after the historic floods in November 2021 that swamped southwestern British Columbia. Cullen says the focus will be in four key areas: assessing flood risks with floodplain mapping, increasing communication with local a

Open burning will be banned across much of northern British Columbia starting next week after officials warned dry conditions could mean early wildfire activity this spring. The ban in the Prince George Fire Centre is earlier than usual, a move the BC Wildfire Service says is aimed at preventing human-caused wildfires, while protecting public safety from a "high grass fire hazard." An update posted to the service's web page says the ban will start next Thursday and is scheduled to remain in effect until mid-October. It prohibits any fires larger than half a metre high by half a metre wide in a

The BC Coroners Service has called an inquest into a police shooting in 2019 that left two people dead, including the hostage officers were trying to save. B.C.'s police watchdog cleared officers of wrongdoing in the deaths of Nona McEwan and Randy Crosson in 2020. The Independent Investigations Office said in its report then that the RCMP's emergency response team entered the home on March 29, 2019, to rescue McEwan, who was being held by her partner. It said officers entered and found Crosson holding a knife to McEwan's neck and he had what appeared to be a gun in his other hand. The office