The leader of British Columbia's official Opposition says the BC Conservatives have rejected a proposal to avoid vote-splitting in the provincial election this fall. BC United Leader Kevin Falcon says talks between the two right-of-centre parties concluded with Conservative Leader John Rustad ultimately deciding against a proposed "non-competition" agreement. Falcon says in a statement that Rustad has "placed his own ambition" above B.C.'s interests and is risking the re-election of the governing NDP. He says there were talks between two representatives of each party this month, most recently

The British Columbia government says a $900 million project to create a network of hydrogen production plants and refuelling stations will create nearly 300 jobs and cut greenhouse gas emissions in the province. The Canada Infrastructure Bank is providing a $337 million loan to support the project by hydrogen company HTEC, which involves plans to build up to 20 hydrogen refuelling stations, with 18 of them in B.C. and the others in Alberta. The federal Crown corporation and the B.C. government say the refuelling stations will be supplied by three new hydrogen production plants in Burnaby, Nana

Retailer London Drugs says cybercriminals who stole files from its corporate head office last month have released some of the data after it refused to pay a ransom. The Richmond, B.C.-based company says in a statement the files may contain "some employee information," calling it a "deeply distressing" situation. London Drugs was responding to a social media post by B.C.-based cybersecurity analyst Brett Callow that said hacking group Lockbit had released what it claimed was the company's data. The statement from the company says it was "unwilling and unable" to pay a ransom to hackers it descr

The mayor of the regional municipality that includes Fort Nelson, B.C., that was evacuated due to a threatening wildfire says local officials are pushing for a Monday or Tuesday deadline to start allowing about 4,700 residents home after nearly two weeks. Rob Fraser says the "imminent risk" posed by the Parker Lake fire has been reduced, and officials are focused on rolling out a phased approach to residents' return. He says in a video posted late Wednesday that some doctors had returned to the community along with grocery staff who were restocking shelves. Fraser says water, hydro and hydroel

The mayor of the regional municipality that includes the evacuated community of Fort Nelson, B.C., says he's optimistic crews have "a very good handle" on the wildfire burning outside town and plans are underway for residents to return. Rob Fraser says the first phase involved ensuring it was safe enough to move the Fort Nelson emergency operations centre back into town after it was moved as the fire threatened earlier this month, and the second phase involves utility services. Fraser posted a video update late Tuesday saying hydro, natural gas and telecommunications crews were in town working

Retailer London Drugs says it is "unwilling and unable" to pay a multimillion-dollar ransom to cybercriminals who claim to have stolen data in a hacking attack that recently shut down its stores for more than a week. The company says in a statement that the criminals could leak stolen corporate files containing employee information on the dark web, calling the situation "deeply distressing." It says it notified all employees and is providing them with two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. The retailer was responding to an image posted on the social media platfo

A rainy Thursday in and around Fort Nelson was exactly what fire crews were looking for. In a video released late Thursday night by the B.C. Wildfire Service, fire behaviour specialist for the Parker Lake and Patry Creek blazes Evan Peck said recent rain was much needed and made for excellent conditions for fire suppression crews. While more rain is forecast in the coming days, Peck says there's not been nearly enough precipitation yet to overcome long-term drought conditions in northeast British Columbia. Crews continue to battle the Parker Lake and Patry Creek blazes, both of which are threa

British Columbia's wildfire service says the blaze threatening the northern community of Fort Nelson now spans nearly 130 square kilometres, but it had spread away from the town along its southern flank. The service says the Parker Lake fire has been mapped at 127 square kilometres in size, up from 84 square kilometres earlier this week. It says cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity were expected to make for more favourable conditions over the next couple of days fighting the fire that was only two kilometres southwest of the town earlier this week. There may be some light rain, but

A fourth man accused in the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar will next appear at provincial court on May 21, the same day the other three accused are scheduled for a hearing. The BC Prosecution Service says 22-year-old Amandeep Singh appeared via video link for his first appearance in a Surrey, B.C., court on Wednesday, and the matter has been put forward to next week. The three other men accused in Nijjar's murder Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh will all appear in Surrey court on the same date. Amandeep Singh was charged with first-degree murder