British Columbia officials are celebrating the planting of 10 billion seedlings since reforestation efforts began nearly a century ago. A statement from the Forests Ministry says two billion of those seedlings have been planted in the last seven years. It says the 10-billionth seedling was among 305 million that were planted throughout the province last year, and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston planted a ceremonial tree in Surrey's Green Timbers Urban Forest Park to mark the milestone on Monday. Ralston says in a statement that it's easy to get lost in the large number, but there's a human stor

A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has rejected an application to throw out the conviction of Ibrahim Ali for the murder of a 13-year-old in Burnaby, B.C., over what his lawyers say were unreasonable delays in getting him to trial. Justice Lance Bernard made the ruling, with reasons to follow, moments after defence lawyer Kevin McCullough made his final rebuttal in the matter that could have seen Ali go free. Ali was found guilty in December of first-degree murder in the death of the girl whose body was found in Burnaby's Central Park in July 2017.

The British Columbia government is granting a one-time $430 benefit to the roughly 20,000 seniors in its support program for elderly low-income renters. B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says eligible seniors don't need to apply for the payment, which will be sent out this month. Kahlon says the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters program, known as SAFER, will also expand eligibility for its benefits to seniors with annual incomes up to $37,240, compared to the previous $33,000 limit. Other changes will include the possible annual review and amendment of rent ceilings, which are used to determine

British Columbia is rolling out another round of COVID-19 vaccination boosters, with invitations starting to go out Monday. Ministry of Health says people who haven't received a booster against the XBB. 1.5 Omicron variant of COVID-19 will be among those offered the free shot. Others who will be invited include adults aged 65 and older, Indigenous adults 55 and over, residents of long-term care homes and assisted-living facilities, and anyone older than six months who is "clinically extremely vulnerable." The ministry says in a statement that although the spring program is focused on those mos

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