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

Unprecedented drought in British Columbia last year has prompted the provincial government to invest $80 million to help manage, collect and store water for crops and livestock. Premier David Eby made the announcement while inside a bell pepper greenhouse in Delta, B.C., saying says this summer's drought may be even worse than last year as snow levels remain "remarkably" low. He says climate change-related events, particularly drought, make it tough for farmers to secure enough water for animals, feed and crops, which makes grocery prices soar. The funding will be distributed through the Agric

Police say two people have been arrested after the murder of a woman at a home on the edge of the University of British Columbia campus. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says in a statement that police were called to a residence on the University Endowment Lands near midnight Wednesday after a report of a woman in medical distress. Police say the victim died from her injuries, and a man and a woman were arrested at the scene in relation to what investigators called a murder. The statement does not identify the victim but says she is believed to be "associated to the residence" where

The B.C. government says it will cull 25 deer in the Kootenay region to test for chronic wasting disease. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says two deer in the region tested positive for the disease earlier this year. The ministry says the animals will be collected in a 10-kilometre area around where the two diseased animals were found. It says wildlife experts will use the samples to determine if more animals have the condition, which impairs brain function. The province says it has recently begun mandatory testing for chronic wasting disease of any deer, moose, elk and ca