Shoppers should expect to see no single use plastic bags, straws or utensils in stores and restaurants starting tomorrow, as newfederal single-use plastics rules take effect. Cities like Vancouver and Victoria have already have their own rules in place. The BC government says food service providers will no longer be able to offer single-use plastic utensils, lids and other items like plastic sushi grass. It says such items can only be given out if a customer asks for them. federal rules will mean businesses are banned from giving out, manufacturing, and importing for sale checkout bags, cutle

The British Columbia Prosecution Service says there will be no charges stemming from a bus crash on an icy highway in the province's Interior last Christmas Eve that killed four people. Service spokesman Dan McLaughlin says it reached the decision after the Crown counsel assessing the allegations concluded that the standard for charges had not been met. The prosecution service guideline says in order for charges to be approved, there must be a "substantial likelihood of conviction" based on the strength of the evidence as well as the public interest being served in a prosecution. The crash of

The wildfires that disrupted the lives of thousands of Canadians and shattered records for the amount of forest burned have been voted 'The Canadian Press story of the year'. An unusually mild and dry winter in much of the country set the stage for an unprecedented season that led to 200,000 people fleeing their homes. The fires consumed an area three times the size of Nova Scotia, more than doubling the previous record set in 1995. From Halifax to British Columbia to Yellowknife, Canadians were forced from their homes as the fires burned, and the resulting smoke made for hazardous air conditi

British Columbia is experiencing interprovincial migration and has recently experienced record increases. Since July 2022, approximately 12,800 people have left BC and moved to another Canadian province.This is the first time in a decade that there have been more people leaving the province than people coming in for 15 consecutive months, according to Statistics Canada. From July to September 2023, 4,634 people moved to other provinces and the majority to Alberta.Despite this, 1,51,437 people from outside Canada have come to the province, bringing the population of the province to 5.6 million

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that there has been a significant change in India's stance with Canada after the allegations of a conspiracy to kill a Sikh leader were exposed in America. In an interview, Trudeau said that with the US accusations, Modi feels a change in the government's tone. And perhaps India has now realized that it cannot go aggressively. P. M. Trudeau's comments come at a time when India is cooperating with the US in the investigation and has said that it is also ready to investigate Canada's allegations if any concrete evidence is provided in this regard. Let it be k

One man is dead after a police-involved shooting in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on Sunday night. Police say the shooting happened in the 1700 block of Riverside Road, and the section between Marshall and King roads has been closed due to the ongoing investigation. Abbotsford Police say in a statement that one man died in the incident, although his name and other details surrounding the shooting have not been released. No police officers were injured in the incident. Police say they have notified B.C's Independent Investigations Office, and the watchdog agency is leading the investigation in

British Columbia's Coroners Service says there's been a sharp increase in deaths among people experiencing homelessness. A statement from the coroners service says the deaths of 342 people experiencing homelessness were reported last year, an increase of almost 140 over the past two years. The coroners service says there were 1,464 deaths of people who were homeless in B.C. in the period between 2015 and 2022, averaging about 183 deaths per year. Most of those deaths were in Vancouver, Victoria and Surrey, BC, and 82 per cent of them were male. However, the coroners service says the number of

The World Health Organization has advocated a ban on all flavored vapes. The World Health Organization has urged governments to ban e-cigarettes on the same lines as tobacco.The United Nations agency said that the time has come to take necessary steps to control them. The World Health Organization cited the study as saying that there is little evidence that vapes have released cigarette butts. The agency said flavored vapes pose a risk to non-smokers, particularly as they may increase nicotine addiction among children and youth. According to the agency, children aged 13 to 15 are using it more

The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales fell in November as the average price of a home sold inched highercompared with a year ago. The association says November home sales fell 0.9 per cent compared with the same month last year. On a seasonally adjusted basis, November home sales were also down 0.9 per cent compared with October this year. The number of newly listed homes fell 1.8 per cent on a month-over-month basis in November. CREA says with new listings down more than sales in November, the national sales-to-new listings ratio rose for the first time since April to come in