Premier David Eby says B.C. is launching a task force to provide rapid and effective ideas about how to handle climate emergencies such as wildfires, heat, drought and floods.Eby made the announcement today before touring southern Interior wildfire zones and visiting an emergency operations centre in Salmon Arm.Eby says B.C. doesn't have the luxury of time as it seeks solutions and the task force findings will be integrated with the public service, B.C. Wildfire Service and emergency response teams so proposals can be implemented right away. The premier says all the crises are scary to contemp

British Columbia is experiencing a spike in COVID-19 numbers, with cases, test positivity, hospitalizations and deaths all up in recent weeks.The BC Centre for Disease Control says in a monthly report that 447 people tested positive in tests funded by the province's medical services plan in the week ending Sept. 2, more than triple the 133 cases in the week ending Aug. 12.Positivity doubled to about 18 per cent in the same period.The increase in COVID-19 numbers comes after the detection of Canada's first known case of the BA. 2.86 variant last month in B.C., but the centre says that remains t

Driving to B.C.'s Okanagan will be a little easier in just a week as Highway 97 near Summerland opens soon.B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has shared this information.The roadway will reopen to single-lane traffic by September 16.In fact, a section of the highway was closed on August 28 after a rockslide.The ministry says crews are working quickly, and one lane will be opened to traffic when the work is complete.Until the highway reopens, travelers are advised to use Highways 97C, 5A, or 33.

Vancouver bylaw officers are issuing fines to people who violate water restrictions.As of September 3, officials have issued 152 tickets, according to the city.In fact, from August 4, the Vancouver region entered stage-2 of water restrictions, in which, instructions were given that residents would not be able to water the grass in their yards as the region had imposed certain restrictions on the use of water for treating drinking water.Violators can be fined up to $500.Despite this, some people have violated the water restrictions.In total, from May 1 to September 3, 496 tickets were issued in

Twelve of the 400 or so blazes burning in British Columbia are described by the province's wildfire service as "wildfires of note," meaning they are highly visible or pose a threat to public safety. Here is a look at the 12 fires, with information provided by the BC Wildfire Service as of Friday at 1 p.m., Pacific time: Name: Bush Creek East WildfireLocation:West and East of Adams Lake, north of Shuswap and Little Shuswap lakes, south of Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento Size: 431 square kilometres Suspected cause: Lightning Name: Casper Creek WildfireLocation: 24 kilometres west of Lilloo

British Columbia's state of emergency over wildfires has been extended for another two weeks.This information has been given by Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma.The minister says rains in the southern part of the province have helped control the wildfires, but the heat wave in the north has worsened the situation, extending the state of emergency for another two weeks.Ma said that 4,200 people are under evacuation orders due to wildfires, and 65,000 people are on evacuation alert.She said that the danger of forest fires still remains.It may be mentioned that the state of emergency was d

British Columbia Premier David Eby is calling on the Bank of Canada to halt further interest rate hikes.In a letter today to Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem, Eby urges him to consider the full human impact of rate hikes and not increase them at this time.The Bank of Canada is set to make an interest rate decision early next month.Eby has also written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attaching his letter to Macklem and calling for a targeted approach to fighting inflation, focusing on housing and infrastructure improvements.Eby's letter to Trudeau says a targeted approach to key sectors w

A man who stabbed a woman to death and injured six others outside a library in North Vancouver two years ago was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.Yannick Bandaogo has been charged with second degree murder, attempted murder.Yannick Bandaogo has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 15 years.It is worth noting that during the court proceedings in July, Bandaogo apologized to the victims and told the court about a troubled childhood, due to which he took to drugs.On March 27, 2021, Bandaogo went on a stabbing rampage in and around the Lynn Valley Public Library,

An audited public accounting of British Columbia's financial records shows the province posted a surplus of more than $700 million in the 2022-2023 budget year.Finance Minister Katrine Conroy outlined the province's financial performance in the government's public accounts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.The government's budget forecasts have been on an up-and-down ride for the past two years, with the 2022-2023 budget originally forecast in February last year to show a $5.5 billion deficit, before that was revised to a surplus of almost $6 billion, then downgraded to a $3.6 billion