Metro Vancouver mayors say they need 190-million dollars in provincial grant funding, plus additional loan financing, and they want the same amounts from the federal government if they hope to address the region's housing crisis. The mayors made the request during an online meeting with David Eby, the minister responsible for housing. Eby told the group that one of his main concerns is getting faster approval from local governments to build homes that can handle what he says is BC's ``population explosion.'' The minister has previously warned municipalities he could bring in legislation that

The first weekly report of COVID-19 data after the province moved away from daily updates shows 11 people died due to the virus during the week of March 27th to April 2nd. The report also shows 193 people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and a total of just over 1,700 new cases were confirmed. The Health Ministry says the switch to weekly reports aligns with a shift away from a case-management model to a surveillance model. It says the weekly reports will focus on identifying meaningful changes in key COVID-19 measurements and trends over time. Click the link to read about the changes

As British Columbia continues to take the next step in its COVID-19 response, the Province is transitioning from daily to weekly COVID-19 reporting.Beginning on Thursday, April 7, 2022, COVID-19 dashboards and reports issued by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control will be updated on weekly basis here: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/dataThe new reports will focus on key measures of severity and trends over time, similar to how other communicable diseases are reported.The new system continues to provide the data required to guide public health decision-ma

A grand welcome given to Punjabi Press Club of BC in BC Legislative Assembly, Victoria The Speaker of the BC Legislative Assembly Hon'ble Raj Chauhan specially invited the Punjabi Press Club of BC, the premier body of the Punjabi media in British Columbia to BC Legislative Assembly, Victoria. This was a special initiative on the 75th anniversary of the right of Indians to vote in Canada and the 'Sikh Heritage Month', dedicated to the Khalsa Sajna. This was the first time in the BC assembly that the Punjabi Press Club was given such an honour as an institution. In the BC Assembly, Ms. Harvinder

Efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccines to as many drug users as possible in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have paid off, prompting an advocate to urge communities with similar, vulnerable populations across the country to learn lessons from a targeted, well-resourced approach. Karen Ward said a study that showed high vaccine uptake in the neighbourhood also suggests a co-ordinated strategy can work with a marginalized group that sometimes faces discrimination in the health-care system.Ward, who was not involved in the study, said drop-in clinics, including at a community centre, a market, a hote

Changes that make collective bargaining more accessible will help protect workers who want more say about workplace safety, compensation and benefits. The new single-step certification process will enable workers to join a union when a clear majority of employees indicate they want to, as is the case in jurisdictions such as Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and federally regulated workplaces.Collective bargaining helps workers obtain better pay and workplace benefits, supporting an inclusive economy that works for everyone."Throughout this pandemic, we’ve seen that many people wan

RCMP say the pilot of a helicopter that crashed in a remote area on northeast Vancouver Island has been killed. Police say in a news release they were notified Wednesday morning a helicopter that was moving wood crashed north of the village of Sayward along the Johnstone Strait. It says a search and rescue team from the Canadian Forces base in Comox was sent to the scene and found the only person on board the aircraft dead. The Transportation Safety Board says it has deployed a team of investigators to the site where the commercial Hughes 369D helicopter crashed. That type of helicopter is us

Air Canada will suspend its flights between Vancouver and Delhi beginning June 2 until early September 2022. The route is operationally constrained because of extended flying times and a re-fueling stop that is required due to the current flight paths taken to go around Russian and Ukraine airspace. Summer wind and weather conditions in South Asia are expected to compound these constraints, making the route unviable during this period.If you are scheduled to travel on an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Delhi from June 2 until Sept. 6 (June 4 to Sept. 8 from Delhi to Vancouver), you will be

The Mounties say an officer is recovering from a stab wound after trying to make an arrest in Keremeos, B.C. The RCMP say in a news release police were called early Monday to a report that a man was outside a home screaming for help and was suffering from a mental health crisis.Police say when the officer was speaking to the complainant, the man fled into the home and the officer was stabbed after he followed.The release says the officer was able to take the man, who was known to the complainant, into custody and drive himself and the suspect to hospital.The officer was treated for serious but