The chief medical officer of British Columbia's First Nations Health Authority says the toxic drug crisis in 2022 was the most devastating year so far for Indigenous people, their families, and communities.Dr. Nel Wieman says First Nations people are disproportionately dying from illicit drugs in B.C. and the gap continues to widen.First Nations people represent 3.3 per cent of B.C.'s population, but the health authority says 16.4 per cent of those who died from overdoses last year were Indigenous.Wieman says First Nations woman were particularly affected, with a death rate that was double tha

Privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy says 12 Canadian Tire stores around B.C. used facial recognition without telling customers, and violating the province's Personal Information Protection Act.The information is contained in McEvoy's latest report which shows the stores used facial recognition technology between 2018 and 2021 but removed the systems as soon as they learned four of the outlets were under investigation. Facial recognition technology captures highly sensitive biometric information that maps the precise and unique mathematical rendering of a human face and McEvoy finds the stores

British Columbia is bringing in a new regulation immediately to ensure diabetes patients don't face a shortage of the drug Ozempic, touted by celebrities for its weight loss side effects.Health Minister Adrian Dix says the change will ensure patients in B.C. and Canada needing Ozempic to treat their Type 2 diabetes will continue to have access to that drug and others that may require it in the future.Dix says the regulation will help prevent online or mail-order sales of Ozempic to people who do not live in Canada and who are not in B.C. to make a purchase.The new regulation comes after the di

Statistics Canada figures show inflation in B.C. dipped sharply last month, falling to 4.7 per cent from its 6.2 per cent setting in February.Cost of living in Vancouver and Victoria was also down roughly one per cent in March compared with the month earlier as Stats Can says lower energy prices offset expenses such as higher mortgage rates.Despite the decline which was mirrored nationally as Canada's inflation rate fell to 4.3 per cent from 5.2 per cent in February economists say grocery prices and mortgage interest costs continue to climb.Groceries were 9.7 per cent more expensive in March t

Numbers released by the BC Coroners Service show deaths from toxic, unregulated drugs have nudged record levels across the province for the second year in a row.The coroners service says 596 lives were lost between January and March.It says that's the second highest total ever recorded over the first three months of a calendar year, behind only 2022 when 599 people died.The figures also show 2,314 deaths due to toxic drugs occurred last year, making the annual toll the deadliest on record since a public health emergency was declared in 2016.The statement from the coroners service says just und

More women and non-binary immigrants and refugees who have experienced violence, abuse or trauma will be able to access employment services and supports through a $2.4-million grant to YWCA Metro Vancouver.The three-year grant will enhance and expand YWCA Metro Vancouver's Axis, a trauma- informed, culturally safe employment program.Since 2021, the YWCA Metro Vancouver has offered the 12-week Axis program, helping nearly 200 women and non-binary immigrants and refugees develop the personalized employment and training plans they need to pursue meaningful employment."Immigrant and refugee women

On the occasion of Vaisakhi, British Columbia Premier David Eby has issued the following statement marking Vaisakhi:"Today, Sikhs here in British Columbia and around the world will gather to celebrate Vaisakhi. Marking the formation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh Ji more than three centuries ago, Vaisakhi is among the holiest days in the Sikh calendar. Vaisakhi is a time for family and community, and of coming together in worship and celebration. This year, it will be marked by prayer and reflection in gurdwaras across the province, in parades and Nagar Kirtans, and gatherings with family.

In another glaring incident of hate crime, a woman passed racial comment and later spat on an Arabic speaking man’s face in a Vancouver café.This video has been released by Vancouver Police department claiming that a 38 year old man was playing cards and drinking coffee with a group of friends near West 4th Avenue and Alma street when they were approached by a stranger around 10:45 p.m. on February 26.After initially engaging in friendly conversation, the woman asked the men what language they were speaking. When one of the men told her they were speaking Arabic, the woman allegedly made a

British Columbia's premier says Mounties and Metro Vancouver Transit Police have increased their presence and stepped up patrols on bus and train lines so passengers can feel safe when travelling.David Eby says the stabbing death of a 17-year-old male on a Surrey bus on Tuesday is every parent's nightmare.The premier says Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth is reaching out to transit authorities and police to see if more resources are needed to ensure transit safety.The teen’s death is among a series of attacks on commuters across Canada that includes a shooting on a Calgary bus on Wednesd