The British Columbia government is preparing to build a new cancer care centre in Kamloops.Health Minister Adrian Dix says the new centre at the Royal Inland Hospital will include radiation therapy, meaning patients will no longer have to travel the roughly two hour trip to Kelowna for that treatment.Dix says a 'concept plan' for the centre, which was promised as part of the 2020 election, has been approved, and a business plan will be completed this calendar year.Dix says he expects the building to be ready to see patients in 2027 and that cancer centres typically cost between $200 and $300 m

The B.C. and federal governments have boosted their funding to a Vancouver-based company that helped develop the first antibody therapy treatment for COVID-19.AbCellera Biologics has announced a 700 million dollar plan to add lab space, equipment and technology at its manufacturing plant.B.C. will provide 75-million dollars to fund research and clinical trial projects while the federal government is contributing 225 million dollars.AbCellera says the latest expansion will help it turn basic research into usable medicines, while developing programs to get those medicines into clinical trials.

The Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver has received about $5 million in new federal funding ahead of its opening on July 1.Federal International Trade and Economic Development Minister Mary Ng says the new funding will go toward renewal of the museum's permanent space at the Wing Sang Building in Vancouver's Chinatown, as well as supporting the facility's first exhibit.Ng made the funding announcement on the sidelines of the U.S.-Canada Chinatown Cultural Preservation and Revitalization Conference, which is hosting representatives from 18 Chinatowns from across North America.Ng says efforts

Today is the 109th anniversary of the arrival of the Komagata Maru ship in B.C. On this occasion, B.C. Premier David Eby has issued a statement.According to this statement, 109 years ago today, a ship full of 376 Sikh, Hindu and Muslim passengers reached the coast of Vancouver.All of them came to Canada with the dream of living a big life.Where they should have been welcomed, Canada's immigration officers did not allow them to disembark.After 2 months of being stuck on the ship, the Komagata Maru was sent back to Asia.In 2008, B.C. apologized for racial discrimination against these passengers.

Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre (Salal) and the Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) have received new federal funding to enhance their crisis lines, which provide 24/7 provincewide, comprehensive, specialized gender-based violence supports.These services include risk assessment, immediate safety planning, and addressing the unique needs of Indigenous victims. The two organizations will receive a total of $2.75 million in funding over four years as part of Women and Gender Equality Canada’s National Action Plan to End Gender Based-Violence.During the pandemic, organization

Environment Canada says smoke from wildfires in the B.C. Interior is expected to worsen in the coming days, bringing poor air quality and associated health risks.In a special air quality statement, Environment Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy say several Interior communities are likely to see worsening wildfire smoke conditions over the next 24 to 48 hours.The statement says smoke is already widespread in the province's southeast toward the Rocky Mountains.Observed conditions in Prince George, Williams Lake, Fort St. John and Quesnel show high risk or ver

Vancouver police say a suspect sexually assaulted a woman in English Bay while claiming to be a massage therapist.The woman called 911 to report the incident and the suspect was arrested.Police say that the suspect may have contacted other people as well on the beach.The suspect is described as a 30-year-old South Asian male.No charges have yet been filed against the suspect and the case is under investigation.

B.C. health minister says some breast and prostate cancer patients will be referred to two clinics in Washington in an effort to reduce wait times for radiation therapy.Starting May 29th, Adrian Dix says B.C. Cancer will offer eligible patients the opportunity to undergo treatment at one of two partner clinics in Bellingham, with costs related to treatment, travel, accommodation and meals fully covered.Dix says the province is making the move because B.C. hasn't been meeting its target for ensuring cancer patients receive radiation therapy in a timely manner.He says the delays are due to facto

The North Vancouver Mounties say a child has written a letter of apology to them after calling 911 by mistake.RCMP say the child, possibly an elementary age, arrived with his parents on Saturday and left an apology note, along with a Starbucks gift card.The letter, shared by the detachment on social media, said the boy, named Aedan, is sorry for calling the emergency line when he didn't need to.Aedan also apologized that when the officers came to his door, he should have told the truth.He wrote in the letter, "I am sorry that I lied. I should have told my mom or dad. I know I have wasted your