British Columbia's housing minster says more homes will be built sooner under a plan to set construction targets in 10 cities or municipalities in an effort to fast track development. Ravi Kahlon announced housing targets will be set for Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Delta, Port Moody, Abbotsford, Victoria, Oak Bay, Saanich and Kamloops.Kahlon says the government chose the first 10 communities based on the needs in the province and projected growth.The targets won't be released to the public until this summer, but Kahlon says they'll be meeting with the cities in the next few wee

The association representing Surrey Memorial Hospital doctors has issued another letter demanding that either the emergency room vacancies be filled, or the emergency room be closed to new patients.A letter was written on May 19 by the Medical Staff Association of Surrey Memorial Hospital.According to that letter, it has become difficult to provide services due to the lack of hospital staff in the emergency and the patients coming in have not been adequately cared for.The letter, written to Fraser Health CEO Dr Victoria Lee, Health Minister Adrian Dix and other leaders, also said that no actio

The Atira Women's Resource Society says it has named a new interim CEO after former head Janice Abbott stepped down amid a conflict-of-interest controversy involving her husband, former BC Housing CEO Shayne Ramsay.Atira says its new CEO Catherine Roome is an experienced leader in both the public and private sectors and will head the organization until a permanent replacement for Abbott is found.Atira board chair Elva Kim says recruiting Roome is part of its effort to restore public confidence in the housing provider after Abbott's departure earlier this month.The housing provider says it's co

The Vancouver-based company Lululemon is promising 2600 new jobs over five years.C.E.O Calvin McDonald says the company has secured an additional 125,000 square feet of office space in downtown Vancouver.McDonald says he's confident in the decision after the federal government said the company could hire foreign workers for certain highly skilled positions without needing to apply for a labour market impact assessment.Federal Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says if Ottawa hadn't acted, the company's headquarters may have left Vancouver.

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