Cruise ship season officially launches in British Columbia as the Sapphire Princess berths in Victoria for a one-day visit.The vessel then travels to Vancouver to begin that city's season.The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority expects 330 ships between April and October, bringing at least 850,000 passengers to the capital.The Port of Vancouver says 331 cruise ships are scheduled over the same period, potentially delivering more than one million visitors into the downtown core, with almost daily arrivals and departures at the height of the season between May and September.Prince Rupert's cruise

Forecasters are warning of swollen creeks and rivers as heavy rain sweeps over southern British Columbia.High streamflow advisories have been posted for all of Vancouver Island, the south coast and the southern Interior, warning that the possible rapid rise in rivers poses a risk to public safety.Environment Canada says a Pacific frontal system washed over Vancouver Island and the south coast over the weekend, bringing up to 90 millimetres to Haida Gwaii and more than 80 millimetres on Saturna Island.The River Forecast Centre says streams and rivers on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Fra

WorkSafeBC is reminding employers of their obligation to prevent violence in the workplace and ensure the safety of their workers. Over the last five years, acts of violence have increased by 25 per cent in B.C., from 2,292 accepted claims in 2018 to 2,868 in 2022. WorkSafeBC regulations require that employers conduct a risk assessment, have policies and procedures in place to protect workers from the risk of violence, and to provide instruction to workers. Employers must identify potential hazards and implement measures to eliminate or minimize the risk of harm for workers who work alone or i

A handful of homeless people set up tents overnight along a stretch of Vancouver's Hastings Street that was cleared Wednesday in a co-ordinated effort by city officials and Vancouver police.Mayor Ken Sim ordered the long-standing encampment removed after the city's police and fire chiefs warned of escalating crime and an unacceptable fire risk.At the camp's peak, about 180 structures covered the sidewalk along the busy street.Now there are questions about where the displaced residents will go, and many have vowed to return to the only place they feel safe as soon as enforcement lifts.Vancouver

The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear a challenge of a British Columbia law intended to preserve public health care through measures against extra-billing and certain private insurance.Two Vancouver private health facilities and four patients argued that provisions of the Medicare Protection Act violate constitutional rights due to long waits for care in B.C.'s publicly funded system.They said this amounted to a breach of the patients' life, liberty and security of the person under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Three years ago, the Supreme Court of British Columbia dismissed the const

A former Liberal cabinet minister who has been sitting in British Columbia's legislature as an Independent is the new leader of the provincial Conservatives.John Rustad, the member of the legislature for Nechako Lakes, was acclaimed leader of the Conservative Party of B.C. as the only candidate who entered the race.Rustad, who is 60 years old, replaces former leader Trevor Bolin, who was serving as interim leader.Opposition Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon said he dumped Rustad from the party caucus last August for his public statements and social media posts suggesting climate change is not caused

The fatal stabbing of a 37-year-old father outside a downtown Vancouver Starbucks is casting a pall over the normally bustling block.Passersby have been pausing to pay their respects to Paul Stanley Schmidt at a makeshift memorial of flowers, pictures and notes outside the café.Police say Schmidt was stabbed after a brief altercation shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday.They say Inderdeep Singh Gosal was arrested at the scene moments later when bystanders flagged down a constable patrolling the area.The 32-year-old has been charged with second-degree murder and a hearing has been scheduled in Vanco

The B.C. government is taking aim at organized crime through its members unexplained wealth, such as luxury homes or vehicles.Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth announced the government is changing the Civil Forfeiture Act to include unexplained wealth orders, requiring people to tell a court how they got the assets if there is suspicion of crime.It means the Civil Forfeiture Office would be able to ask a B.C. Supreme Court for an order against people or companies to explain where they got their wealth and if a three-part test is satisfied, that property can be seized.The changes are based

The Archdiocese of Vancouver and a private Catholic school have denied wrongdoing over claims of sexual abuse from former students and have filed their own lawsuits against the alleged abusers.The archdiocese and St. Thomas More Collegiate in Burnaby filed separate lawsuits last week against the men who belonged to a Catholic order and transferred to B.C. from Mount Cashel, the Newfoundland orphanage notorious for the sexual abuse that took place there.The claims come soon after a court certified a class-action lawsuit by students, naming the archdiocese, St. Thomas More Collegiate and others