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

The important role pets play in families who are separating is being addressed in proposed amendments to British Columbia's Family Law Act.Attorney General Niki Sharma says amendments she introduced in B.C.'s legislature will clarify the law around pets, property and pensions for couples and families going through a separation or divorce.She says the amendments, if passed, will provide more guidance for people and judges involved in a legal dispute.The changes would require the consideration of factors that include each person's ability and willingness to care for a pet, the relationship a chi

British Columbia's health minister plans to announce how the government will ensure patients in the province will have secure access to the diabetes and weight loss drug Ozempic.Adrian Dix said in January that the government would be investigating why almost 10 per cent of prescriptions for the drug in B.C. were filled for American citizens.Dix said at the time that the dramatic increase in demand for the diabetes drug was partly because of social media "influencers" who spoke about its weight loss benefits.Dix announced in January that PharmaCare coverage of Ozempic would be widened to more p

A 32-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder following a fatal stabbing outside a Vancouver Starbucks.Police say the stabbing happened Sunday after a brief altercation between two men outside the coffee shop in the city's downtown core.Investigators say they don't believe the victim and suspect knew each other but the details of what led up to the stabbing are still under investigation.Police say in a statement that a constable patrolling in the area was flagged down moments after the stabbing and arrested the suspect at the scene.Other officers attempted to help the victim, wh

The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has ordered that a taxi driver be paid more than $9,000 in compensation because his caste was insulted during a physical altercation at a staff Christmas party.The tribunal's March 15 decision says Manoj Bhangu, an immigrant from Punjab in India, was discriminated against by two co-workers on the basis of his ancestry, place of origin, and race.Tribunal adjudicator Sonya Pighin says brothers Inderjit and Avninder Dhillon used a caste-based slur against Bhangu during the brawl at the B.C. firm's 2018 party, and ordered that they pay him $9,755 in compe

Mounties in British Columbia are asking for the public's help after a shooting left two people injured in Chilliwack.They say police responded to multiple reports of a disturbance followed by gun shots at the entrance to the city's Rotary Trail park on Saturday night.The RCMP say that police arrived and found two victims with multiple gun shot wounds.They say officers immediately provided first aid until Emergency Health Services arrived and transported the victims to hospital.Though the investigation is in its early stages, police believe the incident was targeted and may be linked to the ong