British Columbia's housing minister says a new method for collecting data on homelessness is the first of its kind in Canada and will help the province tackle the issue. David Eby says the government used anonymized data from multiple ministry databases to paint a picture of homelessness across B.C. in 2019 that found trends like high per capita rates in northern rural communities and among men. The report shows that just over half of people experienced homelessness temporarily rather than on a chronic basis. Eby says the province previously relied on data from point-in-time counts in 25 comm

On March 16, 2022, at 3:17 a.m., Surrey RCMP responded to the report of shots fired at a residence in the 11200-block of Lansdowne Drive. Police attended and located evidence consistent with a shooting. A 17-year-old youth who is known to police suffered non-life threatening injuries. They were transported to hospital and have since been released. The Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit has taken conduct of the investigation. The investigation is in the early stages, but all indications are that it was targeted. The shooting does not appear to be linked to the Lower Mainland gang conflict."

Surrey RCMP is informing the public that three youths who allegedly stole a parcel from a porch were identified, arrested and referred to extrajudicial measures. On March 4, 2022, Surrey RCMP received a report of a theft of package from a residence located in 8600-block of 156 Street. Police attended and learned that a package containing items such as designer jackets, shoes, sunglasses and t-shirts was stolen.Surrey RCMP Frontline officer’s investigation led to the arrest of 3 youths, who have since been released from custody. The majority of the items stolen have been returned to their rig

There's no relief in sight from climbing prices across the country as Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate hit 5.7 per cent last month, the highest in more than 30 years, and the second straight month above five per cent. Economists say gas prices, grocery costs and housing expenses all contributed to the leap from January's setting of 5.1 per cent. In BC, inflation jumped four-tenths of a point to 4.7 per cent, tying this province and Saskatchewan for the lowest cost of living increase in Canada, but rates are still up sharply in most areas. Victoria saw its rate soar seven basis

B.C. is reporting 237 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 352,965 cases in the province.Note: The numbers of new and total cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh.The new cases include:Fraser Health: 70Vancouver Coastal Health: 40Interior Health: 69Northern Health: 24Island Health: 34People who reside outside of Canada: zeroThere are 345 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 50 are in intensive care.In the past 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,946.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreaks at Mission Creek Landin

Leaders from Washington state and British Columbia say they have reached an agreement to work together on redeveloping a flooding prevention plan and response for the Nooksack River. Flooding in southern B.C. and northern Washington in November displaced an estimated 500 people south of the border and about 14,000 were forced to flee their homes on the Canadian side. Rising water levels in the Nooksack contributed to flooding on the Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford and resulted in billions of dollars of damage to the province's agriculture industry. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says in a release tha

Two teenage sisters in Nanaimo are recovering after a man broke into their home, released a blast of bear spray and then stole several electronics when the sisters ran from the house. RCMP say it happened yesterday at around 3 pm, and even though police were on scene within minutes, the suspect could not be found. Constable Gary O'Brien says the man, in camouflage clothing and wearing a balaclava that covered most of his face, likely entered through an unlocked door and used a hockey bag found the house to carry the stolen items. Gary O'Brien says the sisters were treated at the scene for lin

Students at a Terrace private school are mourning the loss of two classmates killed along with their mother in a head-on crash as they drove to school last week. Centennial Christian School says in a Facebook post that the entire community is grieving the loss of Grade 6 student Ashton Hesketh, his sister, Kylie, who was in Grade four, and their mother, Elizabeth. The post says students and staff are receiving the help and support they need in classrooms and with counsellors, while thoughts and prayers go to the victims' father and husband, Dan Hesketh. Kitimat RCMP have confirmed three peopl

Surrey RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance with identifying two men who robbed a bank in Fleetwood.On March 9, 2022 at 4:38 p.m., Surrey RCMP received a report of a robbery at a financial institution in the 15900-block of Fraser Highway. It was reported that two men threatened bank staff with a suspected firearm and demanded money.Surrey RCMP Frontline officers arrived on scene within minutes; however, both suspects had fled the area. Fortunately, no one was physically injured in the bank. The two suspects were able to get away with a substantial amount of cash.The suspect with the alleg