The City of Merritt says 266 properties remain under an evacuation order out of the 808 that were impacted by widespread flooding in November. Emergency Operations Centre information officer Jean Strong says there are also people who can't return home even though they're no longer under an evacuation order because their properties need repairs. Strong says a housing-needs assessment has identified two categories of affected residents, those who can rebuild and those who have been permanently displaced. She says she expects most people will be back home within six months but in the interim, th

Jobs and Economic Recovery Minister Ravi Kahlon says the latest BC program aimed at helping businesses affected by BC's pandemic restrictions is up and running. Kahlon says the COVID-19 Closure Relief Grant has been fast-tracked and is ready to accept applications from businesses ordered to temporarily close due to newly announced public-health measures. Businesses that were ordered to fully close as of December 22nd, including certain bars, nightclubs and lounges, gyms, fitness and adult dance centres as well as some event venues, can apply for relief grants of one-thousand to ten-thousand d

A 62 year old man has been identified as the person found shot to death in a Surrey home on Sunday night. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says Brian Chapman is known to them but has had no police history since 2020. Despite that, detectives say the shooting was not random, although they don't believe it is linked to Metro Vancouver's ongoing gang conflict. No arrests have been made and police say the homicide likely happened early Sunday but wasn't discovered for nearly 12 hours.

Vancouver Police are investigating a concerning incident in East Vancouver this past weekend and are looking for anyone with information to come forward.Two women were standing at a bus stop near Commercial Drive and Graveley Street at around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 8, when two men in a black truck pulled up beside them and began cat-calling. The truck circled around and drove by the women a number of times.The passenger then exited the truck and started chasing the women, who ran to a place of safety and called police. The suspects drove off and have not been located."We know there was

Vancouver police say the BC Prosecution Service has approved a charge against a 39 year old man accused of defacing the monument marking BC's Komagata Maru incident. The waterfront monument includes the names of nearly 400 people who sailed to Vancouver aboard the Komagata Maru in 1914, but were denied entry to Canada due to racist policies of the day and were eventually forced to return to India. Someone defaced the monument and smeared paint on it last summer in what police initially described as a hate crime, and the VPD says a four-month investigation has identified a suspect. A BC wide w

B-C's ministry of education says two schools in Hazelton and Surrey have halted in-person learning less than two days after most students returned to classrooms. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says school administration officials make decisions about closing in-person classes and moving to temporary online teaching. Ginger Fuller, secretary-treasurer of the Coast Mountain School District, says the closure at Hazelton Secondary School was a result of staff shortages caused by illness, but says officials will meet today to decide when to reopen.The ministry says the independent Bibleway

Environment Canada says the series of atmospheric rivers forecast for B-C's south coast won't relent until tomorrow. The weather office says the storm's second intense gush is expected today and a final burst tomorrow, bringing up to 150 millimetres for some areas. Dave Campbell, the head of the province's River Forecast Centre, says roads could be washed out near waterways and is urging drivers to be careful. The provincial state of emergency that was declared after storms washed away highways, flooded communities and killed five people in November is being extended until January 18th.

With some highways still damaged by flooding and mudslides, and the potential for further flooding this week, the Province is extending the provincial state of emergency.Given the continued need for public safety measures under the Emergency Program Act and ongoing work to repair damaged highways, the provincial state of emergency is being extended until the end of day, Jan. 18, 2022."My continued thanks go out to road crews who are working so hard to get our highways back and fully open," said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. "This work is essential in getting

B.C. is reporting 2,239 new cases of COVID-19, including nine epi-linked cases, for a total of 286,080 cases in the province.There are 36,087 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 244,551 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 469 individuals are in hospital and 97 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:807 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 15,988383 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 10,334318 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases: 4,295167 new