British Columbia is delaying the full return to classrooms in January to allow public health officials to assess the impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant and give school staff time to implement enhanced safety measures. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says staff and students whose parents are health workers, as well as those who need extra support, will return to schools Jan. 3 or 4. All other students will return to classrooms Jan. 10. Whiteside says enhanced safety measures will include the cancellation of extracurricular sports and plans to control crowding at schools, such as thro

The Kelowna RCMP Drugs and Organized Crime Section have arrested two men for selling drugs to teens.Over the past year, the Kelowna RCMP has received numerous complaints about a male suspect selling psilocybin (magic mushrooms), LSD and cannabis to teens in Kelowna. Through investigation, the police identified two male suspects who were selling the substances throughout Kelowna. The teens would contact the suspects through text message and receive a menu for the illegal substances. They would then arrange to meet with the suspects at various locations.On December 9, 2021, the Kelowna RCMP Drug

The British Columbia Teachers Federation wants the province to delay the start of the winter term in public schools across B.C. as cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 mount. Several social media messages posted by the BCTF and retweeted by union president Teri Mooring say provincial and district officials ``need to do much more'' if they intend to keep schools open in January. The messages list eight expectations to safely reopen schools. Recommendations include: free N-95 masks and rapid tests in all schools; staggered class, recess and lunch times; and, ramped up testing and vaccinatio

British Columbia health officials are scheduled to release an update today on COVID-19 cases, vaccinations, hospitalizations and deaths in the province. The health ministry reported 1,785 new cases of the virus in B.C. on Tuesday. It said in a news release that the numbers are ``preliminary'' and Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will release an update at 3 p.m. Experts warn case numbers are likely to be much higher than reported because testing centres are overwhelmed and some patients might have decided not to get tested over the holidays. Henry sa

B.C. is reporting 1,785 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 243,731 cases in the province.Note: Case counts provided on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, are preliminary.The new cases include:791 new cases in Fraser Health400 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health269 new cases in Interior Health42 new cases in Northern Health283 new cases in Island HealthThe Ministry of Health will return to regular reporting of COVID-19 cases, vaccinations, hospitalizations and deaths, and cases and hospitalizations by vaccination status on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021.

Burnaby RCMP has requested people to avoid the area of Willingdon Ave & Canada Way. RCMP has tweeted about the traffic backup in the area. Police say the traffic back up is due to COVID-19 Testing Clinic. Burnaby RCMP on Twitter: Please avoid the Willingdon Ave & Canada Way area if you can.Once again, due to the COVID-19 Testing Clinic, traffic is getting backed up.No appointment? For accurate info, please visit this website: http://bit.ly/3sG7hu2

British Columbia health officials reported 6,288 COVID-19 cases for a three-day period. A news release Monday says the case numbers are ``preliminary.'' Officials say hospitalization, death and vaccination numbers related to COVID-19 will be given Wednesday. They say there were 2,552 cases on Christmas Eve, 2,023 on Christmas Day and 1,713 on Boxing Day. Health experts have said COVID-19 case numbers are likely to be higher than reported because several hospitals and sites have reached testing limits. Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry had said testing sites across B.C. were seeing l

The RCMP in British Columbia are investigating a homicide in 70 Mile House. Police say officers were called to a residence on Komori Road just after 11:30 a.m. on Boxing Day and arrived to discover a 52-year-old man suffering critical injuries. Despite life-saving efforts, police say the man was pronounced dead at the scene. RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet says a 62-year-old man, who was known to the victim, was arrested and has since been released. Shoihet says the 62-year-old man has not yet been charged as the investigation continues. Police say it is believed to be an isolated incident and tha

British Columbia is again extending its provincial state of emergency that's been in place after torrential rain caused severe flooding and mudslides last month. The province says in a news release that multiple highways are still damaged, so the emergency order, which gives the province additional powers, is being extended to Jan. 11. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says in the release that while significant progress has been made on repairs, there's still more to do to reopen highways and get people back into their homes. The order restricting travel on the Coquihalla Highway, or Hig