Treacherous conditions on the Coquihalla Highway have eased slightly after a storm dumped 38 centimetres on the section between Hope and Merritt overnight. The route was closed in both directions until early this morning as crews handled problems ranging from spin outs and fender benders to jackknifed transport trucks, but no serious injuries were reported. Conditions were also challenging on the Coquihalla connector and through Allison Pass in Manning Park, although snowfall was not as heavy on those highways. A snowfall warning remained in effect for the Hope to Merritt section of the Coqui

A Vancouver man has been convicted of first degree murder following a Vancouver Police investigation into the death of a 69 year old man.Just before midnight on January 26, 2019, Vancouver Police responded to several 911 calls about a shooting near Fraser Street and East 51 Avenue. Vancouver resident Zenen Cepeda Silva was found suffering from a gunshot injury and was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Alvaro Julio Roche Garcia, 60, was arrested days after the incident and charges were approved by BC Prosecution Services. Following a trial, a jury returned a guilty verdict o

A West Vancouver Police Department officer has been dismissed for repeatedly calling in sick and then going to coach hockey instead. The 2021 annual report from the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner says an internal investigation found the officer had called in sick 25 times in four years between 2015 and 2019. The officer resigned before he was fired, but the OPCC report says his employment records were amended to reflect his dismissal. In a second hockey-related case, the report says a Delta police officer was reprimanded for verbally abusing a minor-league hockey referee and ref

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says unvaccinated health-care workers will be offered the first opportunity to receive the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine against COVID-19 when it arrives in British Columbia next week. Dr. Henry says the federal government will provide B.C. with a limited number of doses of the vaccine, which has been widely used in the United States. She says the vaccine has not yet been available in the province. Dr. Henry says some unvaccinated health-care workers who were placed on mandatory unpaid leave for three months have suggested they would take

Several federal Conservative party members from BC have been named to the Tory's newly announced shadow cabinet. Party leader Erin O'Toole released his critics list this morning, including Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola MP Dan Albas as environment and climate change critic. Former Conservative minister and Abbotsford MP Ed Fast is critic for Innovation, Science and Industry and another former minister. South Surrey-White Rock's Kerry-Lynne Findlay, has been named critic for national defence. In all, eight of 13 BC MP's have a place in O'Toole's shadow cabinet.

Police in Vancouver say three suspects brandished guns in the attempted theft of 21-dollars worth of ice cream from a grocery store last night. They say a 40 year old suspect flashed a gun while attempting to steal three tubs of ice cream, and two accomplices did the same thing to allow him to flee when staff tried to stop him. Sergeant Steve Addison says such a level of violence in a petty crime is shocking and unacceptable. Addison says the ice-cream thief and his alleged accomplices, a 27 year old man and a 31 year old woman were each arrested for robbery.

BC Hydro says storm-related outages are more frequent in British Columbia due to climate change but when it comes to preparing for a blackout, a new report shows Lower Mainland residents are in the dark. The report from the Crown utility says more than half of Lower Mainland residents think their region is the most prepared for storm-related power outages, but fewer than half have an outage plan or emergency kit at home. Hydro spokesman Kyle Donaldson says people in areas such as northern B.C., where outages are more frequent, are less confident in their region's preparedness, but 62 per cent

Just as Fraser Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak over at Chilliwack General Hospital, it has declared a new outbreak at Burnaby Hospital. The health authority says two patients have tested positive in the outbreak limited to one medicine unit, which has been closed to admissions. It says infection control measures are in place and other areas of the hospital have not been affected, with the emergency department remaining open. There are 33 active COVID-19 outbreaks in health-care facilities across BC, including nine in acute care facilities.

The RCMP say BC's police watchdog has been called to investigate an incident in Surrey last Friday night that resulted in one woman being hospitalized. The Mounties say the woman was arrested on an outstanding warrant and taken to their Surrey detachment after medical personnel cleared her for incarceration. In the early hours of Sunday morning, they say a guard noticed the woman had fallen from the bunk in her cell to the floor, where she was found unresponsive. The RCMP say a nurse began life saving efforts before she was taken to hospital in serious condition, and the Independent Investiga