Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says extreme weather events are increasing across Canada and everyone must be prepared for disasters. Blair says Public Safety Canada has responded to 14 requests for community assistance related to wildfires over the last two years, but received just four such requests in the five years before that. He says the increasing frequency of fires mean it's critically important that the federal and provincial governments learn from the blaze that destroyed Lytton last year. Blair made the comments in Vancouver flanked by several other federal and provincia

British Columbia is seeing an increase in the number of hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19. Weekly numbers released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control show 596 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Thursday compared with 331 last week. The centre says 54 patients were in intensive care. It says 59 people who had COVID-19 died in the week that ended May 7, bringing the total number of deaths in B.C. to 3,307 since the start of the pandemic. It says 1,987 COVID-19 cases were detected in the first week of this month, although health officials and experts have said the actual number of

Surrey RCMP’s Community Response Unit seized a firearm, ammunition, cash and a large amount of drugs in Newton. On April 27, 2022 at approximately 3:00 pm, Surrey RCMP’s Community Response Unit were conducting proactive patrols and located a man who had fled from police the previous day when they attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Officers arrested the 35-year-old man in the 13100-block of 61 Avenue and transported him to Surrey RCMP cells.The investigation remains ongoing and charges have not yet been laid in relation to the items seized, as further analysis is required on the drugs and

Democracy Watch says its legal challenge of the validity of Premier John Horgan's snap election call in late 2020, as the COVID 19 pandemic was nearing its height, begins today and continues tomorrow in BC Supreme Court in Vancouver. Democracy Watch says the goal of the court challenge is not to overturn the election. Instead, it wants the court to rule that the election call violated the sovereignty of Parliament because it happened one year before the fixed election date which had been approved by the legislature. Democracy Watch advocates for democratic reform and government accountability

Mediated talks between striking bus drivers in the Sea-to-Sky region and their employer have ended almost as quickly as they began. Unifor, representing about 80 transit workers in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton, says talks began and ended yesterday when PW Transit, the third-party contractor for BC Transit, would not consider union proposals for wage parity with bus drivers in Metro Vancouver and Victoria. But a statement from the contractor says it put forward two wage offers and is disappointed the union walked away without putting either one to its members. A transit strike in the Sea-t

Politicians ask a lot of questions in British Columbia’s legislature, but for New Democrat member Rick Glumac, his question posed Wednesday was especially important. Glumac, the member for Port Moody-Coquitlam, stood in the legislature to acknowledge all the partners who support the unique work that politicians in the legislature do, saying it certainly isn’t a normal job.He noted that his partner, Haven Lurbiecki, was in the legislature’s gallery and he told her that every day she made the world better and filled his heart with love.Amid applause and cheers from his colleagues, Glumac a

A man from Gibsons who killed his sleeping mother with an axe has been found not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder. Kevin Webster had been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Moirin Webster on December 27th, 2020. BC Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Gomery says Webster had suffered from schizophrenia for years and was ``psychotically driven'' by the paranoid belief that he was the target of a murderous conspiracy by his family. The judge said he agreed with the Crown and defence that it was appropriate to find Webster not criminally responsible and order him held

Police have identified a husband and wife, both in their 70s, as homicide victims in Abbotsford, B.C. Investigators say 77-year-old Arnold De Jong and 76-year-old Joanne De Jong were found dead in a home on Monday. A statement from police says it's unclear if the killings were random or targeted. Sgt. David Lee of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says they are releasing the names and a photo of the victims to further the investigation and identify other possible witnesses. The statement says homicide investigators are still collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses and trying to b

Police in Vancouver are warning parents about a disturbing trend involving teens that swarm a lone peer before punching and kicking them until they fall to the ground, then forcing them to kiss their attackers' shoes. The Vancouver Police Department says the demeaning bullying rituals are sometimes videoed and posted online. Sergeant Steve Addison says beyond physical harm, these types of incidents can cause deep-rooted emotional trauma, and parents should speak to their children about bullying and violence. He's asking parents to encourage their children to call police if they have informati