The latest figures on COVID-19 show 540 people in British Columbia are currently hospitalized with the virus, 49 of them in critical care. The BC Centre for Disease Control says 59 people have died in the last week, for a total of 3,398 fatalities as of May 14. The centre says 1,645 new cases were reported as of that date and some of its numbers may change as data is updated. It says the Omicron variant is still the most prominent and that people can spread the virus to others even if they have been vaccinated and don't have symptoms. Breakthrough infections from new variants can occur in peo

Avian flu has been found in a commercial flock in the Fraser Valley, the same area where 80 per cent of British Columbia's poultry farms are located. B.C.'s Ministry of Agriculture says in a statement the infected farm has been placed under quarantine by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and producers within a 10-kilometre radius have been sent notices about the discovery.Previous outbreaks in the Fraser Valley have prompted culls of millions of birds, although poultry groups now say they have tight control measures to prevent the spread from one farm to the next.The inspection agency's webs

RCMP say they have confirmed that a human bone found near the Kamloops airport in March belonged to a missing man who is now considered deceased. The Mounties say DNA analysis matched the bone found by a dog walker to 22 year David Bosanac, who had been reported missing eight days earlier. Constable Crystal Evelyn says investigators are not releasing what specific bone was discovered because the cause of Bosanac's death is still unknown. Evelyn says cadaver dogs and search crews have scoured the area where the bone was located, but no other ``items of significance'' were found.

Vancouver police have identified two people who died in a fire that destroyed a historic building in the city’s Gastown neighbourhood last month. Police say 68-year-old Mary Garlow and Dennis Guay, who was 53, were killed when the Winters Hotel went up in flames on April 11.The hotel, built in 1907, had been the home to dozens of low-income residents.The fire department said at the time of the blaze that when crews arrived, it was too dangerous to try to enter the building, and they couldn’t determine if anyone else was still inside.Five people were hurt trying to escape the building.The f

BC AdventureSmart says some of the most popular hikes in the province are also the riskiest. Sandra Riches, executive director of the program, says the list was determined by data collected by search and rescue teams across BC. She says the trails aren't necessarily the most technically difficult routes but have led to a high number of rescue calls, likely through popularity. The list includes the Stawamus Chief, Juan De Fuca Trail, Eagle Bluffs, Mount Seymour, Skywalk South Trail, Howe Sound Crest Trail, Golden Ears Summit Trail, Mount Albert Edward, Black Tusk, Grouse Grind and the Hanes Va

The chief of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation says it's been a very traumatic year since they announced the discovery of unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops residential school. Roseanne Casimir says sharing the findings with the world has been devastating both for her as a leader, and as a mother and grandmother. A daylong cultural ceremony is set for this Monday at the nation's Pow Wow Arbor to mark the anniversary of findings which Casimir says was a confirmation that the children didn't come home from residential schools. Since the Tk'emlups announcement last year, se

A report examining the wildfire that wiped out Lytton last June says it's important to understand what happened so other communities don't suffer the same fate. The report says the destruction of Lytton was more than a wildfire problem and it makes 33 recommendations to reduce fire risk, especially within so-called home ignition zones, where structures and homes burn easily. The authors say the loss of the village could not have been stopped, even with immediate emergency aid, because at least 20 buildings were engulfed in barely an hour, requiring the response of as many as 60 fire trucks. R

The Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies (GNI) officially launched providing a world-class infrastructure and academic environment for research and teaching on Sikh philosophy, history, literature, culture, and devotional music in an interdisciplinary manner. GNI is a PTIB (Private Training Institution Branch) approved, non-profit educational and research institute founded in 2021 to commemorate Guru Nanak’s 550th anniversary. The name Guru Nanak (the revealer of Sikhi) is synonymous with equality, equity, justice, compassion, open dialogue, spiritual revolution, life-long learning, and e

Summer is just over four weeks away but south coast residents are being warned to brace for more snow, at least at higher elevations, as winter won't release its chilly grip. Special weather statements from Environment Canada cover Vancouver Island and the inner south coast as an unseasonably strong spring storm arrives tonight packing gusty winds, heavy rain and another dump of snow on coastal mountain passes. The weather office says all of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, Howe Sound, Whistler, Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley will be affected before conditions ease and temperatures sta