A BC scientist is calling for better public access to COVID-19 data as the province enters what could be a sixth wave of the pandemic. In its latest report, the independent BC COVID-19 Modelling Group says it believes BC is at the beginning of a second Omicron wave. Sarah Otto, a mathematical biologist, UBC professor and modelling group member, says the severity of that wave remains unclear due to uncertainty on multiple fronts, including reliable data. She says data that's been made publicly available in B-C lags behind other Canadian jurisdictions, and is not sufficient to do proper statist

The RCMP say British Columbia's police watchdog has been called to investigate the circumstances leading up to a man's death at a Surrey home. The Mounties say front-line officers and members of their mental health outreach team were called Friday to check on the well-being of a man who had threatened to harm himself with a weapon.They say the man was found at the home, reportedly in possession of a weapon, and police fired shots.RCMP say the man was given first aid and emergency health services personnel took him to hospital, where he later died.A statement from Assistant Commissioner Brian E

Vancouver Police are investigating an unprovoked assault on a visually-impaired man and are asking witnesses to come forward to help solve the crime. "We don’t know if there was a motive for this attack, but it appears the victim had no prior interaction with the suspect before the assault," says Constable Tania Visintin. "We also know this can be very distressing for the community when incidents like this continue to happen."The 69-year-old victim, who was wearing a bright yellow high-visibility jacket and walking with a cane, was walking through the crosswalk at Thurlow and Alberni around

Two people were taken to hospital in stable condition yesterday afternoon, after a light aircraft crashed in a Metro Vancouver provincial park. BC Emergency Health Services says it was notified of an aircraft in Alouette Lake, part of Golden Ears park near Maple Ridge, around 3:30 pm. Two people were reportedly helped ashore by boaters before being transported to hospital by ambulance in stable condition.

Metro Vancouver mayors say they need 190-million dollars in provincial grant funding, plus additional loan financing, and they want the same amounts from the federal government if they hope to address the region's housing crisis. The mayors made the request during an online meeting with David Eby, the minister responsible for housing. Eby told the group that one of his main concerns is getting faster approval from local governments to build homes that can handle what he says is BC's ``population explosion.'' The minister has previously warned municipalities he could bring in legislation that

The first weekly report of COVID-19 data after the province moved away from daily updates shows 11 people died due to the virus during the week of March 27th to April 2nd. The report also shows 193 people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and a total of just over 1,700 new cases were confirmed. The Health Ministry says the switch to weekly reports aligns with a shift away from a case-management model to a surveillance model. It says the weekly reports will focus on identifying meaningful changes in key COVID-19 measurements and trends over time. Click the link to read about the changes

As British Columbia continues to take the next step in its COVID-19 response, the Province is transitioning from daily to weekly COVID-19 reporting.Beginning on Thursday, April 7, 2022, COVID-19 dashboards and reports issued by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control will be updated on weekly basis here: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/dataThe new reports will focus on key measures of severity and trends over time, similar to how other communicable diseases are reported.The new system continues to provide the data required to guide public health decision-ma

A grand welcome given to Punjabi Press Club of BC in BC Legislative Assembly, Victoria The Speaker of the BC Legislative Assembly Hon'ble Raj Chauhan specially invited the Punjabi Press Club of BC, the premier body of the Punjabi media in British Columbia to BC Legislative Assembly, Victoria. This was a special initiative on the 75th anniversary of the right of Indians to vote in Canada and the 'Sikh Heritage Month', dedicated to the Khalsa Sajna. This was the first time in the BC assembly that the Punjabi Press Club was given such an honour as an institution. In the BC Assembly, Ms. Harvinder

Efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccines to as many drug users as possible in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have paid off, prompting an advocate to urge communities with similar, vulnerable populations across the country to learn lessons from a targeted, well-resourced approach. Karen Ward said a study that showed high vaccine uptake in the neighbourhood also suggests a co-ordinated strategy can work with a marginalized group that sometimes faces discrimination in the health-care system.Ward, who was not involved in the study, said drop-in clinics, including at a community centre, a market, a hote