The Victoria Police Department is preparing to move all its available officers to front-line policing duties as it anticipates staffing shortages caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. A statement from the department says, for the first time, it is enacting a clause in its contract with its police union that allows for the potential assignment of all officers to front-line duties. That work includes anything related to serving the public, such as traffic or crowd control, criminal investigations and arrests. The statement says the change begins this weekend as some Vic

B.C. is reporting 3,223 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 273,731 cases in the province.There are 31,817 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 238,524 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 324 individuals are in hospital and 90 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:1,538 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 14,794662 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 9,594408 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases: 2,807194 new

Surrey RCMP say a woman has been shot and seriously injured. It happened just before nine this morning at a home in the Whalley neighbourhood. Police say the woman is being treated in hospital while several people in the home are being held for questioning. Police say the investigation is just getting underway, but they believe the shooting is an isolated incident and the public is not at risk.

Homeowners in British Columbia whose property is valued at just under $2 million will still be eligible for the annual homeowner grant. The provincial government announced Wednesday it has raised the grant threshold to $1.975 million for this year.The government says in a news release that the new cap will ensure 92 per cent of residential properties are covered, lowering the amount of taxes people pay on their principal residence. Those who own and live in their homes in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Capital Regional districts are eligible for the $570 basic grant, or up to $845 for

B.C. is reporting 3,798 new cases of COVID-19, including 11 epi-linked cases, for a total of 270,508 cases in the province.There are 29,967 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 237,195 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 317 individuals are in hospital and 83 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:1,739 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 13,920840 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 9,100473 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases: 2,563179 new

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says home sales in Metro Vancouver hit an all-time record last year. The board says sales in 2021 rose 42.2 per cent to 43,999 compared with 30,944 in 2020. The previous record was 42,326 set in 2015. The record year came as home sales in the region in December totalled 2,688, down from 3,093 sales recorded in December 2020 and 3,428 homes sold in November 2021. The benchmark price for all residential properties increased 17.3 per cent from the prior year to $1.23 million. Sales of detached homes in December 2021 totalled 794, down from 1,026 sales i

Environment Canada says most of central and southern British Columbia will be smacked by a powerful storm due to dump as much as 30 centimetres of snow in some areas tonight and overnight. Forecasters say the snow should turn to rain in most places by tomorrow, but freezing rain is very likely from the Fraser Valley eastward, adding to already challenging conditions in those regions. As much as 40 centimetres of snow could blanket southern Interior mountain passes and heavy accumulations are also expected on the Sea-to-Sky Highway and along the Malahat Highway northwest of Victoria. Extreme c

Assessed values of properties in British Columbia are up again, but the pricey Vancouver area has been upstaged by small towns where value estimates rose by more than 40 per cent. Data posted on the BC Assessment website shows market value as of July 1, 2021, increased over 40 per cent in the communities of Hope, Port Alberni, Lake Cowichan and other rural areas, while Vancouver was up seven per cent. Bryan Murao, BC Assessment's deputy assessor, says the provincial real estate market remains resilient and homeowners provincewide can expect higher assessment values for 2022. But he says large

Over the past 24 hours, B.C. is reporting 2,542 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 266,710 cases in the province.There are 27,106 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 236,309 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 298 individuals are in hospital and 86 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:1,458 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 12,729329 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 8,274270 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases: 2,250125 new cases i