The Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation says it would be ``deeply meaningful'' to welcome Pope Francis to Kamloops when the pontiff visits Canada on yet-to-be-determined dates. The Vatican announced yesterday that the pope will willing to visit this country as part of the process of reconciliation with Indigenous people. But Tk'emlups Chief Rosanne Casimir says in a statement issued this morning that if the only objective is reconciliation, and there's no concrete action associated with the visit, the visit will miss the ``hard truths'' First Nations are confronting as they recover from the g

Vancouver Police are investigating another stranger assault in the Downtown Eastside, after a woman was stabbed in the leg with a hypodermic needle Wednesday night."All signs point to this being a random and unprovoked assault on a victim who did nothing wrong," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "Fortunately, the woman quickly called police and we were able to identify a suspect."The troubling incident happened around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, as the 23-year-old victim was leaving a coffee shop near Main and East Pender streets."Investigators believe the woman may have been followed out of the coffee sh

A Port Alberni man who sexually assaulted several sex trade workers on Vancouver Island will spend up to six years in prison. Stephen Ewing has been sentenced after pleading guilty to seven charges dating back to 2018. The 42 year old will be listed on the National Sex Offender Registry for the rest of his life and has also received a lifetime ban on gun ownership. In addition to the six year sentence, minus 45 days for time already served, Ewing must provide his D-N-A to the national database for 15 years after he is released from custody.

B.C. is reporting 609 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 203,582 cases in the province.Note: The numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.There are currently 4,748 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 196,342 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 422 individuals are currently in hospital and 157 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, six new deaths have been reported, for a total of 2,137.The new deaths include:Fraser

The coast guard says a more complete count confirms 106 containers fell from the MV Zim Kingston last week when the vessel ran into foul weather west of Vancouver Island. That's more than double the 40 containers initially thought to have toppled off the ship but a statement from the coast guard says only two of the 106 are believed to be packed with hazardous chemicals. The estimate comes as crews have managed to contain a blaze on the cargo ship, allowing them to get a better inventory of the roughly two-thousand containers aboard, including roughly one-thousand on the deck of the Kingston.

RCMP in Mayerthorpe, Alberta, hope sharp-eyed Metro Vancouver residents can help them find a missing woman. Mayerthorpe Mounties say 31 year old Franky Daylene Potts left her family in Alberta in August, with plans to head west, and was confirmed to be in Langley three weeks ago. The 5'1" and 115 pound woman with burn and skin graft scars on both arms, was reported missing October 16th and is believed to be in the Langley or Surrey areas. Police say there is concern for her safety because she hasn't contacted family, and investigators would like to speak to anyone who may have seen her.

An independent group of researchers analyzing the course of COVID-19 in British Columbia says cases are declining at about two per cent a day but children under 10 could now be more at risk of contracting the virus because they are unvaccinated. The experts in epidemiology, mathematics and data analysis from three universities in B.C. and the private sector say that age group had half the case rate earlier this year relative to those who are older, but that risk may rise. They say in a new report that the use of masks indoors and regional measures in areas with high case counts helped to stabi

Penticton RCMP say a 36 year old man was injured in a shooting in the Indian Rock area, north of Naramata on the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake. The Mounties say the victim was conscious and asked for help when officers responded to a report of shots fired outside a home Tuesday morning. Constable James Grandy says the shooting appeared targeted and drug-related. Anyone with information is asked to contact the RCMP.

The RCMP say 11 more people have been arrested at blockades set up to protest old-growth logging in the Fairy Creek area of southern Vancouver Island. They say nine of those arrested were conditionally released in Port Renfrew and the other two were released without being processed. Last month, a BC Supreme Court judge refused to grant forestry company Teal Cedar Products an extension of an injunction against the blockades, but the BC Court of Appeal granted a stay of that ruling until a full appeal next month. The Mounties say they have made 1,142 arrests since last spring, including 110 peo