Polls opened at 7 a.m. today in most of BC and will close at seven tonight as residents in this province cast their ballots in the federal election. Sixty-seven per cent of eligible BC voters turned out in the last federal election in 2019. Voter turnout was strong on the first day of advance polling this time around, but the ongoing pandemic has the potential to affect overall numbers. 42 ridings are up for grabs in BC including seats represented by federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in Burnaby South and former Green Party Leader Elizabeth May in Saanich-Gulf Islands.

Family of a Vancouver Island Indigenous woman killed during a police wellness check in New Brunswick says the effort to seek justice has been overshadowed by a weekend attack on Victoria's police chief. Chantel Moore's family and the chief say it's time to focus on Moore again. A video statement issued yesterday by Moore's family and police Chief Del Manak follows the assault on Manak one day earlier. A woman poured liquid on the chief as he was an invited guest at a memorial for Moore outside the British Columbia legislature. Manak was not hurt and police say the suspect, who was not invited

Mounties in Kelowna are investigating a suspicious death after a woman's body was found at a highway intersection. RCMP say officers were called to the intersection of Highway 33W and Nickel Road at 7 a.m. after the body was discovered. Police say the death is considered suspicious and the RCMP Serious Crime Unit has taken over the investigation. They're looking for witnesses as well as potential surveillance video.

RCMP in Burnaby say ``many officers'' are investigating a shooting near a popular hockey rink. Police say one man suffered non life-threatening injuries on Saturday afternoon in the shooting near the Scotia Barn. Mounties say they do not believe the shooting is connected to the Lower Mainland gang conflict. RCMP are asking potential witnesses or anyone who has dash cam video of the incident to come forward. Burnaby RCMP on Twitter: Burnaby RCMP’s Investigative Support Team continue to investigate a shooting that has left a victim with non-life-threatening injurieshttp://bit.ly/2Xx62jD

Surrey RCMP is asking public’s help to locate an 18-year-old woman, missing from Cloverdale. On September 17, 2021 at approximately 7:00 a.m. Sanjana Singh left her residence located in the area of 5500-block of 188A Street and has not been seen or heard from since. These actions are out of character for her. Sanjana Singh’s family and police are very concerned for her wellbeing.Sanjana Singh is described as an 18-year-old South Asian woman, 5’9", 145 lbs., long dark brown hair and dark brown eyes.

B.C. is reporting 768 new cases of COVID-19, including 19 epi-linked cases, for a total of 177,954 cases in the province.There are currently 6,031 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 169,653 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 298 individuals are in hospital and 135 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, 11 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,888.From Sept. 9-15, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 75.9% of cases and from Sept. 2-15 they accounted for 86.2% of ho

Residents across British Columbia are being advised to prepare a well-stocked emergency kit for what BC Hydro warns could be a stormy fall and winter made worse by the effects of a severe summer drought. The latest report from the Crown utility says record-breaking heat between June and August in many parts of the province killed trees or weakened their root systems. It says unstable trees, combined with predicted stormier La Nina weather conditions, create the potential for more power outages if they topple across power lines. BC Hydro says conditions heading into the fall mirror those in 20

Health Minister Adrian Dix says BC won't be taking any COVID-19 patients from Alberta as that province grapples with the highest number of cases in the country and braces for the possible collapse of its health-care system in just over a week. Dix says BC has its own pandemic demands but will try to help in other ways and maybe take patients in the future. Alberta has reintroduced restrictions on gatherings and elements of a vaccine passport. There have been massive cancellations of non-urgent surgery across Alberta as staff are reassigned to COVID care.

Environment Canada is forecasting extra wet and windy conditions for British Columbia's south coast today. It says in a weather warning that a robust frontal system will bring heavy rain and gusty winds that should ease tonight. The warning says 50 to 70 millimetres of rainfall is expected from eastern Vancouver Island to the Fraser Valley and up to Whistler, with potentially higher amounts over Howe Sound and the North Shore mountains. It warns heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads and says drivers should turn on their lights if visibility is reduced and maintain