One man is deceased after a fatal apartment fire in James Bay this morning.At approximately 8:30 a.m. this morning Patrol officers were called to a multi-unit residential building in the 100-block of Menzies Street where the Victoria Fire Department was on scene attacking a fire. One person has died as a result of the incident.Detectives with VicPD’s Major Crime Unit and officers with VicPD’s Forensic Identification Services attended the scene to continue the investigation. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. However, this incident is not being investigated as a criminal act

In addition, 90.0% (3,893,775) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose and 85.0% (3,676,200) have received their second dose.Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 1,618 new cases of COVID-19, including 21 epi-linked cases, for a total of 202,516 cases in the province:Oct. 22-23: 613 new casesOct. 23-24: 529 new casesOct. 24-25: 476 new casesThere are 4,966 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 195,055 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 366 individuals are in hospital and 149 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recoveri

Vancouver Police have released surveillance video of a man they believe was kidnapped while walking on a quiet west-side street last month, and hope someone has information that can help solve the troubling case."We believe Jeffrey Lee was abducted by force and taken to an unknown location," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "We don’t know exactly why he was kidnapped, but we know there are people out there who have information, and we’re asking them to come forward now."Lee, 33, was last seen by his girlfriend around 10 p.m. on September 23, as he left her downtown apartment to go gambling in

The RCMP say second-degree murder charges have been laid against a man for the deaths of two people in the Vancouver Island community of Crofton. They say 33 year old Justin Dodd was arrested early Saturday morning without incident. Officers from the nearby city of Duncan responded just after midnight on Saturday to a report of suspicious circumstances at a house in Crofton. The Mounties say when they arrived they found two people dead in the home. Dodd, who is a Duncan resident, is expected to appear in court to face the charges on Nov. 2. The names of the victims are not being released.

New Westminster police have identified the man killed in a stabbing late Friday. They say 23 year old Lionel Lawrence was killed in an altercation on a city street. Police say Lawrence is known to them and his death may be linked to the Lower Mainland gang conflict. The service says in a news release that it's believed two suspects were involved, and they'd like to speak to a key person who was at the scene and likely has valuable information.

The BC Federation of Labour is sponsoring rallies in Victoria and at two locations in Metro Vancouver today as it urges workers to speak out in support of legislation providing 10 days of paid sick leave to BC employees. Today marks the final day of consultation over whether the province should require employers to provide three, five or 10 days of paid sick leave annually. The federation supports 10 paid sick days, saying that is the best way to ensure workers stay home when they are ill and don't share infections on the job. The rallies take place at 4 pm in Burnaby and Surrey, while suppor

The union representing workers at LifeLabs says a tentative agreement has been reached to avert a strike by nearly 1,600 members. The BC General Employees' Union says it expects to present members with details today before they vote on whether to accept the deal. It says a ban on overtime and work-to-rule job action began on Saturday and was expected to continue until November 1st but will be discontinued until the vote is held. Workers voted 98 per cent to strike in July and over 200 of them rallied outside a lab on Saturday before the union and the company met at the bargaining table that e

Capacity limits have been lifted in BC as of today for organized events like sports games and movie theatres as well as gatherings like weddings. But 50 per cent capacity limits will remain at venues and gatherings in some areas of the province where vaccination rates remain low, including parts of the Fraser, Interior and Northern regions. Masks must still be worn and anyone attending an event will be required to show their BC Vaccine card, at least until January. Meanwhile, all health-care workers in the province will have to be fully vaccinated by tomorrow as a condition of their employmen

Anyone hoping to board a BC ferry this morning will be out of luck thanks to a forecast calling for high winds. BC Ferries has cancelled nearly two dozen sailings, starting at 5:15 a.m. in Tsawwassen and Duke Point, and customers who made an advance booking will get a full refund. It says service will resume as soon as it's safe to do so. Environment Canada has forecast gusts as high as 100 kilometres an hour for parts of Vancouver Island. BC Ferries on Twitter: Sailings across multiple routes have been cancelled due to strong winds. Impacted customers will be advised of cancellations & r