School begins for British Columbia students Monday, with the province's top doctor laying out plans for keeping children safe as COVID-19 infections surge. Dr. Bonnie Henry says it is essential to keep schools open for the emotional, physical and intellectual well-being of children. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says safety measures include virtual assemblies, visitor restrictions, staggered break times and access to three-layered masks as they navigate this wave of COVID-19. Whiteside says school attendance will be monitored and an unusual dip will trigger a response from public heal

A shoplifter charged with robbery and released on conditions earlier this week has been re-arrested by Vancouver Police after he threatened another man with a knife.Early yesterday morning, the 23-year-old man was asked to leave private property near Burrard and Helmcken streets by a security guard. The suspect presented a knife to the security guard and threatened to stab him. Within minutes, officers arrived and arrested the suspect.Cody Echlin has been charged with breaching his release order. He has been released pending his next court date.Echlin was charged with robbery on January 3 afte

RCMP in Burnaby say more than 150 vehicles were pulled over yesterday for snow-related visibility problems. Police say some vehicles only had small portions of their windows cleared, leaving minimal visibility for the driver. Other vehicles had snow on top that had not been cleared, creating a moving hazard on the road. Police say 16 written warnings and 11 violation tickets were handed out. Burnaby RCMP on Twitter: Clear your vehicle: More than 150 vehicles pulled over for snow-related visibility issuesRead more: http://bit.ly/336Yd6w

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