The Island Health authority has issued an alert about an increase in overdoses in Greater Victoria. It says there's a higher risk in both inhaling or injecting opioids or stimulants. It recommends anyone using illicit drugs to avoid using alone, to try a small amount of the drug first. The authority says users should also download the Lifeguard App, and carry and use the overdose reversing drug naloxone. Island Health on Twitter: Please Share: An Overdose/Drug Poisoning Advisory has been issued for the Greater Victoria Region. Resources for safer use are available: http://ow.ly/SJJL50H0kh6

In August 2021, the Surrey Policing Transition Trilateral Committee (SPTTC) approved an initial deployment of the first group of 50 Surrey Police Service (SPS) officers by November 30, 2021 (see news release). The deployment of this first group of officers into the Surrey RCMP will be staggered to allow for a seamless and safe integration.As the policing transition begins, an RCMP officer or SPS officer - or both - may show up when you call for police service in Surrey. However, during the initial phases of the policing transition, Surrey RCMP will continue to be the police force of jurisdicti

B.C. is reporting 519 new cases of COVID-19, including eight epi-linked cases, for a total of 223,661 cases in the province.There are 3,171 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 218,001 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 191 individuals are in hospital and 81 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,386.There have been 44 cases of the Omicron variant of concern identified in B.C.:Fraser Health: 24Vancouver Coastal Health: 11Interior

British Columbia has detected 44 cases of the fast-spreading COVID-19 variant Omicron, with more than half of the cases identified in the Fraser Health region. The cases are included in new infection modelling released today that also shows overall COVID-19 cases rising on Vancouver Island, driven by outbreaks at the University of Victoria and a religious gathering in the northern part of the island. Data from November and December across B.C. show that unvaccinated people are seven times more likely than those with two doses of a vaccine to contract COVID-19. The unvaccinated are also 30 tim

Today marks one year since the first COVID-19 vaccine arrived in BC. Premier John Horgan says since then the province began the largest immunization program in its history and most people have stepped up and done their part. The government reports 91.5 per cent of eligible people 12 and older have received their first dose, 88.5 per cent have received their second shot and more than 5,89,000 people have received a booster dose. The BC Centre for Disease Control says residents who have not been vaccinated are 56 times more likely to end up in critical care due to COVID-19 than people who have

Fraser Health has opened a new overdose prevention site at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock. The health authority says the site will provide people with a safe environment monitored by trained medical staff to consume their own substances. It says it will also provide people with overdose prevention education, take-home naloxone training and facilitate referrals to health and substance use services. It is the first overdose prevention site in White Rock and the sixth in Fraser Health.

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 1,129 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 223,142 cases in the province:Dec. 10-11: 415 new casesDec. 11-12: 365 new casesDec. 12-13: 349 new casesNote: The numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.There are currently 2,949 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 217,705 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 185 individuals are currently in hospital and 72 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the

Vancouver Police took seven limos and party buses off the road, and recommended thousands of dollars in fines during a weekend safety blitz."We always encourage people to plan a ride home when they go out to celebrate, and we trust that people operating limos and party buses will do everything they can to keep people safe," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "Sadly, many of the vehicles inspected were in appalling shape or were being driven in a dangerous way."Officers from VPD’s Traffic Section examined eight vehicles – three party buses and five limousines – on Friday and Saturday night. All

Burnaby RCMP is warning the public that one of its detachment phone numbers was recently spoofed and used in a telephone scam.Spoofing is when a caller identification (caller ID) or call display are manipulated to show trusted phone numbers.On November 29, 2021, Burnaby RCMP received a report that a victim transferred $6,000 to a scammer through Bitcoin because the call appeared to come from a Burnaby RCMP detachment phone number.The victim initially received a call from a scammer, who advised that they owed money and if they did not pay, they would receive a call from the RCMP. The victim ini