As of Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, masks must be worn in all indoor public spaces throughout B.C. to help slow the transmission of COVID-19 as B.C. prepares for the fall and respiratory illness season.A new order from the provincial health officer will require people 12 and older to wear masks in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. These settings include:- malls, shopping centres, coffee shops and retail and grocery stores;- liquor and drug stores;- airports, city halls, libraries, community and recreation centres;- restaurants, pubs and bars (unless seated);- on public tran

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Fires:Wildfires burning in B.C.: 246Since April 1, 2021:1,544 wildfires862,722 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 26Coastal: 18Kamloops: 82Northwest: 5Prince George: 53Southeast: 62Resources:Firefighters and other personnel fighting the fires: 3,463Out-of-province firefighters: 556Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 168Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 63 (-1)Evacuation alerts: 117 (+2)Properties:Number of properties on ord

The Mounties have made another eight arrests as they enforce a B.C. Supreme Court injunction against blockades set up to prevent old-growth logging on southern Vancouver Island. In a news release, the RCMP say protesters tried to dig trenches along the Granite Mainline Forest Service Road and parked vehicles to prevent officers from leaving but the shallow pits were refilled and automobiles were towed. They say several other people who did not want to be arrested drove away while two others locked themselves to the ground and efforts to remove them were expected to continue Tuesday. Police sa

Students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 and those attending post-secondary schools in British Columbia will get the COVID-19 lesson plan on health and safety today.Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and the ministers for education and advanced education are expected to lay out the plans at a news conference.Premier John Horgan says he knows parents and students have a lot of questions about the return to school next month as COVID-19 cases rise across the province.There were 16 more COVID-related deaths over a 72-hour period ending Monday along with 1,711 new cases, spurred by the highly

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 1,711 new cases of COVID-19, including three epi-linked cases, for a total of 160,630 cases in the province:Aug. 20-21: 724 new casesAug. 21-22: 545 new casesAug. 22-23: 442 new casesThere are 5,056 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 153,627 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 133 individuals are in hospital and 80 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:419 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 1,194290 new cases in Vancouver Coasta

The Canadian Pacific coast province of British Columbia is bringing in a vaccine card for residents to get access to restaurants, clubs, sporting events and other activities. Premier John Horgan says the card will give people the confidence to attend events and businesses knowing that others are protected around them.Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says starting Sept. 13 a new order will require proof of having had a single dose of a vaccine to access certain social and recreational activities, as well as businesses. After Oct. 24, Henry says entry to the same settings will require

The defacing of a public memorial in Vancouver to those who were aboard a ship that was forced to return to India more than a century ago is being treated by police as a possible hate crime. Police say they began an investigation Sunday after seeing reports that white paint had been splattered on the Komagata Maru memorial on the city's seawall in the Coal Harbour neighbourhood. The Komagata Maru, which arrived in Vancouver's Burrard Inlet on May 23, 1914, carrying 376 people, was denied entry to Canada even though those on board were British subjects. Police say the graffiti, which included

The hockey community, including the NHL and Humboldt Broncos, are offering condolences to the families of three junior players killed in a car crash in Surrey. The NHL says in a social media post that it sends its love to the families of junior hockey players Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson. Emergency crews found the car had hit a tree on Saturday and all three occupants were found dead at the scene. Police and other emergency services personnel were dispatched to the scene of the crash in the Fraser Heights neighbourhood just before 3 am on Saturday. Police say the cause of th

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021.Fires:Wildfires currently burning in B.C.: 246Since April 1, 2021:1,539 wildfires862,992 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 26Coastal: 18Kamloops: 81Northwest: 5Prince George: 53Southeast: 63Resources:Total firefighters and other personnel currently fighting the fires: 3,409Out-of-province firefighters: 514Contractors: 1,141Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 188Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 63 (-1)Evacuation alerts: 117