BC Premier John Horgan is expressing his gratitude to health-care workers after protests outside some hospitals in the province. The provincial government will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 later this month from residents participating in non-essential activities, such as visiting restaurants, gyms and movie theatres. Demonstrations against the government's approach on COVID-19 outside hospitals prompted Horgan to issue a statement in support of health-care workers, calling them ``the true heroes'' throughout the pandemic. Kathy MacNeil, president and CEO of the Island Health

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021.Fires:Wildfires currently burning in B.C.: 216Since April 1, 2021:1,562 wildfires865,299 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 24Coastal: 18Kamloops: 64Northwest: 5Prince George: 49Southeast: 56Resources:Firefighters and other personnel currently fighting the fires: 2,940Out-of-province firefighters: 455Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 119Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 17 (-1) Evacuation alerts: 49 (-19) Properties:Num

B.C. is reporting 785 new cases of COVID-19, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 166,853 cases in the province.There are currently 5,873 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 158,900 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 199 individuals are in hospital and 112 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.Note: Intensive care numbers are a subset of the total in hospital. They are not in addition to the number of people in hospital.The new/active cases include:246 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases:

Public transit is now free for all children 12 and under in B.C., saving families money, increasing access to affordable transportation options and encouraging more people to use public transit.The free transit for children 12 and under program was officially launched at the Pacific National Exhibition fairgrounds in Vancouver on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021."I’m thrilled to be here to celebrate the start of free transit for children 12 and under," said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. "This is a landmark achievement for free public transit in this province and an impo

On Monday, August 30, at approximately 1:40 p.m., an unknown man approached a 25-year-old woman and wrestled her to the ground in the area of Edmonds Street and Canada Way. It’s believed the victim may have been followed for a short distance.The victim, who did not sustain any serious injuries, does not know the suspect.The suspect is described as: Tanned skin 5’816-22 years oldBlack wavy hairWearing:Black hoodieLight coloured jeans Black running shoesIn the early hours of Wednesday morning (September 1) in the Edmonds area, a similar report was received in Burnaby. The victim was not inju

To better serve our commercial customers, BC Ferries is piloting late-night commercial sailings on the Tsawwassen – Duke Point route from Sept. 7 to Oct. 7, 2021.The sailings, provided by the Queen of New Westminster, will depart Tsawwassen at 9:15 pm and depart Duke Point at 12:15 am Monday through Thursday evenings.The additional sailings are expected to help to address the increased demand for commercial goods that has been driven by the growth of e-commerce, groceries, and general freight. The pilot will determine customer reaction and gain valuable feedback.A limited number of passenger

Surrey RCMP is informing the public of an on-going sexual assault investigation, and is asking any additional witnesses to come forward.This investigation began in March 2021, when Surrey RCMP received a report alleging that a woman was sexually assaulted while receiving a massage at Shri Professional Massage, located at 1105-7360 137 Street. On June 22, 2021. 56-year-old Shri Rampol of Surrey was arrested on a warrant for sexual assault. The BC prosecution Service approved a charge of sexual assault and he was released from custody by the court with conditions including not to perform any mas

A nighttime closure of Vancouver's Stanley Park has been extended in an effort to reduce conflict between park users and coyotes. The Vancouver Parks Board says the temporary closure of all non-essential access between 7 pm and 7 am was extended last night. The closure was originally implemented to mitigate fire risk and the park board says rangers will staff access control points. The BC Conservation Officer Service says two coyote attacks were recorded on Friday and another on Monday.

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. Fires:Wildfires currently burning in B.C.: 223Since April 1, 2021:1,563 wildfires865,299 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 24Coastal: 19Kamloops: 70Northwest: 5Prince George: 48Southeast: 57Resources:Firefighters and other personnel currently fighting the fires: 3,015Out-of-province firefighters: 582Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 110Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 18 (-3) Evacuation alerts: 68 (-9) Properties:Numbe