British Columbia has recorded its highest-ever monthly number of suspected overdose deaths from toxic illicit drugs. A statement from the coroners' service says there were 201 fatalities in October from illicit drug toxicity, an average of about 6.5 people per day.It says the 1,782 overdose deaths recorded between January and October are already the highest ever recorded in a calendar year in B.C. Almost 80 per cent of those who died were male, and about 71 per cent of the fatalities were people between 30 and 59 years of age.The service says the powerful opioid fentanyl has been linked to 84

Hundreds more flood evacuees are returning home to the devastated agricultural zone of Abbotsford, B-C, as people in the area continue cleaning up from last month's catastrophic flooding. Mayor Henry Braun says rapid damage assessments have been completed for houses, barns and garages in the southern Sumas Prairie, allowing officials to lift an evacuation order for 400 properties. About 200 homes still remain under evacuation order. Officials say people living in the Lake Bottom area of Sumas Prairie _ the last remaining area with floodwaters _ could be able to return home in the coming days.

B.C. is reporting 379 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 221,235 cases in the province.There are 2,874 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 215,884 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 224 individuals are currently in hospital and 77 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, six new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,369.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: twoNorthern Health: oneIsland Health: threeThere have been no new health-care facility outbreaks, for a total of five

Police in Abbotsford are asking for the public's help in identifying a white SUV that was involved in a series of break-ins in a subdivision. They say three suspects smashed the windows of parked vehicles in order to use the owners' garage door openers to get inside garages in the Eagle Mountain-area yesterday. Police say property was stolen in four burglaries. They're reminding residents to remove garage door openers from vehicles that are parked on the street overnight. Abbotsford Police on Twitter: Four Break & Enters in Thirty-Five Minutes On Dec7th, 2021, between 3:10 am and 3:45 am,

Mounties in Surrey say 19 people have been arrested as police targeted thefts at malls. They say the arrests took place over two days and suspects ranged in age from 14 to 57 years old, with stolen items including cosmetics, electronics, tools and liquor. Police say the arrests led to 10 charges for theft under five-thousand dollars. They say six of those arrested at the Guildford Town Centre and Central City Shopping Centre had outstanding arrest warrants for other crimes. Surrey RCMP on Twitter: Surrey RCMP Community Response Unit arrested 19 people during two days of proactively targeting

Homicide investigators say death of a person whose body was found in a burned vehicle in Abbotsford last weekend is no longer considered suspicious. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says in a statement that Abbotsford police officers had believed the death was suspicious after finding human remains inside a vehicle that had been on fire. The Mounties say that's no longer the case after an autopsy was conducted.

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says next year's budget will include significant funding for climate action and public safety. The mayor says Budget 2022 includes nine-million dollars for a new annual climate fund for electric vehicle chargers, transit infrastructure and building retrofits. He says the leading driver of budget growth is once again spending on police and firefighters -- which represents nearly half of the budget's property tax increase. Stewart says the budget includes a request for the city's new auditor general to review cost pressures on the police department.

The Transportation Ministry is warning drivers to expect slow traffic with reduced speed limits on Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley. The major artery fully reopened yesterday between Abbotsford and Hope, restoring an essential link in the provincial supply chain after severe flooding. While it is not officially subject to a travel order, the government is asking people to avoid non-essential travel on the highway to ease the movement of goods and services. As massive repair and recovery work begins across the province, WorkSafeBC is warning employers and employees to be aware of hazards at

B.C. is reporting 326 new cases of COVID-19, including nine new epi-linked cases, for a total of 220,856 cases in the province.There are 2,814 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 215,577 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 242 individuals are in hospital and 82 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the last 24 hours, one new death (Northern Health) has been reported, for an overall total of 2,363.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks, for a total of five facilities with ongoing outbreaks. Fr