Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is one of 16 people appointed to receive the province's highest honour, the Order of British Columbia. Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin says in a statement she is delighted to welcome the 16 ``exceptional'' people to the Order of B.C., which is the province's highest form of recognition. She says joining Henry, who has played a leading role in B.C.'s ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response, are Indigenous leaders, philanthropists, artists and business and community trailblazers. Among those joining Henry as appointees are: Chief Joe Alphonse of the Tsilhqot'in Natio

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation will be temporarily closing all non-essential access to Stanley Park between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am beginning tonight. The closure is being activated in an effort to reduce the fire risk to the park, which is extreme due to the current drought conditions and sustained heat events. Park Rangers will set up temporary overnight access control points at five locations across the park to reduce the number of individuals in the park overnight. Vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians and anyone who does not require access to the park will be turned around at a

Premier John Horgan wants British Columbians to mark BC Day with a 7 pm salute to front-line workers. He posted a message on Twitter urging everyone to bang pots and make noise. Horgan says it will support and thank the workers who have kept us safe during the pandemic and throughout the ongoing wildfire season. BC residents enthusiastically took part in what became known as the 7 o'clock cheer, shouting and banging pots from balconies and yards nightly at the start of the pandemic when physical distancing rules made large gatherings impossible. Premier Horgan on Twitter: On BC Day at 7PM, gr

B.C. is reporting 243 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 149,889 cases in the province.There are 1,231 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 146,876 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 47 individuals are in hospital and 16 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the last 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,771. Since December 2020, the Province has administered 6,774,257 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. As o

The director of fire centre operations for the BC wildfire service says this week's heat is expected to contribute to ``severe burning conditions'' in BC's southern half. Rob Schweitzer's crews will be watching out for lighting this weekend, though next week could bring a measure of relief with cooler temperatures and some rain. There were 62 evacuation orders covering more than 3,400 properties at the province's latest count, with close to 17,700 more on alert. In response to the fires, Interior Health says two mobile alternative care sites being set up in the Okanagan ``out of an abundance

B.C. is reporting 204 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 149,648 cases in the province.There are 1,055 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 146,810 people who tested positive have recovered.Note that the numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.Of the active cases, 51 individuals are in hospital and 20 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the last 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,771.Since December 2020, the Province has adm

On July 24, 2021, at approximately 4:20 a.m., New Westminster Police Department (NWPD) responded to a call of an un-responsive infant in the 1300 block of 5th Avenue in New Westminster. NWPD completed an assessment and determined suspicious circumstances around the death. IHIT was called in to investigate. IHIT investigators are working closely with our partners at the New Westminster Police Department, BC Coroners Service, and the NWPD Forensic Identification Section. Homicide detectives are speaking with the family and friends to ascertain the specifics around what happened. Local support se

This Friday, TransLink is teaming up with Fraser Health and BC Ferries to bring the Mobile Vaccine Bus to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal ahead of the B.C. Day long-weekend. Ferry passengers eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine can hop on the Mobile Vaccine Bus to receive their first or second dose before getting on the ferry to continue their journey. Two brightly coloured and air-conditioned transit buses will be stationed at the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal to provide same-day COVID-19 immunizations to eligible people in a cool and comfortable location. Passengers ages 12 and over are welcome, inclu

Surrey RCMP Robbery Unit is requesting the public’s assistance with identifying a robbery suspect.On July 19, 2021, just prior to 6:00pm, Surrey RCMP responded to the report of a bank robbery in the 17700 block of 64th Avenue, Surrey.The lone suspect is described as a Caucasian man, 30-40 years old, wearing a blue bandanna, sunglasses, surgical mask, and blue shirt on top of a dark blue long sleeve (photo of suspect attached).Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477