A sixth candidate has entered BC's Liberal leadership contest. Kelowna-Mission MLA Renee Merrifield says she wants to bring her leadership success as an entrepreneur to the Liberals. Merrifield was first elected last fall and is currently the Opposition's health critic. Merrifield joins candidates Val Litwin, Michael Lee, Ellis Ross, Kevin Falcon and Gavin Dew in the February 5th race. Renee Merrifield on Twitter: Happy BC Day! I’m looking forward to meeting you in your corner of this beautiful province!

Cooler temperatures are in the forecast for later this week, but a shifting weather pattern could also bring winds and possible thunderstorms to B-C's wildfire zones. Fire information officer Erika Berg says the numbers of fires in B-C have stayed in the 240-245 range over the past week, which is much different than previous weeks where there was a steady buildup of fires. She says fire crews have been holding their own over the past week, but the weather patterns could bring new challenges. Berg says wildfires have burned more than five thousand five hundred square kilometres since April.

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021.For real-time updates on evacuation alerts and orders, visit: https://twitter.com/EmergencyInfoBCFor the latest wildfire information, visit: www.bcwildfire.caFires:Wildfires burning in B.C.: 245Since April 1, 2021:1,286 wildfires550,936 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 36Coastal: 13Kamloops: 78Northwest: 6Prince George: 50Southeast: 62Resources:Firefighters and other personnel fighting the fires: 3,058Out-of-province firefighters: 3

The RCMP says one man is dead in Coquitlam following a complaint of a disturbance in a home. The RCMP says in a statement Coquitlam officers were called to investigate a disturbance complaint at a residence around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. The statement says when officers arrived at the door of a residential building, a man pushed the door back and ran towards a patio. The police statement says officers entered the home and made their way to the patio but did not see the man. The statement says when officers looked over a railing, the man was spotted below and was later confirmed deceased. The RCMP s

Premier John Horgan has issued a statement in celebration of B.C. Day.Horgan says, "on B.C. Day, we celebrate this beautiful place we call home and reflect on the history of our province."There is much to be proud of and grateful for in British Columbia. We are surrounded by unmatched natural beauty, abundant resources and thriving communities that people from around the world call home."By working together, British Columbians have pulled through one of the most challenging times in our province’s history. We helped fight the COVID-19 pandemic by following public health advice and getting im

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