Vancouver police say the number of catalytic converter thefts have more than doubled in the city since last year and not only are the thefts more frequent, they're also more violent. Constable Tania Visintin says police have received reports of 425 catalytic converter thefts between January and this week, compared with 204 for all of 2020 and she says this year's reports include 14 where the victim was assaulted during the theft, eight more than in 2020. A woman in east Vancouver was pepper sprayed when she confronted a person stealing the catalytic converter from her car earlier this week an

Two of British Columbia's largest employers are implementing mandatory vaccination policies for their workers. TransLink, Metro Vancouver's transportation network, and the Insurance Corporation of B.C. have announced their workers must be fully vaccinated by November. A statement from ICBC says the mandate applies to all its employees and contractors. TransLink says its directive applies to 8,300 workers who are employed by TransLink, Coast Mountain Bus Company, BC Rapid Transit Company and Transit Police. TransLink chief executive Kevin Quinn says in a statement the decision is important as

British Columbia posted the top job creation numbers in Canada last month and the province's jobless rate has fallen below six per cent. Statistics Canada reports B.C. added 12,300 jobs in September, with the unemployment rate dropping to 5.9 per cent. Economic Recovery Minister Ravi Kahlon says the numbers indicate B.C.'s recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic is gaining strength provincewide, with the Prince George, Okanagan and Cariboo areas posting the strongest gains. But he says there is more work to be done as some communities and people have been disproportionately affected by the pand

A Vancouver-based environmental group says more than 200 people including scientists, Indigenous leaders, politicians, actors and artists, have signed a letter calling on British Columbia Premier John Horgan to halt old-growth logging. Canopy says those signing the open letter and sending messages to Horgan range from Union of BC Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip to former NASA scientist James Hansen and actors William Shatner and Dame Judi Dench. Shatner's message says standing beside a giant cedar makes it clear how "small our place in the universe really is," and the premier should

A restaurant in Hope that publicly defied the province's COVID-19 vaccine passport system has lost its business licence for six months. Bylaw officers served the suspension to Rolly's Restaurant yesterday for failure to comply with the BC Vaccine Card regulations. Hope's Chief Administrative Officer John Fortoloczky warns that if the restaurant continues to operate it could face a 100 dollar fine every day it remains open.

Vancouver Police are investigating a disturbing attack on a woman, who was sexually propositioned by a stranger, then kicked to the ground, Tuesday afternoon in East Vancouver."The violent and sexual nature of this incident has us very concerned for public safety," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "We’re telling the public about this case, because we’re worried someone else could get hurt."The victim, a 22-year-old South Vancouver resident, was waiting at a bus stop near Knight Street and East 57 Avenue on October 5, when she was approached by a stranger in a red puffy jacket with a fur-lined

Homicide detectives say a deadly shooting in Surrey, B.C. on Tuesday was targeted and gang-related.A statement from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 28-year-old Sharnbeer Singh Somal of Surrey was in the driveway of a home when he was attacked on Tuesday.Somal, who is known to police, died at the scene.A burning pickup truck was found not far from the shooting and investigators believe it was likely torched by those involved in Somal's death.No arrests have been made and homicide team spokesman Sgt. David Lee says a search continues for witnesses, surveillance or dashcam video.H

B.C. is reporting 624 new cases of COVID-19, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 191,748 cases in the province.There are 5,929 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 183,406 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 373 individuals are in hospital and 132 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, four new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,996.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: oneVancouver Coastal Health: twoIsland Health: one From Sept. 29-Oct. 5, people not fully vac

Premier John Horgan says vaccine mandates for workers in British Columbia's schools are a last resort and elected board trustees know what's needed for their communities rather than the province enforcing such decisions. Parent groups and the BC Teachers' Federation have called for all school districts to introduce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the absence of a provincewide order, while the New Westminster board of education has asked for a legal opinion on making the shots mandatory. Horgan says he understands the anxiety parents have to protect their children and to make sure that governmen