British Columbia's provincial health officer is encouraging anyone who is offered a different COVID-19 vaccine than the one they first received to take it. Dr. Bonnie Henry says fluctuating vaccine supply means if you received Pfizer-BioNTech, you may be offered Moderna for your second shot, or vice versa, and she says health officials are confident both vaccines are safe, effective and interchangeable. Dr. Henry made the comment as she announced a sustained drop in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and clusters. She says 56 new infections were confirmed Tuesday and there were no new death

A British Columbia official whose job it is to tackle racism is condemning threats of violence that led to the postponement of an anti-racism rally on Vancouver Island over the weekend. Rachna Singh, parliamentary secretary for anti-racism initiatives, says a partner with the province's anti-racism network in Nanaimo and Ladysmith decided to cancel the car rally after organizers received threats of physical violence. She says the threats came ``from individuals'' whose behaviour will not be tolerated. Singh says in a statement the incident is further proof of why it's so important to oppose r

A 26 year old man is facing several charges after police say a stolen vehicle rammed two police cruisers in Abbotsford, injuring one officer. Police say the van rammed a police vehicle to get away from officers responding to a theft on Saturday night and then rammed another cruiser nearby before it came to a stop after fleeing into Langley. An officer injured while outside the second police vehicle was taken to hospital for treatment and released. Jordan Buskink has been charged with offences including two counts of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, possession of stolen property and

BC Hydro says it is more than able to deliver electricity to its customers in BC, no matter how hot it gets in the coming days. Environment Canada is predicting unseasonable heat by this weekend for most of the province. Hydro says, unlike the blackouts and other difficulties seen in the US during a heat wave currently underway there, the Crown utility is ready to handle all demands on its resources. It says it has even been selling surplus power to energy-strapped US states and funds from those sales will be used to keep electricity rates affordable in BC. BC Hydro on Twitter: It’s going t

Nine patients at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Metro Vancouver have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting Fraser Health to declare an outbreak at the Port Moody facility. A statement from the health authority says all the patients are on a single unit. The unit has been temporarily closed. Contact tracing and enhanced cleaning is underway to limit further spread of the virus. Fraser Health says the emergency department at Eagle Ridge remains open and all other areas of the hospital are operating as normal.

The former chief executive officer at British Columbia's Chamber of Commerce is entering the B.C. Liberal leadership race.Val Litwin says he wants to breathe new life into the Liberals with policies that support economic growth and opportunity for everybody.The 43-year-old is the fifth candidate to enter the leadership contest, which includes former cabinet minister Kevin Falcon, legislature members Ellis Ross and Michael Lee, and entrepreneur Gavin Dew.The Liberals are set to elect a new leader on Feb. 5, replacing interim leader Shirley Bond.She replaced Andrew Wilkinson who resigned after

British Columbia is reporting a one-day total of COVID-19 cases not seen since last August, but health officials are encouraging more people to get vaccinated as the virus continues to circulate in the province and neighbouring jurisdictions. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say 45 cases were recorded on Monday, part of the 229 cases B.C. has had over the last three days. Three more people have died of COVID-19, for a total of 1,743 deaths in the province, which currently has 1,204 active cases of the virus. Dr. Henry and Dix say in a joint news releas

The RCMP says 17 vehicles have been in Campbell River. Police say the vehicles were marked with blue-grey forestry marking paint early yesterday. The Mounties say there have been a series of what they describe as ``pointless acts of vandalism'' in central and southern parts of the city in recent weeks. They say suspects responsible for broken fences, windows and some tail lights range in age from the young teens to the early 20's but it's too early to provide an age range for the most recent case of vandalism. Campbell River RCMP on Twitter: Campbell River RCMP investigating numerous mischief

A Catholic Church on the Penticton Indian Band and a Catholic Church on the Osoyoos Indian Band have been destroyed in overnight fires. On June 21, 2021 at 1:22 a.m., a Penticton RCMP officer was on patrol when he observed fire coming from the Sacred Heart Church on Green Mountain Road. By the time the officer arrived on scene the church was fully engulfed. At 3:10 a.m., Oliver RCMP were notified St. Gregory’s Church on Nk’mip Road was burning. Both churches burned to the ground and police are treating the fires as suspicious. Investigators have and continue to liaise with both the Pentic