BC Coroners Service reporting released on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, shows at least 160 lives were lost in the province as a result of suspected illicit drug toxicity in May. "More than five years into this public health emergency, we continue to lose our loved ones, friends and neighbours at an almost unimaginable rate," said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, BC Coroners Service. "There is no way to measure the catastrophic impact that the loss of these lives have had on every community in our province. Today, I grieve with all those who have lost someone close to them as a result of this crisis."An

Premier John Horgan is expected to announce the next phase of B-C's COVID-19 re-opening plan today alongside provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry and Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon.The third part of the four-pronged plan is set to start on Thursday, when several restrictions will be lifted as indoor and outdoor dining will be allowed without a cap on numbers and residents can travel elsewhere in Canada.Henry says vaccination rates continue rising, with some exceptions in small communities in the northern and interior health regions where drive-thru and mobile clinics are expected to make i

The RCMP says it's investigating the deaths of three people whose bodies were found near a partially-capsized boat in Seton Lake. Police say a boater found the bodies in the lake west of Lillooet at about 7 a-m yesterday. They say a search of the area was already under way after a beachgoer reported overhearing a power boat pass by followed by a loud bang about five hours earlier. The Mounties say the BC Coroners Service is also investigating to try to determine the cause of the deaths of the two men and one woman.

The British Columbia government says it's providing $12 million to support First Nations with investigative work at former residential school sites. It says the funding will also go towards programs to help community members experiencing trauma after the recent discoveries of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at a former school in Kamloops, and 751 unmarked graves in Saskatchewan.In a news release, the province says the funding will help First Nations identify, investigate, document, maintain, protect or commemorate residential school sites where children's remains may be loc

Over the last three reporting periods, BC had a total of 145 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 147,549 cases in the province. This includes: 57 new cases from June 25 to 26, 50 new cases from June 26 to 27 and 38 new cases in the last 24 hours. There are currently 930 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 107 individuals are currently hospitalized, 37 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. There has been one new health-care outbreak at Surrey Memorial Hospital. There have been five new COVID-19 related deaths,

A new wildfire that flared up this morning just outside Peachland, west of Highway 97, has closed the main route through the south Okanagan until further notice. The BC Wildfire Service says the fire is considered out-of-control and a 10 person crew, backed by Peachland firefighters, is aggressively attacking the flames, which have charred less than a hectare and are not threatening any homes. The blaze comes as Natural Resources Canada forest ecologist Yan Boulanger says a heat wave across much of Western Canada has pushed the wildfire risk to what he calls ``extremely extreme.'' Another wil

On June 25, 2021, shortly after 8:30 p.m., Richmond RCMP responded to a 911 call of shots fired at a residence near Barnard Drive and Westminster Highway. Front line officers arrived and found two deceased persons. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took conduct of the file. Evidence gathered so far indicates that this was an isolated incident and that one of the deceased was a victim of a homicide. This incident is not related to the gang conflict. There is no risk to the public. IHIT is continuing to work with its partners at the Richmond RCMP, Integrated Forensic Identificati

BC Hydro says it expects the new record for peak hourly demand during the summer set over the weekend could be broken today as the heat wave peaks. The Crown utility says demand on Saturday night surpassed the previous record set last August, though it's reassuring customers its system can meet demand. It says peak hourly demand is usually recorded on weekdays when customers follow a more routine schedule, which makes Saturday's record even more unique. It suggests closing drapes and blinds to block out heat and opting for smaller appliances when cooking to save money and keep cool.

The Mounties say they are investigating a suspicious fire at an abandoned church in northwestern British Columbia. New Hazelton RCMP say the fire was reported early Saturday morning on the Gitwangak First Nation and was quickly extinguished with minimal damage and no injuries. Staff Sgt. Darren Durnin says in a statement that police want to know if the blaze could be linked to four recent fires at churches within Indigenous communities in the south Okanagan. A social media post from the Gitwangak Band says the former Anglican Church in that community is no longer used and it is in ``no way af