A large outdoor party at the University of Victoria has raised concerns about the lack of COVID-19 restrictions as students head back to school. Saanich police say about a thousand students, most of them without masks, crowded together for a party Sunday night. Police say there aren't any restrictions on outdoor gatherings, wearing masks or physical distancing and officers issued only two tickets for underage drinking. The university is asking students to act responsibly and not gather in large numbers. University of Victoria on Twitter: We are strongly urging our students to act responsibly

Premier John Horgan is set to release details of British Columbia's incoming COVID-19 vaccine card system, which is to roll out next week.Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry are expected to provide the details at a news conference later today.The province had confirmed that a vaccine card system would begin Sept. 13, requiring proof of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in order to enter restaurants, movies, ticketed sporting events and many other non-essential venues.As of Oct. 24, those aged 12 and up will need to be fully vaccinated to acces

B.C. is reporting 671 new cases of COVID-19, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 168,325 cases in the province.There are 5,872 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 160,268 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 215 individuals are in hospital and 118 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:230 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 1,68978 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 1,077230 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases: 1,96589 new cases

A Victoria police officer has been released from hospital with a head wound and a concussion after he was attacked by an unknown man in a park last night. He radioed for help and officers from Victoria, Saanich, the West Shore RCMP and military police from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt flooded the area. They found the injured officer on the ground, but the suspect wasn't located. Police say no arrests have been made. Victoria police on Twitter: One of our Patrol officers was sent to hospital last night after a violent attack in Banfield Park. The incident occurred at approx 11:30 pm when the

Metro Vancouver Transit Police are warning riders who fail to mask up that they could be fined 115 dollars. Police say TransLink has reinstated its own mask rule, which authorizes officers to issue the tickets under the Greater Vancouver Transit Safety Regulation. Transit police say they're awaiting further guidance from the province about what enforcement mechanisms they'll have. BC reintroduced a provincewide mask mandate on August 25th, amid rising cases driven by the now dominant and highly-contagious Delta variant.

The Surrey RCMP is asking for the public’s help in finding 40-year-old Robinder Sidhu, who has been missing since late August. Sidhu was last seen around 10:00 a.m. on August 25 in the 7000-block of 130 Street. He is described as South Asian, 6’3” and 215 pounds, with a muscular build, short black and gray hair, brown eyes, scruffy facial hair, and a tattoo on his back. He was last seen wearing a yellow-green striped t-shirt and blue jeans. Family members told Connect News Team they are deeply worried. “Robinder is very close to us and it is not like him to disappear. We just want him

Vancouver Police arrested two people yesterday evening after they blocked an intersection during a protest.Approximately 75 people marched from City Hall to the intersection of West Broadway and Cambie Street just before 5 p.m. on September 2. There, they staged a "die-in" – laying on the pavement causing major traffic disruptions for several hours."Officers asked the group to leave several times and verbal arrest warnings were given," says Constable Tania Visintin, VPD. "Most of the group dispersed, but two people refused."At around 7 p.m., one man was arrested for mischief and one woman wa

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Fires:Wildfires burning in B.C.: 215Since April 1, 2021:1,564 wildfires865,307 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 24Coastal: 17Kamloops: 62Northwest: 6Prince George: 49Southeast: 57Resources:Firefighters and other personnel fighting the fires: 2,522Out-of-province firefighters: 434Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 63Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 12 (-5) Evacuation alerts: 45 (-4) Properties:Number of properties on o

B.C. is reporting 801 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 167,654 cases in the province.Note: The numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.There are 5,931 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 159,560 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 199 individuals are in hospital and 116 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, six new deaths (Interior Health) have been reported, for an overall total of 1,824.From Aug. 25-31, people