BC is reporting 564 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths. A total of 1,376 people have now died in the province due to the pandemic. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is also reporting 46 new cases of COVID variants of concern, raising the total to 246. The bulk of the cases, 218 are the variant first seen in the UK and the remaining 28 cases are the South Africa variant. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says BC will deploy the newly-approved AstraZeneca vaccine to first responders and other essential workers. Dr. Henry says doing so will move up the vaccination

Chilliwack RCMP and BC Coroners Service investigating found bodyCriminality is not suspected in the death of a man in his early 20s that was discovered in Chilliwack on Thursday morning.At approximately 0845 am on Thursday, March 4th, Chilliwack RCMP were called to the area of the Hope River bridge on Menzies Street after receiving a report of a found body. The area was cordoned off while police investigators and the BC Coroners Service conducted their preliminary investigation. The death is not being considered suspicious.No criminality is suspected in this death. BC Coroners Service is condu

On March 2nd at approximately 1:00 pm New Westminster Police Department officers responded to a report of a serious assault inside a residence on Princess Street. The victim was transported to hospital, where she remains in critical condition. A nearby school was temporarily sheltering in place as a precaution while NWPD officers secured the scene. That same afternoon, and with the assistance of the Vancouver Police Department, a suspect was safely taken into custody. It is believed the suspect and the victim are known to each other. At this time, Andywele Mullings a 42 year old New Westminste

The mayor of the small BC village of Pouce Coupe says she won't resign as Indigenous leaders claim her "shocking and unacceptable behavior" makes it impossible for them to work with her in her mayoral role moving forward. Lorraine Michetti has been criticized for social media posts that critics deemed racist and anti-Semitic. Members of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association, which represents six First Nations in northeastern BC, issued a letter denouncing Michetti's actions and comments and demanding her immediate resignation earlier this week. Michetti says she won't resign as she has other projec

B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health, Adrian Dix have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia. 542 new cases, have been reported for a total of 81,909 cases in B.C. There are 4,654 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. 246 individuals are currently hospitalized, 64 of whom are in intensive care. There have been 18 new confirmed COVID-19 cases that are variants of concern in our province, for a total of 200 cases. This includes 176 cases of the U.K. variant and 24 cases of the South Africa variant. 289,80

A driver has been killed and her passenger was badly hurt in a head-on crash in North Vancouver. RCMP say the collision occurred late Tuesday night on Low Level Road. Police say a vehicle with a lone male inside crossed the centre line, hitting the vehicle with the woman and her passenger. By the time emergency services arrived, the man's vehicle was on fire, although he had been removed before the fire sparked. All three were taken to hospital, where police say the female driver was declared dead, her passenger remains in critical condition and the male has serious injuries. Police say alcoh

The Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit is investigating a shooting in Newton after officers responded to reports of gunfire Tuesday night in the 8800-block of 140B Street. Police say shots were fired from a dark-coloured vehicle at an individual who fled in another vehicle before officers arrived around 10:30 p.m. Investigators believe the shooting was targeted and have identified the intended victim, who is known to police. No injuries were reported. Neighbours told Connect News Team the gunfire has left them uneasy about safety in their community. Harbhajan Singh, who has lived on the s

The BC government says it has issued 1,366 violation tickets under its ongoing state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes 199 tickets worth 2,300 dollars each to owners or organizers breaking restrictions on gathering events, adding up to nearly 460,000 dollars in total. The Ministry of Public Safety says in a statement that a further 1,099 tickets worth 230 dollars each have been issued to individuals who refused to comply with law enforcement. 101 tickets totalling nearly 330,000 dollars have been issued to people breaking federal quarantine rules. Since the start of the

BC's top doctor says the decision to delay second doses of COVID-19 vaccine by four months is based on scientific evidence and real-world data. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the data show protection from a single dose is upwards of 90 per cent and lasts for several months. She says delaying second doses will reduce mortality and severe illness for those most at risk while maximizing the benefit of vaccines for everyone. Dr. Henry adds that the approval of Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine, which can be kept in the fridge, means it's possible everyone in BC could receive their fir