The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control says new preliminary data shows that a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine reduces the risk of the virus by 80 per cent within two to three weeks of receiving the shot. The agency says in a statement that research led by Dr. Danuta Skowronski, the head of its influenza and emerging respiratory pathogens team, came to the conclusion after analyzing COVID-19 cases in long-term care homes. Researchers studied cases between December 2020 and February 2021, seeing a drop in cases starting at about 14 days after vaccination as well as a reduction in hos

Alberta authorities have arrested a 37 year old man from British Columbia for allegedly creating and uploading child pornography involving his daughter to the internet. The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams, which focus on organized crime, say in a news release that their Internet Child Exploitation Unit in Calgary received a tip about the man who was in Fort St. John, B.C. It says investigators identified the suspect allegedly uploading child sexual abuse materials online, and further investigation revealed the photos were of the suspect's young daughter. The unit says the suspect had b

US residents who live in Point Roberts, Washington, won't need COVID-19 tests if they are travelling through Canada for essential services. Travel between the seaside enclave and the rest of Washington state requires a 40-kilometre trip through British Columbia. Washington State Governor Jay Inslee says that habitual residents of Point Roberts will not have to take a COVID-19 test in either the United States or Canada. The Canada-US border has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020. Anyone entering Canada for non-essential travel purposes needs to show negative COVID-19 tests at

Just days after former British Columbia Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson delivered his official letter of resignation, the first candidate has come forward to replace him. The two-term Liberal member for the riding of Skeena, Ellis Ross, confirms he will seek the party's leadership. Ross, a former chief councillor of the Haisla Nation, became the first Liberal to win the Skeena riding in 16 years when he was elected to the Legislature in 2017. He briefly held the post of minister for natural gas development and minister responsible for housing before Christy Clark's Liberal government was repl

Health officials in British Columbia are reminding residents to follow public health orders and restrictions after a significant rise in cases from earlier this week. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say 617 new cases have been recorded, for a total of 75,327 infections. B.C. had 348 cases between Sunday and Monday, and the average has been under 500 daily infections in the last month. Dr. Henry and Dix say in a joint statement that much of the uptick in cases has been in the Lower Mainland and the northern region. They also reported four more deaths,

Surrey RCMP is informing the public of a recent incident involving multiple overdoses at the same location where people were found overdosing on drugs. A woman was located deceased at a second location, also suspected of overdosing on drugs. At approximately 2:08 a.m. on February 18, 2021, police attended a residence near 106 Avenue and 140 Street after receiving notification from the BC Ambulance Service of a drug overdose. Despite the life-saving efforts of paramedics, the 46-year-old woman died. A very short time later, at 2:32 a.m., police were called to assist the BC Ambulance Service at

The Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team (SGET) arrested a man who is known to police after a collision and foot pursuit, in Guildford. Shortly after 7:00 p.m. on February 17, 2021, an SGET officer conducting a pro-active patrol attempted to stop a vehicle near 168 Street and 88 Avenue. The vehicle, a Mercedes C230, failed to stop for police and drove away erratically, running a red light. The officer did not pursue the vehicle and pulled over roadside. The Mercedes then collided with another motorist. The driver of the Mercedes subsequently ran from the vehicle and into a nearby-forested area. T

Whale researchers are celebrating the birth of a new baby orca to the endangered southern resident killer whales. In a rare event, members of the J pod, K pod and L pod were all in the waters of the Haro Strait yesterday to meet the new calf. Ken Balcolm of the Center for Whale Research says it's important to temper expectations until the calf ages. He added that it is the fourth calf born to L-86 and two siblings didn't survive to adulthood. But he says it's unusual and exciting for all three pods to gather, especially in winter when they aren't usually found in the area.

Northern Health says it has identified new cases linked to an outbreak at the Brucejack Mine near Stewart, BC. The health authority says the new cases bring the total associated with the mine to 42, a dozen of which are active and self-isolating. There are about 485 employees working at the project site and anyone identified as cases or close contacts have been instructed to self-isolate either on-site or in their home communities, Northern Health said.Further south, Fraser Health announced an outbreak at the Mission Memorial Hospital. Three patients at the hospital tested positive. As a resu