British Columbia will be moving toward a return to normal life on Canada Day as the province removes most COVID-19 restrictions and allows outdoor gatherings of up to 5,000 people.Premier John Horgan says high vaccination rates and a low number of cases and deaths compared with other jurisdictions including Ontario and Quebec mean the province has achieved "extraordinary results" through its public health response.Horgan says B.C. recorded 29 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, seven of them in the Fraser Health region, which has consistently had among the highest case numbers in the province since

The BC Wildfire Service says a three-and-a-half-square kilometre wildfire is burning out of control northwest of Kamloops. The blaze was spotted yesterday and has prompted an evacuation alert for nine nearby properties in the rural area. Twenty-seven firefighters, two helicopters and eight air tankers are assigned to the fire. A cause remains under investigation but the wildfire service says it is suspected to have been caused by humans. BC Wildfire service on Twitter: The #BCWildfire Service continues suppression efforts on Sparks Lake wildfire (K21001) with 20 personnel remaining on site ov

Burnaby RCMP is urging people to check on loved ones and neighbours as the heatwave bringing record-breaking temperatures continues in Metro Vancouver.In a 24 hour period since Monday, Burnaby RCMP has responded to more than 25 sudden death calls. Although still under investigation, heat is believed to be a contributing factor in the majority of the deaths. Many of the deceased have been seniors."Check on your neighbours, check on family members, check on seniors you may know," said Cpl. Mike Kalanj with Burnaby RCMP."We are seeing this weather can be deadly for vulnerable members of our commu

The leader of the North Shore Rescue team is urging people not to head into the mountains during a heat wave that has shattered temperature records. Mike Danks says anyone hankering to head into the backcountry could be putting themselves and rescuers in danger, and not just because of the heat. He says the soaring temperatures are quickly melting snow, and that could make crossing some areas extremely treacherous. Danks says two people were rescued in separate incidents from North shore mountains last week and that one of them had passed out from heat exhaustion while the other began vomitin

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,