British Columbia's top doctor says there is no wrong choice for a second COVID-19 vaccine dose despite recommendations from a federal panel that those who first got Oxford-AstraZeneca should choose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for a second shot. New guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization says Pfizer or Moderna is preferred as the second dose based on growing evidence that the combination produces a stronger immune response. Previously, the committee said AstraZeneca recipients could choose to get a second dose of the same vaccine or a different shot. Henry says the recomme

A local Kamloops family fell victim to a residential break and enter and theft of their vehicle while they slept in their family home.On June 12th, 2021 at 630am, Kamloops RCMP frontline officers received a report of a break and enter and theft of a vehicle that occurred from a residence on Sydney Avenue the previous evening. The homeowner said that while his family was sleeping, a suspect was able to gain entry to their home through an unlocked basement door. Once inside, the suspect quietly stole several valuable items, vehicle keys, and ate food from the refrigerator before departing the re

Today, the City of Surrey launched the Surrey Slow Streets: Residential Speed Limit Reduction Pilot. Surrey Slow Streets is an important first step in understanding how reduced speed limits impact neighbourhood liveability, driver behaviour and safety on Surrey roads. "We know that high speeds pose a serious danger to the driver, cyclists and pedestrians, which is why Council approved the Surrey Slow Streets pilot project," said Mayor Doug McCallum. "Starting today, speed limits in six neighbourhoods will be reduced to 30km per hour or 40km per hour. During the one-year pilot, vehicle speeds,

On June 9, 2021, Parminder Paul Rai of Burnaby was reported missing by his family. He was last seen on June 4, 2021 at his residence in the area of University Crescent and Tower Road near Simon Fraser University. The Burnaby RCMP began its missing person investigation and preliminary findings suggested that Rai’s disappearance may involve foul play.On June 14, 2021, IHIT took conduct of the investigation in accordance with its mandate to investigate suspicious missing person investigations where foul play is suspected.Rai is a South Asian man, 5’10’’ in height and 185lbs. in weight. He

A commercial truck driver has beenkilled on a British Columbia highway in a fiery crash that had thepotential to spread flames to the surrounding bush.RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are investigating thecollision that happened last night on Highway 97-C, near Merritt.Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey says a fully loaded lumber truck had brokendown and was parked on the shoulder when it was hit from behind by asecond truck.Emergency crews could not pull the driver of that rig out of thewreckage before flames engulfed both vehicles.O'Donaghey says the crash happened outside a fire protection zoneand polic

Elections BC has approved a petition launched bythe widow of a Surrey, B.C., murder victim that could set off abinding referendum over policing in the city.Darlene Bennett, with the group Surrey Police Vote, launched thecampaign over concerns about rising costs associated with startingup a new municipal police force that will replace the RCMP.In order for the petition to succeed, setting off the referendum,signatures from at least 10 per cent of the registered voters ineach of British Columbia's 87 electoral districts must be collectedwithin 90 days of the petition's start.Bennett's husband wa

A dog is safe at home days after it was separated from its owner as they ran from a violent attack near downtown Victoria. Camper, a brown pit bull terrier with a black face, was located last night nearly five kilometres from the site where she and her owner fled their parked van Friday as a man smashed its windows with a hammer. There was a citywide search for the friendly pooch. Victoria police say another dog found the two-year-old pit bull and alerted its owner, who called a phone number on Camper's collar. A police statement says an investigation into the van attack is continuing but off

British Columbia health officials say the province ranks among the highest in the world in the number of people who have their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In a news release, they say more than 76 per cent of eligible people have received their first shot while 710,847 people have had their second. Health officials say a number of locations are offering extended hours and mobile clinics so more people can get immunized. The province reported 113 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 146,674. It also recorded four COVID-19-related deaths for a total of 1,738 fatalities. British Columbia en

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has launched an effort to gain intervener status in a human rights case involving an Indigenous man and his granddaughter over their treatment by Vancouver police while attempting to open a bank account. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a former judge who represents the union, says the organization wants to have a voice in Maxwell Johnson's case to highlight what it alleges is a history of systemic racism against Indigenous people by Vancouver's police force. Johnson, who is from the Heiltsuk Nation on B.C.'s central coast, says both he and his 12-year-old granddaught