British Columbia's police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, is investigating after a man was injured during an armed standoff with police in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The Vancouver Police Department says in a statement the incident occurred when a 32 year old man exited a suite with a firearm during a prolonged standoff.The standoff began Saturday night. They say a member of the Emergency Response Team fired at the man and he was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect and another man are now in police custody facing firearm-related charges.

More than 50 COVID-19 cases have been reported at Waterford Independent Living Community in Tsawwassen. The independent living community announced the outbreak on Dec. 26 after one resident tested positive. The outbreak has grown to 51 residents and six staff members. Two outbreaks declared over in Fraser Health region Fraser Health has declared COVID-19 outbreaks over at two long-term care facilities in the region. The health authority says there are no longer any COVID-19 cases at Holyrood Manor in Maple Ridge or The Residence at Clayton Heights in Surrey. It also says that it remains critic

British Columbia's interim Liberal Leader Shirley Bond says the coming year promises to be one of reflection, renewal and rebuilding. The Liberals are looking to elect a new leader in 2021 following the resignation of Andrew Wilkinson after the party's election defeat in October. She says Liberals need to ask hard questions about the election result that saw the party lose seats to the NDP in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, an area once considered a BC Liberal stronghold. Bond says a review of what went wrong during the election and plans for the future direction of the party must be a

BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau says she plans to continue working across party lines in 2021 despite the turmoil of October's provincial election. In a year-end interview, Furstenau says she believes political collaboration builds bridges that will help people most in the province. She says she's still disappointed Premier John Horgan called a snap election a year ahead of schedule, but the new year will see the Greens looking to work with all politicians in the legislature. Furstenau says the Greens were committed to ensuring the minority government agreement with the New Democrats would ho

Premier John Horgan says economic recovery and health-care reforms are his New Democrat government's priorities for 2021. He says the COVID-19 pandemic has tested him personally as it has the people of British Columbia. Horgan says getting the economy moving next year will be the main goal of the budget in April, despite the recent forecast of a 13.6 billion dollar deficit. There have been almost 900 deaths due to COVID-19 in the province and Horgan says the government is planning health-care reforms that focus on BC's elderly, the hardest hit by the pandemic. The premier says his government

Health officials in British Columbia are cutting off alcohol sales on New Year's Eve in an effort to prevent gatherings where COVID-19 can spread. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says last call for alcohol sales will be at 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve and the ban continues until 9 a.m. the next day. The health order restricts the sale of alcohol at restaurants, pubs and stores. Dr. Henry says the order is an attempt to mitigate "risky behavior" and curb parties from springing up, particularly in resort towns where New Year's Eve celebrations are common. B.C. reported 485 new cases of C

Police say a Vancouver man who spent Christmas in jail after repeatedly hosting parties in violation of public health orders is now bound by bail conditions requiring him to answer the door if officers knock. Sgt. Steve Addison says police issued multiple warnings and twice fined the 24 year old man but he vowed to continue hosting parties. Addison says the man was arrested on Christmas Day, and he spent the night behind bars. He must comply with public health orders that limit people living on their own to host two others that are part of their social bubble. The Vancouver Police Department

The dispatcher that handles most of British Columbia's 911 calls says COVID-19 gave a different twist to some calls this year, but E-Comm's annual list of nuisance callers reveals little change elsewhere. In an effort to remind the public that 911 should only be dialed in an emergency, E-Comm has released its list of the top-10 nuisance calls of 2020. The dispatcher says inquiries such as the number-one-ranked complaint about missing food deliveries or the second-ranked call about a possible COVID-19 lockdown probably wouldn't have made previous nuisance lists. Even the third-ranked question

British Columbia health officials are urging people to avoid gatherings in celebration of New Year's Eve. The request comes as the province released five days of COVID-19 figures over the holiday season, showing 2,206 new cases for a total of 50,815 infections since the pandemic began. The province also reported 74 deaths from the virus, largely among those living in long-term care or assisted-living facilities. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says people need to follow public health orders forbidding social gatherings ahead of New Year's Eve. Dr. Henry says there were lower COVID-