British Columbia health officials say the federal government's approval of two new vaccines is encouraging news and one more layer of protection to help get the province through the pandemic. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a statement that approval of the vaccines by Oxford-AstraZeneca and Verity-Serum Institute of India is an "exciting" step forward. The statement says the new vaccines are "fridge stable," making them easier to transport and distribute across the province. British Columbia announced 589 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday along w

The Canada Revenue Agency says a West Vancouver man has been sentenced to 29 months in jail and handed a stiff fine for attempting to avoid a tax bill. Court records show Michael Sholz was sentenced Wednesday in provincial court in Vancouver. Sholz, who is in his late 60s, was convicted in June 2020 of three tax-related offences under the Excise Tax Act and two counts of uttering forged documents related to ownership and construction of a West Vancouver home. A statement from the agency says, in addition to the jail term, Sholz has been fined $644,975.71. The statement says an investigation sh

A spokeswoman for Vancouver police says the conduct of two officers is under investigation after video footage emerged of the pair allegedly posing with a dead body at a popular beach. Const. Tania Visintin says the officers responded to calls about a deceased individual at Stanley Park's Third Beach, and waited for the coroner to arrive. Visintin would not comment on the officers' actions but says the police department does not condone, and strictly prohibits, officers taking photographs without an authorized purpose. Zac Ratcliffe was in the area for a walk on Wednesday morning when he saw t

The B.C. Liberal party will elect a new leader next February. The party says the winner of its leadership race will be announced on Feb. 5, 2022, after three days of voting by party members. Interim party president Don Silversides says the vote has been set for next year to attract the broadest possible range of candidates and at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic could be under control. The deadline to join the party or renew a membership in order to vote has been set for Dec. 29, and membership is open to B.C. residents aged 14 and over. Shirley Bond became interim leader after Andrew Wilkins

Thirty three charges have been laid against a Surrey man who is alleged to have defrauded about 100 people out of a total of 1.8 million dollars. RCMP say the charges against 50 year old Aaron Fell, the owner of Breakwater Marine, came after a 20 month investigation. Police say they started their probe in June 2019 after receiving numerous reports of alleged fraudulent business practices involving the boat dealership. Fell appeared in court yesterday on 30 fraud-related charges and three counts of theft of property. Surrey RCMP on twitter: Multiple charges laid in $1.8M fraud investigation of

A report from the BC Coroners Service finds three men drowned accidentally when their truck was swept away in the Sooke River west of Victoria last February. The report examined the deaths of 20 year olds Eric Blackmore, Cory Mills and AJ Jensen and says the three were likely "puddle jumping" driving their pickup through large pools of standing water in the parking lot of Sooke Potholes Regional Park. The coroner says the trio did not realize one of the pools was actually a flooded arm of the river and the force of the water swept the truck down river and prevented the men from escaping. The

The mayor of a village in northeastern BC says she's sorry for an online post that was not meant to be racist against Indigenous Peoples. Lorraine Michetti, was first elected in Pouce Coupe in 2016. Michetti says, she realizes people were hurt after seeing the post showing photos of garbage-strewn lawns with a caption that suggested those who want to protect their land from pipelines should clean up their own backyards. At a council meeting on Monday, the mayor also admitted she sent a Facebook post in which she suggested federal gun control laws make her feel like a Jew "waiting for my cattl

An investigation by Surrey RCMP frontline officers has led to the seizure of multiple firearms, drugs, and body armour from a condominium in Whalley. This investigation began on February 20, 2021, when Surrey RCMP received a report of a vehicle robbery with the use of a firearm. Further investigation led to the identification of a suspect who was subsequently arrested at his residence in Whalley the following day. Officers obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s residence located in the 9700-block of 140 Street. The search warrant was executed on February 22, 2021. During the search, off

Police in Victoria are asking for help from the public who may know something about the beheading of a royal statue and a recent rash of graffiti in the city. There were numerous acts of spray-paint vandalism on Tuesday which targeted businesses and public and city-owned property.Police say in a statement that the graffiti specifically references Beacon Hill Park, the site of a long-running tent encampment.They're also asking for help recovering the head removed from a statue of the Queen located in the same park. Officers were called to the area near the park's petting zoo on Wednesday for re