Victoria police officers are investigating after a suspicious incident near a school yesterday afternoon. Police say shortly after 12 pm, they were called to the area of SJ Willis School for a report of a man holding what appeared to be a firearm in Topaz Park. Officers contained the area surrounding SJ Willis School and nearby Quadra Elementary School and both schools were placed in lockdown. Police say they searched the area for over an hour and did not find a man similar in description to the suspect. Officers are continuing to investigate the incident but do not believe there is a risk to

The Opposition Liberals say rebates promised to BC drivers due to the decline in crashes during the COVID-19 pandemic fall short of those in other jurisdictions. Premier John Horgan announced yesterday that rebates will average about 190 dollars each. Liberal critic Mike Morris says other insurers in Canada gave rebates averaging 280 dollars. Morris says the rebates are welcome news for drivers, but it should have happened months ago and it's confusing why it will take another six weeks to deliver. Horgan says ICBC will return 600 million dollars in net savings to about three million drivers

The RCMP Dive Team has found a body in the North Thompson River in Kamloops, after a days-long search. Constable Crystal Evelyn says the discovery came five days after witnesses reported seeing a man trying to swim across the river before disappearing. She says the body matched the description of the man who went missing. The man was found in shallow water near the area he was last observed. The missing person was described as Caucasian, slender, and likely in his 30s, but the identity of the body found has not been provided at this point.

A longtime labour and human rights leader in British Columbia has died. The family of Charan Gill say he died in hospital on Feb. 2, following a battle with cancer. Gill was 84. Born in Hong Kong and raised in India, Gill moved to Canada in 1967, settling in Surrey, where he co-founded the Canadian Farmworkers Union and the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism. The farm workers union led to improved pay, benefits and working conditions for farm and ranch workers across Canada while the organization to fight racism was instrumental in stemming the growth of racist groups in B.C. Gill

British Columbia health officials say there's an encouraging trend in the COVID-19 curve in the province with the efforts of residents making a difference. It comes as the state of emergency was extended again in B.C. on Tuesday, allowing officials to use its extraordinary powers to respond to the pandemic. In a joint statement, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix reported 429 new cases and eight deaths, bringing to 1,218 the number of fatalities liked to COVID-19. The statement says with people in B.C. following the restrictions, the COVID-19 spread is s

A man convicted of second-degree murder and interfering with a body in the death of a Japanese student in Vancouver will receive a new trial. The British Columbia Court of Appeal ruled in a split decision Tuesday to allow an appeal filed by William Schneider, who was convicted of killing 30 year old Natsumi Kogawa. Schneider pleaded guilty to interfering with her body, admitting that he disposed of her remains in the city's West End in 2016, but denying that he killed her. He was convicted on both counts following a jury trial and filed an appeal, arguing the judge erred in admitting an overhe

One worker is believed to have died and two others have been hurt at a mine just west of Kamloops, B.C. A statement from Toronto-based New Gold says the three were at working at the New Afton gold and copper mine around 1:40 a.m. when they were hit by what the company describes as a mud rush. The statement says one contract driller is presumed dead while the two New Gold employees have non-life-threatening injuries. New Gold says RCMP and provincial safety authorities have been notified and are at the scene. All activities at the mine have been suspended while an investigation is underway. Th

An RCMP dive team will be back in the North Thompson River in Kamloops today. Team is looking for a man who disappeared last week. Witnesses saw a man go into the river last Thursday around 7:30 pm and he apparently tried to swim across before disappearing. Constable Crystal Evelyn says crews are still looking after a weekend search with a K-9 unit, a dive team and police helicopter. She says police do not have an identity of the person who went in the water. Man has been described as white, slender and possibly in his 30s.

BC is reporting 1,158 new cases of COVID-19 over the past three days as well as 21 additional deaths. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says 18 cases of new COVID-19 variants have now been confirmed in the province, four of the South Africa variant and 14 of the fast-spreading virus first found in the UK. Dr. Henry says the province has stepped up testing for the new variants in outbreaks and among international travellers. She says cases of the new variants show why it's important to avoid social gatherings and she's urging people not to hold Super Bowl parties next weekend. British