The union representing employees at a BC prison say six members were sounding the alarm about the spread of COVID-19 among inmates five days before health officials formally declared an outbreak. The BC Government and Service Employees Union says six employees at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre refused to take part in unsafe work last week. A WorkSafe BC inspection of the facility was triggered by the employees refusing to work. Inspection report concluded that some of the concerns raised were outside of the inspection's scope while others did not constitute an undue hazard. Union pre

Vancouver Coastal Health says 288 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Whistler from the start of the year through Tuesday. It says most of them are young people in their 20s and 30s who live, work and socialize together. The health agency is urging Whistler residents and potential visitors to continue to follow public health restrictions to lower the rising number of COVID-19 infections. It says Whistler experienced a similar spike in cases in November, which was resolved in early December. B.C. reported 546 new cases, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 66,265 cases. There a

A new report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation shows the rental market vacancy rate in this country's largest cities reached 3.2 per cent last year, while the rate in Metro Vancouver more than doubled to 2.6, the highest it has been in more than two decades. CMHC chief economist Bob Dugan says the pandemic cut into rental demand for several reasons including lower international migration, fewer student renters and a sagging employment market. But the report says rents continue to creep up in large cities. Report suggests Vancouver is leading the pack at just under 1,800 dollars per

Two men found guilty of killing six people in British Columbia's most notorious gang slayings will be allowed a hearing to argue their claims of abuse of process, but their guilty verdicts stand. The British Columbia Court of Appeal has upheld the first-degree murder verdicts for Matthew Johnston and Cody Haevischer in the so-called Surrey Six killings in October 2007. The court denied their request for a new trial, but it did quash their convictions and send the matter back to court for a hearing on their applications for a stay of proceedings over the abuse of process claims. The Appeal Cour

It's been a year since the first case of COVID-19 showed up in BC and health officials are urging residents to keep their guard up against allowing the virus to spread. A joint statement from provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says there are infection hot spots in the province, including Fernie and Williams Lake. Fraser Health reports that nine inmates and two staff at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge have tested positive. BC recorded 485 new case yesterday and four more COVID-19 related deaths for a total of 1,172 fatalities. Ja

The search has been called off for a plane that went missing between Victoria and Port Angeles, Washington, on Tuesday. The United States Coast Guard says in a tweet that American and Canadian rescuers covered an area of more than 3,000 square kilometres without finding the lone pilot.The pilot who issued a mayday call before losing contact. Crews worked through the night Tuesday and used all the daylight hours yesterday to cover a massive search area in the Juan de Fuca Strait. A Canadian Coast Guard vessel and a search plane from Comox, BC, assisted in the American-led efforts to find the s

Premier John Horgan says most people in British Columbia are doing their best to follow public health guidelines during COVID-19 pandemic, but some are acting badly. The premier called a B.C. couple "un-Canadian" for travelling to Yukon where they're alleged to have jumped the queue to get an early COVID-19 vaccine shot. Horgan says it's disconcerting that some people are holding large gatherings in Vancouver penthouses and others are looking for parties in Whistler despite health restrictions. But he says while a few people are looking for loopholes, most are sticking to the rules and contrib

BC is reporting 485 new cases of COVID-19 and four more deaths. That brings the death toll in the province to 1,172 and total cases to 65,719. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says BC's first case of COVID-19 was confirmed one year ago, and that year has shown one case can turn into thousands. She says it has also shown that following public health restrictions can keep people safe and push the curve of the outbreak back down again. To date, 124,365 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 4,160 of which are second doses. There is one new health-care facility outbre

Vancouver police say an officer broke his leg in a confrontation after a man refused to wear a mask inside a courthouse.Const. Tania Visintin says the officer was injured when the man fell on him while being taken into custody.She says two officers were at the court on Tuesday and intervened when the man allegedly refused a sheriff's order to put on a mask, and then refused to leave the building.A statement from police says the man was allegedly argumentative, kicked one of the officers and then tried to reach for his firearm, leading to the scuffle.Police say the officer could be off work for