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-

A 66 year old man has been found dead following a fire at a home in Abbotsford, B.C. Police say in a news release the Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service responded to a 911 call about a fire in a trailer on Monday. When crews arrived to the property they found the trailer engulfed in flames. Once firefighters were able to access the home, police say they found the man's body inside. The fire service, police and the BC Coroners Service are investigating the death. Police say the cause of the fire doesn't appear suspicious.

Avalanche Canada has lifted a recent warning about the extreme potential for slides on eastern British Columbia mountains, but backcountry users are urged to remain cautious because of weak snowpack layers across the province. Areas of avalanche concern include the Purcell range in the southeast, Cariboo Mountains in central B.C., and slopes around the Sea-to-Sky region north of Vancouver. The forecaster reported large, human-triggered avalanches Sunday along sections of the Cariboo Mountains near Valemount, and Monday on Rainbow Mountain, near Whistler. In the Rainbow Mountain event, Avalanc

Three regional health authorities in British Columbia are reporting new COVID-19 outbreaks in assisted-living facilities and long-term care homes. Interior Health says six residents and four staff members have tested positive for the illness at Heritage Square, a private facility in Vernon. The health authority says each of the six residents live in the long-term care areas of the facility and their close contacts are in self-isolation. Fraser Health is reporting two new outbreaks after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at Rideau Retirement Residence in Burnaby and another two st

Homicide detectives are investigating a fatal shooting in Surrey, B.C., the second deadly attack in the city in as many days.Sgt. Frank Jang with the joint-police Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the shooting happened Monday evening in the Guildford neighbourhood.The unnamed victim was found dead at the scene but few other details have been released.The shooting took place as Jang was providing more information about a Sunday night shooting in the Whalley area that killed 19-year-old Harman Singh Dhesi.Jang says Dhesi was known to police and his death and the Guildford-area shootin