There were 624 new cases of COVID-19 reported Friday and 11 additional deaths, for a total of 724 fatalities. A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix on Friday says 2,592 doses of vaccine have been given so far. Tickets worth $18,400 issued to representatives from three places of worship in Fraser Valley The RCMP say they have served tickets totalling $18,400 to representatives from three places of worship in British Columbia's Fraser Valley for violating public health orders. The Mounties say in a news release the churches were hosti

The former clerk of the provincial legislature is facing charges following a lengthy RCMP investigation into the activities of the chamber's senior staff. The BC Prosecution Service says Craig James has been charged with four counts of breach of trust and two counts of fraud in excess of five-thousand dollars. James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz were placed on administrative leave two years ago and retired in 2019. He could not be reached for comment on the charges. But he and Lenz denied any wrongdoing after a report in early 2019 alleged they had engaged in inappropriate spending on person

Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for much of Vancouver Island, the southern Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast, Howe Sound, the Central Coast and Metro Vancouver. A strong frontal system is moving into the coast bringing heavy rains and winds between 70 and 90 kilometres an hour depending on the area. The system has also prompted a rainfall warning for eastern Vancouver Island from Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay, where up to 50 millimetres of rain is forecast by late afternoon. Snowfall warnings have been posted for the Peace and Williston regions where 10 to 15 centimetres is expected and

RCMP in Burnaby say a school was locked down yesterday after police received reports of a fight involving a gun outside. The Mounties say in a news release that responding officers found and arrested two people. They say the gun was located and identified as an airsoft pistol. RCMP say there were no serious injuries reported. Later the lockdown at Burnaby South Secondary was lifted.

The Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit (GIU) is investigating a shooting with ties to gang activity, in Newton. Shortly before 2 a.m. on December 18, 2020, Surrey RCMP responded to a report of shots fired in the 6200-block of 132A Street. Surrey RCMP responded to the call and found evidence confirming that a shooting had occurred. While the residence was occupied at the time, no one was injured. Early indications are that this was a targeted incident connected to the Lower Mainland Gang Conflict, with no on-going risk to public safety. Surrey RCMP GIU is continuing the investigation as off

A high volume of online applications for the British Columbia COVID-19 recovery benefit has slowed the process. Some users have reported getting an error on the site when making their application for the benefit of up to $1,000. A Finance Ministry spokeswoman says there were about 2,500 applications in the first few minutes of the site opening on Friday, but the page hasn't crashed and those applying are being urged to be patient. Finance Minister Selina Robinson has asked the public to be respectful to staff at a Service BC call centre as they help people apply for the benefit, which was pro

The RCMP has set up a dedicated witness phone line and email after concluding a fire at Burnaby Hospital last month was set on purpose. Fraser Health has said the November 15th fire contributed to COVID-19 outbreak declared at the hospital one week earlier. It says patients had to be moved for their immediate safety and at least 10 people died from COVID-19 during the outbreak. The hospital's emergency department was temporarily closed and some medical appointments and surgeries were rescheduled. Fraser Health said the fire started in one wing and affected several other parts of the building

British Columbia's top doctor is advising people with chronic health conditions to contact their family doctor to determine if they should get vaccinated for COVID-19. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was tested primarily on healthy people of varying ages and it's not known if it will work or is safe for those with chronic liver or kidney diseases, for example. Clinical trials of the Moderna vaccine, which is expected to be the next one to be approved in Canada, also excluded people who are immunocompromised. Dr. Henry says 1,215 health-care workers have been vaccinated so fa

Finance Minister Selina Robinson says the province is showing signs of rebuilding its economy despite the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Robinson's latest economic update forecasts three per cent economic growth next year and says employment is steady. But she says 2020 was one of the most difficult years in the province's history and the economy is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until late 2022 or early 2023. She also reported that the projected deficit for this fiscal year has risen to 13.6 billion dollars from the 12.8 billion predicted in September. The Provi