A new report from BC Hydro says a concerning trend is emerging as British Columbians seek relief from COVID-19 restrictions by sprucing up the yards around their homes. The Crown utility says electrical contact incidents involving weekend tree trimmers, gardeners and landscapers have soared 30 per cent since the pandemic hit last March. The report says tree trimming is the most common offence as novice pruners drop branches across power lines, frequently causing outages. More than 100 reports linked to what BC Hydro calls ``backyard logging'' have been received since March 2020, but the utili

Grocery workers aged 18 and up are now eligible to register for a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine in British Columbia's largest health region. Fraser Health says all workers, whether they are unionized or not, will get information from their employers on how to register and book appointments online, as well as an access code. Staff must provide identification and proof of employment, such as a pay stub or work identification, when they arrive for an appointment. Supplies of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine were quickly snapped up last month when the province lowered the eligibility age for th

A woman in BC has been hospitalized with a rare blood clot associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the first such reaction reported in the province. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry says the woman contacted her family doctor when she had symptoms five or six days after being vaccinated. Dr. Henry urged people to be alert to the symptoms, which range from a persistent and severe headache to difficulty moving parts of your body, and back, or chest or abdominal pain. However, she also defended the vaccine, saying AstraZeneca has played an important role in BC's immunization

At approximately 1 p.m. on May 5th, Richmond RCMP responded to a report of an industrial accident in the 3900 block of Boundary Road. A 25 year-old female employee was subsequently transported to hospital by Emergency Health Services, but she later succumbed to her injuries. Next-of-kin notification has been completed, however, the victim’s name is not being released at this time out of respect for the family. Investigators from the Richmond RCMP Serious Crime Unit and WorkSafeBC continue to investigate.The BC Coroners Service has also been notified.

The British Columbia government says it is looking into creating a law that would allow action against so-called revenge porn, the posting of intimate images without a person's consent. The publication of the images is already an offence under the Criminal Code, but the government says provincial legislation could help people better protect themselves or ask for recourse. The government says in a statement that a national hotline reported a 58 per cent increase in the non-consensual sharing of intimate images by the start of 2021, compared with the nine-month period before April 1 last year.

Ali Khudhair has been charged in connection with the murder of Keryane Arsenault. On May 4, 2021 at around 9 p.m., police responded to reports of gunshots at a residence in the 9700-block of 161A Street in Surrey, B.C. There they found 20-year-old Keryane Arsenault with gunshot wounds, who later died in hospital. Ali Khudhair, 24-years-old, was arrested soon after police arrived at the scene. On May 5, 2021, Khudair was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Arsenault’s death. If anyone has information about this investigation, please call the IHIT information line at 1-877-551

Fraser Health has expanded its immunization capacity in anticipation of an increase in vaccine supply coming to the Province. Register and book your appointment today to get your shot as soon as possible. Fraser Health is supporting a registration drive to remove any barriers to people registering for a COVID-19 vaccination. To do this, there will be a number of registration kiosks where staff and volunteers will register anyone 18 years and older, and, for those eligible, Fraser Health will also help book the vaccination appointments at the same time. Appointments may be available the same da

Fraser Health, BC Children’s Hospital, and the Surrey School District are working together to provide schools in Surrey with take-home COVID-19 Mouth Rinse/Gargle Sample Collection kits. This initiative will help ensure students who become symptomatic while at school have quick access to COVID-19 testing, while preventing COVID-19 transmission in the school environment. Beginning today, COVID-19 Mouth Rinse/Gargle Sample Collection kits will be available in all elementary and secondary schools in the Surrey School District. Each school has been provided twelve kits that will be utilized exc

Victoria police say they are investigating a suspected hate-motivated assault after a man was arrested for allegedly spitting at an Asian woman and her four children near an elementary school. Police say the incident happened Tuesday afternoon, with an off-duty officer intervening. The suspect was arrested shortly afterwards. Victoria police say although hate crimes directed toward Asian people have risen across much of the country, Esquimalt and Victoria have not seen a similar increase. Victoria police on Twitter: A man has been arrested & is facing recommended charges of assault &