Health officials have called off the regular COVID-19 briefing in British Columbia as they prepare to update the province's strategy for immunization against the virus. An advisory from the premier's office says the briefing by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix is cancelled. Instead they will join a news conference Friday with Premier John Horgan and Dr. Penny Ballem, who is leading B.C.'s COVID-19 immunization rollout. The four are expected to comment on the next steps in the immunization program that has been complicated by a hiccup in vaccine supply f

A former British Columbia finance minister and a current member of the legislature are part of a seven-member committee overseeing the upcoming Liberal leadership campaign to replace former leader Andrew Wilkinson. Colin Hansen, a former Liberal cabinet minister, has been appointed co-chair of the party's Leadership Election Organizing Committee, sharing the job with Victoria lawyer Roxanne Helme. Wilkinson resigned after the Liberals not only lost the election last fall, but seats that were once considered safe for the party. Prince George Liberal Shirley Bond is currently serving as interim

BC's public safety minister says those who continue to break COVID-19 public health orders may face more than a fine. It comes as recent numbers show more than half of the total fines handed out were over the last month. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says recent incidents, such as a Vancouver couple pretending to cough on people at a gym, are reprehensible and repugnant. But Farnworth adds that many people appear to be following the rules. 119 tickets have been issued in past 2 weeks. Since Aug. 21st last year, a total of 693 tickets have been issued. Among the tickets issued during p

Mounties in 100 Mile House are watching a church that's alleged to have held Sunday morning services in violation of rules on public gatherings. RCMP say they were called to the 100 Mile House Baptist Church after receiving a complaint and watched people leaving the building with no visible face coverings. In a recording of the service posted online, the pastor thanks people for coming and asks them to open their Bibles to a specific passage. Police say they took down licence plate numbers and owner registration information and while no fines were handed out, they say potential action could b

British Columbia's provincial health officer and health minister say the province's COVID-19 case count is ``trending in the right direction.'' Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say public restrictions will ease if the number of COVID-19 cases continue to drop. The province reported 500 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. There have been a total of 62,412 cases since the pandemic began and there are 4,345 active cases. There have also been 14 new deaths, bringing to 1,104 the number of COVID-19 related fatalities since March. Dr. Henry and Dix say in a joint statement that 98,12

Residents of a tiny community in northeastern British Columbia are suing the local and provincial governments over two slow-moving landslides they claim caused their property values to plummet. In a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court this week, 35 residents in Old Fort., B.C., allege negligence and breach of their charter right to security of the person. Evacuation orders and alerts were issued in September 2018 and June 2020 after a slope above the community of about 50 homes slumped, damaging the only road in and out. The claim alleges that the first slide was caused by activ

Shareholders of Vancouver-based West Fraser Timber and Toronto-based Norbord have voted to join forces. The move unites two of Canada's largest producers of wood products, creating a single Vancouver-based firm which keeps the West Fraser name. It now boasts 10,000 employees. Officials behind the merger say the new company, which will be owned 56% by West Fraser shareholders and 44% by Norbord investors, aims to be a "one-stop shop" for construction customers. West Fraser has 45 mills and other facilities across BC, Alberta, and the southern US, while Norbord has an oriented strand board mill

A medical health officer with Interior Health says COVID-19 is still spreading among people who live and work at a Kelowna ski resort. Dr. Silvina Mema says the health authority is testing broadly at Big White and 28 more cases have been linked to the cluster identified last month. The latest cases push the total to 203. It includes 43 active infections. Ski resort and local authorities are working to map possible exposures. Big White says in an update posted online Interior Health has advised that most people affected work on the mountain.

Illicit drug overdoses are rising in northern British Columbia and health officials warn a new mix of street drugs can make a key life-saving medication less effective. Northern Health and the First Nations Health Authority have issued an overdose alert, warning that benzodiazepines, or benzos, have been found in illicit drugs circulating in the region. The alert says users of drugs contaminated with benzos might be difficult to rouse and could also be slow to respond to naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses. Health officials say benzos impede brain activity and raise the potentia