British Columbia has reached new COVID-19 highs with 11 more deaths and 717 new cases. It's the first time new cases have surged over 700 and it has pushed the total case count to 23,661. The 11 deaths is also the largest daily toll and brings the total number of deaths in the province to 310. Almost 11,000 people are under active public health monitoring because they've had contact with someone who tested positive, while 16,469 people are considered recovered.

Walk-in patients are welcome again in Burnaby Hospital's emergency room after fire forced a temporary closure. However, a statement from Fraser Health says patients who must be admitted to the hospital will still be transported to neighbouring health facilities. The fire in the hospital's Cascade building affected several areas of the hospital and while the ER wasn't damaged, it was closed to allow a focus on current patients and staff. The authority had said the fire was believed to be electrical, but now says it's learning more and the source is considered inconclusive.

Elections B.C. says a judicial recount in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky has affirmed incumbent B.C. Liberal Jordan Sturdy as the winner.On election night, the riding went to the B.C. Green party, giving the party its first seat on the mainland, but an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots saw Sturdy win by just 41 votesThe tight margin triggered an automatic judicial recount that confirmed Sturdy beat Green candidate Jeremy Valeriote by 60 votes. Sturdy's re-election confirms the B.C. Liberals have 28 seats after the Oct. 24 election that also gave the New Democrats a majority government with 57

Six positive cases of COVID-19 have forced the precautionary closure of the Abbotsford Christian School. Fraser Health says officials at the private middle school told the authority it would close for two weeks because of staffing challenges. There have been numerous exposure events at schools in the health region which is the centre of the COVID-19 surge in the province. Cambridge Elementary School in Surrey was also closed for two weeks because of an outbreak.

A border officer who questioned Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou about the company's possible activity in Iran before her arrest will undergo cross-examination by her legal team today. Superintendent Sanjit Dhillon began testifying at an evidentiary hearing in the extradition case yesterday. He told the court that he started asking Meng questions about security concerns surrounding the company's products to help move the immigration examination along. Meng's lawyers allege that Canadian officials unlawfully questioned Meng under the guise of a routine immigration exam but Dhillon says that's jus

BC is reporting 1,959 new cases of COVID-19 over the past three days, including a daily record of 659 cases on Saturday. Public health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there have also been nine more deaths, bringing the total to 299. She says the province has 6,279 active cases with 181 people in hospital, including 57 in intensive care. Dr. Henry says she's been asked many times about why BC hasn't made the use of masks mandatory in public places. She says most people are doing that already and it would not cover private homes.

To continue to increase safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, ICBC customers will soon need to make an appointment before their visit to five ICBC driver licensing offices. This pilot project begins Nov. 23, 2020, at the Burnaby Metrotown, Richmond Lansdowne, Surrey Guildford, Kamloops and Victoria Wharf Street driver licensing offices. The pilot will help minimize the number of customers waiting for service in-person, ensuring that the appropriate number of customers are in an office at the same time, while maintaining physical distancing as required by the Provincial Health Officer and WorkSa

The City of Surrey’s proposed Budget 2021 has set a general property tax increase of 2.9%, which is consistent with the rate that was set by Council in the two previous budgets. Despite the challenges that have been brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Surrey’s Budget 2021 is balanced in accordance with the Local Government Act and the Community Charter. "It has been Council’s approach to manage our public dollars prudently and it is a testament to the economic strength of Surrey that we have been able to bring in a fully balanced budget that holds the line on property taxes. The rate se

A B.C. mom has given birth to her son while in a coma due to COVID-19. Dave McIntosh says his wife Gill's condition took a turn for the worse last week after her COVID-19 diagnosis. Dave says their son is in a neonatal intensive care unit but is healthy, while Gill remains in an induced coma and on a ventilator. He says BC residents need to start taking the COVID-19 virus more seriously, as it's not yet known how Gill contracted the virus.