British Columbia has recorded 566 new cases of COVID-19, which the provincial health officer and health minister say is the "start of encouraging trends" in the progression of the virus. However, Dr. Bonnie Henry and Adrian Dix say the number of new cases and hospitalizations due to serious illness are still high, requiring health orders and restrictions to stay in place. They say 352 people with the illness are being treated in hospital, with 74 of them in intensive care. Sixteen more people have died, for a total of 543 fatalities in the province. Premier John Horgan says on Twitter that ab

The BC Prosecution Service says two Vancouver police officers have been charged in the arrest of a former UBC football player nearly three years ago. It says Constable Jarrod Sidhu has been charged with assault with a weapon and Constable Jagpreet Ghuman has been charged with assault. The charges relate to the arrest of Jamiel Moore-Williams, during which a stun gun was deployed after he was stopped for jaywalking in February 2018. The police complaint commissioner referred the matter to the prosecution service for consideration of charges after the RCMP failed to do so following its investig

The BC government has introduced legislation to provide a pandemic recovery benefit of one thousand dollars for eligible families and 500-dollars for individuals. Finance Minister Selina Robinson says the cost of the COVID-19 aid program is about 1.7 billion dollars, including 150 dollars a month in increases to income and disability assistance starting in January. Robinson says about 3.7 million people will receive the one-time pandemic benefit and can start applying on December 18th. She says she expects some people will receive it before Christmas, while others will get the money deposited

BC's seniors advocate has started a separate review into elder abuse in the province after finding an increase in the problem in her annual review. Isobel Mackenzie's report says calls to the seniors abuse and information line saw a 17 per cent increase. But her report also says it's unclear how big the problem is because they don't have the proper tools to measure abuse or neglect of seniors, prompting her further review with a report due next year. She says the RCMP reports that almost 1,700 seniors experienced a violent event last year and 19-thousand reported property crimes such as theft

Victoria police say they're looking for both the victim and witnesses to a hate crime on a BC Transit bus. Police say it happened November 28 when a man got on bus number 15 and began targeting the lone Black man with racial slurs for several minutes. A witness reported it to police and officers obtained the surveillance video on the bus. Police say they've now identified a suspect, but say the need to speak with the victim to continue their investigation.

A COVID-19 outbreak at Ridge Meadows Hospital in Maple Ridge has been declared over more than a month after it started. The Fraser Health Authority says the outbreak started November 5th with evidence of transmission in the in-patient rehabilitation unit. Ridge Meadows was one of five acute-care facilities with current outbreaks. Burnaby, Langley Memorial, Lions Gate and Surrey Memorial hospitals remain on the list for outbreaks.

An RCMP officer who was tasked as a point person for US investigators during the 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver's airport says he didn't see himself as working for them. Sergeant Ross Lundie told the BC Supreme Court yesterday that he updated the Federal Bureau of Investigation when the Huawei executive was arrested but he didn't see anything wrong with that. He told the court in Meng's ongoing extradition case that he wasn't acting on behalf of the FBI, but he was there working as an RCMP member. Meng's lawyers are seeking evidence to support an abuse of process claim that alleges

Green Leader Sonia Furstenau says many of the details in yesterday's throne speech outlined actions the government launched before October's election. She says the speech also provides few details on what people can expect as an economic recovery plan from the NDP. The BC Liberal party's interim leader says the Opposition plans to use the legislative session to push the New Democrats to address problems beyond the pandemic, especially on the province's finances. Shirley Bond says the legislature should also be doing more than passing one piece of legislation before Christmas to allow COVID-19

COVID-19 restrictions in British Columbia have been extended to Jan. 8 as the province continues to experience high levels of transmission and community spread of the virus. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, says restrictions on gatherings are being extended. All worship services and community and social events remain suspended, along with high-intensity group fitness, such as interval training, hot yoga and spin classes. The latest order includes an exemption for drive-thru events like light festivals and drop-off toy drives. Dr. Henry says 2,020 new cases of the illness have