BC Hydro says its latest report shows people around the province are coping with pandemic restrictions by boosting holiday spirits with brighter, more elaborate lighting displays and decorations. An online survey of 800 people shows more than 90 per cent think COVID-19 will affect their holiday celebrations but about 20 per cent plan to do more indoor and outdoor decorating to combat the disappointment. Almost two-thirds say they will put up an outdoor display with 22 per cent expecting to use an average of eight strands of lights and 10 per cent firing up more than 10 strands, a three per ce

A University of BC researcher is being hailed for an innovation that uses salt to destroy COVID-19 droplets on reusable masks. Recent PhD graduate Ilaria Rubino used a salt and water solution on the first or middle layer of a mask and found as droplets were exhaled through the mask, spiky salt crystals would develop and damage the bacteria or virus within minutes. Rubino receives an innovation award today from Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization honouring academic researchers, and joins Simon Fraser University Chemistry PhD student Audrey Taylor at the virtual ceremony. Taylor is being reco

A woman in Kelowna has been arrested after refusing to wear a mask at a Value Village store. Mounties say they responded to a call on Sunday, with the woman refusing to leave the store. She was arrested for allegedly causing a disturbance and obstructing a police officer. The woman was later released on conditions for a future court date.

British Columbia health officials are working to clear up confusion surrounding COVID-19 restriction guidelines announced last week. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix spent part of their news conference Monday explaining what counts as an event or social gathering. Non-essential travel is not recommended across the province, and worship services along with community and social events have been suspended. Dr. Henry and Dix announced 1,933 new cases of COVID-19 over the past three days, along with 17 additional deaths for a total of 348 people since the p

Longtime legislature member Shirley Bond will serve as the B.C. Liberal party's interim leader after Andrew Wilkinson's resignation on Saturday. Bond has been a member of the legislature since 2001, representing Prince George-Valemount, and served in cabinet, including as justice minister and deputy premier in the province's previous Liberal government. Bond says in a statement that she is looking forward to holding the NDP government accountable over the coming months. The NDP won 57 seats in last month's provincial election to form a majority government. The Liberals won 28 seats and the Gr

The Hudson's Bay outlet in Coquitlam is the latest to run afoul of its landlord in a dispute over rental payments. The Coquitlam store was shuttered over the weekend for non-payment of rent, just the latest in a series of problems that have seen judges in Quebec and Ontario order the retailer to pay rents to various shopping mall landlords. A spokesman for one of the landlords says the court rulings are welcome and the retailer and its "New York-based private-equity owners" must honour obligations to pay rent. The ruling from Quebec reminds Hudson's Bay that it cannot take the law into its ow

A base jumper is recovering from minor injuries after being rescued from the face of the Stawamus Chief in Squamish on the weekend. BC Emergency Health Services says the call came Saturday afternoon and search and rescue crews flew to the top of the mountain to begin a highly technical rope rescue in the dark. The man's sail got caught after he jumped, causing him to collide with the mountain's west face, where he was able to tie himself to a tree and call for help. Rescuers descended and reached the man, securing him in a harness before lowering him to the ground.

Fraser Health is warning of two possible exposures to COVID-19 at a gym in Burnaby and a nail salon in Langley. The health authority is warning people who were at Gritt Athletics between November 9th and 12th to self-isolate for 14 days starting the last time they were at the gym. It's warning anyone who was at Haven Nails and Spa between November 14th and 17th to do the same. There were more than 7,100 active cases in BC as of the province's last update and the latest numbers from over the weekend are expected later today.

As COVID-19 infections surge, BC's seniors advocate is calling for rapid testing of all staff at long-term care homes. Isobel Mackenzie says rapid tests that produce results within 30 minutes could help catch infected staff who aren't experiencing symptoms and who could unknowingly spread the illness. About 3.8 million of the tests that don't need to be processed in a lab recently arrived in Canada and many provincial health authorities across the country are still evaluating how to use them. BC's provincial health officer, Doctor Bonnie Henry, has said the rapid tests are not as sensitive as