British Columbia recorded 656 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday as officials urged residents not to bend public health rules. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that an additional 16 people have died, pushing B.C.'s death toll to 457. The new positive tests bring the total confirmed cases in the province since the pandemic began to 33,894, while about 70 per cent of those are considered recovered. The statement says there are 8,796 active cases in the province and another 10,123 people exposed to known cases are under active public heal

Finance Minister Selina Robinson says insurers in BC have agreed to end a practice that helped contribute to skyrocketing condo insurance rates. Robinson says insurers have agreed to end the practice known a "best terms pricing" by January 1st. It developed when multiple insurers would each agree to submit their own bid to carry a portion of the total risk related to insuring a strata property, but the final premium paid by strata owners would usually be based on the highest of those bids, even if the majority of quotes were lower. An interim report from the BC Financial Services Authority sa

Police in Vancouver and Victoria say they are still breaking up parties despite COVID-19 protocols prohibiting them. Vancouver Police say the gave out fines up to 2,300 dollars each when they found parties with 16, 15, and eight to 10 people this weekend. Patrol officers in Victoria say they busted two parties, including one where they found people hiding in a closet and at the foot of a bed. A provincial health order prohibits gatherings at residences that include anyone who isn't part of that household.

British Columbia's parliamentary secretary for anti-racism initiatives says the government will engage residents to create a new anti-racism act. Rachna Singh says in a statement that the government also plans to work with the province's human rights commissioner and others to pave the way for race-based data collection. She says the goal is to reduce systemic discrimination in various sectors, including health care. Singh issued the statement following the release of a report by former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond that found 84 per cent of Indigenous respondents reported some form of discr

It has been exactly two years since Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou arrived at Vancouver's airport for a flight layover and instead was taken to a police station in handcuffs. Meng was arrested at the behest of US law enforcement, who have charged her with fraud based on allegations that both she and Huawei deny. She remains in Vancouver where hearings are ongoing in her extradition case. The arrest soured Canada's relationship with China and has been linked to the ongoing detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadians in China.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is reporting a record 46 deaths over the past three days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Henry says that brings the total in the province to 441 with most of the latest deaths among residents in long-term care. She says 2,364 new cases of COVID-19 were reported over the past three days, including 277 historical cases due to a problem with lab reporting last week in the Fraser Health region. Dr. Henry says the province now has 8,855 active cases, with 316 people in hospital including 75 in intensive care.

A naval exercise called Trident Fury 20 is set to begin today off western Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. Maritime Forces Pacific says the exercise will continue until December 13th and include participation from the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, US Navy aircraft and US Coast Guard. Trident Fury 20 is designed to provide tactical warfare training to offshore threats and improve co-ordination between forces. The public may be able to see ships, divers and aircraft in the area around Esquimalt Lagoon. Naval exercise begins today off the western Vancouver Isl

Police in Abbotsford say they are investigating a shooting incident that appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Major crimes detectives say young children and other family members were at a home in the 32000-block of Adair Avenue Saturday night when shots were fired. Police say the home and family are not known to police, leading to concerns the wrong address was targeted. Police are asking anyone who may have dash camera footage or other video images of the area to contact them.

The newly appointed cabinet minister Premier John Horgan has tabbed to lead economic recovery says he will mount a large team effort from inside and outside government. Ravi Kahlon says the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred innovation by many businesses, communities and governments, and he wants to ensure the teamwork continues. The former Olympian says his initial priorities as jobs, economic recovery and innovation minister involve helping small businesses survive the pandemic, but supporting innovation will be the impetus of the future. Kahlon previously served as a parliamentary secretary in