Starting today, the City of Vancouver in partnership with the Vancouver School Board (VSB) is launching a four-week School Streets pilot at three elementary schools. A School Street is a car-free block beside a school open to walking, biking, and rolling during drop-off and pick-up. School volunteers will be leading the day-to-day implementation of the pilot program.The goals of the pilot are to help improve safety, encourage active travel and reduce carbon pollution, which is part of the Climate Emergency Action Plan and Transportation 2040 Plan. The School Streets pilot will be in place Apri

North Vancouver RCMP say a child has died after a skiing accident on a local mountain. Police say they were called to Mount Seymour at about 8 p.m. Saturday for reports of a seriously injured 12 year old. Mounties say the child was injured during a ski accident, but did not specify the nature of the accident. Paramedics took the child to BC Children's Hospital where they were pronounced dead. The BC Coroners Service says it is investigating, and would not be able to provide further details at this time. North Vancouver RCMP on Twitter: CORRECTION: A previous release listed the age of the child

Adults living and working in Whistler, B.C., will be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccination starting Monday. Vancouver Coastal Health says eligible residents will be required to provide proof of their permanent resident address in Whistler with a provincialdriver's licence or valid credit card statement, or present a recent paystub to confirm their employment in the area. Whistler adults between 18 and 54 years of age will receive a vaccination at the Whistler Conference Centre. Those 55 to 65 years old can receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine at a local pharmacy or wait to receive a P

British Columbia is reporting nearly 1,300 cases of COVID-19 for a second day in a row as the province marks a milestone by administering a million doses of vaccine. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint release that only 87,600 of the shots are second doses and everyone must continue following all public health orders. They are reporting 1,262 new cases and are asking people to avoid travel and indoor gatherings outside of a household, adding that even people who have mild symptoms should get tested for infection. Another two people have

The jobless rate across Canada dipped sharply in March to 7.5 per cent, its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but the numbers in British Columbia didn't budge. Statistics Canada says more than 300,000 jobs were added countrywide last month, pushing the unemployment rate down from 8.2 per cent in February. BC's Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation says the latest unemployment numbers show more people are working now in the province than before the pandemic hit. Ravi Kahlon says, counting the 35,000 jobs created in BC last month, the province now has 11 consecutive

The British Columbia government says the province's lowest-paid workers, liquor servers, are getting a pay boost to match the general minimum wage that's also set to increase in June. Labour Minister Harry Bains says he's proud to put an end to the discriminatory lower minimum wage for liquor servers, 80 per cent of whom are women. The province says liquor servers earning minimum wage will make $15.20 an hour, up from $13.95, effective June 1. The general minimum wage is increasing by 60 cents from $14.60 an hour, and the minimum rates for live-in camp leaders and resident caretakers are also

ICBC is on track to mail out all 2.86 million cheques by the end of this month to customers eligible for a share of $600 million in COVID-19-related rebates. Two weeks ago, ICBC began mailing small batches of COVID-19 rebate cheques directly to eligible customers. Large-scale distribution through the vendor started April 6 and, as of Thursday, April 8, approximately 940,000 cheques have been issued. ICBC is proceeding with its third-party vendor, with extra security measures in place, to print and distribute the vast majority of the remaining COVID-19 rebate cheques. This large mailout, origin

Police say a two-year investigation into an organized crime group has led to charges linked to drugs and firearms against a pair of men, one from Burnaby, and another from Surrey. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says investigators executed two search warrants leading to the seizure of items including a loaded semi-automatic handgun, a rifle, 200 rounds of ammunition and drugs such as cocaine and heroin, along with over 100,000 dollars in cash. The unit says the money, as well as three vehicles and jewelry from a home have been referred to the province's civil forfeiture office. A

BC's education minister says she understands that rising COVID-19 case numbers have parents anxious about potential spread to schools but she believes there's no need to close them because the province's comprehensive safety plans are working. Jennifer Whiteside says health authorities and school districts are working together to keep students in school because it's important for them to maintain connections there. But teachers in the Fraser Health region are calling for a hybrid in-class and online learning model as variants rise, and they want masks to be mandatory for all students, not jus