RCMP on Vancouver Island say will increase their presence around the Cowichan District Hospital as they investigate reports of multiple sexual assaults outside the building. North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP say were made aware of sexual assaults believed to have taken placed between Nov. 2 and Nov. 17 near the grounds of the hospital. Mounties say they're looking to speak to any potential victims. In the meantime, police say uniformed officers in marked police vehicles will increase their patrols of the property.

BC is reporting 538 new cases of COVID-19 with most still coming from the Fraser and Vancouver health regions. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the province now has 6,929 active cases. 217 people are in hospital, including 59 in intensive care. Dr. Henry says there is also one addition death, bringing the total to 321. Details of COVID-19 restrictions in B.C. B.C. is introducing new far-reaching limits on social gatherings, travel and mandatory masks in response to surging COVID-19 case numbers and record hospitalizations. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said today t

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the LNG Canada Project work site in Kitimat. Northern Health says it declared the outbreak after officials found evidence of COVID-19 transmission among staff at the site. It says 14 employees have tested positive so far and all cases occurred in the same general work location. It says those workers and close contacts have been told to self-isolate, with 32 in quarantine at the work site and the rest isolating in their home community.

The border officer who led the examination of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver's airport before her arrest two years ago says he can't recall whose idea it was to collect the passcodes to her phones. Sowmith Katragadda told a B.C. Supreme Court hearing he asked another officer to collect the codes from Meng but can't remember if the order came from one of his supervisors or if it was his own idea. Katragadda is testifying as part of an evidence-gathering hearing in Meng's extradition case. Her lawyers are collecting information to support an abuse of process argument in court next y

Six people have been arrested after RCMP in Richmond, B.C., conducted a series of raids on what they say were drug labs. Police say in a news release they uncovered hundreds of thousands of doses of suspected illegal drugs, six weapons and three pill presses. The weapons found ranged from handguns to carbine-style rifles, and police say they also discovered cash and high-end items believed to be proceeds of crime. Mounties say they began their investigating into suspected drug labs back in March, culminating in arrests on Oct. 28. Police say drug labs pose a significant threat to public safet

Police suspect a deadly batch of drugs may be circulating in Surrey, B.C. A statement from Surrey RCMP says three people have died within 12 hours in the city and fatal overdoses are suspected in each case. Investigators say there do not appear to be any other connections between the victims. The statement says it is dangerous to use non-prescription drugs purchased from unregulated sources but anyone who makes that choice should follow several safety measures. Those measures include not using them alone and being careful about dosage size. Police say users should also have a naloxone kit cap

BC has recorded 762 new cases of COVID-19, another record as the province battles a second wave of infections. Health officials are also reporting 10 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 320. The province currently has 6,861 active cases of COVID-19, including 209 individuals who are hospitalized. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says BC needs to put the brakes on COVID-19 because the second surge is putting a strain on the health-care system, workplaces and everyone. The health authorities in a joint statement said, "This second surge is putting a strain on our health-care s

Premier John Horgan wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to tell people to stay in their own provinces until a COVID-19 vaccine is available. Horgan says he's not asking for federal travel restrictions but says the connection between travel and the spread of COVID-19 needs to be addressed nationally. He says he plans to bring up his proposal at the first ministers' meetings this week. The premier says he's confident Trudeau will agree to tell Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel between provinces.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan says a proposed two-week quarantine for anyone travelling to Vancouver Island may not be the best way to proceed. Horgan was commenting on a proposal from Dr. Richard Stanwick, the chief medical officer for Vancouver Island, on limiting the potential spread of COVID-19 through mandatory quarantines. The premier says he will let provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry determine whether the plan should be implemented, but he says a quarantine plan may not be the right approach. Dr. Stanwick says in an interview that roughly half of the COVID-19 cases on V