As wildfires continue to burn from northwest Ontario to British Columbia, Canada is getting help from near and far, and very far. Southern Highlands - New South Wales Rural Fire Service in Australia says a 96-personnel-strong Australian contingent of firefighters and specialists have deployed to Canada for five weeks. The service says the deployment is in response to a request from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says in a tweet that, "When our mates need help, Australia is there." A post on social media platform X from the official accou

An early season hot spell that has brought temperatures approaching 40 Celsius to parts of southern British Columbia, breaking more than a dozen daily heat records, won't be lifting until at least tomorrow. Lytton saw temperatures peak at 39.3 C on Sunday, making it the hottest spot in the country and breaking a daily record set two years ago. Also among the 15 daily records set Sunday were temperatures of 31.7 C in Nanaimo and 32.3 C in Pitt Meadows, both breaking high marks set in 1903. Environment Canada says the "early season heat event" will last into the week in Howe Sound, Whistler, Pem

The BC Wildfire Service says the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire in the province's northeast has merged with another blaze, increasing its size "substantially." It says the fire is now more than 610 square kilometres in size and is considered an out-of-control wildfire of note. The Peace River Regional District says the fire poses an "immediate danger to life safety" and issued an evacuation order Sunday for the area approximately nine kilometres west of the Buckinghorse River, and around the Redfern Trail down toward Redfern Lake. The regional district issued earlier evacuation orders due to the

Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, has issued a statement on the release of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey for May 2025. Minister's statement “Now, more than ever, it’s critical for B.C. to focus on diversifying our economy and protecting jobs for British Columbians, and we are doing that work. “This week, we announced the launch of our ease-of-doing-business review, to continue the work to cut red tape, modernize our regulatory and permitting systems, and foster innovation, as we secure B.C.’s position as the engine of Canada’s new eco

Environment Canada is warning of an "early season heat event" bringing elevated temperatures to most of southern British Columbia that will persist from Saturday into early next week. The weather office has issued more than 30 special weather statements, saying a ridge of high pressure is bringing temperatures that could reach the low 30s on the coast and the mid-30s inland. It says the impact of early season heat "can be significant due to the lack of acclimatization to elevated temperatures." The weather statements span the Lower Mainland, the Okanagan, Whistler, parts of Vancouver Island an

The Board of Governors at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) has appointed Dr. Bruce Choy as the university’s next President and Vice-Chancellor, effective Sept. 2. Dr. Choy, an adjunct professor with the University of Toronto and chair of the George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology’s Board of Governors, will replace Dr. Alan Davis, who steps down as KPU President on Aug. 31 after 13 years. “Dr. Choy brings an incredible depth and breadth of leadership experience to KPU from both the private sector and the post-secondary sector that will be invaluable in guiding KPU thro

BC government delegation to launch trade mission to Europe. The mission aims to attract investment to the province and boost trade with Europe. The delegation, which is heading to Europe from June 9 to June 14, includes BC Jobs Minister Diana Gibson and Minister of State for Trade Rick Glumack. They will participate in three major tech conferences on the world stage, where B.C.-made technologies and agricultural technology will be promoted. These include London Tech Week, the GreenTech in Amsterdam and the VivaTech conferences in Paris. The mission to Europe comes as Premier David Eby is wor

Peel Regional Police say investigators from the 21 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau have charged five individuals with multiple firearms and drug related offences. Peel police shared: Following a lengthy investigation, on June 1, 2025, police executed a search warrant at a residence in Brampton that resulted in the seizure of two semi-automatic handguns. Approximately $30,000 in Canadian currency along with a quantity of illicit drugs believed to be fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamines and heroin were seized from the residence. As a result, the following individuals were arrested and char

For the first time in at least six years, the Victoria Day long weekend did not have a single fatality on BC roads. BC Highway Patrol released the stats for the high risk driving and motorcycle awareness month. According to the BC Highway Patrol, the high number of tickets shows that there’s still work to do to make BC highways safer as we look back on the High Risk Driving and Motorcycle Awareness Campaigns for May 2025. BC Highway Patrol shared: We had a lot of positive public feedback about the impact of BC Highway Patrol’s high-visibility enforcement, and we’re very happy to do our p