Rule changes designed to reduce opioid overdose deaths in British Columbia in 2016 inadvertently harmed cancer and palliative-care patients by reducing their access to pain killers, a new study has found. The study published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal describes the impact of a practice standard issued by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. that June, about two months after the province declared a public health emergency over opioid deaths. The rule changes were designed to mitigate prescription drug misuse, including the over-prescribing of opioids among p

A ban on open fires will take effect in BC’s Kamloops Fire Centre area starting May 16. This means that trash piles, grass or other similar materials cannot be burned in the open. Municipalities follow the BC Wildfire Service’s restrictions but can impose different restrictions based on local conditions. Anyone found violating the open fire ban can be fined $1,150, up to $10,000 depending on the offence. If convicted in court, the fine can be up to $100,000 and a year in prison. If an open fire causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible can be ordered to extinguish the

A patient threatened staff members with a gun at Burnaby Hospital on Friday night, prompting the BC Hospital Employees Union to issue a warning. According to the union, the incident occurred due to a lack of security guards. Although no one was injured during the incident, the safety of the staff has become a matter of concern. The union says that along with the recruitment of doctors and nurses in the province, it is also necessary to recruit security guards. They said that such incidents have occurred in many hospitals in this area, due to which the staff is worried about their safety.

B.C.’s Pattulo Bridge is being completely closed over the long weekend. It will take effect at 9 p.m. on Friday, May 16, and will reopen at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20. Fraser Crossing Partners said in a notice that roadworks will be underway, which will cause the bridge to be closed. Drivers are being advised to take the Port Man or Alex Fraser Bridges during this time. The N-19 night bus route will also be rerouted, so commuters may face delays of up to half an hour. However, cyclists and pedestrians will not be affected. Officials say it will be closed for the duration of the repairs. A n

British Columbia's latest snowpack and water supply bulletin says drier, warmer weather last month has contributed to an early melt, raising concern for widespread drought this summer. By early May, the bulletin says about five per cent of B.C.'s annual snowpack has typically melted, but 15 per cent had melted by the start of this month. The bulletin from the province says snowpack was an average of 71 per cent of normal as of May 1, decreasing from 79 per cent of normal on April 1. The figure is slightly higher than last year, when B.C.'s snowpack was an average of 66 per cent of what would b

B-C Highway Patrol says one of its unmarked vehicles was involved in a crash that diverted traffic on the Coquihalla Highway for nine hours this weekend.Police say the crash happened Saturday morning between an unmarked police pickup truck and another pickup, which were both going north towards Kamloops.   Investigators say they've spoken with witnesses and gathered dashcam footage, but they're still on the hunt for more people who may have seen the crash.   Police say the vehicles were both badly damaged.The officer, and a 21-year-old woman and her 19-year-old passenger, both from

District of North Vancouver Fire Chief Mike Danks says it took fire crews from all over the north shore to get a fire at a seniors complex under control on Saturday.   Danks says crews from the district, the city and from West Vancouver all pitched in after the fire broke out at the Lynn Valley apartment complex, trapping residents on their balconies. The chief says there was a fatal fire at the same building years back, and it was under renovation for earlier damage. Danks says the cause of the fire is unknown, and 36 displaced residents have been housed in temporary accommodations as i

Richmond R-C-M-P say they believe emails sent to a local news agency and staff at the Vancouver International Airport yesterday about a bomb on a plane were a malicious hoax.Mounties say the threat Sunday was taken seriously, but a sweep of the flight found no evidence of an explosive device. Police say the flight was delayed, but airport operations were only minimally affected.They say they believe the emails were part of a so-called `swatting'' call, where false threats are called into law enforcement to provoke a police response.

Premier David Ebby government’s proposed Bill 15, which would speed up approvals for new schools and hospitals in the province, will not receive support from the Green Party. West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jeremy Valeriott says the provincial government wants to take more power through Bill 15. He said that we agree that unnecessary red tape should be eliminated to speed up the development of hospitals, schools and other public infrastructure, but with Bill 15 as it stands, we are concerned that the government could bypass environmental assessments, municipal authorities and First Nations ju