A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled that a man who stabbed three people during a Vancouver Chinatown festival in 2023 is not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder. Justice Eric Gottardi delivered the decision Friday, saying the law does not convict people for acts committed while they are mentally ill. The ruling concerns 67-year-old Blair Donnelly, whose trial heard he believed he was acting under divine instruction when he carried out the attack last September. Court testimony showed Donnelly had asked the Holy Spirit for a sign not to proceed, but said he “wanted to obey God”

Patients across the Fraser Valley will soon benefit from faster and more accurate diagnostic imaging as Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre undergoes a $4.95 million upgrade to its MRI unit. The project aims to enhance imaging quality and reduce wait times for residents needing critical scans. During the construction period, a mobile MRI unit will remain on site to ensure uninterrupted service. The hospital’s existing MRI scanner, which has surpassed its expected lifespan, will be fully refurbished using its original magnet – the most energy-intensive component to produce – wh

High winds and torrential rains knocked out power to several parts of British Columbia overnight as a frontal system pushed south, prompting more warnings from Environment Canada. BC Hydro says thousands of people were without power on Vancouver Island, the central Interior and in northern B.C. as the system moved past, although crews had managed to get the lights back on to all but a few thousand by this morning. Environment Canada says both Terrace and Kitimat received the most rain at 95 millimetres each, while wind gusts reached 87 km/h in Prince George and 93 km/h in Bella Bella. The stro

Richmond RCMP are investigating a serious single-vehicle crash that sent one person to hospital Thursday morning. Police say a light blue Honda Fit was travelling west on Alderbridge Way around 7:30 a.m. when it collided with a light pole in the 7800 block. The driver was taken to hospital in critical but stable condition. Investigators from the Richmond RCMP Criminal Collision Investigation Team remain on scene, with assistance from the Lower Mainland Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service. Officers have closed Alderbridge Way between No. 3 Road and Minoru Boulevard while th

Coquitlam RCMP say a former B.C. correctional officer has been charged with two counts of breach of trust following an investigation that began more than two years ago. Police began the investigation in September 2022 after receiving information related to alleged misconduct involving an employee at the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam. The B.C. Prosecution Service has since approved two charges against Abbotsford resident Ramandeep Rai (née Bassi). According to RCMP, the first alleged offence occurred between July 14 and September 29, 2022, and the second between September 11 a

The North Vancouver RCMP has a new Officer-in-Charge. Superintendent Peri Mainwaring has been appointed to lead the detachment, bringing more than three decades of policing experience with the RCMP. Mainwaring began her career in Saskatchewan and has served in municipal, provincial and federal roles across the country. Before her latest promotion, she was the Community Programs Officer with the Burnaby RCMP, where she helped strengthen community safety initiatives and led work on mental health and crisis intervention. Her connection to North Vancouver is longstanding — Mainwaring previously

Interior Health is planning a pilot project that would use virtual emergency care to help keep small hospitals in British Columbia’s Interior open during staffing shortages. The proposal would link hospitals in Clearwater, Nakusp, Lillooet, and Princeton, allowing physicians to share responsibilities through a combination of on-site and remote support. Interior Health says the four facilities face similar challenges, with low overnight patient volumes but frequent service interruptions due to limited staffing. The health authority says it is consulting with local doctors and staff to determi

British Columbia's health minister says she is concerned about a "growing amount of misinformation and disinformation" related to vaccines as the province rolls out its campaign for the respiratory illness season. Josie Osborne says much of the false and misleading information is coming from outside Canada, particularly the United States. She told a news conference on Wednesday that false claims about vaccines undermine confidence in proven public health measures in B.C., where officials base their decisions on strong scientific evidence and expert medical advice. Osborne says the false inform

Communities across coastal and central British Columbia are being warned to brace for a series of storms expected to bring powerful winds, heavy rainfall and rising river levels through the end of the week. The province’s Ministry of Emergency Management said the weather system is forecast to begin Thursday, with residents urged to prepare for possible power outages, travel disruptions and localized flooding. Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for northern Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and much of the central and northern coast, with gusts expected to reach between 90 and 110 kilom