British Columbia jails have been added to the growing list of sites behind picket lines as public service workers escalate job action. The B.C. General Employees' Union says in a release that all its remaining unionized staff at adult correctional facilities across the province are now on strike. The union says the escalation brings the total number of work sites behind pickets to more than 470, with about 25,000 workers taking strike action across 20 ministries, Crown corporations and agencies. Union president Paul Finch says the escalation is due to the government's "lack of urgency" in comi

British Columbia's Conservation Officer Service is warning residents after a bear attack this week in the Squamish area north of Vancouver. The service says a woman was walking her dog in the Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area on Wednesday when she was attacked by a sow with its cubs. The woman only got a minor injury. The Conservation Officer Service says people should avoid the trail network at the Squamish Wildlife Management Area and, if they go, keep their dogs on a leash. The public has also been reminded to make noise while hiking, to carry bear spray and to never approach or fee

British Columbia's coroners service say 153 people died in July from unregulated toxic drugs and another 149 deaths occurred in August. Those numbers are up slightly from the previous two months when the service reported 145 people died in May and 147 people died in June A government statement says the number of unregulated drug deaths in July and August amounted to almost five people a day. The coroners service says the highest number of deaths so far this year were in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities, making up more than half of the province's total. More than two thirds o

The New Westminster Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect responsible for drawing swastikas on vehicles. The first incident is believed to have occurred overnight on October 3rd with the victim reporting he found a swastika drawn on his vehicle the following morning. The vehicle was parked in the 1100 block of Nanaimo Street. While investigating the vandalism, officers located an additional vehicle that had been vandalized. The second incident was reported to police on October 6th. A resident called police to say that he located a swastika drawn on his

Charges have been laid against a man in relation to a hit-and-run in Prince George, B.C., that killed one cyclist and injured another who had been training for a local police and cancer fundraising event. RCMP say the accused, Thomas Phillips, faces multiple charges, including impaired driving causing death and failure to remain at the scene of an accident. The two cyclists were hit on July 7 as they trained for the Cops for Cancer Tour de North fundraising race, and Prince George RCMP confirmed later that one of the riders died. Police say the victim, Shane Kelly, had been involved in multipl

Police in West Kelowna, B.C., are investigating after unknown suspects tried to steal an automated teller machine from a bank by ripping it out of the wall at a bank. RCMP say the theft happened at about 4:26 a.m. after someone called police about possible mischief outside a bank in the 5500 block of Clements Crescent. Police say arriving officers found a scene that indicated the suspects had used a pickup truck and a front-loader to rip the ATM deposit box from the building's outside wall before fleeing. Officers were able to recover the stolen deposit box a short time later when it was found

A regional district in the British Columbia Interior has declared a state of local emergency as an illegal dam threatens to burst. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has already issued an evacuation alert for 14 properties down river from the dam and says the emergency declaration will allow it to take action to mitigate the flood risk. The district said on Tuesday that the unauthorized, man-made dam on Fadear Lake could fail and create "an uncontrolled release of water" into Fadear Creek in an area about 13 kilometres north of Sun Peaks Mountain. Residents in homes along Fadear Creek were

On the two-year anniversary of his disappearance, White Rock RCMP is renewing their plea for information about Justin Fisher. On October 8, 2023, White Rock RCMP received a report of found property and determined it belonged to Justin Kyle Fisher. The last known sighting of Justin Fisher was in White Rock, BC in the 15000 block of Marine Drive, on October 7, 2023. His backpack containing his belongings was found in the water about 100 metres offshore by a kayaker on October 8, 2023. Based on our investigation, we do not believe there is any criminality associated to his disappearance. As the i

All remaining British Columbia-run liquor and cannabis stores in the province are now behind picket lines as public service workers step up union job action. The escalation by the BC General Employees' Union also includes all Service BC workers, raising the total number of members participating in job action to almost 25,000. Private liquor and cannabis stores in B.C. remain open, but they are supplied by provincial government distribution warehouses that are also behind picket lines. Service BC provides residents with services related to drivers licensing, income and disability ass