With the B.C. election campaign entering its final week, Conservative Leader John Rustad is doubling down on promises aimed at winning over voters in Surrey, including a pledge to build a new Children’s Hospital complete with an emergency ward, ICU, and maternity unit. Rustad made the announcement over the long weekend as part of a series of high-profile commitments, including his proposed “Rustad rebate” that would exempt up to $3,000 a month in rent or mortgage payments from provincial taxes and a plan to scrap the carbon tax entirely. He also vowed to eliminate the province’s nearly

Seven Vancouver Police Department (VPD) officers involved in the 2015 death of Myles Gray have been cleared of misconduct by a police discipline authority, though the case remains under review by the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC). Gray, 33, died following a violent altercation with police in Burnaby nearly nine years ago. A coroner’s inquest last year classified his death as a homicide, citing multiple injuries and police restraint methods that contributed to cardiopulmonary arrest. The inquest heard Gray suffered neck compression, blunt force trauma, pepper spray expos

British Columbians eager to cast their ballots early can begin voting today at hundreds of advance polling locations across the province, as the 2025 provincial election heads into its final phase. Elections BC says 343 advance voting places will operate during two periods — from today through October 13, and again on October 15 and 16. However, not all sites will be open every day. Voting hours are set from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and eligible voters can find their nearest location using the “where-to-vote” card mailed to them or through the Elections BC website. The election is shaping up to

Political leaders across British Columbia and Canada are condemning what they describe as hate-filled and extremist rhetoric at a pro-Palestinian rally in downtown Vancouver, where a masked speaker led chants supporting groups designated as terrorist organizations. Videos posted online show a woman addressing hundreds gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Monday night, chanting “we are Hezbollah and we are Hamas” and calling for “death to Canada, death to the United States, and death to Israel.” Some attendees were also seen burning Canadian flags. The event, organized by the group

A 28-year-old man from the Cowichan Valley has been charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run earlier this year that claimed the life of a teenage girl in Duncan. North Cowichan–Duncan RCMP said the man is facing one count of failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing death. The charge was approved by the B.C. Prosecution Service following what investigators described as a lengthy and complex investigation. Police were called to the Trans-Canada Highway near Duncan on April 18, where they discovered a 17-year-old girl dead at the scene. The suspect vehicle was not found at the

A U.S. federal court has sentenced a 27-year-old Kelowna man to 18 months in prison for using false identities to purchase firearms in Montana with the intent to smuggle them into Canada. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana says Haptei John Kozak pleaded guilty earlier this year to four counts of making false statements during firearm transactions. District Court Judge Donald Molloy also imposed a $10,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and ordered Kozak to forfeit 12 firearms seized during the investigation. Prosecutors said Kozak used a fake Montana driver’s licence and falsif

Canadian border officers in British Columbia have intercepted large quantities of methamphetamine intended for export to Australia, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed this week. Between March and August, officers made 60 separate seizures totalling nearly 400 kilograms of crystal meth and about 1,300 litres of liquid methamphetamine. The CBSA says the largest single seizure occurred in June at the Fraser Surrey Dock, southeast of Vancouver, when officers discovered the liquid form of the drug during a one-day inspection operation. Other seizures of crystal meth took place at se

Leaders of British Columbia’s three main political parties will meet tonight for the province’s only televised debate before voters head to the polls on October 19. The 90-minute debate, airing from 6:30 to 8 p.m., will provide a final opportunity for candidates to make their case directly to the public as advance voting begins Friday. Early voting will take place from October 10 to 13 and again from October 15 to 16 across the province. The leaders previously clashed in a radio debate last week, exchanging sharp words over affordability, health care, and the opioid crisis — three of the

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad is facing criticism after a video surfaced of him referencing “Nuremberg 2.0,” a conspiracy theory suggesting public health officials should face trial for pandemic-era restrictions. Rustad now says his remarks were “misunderstood” and that comparing COVID-19 measures to Nazi Germany or the Holocaust is “deeply disrespectful to the memory of those who suffered.” The clarification came after a recording from July 2024 resurfaced, showing Rustad telling members of the B.C. Public Service Employees for Freedom group that his party would “certainl