The B.C. government is facing a challenging situation as the contracts of 400,000 public sector workers are set to expire this year, in both the spring and fall. Amid fiscal issues and potential tariffs from the Trump administration, the province will need to negotiate new contracts with unions regarding wages and other demands. These workers include nurses, hospital staff, and post-secondary school instructors and support staff. The challenge comes as the provincial government projects a $9.4-billion deficit for this fiscal year and has pledged to take steps to reduce it. The nurses’ union

B.C.’s opposition leader John Rustad has voiced support for deporting Zain Haq to Pakistan for allegedly violating his study permit. Haq is accused of participating in protests instead of focusing on his studies. In 2021, Haq was arrested along with 17 others during a demonstration on Burrard Bridge that disrupted traffic, including access to St. Paul’s Hospital. Rustad emphasized that individuals coming to B.C. to study should not break the law. Zain Haq, a prominent climate activist in B.C., was ordered deported on January 25. He and his wife Sophie are appealing to Immigration Minister

Police in Kamloops, B.C., say they seized guns and a "significant" amounts of drugs after finding a man sleeping inside a running vehicle at a restaurant parking lot. A statement from the RCMP says officers saw "numerous weapons" in plain view as they approached the truck Monday to check on the driver. Police say they found a loaded handgun, ammunition, and body armour, along with a modified rifle and loaded magazines. Supt. Jeff Pelley says police also seized more than 1.5 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and 85 grams of cocaine. The statement says the man in his late 30s was arrested and rele

A man has died after being shot in what Delta, B.C., police call a targeted attack. A statement from the Delta Police Department says officers are now treating the shooting of 29-year-old Delta resident Gurvinder Uppal as a homicide. Officers say they were called Monday to a shooting at a home in Delta where Uppal was injured and he later died in hospital. Police say a white Ford pickup truck left the scene after the shooting and was located a short time later on fire. They say the shooting is the first homicide in Delta in 2025 and that the community recorded no homicides last year. Delta pol

B.C.'s David Eby government has announced that if Trump implements tariffs starting Feb. 1, the province will target products from Republican-controlled U.S. states. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey said British Columbia will respond in kind if Trump moves forward with tariffs. She did not name any specific U.S. products but pointed to a press conference held by Eby last week, in which he indicated that U.S. alcohol sold in B.C. liquor stores, Florida orange juice sold in B.C. grocery stores, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles sold in the province would be targeted. Bailey said she wants to reiter

Abjeet Kingra, a Winnipeg resident facing charges related to the shooting at Punjabi singer AP Dhillon’s home in Colwood, B.C., was denied bail by a Victoria court on Wednesday. He will remain in custody until the case is resolved. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Vikram Sharma, another suspect in the case. Police reported that Sharma, who was residing in Winnipeg, is believed to have fled to India. The incident occurred on September 2 last year, when AP Dhillon’s Colwood home on Vancouver Island was shot at, and two vehicles parked in the driveway were set on fire. Kingra was a

British Columbia Premier David Eby says U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has made a "declaration of economic war" on Canada and B.C. with his proposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods. Eby and Finance Minister Brenda Bailey released costings that suggest the tariffs and a similar response from Canada would cumulatively cost B.C. $69 billion by 2028. The costings also estimate 124,000 fewer jobs in the province by 2028 and that the unemployment rate would rise to 7.1 per cent next year.

BC Premier David Eby has voiced support for the federal government’s plan to counter Trump’s proposed tariffs. The plan includes possible export taxes or targeted restrictions on Canadian supplies of key goods to the United States. Eby emphasized that the premiers are united in their commitment to eliminating interprovincial trade barriers and exploring trade partnerships beyond the U.S. However, while most premiers oppose Trump’s tariffs and support measures like banning exports of certain goods to the U.S., Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has declined to back the federal plan. Smith st

Former B.C. premier Christy Clark will not run in the Liberal leadership race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, she said Tuesday. Sources tell Clark was “emotional” telling her core team about her decision on a conference call. “I have made the difficult decision to step back,” Clark wrote in an email sent to her supporters. Clark had expressed interest in running for the leadership, but has faced criticism for walking back claims about whether or not she joined the Conservative party three years ago to vote in its leadership race.