The BC Centre for Disease Control says it is comparing the genetic features of a local teenager's avian flu case with that of a Louisiana patient who died earlier this week. Clinical microbiologist Dr. Agatha Jassem, co-program head of the virology lab at the BCCDC Public Health Laboratory, says they want to understand how the viruses in the two cases are related to each other, as well as to viruses circulating in birds. This will help to assess how easily it adapts and transmits between animals and humans. Both cases are related to viruses detected in wild birds and poultry. While th

Mounties in British Columbia say officers have seized more than $1.7 million worth of contraband tobacco after executing a search warrant at a property in Langford. West Shore RCMP say in a news release that the warrant was granted in relation to suspected trafficking of the tobacco, and was executed by officers on Dec. 30 at a residential property on Setchfield Ave. Police say they seized about 17,100 cartons, containing more than 171,000 packs of contraband cigarettes. Todd Preston, superintendent in charge of West Shore RCMP, says it was the "largest seizure of illicit tobacco" by the depar

Mounties in Chilliwack, B.C., say a person was struck and killed by a train near an overpass in the city early this morning. They say officers responded to a report of a pedestrian struck near the Yale Road Overpass and McIntosh Drive around 3:19 a.m. Police say first responders at the scene found the body and have determined the victim was female. They say she has not yet been identified. The RCMP say the incident does not appear to be suspicious, but police are working to figure out who she was. They say the investigation is also being done in partnership with the BC Coroners Service.

B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad has criticized Premier David Eby's government for the state of health care in the province. Rustad highlighted a recent incident at a Victoria hospital where a mother waited 14 hours in the emergency room for her sick child, who had a high fever. He called the situation unacceptable and accused Eby's government of prioritizing its own interests over addressing the public's needs. Rustad claimed that B.C.'s health services have deteriorated to an alarming level and emphasized the need for urgent, major reforms to improve the system.

B.C. has reported its first case of avian flu in 2025, confirmed in the Fraser Valley. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that bird flu was detected at a commercial facility in Abbotsford yesterday. The number of infected chickens in the province has now surpassed 8.5 million, according to the latest figures on the CFIA website. The federal agency also emphasized that the virus poses no food safety risk, as it does not spread to humans through properly cooked poultry and eggs.

A new home-flipping tax in British Columbia will go into effect on January 1, 2025. Under the new rules, profits from homes sold within two years will be taxed. If a person buys and sells a new home within one year, they will be required to pay a 20% tax on their profits. If the home is sold after 18 months, the tax will be reduced to 10%. Homes sold after two years will be exempt from the home-flipping tax. Exemption will also be made in cases of divorce, job loss, or changes in family circumstances. The provincial government introduced this measure to crack down on speculators who purchase

A letter sent to the editor of The New England Journal of Medicine signed by Canadian health officials says the British Columbia teenager who tested positive for avian flu has been taken off of supplemental oxygen and is no longer infectious. The letter, which was published Tuesday and provides a summary and timeline of the case, was signed by doctors from the BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Children’s Hospital, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and B.C.'s agriculture ministry. It says the patient was a 13-year-old girl who went to a B.C. emergency room on Nov. 4 with a fever and conjunc

A man has been charged with allegedly assaulting a nurse at a Metro Vancouver hospital in an incident police say left her seriously injured last month. Police in Port Moody say a charge of assault causing bodily harm has been approved against a 41-year-old man with no fixed address. He is scheduled to appear in court in Port Coquitlam on Feb. 10. Investigators say the man was arrested after officers responded to a call at Eagle Ridge Hospital on Nov. 20 about a discharged patient who allegedly attacked a female nurse. Police say they arrested the man immediately after the alleged attack. The s

Online predators are becoming increasingly resourceful in trolling media platforms where children gravitate, prompting an explosion in police case loads, said an officer who works for the RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Unit in British Columbia. Data show the problem spiked during COVID-19 when children began spending more time online but rates did not wane as police anticipated after lockdowns ended. In B.C., they soared, almost quadrupling from 2021 to 2023. Const. Solana Pare is now warning exploitation of children is likely here to stay, as a technological race between police and preda