CanadaJun 07, 2021
'Dark day:' Police say five pedestrians run down in London, Ont., targeted as Muslims
The mayor of London, Ontario says a man who allegedly drove a car into a family standing on a street corner committed an act of ``mass murder.'' Police say the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith and they have assigned a special team of investigators who deal with hate crimes. Mayor Ed Holder says such an act of hatred must be followed by acts of compassion and solidarity with Muslims. Two women aged 74 and 44, a 46 year old man and a 15 year old girl were killed, and a 9 year old boy was seriously injured. Police have charged 20 year old Nathaniel Veltman with four counts of
CanadaJun 07, 2021
Moderna seeks Health Canada’s approval for COVID-19 vaccine use in kids 12 and up
Moderna is applying to Health Canada today for its COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for use in teenagers. The Massachusetts-based company says a trial of 2,500 youth aged 12 to 17 in the United States indicated the vaccine was 93 per cent to 100 per cent effective against COVID-19.Moderna is the second vaccine maker to apply for approval for youth; the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized for kids as young as 16 in December and for youth 12 to 15 years old in May. Both companies continue to test their vaccines on children as young as six months with hopes to apply for authorization by the fa
BCJun 05, 2021
Rollout of second COVID-19 vaccine doses in B.C. leads to busy month
Health officials in British Columbia say they are gearing up for a busy month as the province works on the rollout of its second doses of COVID-19 vaccinations. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that 72.4 per cent of all adults in B.C. have received a first dose of a vaccine. They say clinics will be busy dealing with second doses as well as the province's vaccination program for those 12 and older. B.C. recorded 183 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, for a total of 145,049 cases since the pandemic began. It's the fourth straight
CanadaJun 04, 2021
Economy lost 68,000 jobs in May, unemployment rate 8.2%, Statistics Canada says
Statistics Canada says the economy lost 68,000 jobs in May as lockdowns to slow the spread of COVID-19 continued.The losses marked the second consecutive month of declines after 207,000 jobs were lost in April.The unemployment rate was 8.2 per cent in May, little changed from the 8.1 per cent in April because the number of unemployed people in Canada overall stayed relatively steady.What changed is that more people dropped out of the labour force in May, including workers who simply got discouraged and gave up looking for work.The statistics office says there were 49,700 discouraged job-searc
BCJun 04, 2021
If your first vaccine in B.C. was AstraZeneca, the second shot is your choice: Dr. Bonnie Henry
British Columbia residents who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be able to choose if they want to stay with the same shot or take one of the other options. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this year made ``the right choice'' in getting vaccinated, and helped to ease the COVID-19 caseload in the province. She says research has shown that it is safe and effective to mix and match the COVID-19 vaccine options. Dr. Henry also said the province is having issues maintaining a steady supply of the Moderna vaccine, meaning
BCJun 03, 2021
Police 'amazed' as four customers thwart armed bank robbery in Abbotsford, B.C.
Police say a suspect is in custody after customers in a bank in British Columbia refused to obey orders from a shotgun-brandishing robber and tackled him.
A statement from Abbotsford police says a man entered the Scotiabank branch just before noon yesterday and ordered customers to the floor.
As he threw bags onto a counter and demanded money, police say one customer confronted him and three more stepped up. The four tackled the man, disarmed him and held him until officers arrived minutes later.
No one was hurt and Sgt. Judy Bird says a 46-year-old man is facing robbery and firearms-related
BCJun 03, 2021
B.C. health officials say return to normal life may cause anxiety to some people
Health officials say British Columbia's COVID-19 restart plan will be a slow, cautious progression to normal life, but they acknowledge it may cause anxiety or fear in some people. In a news release Wednesday, Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say many others are excited about the transition and people will be able to progress along with the restart plan or in a slower, more gradual process. Dix and Henry say people must be mindful of communities that are assessing their own risks and take time to welcome back visitors. They also say businesses will be r
CanadaJun 02, 2021
U.N. seeks full probe into death of Indigenous students at residential schools
The United Nations Human Rights Office is calling on all levels of Canadian governments to investigate the deaths of Indigenous children at residential schools and to intensity efforts to find those who are missing. A spokeswoman for the human rights office says the detection of what are believed to be 215 bodies of Indigenous children at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., is ``shocking and reopens painful wounds.''Marta Hurtado says Canada must ensure ``prompt and exhaustive investigations'' into the deaths and search any unmarked graves. She says healing will only be possible on
BCJun 02, 2021
70 per cent of B.C.'s eligible adults have first shot of COVID-19 vaccine
British Columbia health officials say about 70 per cent of eligible adults in the province have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Officials say in a news release that they will be following the National Advisory Committee on Immunization guidelines on mixing and matching vaccines. They say those who got a first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can now receive either the same one, Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for their second shot. Officials say more information will be given later this week on second doses for those who received AstraZeneca for their first shot. The provinc