Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has invoked the Emergencies Act to bring to an end to antigovernment blockades he says are illegal and not about peaceful protest. Trudeau says the act will be used to protect critical infrastructure such as borders and airports from the blockades, and is creating time-limited powers that do not already exist. This is the first time the Emergencies Act has been invoked since it came into force in 1988. Trudeau says the act will be used to protect critical infrastructure such as borders and airports, and is creating time-limited powers that do not already

A joint investigation between the Victoria Police Department and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC) has now led to criminal charges against three men.In June 2020, Victoria Police Department’s "Strike Force" unit identified an organized crime group trafficking fentanyl in Victoria. As the investigation progressed it was determined the crime group had ties to the Lower Mainland. In August 2020, acting on this information, CFSEU-BC’s Anti-Trafficking Task Force (ATTF), and Victoria Police Department’s Strike Force collaborated to begin a joint investigation dubbe

RCMP say one of two victims injured in a shooting in Surrey late Tuesday night has now died. Police say an unnamed man has died and the woman who was with him when their car was hit by gunfire remains in serious condition. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken over the case. No arrests have been made and the RCMP said yesterday that the shooting is related to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict.

BC's chief coroner says the status quo of making illicit drugs a crime has been an abject and costly failure and officials have to admit it won't stop overdose deaths. A coroner's report released today says 2,224 people died of suspected overdose deaths last year in BC, a jump of 26 per cent from the year before. Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says making illicit drugs a crime has created chaos in communities, killed thousands across the country and made enormous profits for the drug trade. She says it's hard to see why anyone would think it was an effective system because it has resulted in sha

B.C. is reporting 1,117 new cases of COVID-19, including five new epi-linked cases, for a total of 335,042 cases in the province.There are 24,372 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 306,888 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 986 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 146 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. The new/active cases include:189 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 9,711180 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 4,355376 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active

Saskatchewan is the first province in the country to announce a plan to lift all COVID-19 restrictions. Premier Scott Moe's government is going to drop its vaccine passport requirement as of Monday and end its indoor mask mandate at the end of the month. Moe says the passport has created deep divisions in the province and that people should be able to choose whether they get vaccinated. He says his government is going to respect that right. Moe says he expects other provinces and the federal government to follow suit.

B.C. is reporting 3,287 new cases of COVID-19, including three new epi-linked cases, for a total of 333,925 cases in the province: Feb. 4-5: 1,326 new cases Feb. 5-6: 1,118 new cases Feb. 6-7: 843 new cases There are 23,739 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 306,419 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 987 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 141 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. The new/active cases include: 864 new cases in Fraser Health Total active cases: 9,596 440 new cases in Vancouver Coa

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says it is well past the time for the protest in Ottawa to come to an end. He is one of six federal cabinet ministers who held a news conference this afternoon to address the protests that have paralyzed the area around Parliament Hill for more than a week. Protesters and some MPs are urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet the protest organizers but he has been adamant that he has no intention of meeting with what he calls a ``fringe minority'' that holds ``unacceptable views.'' NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling for an emergency debate in Par

Crowdfunding site GoFundMe will reimburse or redirect to charities the vast majority of the more than $10 million raised by demonstrators protesting COVID-19 measures in Ottawa, saying the event has become an occupation. The move could deny participants a vital source of funds as Ottawa braces for a new wave of protesters slated to arrive in the national capital this weekend. GoFundMe says it supports peaceful protest and that it believes that was the initial intention of the Ottawa event. The crowdfunding site says it now has evidence from law enforcement that the demonstration ``has become