The Canadian government is facing urgent calls to speed up its effort to save hundreds of former Afghan interpreters and their families as Western countries step up plans to evacuate Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was asked if Canada has already shut down its embassy in Kabul, but she would not answer, citing operational security concerns. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says and diplomats and now find themselves in danger as the Taliban sweeps the country. Freeland says the government's priority is ``supporting the brave Afghans who worked f

B.C. is reporting 513 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 154,362 cases in the province.There are 3,834 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 148,702 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 81 individuals are in hospital and 33 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, one new death (Interior Health) has been reported, for an overall total of 1,779.There are eight active outbreaks in:long-term care: Holyrood Manor, Kin Village West Court, Evergreen Baptist Care Soc

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is intending to visit Gov. Gen. Mary Simon on Sunday and ask her to dissolve Parliament, triggering an election. The expectation is that the election would take place Sept. 20. The plan was confirmed by a senior Liberal Party of Canada source, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss these matters publicly. There has been speculation about a coming election for months, but the exact timing has been up in the air given the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Canad

The COVID-19 infection rate in British Columbia has leaped to 536, a figure not seen since mid-May. A Health Ministry statement says there are more than 3,500 active cases in the province and more than half of those are in the Interior Health region. New restrictions were introduced last week by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in the central Okanagan region as case counts multiplied, spurred by the more contagious Delta variant. There has been one more death and outbreaks are increasing in B.C.'s long-term care sector, with the discovery of COVID-19 in eight care homes around the p

Admiral Art McDonald says he has decided to return to his position as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces after military investigators opted not to charge him following an investigation into his conduct. McDonald stepped down in February as chief of the defence staff as a result of a Canadian Forces National Investigation Service investigation into an allegation of misconduct. But in a statement released by his legal team this afternoon, McDonald says he is returning to the position after the six-month investigation completely exonerated him and that he is returning to his post. It was not

B.C. is reporting 395 new cases of COVID-19, including two epi-linked cases, for a total of 153,313 cases in the province.There are 3,284 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 148,215 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 71 individuals are in hospital and 23 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,777.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. There are seven active outbreaks in:long-term care: Holyrood Manor, Kin Village

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021.Fires:Wildfires burning in B.C.: 260Since April 1, 2021:1,451 wildfires650,582 hectares burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 32Coastal: 22Kamloops: 80Northwest: 6Prince George: 58Southeast: 62Crews and equipment:Firefighters and other personnel fighting the fires: 3,549Out-of-province firefighters: 364Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 209Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 63 (-3)Evacuation alerts: 108 (+2)Properties:Number of properties on ord

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 1,079 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 152,918 cases in the province:Aug. 6-7: 422 new casesAug. 7-8: 364 new casesAug. 8-9: 293 new casesThere are currently 3,036 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 148,066 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 68 individuals are in hospital and 20 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:258 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 586142 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 3875

Police have arrested a 28-year-old man following a string of late-night shootings in Surrey and Delta that left several vehicles and a residence damaged. No injuries were reported. Surrey RCMP say shots were fired at three locations Saturday night – the 6900-block of 127A Street, the 12900-block of 73A Avenue, and the 6600-block of 132 Street. Less than an hour later, Delta Police responded to a similar report near the 7900-block of 114A Street, which investigators believe is connected. Corporal Vanessa Munn, Surrey RCMP spokesperson, said the incidents appear linked. “All four incidents a