City councillors in Victoria have voted unanimously to cancel a planned Canada Day broadcast in order to permit a ``thoughtful reflection'' of what it means to be Canadian.A statement from the City of Victoria says council voted to scrap the virtual celebration following the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 former students buried in unmarked graves on the site of the now-closed Kamloops Indian Residential School.The city says it will be guided by members of the local First Nation and will replace the broadcast with one that features Indigenous artists. The updated broad

British Columbia's top doctor says she's confident more COVID-19 restrictions can be lifted next week as planned due to dramatic declines in cases and because the person-to-person transmission rate has dropped. Dr. Bonnie Henry says fewer infections reflect the power of vaccines, with nearly 73 per cent of eligible residents aged 12 and up having had their first shot. However, only about eight per cent of those 18 and over have received both doses of a vaccine as the province pushes for more people to register for a second shot. B.C. is expected to move to the second of its four-step reopenin

Surrey RCMP frontline officers seized seven imitation firearms and large amount of suspected fentanyl following a recent traffic stop in Whalley.On June 4, 2021 at 4:40 pm, Surrey RCMP frontline officers conducted a traffic stop with a vehicle for a motor vehicle act investigation, in the area of 94 Avenue and King George Boulevard. During their interaction with the driver, the officers observed items consistent with drug trafficking and arrested the driver and passenger.Further investigation led to the seizure of seven imitation firearms, a pistol magazine with live ammunition, a sword, and a

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia. "Today, we are reporting that 74.5% of all adults in B.C. and 72.4% of those 12 and older have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In total, 3,749,758 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 390,264 of which are second doses."We have had 148 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 145,843 cases in British Columbia."Of the new cases, 23 are in

Procurement Minister Anita Anand says Canada will have enough vaccine delivered for 80 per cent of eligible Canadians to be fully vaccinated by the end of July. Only people over the age of 12 are able to get vaccinated currently, with Pfizer and Moderna hoping to submit data from trials on younger children in the fall. Anand says there are now confirmed deliveries of 55 million doses by July 31, about 70 per cent of it from Pfizer-BioNTech. That is enough to give two doses to more than 27 million people. Currently, Canada has given one dose to 23.8 million people and both doses to 3.3 million

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is suggesting a probable link between Sunday's deadly attack on a Muslim family in London, Ont., and online hate. ``We just had a terrible tragedy a couple of nights ago, where a Muslim family three generations out for a walk on the side of the road, and they were viciously and inexplicably rundown deliberately,'' Trudeau said this morning during an online conference on government and the internet. ``And we don't yet know all the causes or reasons, but there is probably an element of online invitation to violence or access to things that we have to think about.''

Health officials in British Columbia say it's encouraging to see a steady increase in the number of people who are protected with a COVID-19 vaccine as cases decline. However, of the nearly 3.7 million doses of vaccine that have been administered, less than 346,000 are second doses. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say the province has recorded 165 new infections and no additional deaths as part of its exit out of the pandemic. There are currently 2,051 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., and of the 203 people in hospital, 57 are in intensive care. Peopl

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the attack in London, Ont., that killed four members of a Muslim family and left one child in hospital was an act of terrorism.After observing a moment of silence for the victims, Trudeau spoke in the House of Commons and called the incident ``a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred.''Police say a man intentionally drove a truck into the family who were out for a walk on Sunday evening and he targeted them because of their faith.Trudeau says he's horrified by the attack and that his government stands in solidarity with the victims' loved ones during this ext

British Columbia's deputy provincial health officer is encouraging residents to register for a second dose of vaccine as the province heads toward a return to normal life with declining COVID-19 cases and rising vaccination rates. Dr. Reka Gustafson says B.C. recorded 481 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths over three days while 199 people are in hospital. A total of 511 people were in hospital at the height of the pandemic, with 183 patients in intensive care. Gustafson says 72 per cent of residents 12 and over have now received a first dose of vaccine as the province pushes to get second doses