The Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ``missed an opportunity'' to show his commitment to the survivors of residential schools by not replying to its invitations to take part in an event marking the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A statement from the First Nation in Kamloops, B.C., says the lack of a response to two letters was ``an added insult,'' but it looks forward to welcoming Trudeau in the community later this month. It says Trudeau's presence would have shown the world his personal commitment to ``enacting real change and rectifyi

B.C. is reporting 752 new cases of COVID-19, including two epi-linked cases, for a total of 191,124 cases in the province.There are 5,945 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 182,786 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 350 individuals are in hospital and 136 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, nine new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,992.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: fiveVancouver Coastal Health: threeIsland Health: one There has been one new health-care facil

The federal government has announced that public servants must attest they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 29th, or be put on unpaid administrative leave. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement this morning, saying the new policy applies to the core public service, air travel and rail employees and travellers. He says there will be few exceptions.Officials say the policy will affect more than 267,000 core public-service and RCMP workers, and will apply even to those who work from home and outside of the country.

B.C. is reporting 593 new cases of COVID-19, including nine epi-linked cases, for a total of 190,372 cases in the province.There are 5,937 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 182,045 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 345 individuals are in hospital and 144 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 1,983.There has been one new health-care facility outbreak at the University Hospital of Northern BC (Northern Health). The outbreak at Men

British Columbia's 30 thousand provincial employees will need to be fully vaccinated by November 22nd. The province has announced the new measure, saying it's supporting the effort to increase vaccination rates by making the requirement for its workers. It says as more employees return to their regular workplaces later this fall, full vaccination will provide an additional and reassuring layer of protection for them. The government says public service employees working in core government ministries will be required to provide proof of full vaccination using the BC Vaccine Card.

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 1,986 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 189,680 cases in the province:Oct. 1-2: 617 new casesOct. 2-3: 707 new casesOct. 3-4: 662 new cases There are 5,986 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 181,304 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 326 individuals are in hospital and 142 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the last 72 hours, 10 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,983.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: fiveVancouver Coastal Health:

A BC First Nation says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologized for not responding to its invitations to attend a ceremony on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The Tk'emlups te Secwepemc says Chief Roseanne Casimir received a call from Trudeau on Saturday. PM Trudeau's office says he discussed the path forward and told the chief he hopes to visit her community soon. The prime minister has faced a deluge of criticism for spending Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on vacation with his family in Tofino rather than attending events marking the day.

B.C. is reporting 714 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 187,694 cases in the province.There are 6,317 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 178,980 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 328 individuals are in hospital and 138 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, 11 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,973.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: fourInterior Health: sixVancouver Coastal Health: one From Sept. 23-29, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 71.3% of case

Surrey RCMP is cautioning the public after victims lose more than a million dollars to romance scams this year. Surrey RCMP received reports from 29 people who have been the victim of online romance scams between January and August 2021, with a total of $1,362,269.00 lost. During the same period, 213 victims lost $22,463,510.00 throughout the Lower Mainland.A romance scam involves any individual who uses false romantic intentions toward a victim in order to gain their trust and affection for the purpose of obtaining the victim’s money. Many romance scams begin via social media or online dati