Canada is expected to move ahead of the United States today in at least one of the markers in the race to herd immunity against COVID-19. By the end of the day nearly 49 per cent of all Canadians should have their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, pushing slightly ahead of the U.S. at just over 48 per cent.Canada is set to get one dose to more than half the population before the end of the long weekend, but remains far back of the pack in the full-vaccination race, with fewer than four per cent of Canadians fully immunized.It is a marked turnaround for Canada, which just one month ago remaine

The British Columbia government is preparing to vaccinate youth aged 12 to 17 and will roll out its plan shortly. Premier John Horgan is joining Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry for the COVID-19 news conference on Thursday. A joint statement Wednesday says young people can register to receive their vaccine online and details on how they will be vaccinated will come on Thursday. The statement also says anyone who was immunized before April 15, prior to the online system launching, will need to register because while the system has their vaccine informat

Two men found dead near a small community in British Columbia's southern Interior last week were brothers and police say they are hoping the public can help in solving the homicides.The RCMP say they are releasing the names of 29-year-old Erick Fryer and 31-year-old Carlos Fryer in an effort to help their investigation.They say the bodies of the two men from Kamloops, B.C., were found by a couple walking in a remote area around Naramata Creek north of Penticton. Investigators believe the "unexpected deaths" were isolated and not a random act.Police say they have not uncovered any information

British Columbia health officials say second doses of COVID-19 vaccines may be given sooner than previously expected. The province says officials are closely monitoring the supply of vaccines and more information will be released in early June. In a statement, the province says with a large and steady vaccine supply after most people have had their first jab, officials will be able to consider how they might be able to accelerate the delivery of second shots. The province implemented a four-month gap between doses in order to get more people vaccinated with their first shot. B.C. reported 411

For the second time in two days, a police agency in British Columbia has issued a public safety warning about potential gang violence. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit named 11 men ranging in age from 21 to 40 who are allegedly connected to an ongoing spike in gang conflict and violence in the province's Lower Mainland. Manny Mann, the chief officer of the special enforcement unit, says the warning follows a similar decision by the Vancouver Police Department on Monday to publicly name six alleged gang members. Three of the men listed in the warning by the anti-gang unit were also

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is receiving 4.5 million vaccine doses this week, including a shipment from Pfizer-BioNTech that has been moved up ahead of the holiday weekend. He says it is the largest weekly shipment to date, and it will help keep Canada within the top of the G20 on daily vaccinations, where he says it has been for over two weeks. Trudeau also says Canada will receive 9 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in July. That means that between now and at least the end of July, Canada will continue to get over two million Pfizer doses a week. Prime Minister Just

A former British Columbia government cabinet minister who left politics almost a decade ago to work in the private sector says he's entering the Liberal party's leadership contest.Kevin Falcon announced his leadership bid Monday, saying he wants to rebuild, renew and rename B.C.'s Liberal Party, which has lost its way since the 2017 election.Falcon is the third candidate to enter the Feb. 5, 2022 leadership race, joining Ellis Ross, the Liberal member of the legislature for Skeena, and Gavin Dew, a Vancouver entrepreneur and former Liberal byelection candidate. Liberal transportation critic M

Health officials are reporting 1,360 new cases of COVID-19 over the past three days for an average of 453 each day. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says 14 more people have died, pushing the death toll in BC to 1,648. There are 350 people in hospital with COVID-19, including 132 in intensive care. Dr. Henry says more than 55 per cent of eligible people aged 18 and up have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and all remaining adults need to book appointments as soon as possible. British Columbia's provincial health officer says those who received the first dose of the Ox

The mayor of Vancouver says he is "appalled" that police officers wrongfully detained and handcuffed a retired British Columbia Supreme Court justice out for a walk on Friday morning.Kennedy Stewart says in a statement he reached out to apologize to Justice Selwyn Romilly, the first Black person appointed to the court.Vancouver Police Sgt. Steve Addison says officers were dispatched around 9:15 a.m. following reports of a man kicking, punching and spitting at people along the seawall near English Bay.He says officers patrolling the area noticed a man resembling the description of the suspect