Mary Simon, an Inuk leader and former Canadian diplomat, has been named as Canada's next governor general — the first Indigenous person to serve in the role. “It is only by building bridges, bringing between people in the North and South, just like in the East and West, that we can truly move forward,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday after he made the announcement at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. “Mary Simon has done that throughout her life. I know she will help continue paving that path ahead. And we will all be stronger for it. Today after 154 years, ou

British Columbia health officials say there are COVID-19 outbreaks in five independent and assisted living care homes in the province. In a news release Monday, they say four of the outbreaks are in the Fraser Health region while one is in Northern Health. Vancouver Coastal Health says a COVID-19 outbreak at the Care Centre at Hollyburn House is over. Officials say the province reported 87 new cases of COVID-19 over a three-day period, bringing the total infections to 147,790. Only 20 cases were reported between Sunday and Monday which represents the lowest increase of cases since last year i

Two Vancouver Police officers were stabbed this morning while responding to a 9-1-1 call about a forcible confinement involving a two-year-old child. Both officers were transported to hospital where they are now in stable condition. The police officers responded to a residential building near Keefer Street and Gore Avenue at about 10 a.m. When they entered the suite, a struggled ensued with the suspect and two officers were stabbed. During the altercation, officers deployed a taser on the 59-year-old suspect. He has been taken to hospital for treatment.Vancouver Police detectives are investiga

Firefighting teams from Ontario and New Brunswick are arriving in British Columbia to assist with devastating wildfires. The BC Wildfire Service says the nearly 100 out-of-province members must pass COVID-19 safety checks before being sent into the field. Public Safety Canada also says it has committed the Armed Forces for airlift support to carry crews, supplies and equipment in and out of fire zones and to assist with emergency evacuations if needed. The wildfire service says 196 active wildfires are currently burning in B.C., with at least 40 sparked over the weekend. Evacuation

Over the last two reporting periods, B.C. had a total of 84 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 147,705 cases in British Columbia. This includes: 49 new cases from June 30 to July 1 and 35 new cases in the last 24 hours. There are currently 729 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 99 individuals are currently hospitalized, 30 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. There have been two new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,756 deaths in British Columbia. 78.7% of all adults in B.C. and 77.5% of those 12 an

The search continues today for multiple residents of a village in British Columbia's Interior that was decimated by a wildfire this week.Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth hasn't said how many people from the Lytton, B.C., area are unaccounted for.He says it's been hard to keep tabs on where everyone ended up given the urgent nature of Wednesday evening's evacuation.Officials say it's unclear whether anyone remains in the village due to a lack of cell service.RCMP say details about conditions in the village are scant because it's not safe to enter the area, but aerial photos show that nume

Residents of a BC village that set a Canadian high-temperature record of 49.6 Celsius this week were ordered to evacuate their homes last night due to a wildfire that spread quickly. Mayor Jan Polderman of Lytton issued the order, saying residents and structures were threatened by the blaze in an area where two other fires are already burning. Chief administrative officer Scott Hildebrand of the local regional district says it's tough finding shelter for people who had to scramble to escape the smoke as some homes were burning. Provincial fire information officer Erica Berg says resources wer

British Columbia's top doctor is encouraging people to continue wearing masks in all indoor places, even as they're no longer mandatory starting Canada Day. Dr. Bonnie Henry says masks remain an important layer of protection until more people have immunity from two doses of vaccine, which nearly 31 per cent of residents aged 12 and over have received. Dr. Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that 44 new cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed, for a total of nearly 148,000 cases. Of the 816 active cases, 108 people are hospitalized, and 34 of them are in intensive care.

Evacuation orders and alerts are now posted for three wildfires in the Lillooet, Kamloops and Fort St. John areas, as the wildfire season takes hold. Orders and alerts were issued last night as a fire near Pavilion, just north of Lillooet, flared to 50 square kilometres, while residents of 18 addresses around Sparks Lake, north of Kamloops, have also been ordered out. More than 100 other properties in the same area are under an evacuation alert because of a 23-square kilometre fire there. An alert was also posted by the Peace River Regional District in response to a 30-square kilometre blaze