A former cabinet minister denies telling a gaming investigator that members of the B.C. Liberal government knew about illegal activities at casinos and were doing little to prevent the crimes. Kash Heed told a public inquiry into money laundering that he recalls a lunch in Victoria in 2009 with former gaming investigator Fred Pinnock, but his recollection of the meeting differs from Pinnock's. Pinnock testified last fall that he met with Heed in November 2009 shortly after he was appointed solicitor general to raise concerns about large amounts of suspicious cash that were likely linked to org

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says hospitals in hard-hit regions are feeling the strain from COVID-19 infections with a record number of people in intensive care. There are 853 more cases of COVID-19 today and one new death, bringing the total in the province to 1,577. Dr. Henry also announced that 508 people are in hospital, including 178 people in an ICU. She says the province is expecting increased vaccine shipments in the coming weeks, but BC is in a tug-of-war with COVID-19, and people need to hold the line by following public health orders. Fraser Health says it is no long

Toxic drug deaths killed 158 people in British Columbia last month, pushing the total number of deaths linked in the province's overdose crisis to 498 since the start of the year. A statement releasing the figures from the BC Coroners Service and the Public Safety Ministry says the deaths in March are a 41 per cent increase over the 112 fatalities recorded in the same period last year. The deaths also mark the third consecutive month that more than five people died every day from illicit drug use in the province. The coroners service says carfentanil, which is 100 times stronger than the opio

The Liberal government is tapping former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour to lead what it says is an independent review of the military's handling of sexual assault, harassment and other misconduct. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced Arbour's appointment today, nearly three months after the government and Canadian Armed Forces were rocked by allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour by the military's top commanders.Arbour, the former UN high commissioner for human rights, is being asked to help set up an independent system for victims and others to report incidents and also to re

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in British Columbia has ticked up to 515, breaking a previous record set last week. Among those hospitalized, 171 people are in intensive care. Five more people have died after contracting the illness, pushing the death toll in the province to 1,576. The number of active infections was down to just over 8,000 as health officials reported 841 new cases on Wednesday. A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says B.C. has now administered more than 1.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, of whi

A British Columbia provincial court judge compared a man's actions breaking COVID-19 rules to selling the powerful opioid fentanyl on the street as she sentenced him. Mohammad Movassaghi was handed one day in jail, a $5,000 fine and 18 months' probation after previously pleading guilty to disobeying a court order, failing to comply with a health officer's order and unlawfully purchasing grain alcohol. Vancouver police used a search warrant in January to enter what they described as a makeshift nightclub and more than $17,000 in fines were issued against Movassaghi and his guests in the home.

Canada's first 300,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine are arriving today, a federal official tells The Canadian Press. The official, granted anonymity to discuss matters not made public yet, said that where the doses are coming from is not being disclosed because the government needs to ``protect this new vaccine supply chain.'' J&J has struggled with production problems and has been able to deliver very few doses, even in the United States. Canada purchased 10 million doses, and has the option to buy 28 million more. The doses are expected to be distributed to provin

A former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister who was responsible for gaming for more than a decade is scheduled to testify today at the public inquiry into money laundering.Rich Coleman, a six-term former member of the B.C. legislature and deputy premier, is the latest of several high-profile past and current politicians to appear before the Cullen Commission in recent days.Former premier Christy Clark recently testified at the inquiry, as did current Opposition Liberal MLAs Shirley Bond and Mike de Jong, both of whom were previous ministers in charge of gaming.B.C. Attorney General David Eby, who

People age 30 and older may now receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in British Columbia, starting with hot spots for transmission. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a statement on Tuesday the vaccine will be made available across the province as B.C. receives enough doses to add more pharmacy appointments. Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommended last week that the vaccine may be offered to people 30 and up who don't want to wait for an approved mRNA vaccine, and if certain other conditions are met. Those condi