Statistics Canada says the economy contracted in April as real gross domestic product posted its first decline since April 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic.The agency says real gross domestic product fell 0.3 per cent in April.The result compared with an initial estimate for April for a drop of 0.8 per cent.Statistics Canada says its preliminary estimate for May shows a drop of 0.3 per cent as many restrictions were still in place through the month as the country grappled with the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.The decline in April, as well as the early estimate for May, put ov

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. BC had 29 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 147,578 cases in British Columbia.There are currently 876 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and a further 144,931 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 110 individuals are currently hospitalized, 34 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.There have been no new COVID-19 related de

A record-breaking heat wave could ease over parts of British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories by tomorrow but any reprieve for the Prairie provinces is further off.Environment Canada says the "historic" weather system shattered 103 heat records across B.C., Alberta, Yukon and N.W.T. yesterday.Those records include a new Canadian all-time high temperature of 47.9 C set in Lytton, B.C., smashing the previous record of 46.6 set in the same village a day earlier.All-time maximum temperature records were also set in the Alberta communities of Jasper, Grande Prairie and Hendrickson Creek f

Premier John Horgan is expected to announce the next phase of B-C's COVID-19 re-opening plan today alongside provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry and Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon.The third part of the four-pronged plan is set to start on Thursday, when several restrictions will be lifted as indoor and outdoor dining will be allowed without a cap on numbers and residents can travel elsewhere in Canada.Henry says vaccination rates continue rising, with some exceptions in small communities in the northern and interior health regions where drive-thru and mobile clinics are expected to make i

Over the last three reporting periods, BC had a total of 145 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 147,549 cases in the province. This includes: 57 new cases from June 25 to 26, 50 new cases from June 26 to 27 and 38 new cases in the last 24 hours. There are currently 930 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 107 individuals are currently hospitalized, 37 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. There has been one new health-care outbreak at Surrey Memorial Hospital. There have been five new COVID-19 related deaths,

Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna has decided not to seek re-election. Her surprise decision could become a launching pad for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney should he decide to run for the Liberals in the next election.McKenna has held Ottawa Centre, a riding that encompasses Parliament Hill, since 2015, when she won it away from the New Democrats.She says over the weekend, she informed the prime minister and the president of the Liberal party of her intention not to run again.McKenna -- the minister of Infrastructure and Communities -- says living through COVID-19 through

Environment Canada warns the torrid heat wave that has settled over much of Western Canada won't lift for days, although parts of British Columbia and Yukon could see some relief sooner. Heat warnings remain posted across B.C. and Alberta, large parts of Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and a section of Yukon as the weather office forecasts temperatures reaching 40 C in some areas.Sixty temperature records fell Sunday in B.C., including in the Village of Lytton, where the mercury reached 46.6 C -- breaking the all-time Canadian high of 45 C, set in Saskatchewan in 1937.Environment Canada w

British Columbia health officials are urging residents to prepare for high temperatures if they attend vaccination clinics this weekend. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that many pop-up vaccination sites have moved indoors to cooler locations in preparation for the extreme heat expected this weekend. B.C. reported 72 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, for a total of 147,418 since the pandemic began. The province is also reporting two new deaths along with 1,096 active cases. The statement says 76.2 per cent of all residents 12 and

Judge Peter Cahill told George Floyd's family members that ``I acknowledge and hear the pain that you're feeling,'' before sentencing a former Minneapolis police officer to 22 1/2 years in prison for murder. Cahill said he would issue a 22-page memorandum explaining his rationale for the sentence, saying it's ``not the appropriate time'' to be ``profound or clever.'' His sentence went 10 years beyond what was called for in sentencing guidelines. Cahill said that was ``based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd.'' Former Minn