British Columbia health officials say COVID-19 is still spreading with new cases and clusters as the province begins to reopen in a four-step plan. In a news release, they say it is important to get vaccinated while maintaining social distance and using masks to stay safe during this period of transition. Officials say there has been a COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care facility, Brookside Lodge in Surrey, where one resident and a staff member have tested positive. The province reported 317 new cases of the infection for a total of 143,581. They also reported two more deaths, brining the n

Procurement Minister Anita Anand says Canada has confirmed shipments of 15 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines from three suppliers. She says every eligible Canadian will have access to a second dose by the end of the summer. She says 2.4 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech will arrive each week over five weeks in June and nine million more will arrive in July. As announced yesterday, she says Moderna has provided an updated delivery schedule for the first part of June, with 500,000 doses in two shipments starting next week. She also says 1.5 million doses of Moderna are arriving the week of

The remains of 215 children have been found buried on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation says in a news release that the remains were confirmed last weekend with the help of a ground-penetrating radar specialist.Casimir calls the discovery an ``unthinkable loss that was spoken about but never documented at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.''She says it's believed the deaths are undocumented, although a local museum archivist is working with the Royal British Columbia Museum to see if any records of t

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the time between COVID-19 vaccinations is being reduced to eight weeks from the former maximum of 16 weeks. Dr. Henry says the province has sufficient supplies of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to make the change. She says everyone who is eligible should have their second dose of vaccine by the end of the summer. Dr. Henry says the province will try to provide people with the same vaccine for their booster shot, but a shortage of Moderna may mean some people will have to get a Pfizer shot instead. Adrian Dix on Twitter: With the large numb

Members of a critical incident response team are working at a Kelowna, B.C., high school helping students cope with the loss of three Grade 12 classmates. The three Kelowna Senior Secondary students were in a Honda Civic sedan that RCMP say hit a utility pole in the city just after midnight Wednesday.An 18-year-old woman who was driving and two passengers, an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl, died at the scene.The three were set to graduate within weeks and School District 23 Superintendent Kevin Kardaal says a specialized team of grief counsellors is at the school.He says students and

British Columbia's health minister and provincial health officer are encouraging residents to limit their socialization with others, as the number of COVID-19 cases dips. Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry say it is important to socialize with a small group of people, and take more precautions for those who are at a high risk of contracting the virus. B.C. reported 250 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, for a total of 142,886 since the pandemic began, as well as three new deaths. Dix and Henry urged residents to get vaccinated, saying the vaccines form the backbone of the province's reopening plan.

Firearms, drugs and cash seized have been by Surrey RCMP Drug Unit during the execution of a search warrant at a South Surrey residence.In April 2021, Surrey RCMP Drug Unit initiated an investigation into alleged street level drug trafficking and firearms offences occurring in Whalley. Through the investigation members located an associated residence in the South Surrey Area.On May 18, 2021, a male related to the South Surrey residence was arrested and found in possession of 8.8 grams of methamphetamine, 7 grams of Fentanyl, $895 cash, and a Karambit knife which is a prohibited weapon.On May 1

Canada's vaccine milestones continue today, with the country surpassing 20 million people getting at least their first dose. Ontario reports that 135,308 people got vaccinated yesterday, 81 per cent of them receiving their first dose. Those vaccinations put Canada up to 20.05 million people vaccinated. That is about 63 per cent of eligible Canadians over the age of 12, and almost 53 per cent of everyone, including children under the age of 12 who won't become eligible to be vaccinated for several more months. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam has set a marker of 75 per cent of e

Amazon is going Hollywood. The online shopping giant is buying MGM, the movie and TV studio behind James Bond, ``Legally Blonde'' and ``Shark Tank,'' with the hopes of filling its video streaming service with more stuff to watch.Amazon is paying $8.45 billion for MGM, making it the company's second-largest acquisition after buying grocer Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion in 2017. The deal is the latest in the media industry that's aimed at boosting streaming services to compete against Netflix and Disney+.AT&T and Discovery announced last week that they would combine media companies, cre