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

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. "Today, we are reporting 289 new cases, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 142,636 cases in British Columbia."There are 3,782 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. A further 137,062 people who tested positive have recovered."Of the active cases, 301 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 93 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in

The British Columbia government has introduced a four-step restart plan in a gradual return to normality when more people are vaccinated against COVID-19. Here are the steps set out by the province: Step 1: What's allowed on Tuesday with 60 per cent of the population having received one dose of a vaccine.— A maximum of five visitors or one household are allowed to gather indoors. Ten people are allowed for outdoor personal gatherings and 50 people for seated outdoor organized gatherings with safety protocols.— Recreational travel is only permitted within a resident's travel region.— Indo

Officials are continuing to urge British Columbia residents to follow COVID-19 health restrictions ahead of Tuesday's restart announcement. B.C. recorded 974 new cases of COVID-19 over the long weekend, for a total of 142,347 during the pandemic, as well as a drop in hospitalizations. The majority of the cases occurred in the hard-hit Fraser Health Authority region, which accounted for roughly two-thirds of the new cases. The province also reported 12 new deaths for a total of 1,679. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that they