All British Columbia residents over 25 years old can now book their COVID-19 vaccine, while those 18 and older will be able to do so by the end of the weekend, as the province speeds up its vaccine rollout. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that it's clear vaccines are working, and more people registering will help protect the wider community. B.C. reported 494 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, for a total of 138,304 since the pandemic first began. There were also two new deaths, bringing the toll to 1,634. Dix and Henry say more th

Police say the seventh person to be shot and killed in Metro Vancouver since early last month was a 23 year old man affiliated with gangs. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says Jaskeert Kalkat was hit by a barrage of gunfire in the parking lot of a Burnaby mall last night. Sergeant Frank Jang says a man and woman in their 20's who were with Kalkat were also seriously wounded but are expected to survive. Police have no suspects in the latest fatality as escalating gang violence has seen daylight shootings in parks, malls and at the Vancouver International Airport.

Burnaby RCMP are investigating a shooting at a shopping complex in Metro Vancouver that left one person dead and two in hospital. Police say they were called to the scene around 8:35 pm Thursday evening following reports of gunshots at Market Crossing. They say their initial investigation shows this shooting ``does not appear to be a random act.''Police say one man they found with gunshot wounds succumbed to his injuries despite all attempts to revive him.They say two other people were also shot and are recovering in hospital. No suspect information was released.The Burnaby Mounties are now wo

There has been a second case in BC of a person developing a rare blood clot after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says it involves a man in his 40's in the Fraser Health region. Dr. Henry says he is receiving treatment and is in stable condition. The case was reported a day after Henry announced that the province would use its remaining stock of the AstraZeneca vaccine for second doses. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says no COVID-19 health restrictions will be lifted before the May long weekend even though the infection rate

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not breach the Conflict of Interest Act over failing to recuse himself from cabinet discussions to have WE Charity operate a federal student-volunteer program, Canada's ethics watchdog say in a report released Thursday. In a separate report, federal ethics commissioner Mario Dion found that former finance minister Bill Morneau did violate the rules and should have recused himself. He says Morneau ``gave WE preferential treatment by permitting his ministerial staff to disproportionately assist it when it sought federal funding.'' Dion says he was asked to inve

Greyhound Canada is permanently cutting all bus routes across the country, shutting down the intercity bus carrier's operations in Canada after nearly a century of service. The motor coach company says its remaining routes in Ontario and Quebec will cease permanently on Thursday. Its American affiliate, Greyhound Lines, Inc., will continue to operate cross-border routes to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver once the border reopens. The decision comes a year after Greyhound Canada temporarily suspended all service due to a sharp decline in passengers and mounting travel restrictions amid the firs

An expert on gangs says the very public nature of a recent series of shootings in Metro Vancouver may be attributed to COVID-19 restrictions, with rivals striking at the first chance they get.Martin Bouchard, a professor in Simon Fraser University's school of criminology, says the pandemic has changed people's routines and they aren't getting out of their homes often, which could play a role in the brazen nature of shootings.He says gang violence follows its own course regardless of what the initial motive was for the conflict.The comments come as police leaders meet today with Solicitor Gene

British Columbia will be holding its remaining stock of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to use as second doses for residents. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say the change is due to the limited availability of the vaccine. The pair say in a joint statement all currently scheduled vaccination appointments through pharmacies will proceed, but no additional appointments will be booked. British Columbia reported 600 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and 5,887 active infections, for a total of 137,223 since the pandemic began. It also reported one n

Business leaders in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin have joined forces with their Canadian counterparts in the legal fight over the Line 5 pipeline. The U.S. and Canadian chambers of commerce are also included in a new legal brief filed with the U.S. District Court in Michigan.The filing comes after a similar brief was submitted yesterday by the federal Liberal government urging the court to keep the cross-border pipeline operating.The chambers spell out in detail a cascade of likely "severe, nationwide and international" consequences if the line running through Michigan is shut down.They argue