The faster-spreading COVID-19 variant first discovered in the United Kingdom has made its way into some British Columbia schools.A statement from the Fraser Health authority says it is working closely to manage exposures at six schools in the Surrey and Delta school districts.Five of the schools are in Surrey: Woodward Hill, James Ardiel and A. H. P Matthew elementaries, and Kwantlen Park and Tamanawis high schools, along with Hellings Elementary School in Delta.The authority says only those staff and students who have been identified as close contacts need to be tested and they have been con

British Columbia is recording 508 new COVID-19 cases. Health officials also announced six new deaths at a news conference today. The figures mean a total of 75,835 COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in BC since the pandemic began. British Columbia's death toll sits at 1,327. British Columbia has hit a one-day record for vaccinations as new preliminary data from residents of long-term care homes and health-care workers shows the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine reduces the risk of the virus within two to three weeks. B.C. used 12,250 vaccine doses yesterday, bringing the province's total

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is adding 12 weeks of eligibility to two key benefits for unemployed workers and parents at home with children. The extra life for the Canada Recovery Benefit and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit will raise the maximum number of weeks available to 38 from 26. Trudeau also says the federal sickness benefit will be expanded to four weeks from two so workers can stay home if they're feeling ill, or have to isolate because of COVID-19. And employment insurance eligibility is also getting stretched, allowing people who qualify to clai

Health officials in British Columbia are reminding residents to follow public health orders and restrictions after a significant rise in cases from earlier this week. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say 617 new cases have been recorded, for a total of 75,327 infections. B.C. had 348 cases between Sunday and Monday, and the average has been under 500 daily infections in the last month. Dr. Henry and Dix say in a joint statement that much of the uptick in cases has been in the Lower Mainland and the northern region. They also reported four more deaths,

The Trudeau government has tabled legislation to repeal mandatory minimum penalties for certain drug offences, saying they do not deter crime and unfairly affect Indigenous and Black offenders. The bill introduced today would also allow for greater use of conditional sentences, such as house arrest, counselling or treatment, for people who do not pose a threat to public safety. In addition, it would require police and prosecutors to consider alternative measures for cases of simple possession of drugs, such as diversion to addiction-treatment programs. The office of Justice Minister David Lam

RCMP say they were called Wednesday night to a report of an assault at a home in the Panorama Ridge area of south Surrey. The critically injured man was found outside the home. He was given CPR and other emergency treatment but police say he died at the scene. Officers believe the victim and his attacker knew each other, but details are still being gathered. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has joined the case and will handle the release of any further information.

British Columbia is recording 427 new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the total number of active cases in the province to 4,150. Health officials say three more people have died and the death toll now sits at 1,317. There are 232 people in hospital, 63 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that chains of transmission are broken when everyone works together. To date, 176,015 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.

One man is recovering from injuries linked to the latest targeted shooting in Surrey, B.C. RCMP say officers, including members of the gang enforcement squad, responded to reports of shots fired just after 10 p.m., Tuesday. The injured man was found in a residential area of central Surrey suffering from a gunshot wound. He has not been named but investigators say the attack was aimed at him and was not random. There have been more than half a dozen fatal, targeted or gang-related shootings across Metro Vancouver since last December. No arrests have been made in any of those cases and police

British Columbia's provincial health officer is warning that COVID-19 cases and test positivity rates are ticking up in some jurisdictions due to increased interactions. Dr. Bonnie Henry says that while the overall number of cases has slowly been coming down across B.C., the seven-day rolling average is starting to creep up. She says this is particularly true in the Fraser Health region, where the viral reproductive rate has risen above one, meaning each infected person is passing the virus on to at least one other person on average. Dr. Henry says that over the past four days, 1,533 new case