British Columbia's provincial health officer expressed concern as she reported the first South African strain of COVID-19 uncovered in the province. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the person who contracted the South African variant had not travelled or had contact with anyone who did. She says officials are investigating where this person might have picked up the virus. Another person has also tested positive for the British variant of the virus, bringing that total to four cases, all connected to travel. Dr. Henry says there doesn't appear to have been any community spread of those infections. Offici

British Columbia's premier says his government is seeking legal advice on whether it can limit non-essential travel from people out of province during the pandemic. Premier John Horgan says there is concern about people coming from other provinces or territories and spreading COVID-19. Horgan says he and other premiers across the country have made the case for Canadians to stay home during the pandemic, but people continue to travel. He says the issue has been discussed for months and it's time to determine if the government can or can't act. The issue will be discussed during the NDP governm

The 38 year old woman convicted of murdering teenager Reena Virk near Victoria in 1997 will be allowed to continue her day parole. The Parole Board of Canada has released its ruling on Kelly Ellard, who now goes by the name of Kerry Sim. In a decision released Thursday, the board says Sim, now the mother of two young children, remains "positive and compliant" in the community and continues to have high reintegration potential. Her day parole was expanded last summer to allow her to live away from a residential facility for up to five days each week and the parole board is continuing that orde

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling on the Liberal government to ease access to paid sick leave for Canadian workers to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Singh is criticizing the lag between filing for the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit and receiving it, a delay he compared to applying for employment insurance. He is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to recall Parliament and legislate 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated employees through the Canada Labour Code, and to further promote the one-week, $500 benefit that is already in place. The New Democrat leader says upt

The professional group for emergency doctors in Canada wants more transparency about COVID-19 vaccine distribution.The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians is calling for a clear description of who is being prioritized for the first doses and why. It also wants priority to go to those directly caring for patients who are critically ill or suspected of having COVID-19.The association says many members in areas with limited human resources have not been vaccinated, but urban providers who have less patient contact appear to have received doses.A Wednesday statement says communication ab

British Columbia health officials say they've added a senior official to the province's immunization response team to help with the program as it gets more complex. Dr. Penny Ballem will be the executive lead and work with the health minister and other officials to ensure the province is ready for community immunization when the vaccine supply is more readily available in April. So far, 63,430 people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in B.C. and officials say work is underway to align the available supply with a person's level of risk. The province is reporting 519 new cases of COVID-19 and 12

A majority of members of the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to impeach President Donald Trump on a single count of inciting an insurrection. The historic vote, which included 10 Republicans voting in favour with a handful of votes still outstanding, makes Trump the first president in American history to be impeached a second time. It may also be the swiftest such proceeding in the history of Congress, coming just one week after a horde of angry Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill. Several Republicans, including third-ranking House Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, voted with their Democr

Air Canada says it will cut 1,700 jobs as it scales down flights for the first quarter of 2021.The 25 per cent reduction in service will also affect 200 employees at Air Canada's Express carriers, the company said Wednesday morning. With the reduction, Air Canada's capacity in the first quarter of 2021 will be about 20 per cent of its capacity during the first quarter of 2019, the company says.Lucie Guillemette, Air Canada's executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in a statement that increased travel restrictions by federal and provincial governments have had an immediate

British Columbia health officials say staying active and connected is important for physical and mental well-being despite the challenges of COVID-19. In a news release Tuesday, they say people have learned and adapted to the changing pandemic. The advice to stay active comes as officials reported 446 new COVID-19 cases and nine more deaths. Health officials also reported a new health-care facility outbreak at Mount St. Joseph's Hospital. The total number of COVID-19 infections in the province now stands at 58,553 with 1,019 deaths. To date, 62,294 people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in B