The federal Liberals will provide Canadians with a long-awaited update on the health of federal finances later today, and potentially unveil a suite of new spending. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will deliver the fall economic statement in the House of Commons around 4 p.m. local time in Ottawa, after markets close. The fall economic statement should have a full accounting of pandemic spending so far, and the depth of this year's deficit, which in July was forecast at a historic $343.2 billion amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimates vary of how deep a deficit the Liberals will unveil

British Columbia's top doctor has a message for people who don't follow a provincial order to wear a mask in indoor public spaces: order takeout, shop online or stay home. Dr. Bonnie Henry says she's saddened after hearing about store and restaurant employees facing aggressive customers who refuse to wear masks as COVID-19 numbers rise. The RCMP say they arrested a shopper at a Walmart in Dawson Creek this week after he allegedly assaulted an employee who asked him to wear a mask. Henry says B.C. set another single-day record with 911 cases of COVID-19. There have been a total of 30,884 diagno

Premier John Horgan says, "belligerent people should grow up" and follow COVID-19 measures. Horgan says he recently witnessed a group of customers abusing two young waiters and a receptionist at a restaurant when they wanted to sit at one table. He says similar behaviour will not be tolerated in the retail sector because police can be called to remove aggressive customers not wearing a mask. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry introduced an order recently to make masks mandatory in all indoor public spaces.

The new Cabinet of B.C.:Anne Kang is Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.Lana Popham is Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.Lisa Beare is Minister of Citizen Services.Mitzi Dean is Minister of Children and Family Development.Katrina Chen is Minister of State for Childcare.Jennifer Whiteside is Minister of Education.Bruce Ralston is Minister of Energy and Mines.George Heyman is Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for TransLink.Selina Robinson is Minister of Finance.Katrine Conroy is Minister of Forests, Lands and Rural Development.Nathan C

Councillors in Vancouver have voted unanimously to ask the federal government to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs. Mayor Kennedy Stewart put forward the motion earlier this month saying it is time to develop a ``health-focused'' approach to substance use and end the stigma against drug users. In a statement issued late Wednesday after the vote, Stewart thanked groups such as the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, which he says have pursued decriminalization for years. In the same process used to create its first supervised injection clinic almost two decades ago,

Provincial health officials say they are working on British Columbia's plan to handle COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, says Dr. Ross Brown of Vancouver Coastal Health will join the group working to organize the logistics around the distribution of vaccines. B.C. recorded another 13 deaths and 738 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total to 29,086. The province also issued a correction for nine days of case totals in the Fraser Health region, revising Tuesday's COVID-19 case count to 706 instead of 941. Dr. Henry says front-line workers as well

Argentine soccer ``Golden Boy'' Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60. A person close to Maradona said he died Wednesday of a heart attack. Maradona died two weeks after being released from a Buenos Aires hospital following brain surgery. Maradona was among the best players in history and led his country to the 1986 World Cup title before later struggling with cocaine use and other health problems. He captivated fans over a two-decade career and famously made the ``Hand of God'' goal in which he punched the ball into England's net during the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals. Former Brazilian

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet is blasting the prime minister's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, calling Justin Trudeau's pledge that vaccines will start to arrive in the coming months "unacceptable."Trudeau sought to reassure Canadians yesterday even as he acknowledged that some other countries are likely to start inoculating their citizens first, citing Canada's low capacity to churn out vaccines.Blanchet says the federal government should have moved sooner to help obtain manufacturing rights and beef up production capacity on Canadian soil.The United States, Britain and Ger

British Columbia health officials are reporting a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases, while they order a pause indoor physical activities. B.C. recorded 941 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and 10 deaths. There are 7,732 active COVID-19 cases in B.C., and 284 people are in hospital. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that residents need to support B.C.'s health-care workers by slowing the spread of COVID-19. The latest peak in numbers comes as health officials ordered dance studios, yoga studios and other indoor physical activity s