John Horgan met with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin today, and later announced a provincial election. Election will be held on Oct. 24th. Horgan called an 11 a.m. news conference following the meeting with the lieutenant-governor. Horgan says, "British Columbians deserve a say in our economic recovery and will decide the future of our province.'' B.C. had a fixed election date set for October 2021, but Horgan had earlier said he was considering his political options. The NDP formed a minority government in B.C. three years ago after signing a deal with the Green party. But in recent weeks, Horgan has s

Three law enforcement officials say a woman suspected of sending an envelope containing the poison ricin, which was addressed to White House, has been arrested at the New York-Canada border.The officials say the woman was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and is expected to face federal charges.RCMP have said the letter addressed to the White House appeared to have originated in Canada.Officials say it was intercepted at a government facility that screens mail addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump and a preliminary investigation indicated it t

Health officials in B.C. are urging residents to think of the consequences of their actions, as they linked the growing number of COVID-19 cases to behaviour during the Labour Day long weekend. The health minister and the provincial health officer say in a joint statement that no one intends to pass the virus on to friends or family, and people need to think about how they socialize. The province says it can take up to two weeks for symptoms of COVID-19 to fully develop, and people to make sure they do not inadvertently spread the virus. The province announced 139 new cases of COVID-19 on Fri

The BC Teachers Federation hopes the Labour Relations Board can resolve teachers' concerns about COVID-related health and safety issues in schools. The BCTF has filed a submission with the board asking it to propose solutions to what the union says are ``inadequate and inconsistent'' policies aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus. Documents show the BCTF is seeking an ``expedited'' decision because union members feel ``pressured'' to work in unsafe situations and there's potential for job action by some teachers. Education Minister Rob Fleming says ``this is only week one'' and t

New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh is accusing his Liberal and Conservative counterparts of doing the bidding of big business during the pandemic. Singh takes the swipe at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole in a speech today that lays out the NDP’s priorities ahead of next week’s throne speech. Singh is calling on the Liberals to do more to help working people cope with the economic hardship of the COVID-19 crisis. That includes extending benefits for unemployed Canadians that he says the Liberals are planning to curtail. He’s also calling on the governme

RCMP say they are investigating a targeted shooting in Surrey, B.C.A statement from the force says officers responded to reports of gunfire late Thursday in the Brookswood neighbourhood.A man was found suffering from gunshot wounds and remains in hospital.Staff Sgt. Joe Johal says the victim was likely the target.It's the third targeted attack this week in Metro Vancouver.Shots were fired at a man in Surrey's Newton neighbourhood on Monday but he was not hurt, and a man was fatally shot in one of three homicides in Vancouver on Wednesday.

BC is reporting a single-day record of 165 new cases of COVID-19. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry says there has also been one death of a long-term care resident, bringing the total to 220 fatalities. Dr. Henry says there have been two new outbreaks at acute care units in the Fraser Health region. She is urging people to get ready for the coming respiratory season by keeping to their same ``safe six'' social circle and moving between different groups of six people.

The British Columbia government is expected to reveal how it plans to stimulate an economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier John Horgan and Finance Minister Carole James are scheduled to release details today of the $1.5-billion economic recovery plan.Last week, James announced the province's most recent financial numbers from April to June project an economic decline of 6.7 per cent for this year.She said the budget is forecast to post a deficit of almost $13 billion for the 2020-21 fiscal year.The Opposition Liberals have accused the NDP government of being too slow in respondin

Families with school-age children in British Columbia will soon be able to go to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control website for information about COVID-19 outbreaks and exposure events at schools. A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says the site already links to notifications from Fraser Health and other health authorities will follow. Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin, Fraser Health's interim chief medical health officer, says the new page that reports COVID-19 exposures in schools is part of an effort to correct inaccurate details on social