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bc-imposes-2-year-ban-on-new-colleges-admitting-international-students
BCJan 29, 2024

BC imposes 2-year ban on new colleges admitting international students

The BC government has imposed a 2-year ban on new colleges admitting international students.Provincial Minister of Post-Secondary Education Selina Robinson confirmed that no new institutions in British Columbia will be allowed to admit international students for two years.Robinson issued a statement today saying that many students are being exploited and that such schools will be regularly inspected to ensure standards are being met.Robinson added that the province is implementing minimum language requirements so that international students are better prepared before coming to BC.This step has
ottawa-to-offer-universities-colleges-low-cost-loans-to-build-new-student-housing
CanadaJan 29, 2024

Ottawa to offer universities, colleges low-cost loans to build new student housing

Housing Minister Sean Fraser says post-secondary institutions will be able to apply for low-interest loans to build student housing starting this fall. Post-secondary institutions will have access to a pre-existing program that offers developers low-cost financing to build rental apartments. The Apartment Construction Loan Program was topped up with an additional $15 billion this fall, bringing the total funding available to $40 billion. Fraser is making the announcement today alongside other cabinet ministers as the House of Commons returns after a winter break. The announcement comes as the
bc-to-restrict-cellphones-in-schools-premier
BCJan 26, 2024

BC to restrict cellphones in schools : Premier

BC Premier David Eby announced on Friday that the use of cellphones in BC classrooms will soon be restricted. Eby announced this measure as part of new actions to keep kids safe and healthy from "online threats." He said that other efforts include services to remove images from the internet and legislation to hold social media companies for any harm being caused to students.
surrey-police-service-releases-proposed-142m-budget-for-2024
BCJan 25, 2024

Surrey Police Service releases proposed $142M budget for 2024

Surrey Police Board administrator Mike Serr presented 2024 provincial budget on Thursday.He said that city council has still not approved the budget for the police transition, presented to mayor and council last November.Serr added that the transition from the Surrey RCMP to the Surrey Police Service will take approximately two-and-a-half years.Overall, the Surrey Police Service is asking for $141.5 million to eventually have 785 officers on the force.The service aims at adding 180 additional police officers this year, including 135 experienced officers recruited from across the country and 45
metro-vancouver-bus-and-seabus-services-set-to-resume-after-48-hour-strike
BCJan 24, 2024

Metro Vancouver bus and SeaBus services set to resume after 48-hour strike

Bus and SeaBus services in Metro Vancouver are set to resume this morning after the end of a 48-hour strike by supervisors that ground Coast Mountain Bus Company routes to a standstill. The union representing more than 180 transit supervisors has said they'll be back at work by 3 a.m. and Coast Mountain says it expects services to be running before the morning rush hour. A new statement from TransLink says regular bus and SeaBus service is expected to resume by 5:00 a.m., but there will be no NightBus service prior. It also noted that SkyTrain, WCE and HandyDART services are not affected and w
canada-to-cap-the-number-of-international-study-permits-by-35-per-cent-miller
CanadaJan 22, 2024

Canada to cap the number of international study permits by 35 per cent: Miller

Canada will reduce the number of international student permits by 35 per cent next year as part of a temporary two-year cap on foreign enrollment, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced Monday morning. The cap will cut the number of approved study permits in 2024 to 364,000. The 2025 limit will be reassessed at the end of this year. He said the move would allow them to address institutions and “bad actors” who are charging exorbitantly high tuition fees for international students, all while increasing the number of international students they are accepting. Students applying to masters
snowfall-warnings-in-effect-across-most-of-province
BCJan 17, 2024

Snowfall warnings in effect across most of province

Snow warnings remain in place in Southern BC, with the South Coast region in particular covered in snow.Snow warnings continue from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley to the Alberta border.Between 10 cm and 20 cm of snow is expected in Metro Vancouver, eastern Vancouver Island, Howe Sound, Whistler, Sunshine Coast, Southern Gulf Islands, Sea-to-Sky Squamish to Whistler, Malahat Highway-Goldstream and Mill Bay today.According to Environment Canada, this snowfall is happening due to a Pacific low-pressure system.Greater Victoria is likely to experience snow showers by thi
conservatives-call-for-ethics-probe-into-justin-trudeaus-free-jamaican-holiday-stay
CanadaJan 11, 2024

Conservatives call for ethics probe into Justin Trudeau's free Jamaican holiday stay

The federal Conservatives are asking the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner to probe Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's vacation in Jamaica and how his staff handled the detail that he stayed for free. Conservative MP and ethics critic Michael Barrett sent a letter to Konrad von Finckenstein on Tuesday asking whether he knew Trudeau was staying at a luxury estate owned by a family friend. Barrett says the vacation is "not the equivalent of staying at a friend's home" calling it instead a gift with commercial value. The Canadian Press has not independently verified a National Post report
earth-shattered-global-heat-record-in-23-and-its-flirting-with
WorldJan 09, 2024

Year 2023 proved to be hottest year on record

Earth shattered global annual heat records last year and it's flirting with the warming threshold that nations wanted to stay within to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. That's according to Copernicus, the European climate agency, which reported Tuesday that 2023 was 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.66 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. That's just a whisker below the 1.5-degree threshold nations agreed to try to stay within at the Paris climate talks in 2015. And Copernicus said this January is on track to be so warm that the world will go past that 1.5-degree threshold f

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surrey-man-charged-after-newton-area-shooting
CanadaJan 30, 2026

Surrey Man Charged After Newton-Area Shooting

Police have laid multiple criminal charges following a shooting at a Surrey home on New Year’s Day. Officers from the Surrey Police Service (SPS) responded around 11:45 p.m. on January 1, 2026, to reports of gunfire in the area of 140B Street and 59 Avenue in Newton. At the scene, they found an injured man who was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound. Officials said his condition was stable. A second man was arrested at the location. The SPS Serious Crime Unit took over the investigation. On January 28, the BC Prosecution Service approved charges against 49-year-old Chanchal Badwal. He fac
b-c-based-jim-pattison-developments-cancels-virginia-warehouse-sale-to-ice
BCJan 30, 2026

B.C.-based Jim Pattison Developments cancels Virginia warehouse sale to ICE

Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Developments has announced it will not proceed with the sale of a Virginia warehouse property to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which had planned to use the site as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility. The 43.5-acre property in Hanover County, Virginia, faced public scrutiny after news emerged that it could be converted into a holding and processing centre amid a wider U.S. immigration crackdown. The company, owned by Canadian billionaire Jim Pattison, had previously stated it was unaware of the final purchaser or the intende
israel-to-reopen-gaza-egypt-border-crossing-after-nearly-two-years-of-closure
WorldJan 30, 2026

Israel to reopen Gaza–Egypt border crossing after nearly two years of closure

Israel says it will reopen Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Sunday, allowing limited movement of people in and out of the territory for the first time in nearly two years. The Israeli military agency COGAT, which oversees civilian coordination with Gaza, said the reopening will permit “limited movement of people only,” with both Israel and Egypt screening those seeking to cross. European Union border assistance personnel will supervise operations at the crossing, Gaza’s primary link to the outside world. The Rafah crossing has been largely closed since May 2024, following ren
federal-court-of-appeal-set-to-rule-on-ottawas-single-use-plastics-ban
CanadaJan 30, 2026

Federal Court of Appeal upholds Ottawa’s authority to maintain single-use plastic b

Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that the federal government acted within its authority when it classified certain plastic products as toxic, clearing the way for Ottawa to maintain its ban on several single-use plastic items. In a unanimous decision released Friday, a three-judge panel overturned a 2023 lower court ruling that had found the federal government overreached by broadly labeling plastic manufactured items as toxic under environmental legislation. That earlier decision had cast uncertainty over the future of the single-use plastics ban. The appeal court concluded the go
cfia-says-threats-against-staff-escalated-during-b-c-ostrich-cull-forcing-family-relocation
BCJan 30, 2026

CFIA says threats against staff escalated during B.C. ostrich cull, forcing family relocation

A senior Canadian Food Inspection Agency official says agency employees faced escalating threats and harassment during preparations for the culling of hundreds of ostriches at a British Columbia farm, including incidents serious enough to force the relocation of a worker and their family. In an interview with The Canadian Press, the official said opposition to the cull intensified both online and in person, culminating in what they described as extreme cases of direct threats involving physical violence and sexual assault. One CFIA employee and their partner were relocated along with their chi