A report from the BC Coroners Service says 126 children and youth younger than 19 died from toxic drugs between 2019 and 2023. That makes unregulated drug toxicity the leading cause of unnatural death for the age group over those five years. The report says fentanyl or related drugs were detected in 83 per cent of the deaths, either alone or in combination with other substances. It says about two-thirds of those who died were receiving services offered through the Ministry of Children and Family Development, or had previously received them. About 60 per cent of those who died were aged 17 or 1

The Nature Conservancy of Canada says a new conservation area north of Cranbrook, B.C., will protect important bird habitat and preserve grasslands in the province's southeast. The conservancy says money from the federal government and private donors went to buying up 271 hectares of land in the Skookumchuk Prairie in the province's southeast corner. Richard Klafki, a B.C. program director with the Nature Conservancy, says the land which also includes wetlands and forests is a "key biodiversity area," and came up for sale when the former owner, a local rancher, decided to downsize. Klafki says

Mounties say two people have died following a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. A statement from the RCMP says police were able to access the remote crash site south of Squamish, on the west side of Howe Sound, by air on Saturday and confirm the two occupants of the plane did not survive. The plane crash was reported Friday evening after an automatic crash notification from a smartphone. The police statement says investigators are working with the Transportation Safety Board and the BC Coroners Service to determine the cause of the crash. The statement thanks Squamish Search and Rescue, Blackcom

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, urging him to meet the NATO spending target Canada agreed to a decade ago. All NATO allies pledged to spend at least two per cent of GDP on defence, but Canada is spending well below that at around 1.33 per cent. In a letter dated today, 23 senators say Canada is a valued ally and note its contributions, including leading a multinational battle group in Latvia. But they say the alliance is facing a severe threat landscape and they are calling on all NATO countries to uphold their commitment. Under its ne

Immigration Minister Marc Miller is expected to table legislation today that would extend citizenship to some children born outside of the country. In 2009, the Conservative government changed the law so that Canadian parents who were born abroad could not pass down their citizenship unless their child was born in Canada. Amendments to the Citizenship Act in 1977 and 2009 also stripped thousands of people who were born abroad of their Canadian citizenship. Those who've not had access to citizenship rights as a result of the amendments are known as "Lost Canadians." Last year, the Ontario Super

BritishPrime Minister Rishi Sunakwas due to address the nation on Wednesday amid mounting expectations that he will call a summer general election. Sunak's office confirmed that he would issue a statement statement afterpositive economic figuresset Britain’s political rumor mill alight with speculation that an election might be imminent. Multiple British media outlets said he would name a July 4 date for the election. Sunak's office declined to quash the rumors and refused "to rule anything in or out” after reports that the prime minister planned to announce the U.K.’s long awaited elect

Four Indian nationals accused in the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are all due in court today. Twenty-two-year-old Amandeep Singh appeared via video link for his first appearance in a Surrey, B.C., court last week, and the matter has been put forward to today. Singh was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder earlier this month while he was already in the custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario for unrelated firearms charges. Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh, who already face the same charges following their arrests i

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says some immigrants to Canada who lack official status need a pathway to help them stay, while in other cases Ottawa must speed up deportation procedures. The Liberals pledged in late 2021 to "explore ways of regularizing status for undocumented workers who are contributing to Canadian communities." The office of Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he is on track to present a proposal to his fellow cabinet ministers before Parliament rises for its summer break next month. Trudeau says Canada must avoid anti-immigrant sentiment by preserving the integrity of the

A fourth man accused in the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar will next appear at provincial court on May 21, the same day the other three accused are scheduled for a hearing. The BC Prosecution Service says 22-year-old Amandeep Singh appeared via video link for his first appearance in a Surrey, B.C., court on Wednesday, and the matter has been put forward to next week. The three other men accused in Nijjar's murder Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh will all appear in Surrey court on the same date. Amandeep Singh was charged with first-degree murder