The federal ethics watchdog is asking parliamentarians and the public to read between the lines about advice he gave to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before his recent holiday trip. Konrad von Finckenstein told a House of Commons ethics committee today that under the Conflict of Interest Act, he can't publicly disclose conversations he's had with politicians. But he says that if Trudeau's stay at a family friend's property in Jamaica had been unacceptable, it would've been recorded on his office's website and nothing is there. Trudeau's office said earlier this month that the family's stay was

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

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 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 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

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 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

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

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