The Vatican has released the itinerary for Pope Francis' July 24-30 visit to Canada. The publication of the program on Thursday is a sign he intends to go ahead with the trip despite knee problems that forced him to cancel a six-day visit to Africa that was also planned for next month. Francis is due to visit Canada to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses at Catholic-run residential schools. The 85 year old pope has been using a wheelchair for over a month because of strained ligaments in his right knee that have made standing and walking difficult. The itinerary was delayed for nearly

Premier John Horgan has pulled the plug on a controversial 800-million dollar plan to build a replacement for the aging Royal BC Museum in Victoria. Horgan says he's heard quite clearly from the people of BC that it's the wrong time for such a project and they want his government to rethink its plans to protect the museum's priceless artifacts. He says he made the wrong call and his government will go back to the drawing board to find a project that all residents can get behind. His government had said it approved the project because the museum can't withstand a flood or earthquake, and renov

A leap in gas prices is blamed for the steepest climb in the cost of living in nearly 40 years. Statistics Canada says the national inflation rate in May rose to 7.7 per cent when compared with May of last year, and has jumped nearly one per cent since April. BC also saw a sharp hike last month as inflation in this province was set at 8.1 per cent, a 1.4 per cent vault over April's 6.7 per cent setting. Vancouver and Victoria posted identical rates of 8.2 per cent in May, well over a percentage point higher than the month earlier, with Stats-Can saying a nearly 10 per cent spike in food costs

Premier John Horgan and BC's Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Murray Rankin have issued a statement to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day. Horgan says the province honours the leadership and strength of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples throughout British Columbia. He says much has changed since the first celebration 26 years ago, but there is still a lot of work to do to make reconciliation a reality and right past wrongs. A statement from the B-C Liberal caucus says reconciliation requires not only that the past is recognized and addressed, but also that a brighter a

Kylie Masse took silver in the women's 100-metre backstroke at the world aquatic championships, finishing just short of a third straight world title in the event. Masse, from LaSalle, Ont., finished in 58.40 seconds, .18 seconds behind winner Regan Smith of the United States. Claire Curzan of the U.S., was third in 58.67 seconds. Masse got the fastest start in the field of eight swimmers and was beside Smith out of the turn. Masse pressured Smith over the final 50 metres, but the American touched the wall just ahead of the two-time champion. It's the sixth world championship medal for Masse,

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen say the two countries are working together to combat rising inflation by ensuring supply chains are more resilient. The pair spoke about the turbulent global economy at a joint news conference in downtown Toronto on Monday afternoon, which marks Yellen's first trip to Canada as secretary of the Treasury. During the news conference, Freeland said the two countries are facing a consequential time for the global economy, which comes with a historic opportunity to ensure resiliency in supply chains that will prevent futur

Defence Minister Anita Anand says Canada will invest 4.9 billion dollars over the next six years to modernize North America's aging defensive systems. At a news conference at CFB Trenton, Ontario this morning, Anand said this is the most significant upgrade to Norad from a Canadian perspective in almost four decades. The funding is the first of an estimated 40 billion dollars that will be spent over the next 20 years to upgrade the early warning system. It will include plans to build new radar networks to detect threats coming over the Arctic, as well as command and control systems, and advanc

The threat of a shortage of specialized infant formulas in British Columbia has prompted an order from the Ministry of Health to put the containers behind the counter. The ministry says in a statement the guidelines to pharmacies will help preserve supply during the temporary Canada-wide shortage of hypoallergenic formulas.The statement says manufacturers are distributing the specialized formulas for public purchase exclusively to pharmacies until more product is available.There's no shortage of regular infant formulas in B.C., but food for babies with allergies and certain medical conditions

Amid stubbornly hot inflation and rising interest rates, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland detailed financial commitments to ``help make life more affordable for millions of Canadians'', but the measures were all previously announced. Freeland delivered a keynote address about the state of the Canadian economy at the Empire Club of Canada in downtown Toronto on Thursday afternoon. In her speech, Freeland highlighted the federal government's ``Affordability Plan,'' which she referred to as a suite of measures totalling $8.9 billion in new support for Canadians in 2022. The measures were all i