British Columbia's chief coroner says the province has lost more than 10,000 lives to illicit drugs since the province declared a public health emergency in April 2016. Lisa Lapointe says the province is on track to lose another record number of people to the toxic drug supply this year, with the number of deaths in the first half of 2022 surpassing those of the same period in 2021. New data from the coroner's service says at least 1,095 residents are believed to have died from January to June this year, at an average of six deaths per day. The report found more than three-quarters of the tho

The BC RCMP has notified the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO BC) of an incident near Kamloops where one man has died. On Sunday August 14, 2022, at approximately 5:20 p.m., 9-1-1 operators received a call from a woman asking for help from what reportedly sounded like vehicle. A short time later a second call was received reporting an erratic driver on the Trans Canada Highway, and a woman attempting to get out of the vehicle. At approximately 5:45 p.m., a third caller reported that a family member and a child had been abducted. Officers attended the scene and reporte

Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla has tested positive for COVID-19. He's already received four shots of his company's vaccine and says he is experiencing very mild symptoms. Bourla is also taking Pfizer's Paxlovid pill treatment and is isolating. He says he is confident of a quick recovery.

A crash on Highway 3 between Osoyoos and Cawston has sparked a wildfire that closed the highway earlier today and has now prompted an evacuation alert in the area. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued the alert for about two dozen properties south of Cawston along Highway 3 and Sumac Road. The BC Wildfire Service says the blaze has charred about 40 hectares, or just under half a square kilometer, along the road on the west side of Richter Mountain. Residents affected by the evacuation alert are being told to pack essential items and make arrangements for pets or farm anima

The Ohio Highway State Patrol says an armed man who tried to breach the FBI's Cincinnati office was shot and killed by police after he fled the scene and engaged in an hourslong standoff. A law enforcement official said federal investigators are examining whether the man, identified as 42-year-old Ricky Shiffer, may have had ties to far-right extremist groups, including the Proud Boys. The official said Shiffer is believed to have been in Washington in the days leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and may have been present at the Capitol on the day of the attack. The official could no

Family of a Saskatchewan woman being held in custody in the United States say they want her extradited quickly to deal with her charges in Canada. Dawn Walker, who is 48, is facing two charges in Oregon related to identity fraud along with two charges in Saskatoon of child abduction and public mischief. She was arrested Friday when she and her seven-year-old son were found in Oregon City after a two-week search. Police allege Walker was involved in a custody dispute with the boy's father and faked her death and that of her son before illegally entering the US.

Surrey RCMP is seeking information following two shootings overnight and requesting anyone with CCTV or dash camera video from the areas to contact police. On August 9, 2022 just after midnight, Surrey RCMP received a report of shots heard and a vehicle speeding away in the 14800-block of 76A Avenue. Officers attended the area, conducted patrols and located a residence with bullet holes. Approximately 20 minutes after the initial report of shots fired, police received a second report of a shooting in the 9200-block of 163 Street. Similar to the first incident, responding officers located a re

The deputy mayor of Harbour Breton, Newfoundland, figures the town's three grocery stores will be out of food in the next day or two. The community of about 1,600 remains cut off due to the worst forest fires the province has seen since 1961. The province is getting a ferry to start bringing supplies to stranded communities and to help people leave. It's expected to arrive tomorrow, but will be docking in a town about 50-kilometres away from Harbour Breton that also is running low on supplies. Roy Drake says his community of about 16-hundred remains cut off due to ongoing forest fires. The pr

BC Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon says BC added just under 15-thousand full-time jobs in July as the provincial unemployment rate was set at 4.7 per cent, up one-tenth of a point from June. A statement from the ministry says more people joined the workforce in BC last month than in any other major province, while more new residents moved to BC in the first quarter of 2022 than at any time in over 60 years. Kahlon says the numbers mean BC continues to lead Canada's economic recovery. Statistics Canada says the jobless rate in Kelowna was four per cent in July, unchanged from June, while Vancouver's