A key British Columbia highway has reopened to all traffic after being torn apart by disastrous flooding in November but it only took hours for the Transportation Ministry to issue a safety reminder. In a post on social media, the ministry says it has received reports of people stopping ``in unsafe ways'' to take pictures along the Coquihalla Highway corridor, also known as Highway 5. A roughly 130-kilometre stretch of the multi-lane, high-speed link between the Lower Mainland and the Interior was ripped up by floods or slides that also collapsed or washed out seven bridges during a series of

B.C. is reporting 2,387 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 303,565 cases in the province.There are currently 35,770 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 262,591 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 895 COVID-positive individuals are currently in hospital and 115 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:814 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 17,441487 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 8,945550 new cases in Interior Healt

Two people have been slightly injured in what police say was an early morning targeted shooting in Surrey. RCMP say it happened just after 3 a.m. inside a warming centre in the Whalley neighbourhood. The police statement says a 24 year old man who is known to them is believed to have been the target but a 57 year old woman was also hurt, and both were treated in hospital and released. Investigators say the attack is not believed to be linked to the Lower Mainland gang conflict.

Gyms and other exercise facilities are being allowed to reopen in British Columbia, a move the province's top doctor describes as a "cautious step" in lifting COVID-19 restrictions.Dr. Bonnie Henry says proof of vaccination will be required to use gyms, which will operate under capacity limits.Henry says other restrictions that went into effect in December will remain in place because of the high rates of transmission of COVID-19 and the number of people needing hospital care.Bars and nightclubs will stay closed and capacity limits are still in place for restaurants, theatres and stadiums.Henr

Grocery stores are struggling with rising labour and product shortages that experts warn could threaten Canada's food security. Gary Sands, senior vice-president of public policy with the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, says employee absenteeism due to COVID-19 protocols has hit about 30 per cent across Canada, and rising. Without access to rapid testing in many provinces, he says workers are repeatedly forced to isolate for a week or more after an exposure to COVID-19. Sands says if the situation worsens, some grocery stores won't be able to open, threatening food security in rur

British Columbia's top doctor has extended a COVID-19 order that will keep gyms and fitness centres closed before providing more details tomorrow. That's when restrictions were set to expire, but Dr. Bonnie Henry said last week that they believed COVID-19 hospitalizations were expected to spike after cases within the community had peaked. Restrictions on gatherings and events will stay in place, and Henry has now also directed school boards to collect information on the vaccination status of their staff. The BC Teachers' Federation says on Twitter that it was not consulted or notified ahead o

Pfizer's antiviral treatment for COVID-19, Paxlovid, has received Health Canada approval. It’s a combination of two different drugs, to be taken together twice a day for five days. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the first doses are already here with more to come in March. He says the provinces and territories have been given preliminary information on deliveries, which will be done on a per capita basis.Canadian doctors have been anxious to get their hands on the medication as the Omicron wave is spreading so quickly. Canada bought one-million courses of the treatment for delivery thi

B.C. is reporting 2,275 new cases of COVID-19, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 293,521 cases in the province.There are 35,943 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 251,846 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 646 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 95 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:813 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 17,256523 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 9,397412 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases

COVID-19 modelling released by the British Columbia government shows the latest wave propelled by the Omicron variant may have already peaked in parts of the province. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the wave has spread faster than previous ones and health officials believe the top of the latest surge was likely reached this past weekend. The modelling figures show a decrease in infections in two health authorities, Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health, with a levelling off on Vancouver Island and a slight rise in the Interior. The data also show actual infections could be thre