British Columbia's N-D-P government is set to outline its political agenda for the coming months with a throne speech today at the legislature. The speech kicks off the next session of the house and Premier John Horgan, who recently underwent treatment for throat cancer, will be among the returning politicians. Kevin Falcon was elected leader of the B-C Liberals last weekend, but Shirley Bond will continue to perform leadership duties in the house as he tries to win a seat in a byelection. The throne speech comes two weeks ahead of the government's budget, which is expected to include a fi

Ottawa is warning all Canadians against travelling to Ukraine due to Russian threats and the risk of war. The federal government is also urging Canadians currently in the country to leave. The increased warning comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and the West over the deployment of 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine's border. Talks between the U.S., NATO and other Canadian allies and Russia have so far proven unsuccessful, leading to fears of a new war in Europe. Canada had warned against non-essential travel to Ukraine and pulled some diplomatic staff along with their families from t

The ongoing demonstration in the nation's capital is seeing a handful of developments this evening. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shown up to the House of Commons in person to take part in an emergency debate on the protest in Ottawa tonight. The Commons resumed sitting January 31st, but Trudeau was isolating after having tested positive for COVID-19. Meantime, Ottawa City Council has voted to formally petition the federal government to assume responsibility for public safety in the parliamentary precinct. They are calling on the RCMP to take over the situation so local police can return

On January 29th just before midnight police were patrolling the downtown neighbourhood and noticed a party in the 400 block of Front Street. The NWPD Crime Reduction Unit stayed in the area and spoke to an individual associated to the party.Inside the building, officers saw people dancing on a dance floor, open liquor, and approximately 150 guests who were not wearing masks or social distancing. The NWPD shut down the event without issue and had the crowd leave the area."This appears to have been an illegal nightclub," stated Sergeant Sanjay Kumar. "We want everyone to know that public health

B.C. is reporting 3,287 new cases of COVID-19, including three new epi-linked cases, for a total of 333,925 cases in the province: Feb. 4-5: 1,326 new cases Feb. 5-6: 1,118 new cases Feb. 6-7: 843 new cases There are 23,739 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 306,419 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 987 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 141 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. The new/active cases include: 864 new cases in Fraser Health Total active cases: 9,596 440 new cases in Vancouver Coa

The new leader of the B.C. Liberal party says his predecessor is resigning his seat in Vancouver to give him a chance to run in a byelection.Kevin Falcon was elected party leader on Saturday and said his plan was to quickly seek a seat in the house.He says Andrew Wilkinson has decided to resign his seat in Vancouver-Quilchena.The NDP government has six months to call a byelection.Falcon won the leadership on the fifth ballot in a field of seven candidates.The 59-year-old former cabinet minister held a seat in Surrey from 2001 until he left politics in 2012.

An Ontario court has granted a 10-day injunction to prevent truckers parked on city streets in downtown Ottawa from honking their horns incessantly. Superior Court Justice Hugh McLean says the injunction is temporary because he needs to hear more evidence, but that he's heard enough to make this ruling. Several federal cabinet ministers held a news conference this afternoon to discuss what can be done to end the disruptive truck protest in Ottawa, but there's nothing concrete. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says Canadians have been incredibly united through the pandemic, and most peop

B.C. farmers who suffered extraordinary damages during November’s devastating floods will have access to up to $228 million in federal-provincial government support to help their farms return to production and support British Columbia’s food security and agricultural communities in the years ahead.Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Lana Popham, B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, have announced the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program, which will be delivered by the Government of British Columbia and will leverage the fed

The latest labour market outlook for British Columbia shows nearly 80 per cent of job openings over the next decade will require some level of post-secondary education, reflecting the changing nature of the economy. The outlook released today by the provincial government forecasts more than one million job openings in the province in the next 10 years, with about 63 per cent of those replacing people who retire. The Jobs Ministry says in a news release that the remaining 37 per cent of jobs will be created by economic growth and the COVID-19 pandemic recovery. It says the health care, social