Just ahead of crucial polls in five states, the election expenditure limit for candidates has been hiked to Rs 95 lakh from Rs 70 lakh for Lok Sabha elections and to Rs 40 lakh from Rs 28 lakh for assembly polls, the Election Commission said on Thursday. The decision of the government is based on the recommendation made by the poll panel. For Lok Sabha polls, the revised expenditure limit is now Rs 95 lakh for bigger states and Rs 75 for smaller states. Earlier, the limit was Rs 70 lakh for bigger states and Rs 54 lakh for smaller states. For assembly elections, the revised poll expenditure li

Justin Trudeau says Canada will have enough COVID-19 vaccines for all those eligible to receive a fourth dose if needed. The prime minister spoke with provincial and territorial leaders yesterday, and a statement issued by his office says he assured them Canada has secured enough shots for a third and potential fourth round of vaccinations. The statement says Ottawa will do all it can to help provinces and territories cope with the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as infections fuelled by the Omicron variant threaten to overwhelm health systems. The federal government has said provinces

Environment Canada says substantial rain and snow is expected for coastal B-C this week. It has issued rainfall warnings that will bring up to 150 millimetres of rain by tomorrow night. The weather office says the freezing level will also rise and the melting snow will increase river flows that will prompt localized flooding. Emergency Management B-C says sandbags will be made available by local governments, but residents should clear out gutters and make sure their stormwater drains are clear.

Vancouver Police are investigating a series of violent incidents that kept officers stretched to all corners of the city this weekend. A man driving near Vancouver General Hospital on Saturday afternoon had to slam on his breaks to avoid hitting a pedestrian who had darted out in front of him. The pedestrian became enraged and started hitting the vehicle. She then punched the man repeatedly, broke his glasses, and sprayed an unknown substance in his face. The victim, a 36 year old man from Marpole, called police, but the suspect fled before police arrived. The suspect is a Black woman in her f

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 6,966 new cases of COVID-19, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 283,841 cases in the province:Jan. 7-8: 2,573 new casesJan. 8-9: 2,287 new casesJan. 9-10: 2,106 new casesThere are 34,551 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 243,953 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 431 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:2,672 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 15,4911,067 new cases in Vancouver

Vancouver Police are investigating a series of violent incidents that kept officers stretched to all corners of the city this weekend.A 23 year old fast food worker had to defend himself with a bread knife after a man smashed the front door, jumped the counter, grabbed him by the neck, then stole the cash register during a Saturday afternoon robbery on Powell Street. The victim, who was not seriously hurt, fled to a neighbouring business and asked a staff member to call 9-1-1. The suspect fled with the till before police arrived, however investigators were able to track him to an apartment bui

Vancouver Police are investigating a series of violent incidents that kept officers stretched to all corners of the city this weekend.A 55-year-old cab driver was injured and traumatized Friday night after a passenger allegedly assaulted him with a weapon, threatened him, and forced him to drive from Richmond to Downtown Vancouver. The cabbie was allegedly ordered to drive through red lights and veer into oncoming traffic by the passenger, who appeared paranoid and thought people were following him. VPD officers arrested the suspect after he allegedly got out of the cab and started threatening

BC Ferries says a combination of the fast-spreading Omicron COVID-19 variant, a global shortage of mariners, severe weather and the flu season has the potential to disrupt ferry service over the next few months. The company says in a statement that the problem may hit inter-island routes hardest. It says crewing regulations require that positions on ferries be filled with the appropriate crew or a vessel can't sail. Even if a small number of crew don't show up, it says finding replacements can be difficult. BC Ferries says it has a pool of staff in reserve and cross-trains crew members, but t

Another series of drenching storms is about to sweep over southern BC and Environment Canada says most of Vancouver Island and the inner south coast, including the Fraser Valley should see heavy rain between tomorrow and Thursday. The weather office says several storms are embedded in the approaching atmospheric river. The River Forecast Centre says the downpours, along with mild temperatures after about two weeks of frigid conditions and considerable snowfall, have the potential to melt lower-level snowpacks, possibly causing ``minor to significant flooding.'' The centre has posted high stre