A special session of the Punjab Legislative Assembly was held for the commemoration of the historic 400th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur on Friday.The decision to hold a special session of the assembly for a day was approved at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on August 26.Earlier, the Chief Minister said he will invite Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu, Punjab Governor VP Badnore, and former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as guests at the special session.Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth Guru (April 1, 1621-November 11, 1675) of the Sikh

B.C. is reporting 801 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 167,654 cases in the province.Note: The numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.There are 5,931 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 159,560 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 199 individuals are in hospital and 116 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, six new deaths (Interior Health) have been reported, for an overall total of 1,824.From Aug. 25-31, people

A 15 year old boy has been arrested after a series of stranger attacks in Burnaby and New Westminster. Earlier this week, Burnaby RCMP Serious Crimes Unit, Prolific Offender Unit, Strike Force Team, Investigative Support Team and New Westminster Police, entered into a large investigation in an attempt to identify and arrest the suspect in three stranger attacks on women. On Wednesday, at around 4:00 p.m., Burnaby RCMP located and arrested a 15-year-old boy who police believe to have committed these attacks. He was taken into custody as he departed a SkyTrain station.The 15-year-old remains in

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says home sales have slowed from a frenzied pace earlier this year, but supply has dwindled and prices continue to rise. The board says August home sales in the region totalled 3,152, a 3.4 per cent increase from last August, but a 5.2 per cent decrease from this past July. The board says sales last month were about 20 per cent higher than the 10-year August sales average, but new listings were down 30.6 per cent from last August. It says the composite benchmark price for all residential properties reached one-million-176-thousand in August, up 13.2

Eight more cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed at a Victoria long-term care home where 34 people have now been infected and one resident has died. Admissions, transfers and social visits have been restricted since the outbreak at Sunset Lodge was declared last Friday after three staff members tested positive. The Island Health authority says most of the latest cases are likely a result of transmission before the outbreak was discovered. It's one of 16 active outbreaks in assisted-living and long-term care homes across the province, in addition to outbreaks at three hospitals.

A portion of Cypress Bowl Road remains closed this morning following a fatal collision that occurred shortly before 4:00 am.Tragically, this collision has claimed the life of two people. Members of the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service are currently on scene."This is an absolutely tragic incident," says Cst. Kevin Goodmurphy. "Our investigators are working hard to determine the cause of the collision, and we ask that people avoid the area for the time being."Cypress Bowl Road remains closed between Chippendale Rd. and Eagle Lake Access Rd. until further notice.

Police in the Lower Mainland are investigating two fatal crashes this morning. Mounties in Surrey say a 37 year old man has died following a collision between a tractor trailer and a passenger vehicle on Highway 17 just before 3 am. They say the cause of the crash hasn't been determined but impairment is not believed to be a factor. It initially appears that the passenger vehicle was pulled over on the side of the highway when it was struck by the westbound tractor trailer.

BC Premier John Horgan is expressing his gratitude to health-care workers after protests outside some hospitals in the province. The provincial government will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 later this month from residents participating in non-essential activities, such as visiting restaurants, gyms and movie theatres. Demonstrations against the government's approach on COVID-19 outside hospitals prompted Horgan to issue a statement in support of health-care workers, calling them ``the true heroes'' throughout the pandemic. Kathy MacNeil, president and CEO of the Island Health

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021.Fires:Wildfires currently burning in B.C.: 216Since April 1, 2021:1,562 wildfires865,299 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 24Coastal: 18Kamloops: 64Northwest: 5Prince George: 49Southeast: 56Resources:Firefighters and other personnel currently fighting the fires: 2,940Out-of-province firefighters: 455Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 119Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 17 (-1) Evacuation alerts: 49 (-19) Properties:Num