The number of planes landing in Canada carrying passengers with COVID-19 was cut by more than half in the two weeks after the federal government barred incoming flights from India and Pakistan on April 22nd. Transport Canada announced April 22 that direct flights from the countries would be halted for 30 days after high numbers of passengers were testing positive for the virus after landing. Health Canada data posted online show between April 10th and 23rd, 135 international flights arrived with at least one passenger who had COVID-19. 36 of those were direct flights from India and 2 were fro

An investigation by BC's police watchdog has cleared an RCMP officer after a suspected impaired driver ran from a traffic stop near Lytton and later drowned. The Independent Investigations Office says a Mountie made the stop on the evening of August 12th last year after pulling over a driver for speeding. The man was found dead in the Fraser River near Hope six days later. IIO spokesman Ron MacDonald says the investigation couldn't determine if it was unreasonable for the officer not to chase the man down an embankment. It's not clear when or how the man ended up in the river before drowning,

Burnaby RCMP are investigating a shooting at a shopping complex in Metro Vancouver that left one person dead and two in hospital. Police say they were called to the scene around 8:35 pm Thursday evening following reports of gunshots at Market Crossing. They say their initial investigation shows this shooting ``does not appear to be a random act.''Police say one man they found with gunshot wounds succumbed to his injuries despite all attempts to revive him.They say two other people were also shot and are recovering in hospital. No suspect information was released.The Burnaby Mounties are now wo

Foreign nations continue to pour in support to India in its fight against the deadly wave of coronavirus. More flights from countries including Qatar, Canada, Kazakhstan and South Korea arrived in India with medical supplies. Flight from South Korea arrived with 10,000 rapid testing kits and 100 negative pressure carriers. Kazakhstan sent over 5.6 million masks/respirators.Meanwhile, Qatar gifted 200 oxygen concentrators, 40 ventilators, and 4,300 Remdesivir vials to the country. Canada also sent 300 ventilators to India.

There has been a second case in BC of a person developing a rare blood clot after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says it involves a man in his 40's in the Fraser Health region. Dr. Henry says he is receiving treatment and is in stable condition. The case was reported a day after Henry announced that the province would use its remaining stock of the AstraZeneca vaccine for second doses. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says no COVID-19 health restrictions will be lifted before the May long weekend even though the infection rate

Police is asking for public’s help to identify suspect after a hate incident at restaurant drive-thru on May 1st. The suspect was reportedly standing near a restaurant drive-thru window when he approached a family in a sports utility vehicle (SUV) and began yelling at them. When a bystander intervened to tell the suspect to leave, the suspect began hurling anti-Asian slurs at him.Investigators only learned of the incident two days later, after video began circulating on social media. As a result, police were unable to locate the man, identify him, and speak to him immediately.Richmond RCMP i

U.S. President Joe Biden is calling it "a great day for America" and a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life.Biden says the Centers for Disease Control has announced that some Americans can stop wearing a mask.The new CDC guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings - but it clears the way for reopening workplaces and schools.Public health officials in this country suggest a different approach will be taken here and that physical distancing, mask wearing and frequent hand washing remain key.

On behalf of their policing partners, Surrey RCMP is highlighting the multi-pronged, cooperative approach to gangs and organized crime with information on a significant on-going investigation.As part of an on-going multi-agency, drug investigation, a search warrant was executed at a commercial warehouse located in the 1900-block of McLean Avenue in Port Coquitlam, on April 19, 2021.Inside the warehouse, police located a large illicit drug-manufacturing site containing multiple pieces of laboratory and drug manufacturing equipment.Officers also located 37 kilograms of chemicals associated to th

The Transportation Safety Board says progress is being made by the marine, aviation and rail sectors to act on TSB recommendations issued following sinkings, crashes or other events that have caused death or injury. In its annual reassessment of responses to 62 ongoing safety recommendations, the board says 12 more have received a ``fully satisfactory'' rating, pushing the number of recommendations to receive the top rating to nearly 85 per cent. But the board says some key safety ratings have still seen minimal movement, including one it ranks as ``unsatisfactory'' related to a recommendatio