Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland released a fall economic statement today that outlined a better-than-expected economic rebound, but also billions more in spending, including on the response to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Here are some other measures outlined in the fiscal update: Immigration backlogs - The federal government plans to put $85 million into plowing through massive backlogs in processing immigration applications starting in fiscal 2022-23. The government acknowledged the pandemic dramatically slowed down the pace of processing immigration applications, and many resources

Fraser Health has opened a new overdose prevention site at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock. The health authority says the site will provide people with a safe environment monitored by trained medical staff to consume their own substances. It says it will also provide people with overdose prevention education, take-home naloxone training and facilitate referrals to health and substance use services. It is the first overdose prevention site in White Rock and the sixth in Fraser Health.

The Canadian Press News Story of the Year is the discovery of unmarked graves at a former residential school in British Columbia's Interior.It came ahead of Canada's COVID-19 vaccine rollout and stories about climate change and severe weather in B-C in the annual survey of editors at media outlets across the country.The story broke in May when the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Nation in Kamloops announced ground-penetrating radar found what were believed to be the remains of up to 215 children.

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 1,129 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 223,142 cases in the province:Dec. 10-11: 415 new casesDec. 11-12: 365 new casesDec. 12-13: 349 new casesNote: The numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.There are currently 2,949 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 217,705 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 185 individuals are currently in hospital and 72 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the

Vancouver Police took seven limos and party buses off the road, and recommended thousands of dollars in fines during a weekend safety blitz."We always encourage people to plan a ride home when they go out to celebrate, and we trust that people operating limos and party buses will do everything they can to keep people safe," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "Sadly, many of the vehicles inspected were in appalling shape or were being driven in a dangerous way."Officers from VPD’s Traffic Section examined eight vehicles – three party buses and five limousines – on Friday and Saturday night. All

Burnaby RCMP is warning the public that one of its detachment phone numbers was recently spoofed and used in a telephone scam.Spoofing is when a caller identification (caller ID) or call display are manipulated to show trusted phone numbers.On November 29, 2021, Burnaby RCMP received a report that a victim transferred $6,000 to a scammer through Bitcoin because the call appeared to come from a Burnaby RCMP detachment phone number.The victim initially received a call from a scammer, who advised that they owed money and if they did not pay, they would receive a call from the RCMP. The victim ini

With recovery efforts still underway in communities affected by severe flooding and highways damaged by flooding and mudslides, the Province is extending the provincial state of emergency.Given the continued need for public safety measures under the Emergency Program Act and ongoing work to repair damaged highways, the provincial state of emergency is being extended until the end of the day on Dec. 28, 2021."While we’re making significant progress in our recovery, there is still a lot of work to do to reopen our highways and get people back into their homes," said Mike Farnworth, Minister of

Winter weather is making its way back into southern B.C. with Environment Canada issuing heavy snowfall warnings for several areas. The agency says a low-pressure system is moving into the southern part of the province starting Monday night and is expected to stay on until Tuesday, bringing up to 20 centimetres of snow in some areas. It says the areas affected will include parts of Elk Valley, the Fraser Canyon along Highway 3, and Lytton, Boston Bar and Hope. The highway is the only provincial access route into the Interior and remains open to essential traffic only. Environment Canada says

The University of Victoria says it will no longer be holding in-person exams this year to reduce COVID-19 risks. School officials issued a statement asking teachers to adjust their exam plans to offer assessments online or in another format starting today. They are also asking students to avoid campus if they feel sick or test positive for the virus, saying ``timely academic consideration'' will be given if a student becomes too sick to complete their schoolwork. The university says the decision was made after consulting with public health experts at Island Health.