The British Columbia government has moved to prevent thefts of catalytic converters, a crime that costs millions every year.The province has changed the regulations for metal dealers and recyclers to require them to report each transaction, including seller information, to police.Catalytic converters control exhaust emissions to reduce pollutants, but they have been a target for thieves because of an increase in the price of metals they contain.The Insurance Corporation of B.C. says converter theft claims have climbed from 89 in 2017 to 1,953 last year, totalling more than $4 million in claim

On April 1, 2022, the federal minimum wage will increase from $15.00 to $15.55 per hour. For those working in provinces or territories where the general minimum wage rate is higher, the higher rate will continue to apply.The federal minimum wage, which came into force on December 29, 2021, is adjusted automatically on April 1 of every year, based on the average annual increase of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as reported by Statistics Canada. This is to ensure that the federal minimum wage keeps pace with inflation. This year’s rate increase reflects the 3.4% annual average rise of the CPI

Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambia was shot dead during a kabaddi tournament at Mallian Khurd village, in Nakodar. Shooting happened while a match was being played on Monday evening. Media reports suggest Sandeep had come to attend the tournament and some people were taking selfies with him when some assailants arrived in a car. Two assailants shot the kabaddi player dead and fled. Police are trying to track down the killers. Sandeep was a popular kabaddi player and belonged to Nangal Ambia village, near Shahkot.

The British Columbia government is pushing the minimum wage up to $15.65 an hour, which it says is the highest among the provinces. Labour Minister Harry Bains announced today that the hourly wage will jump by 45 cents starting June 1.The increase is the first to be tied to B.C.'s annual inflation rate, which was 2.8 per cent last year.Bains says the decision to use the provincial rate of inflation rather than the national rate was made to better reflect the needs of B.C. workers.He says the increase is expected to attract more workers to the province, while providing certainty of costs for bu

A group of Metro Vancouver truck drivers concerned about high gas prices staged a protest this morning that reduced traffic to a crawl on Highway 1 between Langley and Coquitlam. Spokesman Ryan Hess, who owns a trucking company in Abbotsford, says fuel costs have climbed above two dollars a litre across the region and truckers are suffering. He says the convoy, which took place between 7 am and 9 am, had nothing to do with recent protests against COVID-19 mandates, instead truckers want the public to know the consequences of expensive fuel. Hess says some trucking companies may go out of busi

Ukrainian and Russian officials have held a a new round of talks as Moscow's troops press their assault on Kyiv and other cities. Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted a photo of the two sides meeting by video link on Monday but said the talks had ended for the day and would resume Tuesday. Podolyak said on Twitter earlier that the negotiators would discuss ``peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops & security guarantees.''Previous rounds were held in person on the border with Belarus, most recently a week ago, and failed to produce a breakthrough.

B.C. is reporting 288 new cases of COVID-19, including two epi-linked cases, for a total of 352,039 cases in the province. There are 368 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 46 are in intensive care.In the past 24 hours, three new deaths (Fraser Health) have been reported, for an overall total of 2,935.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks, for a total of 14 facilities with ongoing outbreaks. From March 3-9, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 18.0% of cases.From Feb. 24 to March 9, they accounted for 28.7% of hospitalizations.Past week cases (March 3-9) - Total 2,0

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau capped a week-long European trip by slapping sanctions on five more Russia oligarchs for their close ties with President Vladimir Putin. They include Roman Abramovich, who is a major shareholder in Evraz, a company that operates a steel mill in Regina. G-7 leaders have issued a joint statement backing Ukraine, calling for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops and promising further sanctions and economic policies targeting Russia's economy. The leaders say they're also pushing global financial institutions including the World Bank and Internation

Plans are in the works in British Columbia for the province to accept thousands of Ukrainians fleeing as Russia's invasion pushes further into their country. Premier John Horgan says he has met with Ukrainian community leaders, refugee settlement agencies and faith groups to make preparations to meet the housing, health and transition needs of those fleeing the war.Horgan says he's not sure about the number of people from Ukraine who might come to B.C., but he told a news conference it could be tens of thousands.He says community leaders indicate housing will be the top issue and discussions a