8.6°C Vancouver

News

CanadaApr 23, 2021

Prime Minister receives his first shot of AstraZeneca

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, received their first shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine Friday at a Rexall pharmacy in downtown Ottawa.Pharmacist Zaineb Hassan disinfected a spot on Trudeau's left arm where the prime minister has an Indigenous tattoo, before he jokingly asked his wife to hold his right hand while he received the vaccine dose.Trudeau told the pharmacist he was "very excited" before Hassan injected the shot into Trudeau's arm and covered the spot with a bandage.Hassan then gave Gregoire Trudeau her vaccine shot and told the coupl
CanadaApr 23, 2021

Canada signs deal for Pfizer booster doses

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has reached an agreement with Pfizer for 35 million booster doses for next year, and 30 million in the year after.He says the deal includes options to add 30 million doses in both 2022 and 2023, and an option for 60 million doses in 2024.Booster shots are expected to be important as the virus continues to mutate, similar to how the flu shot is altered every year to be effective against the most dominant strain.Trudeau says these boosters will be the latest version of the Pfizer vaccine based on research and testing, and they will help Canada keep the v
CanadaApr 23, 2021

Ontario reports first case of blood clotting after AstraZeneca

Ontario has reported its first case of a rare blood clot in a person who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.Dr. David Williams, Ontario's top doctor, says the 60-year-old patient had received his first dose of the vaccine.Williams says the man has been treated and is recovering at home.It's the fourth case of the rare clotting condition in Canada, out of more than 1.1 million AstraZeneca doses administered across the country.B.C. has been facing a stark shortage of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with several doses being diverted from Vancouver Island Health to the Lower Mainland
prime-minister-justin-trudeau-says-restricting-travel-from-india-pakistan-necessary
CanadaApr 23, 2021

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says restricting travel from India, Pakistan necessary

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says suspending incoming passenger flights from India and Pakistan for the next month must be done to keep Canadians safe. Trudeau says it's necessary because there has been a concerning surge of COVID-19 cases and the emergence of more variants of concern in certain parts of the world.Also, the federal health minister has said half of the people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus after arriving in Canada by plane have come from India.The new travel measures were announced yesterday following pressure from provincial leaders, who said not enough w
key-measure-suggests-canadas-covid-19-surge-could-be-slowing-down-says-tam
CanadaApr 23, 2021

Key measure suggests Canada's COVID-19 surge could be slowing down, says Tam

Canada's top public health doctor says there's been an increase of more than 200,000 COVID-19 cases since last month, but there are signs the epidemic is easing.Dr. Theresa Tam says average case counts have more than doubled over the past month, with upwards of 8,400 infections reported daily over the last week.But Tam says there's reason for hope due to Canada's declining reproduction rate, which represents how many people are infected by each new case.She says this measure has fallen below the key threshold of one for the first time in weeks, meaning the rate of transmission is trending dow
hundreds-of-scheduled-surgeries-in-b-c-postponed-more-than-1-000-covid-19-cases-reported-in-the-province
BCApr 23, 2021

Hundreds of scheduled surgeries in B.C. postponed; More than 1,000 COVID-19 cases reported in the province

Hundreds of scheduled surgeries in British Columbia have been postponed as the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals reaches a new peak. Health Minister Adrian Dix says 1,750 surgeries at nine affected hospitals in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions have been delayed. There are 502 people in hospital and more than 160 of those are in intensive care units. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says pressure on B.C.'s health-care system is ``immense'' right now. The government is also asking specially trained health workers who are now in community settings to return to int
WorldApr 23, 2021

Sharpton decries 'stench of racism' in Daunte Wright's death

Daunte Wright was remembered at his funeral Thursday as a dedicated father whose life was ended too soon at the hands of police. Civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a thundering eulogy, promising that Black people will never ``shut up and suffer,'' and that changes to federal law are coming. Wright was shot by police during a traffic stop in suburban Minneapolis during the murder trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd. He was convicted two days ago. Hundreds of people packed into Shiloh Temple International Ministries to remember the 2
police-report-15-gang-linked-killings-in-metro-vancouver-in-2021-after-dip-since-2017-indetify-langley-shooting-victim
BCApr 22, 2021

Police report 15 gang-linked killings in Metro Vancouver in 2021 after dip since 2017, indetify Langley shooting victim

The man fatally shot outside a sports complex in Langley, B.C., has been identified by police as a longtime gang associate targeted in what investigators believe is an intensifying gangland conflict that has simmered for almost two decades. The victim of Wednesday's shooting is 46 year old Todd Gouwenberg and although police have not yet found an obvious motive for his slaying, they say it was targeted. Assistant Comm. Manny Mann, chief officer of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, the south coast agency focused on gang conflict, says Gouwenberg had been connected to the United Nat
former-minister-tells-inquiry-money-laundering-on-b-c-radar-but-so-were-guns-gangs
BCApr 22, 2021

Former minister tells inquiry money laundering on B.C. radar, but so were guns, gangs

The interim leader of the B.C. Liberal party says reports of money laundering at casinos had the attention of the government when she was the minister in charge of gaming a decade ago. But Shirley Bond says civil forfeiture, gang violence and gambling addiction were also big issues during those 11 months as part of her duties as the solicitor general and minister of public safety. She told the Cullen commission today that she never discussed reports of millions of dollars of suspicious cash at casinos being linked to money laundering and organized crime with former premier Christy Clark. Clar

Just In

CanadaNov 20, 2025

Indian national wanted in murder case arrested after being refused entry at Canada–U.S. border

U.S. border officials say a 22-year-old Indian national was taken into custody at the Peace Bridge crossing at Fort Erie after Canadian officers refused him entry over the weekend. The case is drawing renewed attention to cross-border screening practices that affect travel between Ontario and Western New York, a corridor frequently used by travellers from Ontario’s South Asian communities. According to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the man – identified as Vishat Kumar – had previously entered the United States without authorization in 2024 and did not appear for a
chrystia-freeland-to-leave-parliament-for-senior-leadership-role-with-rhodes-trust-in-u-k
CanadaNov 20, 2025

Chrystia Freeland to leave Parliament for senior leadership role with Rhodes Trust in U.K.

Chrystia Freeland is preparing to leave federal politics next year as she moves to Oxford, England, to take up a senior leadership role with the Rhodes Trust. The educational charity confirmed that Freeland will become its next chief executive officer on July 1, overseeing one of the world’s most influential international scholarship programs. The organization administers the Rhodes Scholarship, which brings students from around the globe to study at the University of Oxford. Freeland’s appointment places her at the centre of an institution that has produced generations of leaders in publi
rain-and-snow-alerts-in-effect-as-coastal-and-northern-b-c-brace-for-strong-weather-system
BCNov 20, 2025

Rain and Snow Alerts in Effect as Coastal and Northern B.C. Brace for Strong Weather System

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a pair of weather alerts for communities along British Columbia’s north and central coast, warning that a strong frontal system could bring significant rain and heavy mountain snow through the end of the week. The agency says areas from Bella Coola through Kitimat may receive as much as 70 millimetres of rain, raising the risk of water pooling on roads and possible washouts near rivers and creeks. The system is expected to weaken by Friday, but officials caution that changing conditions may still affect travel across coastal corridors. While t
senate-approves-citizenship-reform-for-lost-canadians-as-advocates-raise-adoption-concerns
CanadaNov 20, 2025

Senate approves citizenship reform for ‘Lost Canadians’ as advocates raise adoption concerns

Federal legislation designed to address long-standing gaps in Canada’s citizenship rules has cleared the Senate and is expected to become law before a court-imposed deadline early next year. The bill aims to resolve cases involving so-called Lost Canadians – individuals born abroad to Canadian parents who were themselves born outside the country and who lost access to citizenship because of restrictive rules adopted in 2009. The changes come after the Ontario Superior Court ruled last year that the previous one-generation limit on citizenship by descent was unconstitutional. Under the upda
AlbertaNov 20, 2025

Alberta auditor says failed lab privatization left public with $109 million bill

Alberta’s auditor general says the province’s attempt to shift community lab testing to a private operator resulted in significant financial losses and gaps in government oversight. A new report from Auditor General Doug Wylie estimates taxpayers absorbed roughly $109 million after the privatization effort collapsed. Wylie’s review found that senior officials in government advanced the plan despite internal warnings that the projected savings were unlikely. He says weaknesses in record keeping, financial analysis and contract oversight contributed to the breakdown of the agreement with D