Mounties in Maple Ridge found a unique use for their handcuffs this week as they worked with conservation officers to save a curious but unwelcome cougar. The big cat had wandered into a busy neighbourhood of the Metro Vancouver city on a sunny Sunday and there were concerns it might have to be shot because so many people were nearby. Instead, police shooed residents into their homes and secured the area while conservation officers tranquilized the cougar and police handcuffed its front paws as a precaution in case it woke up and tried to run before it was caged. The statement from Maple Ridg

Liberal House leader Mark Holland says the parties in the House of Commons have agreed to debate the use of the Emergencies Act through the weekend with a vote coming Monday evening. The motion declaring the government's decision to invoke the act was introduced Wednesday evening and debate began today. Holland says the debate will run 7 a.m. to midnight today, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday. The vote on the motion will take place Monday evening at 8 p.m.

Premier John Horgan has laid out what he says is BC's new, long-term economic plan, which includes a goal of filling one million jobs over the next decade, though the announcement offers just one immediate first step. Horgan says his government will invest nearly 137 million dollars in a trades and technology complex at the BC Institute of Technology campus in Burnaby. He says more than 20 trades and technologies will provide skills training, help develop resilient communities and mark BC as a world leader in a low-carbon economy. Other goals of the ``StrongerBC Economic Plan'' include antici

There are more police officers on the streets of downtown Ottawa today, and Quebec's public security minister confirms provincial police are being deployed to Gatineau, just across the river from the capital. In addition to the growing numbers of officers in position to begin clearing the protest in front of Parliament Hill, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says banks are already freezing accounts. Freeland says the RCMP has shared the names of individuals, businesses and crypto wallets associated with the protest convoy. She's telling protesters there is a really easy way to avoid bei

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opened the debate in the House of Commons on the Emergencies Act by saying Canadians have made sacrifices for the past two years. He says with things starting to open up once again, this is not the time to hurt our communities and fellow citizens by setting up illegal blockades.Conservative Interim leader says protesters want to be heard Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen says her party wants to lower the temperature across the country, while the prime minister wants to raise it. As debate got underway on the Emergencies Act, Bergen told the House that the

The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in Canada.The vaccine, which is protein-based, is the first of its kind to get approval in the country.Experts say a non-mRNA vaccine could win over some vaccine-hesitant people who have still not received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.The U.S. company Novavax Inc. submitted its package for approval to Health Canada last November.The Novavax shots have already been cleared for use in other countries, including Britain, Europe, Australia and Singapore.Ottawa also signed a deal last year to produce the Novavax vaccine in Canada and a manufact

B.C. is reporting 750 new cases of COVID-19, including three epi-linked cases, for a total of 342,282 cases in the province.The new cases include:Fraser Health: 167Vancouver Coastal Health: 93Interior Health: 277Northern Health: 108Island Health: 105People who reside outside of Canada: zeroThere are 762 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 121 are in intensive care.In the past 24 hours, 11 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,777.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreaks at Queen’s Park Care Centre (Fraser Health), Arrowsmith Lodge and Woo

A partially consumed bottle of liquor was recovered from the ill-fated car of Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident on Tuesday near Sonipat in Haryana. An FIR has been registered for rash and negligent driving against the driver of the truck with which the actor's car collided. Viscera samples of the actor have been collected. "We retrieved a partially consumed liquor bottle from Deep Sidhu's car. It is a case of rash and negligent driving. An FIR has been registered. The driver has been identified and police teams are trying to nab him. Viscera sample has been collected and fu

The victim of a fatal stabbing in Abbotsford has been identified as a 30-year-old man who was known to police. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says it believes the stabbing of Cody Corbett yesterday in Inspiration Park was targeted and not random. But it says there is no known connection with the Lower Mainland gang conflict. Sergeant David Lee says Corbett lived a transient lifestyle but had contact with people in the community and anyone who knew of his activities is being asked to call I-HIT.