Jobs and Economic Recovery Minister Ravi Kahlon says the latest BC program aimed at helping businesses affected by BC's pandemic restrictions is up and running. Kahlon says the COVID-19 Closure Relief Grant has been fast-tracked and is ready to accept applications from businesses ordered to temporarily close due to newly announced public-health measures. Businesses that were ordered to fully close as of December 22nd, including certain bars, nightclubs and lounges, gyms, fitness and adult dance centres as well as some event venues, can apply for relief grants of one-thousand to ten-thousand d

A 62 year old man has been identified as the person found shot to death in a Surrey home on Sunday night. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says Brian Chapman is known to them but has had no police history since 2020. Despite that, detectives say the shooting was not random, although they don't believe it is linked to Metro Vancouver's ongoing gang conflict. No arrests have been made and police say the homicide likely happened early Sunday but wasn't discovered for nearly 12 hours.

Vancouver Police are investigating a concerning incident in East Vancouver this past weekend and are looking for anyone with information to come forward.Two women were standing at a bus stop near Commercial Drive and Graveley Street at around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 8, when two men in a black truck pulled up beside them and began cat-calling. The truck circled around and drove by the women a number of times.The passenger then exited the truck and started chasing the women, who ran to a place of safety and called police. The suspects drove off and have not been located."We know there was

Vancouver police say the BC Prosecution Service has approved a charge against a 39 year old man accused of defacing the monument marking BC's Komagata Maru incident. The waterfront monument includes the names of nearly 400 people who sailed to Vancouver aboard the Komagata Maru in 1914, but were denied entry to Canada due to racist policies of the day and were eventually forced to return to India. Someone defaced the monument and smeared paint on it last summer in what police initially described as a hate crime, and the VPD says a four-month investigation has identified a suspect. A BC wide w

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he needs to see more details before taking a stance on Quebec's plan to levy a financial penalty against people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. Trudeau told reporters today in Ottawa he wants to see how the Quebec proposal balances people's rights with the state's goal of protecting them from the disease. Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Tuesday he planned to make the unvaccinated pay a ``significant'' financial penalty. Legault said people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 occupy a disproportionate number of hospital beds and should be re

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Russia may face further Western sanctions as a consequence of its military build up on the Ukrainian border. And Trudeau strongly suggests today that Canada will renew its modest commitment of 200 Canadian Forces personnel to a NATO training mission in Ukraine, amid rising tensions between the West and Russia. The Ukrainian government has been waiting on Canada to publicly renew the commitment, set to expire at the end of March, as part of show of NATO solidarity toward Russia at a time of rising tensions. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his ca

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologized for attending a garden party during Britain's coronavirus lockdown. He said Wednesday that there are things the government ``did not get right.''Johnson is facing anger from public and politicians over claims he and his staff flouted pandemic restrictions by socializing when it was banned. Some members of his Conservative Party say he should resign if he can't quell the furor. Johnson acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that he was at the May 2020 garden party at his Downing Street office, though he said that he had considered it a work event.

B-C's ministry of education says two schools in Hazelton and Surrey have halted in-person learning less than two days after most students returned to classrooms. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says school administration officials make decisions about closing in-person classes and moving to temporary online teaching. Ginger Fuller, secretary-treasurer of the Coast Mountain School District, says the closure at Hazelton Secondary School was a result of staff shortages caused by illness, but says officials will meet today to decide when to reopen.The ministry says the independent Bibleway

Environment Canada says the series of atmospheric rivers forecast for B-C's south coast won't relent until tomorrow. The weather office says the storm's second intense gush is expected today and a final burst tomorrow, bringing up to 150 millimetres for some areas. Dave Campbell, the head of the province's River Forecast Centre, says roads could be washed out near waterways and is urging drivers to be careful. The provincial state of emergency that was declared after storms washed away highways, flooded communities and killed five people in November is being extended until January 18th.