Canada's chief public health officer says all confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Canada are mild or asymptomatic. But Dr. Theresa Tam says most of the 300 plus Canadians who have contracted the variant are younger, and even a milder version of COVID-19 version could wreak havoc at a societal level. Tam says both vaccinated and unvaccinated people have tested positive for the Omicron variant. But she stresses that being fully vaccinated and then getting a booster is expected to provide reasonable protection against infection and likely strong protection against severe illness.

An independent school in Surrey was closed to in-person instruction yesterday due to a COVID outbreak. Fraser Health says 23 COVID-19 cases have been identified among staff and students at Khalsa School Old Yale Road. Meanwhile, Vancouver Coastal Health has declared an outbreak at Lions Gate Hospital after five patients tested positive for COVID-19. Visits to the hospital have been suspended, with an exception for essential care or compassionate end-of-life.

Health Minister Jean Yves Duclos says with the evolving situation and the overwhelming evidence of Omicron transmission around the world, Canada is lifting its travel restrictions on the 10 African countries it had earlier established in response to the emergence of the new variant. He says this is effective tomorrow.As of Tuesday, Canada will reinstate the requirement for a pre-arrival negative P-C-R test result for all travellers entering the country, even if they are returning to Canada after being away for under 72 hours.

B.C. is reporting 753 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 224,998 cases in the province.There are 3,878 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 218,616 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 184 individuals are in hospital and 70 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, three new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,396.The new deaths include:Fraser Health: oneVancouver Coastal Health: oneIsland Health: oneThere have been 135 cases of the Omicron var

Surrey RCMP Property Crime Unit is requesting the public’s assistance with locating some prolific offenders who have made Santa’s naughty list this holiday season.This list is made up of individuals who currently have outstanding warrants, and who are known to be active in committing property crimes and related offences. We are asking for the public’s assistance in providing information that could assist police with locating and arresting these five.If you see any of these individuals please do not approach them and contact the Surrey RCMP as soon as possible. Jason Wood, 47-years-oldWa

An RCMP officer in Surrey, B.C., may add lifeguard to his credits after rescuing two people from a vehicle that had crashed into a swimming pool. Police say preliminary reports into the crash on Wednesday indicate the driver of the vehicle lost control, slammed through a fence and landed in the in-ground pool. The homeowners called 911 and RCMP Const. Ngawang Gonpo arrived minutes later. Police say the officer managed to get the door open to the vehicle while it was submerged in the pool and remove the two elderly people. The couple were taken to hospital as a precaution, but police say they h

Extreme cold and storm warnings along with special weather statements about snow have been posted for several areas in BC. Environment Canada says an Arctic air mass has settled over the northeastern parts of the province, resulting in temperatures near minus 26 and wind child values close to minus 40. Extreme cold warnings have been issued for the Peace River and Dease Lake areas, and Arctic outflow winds are moving over the inland North Coast. Up to 20 centimetres of snow is predicted for the Cariboo, West Columbia and Williston regions, while Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Sunshine Co

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has announced it will be waiving fees for BC residents who need to replace documents that were destroyed in the floods that displaced nearly 15,000 people last month. Minister of Immigration Sean Fraser says the special measures will cover submissions from November 15th until May 31st for passports, refugee travel documents, certificates of identity, citizenship certificates and permanent resident cards. He says this will allow Canadians and permanent residents time to sort out what documents they need to replace and to apply at no cost. Immigratio

Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun says the city is working to set up a second waste transfer system for the mountain of garbage that will be picked up from outside homes. He says ditches along roads in the Sumas Prairie area are also filled with logs, bales of hay and items like propane tanks and vegetables stands, which were ripped from their foundation. He says the costly recovery will take years. The Sumas and Matsqui prairies of Abbotsford make up Canada's top agricultural-producing jurisdiction per hectare.