The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training says it has temporarily shut down two British Columbia websites after both appear to have been compromised. The home pages of StudentAidBC and LearnLiveBC were altered Sunday and replaced with a statement allegedly from a hacker group. The affected sites offer application assistance or details about scholarships, grants, bursaries, loans and other financial programs for post-secondary students. A statement from the ministry says it has been alerted to the problem and is investigating, along with the Office of the Chief Information Officer

As of last week, more than 2,200 Canadians were diagnosed with COVID-19 at least two weeks after getting their first vaccination. The Public Health Agency of Canada says vaccinated individuals make up about 1.3 per cent of infections since vaccinations began in December. It says the percentage of breakthrough cases is small, and so far, there isn't enough data to understand the reasons behind the infections. It isn't clear if these cases involve one approved vaccine more than another. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization will hold a news conference later today to issue guidance on

One of the largest and most popular summer celebrations in Vancouver has been cancelled for the second year in a row. The Vancouver Fireworks Festival society says the three-day Honda Celebration of Light fireworks event has been called off for 2021, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the society says the festival will be back in 2022, with dates already set for July 23, 27 and 30. In years past, roughly 400,000 people crowded the shores of Vancouver's English Bay each night of the festival to watch the fireworks. The event was also cancelled last year, which would have bee

RCMP say a suspect is in custody following a shooting yesterday in Burnaby that seriously injured a 25 year old woman. Police say the 43 year old man was arrested hours after the incident and at a residence in Burnaby. They say they believe the shooting was targeted and isolated, and they have no evidence linking it to the Lower Mainland gang conflict. Police also say the woman is now in stable condition and her injuries are no longer believed to be life-threatening. Burnaby RCMP on Twitter: #BurnabyFrontline officers have arrested a 43-year-old Burnaby man in relation to this morning's shoot

A provincial corrections officer has been identified as the victim of a fatal shooting in Delta, B.C.The victim has been identified as Bikramdeep Randhawa, 29, of Surrey, B.C.Delta Police say in a news release they are considering the daylight shooting outside the Scottsdale Centre mall Saturday to be targeted based on behaviour by the suspects, but the motive is not known.They say investigators are looking at all angles, including that it was a case of mistaken identity, that it related to the man's personal life or that it was linked to his occupation.Police say they are in contact with oth

This is a victory for Bengal, said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Nandigram constituency on Sunday. "I would like to thank everyone. Please adhere to COVID-appropriate behaviour. I request all to not take out victory processions. I urge everyone to go back to their homes now. Our first priority is to control the COVID outbreak. This is the victory of Bengal. Only Bengal can," Mamata told TMC supporters outside her Kalighat residence in Kolkata. She also walked on her feet instead of using a wheelchair that happened to her companion since March after sustaining injuries durin

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia. "Today, we are reporting 740 new cases, for a total of 129,482 cases in British Columbia."There are 7,886 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, with 11,727 people under public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases. "Of the active cases, 511 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 174 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-

Surrey RCMP is looking for information regarding an indecent act that occurred after hours, at a school in Fleetwood. Surrey RCMP is investigating after receiving a report of an indecent act which is alleged to have occurred on April 29, 2021, between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. Police received information that a woman was in the playground at Coyote Creek Elementary, located at 8131 156 Street, when she was approached by an unknown male who appeared to be exposing himself and masturbating. The woman yelled and the man fled into a nearby wooded area. The suspect is described as a South Asian male in h

The Liberal Party of Canada says it fundraised around $3.5 million during the first three months of the second year dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. A party spokesperson says the Liberal government is focused on fighting the virus, ``while other parties have pushed for an election.'' Because the Liberals hold a minority of seats in the House of Commons an election could happen anytime, and federal parties have started to prepare. The Liberals report more than 33,600 people donated around $3.5 million in the first quarter of 2021. It also says it set a new record for the number of grassroot