BC's top doctor says officials are working with faith leaders on a gradual return to in-person religious services, which have mostly been prohibited since November under COVID-19 restrictions. Doctor Bonnie Henry says she knows there are many important dates coming up in different faiths and the province will look at easing the rules to meet their specific needs while ensuring certain safety measures remain in place. She also advised post-secondary institutions to prepare for a full return to on-campus education this fall, with Advanced Education Minister Anne Kang saying the province will cr

Call centres open today across British Columbia to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments for some of the province's most elderly residents.B.C. says the vaccine call centres will open at 7 a.m. at the Fraser, Island, Interior, Northern and Vancouver Coastal health authorities to make appointments for people 90 years and older and Indigenous people who are 65 and older or identify as elders.Health authorities announced dozens of sites Sunday where B.C.'s most elderly residents will go to receive their vaccine.Island Health's pandemic planner Victoria Schmid says people 90 years old and older and I

Canada's expert panel on immunization didn't contact Pfizer before its recommendation that the second dose be delayed up to four months. Pfizer Canada's president, Cole Pinnow, made that point today when he spoke to the House of Commons health committee. The advice came from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization because real-world data on one dose shows it is highly effective and with limited supplies, more people could get vaccinated with one dose sooner. Pinnow says one reason is that Pfizer believed the vaccine wouldn't get approved here until well after the New Year. Cole Pinnow

A manslaughter charge has been laid following an investigation into the death of an off-duty police constable from Abbotsford, B.C. 55 year old Const. Allan Young died in July last year, several days after an altercation with another man while Young was visiting Nelson, B.C. Alex Willness, a 26 year old Castlegar resident, made his first appearance on the manslaughter charge last week and is scheduled to appear in a Nelson courtroom on Tuesday. A statement from the Nelson Police Department says Willness remains in custody. Young was placed on life support and died on July 22, almost a week af

In a statement issued to mark International Women's Day, Premier John Horgan says BC's recovery from COVID-19 must be rooted in equality, with opportunities available to all, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Horgan says BC has taken meaningful strides toward gender equality, but the pandemic has highlighted how much more work is needed. He says data shows women have shouldered much of the pandemic burden, with more women working in the hardest-hit sectors, coping with additional caregiving responsibilities for children or family members and facing a jump in reports of intimate partner and f

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the pandemic has been especially hard for women, who are leaving the workforce at a higher rate than men and often taking on the greater share of childcare duties. He told a virtual Daughters of the Vote event that the legacy of the pandemic should not be rolling back progress that women had made. This International Women's Day, he says more needs to be done to lift up Indigenous, Black, and women of colour to build a stronger and more equitable country. Speaking today at a virtual Daughters of the Vote event organized by Equal Voice, Trudeau said politician

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is steadfastly refusing to comment on the explosive allegations of racism and dysfunction inside the royal family made by Prince Harry and Meghan in a television interview. Asked about the interview at a coronavirus news conference, Johnson said he had "always had the highest admiration for the queen and the unifying role that she plays in our country and across the Commonwealth." But he said that "when it comes to matters to do with the royal family the right thing for a prime minister to say is nothing." In contrast, Keir Starmer, leader of the main oppo

Members of the House of Commons ethics committee have unanimously voted to summon WE Charity co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger to testify. Last week, they declined requests to do so, a fact that MPs from all parties expressed concerns about on Monday. A summons from a Commons committee has legal force, and the motion gives the brothers until Friday to appear. The Commons ethics committee wants to hear from the Kielburger brothers as part of ongoing scrutiny of a federal agreement to have WE manage a now-cancelled student services grant program. But the charity had noted that New Democrat

Tofino voters elected a new mayor and two councillors in a weekend byelection. Preliminary results posted by the District of Tofino say Dan Law was elected mayor and Cathy Thicke and Jacky Challenger were elected to council. The byelection was triggered by former mayor Josie Osborne's resignation after she was elected in last fall's provincial election as the member of the legislature for the Mid-Island Pacific Rim riding. The council seats became vacant when former councillors Andrea McQuade and Law resigned to run for mayor. District of Tofino on Twitter: Preliminary 2021 By-Election Result