Strong winds moving across southern British Columbia have left close to 100,000 BC Hydro customers without electricity, with the largest number of outages reported in the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, and on Vancouver Island. BC Hydro said more than 90,000 customers in the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast region lost power overnight and into the morning hours, while an additional 11,000 customers were affected on Vancouver Island. Crews were dispatched across multiple regions as conditions allowed. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Metro Vancouver, warning of westerl

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a full travel ban on citizens from seven additional countries, expanding restrictions that now affect people from a total of 39 nations, according to a letter released by the White House on Tuesday. Under the new decision, full travel restrictions will apply to Palestine, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. The administration has also imposed partial travel limits on citizens from 15 other countries, though specific details of those restrictions were not immediately released. The White House said the measures are being introduced in the i

Burnaby RCMP say a two-month investigation into mail theft has led to charges against five men, following arrests carried out late last year by the detachment’s Prolific Offender Suppression Team. Police say the investigation focused on a series of break-ins and mail thefts reported across Burnaby. In December 2024, officers arrested six men in connection with the case. The BC Prosecution Service has now approved a total of 25 criminal charges against five of those individuals. Among those charged is 36-year-old Jake Dela Cruz Capinpin, who faces two counts each of break and enter and theft

A 27-year-old Chilliwack woman has died after being struck by a falling tree limb while walking along a trail near the Island 22 dog park during severe weather conditions on Monday afternoon. Chilliwack RCMP say officers were called shortly after 3:10 p.m. on December 15 after reports that a woman had been hit by a tree limb along the Island 22 trail. Police say the woman was walking with her two young children at the time, as strong winds and heavy rain moved through the area. Members of the public who were nearby immediately called 911 and provided assistance until emergency crews arrived. C

The B.C. government has launched a new Forestry Innovation and Emergency Management Testbed aimed at helping local companies develop and scale technologies to better protect communities from wildfires, floods and other extreme weather events. The initiative is part of the province’s Look West economic plan, which focuses on strengthening domestic industries and reducing reliance on external markets. Delivered through Innovate BC’s Integrated Marketplace, the provincewide testbed will allow B.C. businesses to pilot technologies in real-world settings tied to wildfire and flood prevention, f

A five-month investigation by Nanaimo RCMP has resulted in multiple drug and firearm-related charges against two Nanaimo residents, following the seizure of controlled substances, weapons and body armour from a local residence. Police say the investigation began in early November 2024 after general duty officers received information that a home in Nanaimo was being used to traffic illegal drugs. With assistance from the RCMP General Investigation Section and the Projects Drug Unit, officers executed a search warrant at the residence on April 17, 2025. During the search, investigators seized qu

The federal government’s new ‘Buy Canadian’ procurement policy came into force today, marking a significant shift in how Ottawa purchases goods and services for major public projects. The policy, announced earlier this fall, is designed to give preference to Canadian-made products and Canadian workers in federal contracting. The government says the approach is aimed at strengthening domestic industries and protecting supply chains during a period of ongoing global trade uncertainty. In its first phase, the policy applies to federal contracts valued at $25 million or more. These projects

A man already serving a life sentence for the murder of a Calgary caseworker has been convicted in the killing of a fellow inmate at a maximum-security federal prison in Edmonton. Brandon Newman was found guilty last week of manslaughter in the 2022 stabbing death of 33-year-old Bretton Fisher at the Edmonton Institution. Newman is currently incarcerated for the second-degree murder of Deborah Onwu, a caseworker who was stabbed 19 times at an assisted-living facility in Calgary in 2019. Court heard that tensions escalated inside the prison after Fisher confronted Newman over the earlier killin

Residents in parts of southwestern British Columbia are being warned to prepare for more heavy rainfall as cleanup efforts continue following recent flooding in the Fraser Valley. Environment Canada says up to 70 millimetres of rain could fall across areas including Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley through Wednesday morning. The forecast comes as floodwaters linked to the Nooksack River in Washington state begin to recede, allowing cleanup operations to start earlier this week in several low-lying Fraser Valley communities. Provincial officials say the flood threat is not over. B.C. Emerg