Social Development Minister Karina Gould says Service Canada has eliminated 98 per cent of the massive backlog of passport applications. Most new passport applications were being processed on time by October, but thousands of applications before then were backlogged, with would-be travellers facing excessive delays. Gould expects more Canadians to apply for passports in the next few years because the first ones issued with a 10-year expiry date will come up for renewal in July. She is in Hamilton, Ontario for a three-day cabinet retreat, which is also focused on the war in Ukraine and inflati

On Sunday, January 22, 2023, just before 8:00 p.m., Prince George RCMP attended a residence on the 2100-block of Quince Street for a weapons complaint. The 16-year-old victim told police she was at the residence when an adult male pointed a gun and shot it at her, narrowly missing her. The victim, who was uninjured, left the residence and contacted police.Due to the nature of the call, the North District Emergency Response Team was requested to attend the residence and safely remove everyone from inside the house. The suspect, whom police identified as 39-year-old Prince George resident Colby

Surrey RCMP is informing the public of a sexual assault by an unknown person that occurred in the Whalley area, and police are seeking the public’s help to identify the suspect. On January 23, 2023 at 10:53 a.m., Surrey RCMP responded to a report of a female who had been groped by an unknown suspect near King George Blvd. and 102 Avenue. Police conducted extensive CCTV canvass in the area and have obtained an image of the suspect. (See attached photo). While the image is not of great quality, police are releasing it in hopes that someone may recognize him based on the clothing and bag. The

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada is working with allies to help Ukraine, but refused to say whether that means sending along battle tanks to Kyiv. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland also wouldn't say whether Canada wants to send tanks. Speaking at a cabinet retreat in Hamilton, Ontario, Freeland only said that Ukraine winning the war with Russia would boost the global economy. Her remarks come after Germany and the U-S said they are taking steps to send tanks to Ukraine.

Vancouver Police Department human resources officer told a coroner's inquest that Const. Nicole Chan had a history of mental health issues and potential suicide attempts before inappropriate relationships she had with two senior officers. Sgt. Cindy Vance, who put together a timeline of Chan's HR complaints, says that during her hiring process, Chan disclosed that she had consumed 30 to 40 Tylenol in 2006, when she was 17 years old. Vance also testified about a 2012 car crash in Port Moody, B.C., that ``triggered a concern that Ms. Chan might be suicidal,'' resulting in her being arrested and

Investigators searching for a motive in the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County history say a search of the gunman's home discovered a rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and evidence he was manufacturing gun silencers. Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday that investigators have not yet established Huu Can Tran's motive in the massacre, which happened during a celebration of Lunar New Year at a Monterey Park dance hall. The assailant fired 42 rounds at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where 11 people were killed and nine wounded. Luna says a hero later disarmed the gunman, wh

At approximately 7 PM on Sunday January 22,2023, Police, Fire and EHS responded to a report of an individual who walked into the Port Place Mall with an apparent stab wound. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Port Place Mall, in the vicinity of London Drugs. The injured person received emergency first aid at the scene from bystanders and emergency first responders. The victim was transported to the Nanaimo hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. A short time later, an adult male was arrested in connection to the stabbing and taken into police custody. An area of the Mall

A coroner's inquest into the suicide of a Vancouver police officer in 2019 has been told Nicole Chan suffered from mental health problems believed to have stemmed from a sexual assault and extortion by another officer. Jennifer Chan told the inquest today that she thought her sister was being blackmailed by an officer in Human Resources. Chan also testified that her sister struggled with anxiety and depression after she complained to the police chief in 2017 about inappropriate relationships that she had with two senior officers. Nicole Chan was on stress leave when she committed suicide and

On Saturday January 21st at approximately 1:15 pm, New Westminster Police Department officers received a call from someone who had found a man with numerous stab wounds. Officers rushed to the scene and located a man inside a bus with several stab wounds needing immediate medical aid. Officers provided aid, including the use of a tourniquet, until BC Ambulance Service arrived to transport the man to nearby hospital. Officers learned that the victim was stabbed and robbed near the parkade at the Shops at New West. The victim fled from the suspect to seek refuge inside a bus. The suspect is desc