Canada's auditor general says COVID-19 benefits were delivered quickly and helped mitigate economic suffering, however, the federal government hasn’t done enough to recover overpayments. Karen Hogan says the programs delivered relief to workers and employers and helped the economy rebound. At the same time, the report says the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada have not followed up by verifying payments.Hogan estimates 4.6 billion dollars was paid to people who were not eligible, while another 27.4 billion dollars in payments to people and businesses should be

Coquitlam RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect of an assault that occurred on Friday, November 4, 2022. Coquitlam RCMP Frontline officers responded to an assault that occurred inside Superstore located at 1-3000 Lougheed Hwy in Coquitlam between 4:20 p.m. and 4:40 p.m. on November 4. The suspect assaulted a woman who was seen with a small child. The suspect can be described as: Asian Male 25-35 years oldApproximately 6’0 tallMedium build The suspect was seen wearing:Grey toque with fur pompom on the topBlack winter jacket with large collarDark coloured pantsA

Major-General Dany Fortin has been acquitted of sexual assault over an allegation dating back to 1988. At the time, both Fortin and the complainant were attending a military college in Quebec. The complainant told the court that she was certain ``without a doubt'' that the perpetrator was Fortin. But Fortin's lawyer cited inconsistencies between the complainant's testimony and her previous statements to investigators last year, including details of the incident. Fortin is the former head of the federal government's COVID-19 vaccine rollout campaign.

Public-health officials are encouraging families and caregivers to get their kids vaccinated against influenza in advance of the holidays. There are several respiratory viruses causing illness in B.C. Some children have had more severe illness in the past few weeks, particularly from influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Many children have not been exposed to influenza and other respiratory illnesses following two years of low influenza rates due to COVID-19 public-health prevention measures implemented worldwide, including Canada and B.C. This is why it's especially important for c

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are celebrating the opening today of Canada's first full-scale electric vehicle manufacturing plant. Trudeau says electric delivery vans have started rolling off the line today at the General Motors CAMI production plant in Ingersoll, Ont., which has been retooled to build the company's BrightDrop all-electric vehicle brand. The prime minister was joined by Ford and the province's Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli to mark the milestone. The provincial and federal governments each invested $259 million toward GM's $2-billion pl

A Railtown man faces firearms charges after he allegedly began shooting a gun inside his apartment building, a volatile situation that drew more than three dozen Vancouver Police officers to the East Vancouver neighbourhood Sunday night. Vancouver Police crisis negotiators and specially-trained members of VPD’s Emergency Response Team were among the officers who responded just after 7 p.m. last night, when a man in his fifties began firing rounds inside a building near Main Street and Alexander Street. A person who was with the man when he began firing quickly fled and called 9-1-1, reporti

The jobless rate across Canada didn't budge much last month. Statistics Canada says the employment rate fell by a single basis point to 5.1 per cent in November, down from 5.2 per cent the month earlier. The agency says just 10,000 jobs were created across Canada in November, with job losses in construction, wholesale and retail trade offset by gains in industries ranging from finance, insurance and real estate to information, culture and recreation. BC's unemployment rate nudged up two basis points to 4.4 per cent in November while Abbotsford-Mission and Victoria recorded identical drops of

The pace of Canada’s economic recovery has made it hard for employers, including those in the tourism industry, to find the workers they need. The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, announced that Canada is extending work permits to family members of temporary foreign workers. Expanding the eligibility for work permits to family members accompanying the principal applicant to Canada will help address labour shortages by assisting employers in finding the worke

Approximately one year ago, on December 7, 2021, the Delta Police reported that the community of Delta tragically lost one of our youth - 17-year-old Maaike Blom. Maaike had been reported missing by her family on December 5, 2021, and was located deceased on December 7, 2021, at a south Delta residence located in the 2400 Block Falcon Way.As a result of the circumstances surrounding Maaike’s disappearance and subsequent death, an investigation was initiated by the Delta Police Department Major Crime Section. The police investigation determined that Maaike did not die as a result of a homicid