People bringing forward human rights claims will soon have better access to justice through increased funding for the BC Human Rights Tribunal and the Community Legal Assistance Society. "Nobody should be forced to live with intolerance and bigotry – that’s why our government has prioritized supporting people and communities in fighting racism and other forms of discrimination," said Premier David Eby. "I’m glad that more people than ever before are standing up against discrimination and hate, including through the BC Human Rights Tribunal. By supporting faster access to justice at the t

China's government is not happy that Canada and other countries are creating new COVID-19 restrictions for people flying from China. Beginning Thursday, Canada will require air travellers from China to have a recent negative test, similar to the US and some European countries. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says those rules are based on politics instead of science, and that some policies are ``disproportionate and simply unacceptable.'' China lifted many of its strict COVID-19 policies last month, sparking a wave of infections.

A 19 year old man is facing terrorism-related charges for allegedly posting threatening tweets targeted at Parliament Hill, the Department of National Defence and two embassies. Daniel Houde is charged with four counts each of a terrorist hoax, threatening to cause death or bodily harm to a person and threatening to burn, damage and destroy property. Police say he allegedly targeted the embassies of the United States and the People's Republic of China in Ottawa.

A chronic offender with more than 115 previous convictions faces more charges after Vancouver Police arrested him for allegedly stealing nearly $40,000 in fine art from a South Granville gallery. VPD officers made the arrest Saturday, after the art gallery owner called 9-1-1 to report that a known thief had walked in and stolen a pricey piece of art. "Our officers responded quickly, reviewed security video, and immediately recognized the suspect," says Sergeant Steve Addison. "The thief had fled prior to our arrival, but the officers drove to his home in East Vancouver, waited for him, and arr

Officials say there were no working smoke alarms in a Hamilton townhouse where a fire killed four people, including two children, last week. Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg says the on-scene portion of his office's investigation is complete and confirmed the fire's origin as an upholstered sofa on the house's ground floor, though its cause is still being investigated. Pegg says the location of the fire and layout of the house blocked the victims' ability to descend down the stairwell from the second floor. Police have said they were called to help with the townhouse fire in southeast Hamilton l

The BC Court of Appeal has refused to reverse a ministerial extradition order for a BC man facing drug charges in the United States. In a reserved decision released today, a three-justice panel of the province's highest court rejects Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's request for a judicial review of the extradition that will send him to the US to face charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin in Washington state. Sandhu is one of five people charged in the case, which allegedly occurred over several months in 2014. The Appeal Court rejects Sandhu's arguments that the extradition ord

New Brunswick RCMP say a 29 year old man has been charged with second-degree murder following the death of a well-known journalist in the province. The RCMP said in a news release that Philippe Hebert, who was arrested Dec. 29 after fleeing from police, was charged Tuesday with the killing of Rejean Hebert. Police say Philippe Hebert also faces charges of resisting arrest, dangerous driving, flight from police and indecently interfering with human remains. Donald Noel, the general manager of the radio station where Rejean Hebert worked, confirmed the accused is Hebert's son. The 60 year old j

Surrey RCMP in partnership with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) is issuing a public warning due to an increased threat to public safety posed by two individuals involved in gang activity and the violence associated with it. Due to a significant threat to the public posed by these individuals through their connection to criminal activity and high levels of violence, police believe that anyone connected to or in proximity to them may be putting themselves at risk.Police are issuing a public warning and identifying them in order for family, friends, ass

Noah is the front-runner for the most popular name for babies born this year in British Columbia.Noah is followed by Olivia, Oliver, Liam, Theodore, Jack, Emma, Lucas, Leo and Sofia, according to the Vital Statistics Agency's preliminary figures for 2022.In 2021, the top names for babies born in B.C. were Olivia, Liam, Noah, Emma, Jack, Theodore, Benjamin, Charlotte, Oliver and Ava.Only names that occur five or more times are listed.From Jan. 1 to Dec. 8, 2022, 37,801 babies were born in B.C.In 2021, 44,073 babies were born in B.C.