A B.C. judge says former Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart can recover more than $100,000 in legal costs related to a failed defamation case launched by political rivals in the once-dominant Non-Partisan Association.B.C. Supreme Court Justice Wendy Baker says in her March 20 ruling that the defamation case against Stewart by current and former members of the NPA's board of directors was a "strategic lawsuit against public participation."They sued Stewart after he issued a press release in January 2021 denouncing "hate and extremism" in the NPA in response to media reports on the party's internal

More than 100 people and organizations have been nominated for this year's B.C. Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Awards for their efforts to address racism and build a more equitable B.C. for everyone."Indigenous, Black and People of Colour in B.C. and Canada continue to be harmed every day by discrimination and hate," said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. "I’m so proud to recognize the award winners and nominees who are working to dismantle systemic racism and make our communities more fair, just, and equitable for everyone." The B.C. Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Awards were held last nig

At least seven different police and military units will be patrolling Ottawa's skies and streets this week as the city braces for the arrival of U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.They are set to arrive Thursday for the first official visit to Canada since Biden took office as president in 2021 and will stay overnight until Friday.The last time the country hosted a president was in 2016, when former president Barack Obama came to Ottawa for the North American Leaders' Summit near the end of his second term.Biden's sojourn will take place under a heavy police presence, with the

The federal government says it will spend up to $1.5 billion over the next three years to improve access to drugs used to treat rare diseases.Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says up to $1.4 billion of that money will be used to help provinces and territories expand coverage of new and existing drugs that treat rare diseases.The federal government says it wants to create a list of new and emerging drugs for rare diseases that would be covered in a similar way by all provincial and territorial health insurance plans.Another $52 million will be used to gather evidence on the safety and effective

Families Minister Karina Gould announced today that the federal government has now "completely eliminated" the backlog of passport applications that caused major delays and major political strife last year.She also announced that Ottawa is launching a new digital tool that will allow Canadians to check the status of their Service Canada application online, as long as they provide an email address.The update comes after Gould said in late January that the backlog was "virtually eliminated," with the exception of some complex cases held back for reasons such as child-custody issues.The pandemic

Hundreds of police cars have lined streets in Edmonton as the bodies of two slain city officers are transported from the medical examiner's office to a funeral home.Blue ribbons are wrapped around street lights along the five-kilometre procession route.Civilians are also standing along the streets to show their support, some wearing blue ribbons and scarves.The bodies of Const. Brett Ryan and Const.Travis Jordan are to be kept at the Serenity Funeral Home until a public regimental funeral is held Monday at Rogers Place arena.Police have said the officers were responding to a family dispute at

RCMP in Kelowna, B.C., confirm the BC Hate Crimes Team has joined an investigation into an attack on an international student in the city.A statement from the Kelowna detachment says its general investigations team is leading the file and is seeking video from the area around a bus stop where the assault happened on March 17.Police say a suspect group has been identified, but no arrests have been made. The reason for the attack and the details linked to it are still being determined and the 21-year-old student is being supported by the Mounties' victim services unit.RCMP have released few deta

Approximately 75% of B.C. families with children will see more money in their bank accounts from the third enhanced BC Family Benefit payment.The monthly benefit was temporarily increased for families in B.C. for the first three months of 2023. From January through March 2023 combined, the extra BC Family Benefit payments have provided as much as an additional $350 for a family with two children."While global inflation is stretching most household budgets, it can be really tough for those already struggling to make ends meet," said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Finance. "Supporting people contin

The federal government is doling out more cash in B.C. this time to help the growth and innovation of 10 Vancouver-based companies.Harjit Sajjan, the minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, announced eight companies will receive just over $16 million from a federal scale-up and productivity fund.Nearly $10 million from a jobs and growth fund will be split by two other companies and the government says businesses benefiting from the cash include one using bioprinting technology to find treatments for incurable diseases.The statement from Sajjan's office says