Anyone who has been in foster care in B.C. and is at least 19 years old, will soon be eligible for a post-secondary tuition waiver. The B.C. government says the 2017 program that waives tuition fees for foster care recipients aged 19 to 26 will be expanded next August to remove the upper age cap. To be eligible, students must be undergraduates studying full or part time at a B-C public, post-secondary institution, the Native Education College or with one of 10 approved trades-training providers. Just under 2000 people have had tuition fees waived since the program launched six years ago, an

New polling suggests the majority of Canadians want the federal government to call an independent inquiry into foreign interference in the last two federal elections, but still feel the country's electoral system is safe. Market research firm Leger surveyed 1,544 people between March 10 and 12, asking a range of questions about Canada's electoral system and allegations of foreign interference. The results suggest 71 per cent of Canadians feel the electoral system is safe, while 29 per cent feel it is not. And the majority, 69 per cent of respondents, said they generally trust the results of el

Police allege the driver of a pickup truck that killed two people and injured nine others in the eastern Quebec town of Amqui acted deliberately and with premeditation.Provincial police Sgt. Claude Doiron says the 38-year-old driver will appear in court later today.Doiron said the police investigation suggests the driver swerved from one side of the road to the other over a "certain distance" to hit victims who were chosen at random and who range in age from less than one year to 77.Gérald Charest, 65, and Jean Lafrenière, 73, were killed during the alleged attack.The injured include two chi

Alberta plans to require all police services in the province to use body cameras.Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis says officers often respond to calls that are complex and make split-second decisions.He says that can raise concerns from the public about actions that have been taken and whether appropriate force was used.Ellis says the decision is transformational and would ensure all interactions with officers are objective in both large cities and smaller rural communities.He says Alberta would be the first province to mandate body cameras.The government will work with the Alberta Associatio

The Alberta government has started a second campaign aimed at attracting more skilled workers from Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Alberta Jobs Minister Brian Jean says the Alberta is Calling program is piggybacking on a similar effort announced by the government last summer. The initial campaign targeted Canadians living in Toronto and Vancouver, while this time it focuses on those living in the Maritimes and parts of Ontario, including London, Hamilton, Windsor and Sudbury. Jean says there are 100,000 vacancies for skilled workers in Alberta which has the highest wages in Canada. Jennifer Hensh

An indefinite general strike is underway at Quebec City's Université Laval, where nearly 1,300 professors are off the job.The unionized professors went on strike today after a negotiation blitz between management and their union did not result in a new contract.The most recent collective agreement expired on Dec. 1, and the union has made a number of demands including equitable distribution of positions, better administrative supports, better work-life balance and workload management.The union members voted 94.5 per cent in favour of a strike mandate during a meeting on March 2, when nearly t

The Jesuits of Canada have released a list of priests and brothers they say were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors over the past 70 years.The Jesuits, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, released the list of 27 names today following an audit that began in 2020 that looked at documents going back to the 1950s.Of the men named, all but three are dead.The order says in a statement that the release of the names is part of the Jesuits' effort to promote transparency, accountability, justice and healing for survivors of abuse.In most cases, the abuse came to light after the all

An Ontario judge has dismissed two breach of trust charges against a former Liberal MP who had been accused of using his political office for personal gain.Ontario Superior Court of Justice judge Sylvia Corthorn revealed her decision in Raj Grewal's case this morning, bringing an end to the criminal trial that has dragged on since last summer.She said a reasonable jury, properly instructed, would not have been able to render a guilty verdict, and she found Grewal not guilty as a result.Grewal’s lawyer argued in a directed verdict application last month that prosecutors did not present enough

As of April 3, 2023, BC Public Service employees will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.The decision to rescind the policy was made based on the high level of vaccination among public-service employees and the current state of the pandemic.More than 98% of employees met the requirement, which helped keep everyone safe.Rescinding the vaccination policy means a small number of employees on administrative leave due to non-compliance will be provided the opportunity to return to the workplace.The Public Service Agency has provided direction to ministries and wi