School begins for British Columbia students Monday, with the province's top doctor laying out plans for keeping children safe as COVID-19 infections surge. Dr. Bonnie Henry says it is essential to keep schools open for the emotional, physical and intellectual well-being of children. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says safety measures include virtual assemblies, visitor restrictions, staggered break times and access to three-layered masks as they navigate this wave of COVID-19. Whiteside says school attendance will be monitored and an unusual dip will trigger a response from public heal

A shoplifter charged with robbery and released on conditions earlier this week has been re-arrested by Vancouver Police after he threatened another man with a knife.Early yesterday morning, the 23-year-old man was asked to leave private property near Burrard and Helmcken streets by a security guard. The suspect presented a knife to the security guard and threatened to stab him. Within minutes, officers arrived and arrested the suspect.Cody Echlin has been charged with breaching his release order. He has been released pending his next court date.Echlin was charged with robbery on January 3 afte

Canada's chief public health officer says the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is causing an "enormous" volume of cases. In a news conference this morning, Dr. Theresa Tam said the average daily case count has increased 65 per cent from last week.Tam says testing capacity is challenged in many areas of the country, but public health officials continue to use other indicators to measure the progress of the virus. Dr. Theresa Tam said the new variant is now "predominating and widespread" in much of the country.Tam says the portion of laboratory tests coming back positive is estimated at 29 per cent,

RCMP in Burnaby say more than 150 vehicles were pulled over yesterday for snow-related visibility problems. Police say some vehicles only had small portions of their windows cleared, leaving minimal visibility for the driver. Other vehicles had snow on top that had not been cleared, creating a moving hazard on the road. Police say 16 written warnings and 11 violation tickets were handed out. Burnaby RCMP on Twitter: Clear your vehicle: More than 150 vehicles pulled over for snow-related visibility issuesRead more: http://bit.ly/336Yd6w

The Victoria Police Department is preparing to move all its available officers to front-line policing duties as it anticipates staffing shortages caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. A statement from the department says, for the first time, it is enacting a clause in its contract with its police union that allows for the potential assignment of all officers to front-line duties. That work includes anything related to serving the public, such as traffic or crowd control, criminal investigations and arrests. The statement says the change begins this weekend as some Vic

B.C. is reporting 3,223 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 273,731 cases in the province.There are 31,817 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 238,524 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 324 individuals are in hospital and 90 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.The new/active cases include:1,538 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 14,794662 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 9,594408 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases: 2,807194 new

The International Olympic Committee says a positive COVID-19 test may not mean an athlete is excluded from the Games. The IOC's executive director Christophe Dubi spoke from Geneva and says they want to avoid spoiling years of preparation at the last minute. The IOC this week promised Olympic teams worldwide that the Winter Games in Beijing will go ahead as planned next month. With just under four weeks to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) believes the host city is in impeccable condition. To see the full video, c

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has announced that he and his wife welcomed a baby girl into the world on Monday, a day after his own birthday. The NDP leader tweeted the news, saying their ``powerful little girl'' is basically his ``birthday present for life.'' Singh and his wife, fashion designer Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, were married in February 2018. Jagmeet Singh on Twitter: @gurkirankaur and I want to let you know that we welcomed the newest addition to our family on January 3rd, 2022. Our powerful little baby girl is basically my birthday present for life lol. Momma bear and baby are healthy and o

Cineplex says it has temporarily laid off nearly five-thousand part-time employees because of mandated closures of its Ontario movie theatres. New COVID-19 public health measures announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford to tackle the surge of the Omicron variant resulted in the closure of 67 Cineplex theatres. A spokeswoman says Canada's largest movie chain will get its employees back to work as soon as the restrictions are lifted. The new restrictions also closed indoor concert venues, museums, galleries and other attractions. Indoor dining is also closed, and restaurants and bars must cease s