Two teenage sisters in Nanaimo are recovering after a man broke into their home, released a blast of bear spray and then stole several electronics when the sisters ran from the house. RCMP say it happened yesterday at around 3 pm, and even though police were on scene within minutes, the suspect could not be found. Constable Gary O'Brien says the man, in camouflage clothing and wearing a balaclava that covered most of his face, likely entered through an unlocked door and used a hockey bag found the house to carry the stolen items. Gary O'Brien says the sisters were treated at the scene for lin

Students at a Terrace private school are mourning the loss of two classmates killed along with their mother in a head-on crash as they drove to school last week. Centennial Christian School says in a Facebook post that the entire community is grieving the loss of Grade 6 student Ashton Hesketh, his sister, Kylie, who was in Grade four, and their mother, Elizabeth. The post says students and staff are receiving the help and support they need in classrooms and with counsellors, while thoughts and prayers go to the victims' father and husband, Dan Hesketh. Kitimat RCMP have confirmed three peopl

Surrey RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance with identifying two men who robbed a bank in Fleetwood.On March 9, 2022 at 4:38 p.m., Surrey RCMP received a report of a robbery at a financial institution in the 15900-block of Fraser Highway. It was reported that two men threatened bank staff with a suspected firearm and demanded money.Surrey RCMP Frontline officers arrived on scene within minutes; however, both suspects had fled the area. Fortunately, no one was physically injured in the bank. The two suspects were able to get away with a substantial amount of cash.The suspect with the alleg

The Vancouver Police Board has successfully appealed a City of Vancouver decision that cut millions from the police budget and the timing means the cost won't hit taxpayers until next year. Vancouver police Chief Adam Palmer says a provincial report from the director of police services has ordered the city to restore $5.7 million to the department’s 2021 budget.Palmer says in a statement that the removal of that funding directly affected the number of police officers the department was able to hire to meet the city’s policing needs.City Manager Paul Mochrie says in an email that the ruling

The Integrated Homcide Investigation Team says it has found the car linked to a deadly, targeted shooting in the parking lot of a North Vancouver shopping centre on Friday that killed 34 year old Milad Rahmi. Detective Corporal Sukhi Dhesi says the dark blue Mazda 3 hatchback used by the suspects to flee after the shooting was found burning in North Vancouver's North Lonsdale area at about 7 p.m. Saturday. Dhesi says homicide investigators also have pictures and descriptions of two people seen leaving the car before it burned and she says police want to speak to anyone with information about t

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told M-Ps and senators that Russia is trying to annihilate his country.He used an address via video link to plead with Canadians to imagine the terror and horror of having cities bombed and destroyed and homes burned.Zelenskyy says he's grateful to the Canadian government for its support, but says sanctions so far have not been enough.He says what's needed is a no-fly zone to stop Russian planes and missiles.

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 689 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 352,728 cases in the province:March 11-12: 280 new casesMarch 12-13: 211 new casesMarch 13-14: 198 new casesThere are 359 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 51 are in intensive care.In the past 72 hours, 14 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,946.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreak at Mission Memorial Hospital (Fraser Health) has been declared over, for a total of 13 facilities with ongoing outbreaks. From March 4-10, people not fully vaccinated acco

The British Columbia government has moved to prevent thefts of catalytic converters, a crime that costs millions every year.The province has changed the regulations for metal dealers and recyclers to require them to report each transaction, including seller information, to police.Catalytic converters control exhaust emissions to reduce pollutants, but they have been a target for thieves because of an increase in the price of metals they contain.The Insurance Corporation of B.C. says converter theft claims have climbed from 89 in 2017 to 1,953 last year, totalling more than $4 million in claim

On April 1, 2022, the federal minimum wage will increase from $15.00 to $15.55 per hour. For those working in provinces or territories where the general minimum wage rate is higher, the higher rate will continue to apply.The federal minimum wage, which came into force on December 29, 2021, is adjusted automatically on April 1 of every year, based on the average annual increase of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as reported by Statistics Canada. This is to ensure that the federal minimum wage keeps pace with inflation. This year’s rate increase reflects the 3.4% annual average rise of the CPI