British Columbia
The rent-a-friend industry is booming among Canada's Chinese diaspora
Beijia Ge's work duties change on an hourly basis. The Kingston, Ont., resident might be chatting with Chinese students about their secrets and challenges, or helping someone pack a suitcase, or baking cakes with a senior citizen. "If you are alone on your birthday but still want someone to sing birthday songs or ...
2h ago
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Windy, stormy weather to hit British Columbia coast over Christmas holidays
The Christmas season will see some stormy weather visit British Columbia's coastlines. A special weather statement from Environment Canada notes a low system off the coast will bring strong winds Monday morning and intensify throughout the evening. The statement goes on to say that a powerful system will then hit the n...
3h ago
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Second mudslide victim's body found as more high winds strike B.C. coast
High winds are again hitting the coast of British Columbia, as gusts surpassing 100 km/h have been reported at several outlying islands. The continuing stormy weather comes as police say emergency crews have recovered the body of a second victim killed in a mudslide in the Sea to Sky region during another windstorm las...
16h ago
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Drug superlabs leave a toxic mess. Some say B.C.'s cleanup rules are a mess, too
When Dean May's team of cleaners entered the home, dressed head to toe in protective suits, thick green dust covered every surface. "We literally left footprints when we were walking in the house," he recalled. They were traipsing through the toxic remnants of an illicit fentanyl pill-pressing operation in no...
21h ago
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British Columbia
Oysters distributed in B.C., Alberta, Ontario recalled for norovirus contamination
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall due to possible norovirus contamination of certain oysters distributed in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. The agency says the recall covers certain Fanny Bay, Sunseeker and Cloudy Bay oysters under the Taylor Shellfish Canada brand. The recall says most of ...
Dec 21, 2024
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Two killed, one injured in Metro Vancouver vehicle crash
BURNABY, B.C. - Two people are dead after a major vehicle crash in Metro Vancouver early this morning. Mounties say the crash happened at the intersection of Boundary Road and Forest Street, on the Burnaby side of the city's border with Vancouver. Police say a vehicle was travelling west on Forest Street when it was hi...
Dec 21, 2024
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Environment Canada issues warnings as more high winds expected along B.C. coast
VANCOUVER - Residents of parts of the British Columbia coast are again bracing for high winds, with gusts forecasted to reach 110 km/h in some areas. Environment Canada says a wind warning has been issued in parts of B.C.'s central coast including Bella Bella and Klemtu. The forecast calls for high winds as a "vig...
Dec 21, 2024
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violent offenders
'They are violent:' Nanaimo RCMP hunt for accused jewelry store robbers
NANAIMO - Warrants have been issued for a pair of people accused of violently robbing a jewelry store in Nanaimo.Three people smashed into Sonny's Jewellers on Oct. 2, attacked the owner with bear spray then fled with a considerable amount of jewelry.Reserve RCMP Cst. Gary O'Brien said officers arrived a short time lat...
Dec 21, 2024
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Hope Connection
88-year-old music maker creates unique horn section, with moose antler bass guitar and cello
HOPE - Eighty-eight-year-old Lorne Collie has been making musical instruments for more than three decades, creations that dazzle for their unique materials as much as their sound. There's a hefty bass guitar and a cello made of moose antlers, a baseball bat violin, ukuleles made of cookie tins, and guitars fashioned fr...
Dec 21, 2024
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B.C. mayor gets calls from across Canada about 'crazy' plan to recruit doctors
The mayor of the suburban Victoria community of Colwood says he's getting calls from municipal leaders across Canada who have heard about his community's "out-of-the-box" plan to recruit family doctors as city workers. Mayor Doug Kobayashi announced this week that Colwood has hired its first family doctor for...
Dec 20, 2024
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces new lieutenant-governor for B.C.
VICTORIA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced the appointment of longtime businesswoman and philanthropist Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia as British Columbia's 31st lieutenant-governor. Trudeau says in a statement that Lisogar-Cocchia is a respected entrepreneur in the hospitality industry and a dedicated community lea...
Dec 20, 2024
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BC Civil Liberties Association calls for review of MAID legislation
VANCOUVER - The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association is calling on the provincial and federal governments to review medically-assisted dying legislation to ensure proper safeguards are in place. The association's executive director Liza Hughes says in a statement that it's aware of "concerning reports"...
Dec 20, 2024
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Nurse impersonator sentenced to four more years in prison by B.C. Supreme Court
VANCOUVER - A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced a woman with an extensive criminal history of impersonating nurses in several provinces to four years in prison, tacking on more time to a sentence she is already serving in Ontario. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes says the prospects of rehabilitat...
Dec 20, 2024
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Former B.C. premier Glen Clark has been appointed as the new BC Hydro chair
VICTORIA - Former B.C. premier Glen Clark is returning to the public eye, two years after leaving his high-profile position as president of Jim Pattison Group. The provincial government has announced that Clark has been appointed to chair BC Hydro's board of directors, taking over for Lori Wanamaker, whose term ends on...
Dec 20, 2024
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B.C. repeals public drug use law after challenge and Ottawa's similar changes
VICTORIA - The British Columbia government has repealed a law it passed last year to restrict drug use in some public areas because successful court challenges prevented it from being brought into force. Garry Begg, B.C.'s solicitor general and public safety minister, says in a statement the government has revoked the ...
Dec 19, 2024
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Landslide on tracks stops Amtrak passenger runs between Seattle and Vancouver
WHITE ROCK, B.C. - A landslide that blocked railway tracks has stopped Amtrak passenger service between Vancouver and Seattle. Amtrak says in a statement Thursday that the landslide near White Rock, B.C., led Burlington Northern Santa Fa Railway to place a 48-hour moratorium on passenger service. It's unclear how exten...
Dec 19, 2024
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Family says man received MAID on psychiatric day pass, files wrongful-death lawsuit
VANCOUVER - The family of a 52-year-old man who received medical assistance in dying while on a day pass from a Vancouver psychiatric hospital has launched a constitutional challenge to the procedure's legal framework. The notice of civil claim filed Friday at the B.C. Supreme Court says the businessman and father of t...
Dec 19, 2024
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Forfeited Hells Angels clubhouse in Kelowna, B.C., sold to the city
A former Hells Angels clubhouse that was seized by the British Columbia government in 2023 after years of fighting in court has been sold to the City of Kelowna. A statement from Public Safety Minister Garry Begg says the sale of the home in Kelowna includes a "right of entry," which means the province's civi...
Dec 19, 2024
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Ryan Reynolds 'honoured' and 'a bit more officery' after Order of Canada naming
VANCOUVER - "Deadpool" actor Ryan Reynolds thanked the country after he was named as an officer of the Order of Canada, saying the nation shaped and continues to inspire him. In a short statement, the B.C. native and movie superstar told Canada he was "yours forever - just a bit more officery now" a...
Dec 19, 2024
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CP NewsAlert: Police union criticizes assault case's handling after officer's suicide
VANCOUVER - The president of the Vancouver Police Union has criticized the handling of a sexual assault case that ended in the suicide of a Central Saanich Police officer. Ralph Kaisers says in a letter to members that was obtained by The Canadian Press that the "tragic loss" of the officer came after public ...
Dec 19, 2024
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Dozens get sick with 'norovirus-like' illness after eating raw B.C. oysters
VANCOUVER - Health officials in British Columbia say at least 64 people have become sick after eating raw oysters from restaurants and retail locations. A statement from the BC Centre for Disease Control and the provincial health authority says the "norovirus-like" gastrointestinal illnesses have been reporte...
Dec 19, 2024
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Latest B.C. storm brings 140 km/h gusts to Vancouver Island amid wind, snow warnings
VANCOUVER - Winds approaching 140 km/h have been hitting Vancouver Island weather stations after Environment Canada issued the latest in a series of wind warnings for the B.C. coast. It says the warnings cover exposed coastal sections of the island's north and B.C.'s central coast, with a Pacific frontal system approac...
Dec 19, 2024
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'Running in fear': Documents depict chaos, confusion over Reclaiming Canada event
When the organizer of the We Unify Reclaiming Canada event contacted officials about booking the Victoria Conference Centre, he touted invitees from across the political spectrum, including liberal luminaries such as Amal Clooney, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, B.C.'s NDP Premier David Eby, movie stars and more. Jonath...
Dec 19, 2024
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B.C. police officer charged with sexual assault dies by suicide, reports say
SHAWNIGAN LAKE, B.C. - Several British Columbia media reports say one of two Central Saanich Police officers charged with sexual assaulting a woman they met on duty has died by suicide. The Times Colonist cites four sources saying 43-year-old Sgt. Matthew Ball has died, while other outlets cite police sources saying Ba...
Dec 19, 2024
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Attempted murder charges for woman who tried to drive car with kids into B.C. river
DELTA, B.C. - Police in Delta, B.C., say a woman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to drive a car carrying two young children into the Fraser River last month. Delta police say officers had responded to an incident on Nov. 29 on River Road where they found a car stuck on the foreshore of the...
Dec 19, 2024
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Campaign urges skilled labour to 'Stay with B.C.' to counter efforts from Alberta
VANCOUVER - The Business Council of British Columbia has launched an awareness campaign to counter the province's rising outward migration to Alberta. The business advocacy group says its "Stay with B.C." campaign is placing advertisements on billboards and transit stops, as well as online, in cities such as ...
Dec 18, 2024
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Vancouver Island city looks to attract family doctors with municipal job offers
COLWOOD, B.C. - The suburban city of Colwood, B.C., on Vancouver Island, says it has hired its first family doctor in a new approach to easing the community's shortage of physicians. Colwood Mayor Ken Kobayashi says in a statement that it has initiated a first-in-Canada pilot project where it recruits family doctors an...
Dec 18, 2024
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Metro Vancouver says population growth is accelerating and will hit 4 million by 2045
VANCOUVER - Metro Vancouver's projected population growth is accelerating, with an average of 50,000 new residents expected per year. That's 40 per cent higher than the previous projection under a "medium growth scenario," and Metro Vancouver now says it expects the regional district's population to hit four ...
Dec 18, 2024
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