British Columbia

Health authority issues warning as measles circulates in northeastern B.C. community
FORT ST. JOHN - A health authority in northern British Columbia says measles is officially circulating in a remote community in the province's northeast. Northern Health says multiple lab-confirmed cases of measles have been confirmed in Wonowon, about 89 kilometres northwest of Fort St. John, B.C. It notes the first c...
2h ago
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Wildfire menacing Squamish, B.C., appears to stabilize amid cooler conditions
Officials say a wildfire near Squamish, B.C., which forced the evacuation of the nearby Alice Lake Provincial Park and triggered a local state of emergency earlier this week appears to have stabilized after help from cool, cloudy weather conditions. The District of Squamish says the Dryden Creek wildfire has held stead...
5h ago
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Solar Project
Canada's biggest off-grid solar project in Anahim Lake breaks ground
ANAHIM LAKE, B.C. - The Ulkatcho Energy Corporation (UEC) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, June 11 as construction begins on the Anahim Lake Solar Project. The Ulkatcho First Nation will soon access solar generated power from Canada's largest off-grid solar farm, located roughly between Williams Lake and ...
8h ago
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Home owned by family of UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health embezzler up for sale
NORTH VANCOUVER - A real estate listing for a $2 million property in North Vancouver says the home has been excellently maintained and is on an attractive street, but what the description doesn't say is it's a forced sale involving an embezzler and a years-long legal battle. The B.C. government gazette says the sale wa...
Jun 14, 2025
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British Columbia

Boa constrictor Bailey, reported missing at Tofino beach, turns up in owner's kayak
VICTORIA - Bailey the boa constrictor has turned up safe in its owner's kayak after being reported missing at a beach in Tofino, B.C., this week. James Rodgers, co-founder of the Coastal Animal Rescue and Education Network, says the owner who reported the six-foot reptile missing on Sunday found it on Wednesday. Rodger...
Jun 13, 2025
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Report on B.C. port strike says right-to-strike should be preserved
VANCOUVER - Labour experts tasked with studying a days-long labour dispute at British Columbia's ports say the right to strike or be locked out should be preserved for the longshore industry in Canada. Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers say laws should be changed to allow the government to bring in a special mediator during...
Jun 13, 2025
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Surrey, B.C., police launch team to counter extortions in South Asian community
SURREY - A series of reports of extortion from people and businesses in the South Asian community has prompted a wider investigation by police in Surrey, B.C. The Surrey Police Service says in a statement that it is working with provincial and national RCMP to help in their investigations, as numerous Canadian police a...
Jun 13, 2025
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Thousands of B.C. reservations at risk due to short-term rental regulations: Airbnb
Short-term vacation rental platform Airbnb said Friday that "thousands" of reservations in British Columbia are at risk of cancellation, accusing the province of rushing out regulations as it cracked down on the industry. Alex Howell, Airbnb's Canadian policy lead, said in an interview that the rules requirin...
Jun 13, 2025
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Independent MLA Kealy doubts prospects of new B.C. party, but won't rule out joining
VICTORIA - Independent British Columbia legislator Jordan Kealy says he isn't ruling out joining a new political party formed by two fellow former B.C. Conservatives, but he also questions their electoral prospects. The new One BC party went public on Thursday, with Dallas Brodie announcing herself as interim leader an...
Jun 13, 2025
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Williams Lake Bust
RCMP say drugs, cash, weapons and illegal cigarettes seized from Williams Lake man
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - RCMP in Williams Lake say a man was arrested Thursday (June 12) after he was spotted dealing drugs by officers who were out on patrol. In a news release Friday (June 13), police say officers from the Cariboo-Chilcotin Crime Reduction Unit (CC-CRU) spotted a man "making hand-to-hand transactio...
Jun 13, 2025
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Police warn of hundreds of Hells Angels in Surrey, B.C., this weekend
Police in Surrey, B.C., are warning residents about hundreds of Hells Angels who have arrived in the city, saying they have a history as "perpetrators and attractors of violence." Surrey Police say officers monitored a large motorcycle procession Thursday from Coquitlam to Surrey, with no incidents or disturb...
Jun 13, 2025
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Interior Health Issues
Performance-based pay hikes for IH execs criticized by Kelowna MLA, Canadian Taxpayers Federation
KELOWNA - Performance-based pay increases given to top Interior Health (IH) brass amid a physician shortage crisis at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) are being criticized by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF). "Taxpayers should be deeply concerned at the culture in Interior Health that's allowing this to happe...
Jun 13, 2025
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District of Squamish reports progress in fire fight, as northeast B.C. hopes for rain
There's optimism from firefighters and local authorities as crews battle blazes in opposite corners of British Columbia heading into the weekend. The District of Squamish is reporting minimal overnight growth in the Dryden Creek fire that triggered a local state of emergency this week, while the BC Wildfire Service exp...
Jun 13, 2025
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MLA expelled from BC Conservatives launches new 'OneBC' party
There's been yet another shakeup in British Columbia politics.Two out of three MLAs who split with the BC Conservative Party earlier this year have launched their own new political party, dubbed "OneBC."The party's website went live on Thursday.OneBC has already registered with Elections B.C., with Vancouver-...
Jun 13, 2025
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Thunderstorms, rain and hail predicted for southeastern B.C.
VANCOUVER - Thunderstorm warnings and watches have been posted for a large section of southeastern B.C., cautioning residents that lightning, strong winds, hail and heavy rain are all possible. Environment Canada issued a warning for the Arrow Lakes and Slocan Lake regions, saying its meteorologists are tracking a clus...
Jun 12, 2025
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Sikh groups ask Carney to withdraw Indian PM Modi's invitation to G7 summit
OTTAWA - Sikh groups are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to revoke his invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 summit in Alberta next week. Representatives of the World Sikh Organization of Canada and the Sikh Federation Canada told a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday they want a p...
Jun 12, 2025
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'Do the moral thing': RCMP appeal to those with 'intimate knowledge' of boat crash
NORTH VANCOUVER - Police in British Columbia say there may still be people with "intimate knowledge" who haven't come forward to speak about the boat crash that killed a 10-year-old boy. A statement from the RCMP appeals to anyone with knowledge of the collision and events before to "do the moral thing&q...
Jun 12, 2025
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Vancouver mayor says minister commits to moving supportive housing after latest fire
VANCOUVER - Vancouver's mayor says British Columbia's government has committed to moving supportive housing out of the city's entertainment district, after the latest fire at a facility that's been the subject of hundreds of emergency call outs. Vancouver Fire Rescue Services says two people were injured in Wednesday's...
Jun 12, 2025
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B.C. man gets 3 1/2 years for arson at Ukrainian pastor's home
VICTORIA - A man who set fire to a pastor's family home attached to a Ukrainian church in Victoria has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison. Victoria police say Walter Machinski was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of arson with disregard for human life after setting the fire in the early morning of Apri...
Jun 12, 2025
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The 2025 wildfire season is on track to be Canada's 2nd-worst on record
OTTAWA - This year's wildfire season in Canada is shaping up to be the second-worst on record and federal officials are warning of a dangerous summer in parts of British Columbia. Officials with several government departments held a technical briefing Thursday in Ottawa with an update on the state of multiple wildfires...
Jun 12, 2025
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B.C. provincial park evacuated, RCMP appeal for information on Squamish wildfire
An out of control wildfire near Squamish, B.C., has grown to nearly 55 hectares and forced the evacuation of the nearby Alice Lake Provincial Park. The District of Squamish says increased wind activity Wednesday afternoon led to growth along the north flank of the Dryden Creek wildfire. It says in a social media post t...
Jun 12, 2025
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How undervaluation of Vancouver sites could cost millions in property taxes
VANCOUVER - Retired architect Michael Geller says he's always keen to restore some "justice" to Vancouver's real estate scene. So, when he noticed an official BC Assessment valuation of about $6.4 million on the site of a former heritage hotel in downtown Vancouver - about a third of its true value for tax pu...
Jun 12, 2025
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$30B in new investments needed to meet Canada's critical mineral demand: report
TORONTO - A newly released report estimates Canada will need at least $30 billion in new capital investments by 2040 if it wants to meet domestic demand for the critical minerals key to a green economy transition. But the Canadian Climate Institute's report says cutting back on environmental safeguards and Indigenous c...
Jun 12, 2025
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Decision coming over officer's use of anti-riot gun in B.C. woman's death
VICTORIA - An adjudicator appointed by B.C.'s police watchdog is expected to release his decision on the discipline for an officer who fired an anti-riot weapon, killing a woman. Former B.C. Supreme Court judge Wally Oppal ruled last month that Victoria police Sgt. Ron Kirkwood's use of a so-called ARWEN gun on Lisa Ra...
Jun 12, 2025
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B.C. forecasters issued high water advisories for numerous Interior rivers
VICTORIA - British Columbia's River Forecast Centre has issued a high streamflow advisories for a large swath of waterways in the province. The advisory covers Interior rivers and tributaries stretching as far north as the border with Alaska and south to the Canada-U.S. border and along part of the boundary with Albert...
Jun 12, 2025
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City of Burnaby, B.C., to apologize to Chinese-Canadians for past discrimination
BURNABY - A formal apology is being planned by the City of Burnaby, B.C., for its role in discrimination toward people of Chinese descent who lived and worked in the city between 1892 and 1947. The city says in a news release that the decision was made after a community consultation process that included surveys, dialo...
Jun 11, 2025
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Alberta premier says province is looking to entice private-sector pipeline builder
CALGARY - The Alberta government is working to entice a private-sector player to build a major crude pipeline to coastal waters, Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday. "We're talking to all of the pipeline proponents; anyone who has had success in building a pipeline in Canada and has an interest in perhaps coming...
Jun 11, 2025
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Drug Arrest
Suspected drug dealer arrested; fentanyl, weapons seized in Williams Lake
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - A dedicated RCMP unit nabbed a suspected drug dealer in Williams Lake Tuesday (June 10).In a news release, an RCMP spokesperson says Williams Lake RCMP combined with the Cariboo-Chilcotin Crime Reduction Unit (CC-CRU) to make the arrest as part of a Controlled Drugs and Substance Act (CDSA) invest...
Jun 11, 2025
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