Category: British Columbia

Debris From Cargo Ship Spill Last Fall Spreading Along BC Coast: Beach Cleaners

A volunteer organization that has been cleaning up debris from a cargo ship that lost 109 containers off the B.C. coast last fall says the incident should be a wake-up call to the need for more urgent action. Alys Hoyland of the Surfrider Foundation’s Pacific Rim chapter in Tofino said urinal mats, coolers and other…


BC Could Drop More COVID-19 Restrictions, Bonnie Henry Says

British Columbia’s provincial health officer says she’s optimistic the province is moving to a “better place” that could see more COVID-19 restrictions lifted this month before spring break. Dr. Bonnie Henry says a decline in hospitalizations, immunity from vaccination and the availability of at-home rapid tests point the way forward to normal activities like high…


BC to Relax COVID-19 Restrictions on Social Gathering and Capacity Limits

The British Columbia government will relax most COVID-19 restrictions on social gathering and capacity limits on Feb. 16 at 11:59 p.m., the province’s health officials said. Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry announced the decision in a press conference on Feb. 15, saying that the province is now shifting to a “long-term COVID-19 management strategy.” All…


Former Speaker of BC Legislature Didn’t Consider Conflict of Interest: Trial Hears

VANCOUVER—A former Speaker of the B.C. legislature says he doesn’t recall being worried about a conflict of interest after he took guidance from the same lawyer who gave a former clerk advice about a retirement payment that’s at the centre of a breach-of-trust trial. In the Supreme Court of British Columbia on Monday, Crown prosecutor…


Lost in the BC Woods for 74 Days, Bear Henry Thankful to Forestry Workers’ Rescue

VICTORIA—Bear Henry says they survived more than 70 days stuck in a camper van on a remote Vancouver Island mountain forest road with only a few days’ worth of canned beans, raw rice, cat food and melted snow. Henry said Friday they are about 30 kilograms lighter than when they left Victoria Nov. 27 to…


Vancouver Pharmacist Sues London Drugs Alleging Wrongful Dismissal Over COVID Vaccine Mandate

A Vancouver pharmacist who had worked at London Drugs for 16 years is suing her former employer, alleging that the retail chain wrongfully dismissed her for not getting vaccinated for COVID-19. On Nov. 1, 2021, Lina Reid was placed “on an unpaid leave of absence for an undetermined length of time because she was not…


BC Events Industry Urges Province to Reopen After Being Denied Government Help

Struggling wedding and event companies say British Columbia’s current COVID-19 rules don’t add up, and are calling on the province to allow indoor wedding receptions with safety plans in place. Paige Petriw, owner of Spotlight Events, wrote an open letter to the B.C. government that highlighted how the $1.2 billion wedding event industry is being ignored and denied…


Falcon Heads to Victoria Pledging BC Liberal Rebuild, Looks for Seat in Legislature

VANCOUVER—The new leader of the British Columbia Liberals says he’s on his way to Victoria with promises that will rebuild the party and attract voters while he also seeks his own seat in the legislature. Party members acknowledge that Kevin Falcon has a big renewal job ahead, as the Liberals have lost two consecutive elections…


Police in England Say Young Vernon, BC, Woman Murdered in Essex, Man in Custody

Police in Essex, England, say a 19-year-old British Columbia woman has been murdered and a man is under arrest. A statement from Essex Police says 19-year-old Ashley Wadsworth of Vernon died Tuesday, shortly after officers were called to a disturbance at a home in Chelmsford, northeast of London. A 23-year-old man was arrested at the…


Four Deaths in Richmond, BC, Believed to Be a Murder Suicide, Police Say

RICHMOND, B.C.—Homicide investigators say they believe the targeted shooting that left four people dead in a Richmond, B.C., home was a murder-suicide. The victims were all members of the same family and include a 71-year-old father, a 58-year-old mother, their 23-year-old son and a daughter, aged 21. Sgt. David Lee of the Integrated Homicide Investigation…