BC’s Ombudsperson Jay Chalke released an update today on the province’s progress addressing an unfair practice that withheld federal financial support from caregivers of children with disabilities. The issue was first highlighted in the Ombudsperson’s 2022 report, Short-Changed: Ensuring federal benefits paid to the province reach caregivers of children with disabilities. The report detailed the […]

Niki Sharma, Attorney General, has released the following statement regarding the B.C. Supreme Court’s decision to certify British Columbia’s class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors: “In 2018, British Columbia took the unprecedented step of launching a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all jurisdictions in Canada and enacted the Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs […]

To help more families find a place to live in B.C. and build on actions underway, the Province is launching a new short-term rental (STR) registry. “We are taking action to help more people find a home in the communities they love by reining in speculators who are operating illegally,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of […]

As many as 250 people with addictions challenges in B.C. will have more options to help them move toward recovery with newly opened substance-use treatment beds in their communities. “When someone reaches out for help with their substance use, they should receive compassionate and effective care,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “We are expanding services across […]

As B.C. continues to fight against threatened United States tariffs of 25% on all Canadian imports, the Province has done a preliminary assessment of potential impacts to the B.C. economy of a trade war with the United States. In president-elect Donald Trump’s tariffs scenario, B.C. could see a cumulative loss of $69 billion in economic […]

The British Columbia School Trustees Association (BCSTA) is pleased to announce the release of its Climate Action Working Group (CAWG) report, “Sustainability as Part of Board of Education Governance,” a comprehensive call to action for school districts in British Columbia to prioritize climate change mitigation and adopt sustainable, impactful strategies. This report urges school boards across the […]

Mandatory Alcohol Screening, tactical check stops, targeted patrols; BC Highway Patrol used all of their tools to take 36 impaired drivers off the road in the December 2024 Winter Impaired Driving Campaign in the East Kootenays. We screened almost 1,000 drivers in the East Kootenays over the month of December, says Corporal Michael McLaughlin with BC […]

Growing up in a small town in Red Deer County policed by the RCMP, Cst. Britteny George always knew she wanted to become a police officer and for her, becoming a Mountie was the obvious choice. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of women police officers in the RCMP, Cst. George has shared some insights into […]

A West Shore RCMP investigation that began in 2021, involving a woman who impersonated as a nurse, has led to her being convicted for several crimes, according to Cpl. Nancy Saggar. “West Shore RCMP Serious Crimes Unit investigated 52-year old Brigitte Cleroux for using stolen and forged documents and impersonating as a nurse while working […]

A 50-year-old Qualicum Beach motorist who stopped to assist with a possible impaired driver and failed a roadside alcohol screening test themselves, received a 90-day driving prohibition and had their vehicle impounded for 30 days, according to RCMP Sgt. Shane Worth. “At 5:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, a possible impaired driver in Qualicum Beach […]