More than 9,400 British Columbians lost to toxic illicit drugs since 2016
Preliminary data released by the BC Coroners Service reveals that the toxic drug supply has claimed the lives of 9,410 British Columbians since January 2016, and that at least 174 lives were lost in the month of February 2022. “As we approach the sixth anniversary of the declaration of the public-health emergency into...
B.C. shifts to weekly COVID-19 data reporting
As British Columbia continues to take the next step in its COVID-19 response, the Province is transitioning from daily to weekly COVID-19 reporting. Beginning on Thursday, April 7, 2022, COVID-19 dashboards and reports issued by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control will be updated on weekly basis...
B.C. seeks public input on cannabis consumption spaces
British Columbians are invited to share their thoughts on non-medical cannabis consumption spaces. The Province is launching an online public engagement about cannabis consumption spaces to help inform decisions about whether to permit these spaces and how they could be regulated. The engagement runs April 6 to May 8, 2022....
RCMP officer stabbed during mental health call in Keremeos
A man has been arrested and a Keremeos RCMP officer is recovering after allegedly being stabbed by a man suffering a mental health crisis. Just after 2 a.m. on April 4, 2022, a frontline officer from the Keremeos RCMP was called to a report of a disturbance. The caller reported a man, who was known to her, was outside of her...
B.C. continues building support network to welcome Ukrainians
With thousands of displaced Ukrainians expected to relocate to British Columbia over the coming months, the Province is expanding services and supports to connect individuals and families to the help they need. “Ukrainians fleeing their country from Russia’s invasion have sacrificed so much in their pursuit for health and...
BC Assembly of First Nations Acknowledges Apology from Vatican as First Step Towards Reconciliation
The BC Assembly of First Nations acknowledges the apology from Pope Francis to First Nations, Metis and Inuit Peoples in Canada, for the Catholic Church's role in Indian Residential Schools, and the intergenerational traumas caused by atrocities committed to our children. A delegation of First Nations from BC, and across...
B.C.'s Human Rights Commissioner urges Public Health Officer to maintain mask mandates
Many students across B.C. returned to school this week amid a pandemic that has not ended, but without the protection offered by mask mandates. On March 16, 2022, B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner urged the Public Health Officer (PHO) to maintain the mask mandate to ensure protection for all. In her letter to the PHO, Kasari...
COLD CASE: Squamish RCMP seeking public’s assistance in 32 year old homicide
March 18, 2022, marks the 32nd anniversary of the death of 73-year old Kathleen Vauden Kermode, lovingly known as ‘Kay’. Overnight on March 17-18, 1990, the suspect gained entry to Kermode’s Sunset Beach home by climbing a ladder to the raised deck and opening a sliding glass door. Once inside the home, the suspect stabbed ...
BC Highway Patrol: March is Distracted Driving Month
March is Distracted Driving/Occupant Restraint Awareness Month and police across the Province will be conducting intensified distracted driving enforcement in your area. Fatal and serious injury motor vehicle collisions due to distracted driving are completely preventable and BC Highway Patrol is reminding drivers to keep...
More rapid tests, ventilation support for K-12 sector
Further pandemic supports are coming for B.C. students and schools, with 300,000 rapid antigen test kits to be delivered in phases. The first phase will be rural and remote school districts for use by students with symptoms of COVID-19. “By making rapid tests available to symptomatic students in rural and remote communities,...
