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British Columbia

Police announce arrest of fourth suspect in B.C. Sikh activist Nijjar's death
SURREY, B.C. - A fourth Indian national living in Canada has been charged in last year's killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside of a temple in British Columbia. The province's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in a release Saturday that 22-year-old Amandeep Singh was already in the custody of P...
17h ago
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Trails closed after bear attacks woman at estuary in Squamish, B.C.
SQUAMISH, B.C. - Officials say a woman was attacked by a bear while she was walking her dog at a nature estuary in Squamish, B.C. British Columbia's Conservation Officer Service says in a Facebook post that the trails have been closed since the attack happened Friday, when the woman was walking her dog and it ran off i...
19h ago
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Growing wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., brings heavy smoke, telecom disruptions
The wildfire that forced thousands to evacuate from a northeast British Columbia town doubled in size early Saturday and is now burning merely a few kilometres west of the city limits. The BC Wildfire Service said the Parker Lake fire near Fort Nelson, B.C., reached almost 17 square kilometres in size overnight, up fro...
21h ago
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Wildfire triggers evacuation of 'multiple neighbourhoods' in Fort Nelson, B.C.
FORT NELSON, B.C. - The B.C. Wildfire Service says the tactical evacuation of "multiple neighbourhoods" is underway in Fort Nelson, as an out-of-control wildfire threatens the town in the province's northeast. It says the fire is "highly visible" from the town, and the closure of Highway 97 is expec...
May 11, 2024
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British Columbia

B.C. finance minister says she will retire following provincial election this fall
CASTLEGAR, B.C. - British Columbia's finance minister says she won't be running again in the next provincial election after serving in the legislature for nearly two decades. Katrine Conroy says it will be hard to leave the people she's worked with over the years, but at 66, it's time to step back to spend time with he...
May 10, 2024
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B.C. halts new jade mining in northwest, five-year transition for existing operations
VICTORIA - British Columbia has prohibited mining activities on new jade tenures in the northwest, while setting a five-year wind-down period for existing operators. A statement from the Ministry of Energy and Mines says officials have been working closely with First Nations to address concerns about the effects of jad...
May 10, 2024
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Trudeau says Meta news ban degrades safety while it makes billions off communities
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada's dispute with Meta is a "test moment" for the country to stand against the social media giant that's making billions off people, but taking no responsibility for the well-being of communities they profit from. Trudeau made his comments in West K...
May 10, 2024
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CP NewsAlert: B.C. confident that cybersecurity attacks were state directed
VICTORIA - The head of British Columbia's public service says there's high confidence that cybersecurity attacks targeting the provincial government's networks were conducted by a state or state-sponsored actor. Shannon Salter says there's no evidence sensitive information was compromised in the incidents that were rev...
May 10, 2024
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Police launch assault investigation into incidents at UVic's protest encampment
SAANICH, B.C. - Police in Saanich, B.C., say an assault investigation is underway following two alleged incidents at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the grounds of the University of Victoria. Deputy Chief Robert Warren says in a statement the investigation started when special Saanich duty officers at the campu...
May 10, 2024
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After B.C.'s walk-back, uncertainty clouds Toronto decriminalization bid
Toronto's bid to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs for personal use has been plunged into uncertainty in recent days, as drug policy experts suggest political debates over British Columbia's backtracking on the issue have hurt the city's application. The prime minister and the federal minister for mental h...
May 10, 2024
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Canfor to close sawmill, curtail pulp production citing B.C. policy changes
VANCOUVER - Canfor has announced it is permanently closing its Polar sawmill in Bear Lake, B.C., shutting a production line at its Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George, and suspending its "planned reinvestment" in Houston, B.C. The company says in separate news releases that the closures will impact 400 jobs,...
May 10, 2024
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Committee calls for B.C. taxi, ride-hailing industry to improve disabled access
VICTORIA - A B.C. legislature committee looking into taxi and ride-hailing services has issued recommendations, including measures to improve accessibility for people with disabilities and services in small and rural communities. The cross-party committee that was appointed a year ago to review the Passenger Transport ...
May 09, 2024
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B.C. creates a special homicide unit as gangs involved in 46 per cent of murders
VICTORIA - British Columbia is forming a specialized gang-related homicide investigation team, saying gangland murders now make up almost 50 per cent of the killings in the province. Data from the Ministry of Public Safety says gang-related homicides have climbed from 21 per cent of all killings in the province in 2003...
May 09, 2024
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B.C. court rejects mink farmers' lawsuits over ban imposed during pandemic
VANCOUVER - The British Columbia Supreme Court has rejected lawsuits by mink farmers challenging a provincial shutdown of the industry over COVID-19 concerns. A ruling by Justice Amy Francis says "highly publicized incidences" of COVID-19 outbreaks on mink farms prompted provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie H...
May 09, 2024
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Business groups walk back claim on share of Canadians hit by capital gains changes
OTTAWA - Prominent business groups are backtracking their claim that one in five Canadians would be affected by the federal government's proposed changes to capital gains taxation. In a letter sent to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland today, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and other groups said the government's asser...
May 09, 2024
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London Drugs president doesn't know why cyber attackers struck
RICHMOND, B.C. - The president of London Drugs says he doesn't know why the company was targeted in a cyber attack that forced it to close its stores for more than week, but hackers with sophisticated methods are "constantly probing for weaknesses" in online systems. Clint Mahlman says the Richmond, B.C.-base...
May 09, 2024
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Telus reports Q1 profit down from year ago, raises quarterly dividend
VANCOUVER - Telus Corp. raised its quarterly dividend as it reported its first-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago. The telecommunications company says it will now make a quarterly payment to shareholders of 38.91 cents per share, up from its previous rate of 37.61 cents per share. The increased payment to sha...
May 09, 2024
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CP NewsAlert: B.C. government hit by 'sophisticated cybersecurity incidents'
VICTORIA - British Columbia's premier says the province has identified "sophisticated cybersecurity incidents" involving government networks. David Eby says the provincial government is working with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and other agencies to determine the extent of the incidents, but there i...
May 09, 2024
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Upper Nicola Band building community centre finds human remains, halts construction
QUILCHENA, B.C. - The Upper Nicola Band in B.C.'s southern Interior says construction crews building a new community centre have discovered human remains. The band says in a news release that police were contacted immediately after crews unearthed the remains, which were determined to be "not recent." It says...
May 08, 2024
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B.C. drug use advocates warn decriminalization change may cause more drug deaths
VANCOUVER - The executive director of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users says Health Canada's decision to allow British Columbia to again prohibit the use of illicit drugs in most public spaces will cause more deaths, calling it "prohibition 2.0." Brittany Graham says the initial decriminalization exemp...
May 08, 2024
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Safety board issues message to float-plane pilots on landing-site hazards
RICHMOND, B.C. - An investigation by the Transportation Safety Board has concluded that a small float plane coming in near Tofino, B.C., either hit a boat wake or an object before slamming into trees on a second landing attempt, killing two people aboard. The report says the pilot and a passenger were killed, while ano...
May 08, 2024
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London Drugs president says sorry for cyber breach, no evidence customer data taken
RICHMOND, B.C. - The president of London Drugs has issued a letter apologizing for a cybersecurity incident that forced the company to close stores for more than a week, but he says there's no evidence customer databases were compromised. The letter from Clint Mahlman says the Richmond, B.C.-based company is still inve...
May 08, 2024
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B.C. insurance corp. announces $110 vehicle rebate, rate increases on hold until 2026
VICTORIA - Most drivers in British Columbia will receive a $110 vehicle insurance rebate this year. The Insurance Corporation of B.C. says strong investment and financial returns and the 2021 shift to the "enhanced care" model for providing health coverage for people involved in crashes has put the Crown corp...
May 08, 2024
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B.C. court date set for third suspect in Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing
SURREY, B.C. - A court date has been set for the third man charged with the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, coinciding with that of the other two suspects. Case listings from Surrey Provincial Court in B.C. show that Kamalpreet Singh will appear next on May 21. Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpree...
May 08, 2024
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Music Review: Sebastian Bach's 'Child Within the Man' makes the case for a Skid Row reunion
Sebastian Bach's latest solo album, "Child Within the Man," is a reminder that every once in a while, a man and a moment meet. This is that time for Bach and his former band Skid Row. The vintage-sounding album has everything that made Bach a force and offers a tantalizing glimpse into what he could bring to ...
May 08, 2024
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Community mourns thousands of fish lost as B.C. drought risk looms again
DUNCAN, B.C. - Images of steelhead and trout flicker over long sheets of paper, brought to life in blue and green crayon rubbings by the thousands. It's called Project 84,000, and is intended to depict the number of steelhead and trout that died in a massive fish kill in the drought-stricken Cowichan River on southern...
May 08, 2024
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London Drugs reopens all stores across Western Canada after cybersecurity shutdown
RICHMOND, B.C. - London Drugs says it has reopened all its stores across Western Canada after a cybersecurity breach forced the retailer to close last month. The Richmond, B.C.-based retailer and pharmacy chain operates 79 stores across Western Canada. It said in a news release Monday that it had begun reopening its s...
May 08, 2024
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Another barge adrift in Vancouver prompts speedy coast guard response
VANCOUVER - Another barge went adrift in Vancouver's English Bay, prompting a quick response from the Canadian Coast Guard. A spokeswoman for the agency says it received the report around 2:30 p.m. and two crews from its Kitsilano base responded within minutes. Michelle Imbeau says those crews, with the help of a vess...
May 08, 2024
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