BC is reporting 294 new cases of COVID-19 over the past three days as well as four more deaths, all residents of long-term care homes. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says recent increases in cases are concerning with September arriving tomorrow. Dr. Henry says people needed to re-connect with family and friends over the summer but it's now time to take a step back from social interactions. She says the bar to stay home needs to be lower than it's ever been before so the province can successfully move forward when the respiratory season arrives.

Mounties in Kelowna are investigating a shooting death after they say a man drove himself and another victim to hospital on Sunday. Police were called by hospital staff who found a dead man in the vehicle.The driver had non-life threatening injuries. Corporal Jocelyn Noseworthy says the shooting occurred in east Kelowna and police are canvassing the area and searching for evidence.

The search for a 52 year old hiker lost in a vast area of Eagle Mountain near Coquitlam has been called off. Coquitlam RCMP and the local search and rescue have made the decision to suspend the search for Ali Naderi. The experienced hiker was reported missing August 23rd and search volunteers and others have scoured all the trails in the area. RCMP Corporal Michael McLauglin says given the time frame Naderi has been gone, his lack of supplies and the large area where he went missing, it doesn't make sense to continue to put others at risk.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has turned British Columbia's budget forecast from black to red. The government's final budget numbers show a deficit of $321 million from a projected surplus of $274 million for the 2019-20 budget.Finance Minister Carole James says that while the first three quarters of the fiscal year saw steady economic growth, the province's financial picture dimmed because of the pandemic.She says declines in tax revenues, losses at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, and early measures to tackle the pandemic plunged the fiscal year into deficit.In a fiscal u

The Vancouver Aquarium is shutting down again because of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the elimination of 209 staff. The aquarium stays in a statement it is putting its programming on pause while it attempts to recovery from the financial devastation of COVID-19. Ocean Wise says it will close Sept. 7 and all animals on site will continue to receive care from 75 specialized staff.The Vancouver Aquarium reopened in June following a three-month closure at the start of the pandemic. Ocean Wise, the non-profit that runs the aquarium, says in a statement it will focus on transforming to a new model

Saturday night at 9:55 pm, Abbotsford Police patrol officers were called to the 33800 block of Mayfair Ave for a report of a shots fired. Upon arrival, officers spoke to the 22-year-old victim, who advised that he and his girlfriend were in their vehicle in the driveway, when the occupants of a dark pick-up fired a gun towards him, hitting their vehicle in the driveway and the residence. The occupants of the suspect vehicle fled the area. Fortunately, no one was injured. Investigators are in the preliminary stages of this investigation, while the motive is not known at this time, police do not

BC is reporting 124 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 204. In a joint news release, Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry say there are 974 active cases of the illness in the province. They say 2,796 people are being actively monitored by public health workers as a result of exposure to known cases. 23 people are hospitalized with the illness, including seven who are in intensive care, while 4,310 people who tested positive have recovered.

ICBC says it is adding more road test appointments over the coming weeks as new examiners start work and more test sites open. The insurance agency says those who have booked road tests should visit its online booking site to see if they can get an earlier appointment. ICBC says it has added a total of two thousand road test appointments for testing dates starting September 9th. Over the coming weeks, an additional six thousand new appointment slots will be added, with most of them available at testing locations in the Lower Mainland.

The Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP say they have made a significant suspected drug seizure and arrest at the Pacific Highway border crossing in BC. The Mounties say border officers sent a commercial driver for further inspection on August 12th when X-ray imaging of the tractor and trailer revealed anomalies. Police say a further examination found seven boxes of suspected dried opium poppy plants including the pods that weighed 29 kilograms. Officers arrested the driver, who was released pending the ongoing investigation.