The annual flu vaccination campaign has begun as officials in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities remind residents across BC that a flu shot is especially important this year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Fraser Health launched its campaign today while Vancouver Coastal says clinics will open later this month and shots are available through some family doctors, many local pharmacists, walk-in clinics and at public health influenza clinics. Locations of all BC clinics or pharmacies where the vaccine is available are listed on the Immunize BC (dot) ca website under ``find

British Columbia's election campaign continues today after a turbulent day for the Liberals.The B.C. Liberals announced Thursday that Laurie Throness would not be representing the party in Chilliwack-Kent after making comments at an all-candidates meeting comparing free birth control to eugenics. Throness has been a member of the legislature since 2013, and his name and party affiliation will remain on the ballot for the Oct. 24 election.The campaign saw NDP Leader John Horgan and Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson take verbal shots at each over in a radio debate on Thursday, as each criticized

B.C. has recorded its first confirmed case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in a child after antibody testing showed evidence of COVID-19. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the child, who is under the age of five, has since recovered. She made the announcement while reporting 142 new cases of COVID-19 and no additional deaths at a briefing on Thursday. Dr. Henry says 16 children have been investigated for the syndrome in B.C. so far, but until now, none had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The syndrome is associated mostly in children and symptoms include inflammat

Opposition MPs are bracing for another marathon meeting of the House of Commons ethics committee today as they ramp up efforts to revive their investigation into the WE Charity affair. Indeed, Conservative MP Michael Barrett says he and his colleagues are prepared for the meeting to drag on for days, if that's what it takes to finally force an end to a filibuster by Liberal committee members who've been blocking opposition demands for more documents. At issue is a motion put forward by Barrett last week calling on Speakers' Spotlight, the agency that arranged speaking engagements for Prime Mi

The number of active cases of COVID-19 has ticked up to just under 1,500 as B.C. reports 158 new cases on Wednesday. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and deputy health minister Stephen Brown say in a joint news release that 84 people are in hospital, including 24 in intensive care. They say no one else has died from the illness since the province's last update, leaving the death toll at 250. The outbreak at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver is now over, while outbreaks are ongoing at two other acute care facilities and 17 assisted living or long-term care homes. More than 3,600 peopl

BC's three main political parties are being criticized for failing to include the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women in their election platforms. A coalition of 18 groups, including the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, has sent a letter to the New Democrat, Liberal and Green leaders expressing ``grave concern and disappointment'' about the lack of any policies to implement the findings of a national inquiry into murdered and missing women. The coalition says the COVID-19 pandemic proves governments can move quickly when lives are at risk, yet the failure to act on missing and murdered w

The party leaders in British Columbia's provincial election return to the campaign trail today after going head-to-head Tuesday night in a televised debate.The debate featured the three party leaders keeping their distance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.They also dispensed with the usual handshakes in a largely civil debate, with some of the most pointed disagreements emerging on the best approach for economic recovery after the pandemic and energy policy.The post-pandemic recovery featured heavily in Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson's attacks on Horgan as he accused the New Democrats of bri

BC has recorded 549 more cases of COVID-19 over a four-day period and five additional deaths. The province's death toll has climbed to 250. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says while the numbers are higher than they'd like to see, there was also a backlog of about 6,000 tests now completed from last week that increased the count. Dr. Henry says four more long-term care centres also have outbreaks in the province. Almost 9,000 of those initially diagnosed with the virus are considered recovered.

The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties will meet Tuesday in a televised debate that political experts say could be one of the few events where voters get a chance to truly assess the leaders in what has been a largely scripted online election campaign. New Democrat Leader John Horgan called a snap election last month during the global COVID-19 pandemic and the debate comes with less than two weeks remaining before election day on Oct. 24. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson, Green Leader Sonia Furstenau and Horgan will appear live on television, radio and online for the 90-minute deba