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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forestry
Policy impacts played role in Canfor cuts in Northern B.C.
PRINCE GEORGE - 400. That's the approximate number of how many jobs will be impacted by Canfor's announcement that they would be indefinitely curtailing one production line at Northwood Pulp Mill as well as the permanent closure of the Polar Sawmill and the suspension of planned reinvestment in Houston, B.C. The Presid...
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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Mother's Day
Local Senior Centre celebrates Mother's Day ahead of schedule
PRINCE GEORGE - Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday, but the Senior's Centre in Prince George is getting a head start on celebrations. The "Mother's Day Tea" took place at the Hart Pioneer Centre and it invited mothers, sisters, grandmothers and community members. "Mother's Day is a day of loving and car...
May 09, 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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