BC legislature

Burnaby MLA Raj Chouhan presides as Speaker of the B.C. legislature, which opened it spring session April 12 with a speech from the throne. THE CANADIAN PRESS

B.C. NDP promises more health care spending, business support in 2021 budget

John Horgan government to ‘carefully return to balanced budgets’

 

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix and Premier John Horgan describe vaccine rollout at the legislature, March 29, 2021. (B.C. government)

1,262 more COVID-19 infections in B.C. Friday, 9,574 active cases

Province’s mass vaccination reaches one million people

 

B.C. Premier John Horgan speaks by video link to the annual Council of Forest Industries convention, April 8, 2021. (COFI video)

Horgan says B.C. logging licences to be bought back, redistributed

Premier ‘disappointed’ in big forest companies’ efforts

 

Restaurant patrons enjoy the weather on a patio in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, April 5, 2021. The province has suspended indoor dining at restaurants and pubs until at least April 19 in B.C. due to a spike in COVID-19 numbers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

B.C. sets new COVID-19 daily record with 1,293 cases Thursday

New order allows workplace closures when infections found

Restaurant patrons enjoy the weather on a patio in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, April 5, 2021. The province has suspended indoor dining at restaurants and pubs until at least April 19 in B.C. due to a spike in COVID-19 numbers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., speaks to B.C. Council of Forest Industries convention from Washington D.C., April 8, 2021. (COFI video)

Hot U.S. lumber market good for trade talks: Canadian ambassador

Biden’s COVID-19 recovery hurt by soaring house prices

Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., speaks to B.C. Council of Forest Industries convention from Washington D.C., April 8, 2021. (COFI video)
Seven-day rolling average of B.C. COVID-19 cases to April 7, 2021. (B.C. Centre for Disease Control)

B.C. has 997 more COVID-19 cases Wednesday, hospitalization rises

Vaccination now open to people aged 70 and older

Seven-day rolling average of B.C. COVID-19 cases to April 7, 2021. (B.C. Centre for Disease Control)
A basket of needles containing Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine waits to be administered to patients at a COVID-19 clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

B.C.’s COVID-19 case count up to 1,068 on Tuesday

207 new variant cases, up to 328 people in hospital

A basket of needles containing Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine waits to be administered to patients at a COVID-19 clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
New electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are offered for test drives at the B.C. legislature, May 13, 2019. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)

B.C. electric vehicle sales charge ahead in pandemic 2020

Latest sales show North America’s highest adoption rate

New electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are offered for test drives at the B.C. legislature, May 13, 2019. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)
Pharmacist Mario Linaksita, right, administers the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Donna Tangye, 59, at University Pharmacy, in Vancouver, on Thursday, April 1, 2021. Residents between the ages of 55 and 65 in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions were able to book appointments to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine after B.C. enlisted 150 pharmacies to distribute 13,500 doses. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C.’s COVID-19 cases dip below 1,000 for Sunday, Monday

Another 916 variant virus infections identified since April 1

Pharmacist Mario Linaksita, right, administers the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Donna Tangye, 59, at University Pharmacy, in Vancouver, on Thursday, April 1, 2021. Residents between the ages of 55 and 65 in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions were able to book appointments to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine after B.C. enlisted 150 pharmacies to distribute 13,500 doses. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Quebec Premier Francois Legault receives his COVID-19 vaccination in Montreal, Friday, March 26, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Online COVID-19 vaccine booking opens B.C.-wide Tuesday morning

Open to people born in 1950 or earlier, B.C.-wide phone line too

Quebec Premier Francois Legault receives his COVID-19 vaccination in Montreal, Friday, March 26, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Conservation officers use dogs trained to detect invasive zebra mussels on boats, and the skill comes in handy to check decorative aquarium moss balls that may be contaminated. (B.C. Conservation Officer Service)

B.C. collects thousands of contaminated aquarium moss balls

Boat checks next in battle to stop invasive zebra mussels

Conservation officers use dogs trained to detect invasive zebra mussels on boats, and the skill comes in handy to check decorative aquarium moss balls that may be contaminated. (B.C. Conservation Officer Service)
B.C. Liberal leadership candidate Gavin Dew (gavindew.ca)

Second candidate joins B.C. Liberal leadership contest

Gavin Dew joins MLA Ellis Ross for next year’s vote

B.C. Liberal leadership candidate Gavin Dew (gavindew.ca)
A community member posts a COVID-19 notice at a checkpoint on the Tsilhqot’in Nation in B.C.’s Interior. Many Indigenous communities have controlled their borders in the pandemic. (Keith Koepke/Tsilhqot’in Nation)

B.C.’s COVID-19 surge continues with 840 cases Tuesday

320 of the new cases are variants as restrictions take effect

A community member posts a COVID-19 notice at a checkpoint on the Tsilhqot’in Nation in B.C.’s Interior. Many Indigenous communities have controlled their borders in the pandemic. (Keith Koepke/Tsilhqot’in Nation)
B.C. employers can apply for a tax credit for hiring, rehiring laid-off employees or increasing hours. (Vernon Morning Star)

B.C. opens applications for COVID-19 hiring, rehiring tax credit

Credit can be applied to outstanding employer health tax

B.C. employers can apply for a tax credit for hiring, rehiring laid-off employees or increasing hours. (Vernon Morning Star)
Pub patio in Victoria reopens with widely spaced tables, June 2020, after initial COVID-19 shutdown of indoor dining in B.C. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)

B.C. stops indoor dining, fitness, religious service due to COVID-19 spike

Three-week suspension starts at midnight as coronavirus ‘circuit breaker’

Pub patio in Victoria reopens with widely spaced tables, June 2020, after initial COVID-19 shutdown of indoor dining in B.C. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)
A pilot program for electric vehicle repair was launched at B.C. Institute of Technology in late 2019. (B.C. government)

Electric vehicle repair training expands to Kelowna, Victoria, Prince George

160 new B.C. training spaces expected to be available this fall

A pilot program for electric vehicle repair was launched at B.C. Institute of Technology in late 2019. (B.C. government)
Kettle Valley Rail Trail winds through the Okanagan and Similkameen on railbed left from B.C.’s historical silver-mining boom. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)

B.C. forest job program gets COVID-19 aid, expands to coast

Short-term work on trails, bridges, forest firebreaks

Kettle Valley Rail Trail winds through the Okanagan and Similkameen on railbed left from B.C.’s historical silver-mining boom. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)
People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing facility in Burnaby, B.C., on Thursday, August 13, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C.’s rising COVID-19 infection rate hits 800 for Thursday

191 more positive tests for coronavirus variants of concern

People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing facility in Burnaby, B.C., on Thursday, August 13, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Chilliwack Free Reformed Church on Yale Road (seen on Dec. 1, 2020), along with Free Grace Baptist Church, held in-person services despite the Nov. 19 public health order banning indoor gatherings. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

B.C. allows up to 4 indoor religious services from March 28-May 13

Temporary easing with Easter, Passover, Ramadan coming up

Chilliwack Free Reformed Church on Yale Road (seen on Dec. 1, 2020), along with Free Grace Baptist Church, held in-person services despite the Nov. 19 public health order banning indoor gatherings. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
Rose Sawka, 91, reaches out to her son Terry Sawka, on a daily visit through the window at Acropolis Manor in Prince Rupert, Jan. 30, 2021. (K-J Millar/The Northern View)

COVID-19: Friends, family allowed to visit B.C. senior homes April 1

Communal dining, outings also allowed with precautions

Rose Sawka, 91, reaches out to her son Terry Sawka, on a daily visit through the window at Acropolis Manor in Prince Rupert, Jan. 30, 2021. (K-J Millar/The Northern View)