Environment Canada says B-C broke or tied at least 27 daily heat records Wednesday.
Lytton in the Fraser Canyon was the hottest spot in the province at 42 degrees, shattering the 2009 record of 35.3 degrees.
Temperature records also fell in Vernon, Whistler, Nelson, Kamloops and Port Alberni, with daytime highs passing 35 degrees.
The weather agency says the hot conditions in many parts of the province will continue into next week.
The RCMP says it has established a national team to help co-ordinate investigations and information sharing about extortion schemes targeting South Asian businesses in B.C., Alberta and Ontario. Mounties say the team is a "nationwide alliance" of police agencies that are all investigating extortion and violent threats, which have been tied to shootings and arson.
British Columbia's Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon is pitching a housing plan that aims to get more first-time buyers into homes, and it comes just days after Premier David Eby promised to build more affordable rental units for the middle class. Falcon says the BC United's "Fix Housing" plan includes four initiatives to reduce the high cost of housing and increase supply, which he pledges to introduce if his party takes power in this fall's election.
The federal privacy watchdog says government departments lacked adequate protections to prevent a cyberbreach that compromised the sensitive information of tens of thousands of Canadians. In a report tabled today, privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne describes how the lapse at the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada in summer 2020 allowed hackers to fraudulently collect payments.
A new report ahead of next week's B.C. budget is forecasting slower economic growth for the province this year. The Business Council of British Columbia says "lacklustre" growth globally, high interest rates and weak private-sector job and investment numbers all add up to "a drag on prosperity" in 2024.
The federal government is spending more than $273 million to acquire new military equipment for NATO's Canada-led battle group in Latvia. That includes $227.5 million for a short-range air defence system from Saab Canada Inc., intended to defend against fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and drones, and another $46 million for counter-drone equipment.
Vancouver Coastal Health says it is no longer considering a stand-alone supervised consumption site in Richmond, British Columbia. The decision was announced late Wednesday in a statement from VCH, which said that, based on the latest Public Health data, such a facility would not be the most appropriate service for those at risk of overdose in the community.