B.C. to end state of emergency as wildfire risk winds down
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Sep, 2023 05:12 PM
The British Columbia government says it is ending the state of emergency imposed last month when thousands of residents were chased out of their homes by wildfires.
The government says in a statement the wildfire risk is diminishing in much of the province as temperatures cool, allowing most residents to return home.
The province's homicide investigation team has been called in after a man was fatally shot in Hope. R-C-M-P say they were called just before 3 a.m. on Sunday and found a 28-year-old man who had been shot and killed.
Newly appointed Health Minister Mark Holland says he doesn't want to go waving a stick around as he negotiates the final details of a health accord with provinces and territories, and it'll largely be up to Canadians to hold them accountable. All provinces except Quebec accepted the $198-billion deal in principle earlier this year and are expected to sign final agreements before the end of 2023.
The province says its PharmaCare program now covers medications used to treat rare diseases such as A-L-S. The Ministry of Health says the oral form of edaravone, which is used to treat A-L-S patients, will be added to the PharmaCare formulary as a limited-coverage benefit.
A shortage of diabetes drug Ozempic that is used off-label for weight loss is expected in Canada, the manufacturer says. Health Canada says intermittent shortages are expected from late August to early October.
Strong demand for rentals and a shortage of homes are both contributing to soaring rental costs. And that's making it even more difficult for people to save money for down payment on a home. For most minimum-wage workers, affording these rents with their earnings is impossible.
Home prices in Canada continued to rise last month, the fourth consecutive monthly increase. Eight of the 11 markets in the composite index were up in July led by Halifax at 4.9 per cent, Vancouver at 3.9 per cent and Toronto at 3.5 per cent.