Drug overdose deaths are down by 24 per cent between April last year and this April, but still B-C’s Coroner says 182 people died.
Fentanyl remains the primary killer, with the drug detected in 82 per cent of test results for those who died so far this year.
The coroner’s service says nearly half of those who overdosed were between the ages of 30 and 49.
The latest figures lift the number of deaths since the public health emergency was declared eight years ago to 14-thousand 582 people.
The federal government is committing an additional $15 million over three years to fight the rise in vehicle thefts across the country. Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc made the announcement today in Montreal.
Police in Vancouver say a 37-year-old man has been charged over accusations he robbed a blind, homeless man of his cane earlier this week. They say the victim is a 40-year-old newcomer to Canada who is legally blind and has been sleeping in shelters for the past few weeks.
British Columbia Finance Minister Katrine Conroy says the budget she tables on Thursday will protect services and won't raise taxes for ordinary residents, but she also forecasts an increased deficit because "it's the right thing to do." The minister says the time is not right for the NDP government to bring cuts when most people are facing rising costs for housing, food and other daily staples.
The flow of humanitarian aid shipments for Palestinians in Gaza is at its lowest ebb since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Canada's international development minister said following a visit to the Egyptian border.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he believes "biological males" have no place in sports or change rooms that are labelled female. Poilievre was asked at a news conference Wednesday about his position on whether transgender women should be allowed in spaces that are labelled for women and whether he would introduce any legislation to stop it.
The federal government says the final offshore oil and gas permits for Canada's west coast region have been relinquished. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is speaking in Victoria today and expected to announce the relinquishment of the last permits in British Columbia waters.