The B-C Prosecution Service says a man has been charged with eight counts of mischief related to vandalism in Vancouver's Chinatown neighbourhood.
The service says seven counts are related to graffiti, including three incidents on cultural property, and one is related to the defacing of a war memorial.
The incidents took place between January and earlier February this year.
Police in Vancouver have previously reported a 455 per cent increase in graffiti in the historic neighbourhood since 2019.
Saanich Police are investigating a sexual assault in a campus washroom at the University of Victoria. A safety bulletin issued by the university says the victim was assaulted in a men’s washroom on the first floor of a campus building on Tuesday morning.
Sergeant Steve Addison says the unnamed victim was attacked (near Carrall Street and East Hastings Street) just after 5 a.m. The man was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead.
Canada Border Services Agency says it seized nearly 200 kilograms of opium concealed in shipping containers arriving in B-C. A statement from the agency says a bust on August 15th at an examination facility in Burnaby turned up 150 kilograms of opium hidden in steel machinery.
Health Canada has authorized Pfizer-BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine for people six months and older. The mRNA vaccine targets the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant that is circulating in Canada. This is the second vaccine targeting XBB.1.5 that will be available in this country.
A new report from Deloitte Canada suggests the economy's near-term struggles will ease next year as the Bank of Canada begins cutting its key lending rate. The report estimates GDP will rise one per cent this year and 0.9 per cent next year. Deloitte Canada had earlier predicted GDP would contract 0.9 per cent in 2023.
Dix says the province has previously stated it would expect "enhanced masking" in health-care settings for the respiratory illness season in the fall but did not say whether the new rules will be mandatory. The minister says ensuring people who are already sick in hospital have the maximum protection possible during the season is important.