Statistics Canada says the country's mortality rate rose in 2021 from 2020.
The agency says data shows cancer, heart disease, overdoses and COVID-19 were the leading causes of death.
StatCan says while cancer and heart disease remain the top two leading causes of death in the country, accidental deaths rose by 14.5 per cent in 2021.
COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death, with notable increases among young younger people.
The service says Highway 20 north of Bella Coola was closed Sunday evening as the fire that was discovered near Young Creek just the day before swelled to 22-square kilometres in size. The service says no evacuation orders have been issued for the fire, which is among more than 360 burning in the province, with 23 listed by the wildfire service as fires of note.
R-C-M-P say the incident happened on Wednesday afternoon when a male approached a female stranger as she walked along the sidewalk and swung at her, grabbed her hair and spit at her. The Mounties say several bystanders jumped in to help the victim who suffered minor injuries.
Environment Minister George Heyman says the new regulation comes into effect in December and will cover plastic shopping bags, disposable food service accessories, degradable plastics and any packaging made of hard-to-recycle plastics.
Vancouver police say a 57-year-old man has been charged after a racially motivated incident at a city coffee shop. They say it happened on Tuesday at a shop on West Pender and Abbott. The suspect has been charged with causing a disturbance.
A statement from Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP say the 63-year-old victim was an experienced paraglider. He had just taken off from a flight school near Lumby when police say he "suddenly and unexpectedly collided with the ground."
A hiker has died after plunging more than 60 metres from a path in Cypress Creek Canyon in West Vancouver. Police say the man -- in his 70s -- was hiking with a large group when he fell.