British Columbia is getting a new phone area code next year.
The 2-5-7 area code will be introduced gradually starting May 24th.
It follows a decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission aimed at meeting the growing demand for new phone numbers.
Kelly Walsh with the Canadian Numbering Administrator says the addition of a new area code creates millions of additional phone numbers
The money for B.C. includes an immediate $273 million to address urgent needs, especially in pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms and to address long wait times for surgeries.
The Liberal government has come under pressure in recent weeks to explain what Canada is doing about accusations of Chinese meddling in the last two federal elections following leaks to the media from security sources.
Finance Minister Katrine Conroy says now isn’t the time to start making cuts, so there is more money for things like health care, addiction treatment, foster care, rent control and family supports.
Environment Canada says another winter blast is hammering northwestern parts of the province and is expected to hit the south coast before Thursday. The weather office says 5 to 15 centimetres is expected over higher elevations of the North Shore, west and central sections of the Fraser Valley and along the Sea-to-Sky corridor.
Christopher Ram, 36, pleaded guilty to the March 27, 2022 offence, as well as another indecent act that occurred April 17 at Foster Park, near Kingsway and Boundary Road.
Attempts to negotiate and deescalate the situation were unsuccessful, and shortly after 11:40 p.m. the male attempted to lower himself from a third story window. He was arrested at ground level with the assistance of a police dog and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.