The Columbia River watershed in B.C. has been declared an infected area for whirling disease, a parasite that causes deformities in fish and has a high mortality rate.
On the same day the British Columbia government's approach to the overdose crisis faces a major shift, the provincial coroner announced another 192 people were killed by illicit drugs in March.
Public drug use became illegal in British Columbia once again on Tuesday, after the federal government granted the province's request to scale back its drug decriminalization pilot. The change represents a major policy climbdown for the provincial NDP government more than a year into the three-year pilot program with Ottawa that is aimed at tackling the deadly overdose crisis.
Another 192 people were killed in British Columbia by illicit drugs in March, 11 per cent down from the same month last year. The BC Coroners Service says the relentless toll makes illicit drugs the leading cause of death for those aged between 10 and 59, surpassing accidents, suicide, homicides and natural causes combined.
Canada's foreign minister says Israel's invasion of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip is "completely unacceptable," and she's holding out hope that ceasefire talks will prevail.
