Mounties in Richmond are warning the public after a "significant rise" in romance scams and investment schemes in the city, with a loss of more than $16 million last year. Police say they received 87 reports of romance crimes in 2023, and the trend continues this year with another 12 cases being reported between January to March with nearly $500,000 lost.
British Columbia has approved the use of an updated Taser weapon for officers around the province to use as a less-lethal weapon during police confrontations. A statement from the Ministry of Public Safety says the Taser 7 offers the ability to discharge a second shot without reloading a new cartridge and its short-distance shooting range option, among other "enhancements."
Mounties in Nanaimo say a text message scam is making its way through the community claiming drivers owe money for speeding in a school zone. Investigators say the bogus text was received by dozens of individuals throughout the Okanagan.
The British Columbia government is warning people about a scam involving its PayBC website, where an "identical fake website" is collecting personal and credit card information. The PayBC site gives residents a secure place to pay their bills or for services from the provincial government, but it says it has become aware of phishing attempts against users.
Environment Canada has added a dust advisories for a large section of central and northern British Columbia in response to "high concentrations of coarse particulate matter" that it says is most prominent near busy roads. The new advisories are up for the regions of Prince George, the Lakes District and Bulkley Valley, covering Smithers, Prince George, Vanderhoof and Houston.
A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says 18 Canadians were brought out of Haiti by helicopter this morning. On Monday, Joly had said the 18 had already left, but Global Affairs Canada has clarified that their departure was put off due to bad weather.