Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 20 Feb, 2024 10:47 AM
B-C politicians are back in Victoria this week for the spring legislative session.
Today's speech from the throne will set out the political agenda for the coming weeks ahead of this fall’s provincial election campaign.
N-D-P house leader Ravi Kahlon says he expects the looming election will contribute to a somewhat tense atmosphere at the legislature as the parties prepare to hit the campaign trail in the months ahead.
Kahlon says the government will continue focusing on the housing crisis, health care and cost of living
A new report about policing of Metro Vancouver port terminal facilities says there's "literally no downside" for organized criminals to set up shop, and one British Columbia city is sounding the alarm. Delta Mayor George Harvie says the city commissioned the report about the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Roberts Bank Terminal amid "rampant" criminal activity due to a lack of funds for policing.
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.
