Unemployment is trending upward across much of Canada, but B-C's government says the provincial labour force remains steady.
Jobs Minister Brenda Bailey says Statistics Canada labour force survey shows B.C. gained nine thousand jobs last month.
B-C's unemployment rate is 5.3 per cent, compared with the national average of 5.8 per cent.
Bailey note that B-C has highest private-sector job growth among provinces and continues to be an economic leader in Canada.
British Columbia's gang squad and the Abbotsford Police Department say a sensitive law enforcement intelligence document was posted on an online media site. A statement from police and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says the document was part of a response to the ongoing gang war that has killed numerous people in the last several years.
Canada's long-standing support of Israel in votes at the United Nations has come under renewed scrutiny during the latest Israel-Hamas war. On Oct. 27, Canada abstained on a motion calling for a sustained humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, and last week, it joined Israel and the U.S. in voting down a motion about Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Three priority transit corridors have been selected by the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation. Metro Vancouver’s new bus rapid transit routes will be along King George Boulevard from Surrey Centre to White Rock, from Langley Centre to Haney Place and from Metrotown to the Northshore.
The B.C. government is introducing new protections for ride-hailing and food delivery app workers including a minimum wage, compensation for expenses and other standards. A minimum hourly wage of $20.10 — which is $3.35 more than the current general minimum wage — would apply for a gig worker's "engaged time," beginning when they accept an assignment to the time of completion.
Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, says all members of the Surrey Police Board have been suspended and he's appointed former Abbotsford chief constable Mike Serr to take over all their duties. Farnworth says he acted because of a “lack of progress” from the City of Surrey in the transition to the Surrey Police Service.
Burnaby R-C-M-P are hoping the public can help them identify a suspect wanted for a brazen robbery that happened almost two months ago. Police say a man was sitting in his vehicle at about 1:30 a.m., on September 27th when the suspect opened the car door, assaulted him and stole 33-hundred dollars.