B.C. to end state of emergency as wildfire risk winds down
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Sep, 2023 05:12 PM
The British Columbia government says it is ending the state of emergency imposed last month when thousands of residents were chased out of their homes by wildfires.
The government says in a statement the wildfire risk is diminishing in much of the province as temperatures cool, allowing most residents to return home.
Starting on April 8, the B.C. vaccine card will no longer be required to access restaurants and other venues, while businesses can shift away from their COVID-19 safety plans.
Surrey police and Surrey RCMP were called to a home Wednesday evening for reports of a woman screaming and throwing things inside. Police say the suspect attempted to run from officers, prompting a brief foot chase.
To date, British Columbia, Toronto and Vancouver have asked Ottawa for section 56 exemption requests under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Use Act, which would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of substances like cocaine, heroine and fentanyl.
Federal health transfers are calculated to grow by at least three per cent each year, but the budget office says that health-care transfers are set to rise by almost five per cent year-over-year.
A statement from police says the couple, who are both in their late 80s, were contacted by phone early last year. They were told they had won $18.5 million and a Mercedes-Benz but would have to pay administrative fees in order to collect.
Health workers have now endured two difficult years of pandemic conditions, leading to serious burnout across nearly all sectors of the health-care system.