Nanaimo R-C-M-P say they have taken over the case involving an explosion that tore apart a home near the downtown core on Sunday night.
Constable Gary O'Brien says police will be checking to see if foul play was involved.
He says crews have managed to remove debris from the site of the flattened home and check the basement and other areas.
The house was vacant when it blew up just before 9 p-m but the force of blast damaged other homes and flying glass injured several people.
Selina Robinson says the province will factor in the cleanup costs associated with the disastrous floods and mudslides that hit communities, highways and railways in February's budget.
Environment Canada also warned of heavy snow in inland parts of the province on Sunday, saying that the snow could change to heavy rain as the temperature rises.
Last Monday, as flooding and mudslides ravaged British Columbia, Dean Hopkins got a distraught call from his close friend's wife, saying her husband was missing. That phone call kicked off several stress-filled days for Hopkins, which ended in tragedy when his old rugby buddy Steven Taylor was confirmed dead.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says it hopes to keep the number of wasted doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada under five per cent. That would amount to 3.7 million of the 73.7 million vaccines that have been distributed to provinces and territories, used by the federal government or held in the central vaccine inventory as of Nov. 18.
Government House leader Mark Holland said a bill to approve billions in new aid for businesses still hurting from COVID-19 is one of four pieces of legislation the Liberals want passed by the middle of next month.
Ontario parents can start making appointments for eligible kids ages five to 11 starting Tuesday. Doses are expected to be handed out as early as Thursday, the province said.