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.
A statement from the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation says businesses including event venues, bars, nightclubs and lounges that don't serve full meals are eligible for grants of up to $20,000, based on staffing levels.
The victim, a 22-year-old woman, was walking along West Georgia Street in front of Hotel Georgia when she was suddenly grabbed by a man, walking in the opposite direction, on December 31 at around 3:30 p.m. She was thrown against the exterior wall of the hotel and held down.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the first shipment of an oral COVID-19 pill is making its way across Canada but is no substitute for vaccination against the rapidly spreading virus. The anti-viral drug Paxlovid is meant to protect against hospitalization and death.
Controversy over mandatory vaccinations for the military has re-emerged during the pandemic, with chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre ordering all personnel to be inoculated against COVID-19.
In a report this morning, Yves Giroux says the federal guardrails designed to guide spending decisions appear to have been met, suggesting any stimulus should be wound down before the fiscal year ends in March.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, families weren't permitted on the wharf in Halifax for the traditional sendoff as the HMCS Montreal pulled away from the jetty and its 240 crew members set off for the six-month deployment.