Category Archives: Prairies/BC
Manitoba judge rules church can’t hold drive-in services forbidden by health order
WINNIPEG — A Manitoba judge rejected a church's request Saturday to hold drive-in services despite the province's COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings and in-person religious events. "The onus that an applicant must meet to obtain a stay of legis...
Settlement brings derelict hotels into City of Vancouver ownership
VANCOUVER — The City of Vancouver says it has reached a settlement with the owners of the Balmoral and Regent hotels to expropriate the derelict properties on the Downtown Eastside. The hotels, which had been operated as single-room occupancy buildings...
Restaurants and bars in Yukon required to record patron contacts for tracing
WHITEHORSE — Yukon recorded three new COVID-19 cases in Whitehorse as the territory prepared to introduce new rules for restaurants and bars. The territory says in a statement Friday that the new infections bring the total active case count to 12. Th...
Horgan says COVID-19 relief promise top priority of short B.C. legislature session
VICTORIA — Premier John Horgan says his newly re-elected government will focus on ensuring families and individuals start receiving COVID-19 recovery benefits when the legislature resumes for a shortened session on Monday. Horgan said he expects the se...
‘Seeds of division:’ Indigenous leaders criticize Brian Pallister’s vaccine comments
WINNIPEG — Manitoba's premier is facing backlash from Indigenous leaders for comments criticizing Ottawa's planning for COVID-19 vaccine distribution among First Nations.“Instead of uniting Manitobans during a health crisis, Brian Pallister is purposef...
‘Seeds of division:’ Indigenous leaders criticize Brian Pallister’s vaccine comments
WINNIPEG — Manitoba's premier is facing backlash from Indigenous leaders for comments criticizing Ottawa's planning for COVID-19 vaccine distribution among First Nations.“Instead of uniting Manitobans during a health crisis, Brian Pallister is purposef...
Alberta offers Rocky Mountain coal leases after rescinding protection policy
EDMONTON — Alberta is offering more of its Rocky Mountain landscapes to coal mining after rescinding a decades-old policy that protected them. In documents released earlier this week, Alberta Energy is giving miners until Dec. 15 to bid on nearly 2,00...
Top doc says rural COVID-19 rising, but Kenney says cities focus of any new rules
EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says tougher health restrictions likely to be aimed at Calgary and Edmonton are coming if current public-health orders don’t bend the curve down on COVID-19. Kenney, taking questions on a Facebook town-hall meeti...
Federal-provincial cost-sharing deal aids B.C. public transit services in pandemic
VANCOUVER — B.C. Transit, TransLink and BC Ferries will get more than $1 billion in pandemic relief funds under details of an agreement that were finalized on Friday by the federal and provincial governments. Joyce Murray, the federal digital governmen...
Alberta tops 1,800 new daily COVID cases, chief doctor warns rural rates rising
EDMONTON — As Alberta recorded another daily record of COVID-19 cases Thursday, its chief medical officer of health warned that rural areas are feeling the effects. “While infection rates in Edmonton and Calgary make up the majority of cases in the
