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• Long COVID: What science has learned about the loss of smell and taste

  Some five per cent of global COVID-19 survivors have now developed long-lasting taste and smell problems, according to a 2022 study. More than two years into the pandemic, researchers found an estimated 15 million people may still have problems perceiving odours, while 12 million may struggle with taste.

  

• How Canada's empty offices could get a second chance

  Offices in Canada still haven't returned to their pre-pandemic occupancy rates, and now a growing number of underused buildings are being converted into apartments and condominiums. CTVNews.ca takes a look at this trend.

  

• Orcas battle humpbacks in interspecies skirmish caught on camera off Vancouver Island

  An international whale watching and conservation group says some of its members came across a rare and dramatic encounter between orcas and humpbacks off Vancouver Island this week.

  

• Victoria woman grows 323-pound pumpkin, shares journey on social media

  While Carmen Spagnola puts a lot of effort into making and tending to her flower garden, the same couldn’t be said for growing her first pumpkin. "It felt like this random miracle that just happened," Carmen smiles.

  

• 'It's a very special building': Mass timber high-rise opens in Langford, B.C.

  Langford celebrated the opening of an innovative new residential building Thursday at 2830 Peatt Rd.

• Greater Victoria students reflect on Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

  Friday is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is marked by Orange Shirt Day. On Thursday morning in Langford, B.C., ceremonial First Nation dancers greeted students from Ruth King Elementary and Spencer Middle School. Those students were dressed in a sea of orange.

• Leaky fridge leaves B.C. condo-buyer owing $100K before he moves in

  A leaky fridge has left a B.C. condo owner on the hook for a painful $100,000 insurance deductible, despite his argument that the damage happened before he moved into the unit.

• RCMP seize nearly 500 grams of cannabis, 45 packs of edibles during traffic stops on Vancouver Island

  Police say they seized hundreds of grams of cannabis and dozens of packages of edibles when they were conducting traffic stops on southern Vancouver Island over the weekend. Mounties say they checked over 1,000 vehicles at traffic stops in Duncan, B.C., the Cowichan Bay area, and along the Trans-Canada Highway on Sept. 24.

• B.C. saw same number of fires, much less land burned in 2022 season, wildfire service says

  The 2022 wildfire season is not yet over, but it's been winding down, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service's final status update of the year.

• 'Sadness and hope': Indigenous leaders, academics speak on Sept. 30 as commitments go unfulfilled

  For the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, CTVNews.ca spoke to several Indigenous leaders about feelings around the day more than a year since the suspected gravesites made world news, and in the weeks following Queen Elizabeth II death that took over the news cycle during a month when decolonization is meant to be top of mind.

• Canadians reflect about residential schools on Truth and Reconciliation Day

  Ceremonies, marches and other gatherings are taking place across the country Friday as communities mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The federal statutory holiday was established last year to remember children who died while being forced to attend residential schools, as well as those who survived, and the families and communities still affected by lasting trauma.

• What each province, territory is doing on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

  Friday is the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. The federal government made Sept. 30 a statutory holiday for its workers and federally regulated workplaces last year.

• B.C. warns of drought conditions in multiple regions

  Little to no rainfall over the past five weeks in several areas of British Columbia has prompted a warning from the Ministry of Forests about drought. The ministry says Vancouver Island, the inner south coast and the northeast corner of the province have reached the second-most severe level of drought on a five-point rating scale.

• Saanich police search for missing girl, 17

  Officers with the Saanich Police Department are seeking the public's assistance in locating a missing youth. Police are searching for 17-year-old Zenaeh Edwards-Helgason, who was reported missing on Sept. 21 and was last seen on the afternoon of Sept. 24 at Mayfair Shopping Centre.

• Man in wheelchair hit by truck in Nanaimo, airlifted to hospital with serious injuries

  A man in a wheelchair was airlifted to hospital in Vancouver on Wednesday after he was struck by a pickup truck in Nanaimo, B.C. Mounties are still investigating the cause of the crash near the intersection of Railway Avenue and Fifth Street.

• Gas prices hit 239.9 in Greater Victoria, smashing records

  Gas prices at some stations in Greater Victoria hit a stunning 239.9 cents per litre for regular fuel on Thursday, marking a new record-high for the region. The previous record was set on June 6, when gas prices reached 234.9 cents at some stations.