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  Bear spray, Taser and metal stool used to assault 70-year-old man in Victoria, police say

  Police in Victoria are asking the public for help as they investigate a disturbing assault on a 70-year-old man.

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  Motorcyclist, 56, dead after crash near Sooke

  A 56-year-old man is dead after his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck on Vancouver Island.

• Anti-SOGI demonstrations at elementary schools prompt calls to renew protest legislation

  Some North Vancouver parents want the province to re-introduce legislation prohibiting protests near schools, following a series of anti-SOGI demonstrations.

• Nanaimo RCMP investigating 'well-orchestrated' jewelry store robbery

  Mounties in Nanaimo are investigating after thieves broke in to a jewelry store and made off with an estimated $100,000 in merchandise.

• 'Outrageous': B.C. premier slams Conservative leader's first question in legislature

  John Rustad's first question in British Columbia's legislature as the leader of the provincial Conservative Party prompted a stern rebuke from Premier David Eby, who accused him of picking on children and families.

• BC Ferries will soon face 'penalties' for cancelling sailings due to lack of crew, province says

  The B.C. government says it is working on introducing "penalty provisions" for BC Ferries that would apply when the company fails to run core-service sailings because of a lack of crew.

• NDP introduces disaster bill as B.C. legislature starts with four official parties

  New disaster management legislation has been introduced in British Columbia on the first day of the fall legislative session that will see four official parties in the chamber.

• Liberal Greg Fergus makes history, elected first Black House Speaker

  Liberal MP Greg Fergus is Canada's new House of Commons Speaker, following a secret ranked ballot election on Tuesday. It is a day for the political history books as Fergus, once a parliamentary page, becomes the first Black Canadian to hold the prestigious role.

• International student drowns while swimming in Thetis Lake

  A swimmer drowned in Thetis Lake Friday afternoon, according to West Shore RCMP.

• Regimental funeral for slain B.C. RCMP officer to take place Wednesday

  Mourners will gather in Langley, B.C., Wednesday for a regimental funeral procession, memorial service and final salute to honour an RCMP officer who was killed in the line of duty last month.

• B.C. Conservative leader defends residential school comments as criticism grows

  The leader of the Conservative Party of BC is defending a social media post about parental rights denounced as insensitive, hurtful and political on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

• Study shows where you fall on new internet addiction spectrum

  The younger and more comfortable in new technology a person is, the more likely they are to be addicted to the internet, according to a new study.

• Why does a group of B.C. killer whales harass and kill porpoises without eating them?

  A group of orcas that inhabit Canadian waters are known to harass and kill porpoises without eating them. A new study tries to explain why.

• Overdoses from smoking toxic drugs outpace B.C. prevention sites

  Nearly two-thirds of the overdose deaths in British Columbia this year came after smoking illicit drugs, yet only 40 per cent of the supervised consumption sites in the province offer a safe place to smoke, and the chief coroner says that needs to change.

• 'Reconciliation is a lifelong experience': Gov. Gen. Mary Simon reflects on Truth and Reconciliation

  On the third annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says that while she acknowledges the time it takes to fulfill calls to action, she also understands the frustrations that progress is too slow, and she feels 'we should speed things up.'

• B.C. tech holding company Tiny buys majority stake in film review platform Letterboxd

  Tech holding company Tiny Ltd. says it's buying a majority stake in movie review platform Letterboxd. Victoria, B.C.-based Tiny has not shared what it will pay for the 60 per cent stake it will take in the film diary and rating website.

• Federal Court ruling sets back health workers seeking psilocybin mushroom access

  Megan McLaren thought her future career was in law enforcement, but her path radically shifted thanks in part to psychedelic drug therapy, she says.

• 'It's beyond inappropriate': B.C. Green leader calls out Alberta 'war room' attacks on Nanaimo

  B.C.'s Green Party leader is dismayed Alberta's fossil fuel “war room” is targeting Nanaimo for phasing out natural gas hookups.

• Nisga'a Nation celebrates return of totem after it was taken almost a century ago

  The return of a memorial totem pole to a remote community in northwestern B.C. nearly 100 years after it was taken allows the Nisga'a Nation to reach back for old values of respect, helping to chart a new path of reconciliation, the nation's president says.

• West Shore RCMP report multiple complaints of Facebook Marketplace fraud

  Mounties on southern Vancouver Island are warning the public after officers received multiple complaints of fraud on the online reselling platform Facebook Marketplace.