MORE TOP STORIES

• B.C. tobacco tax increases push smokers to black market, group says

  Higher taxes on cigarettes in British Columbia will push more smokers to buy tobacco on the black market and fund organized crime across the province, according to the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco.

  

• BC Hydro sending repair crews to Vancouver Island as thousands still without power after storm

  BC Hydro is sending repair crews to Vancouver Island to restore power to thousands of people who remain in the dark after Wednesday's windstorm.

  

• Fewer COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals this week as 6th wave shows signs of receding

  The number of COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals has declined since last week, but remains elevated compared to where it was when the province first switched to weekly reporting of pandemic data.

  

• Victoria's Whistle Buoy to host live wrestling event this summer

  Victoria craft brewing company Whistle Buoy will celebrate its third birthday with a live wrestling and music event in June.

  

• Langford to host first annual Canada Day celebration

  Move over Victoria, the City of Langford is unveiling its own plans to host a family-friendly Canada Day event this year.

• Health-care rally draws hundreds to B.C. legislature

  As a growing number of British Columbians can’t find a primary care provider, hundreds of demonstrators demanded more health-care resources at a “Rally for Change” at the legislature.

• Nanaimo girl creates playground and stadium for pet snails

  When Olivia started searching for snails at the start of the pandemic, her mom Sarah wasn’t surprised.

• B.C. clerk of the legislature Craig James guilty of breach of trust

  British Columbia's former clerk of the legislature dishonestly claimed expenses for work attire and received payment on a false basis, a judge said Thursday in finding Craig James guilty of fraud and breach of trust.

• Victoria Day Parade, Victoria Highland Games returning to B.C. capital

  After pandemic delays, two beloved Victoria events are returning this Victoria Day long weekend.

• Caught on cam: Trees fall on Nanaimo home amid B.C. windstorm

  A pair of tall trees toppled onto a Nanaimo, B.C., home Wednesday as a windstorm wreaked havoc on Vancouver Island.

• 'It's a drain on the charity': Record-high fuel prices expected to impact Vancouver Island charities

  With the cost of fuel sitting at an average of 229.9 cents a litre in Greater Victoria on Wednesday, volunteer-based charities could soon feel the pinch.

• Tk'emlups te Secwepemc prepare to mark one year since confirmation of evidence of unmarked graves

  It has been almost exactly one year since the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc confirmed evidence of what elders and residential school survivors had been saying for years about missing children being buried on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

• Saanich resident arrested for more than $10K in lumber thefts

  West Shore RCMP say a Saanich, B.C., resident has been arrested after thousands of dollars worth of lumber was stolen out of the Colwood, B.C., area.

• Widespread power outages, cruise cancellation as windstorm hits Vancouver Island

  Tens of thousands of BC Hydro customers across Vancouver Island were without power Wednesday morning as Environment Canada forecasted wind gusts over 100 km/h.