Sep 22 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — Specialists ranging from cardiologists to pediatricians and orthopedic surgeons are pushing the British Columbia government to alleviate backlogs that have worsened wait times. Their stance comes as the head of the Canadian Medical Association says it'...
Sep 6 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — When a teenage girl collapsed on the SkyTrain in Coquitlam, B.C., passengers calling 911 thought she had fainted or was having an epileptic seizure. It was only when paramedics administered naloxone that some realized she'd overdosed on an...
Jul 20 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Canada's minister of mental health and addictions says more doctors across the country should be willing to prescribe a safer supply of drugs to reduce overdoses instead of fearing they will face barriers from their regulatory colleges. Carolyn Bennett said a guidance document by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia […]
Jul 19 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — British Columbia Attorney General David Eby has announced his bid to become the province's next premier, saying he has secured the support of a large majority of New Democrat members of the legislature. Eby's announcement ends weeks of speculation as other high-profile New Democrats have bowed out of this fall's leadership election, with […]
Jul 10 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — A group representing emergency room doctors across the country has a message for Canada's premiers: come up with a co-ordinated plan to prevent their workplaces from being closed due to staffing shortages that are creating an unprecedented crisis in health care. Dr. Atul Kapur, a spokesman for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, said premiers […]
Jul 7 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — A Quebec man who fell and broke his jaw, cheekbone and a bone around his left eye while visiting British Columbia says his surgery was cancelled after he was told his home province "won't pay" for the procedure. Patrick Bélanger, 23, said his experience is a warning for residents of Quebec and all […]
Jun 29 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier John Horgan says he'll resign as leader in the fall after the New Democrats hold a leadership convention because a second bout with cancer has left him with little energy for a job that's been the thrill of his life. "I wish I had the energy to do more, but […]
Jun 16 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — A former Canadian Football League wide receiver who viciously beat his ex-girlfriend, choked her to death, then staged the scene to make it look like an accident, should be sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole for at least 15 years, a Crown prosecutor says. Brendan McCabe told B.C. Supreme […]
Jun 3 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — A former federal health minister who championed decriminalization in Canada says a three-year model approved for British Columbia may not provide ample evidence to ensure the success of a policy that should have been implemented across the country. Jane Philpott said in an interview the evidence from Portugal, the first European country to decriminalize small […]
Jun 1 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — British Columbia will soon join a handful of jurisdictions around the world where drug users are not criminalized for possessing small amounts of some illicit drugs for personal use. Critics say that while decriminalization is a positive first step, the overdose death toll can only be stemmed if a safer supply of drugs […]
May 31 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Drug users in British Columbia won't be arrested or charged for possessing up to 2.5 grams of illicit drugs starting next year as the province serves as a potential model to stem the overdose crisis across the country. The three-year exemption from federal drug laws effective Jan. 31 is the first in Canada. […]
May 19 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — 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. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes of the B.C. Supreme Court said James breached the standard of conduct expected […]
May 16 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — British Columbia is set to launch one-stop support centres for children with issues like ADHD, autism and Down syndrome, but parents say promises of a no-wait system that won't require assessments or a diagnosis seem unrealistic due to a shortage of health-care professionals. The plan is to open 40 so-called family connections centres, […]
May 5 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Jenn Dawkins remembers the spring day in 2016 when she joined four other female firefighters at British Columbia's legislature to lobby for the inclusion of breast cancer as a presumed occupational illness covered by the province's health and safety agency for workers. Dawkins was diagnosed with breast cancer three years later. "I went […]
Apr 25 2022 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — A British Columbia First Nation has reached a proposed $135-million settlement with the federal government, 160 years after settlers began taking over its village lands. Chief Willie Sellars of the Williams Lake First Nation said a legal battle that began nearly three decades ago ended up in the Supreme Court of Canada in […]