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As of today, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said those caught price gouging or buying and reselling medical supplies at an inflated price will receive a hefty fine.
The provincial government has given police and other enforcement officers the power to issue $2,000 fines to people who price gouge or resell essential goods, including personal protective equipment during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The measures are effective immediately under the provincial state of emergency through powers under the Emergency Program Act.
Farnworth, who made the announcement during a Sunday morning press conference, says Consumer Protection BC has already received more than 800 complaints about these types of practices.
“The province is also calling upon enforcement staff from local government and provincial ministries to support enforcement by issuing these tickets for the duration of the current state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
“British Columbians have enough to deal with right now.”
Effective immediately, police officers, municipal bylaw officers, liquor and cannabis inspectors, gaming inspectors, conservation officers, community safety unit inspectors, park rangers, natural resource officers, commercial vehicle safety officials and sheriffs will all be able to hand out fines.
There are multiple ways of reporting an incident of secondhand selling or price gouging including contacting Consumer Protection BC , reach out to your local by-law enforcement officer, call 311, or contact your local police department’s non-emergency line.
When reporting price gouging to Consumer Protection BC, make sure to include the following information:
Your name and contact information, for possible follow up
The type of product being sold, the new price, and the previous price if possible
Any evidence, if possible, such as a picture or receipt
The name of the business and the address, including the city
All these complaints will be investigated.
Additionally, tickets will also be issued as required to anyone who exceeds the quantity limits on the sale of specified items and hotels or lodging operators not providing accommodation for self-isolation facilities or to support essential workers.
A lot has changed since April 20th, 2019, but not everything.
We’re all missing our typical daily ‘things to do’ articles, and though the list of activities you can partake in at home isn’t as extensive, there are still plenty of ways to have a good time this Monday to enjoy 4/20 – especially with a little help from our friends at High5 Retail!
Though we can’t gather to celebrate this year’s unofficial holiday, we can still take comfort in the fact that we’re all in this together, and that certain products are still as legal as they’ve been since October 17, 2018.
That being said, there are still plenty of other things to do this Monday, and we’ve listed a few of them below…
Check out these 420 things to do on what is perhaps BC’s favourite holiday:
415 – 1. Visit a local dispensary, such as High5 Retail, conveniently located in Vic West (with free parking!).
Though this 4/20 will undoubtedly be an unusual one for all of us, some things can stay the same. High5 supplies dried cannabis, cannabis oils, sprays, edibles and accessories, cannabis drinks, vapes and topicals with a spotlight on education for non-medical users. Their products may or may not help with Thing To Do #419.
Their Vic West shop, which opened in mid-January, is locally owned and operated, with a large focus on customer experience
If you stop by, let them know Victoria Buzz sent you for a little bit of extra High5 love!
The B.C. Ministry of Health has reported 29 new test-positive cases of novel coronavirus in the province today, bringing the total number cases in B.C. to 1,647 people.
In total, 686 of these cases are in the Vancouver Coastal Region, 680 in Fraser Health, 97 on Vancouver Island, 150 in Interior Health and 34 in Northern Health region.
There are now a total of 115 people who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, 54 of whom are in critical care – ICU or acute care units — showing a continued decline in hospitalizations.
Sadly, three new deaths were reported today and the death toll is now at 81 in total across the province. All three people who died from
There are now 63 test-positive COVID-19 patients that have been detected at the Mission Institute outbreak and six people have been hospitalized.
In good news, a total of 987 people have now recovered from novel coronavirus in B.C. Data from the BC CDC shows that 58 out of the 94 cases in Island Health Region have been declared recovered.
There continue to be COVID-19 outbreaks at 20 long term care centres on the mainland, the hardest hit of which is the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver. A total of 288 people at long term care facilities have tested positive for the virus.
The coronavirus outbreak at the Mission Institute federal correctional facility now has 70 people who have tested positive for COVID-19, 60 of whom are inmates.
“We took very quick action to get us into this, but we don’t want all of the sacrifices that we’ve been doing across the province to be for naught,” said Dr. Henry in talking about when and how to start easing some of the restrictions put in place due to the pandemic.
She added that health authorities need to think in terms of two week increments due to the 14-day incubation period for this virus, meaning we may start seeing impacts of Easter long weekend travel in the coming days.
No restrictions will be eased in the coming two weeks, but the province is planning out what things will look like in the middle of May when they can start to take steps to increase social and business interactions, as well as opening up the health care system.
“The new normal will however be a modification of some of the things we need to do today,” said Dr. Henry.
On Friday, she stated that there are a number of milestones the province has yet to achieve before authorities can consider lifting some more restrictions.
We now need to see a continued decrease in numbers of new cases per day, no new outbreaks, and a decreasing number of people admitted to hospital for COVID-19.
Additionally, there needs to be an appropriate amount of testing available, — “we’re getting there,” she said on that score — and serology testing to be able to tell where community cases are originating from.
“Our new normal in the months ahead will be a modification of what we are doing now. The physical distancing measures, staying home if you are ill and following good hand hygiene will continue,” said the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry says they will reach out to different sectors of the industry to provide clear parameters and work with their individual needs to determine ways to reopen the economy in the coming months.
So far, B.C. has conducted over 60,000 tests over the course of the pandemic.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,312,069.
Over 158,800 people have died from the illness and 591,278 have made a full recovery.
The B.C. Ministry of Health has reported 43 new test-positive cases of novel coronavirus in the province today, bringing the total number cases in B.C. to 1,618 people.
In total, 680 of these cases are in the Vancouver Coastal Region, 661 in Fraser Health, 94 on Vancouver Island, 150 in Interior Health and 33 in Northern Health region.
There are now a total of 119 people who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, 52 of whom are in critical care – ICU or acute care units — showing a continued decline in hospitalizations.
No new deaths were reported today and the death toll remains at 78 in total across the province.
There are now 63 test-positive COVID-19 patients that have been detected at the Mission Institute outbreak and six people have been hospitalized.
In good news, a total of 966 people have now recovered from novel coronavirus in B.C. Data from the BC CDC shows that 53 out of the 94 cases in Island Health Region have been declared recovered.
“Recovery criteria for the Vancouver Health Authority have been updated to more accurately reflect recovery,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Health.
“New methods include consideration for specific patient symptomology. This has resulted in the decrease in patients considered recovered.”
There continue to be COVID-19 outbreaks at 20 long term care centres on the mainland, the hardest hit of which is the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver.
So far, B.C. has conducted approximately 60,000 tests over the course of the pandemic.
Steps forward
Earlier today, health authorities provided modelling data to showcase the fact that he COVID-19 transmission curve has flattened in B.C.
According to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, the flattening of B.C.’s epidemic curve is owed mostly to stringent public health measures like travel restrictions, school and business closures, and physical distancing directives.
Based on modelling data presented today, the number of new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. started to decrease two weeks after these public health measures were introduced.
“We are in the eye of the storm in a Category 5 hurricane. The risk is still very high and there are many unknowns, but we are hopeful that with all of us standing strong, the storm will continue to lessen,” reads a statement from the Ministry this afternoon.
The province now plans to ramp up COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Deputy Minister Stephen Brown says authorities will continue to stock up on ventilators and build up the province’s critical care capacity to prepare for a second wave of the outbreak that may occur in fall and winter.
There are a number of milestones the province has yet to achieve before authorities can consider lifting some more restrictions.
According to Dr. Bonnie Henry, we now need to see a continued decrease in numbers of new cases per day, no new outbreaks, and a decreasing number of people admitted to hospital for COVID-19.
Additionally, there needs to be an appropriate amount of testing available, — “we’re getting there,” she said on that score — and serology testing to be able to tell where community cases are originating from.
“Our new normal in the months ahead will be a modification of what we are doing now. The physical distancing measures, staying home if you are ill and following good hand hygiene will continue,” said the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry says they will reach out to different sectors of the industry to provide clear parameters and work with their individual needs to determine ways to reopen the economy in the coming months.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,235,370.
Over 153,800 people have died from the illness and 569,937 have made a full recovery.
Transport Canada has mandated that starting April 20th, all passengers travelling by air in Canada will be required to wear non-medical masks or face coverings.
Effective at 9 a.m. PST on Monday April 20th, travellers will have to cover their nose and mouth in the following situations:
at Canadian airport screening checkpoints,
when they cannot physically distance from others, or as directed by the airline employees, and
when directed to do so by a public health order or public health official.
“Canadians should continue to follow public health advice and stay at home if possible,” said Transport Minister Marc Garneau in a statement.
“However, if you need to travel, wearing a face covering is an additional measure you can take to protect others around you, especially in situations where physical distancing guidelines cannot be maintained.”
Those who are arriving at or departing from airports in Canada will not be allowed to continue their journey unless they show that they have a mask or face covering on hand.
Ferry operators and essential marine passenger vessels will be required to let travellers know about the need to have a non-medical mask or face covering during their journey when they cannot maintain physical distance from others.
Those who fail to comply could be denied boarding.
Passengers on buses and trains are also encouraged to wear masks, and could be asked to cover their mouth and nose when physical distancing is not possible.
At the beginning of April, public health officials in Canada started endorsing the use of non-medical masks as a step that could help curb the spread of COVID-19 in addition to physical distancing.
The mask prevents or reduces the chances of respiratory droplets coming into contact with another person or landing on surfaces.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has emphasized that medical masks, like N95 masks, should not be used by members of the community as they need to be reserved for health care workers.
Further, there is no evidence to suggest that wearing non-medical masks offers any protection to the person wearing it.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,235,370.
Over 153,800 people have died from the illness and 569,937 have made a full recovery.
Esquimalt Lagoon in Colwood from above
(@vsmcablester/ Instagram)
Colwood council are looking at ways of removing financial stress for residents and businesses due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
One of those plans is to scrap the 3.5 per cent property tax increase this year, instead approving a 0 per cent increase in municipal property tax for 2020.
The average Colwood homeowner will therefore not see an increase over their 2019 municipal taxes unless a home’s value increased more than the average in the past year.
The city will also bring in a five-year phased approach to align business tax rates with the regional average, starting in 2020.
“Recognizing the financial stress residents and businesses are under, Colwood Council is unanimous in their desire to support the community through this crisis and position the City for a strong economic recovery,” reads a statement from the City of Colwood.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Colwood’s five-year financial plan proposed a 3.5% tax increase in 2020 to fund service expansions, capital projects and sustainable infrastructure replacement.
To achieve a zero increase in 2020, Council supported shifting some of the service expansions in its five-year financial plan forward several months into 2021.
“Shifting some of the service expansions forward into 2021 allows us to give Colwood taxpayers the relief they need right now,” said Mayor Rob Martin.
The revised financial plan includes expanding Colwood’s RCMP strength in 2021.
“West Shore RCMP does a phenomenal job. Expanding Colwood’s RCMP service in 2021 will keep Colwood well ahead of the curve in accelerating police strength to align with population growth over the next 10 to 20 years.”
Colwood council said they have also been reaching out to business owners directly through surveys and roundtable meetings to better understand the impact COVID-19 is having on their business, and how they can best help support them for successful recovery.
The due date for property taxes was also extended to August 4th, which Mayor Helps says is as far as they could push it “for a number of reasons”.
The city has also approved a “graduated late property tax penalty”, which means penalties for late payment can now be made over a longer period of time.
Originally, penalties for late payment were 5 per cent on July 1st and 5 per cent on August 1st. This graduated penalty system ensures that those who have to pay their property taxes late can pay off a penalty of 2 per cent per month from August til December.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced that commercial property tax bills will be reduced by an average of 25 per cent.
This is being done by reducing the school tax rate for commercial properties enough to achieve an average 25 per cent reduction in the total property tax bill for most businesses.
Victoria Police have arrested three alleged bike thieves, seized stolen bikes, and shut down a bicycle “chop-shop” after planting a bait bike in response to the recent rise of property crimes in the region.
A bait bike was deployed in the Topaz Park area on April 16th and was stolen a short time later according to VicPD, who says property crime, including bike thefts, has increased as of late.
VicPD said this specific bike led officers to the Beacon Hill Park area, where they found a bicycle “chop-shop” in operation. After this discovery, police arrested the alleged bike thief and seized numerous stolen bikes.
Bait bikes are typically equipped with tracking, identification, and other technologies that allow police to map their movement, which was the case with this particular theft.
After investigating further, officers were able to locate and arrest two more suspected bike thieves and recover even more stolen property.
VicPD’s Strike Force is continuing to investigate property offences as part of their efforts to reduce rising property crimes, such as bike theft, and additional bait bikes are currently deployed.
If you’ve just brought a new puppy home, you may be stressing out about how to socialize them right now. After all, the first 5 months of a puppy’s life are when they’re the most impressionable.
The good news is your pup doesn’t need to meet hundreds of people and dogs to be well socialized. They just need to see them.
In fact for some puppies, meeting too many dogs and people, especially if the interactions are unpleasant for them, can easily overwhelm them and cause problem behaviours to develop.
For others, too much socializing can teach them bad habits like pulling on the leash, ignoring commands, and getting over excited every time they see someone.
Simply allowing your dog to see people and dogs on a regular basis is far more important than actually meeting them right now.
Think in terms of exposure, not interaction. For most, this exposure will be enough to carry them through until they’re able to interact with them down the road.
(Photo by Darcie Jennings)
The balance of the socialization you want to do with your puppy right now is about allowing them to explore their new world and all it has to offer. You also want to provide novel sensory experiences for them in the process, which is something that can be done easily.
We want to help young pups build a virtual ‘reference library’ in their mind so that when they encounter new and unusual situations later in life they already have a frame of reference for how to handle it.
You want them to see, smell, touch and hear new things on a regular basis all while giving them the time and space to acclimate to them. The goal is always that your pup leaves the experience feeling better about it than when they started.
You can do things like:
Playing YouTube videos, on your TV or computer, of kids playing, crying or screaming, traffic and construction noises, fireworks and thunderstorms so your pup can listen to them while they’re at home.This is especially important if you live in a quiet household or neighbourhood. Play them louder over time as your pup becomes more comfortable with the sounds.
Dressing your puppy up in some of your clothes or your kids’ clothes to get them used to being handled.
Dressing yourself up in Halloween costumes, hats, wigs or hoodies to get them used to seeing people who look different.
Taking them for a walk while you ride or push a bike, scooter, or skateboard.
Carrying unusual items with you as you walk around the house like a broom, walker, cane, open umbrella, or any other random object you have lying around.
Going for a walk at a shopping plaza or outside a grocery store. If your pup is especially curious or uncertain, hang out in one spot and let them watch for a while until they get bored and want to carry on.
Taking them to Canadian Tire or another dog friendly store while you do your shopping. Bonus points if you take your pup for a ride in a shopping cart!
As you can see, there are many ways to socialize your pup and very few of them involve needing to meet dogs and people.
Your imagination is the limit. But please remember to always let your pup choose whether or not he or she wants the experience. We always want them to come away happy with a wagging tail and a smiling face.
(Photo by Darcie Jennings)
Darcie Jennings is the founder and head trainer of CommuniCanine Training & Behavioral Counselling. She has been a professional trainer for more than 21 years providing obedience training and problem behaviour modification to dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes from all over the region. She is currently social distancing at home with her own dogs where she continues to offer her classes and lessons online.
(Protest at Lifestyle Market/Photo by Mike Graeme)
After two weeks of workers at Victoria’s Lifestyle Markets demanding hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of activists decided to hold a protest in person, while still maintaining physical distances.
A group of 20 customers, workers, and labour activists showed up at a Lifestyle Markets store on Thursday afternoon, banging pots and pans in an effort to disrupt regular business and provoke a response from management.
“We are weeks into a campaign, trying to get even the slightest response from the employer. They are ignoring the demands of the staff, and disrespecting our community in the process,” said Eric Nordal, a member of the Retail Action Network, in a statement.
“Hopefully a couple dozen pots and pans echoing through the aisles will get the attention of the management. We want them to know that it will not be business as usual so long as they neglect their employees.”
(Photo by Mike Graeme)
The group has been calling for a hazard pay of $3 per hour for all staff members paid retroactively from March 15th until the end of the pandemic.
According to a petition delivered to Lifestyle Markets general manager, Carmine Sparanese, grocery workers are also asking for six days of paid sick leave. So far, 284 people have signed this petition.
Activists allege that the store owner, Lorraine Peterson, was present during the protest on Thursday, but has not yet issued a response.
Staff at Lifestyle Markets recently voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers union, local 1518 (UFCW 1518) and are in the process of bargaining a first agreement.
The union representative for LifestyleMarkets has stated that the employer does not need not wait until the end of contract negotiations to implement hazard pay.
Thus far, companies like Save-On-Foods, Walmart, Dollarama, Sobeys, Whole Foods, and Loblaws have already introduced hazard pay for their employees.
“We put our lives at risk everyday going to work as frontline retail workers while the owner is making record sales. We want to be heard, we want a decent wage,” said a Lifestyle Markets employee in an anonymous statement.
Lifestyle Markets managers were not available to comment, however a lawyer representing the company emailed the following statement to Victoria Buzz in response to this protest:
“In a newly certified bargaining unit, collective bargaining is initiated when either the union or the employer serves the other party with a notice in writing to commence bargaining. Once such notice has been served, the employer is not entitled to increase or decrease the rates of pay of employees or to alter any other term or condition of their employment until four months after certification or until a collective agreement is negotiated, whichever occurs first.”
The lawyer in question adds that Lifestyle Markets will not respond to what they call intimidation tactics by the Retail Action Network or by employees, outside of the collective bargaining process.
A search warrant executed by Saanich Police has resulted in the arrest of two men, who have been charged in relation to several property crimes and thefts.
On Wednesday, April 15th Saanich Police executed a search warrant at a residence in the 3500-block of Shelbourne Street to look for a bicycle stolen during a break-in at a nearby secure parking garage on April 7th.
Police found evidence related to the break-and-enter during their search, as well as a dirt bike they discovered was stolen and a small utility trailer that had also been reported as stolen on that same day.
After the search was executed, a 22-year-old man and a 60-year-old man were both arrested and charged with break-and-enter, theft under $5,000, and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.
Both men reside in Saanich, and now have court dates set for July.
Saanich Police have noted a spike in property crime over the past several weeks, including thefts, shoplifting, break-and-enters and thefts from cars.
Cst. Markus Anastasiades says that “additional measures” are being taken to deter property crime, and to investigate each incident.
The Greater Victoria School District has announced that they are now providing school care for children of essential service workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program provides care along with learning opportunities for students that are currently enrolled in SD61, and prioritizes families who are tier one service workers, which includes health services, emergency responders, law enforcement, and social service workers.
These services have been made available for school-aged children that are 5 to 12 years old, and will operate at 13 schools across the Greater Victoria region from Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.
To determine how many families required the school care, the District recently conducted an online survey that was sent out to parents and guardians.
Approximately 80 children have been registered for the program, which has been operating for the past two weeks.
“We need to support our frontline workers as they continue to protect us and maintain essential services that keep our community functioning,” said Superintendent Shelley Green.
“Our schools are open to serve the families whose parents or guardians are in critical roles— and we are putting forward every effort to ensure these students have a safe and positive experience in our care.”
If you are an essential service worker and require childcare for your school-aged child, you can contact the district at community@sd61.bc.ca.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,223,240.
Over 152,300 people have died from the illness and 567,279 have made a full recovery.
Another fire in the Central Saanich area occurred late Thursday night, this one resulting in two firefighters getting injured.
Three Saanich Peninsula fire departments were called to the 6300-block of Central Saanich Road at around 10:30 p.m. for the blaze that engulfed an agricultural outbuilding.
This is the third fire that has occurred in the Central Saanich area over the past month.
When firefighters arrived on scene, the property owner was able to confirm that no one was inside the building at the time of the fire.
The blaze took around two hours to fully extinguish, and two of the firefighters were treated at the scene by B.C. Emergency Health Services for minor injuries.
Though it was deemed a large fire, crews were able to save the majority of the structure with their efforts.
The fire has not been deemed suspicious at this time, and is not believed to be connected to the other two recent fires.
Another late-night fire occurred on April 14th in Brentwood Bay at Brewskys Taphouse – it was also said not to be suspicious, had no injuries, and caused minimal damage to the building.
On March 22nd, another structure fire took place at a residential property in the 2700-block of Skyline Crescent – there were also no injuries, but there was significant damage done to the home.
(Dr. Bonnie Henry/Province of British Columbia - Flickr)
Modelling data presented by health authorities on Friday morning shows that the rate of new cases British Columbia’s has flattened.
According to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, the flattening of B.C.’s epidemic curve is owed mostly to stringent public health measures like travel restrictions, school and business closures, and physical distancing directives.
Based on modelling data presented today, the number of new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. started to decrease two weeks after these public health measures were introduced.
The grey area highlighted in the graph below shows the period of time during which provincial health orders started to restrict people’s movement:
(BC Ministry of Health)
At the beginning of the epidemic in B.C., public health officials were conducting broad tests in the community after testing became available on January 20th when China released their genomic sequencing of the virus.
On March 16th, the strategy switched to testing that focused on long term care facilities, health care workers and community outbreaks. Then on April 9th, health officials went back to testing more widely and contact tracing to determine the scope of the virus in recent weeks.
The majority of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the province have been in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, and female.
Dr. Henry clarified that approximately 54 per cent of those who tested positive were female due to the focused testing of health care workers, most of whom are women.
A flattened curve
Overall, when compared to other countries and other provinces in Canada, British Columbia’s COVID-19 curve has flattened and started to decline.
(Ministry of Health)(Ministry of Health)
The data also shows that the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to critical care units has also plateaued for approximately 20 days.
According to Deputy Health Minister Stephen Brown, this can be attributed to measures taken by critical care specialists in B.C. who have been treating patients with severe symptoms by placing them on ventilators earlier.
However the number of COVID-19 deaths per day in the province have yet to level out.
“We are at the point in our pandemic right now where there are people who are sick or have been exposed and it takes three to six weeks to know whether people are going to recover quickly. We are unfortunately going to see more deaths in the future,” said Dr. Henry.
Fortunately though, B.C. has not seen a dramatic increase in the death rate that has been observed in other countries and provinces in Canada.
The success story of the pandemic in British Columbia is attributed by and large to the draconic public health measures that were implemented early on before there was a large spike in cases.
The graph below shows how people’s movement has changed over the past month as health measures began to be implemented:
Ministry of Health
Next steps
The province now plans to ramp up COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Deputy Minister Brown says authorities will continue to stock up on ventilators and build up the province’s critical care capacity to prepare for a second wave of the outbreak that may occur in fall and winter.
Public health officials are also looking at when and how to start lifting some measures that have adversely affected the population.
“We’re preparing to restart scheduled surgeries, as well as continue with urgent and emergent surgeries, contingent on things remaining steady as they are and if we don’t experience a surge [in cases],” said Brown.
However there are a number of milestones the province has yet to achieve before authorities can consider lifting some more restrictions.
According to Dr. Bonnie Henry, we now need to see a continued decrease in numbers of new cases per day, no new outbreaks, and a decreasing number of people admitted to hospital for COVID-19.
Additionally, there needs to be an appropriate amount of testing available, — “we’re getting there,” she said on that score — and serology testing to be able to tell where community cases are originating from.
“Then we can thoughtfully and carefully lift some of the restrictions over time.” Restrictions will not start be lifted in B.C. until the middle of May.
Dr. Henry clarified, however, that some lifestyle changes will need to stay in place for the next 12 to 18 months.
For example, travel for business purposes, like attending conferences, cannot take place until there is a vaccine or “until we have a sense that this virus is going to calm down”.
Restrictions will remain in place at the Canadian border for the near future and travel limitations will continue to be enforced to prevent new infections coming in from other parts of the world.
For now, the public must keep adhering to the rules of physical distancing that are already in place until directed otherwise, as there is still a potential for a surge in cases and deaths.
VicPD’s Strike Force team continues to send a message to property crime offenders.
On Wednesday, April 15th, VicPD officers from the specialized unit investigated a man they suspected to be in possession of stolen property. A search warrant was executed on a residence associated to him in the 3100-block of Somerset Street.
During the search of the home, police seized a variety of stolen items and a taser. The recovered property included a variety of jewelry and clothing with the tags still intact.
Police said the taser was equipped with cartridges and was capable of being discharged.
(VicPD)
This seizure comes one day after officers from the Strike Force’s team raided a storage locker in the 3900-block of Quadra Street and located about $30,000 in stolen property, following an investigation into a man suspected to be in possession of a large amount of stolen property.
In a release, police said the specialized unit will continue to target property offenders in an effort to fight a rising trend of property crime in Victoria and Esquimalt.
Police say since March 15th, property crimes in the two municipalities have increased by roughly 25 per cent, and overall calls for service have risen 22 per cent.
According to VicPD, the Strike Force team use cutting-edge investigative techniques including clandestine surveillance, undercover operations and confidential information to identify, target, and arrest some of the most dangerous offenders in Victoria and Esquimalt.
Many Strike Force investigations are sparked by tips from the public.
Anyone with information about property crime offenders can call the Strike Force line directly call (250) 995-7260. To report what you know anonymously, call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today that the federal government is working to support some industries that have fallen through the cracks of current financial assistance programs, including hard-hit sectors during the ongoing pandemic.
Canadian government looks to aid the oil and gas sector by spending $1.7 billion to help clean up “orphaned wells,” specifically.
Trudeau says restoring abandoned oil and gas wells is not only good for the environment, but for landowners as well, and for the thousands of workers this new effort could employ – a potential 10,000 employees.
A $750-million fund to cut methane emissions was also announced in the Prime Minster’s daily address.
The federal government is also unveiling more help for small businesses and those in the energy, arts, culture, and sports sectors in the way of $500 million going to Heritage Canada to support these creators.
$962 million will go towards regional development agencies and the community futures network, with $270 million towards industrial research assistance programs to help innovators who don’t qualify for subsidy.
It was announced as well that 125 Canadian Armed Forces members trained in healthcare will go to Quebec to help workers in long-term care facilities, answering a request from Quebec government.
Trudeau also says that Bell Media will be donating 1.5 million N95 face masks, to be distributed to provinces and territories as soon as possible.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,227,038.
Over 150,000 people have died from the illness and 563,696 have made a full recovery.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has reported 14 new test-positive cases of novel coronavirus in the province today, bringing the total number cases in B.C. to 1,575 people.
In total, 670 of these cases are in the Vancouver Coastal Region, 630 in Fraser Health, 94 on Vancouver Island, 149 in Interior Health and 32 in Northern Health region.
There are now a total of 120 people who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, 56 of whom are in critical care – ICU or acute care units.
Sadly three additional deaths were reported today, including one man on Vancouver Island, bringing the death toll to three on the island and 78 in total across the province.
One of the people who died today is the first inmate at a federal institution in Canada to succumb to COVID-19. The prisoner died at Abbotsford Regional Hospital after contracting the virus at the Mission Institute medium security prison in B.C.
There are now 61 test-positive COVID-19 patients that have been detected at the Mission Institute outbreak.
In good news, a total of 983 people have now recovered from novel coronavirus in B.C.
(BCCDC)
There are two new outbreaks: one at the Kootenay Street Village long-term care facility in Interior health, and the other at an acute care unit at the Ridge Meadows Hospital in Fraser Health.
According to the Ministry of Health, four facilities where outbreaks had previously been declared over, have new cases. In total, 26 long-term care and assisted-living facilities and one acute care unit have outbreaks.
Dr. Bonnie Henry will be providing a technical briefing at 9 a.m. on Friday morning to show updated models of how B.C. is handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,179,905.
Over 145,400 people have died from the illness and 546,743 have made a full recovery.
In partnership with the Government of B.C., ICBC announced it is taking further steps to reduce financial burdens for drivers amid COVID-19.
In a media release today, the insurance provider said it is offering additional help to customers needing more relief than just the 90-day payment deferral, in way of waiving the $30 cancellation fee and $18 re-plating fee for those people who choose to cancel their insurance during this time.
Though customers will be required to remove the plate from their vehicle while it is not insured, those who re-insure May 30th or thereafter will be able to re-use their plate.
Customers re-insuring prior to May 30th will be issued a new plate at no charge.
ICBC is also still allowing fleet vehicle customers to suspend their insurance, in an effort to help them save money during this time.
Once testing resumes, those who have their learner driver’s licences (class 5-8) expire during the pandemic will not have to pay a fee for their new knowledge test.
ICBC has also confirmed that customers will be able to use their vehicles for the delivery of food or medical products and services, without changing their vehicle use insurance or having to pay a higher premium.
“We know many British Columbians are facing financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nicolas Jimenez, president and CEO of ICBC.
“Businesses are also having to adapt to the situation, with many companies changing their business model to offer delivery services so people can access the food and medical products they need while physical distancing. ICBC is responding to these needs and taking action to ease the burden for everyone during this difficult time.”
ICBC has already offered several other methods to help British Columbians during the pandemic, such as:
establishing the ability to conduct a number of transactions by phone or email, such as renewing driver’s licences set to expire, and renewing insurance; and
The City of Victoria has announced $50,000 in funding to organizations that are providing mobile outreach services to unsheltered populations in the city.
The motion was approved by council during Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, and the funding will come from previously approved COVID-19 response funds allocated by the municipality.
According to Mayor Helps, several outreach organizations working to support homeless populations during this crisis have stated that they do not have enough workers but will submit a plan to acquire more workers to city staff, after which the funding will be released.
The organizations that are slated to receive funding include AVI, SOLID, Peers Victoria, and the Indigenous Harm Reduction Team.
Indoor housing
Council also approved a motion to ask the provincial government to requisition indoor shelter spaces for all homeless people in the City of Victoria.
A letter, written by Mayor Helps, has been delivered to the provincial government asking them to exercise their emergency powers to find indoor accommodations.
In the event that this request is denied by the province, the city seeks the authority to declare a local state of emergency and thereby use emergency powers to requisition hotel and motel rooms for people who are unsheltered in the city.
These units would then be provided to homeless people who are do not display symptoms of COVID-19 but are at risk of contracting and/or transmitting the virus.
At the moment, Topaz Park is the only outdoor sheltering site available to homeless and vulnerable people who have not been housed at one of the 115 motel or hotel units thus far acquired by the city.
According to Helps, the fire department has confirmed that Topaz Park is now at capacity.
Unsheltered populations have also been setting up camp at Beacon Hill Park. Homeless people will not be asked to remove their tents during this pandemic.
Physical distancing at parks
The city has announced that the parking area off Foul Bay Road and Crescent Road that serves Gonzales Beach Park will be reserved for emergency and service vehicles only starting tomorrow, April 17th.
Moreover, physical distancing measures announced for Beacon Hill Park earlier this month will remain in place every weekend moving forward during this pandemic.
New signage will be installed at narrow path areas to remind residents to maintain physical distances.
“With over 130 parks and open spaces in the City of Victoria, there is no shortage of greenspace in our own neighbourhoods for fresh air and exercise,” said Mayor Lisa Helps in a statement.
City staff have been deployed to parks to engage with residents about recreation facility closures and remind everyone about physical distancing.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,173,168.
Over 144,900 people have died from the illness and 546,296 have made a full recovery.
(Island Health Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Richard Stanwick)
Residents of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands can get their questions about COVID-19 and how it is being handled in the Island Health Region answered during a virtual town hall next week.
The event will be showcased on YouTube and on the Government of British Columbia Facebook page at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21st. Those who have questions are asked to submit them through this onlineform ahead of time.
Those who choose to watch the livestream virtual town hall on Facebook can also submit their questions in the comment section at that time.
Answers will be provided by local MLAs Mitzi Dean and Sonia Furstenau, along with Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Richard Sanwick and CEO Kathy MacNeil for Vancouver Island Health.
The virtual town hall for the Vancouver Island Health region is one of five similar events taking place across B.C. next week.
Minister Dix says there will be 5 virtual town halls next week in each health region in B.C. First one on April 17th in Vancouver health region. #yyj#bcpoli#COVID19@victoriabuzzes
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,166,832.
Over 144,500 people have died from the illness and 546,269 have made a full recovery.
The province of B.C. has just launched a free 24/7 mental health counselling portal for all post-secondary students.
The program, called ‘Here 2 Talk’, will be available during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain operational for at least the next three years, with investments of $1.5 million per year.
Post-secondary students registered in any program at any public or private institution in B.C., whether they are full-time or part-time, can access this free service via phone line, a downloadable app, or an online chat on the website at any time of day.
According to Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, Melanie Mark, this service was in the works for several months in response to a call to action from students.
It is being launched ahead of time due to additional mental health concerns raised as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know that post secondary school can be a very exciting time for students… But with the feelings of excitement and anticipation also come a whole new set of challenges,” said Judy Darcy, Minister Mental Health and Addictions.
“The stigma that still too often surrounds mental health can stand in the way of post secondary students reaching out for help.”
Darcy adds that this service can be accessed anonymously by students who might not feel comfortable reaching out for mental health supports available in person on campus due to persisting stigma surrounding mental health.
The on-demand counselling service will be manned by trained counsellors who can also refer students to specialists and local resources in their community if necessary.
Counselling is currently available in English and French and can also be made available in other languages upon request.
Students can speak to a counsellor by phone, toll-free at 1 877 857-3397 or direct 604 642-5212. Students calling from outside Canada can dial 1 604 642-5212 (international calling charges may apply).
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,166,832.
Over 144,500 people have died from the illness and 546,269 have made a full recovery.
One of Canada’s most popular food delivery services is supporting restaurants that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in a big way, giving a total of $15 million back to their partners.
On top of their original $5 million in donations at the start of the pandemic, SkipTheDishes has now announced they are donating approximately an additional $10 million back to Canadian eateries.
“Restaurants are the heart and soul of communities across Canada and the industry is facing unprecedented hardships,” Kevin Edwards, CEO of SkipTheDishes said in a statement.
“Though we know our support package doesn’t solve all of the challenges our restaurant partners are facing, we’re hoping it will help make an impact as we all work together to get through these exceptional times,”
The company’s initial 30-day support package for restaurants registered on its network directed more than $5 million back to its partners across the country, and today, the food delivery app has extended that package.
This includes a 25% rebate to aid local and independent restaurants whose dining rooms remain closed, and plans to give $10 million back in total to these partners through direct rebates and marketing support.
SkipTheDishes has also offered the option for customers to support local restaurants by directly leaving them a tip, with 100% of that going towards the business.
Since the inception of the new tips system just a few weeks ago, customers have raised over $200,000 to help Canadian eateries.
The popular delivery app has said they’re also launching a $1 million partnership with Food Banks Canada, and will kick it off with a $200,000 donation to match “our customers kindness”.
Correctional Services Canada has reported that one inmate at Mission Institute has died as a result of “complications related to COVID-19”.
The prisoner died at Abbotsford Regional Hospital, which is being used to treat COVID-19 patients who contracted the virus at the correctional facility.
“The inmate’s next of kin have been notified of their death. CSC extends its condolences to the family,” reads a statement from CSC.
According to the latest updates, nine patients from the prison are currently being treated in a dedicated unit at the hospital.
The medium security federal prison located in Mission, B.C. currently accounts for positive COVID-19 cases in federal institutions in the province.
There are now 54 people who have tested positive for the virus at the Mission Institution as a result of the community outbreak that was first detected last week.
According to Correctional Services Canada, 70 people have been tested for the virus at the institution, with 10 negative results and 6 people who are awaiting the results of their tests.
The death of the inmate will be investigated by the coroner who will review the circumstances surrounding the death.
“CSC has dedicated health services and medical professionals in all of its institutions. We also work closely and collaboratively with local public heath partners and hospitals to provide complete and quality medical care to those who need it and to prevent further spread of COVID-19,” says the statement from CSC.
This is the first death related to COVID-19 among federally sentenced inmates in Canada.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,146,291.
Over 144,100 people have died from the illness and 545,722 have made a full recovery.
(From left to right: Habit Coffee, Mo:Le Restaurant, Bliss Cafe / from Bliss Cafe Facebook page)
With a plethora of new policies and relief plans being announced each week, it can be difficult to navigate which resources are available to small businesses in B.C. suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
To that end, the province has announced that business owners across British Columbia looking to find specific information about resources available to them during the COVID-19 pandemic can now reach out to a single helpline.
This portal, called the B.C. Business COVID-19 Support Service, will be managed by non-profit organization Small Business BC (SBBC) and act as a one-stop portal where people can find answers to their questions related to business supports.
“We know that business owners are worried about paying their bills and covering their payrolls, and our government is doing everything we can to help,” said Michelle Mungall, B.C.’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness, in a statement.
“There are multiple programs available, including the B.C. government’s COVID-19 Action Plan, to support businesses through these challenging times.”
Starting Thursday April 16th, advisors will be available to provide comprehensive information to those who call in at 1 833 254-4357.
Inquiries can also be emailed to covid@smallbusinessbc.ca, or raised on the live-chat feature available on SBBC’s dedicated website: https://covid.smallbusinessbc.ca.
The SBBC website will also feature announcements from industry and community partners, and provide additional resources like webinars and practical tools to navigate the trials of entrepreneurship during a global pandemic.
The province estimates that there are over 500,000 small businesses in British Columbia, many of which have been significantly impacted by the measures taken to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The live phone line will be available Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (PST) and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1 833 254-4357.
On Thursday morning, B.C. Ministry of Finance announced an average 25 per cent reduction in commercial property taxes by reducing the school tax rate for taxes owed by commercial property owners in the province.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,146,291.
Over 144,100 people have died from the illness and 545,722 have made a full recovery.
One of Canada’s largest airlines, WestJet, has confirmed layoffs of 1,700 of their pilots, just one week after they announced intentions to use the coming federal wage subsidy to hire back 6,400 workers who were previously let go.
Vice-president of flight operations, John Aaron, stated in an in-office memo that the layoffs will be rolled out in two stages: 700 people will be laid off on May 1st, and the other 1,000 effective June 1st.
The layoffs span across WestJet, WestJet Encore, and Swoop and are due to a ‘dramatic reduction’ in flights, says the Calgary-based airline.
This move was made in response to the cancellation of cross-border transportation due to coronavirus, as well as people being encouraged to only make essential trips outside their home.
The company reports that the above factors have grounded almost 75% of the WestJet fleet.
“Issuing layoffs, in response to this crisis, has always been a last resort for WestJet,” Lauren Stewart, a spokesman for the company said.
WestJet announced on March 24th that it would be laying off 6,900 workers, or almost half of its total staff.
Last week, a new announcement came forth that they were planning on re-hiring 6,400 of those workers once the changes to the government’s wage subsidy program were passed by parliament.
WestJet’s statement on re-hiring came hours after rival Air Canada said it plans to rehire all 16,500 workers it laid off in late March, as they can now access the same program.
One man was arrested after Victoria Police officers seized a number of weapons, including a loaded imitation firearm during a vehicle stop Wednesday.
On April 15th, at about 1:30 p.m., police stopped a vehicle occupied by two men for traffic violations in the 2900-block of Blackwood Street.
It was discovered that the driver was in breach of his probation and the officers took him under arrest. The officers then searched the vehicle and located a loaded imitation firearm and other weapons, including a knife, a collapsible baton, and bear spray.
Police say the imitation firearm was a Glock style BB gun, powered by an air cartridge.
“This arrest and subsequent seizure in the Topaz Park area is just one example of officers making proactive patrols in areas where we have seen an increase in calls for service,” VicPD said in a release.
According to police, VicPD has seen a 126% increase in calls for service in the Topaz Park area since March 15th.
At the moment, Topaz Park is the only outdoor sheltering site available to homeless and vulnerable people who have not been housed at one of the 115 motel or hotel units thus far acquired by the city.
The City of Victoria said it is looking to acquire more hotel and motel rooms for homeless and vulnerable populations, said Mayor Lisa Helps during her daily update on Wednesday.
Victoria council will be looking to pass a motion at their Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday to ask the provincial government to requisition indoor shelter spaces for all homeless people in the City of Victoria.
Harbour Air is set to resume some of one of their flight routes exactly one month after temporarily suspending operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company originally announced they would be shutting down service on March 27th with a plan to resume on May 4th.
However in a statement on Thursday, Harbour Air said they would be resuming daily flights between downtown Victoria and downtown Vancouver starting Monday, April 27th.
The seaplane service had also resumed flights between Nanaimo, Sechelt and Vancouver to provide essential travel for those who had limited options after alternate transportation options were no longer available.
“To ensure we do not leave anyone stranded, we continue to offer private flights, freight and government support services as required,” reads a statement from Harbour Air.
“We know that ‘returning to operations’ is not a ‘return to normal.'”
As flights resume, safety measures during the pandemic include checking temperatures for all ground and flight crew upon arrival and departure, and maintaining stringent cleaning and sanitation protocols.
Passengers will be required to complete a health declaration form before travel and have their temperature checked using a no-touch thermometer.
All travellers will be given gloves and masks and are required to wear them for the duration of the flight.
Harbour Air will refuse boarding to anyone who “they believe may be unfit to travel”.
The B.C. Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced on Thursday that commercial property tax bills will be reduced by an average of 25 per cent.
This is being done by reducing the school tax rate for commercial properties enough to achieve an average 25 per cent reduction in the total property tax bill for most businesses.
The new announcement builds on the original 50 per cent provincial school tax rate reduction that was already in place for classes 4, 5, and 6 businesses as part of B.C.’s COVID-19 Action Plan.
Penalties for late payment of property taxes for commercial businesses of class 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (businesses as well as recreational properties and non-profit organizations) will not be applied until October 1st, 2020, giving property owners more time to pay their taxes.
In addition to these announcements, the province is also providing local governments with supports to address revenue shortages.
Municipal governments will now be allowed to borrow, interest free, from their existing capital reserves to help pay for operating expenses like employee salaries.
The provincial government is delaying school tax remittances until the end of the year, which is expected to provide significant relief to governments experiencing cash flow issues.
Local governments will also be given more flexibility to carry debt for an extra year.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is having significant financial impacts on all levels of government. It’s going to take hard work from both municipalities and the provincial government, but working together we will get through this,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
“Many local governments have already shown leadership by taking steps to help people and businesses and maintain services, while addressing their finances. With these new measures, we are giving local governments new tools as a first step to ease their financial burdens and that of businesses in their communities now, and as we look to recovery in the months to come.”
These relief measures fall within the $5 billion COVID-19 Action Plan announced last month to support individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,119,300.
Over 141,000 people have died from the illness and 535,455 have made a full recovery.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a new program to assist with rent and lease costs for small businesses, as well as expanding the emergency loan program to allow for more businesses to be eligible amid COVID-19.
In his daily address on Thursday, Trudeau unveiled the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program, which he said will help small businesses pay their rent for April, May and June.
More details on the rental assistance program will be announced after the federal government convenes with individual provincial leaders.
The Prime Minister also unveiled that businesses that spent more than $20,000 and $1.5 million on payroll last year will now be eligible to receive a loan through the Canada Emergency Business Account.
Previously, this was available only for businesses with payrolls between $50,000 and $1 million.
The CEBA was rolled out last month and offers eligible businesses a $40,000 loan, with the option of $10,000 of that being ‘forgiven’.
Since its initial roll out, over 195,000 loans have been approved for small and medium sized businesses, says Trudeau – that’s around $7.5 million in credit.
Yesterday, the Canadian government announced an expansion to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which will now include workers who now have reduced work hours due to COVID-19, rather than only people receiving zero income.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,119,300.
Over 141,000 people have died from the illness and 535,455 have made a full recovery.
British Columbia’s most stylish top doctor has now earned a shoe in her namesake, as a Vancouver-based designer has created some fancy footwear in her honour.
Well-known designer John Fluevog announced today that they are releasing the limited edition shoe inspired by B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry – and it’s just as fabulous as you’d imagine.
Not only does the pink patent leather match Dr. Henry’s sunny disposition, but 100% of the proceeds from pre-sales will go to Food Banks BC during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Along with Fluevog’s distinctive operetta heel, Henry’s familiar phrase “Be kind, be calm and be safe,” will be printed on the footsock.
Dr. Bonnie has been spotted in much of Fluevog’s work during her daily conferences, and the designer said in a news release on Wednesday that he is definitely a fan of hers as well.
“At times like these, we’re so fortunate to have someone who is calm and comforting but direct, and positive but realistic, informing and educating us day to day,” John Fluevog said.
Pre-sales for the shoe will start next month, according to the release.
Victoria Police Strike Force officers seized about $30,000 worth of stolen property following a raid on a storage locker.
On Tuesday, VicPD began investigating a man suspected to be in possession of a large amount of stolen property. At 5 p.m. the same day, VicPD executed a search warrant on a storage locker belonging to the man in the 3900-block of Quadra Street.
Recovered items included power tools, liquor, and a 65″ TV – most of the items are traceable and will be returned to the rightful owners, according to police. Some of the stolen property had the anti-theft tags still attached.
Police say since March 15th, property crimes in Victoria and Esquimalt have increased by roughly 25 per cent, and overall calls for service have risen 22 per cent.
Strike Force officers seized approximately $30,000 in stolen property from a storage locker associated to a prolific property offender yesterday. They are focused on fighting a rising trend in property crime in our community. #yyj#teamwork
VicPD said Strike Force officers are actively working to combat this trend, and are already focused on their next prolific property offender.
On Wednesday, West Shore RCMP also said they’ve seen a dramatic spike in property crime and will be bringing in additional officers to patrol the western communities.
Anyone with information about property crime offenders can call the Strike Force line directly call (250) 995-7260. To report what you know anonymously, call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Victoria Police have arrested one man for allegedly robbing a store at knifepoint.
At around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14th, officers were called to the a business in the 1500-block of Cook Street for a report of a robbery.
Upon investigation, police found out that a man had brandished a knife and made stabbing motions with it towards the clerk before stealing a number of items from the store.
Several patrol officers arrived to assist in the investigation and were able to find the man a short distance away from the store.
The suspect fled from officers but was caught and arrested after a foot chase. He was taken into custody in the 1300-block of Vancouver Street.
Police say the man was transported to cells at Victoria Police department where he was held for morning telebail.
He is facing recommended charges of robbery with an offensive weapon and breach of probation.
The City of Victoria is looking to acquire more hotel and motel rooms for homeless and vulnerable populations, said Mayor Lisa Helps during her daily update on Wednesday.
Victoria council will be looking to pass a motion at their Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday to ask the provincial government to requisition indoor shelter spaces for all homeless people in the City of Victoria.
The motion was introduced by Mayor Lisa Helps and councillors Jeremy Loveday and Sarah Potts and argues that while the City has worked with BC Housing and Island Health to secure 115 hotel and motel rooms, this is not enough.
“Island Health has identified that the best and safest option for people without homes is to be indoors in rooms with their own showers and bathrooms,” reads the motion.
“The rooms that have been secured to date are not sufficient in number to house all of the people who remain outside on Victoria’s streets and in our parks.”
If approved, the mayor will be writing to the provincial government to ask them to exercise their emergency powers to find indoor accommodations.
In the event that this request is denied by the province, the city will seek the authority to declare a local state of emergency and thereby use emergency powers to requisition hotel and motel rooms for people who are unsheltered in the city.
These units would then be provided to homeless people who are do not display symptoms of COVID-19 but are at risk of contracting and/or transmitting the virus.
“If the health crisis hits our homeless population, these will be the same people sharing our hospitals,” said Helps during her briefing today.
At the moment, Topaz Park is the only outdoor sheltering site available to homeless and vulnerable people who have not been housed at one of the 115 motel or hotel units thus far acquired by the city.
According to Helps, the fire department has confirmed that Topaz Park is now at capacity.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,073,394.
Over 134,000 people have died from the illness and 508,861 have made a full recovery.
(Health Minister Adrian Dix and PHO Dr. Bonnie Henry/BC Gov Flickr)
The B.C. Ministry of Health has reported 44 new test-positive cases of novel coronavirus in the province today, bringing the total number cases in B.C. to 1,561 people.
In total, 670 of these cases are in the Vancouver Coastal Region, 623 in Fraser Health, 92 on Vancouver Island, 146 in Interior Health and 30 in Northern Health region.
There are now a total of 131 people who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, 59 of whom are in critical care – ICU or acute care units.
Sadly 3 additional deaths were reported today, bringing the death toll in B.C. to 75. One of the three people who died is the first person to succumb to COVID-19 in the Interior Health region. The individual is a man in his 60s who had been in recovery at home.
In good news, a total of 955 people have now recovered from novel coronavirus in B.C.
There are now COVID-19 outbreaks at 21 long term care centres on the mainland, the hardest hit of which is the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver.
The outbreaks include a total of 265 active cases at these facilities.
“We are not at the point yet where we can let up and I know that is very challenging for people,” says Dr. Henry.
“This is a time where we need to stand together, support each other, and respond to anger with kindness.”
A technical briefing this Friday will be provided by the Ministry of Health, showing where B.C. is currently at with flattening the COVID-19 curve.
According to Minister Dix, while there are no major changes being announced on Friday, the modelling shows positive indications of people around B.C. helping to bend the curve and also addresses challenges related to outbreaks.
Authorities say there is no chance of current pandemic-related restrictions being lifted in the next two to three weeks, but the province is looking at steps to take once the curve has not just flattened but started to come down.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,073,394.
Over 134,000 people have died from the illness and 508,861 have made a full recovery.
After repeated assurances from Dr. Bonnie Henry and Adrian Dix that the Easter long weekend ferry traffic was largely essential, some Vancouver Island authorities are still concerned this may have not been the case.
Multiple mayors of Vancouver Island municipalities — including the mayors of Victoria, Saanich, View Royal, Highlands, and North Saanich — and every CRD chair member have written a letter addressed to Dr. Henry in response to her statements about long weekend travel.
The letter states that despite calls for those wishing to travel for leisure to stay home and not visit island communities over the Easter long weekend, there is “compelling anecdotal evidence” that the majority of people who used BC Ferries were mainlanders who chose to come to the island despite clear directives against doing so.
“In the weeks leading up to Easter, elected representatives from across our coastal region repeatedly asked non-Islanders to stay away, on the understanding that many of our smaller communities simply do not have the health care capacity to deal with COVID-19 should their populations become infected,” reads the letter.
“But it is quite clear those requests were ignored; there were numerous instances over this past weekend of longer-than-normal lineups at retail outlets, liquor stores, and other establishments.”
According to the municipal leaders, the visitors put a strain on grocery store inventories and other essential resources in some communities, thereby depriving community residents of necessary products.
The letter goes on to point out that coastal communities have a largely older population which could be severely affected by an outbreak if the virus is transmitted by non-essential travellers coming from harder hit regions on the mainland.
To stop such an outbreak in the future, the letter asks Dr. Bonnie Henry to “enact a Public Health Order prior to the upcoming May long weekend that would restrict long weekend usage (defined as Thursday through Tuesday) to ‘essential travel only’ on the BC Ferry system.”
This request is contingent upon the public health emergency remaining in place beyond May 15th.
The letter is also addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, various federal provincial ministers, as well as the CEO of BC Ferries, as the signatories are unsure which authority has the power to enact such an order.
It was dated April 14th, after health officials cited lower than normal BC Ferries long weekend traffic in their assurance that the province has been united in “keeping our firewall strong”, and reminded the public that many people were travelling for essential purposes.
Health Minister Adrian Dix stated that BC ferries has reported 92 per cent decline for travel on major routes over the 2020 Easter long weekend compared the same time period last year.
Here is the full letter from municipal leaders on Vancouver Island:
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,072,269.
Over 133,800 people have died from the illness and 508,826 have made a full recovery.
In an announcement on Wednesday, B.C. Premier John Horgan has announced an extension of the province’s state of emergency for two more weeks
B.C. Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth initially declared a state of emergency on March 18th which was in effect for 14 days.
Premier Horgan then extended this original declaration for two weeks, to last until April 14th.
Today’s announcement further extends the state of emergency until the end of day on April 28th, 2020. Declarations of emergency can be extended by the province by increments of 14 days at a time.
“Through this challenging time, British Columbians are leading the way in our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Premier John Horgan.
“We are starting to see the results of our sacrifice, dedication and hard work, and we must continue to be steadfast in our commitment to keep our communities safe — for ourselves, our loved ones and our workers on the front lines.”
Horgan also adds that the province is looking at circumstances in individual health authorities in their assessment of when and how some of the restrictions will be lifted in places that have seen slower growth of the virus.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,072,269.
Over 133,800 people have died from the illness and 508,826 have made a full recovery.
A VicPD canine was welcome help in catching a suspect in a string of break and enters this past weekend.
Early Sunday morning, Victoria Police along with their K9 team were called to a report of a break and enter in the 1000-block of Moss Street.
When VicPD arrived just after midnight, they found a resident in a multi-unit residential building had confronted a man who had gained access to his second floor balcony.
After the resident confronted him, the suspect proceeded to flee from the scene.
VicPD responded along with K9 police service dog Jonny, who then began to track the suspect based on a description from the resident.
A series of several more attempted break and enters in the area occurred while VicPD officers worked to locate the suspect, who continued to try to evade police.
Shortly after 1 a.m., VicPD K9 Jonny along with attending officers responded to another report that the suspect was in a backyard of a home in the 900-block of Covent Place.
The suspect continued to flee through multiple yards while officers chased him on foot.
PSD Jonny eventually caught up with the suspect hiding behind a multi-unit residential building in the 500-block of Trutch Street, and with the help of police took the man into custody without incident.
The ZZ Top and Cheap Trick concert originally scheduled for April 29th at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre has been postponed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new concert, featuring the two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bands, will take place next year — a new date has yet to be announced.
The tour dubbed “Celebration with ZZ Top” was set to start on Vancouver Island and included several performances in Western Canada.
“In abundance of caution during this time, we are rescheduling the Canada leg of ‘A Celebration with ZZ Top.’ This was an extremely difficult decision for the band, but we feel it’s the responsible thing to do,” promoters said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Keep an eye on our website and socials and the venue websites for further information and updates. Thank you all for your understanding. We look forward to seeing you all on the road soon.”
Most dates of the tour have been rescheduled, while some, including Victoria, have yet to be announced. Other B.C. dates for 2021 include Abbotsford on April 23, Penticton on April 24 and Kamloops on April 25.
All previously purchased tickets will be honoured at rescheduled shows.Ticket holders will receive further details once a new date is announced.
Residents in and around the West Shore region may notice an increased police presence in coming days and weeks.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, West Shore RCMP said they have increased the number of officers patrolling the western communities after seeing a large spike in property crime last month.
The number of property crime incidents seen in March 2020 are being compared to last year’s numbers for the same month.
RCMP say crimes include stolen vehicles, shoplifting, fraud, and reports of break and enter into businesses.
“We recognize that these are unprecedented times and many first responders including us, have made some changes to our service delivery,” said Inspector Todd Preston, Officer in Charge of West Shore RCMP.
“We continue to remain in contact with our municipal leaders who have all been very understanding of the added pressures in policing the West Shore. To that end, we are looking to increase the overall number of police officers that serve the West Shore in order to address the needs of the community. Thus far, West Shore community leaders have shown nothing but support for this,” he added.
Increases in property crime reports:
Stolen vehicles went up from 6 to 16 (167% increase);
Shoplifting went up from 26 to 37 (42% increase);
Break and enter into businesses went up from 3 to 7 (75% increase);
Fraud went up from 22 to 29 (32% increase).
While RCMP continue to patrol the community, they’re also encouraging residents to help them by keeping a watchful eye out on your property and your neighbourhood.
“We continue to encourage the public to report suspicious activity right away, if you see something say something and call the police.”
The provincial government has announced a temporary extension of liquor store hours for retailers in B.C.
Liquor retailers like wine stores or private liquor stores across B.C. will be temporarily allowed to operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. if they choose to do so.
“These time-limited measures should provide seniors and immuno-compromised populations the opportunity to buy liquor during early shopping hours already being provided by other retailers, such as grocery stores,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Attorney General.
Under the temporary orders issued by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) and the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB), delivery services have also been authorized to deliver liquor products — from retail liquor stores or any store authorized to sell alcohol — between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Extending hours is optional and depends on individual liquor retailers. This announcement does not apply to BC Liquor Stores.
These measures, in fact, run counter to the reduction in hours instated by BC Liquor Store branches across the province last month.
BC Liquor Stores reduced their hours to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and remain closed on Sundays, however individual stores may have different hours depending on their location.
Those reductions were a result of staffing shortages and an increase in demand for liquor products that led to challenges in stocking and restocking shelves.
The new policies allowing private liquor stores and wine stores to operate for longer hours will remain in place until July 15th, 2020.
A new web portal offering mental health resources for struggling Canadians has been launched, as announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this morning.
Trudeau said the federal government created the new portal for mental health resources needed during the current COVID-19 pandemic, dubbed Wellness Together Canada.
The portal offers free online resources, tools, apps and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals.
According to the portal’s website, Canadians facing challenges due to isolation, financial and employment uncertainty and disruptions to daily life can use the program to “help get back on track.”
Several different modules are available that address mental health concerns such as low mood, worry, substance use, social isolation and relationship issues.
It’s a simple process to create an account and get started, and a series of questions can help guide individuals to the personalized tools best suited too their needs.
“It’s okay to have tough days. If you’re feeling anxious or stressed, know that you’re not alone. We’re here for you — and we’re making sure there are tools and resources available to help you,” Trudeau said in a tweet announcing the new portal.
For immediate support, Canadians are even able to text into a dedicated help line to speak with a mental health professional:
Canadian youth can text WELLNESS to 686868
Canadian adults can text WELLNESS to 741741
The web portal is available online and through the government’s dedicated COVID-19 app.
The new section of priority bus lane running southbound on Douglas Street is now complete, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
The dedicated transit lane now runs in both directions from Fisgard Street in downtown Victoria to the Highway 1-Burnside Road overpass in Saanich, spanning approximately 2.3 km.
In total, the entire corridor from Fisgard Street to the south side of the Highway 1-Burnside Road overpass is approximately 4.4 kilometres long.
“The continuous northbound bus-priority lane saves passengers approximately 10 minutes in peak travel times,” reads a statement from the Ministry.
“It is anticipated southbound passengers will see similar time savings.”
Construction on the $16 million bus lane project began in January 2018 after the federal and provincial governments approved funding for it in 2016 through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan.
The first section of the priority transit lane — between Tillicum Road and Boleskine Road — was completed in February 2020.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced an expansion of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program during his daily address at Rideau Cottage this morning.
People who make less than $1,000 a month due to reduced work hours will now qualify, as well as seasonal workers and those who have recently run out of employment insurance.
“Maybe you’re a volunteer firefighter, or a contractor who can pick up some shifts, or you have a part-time job in a grocery store. Even if you’re still working, or you want to start working again, you probably need help making ends meet,” Trudeau said.
The initial eligibility rules for the CERB required a person to have lost all income for 14 consecutive days in the first month, then have zero income for subsequent months.
The $2,000 monthly CERB payment is for people who have lost their sources of income due to the global pandemic — either because they’ve lost their jobs or they have to stay home to care for dependents, or to self-isolate.
The Prime Minister also announced a wage boost for front line workers who make less than $2,500 a month, with special mention to those working in long-term care facilities.
He said it’s important that those working in long-term care facilities aren’t financially disadvantaged – by working instead of collecting the CERB.
He also stated that the essential front line staff in hospitals, seniors’ homes and long-term care facilities are doing “some of the toughest jobs in the country.”
The government has also announced a new mental health portal called Wellness Together Canada, where Canadians who are feeling more stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed due to the current crisis can connect with mental health professionals.
The portal is available on the government’s website and through their new COVID-19 app.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 2,033,452.
Over 129,000 people have died from the illness and 495,586 have made a full recovery.
UVic researchers make 200 litres of hand sanitizer to donate to Island Health. Heather Buckley (center), Jeremy Wulff (left to right), Katherine Elvira, Scott McIndoe and David Berry are pictured on April 8, 2020. (Neil Burford)
The University of Victoria (UVic) donated more than 200 litres of hand sanitizer to Island Health on Tuesday.
The donation is enough for about 65,000 single doses – for use by Island Health, whose front-line workers are in the thick of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UVic chemist David Leitch who is leading the project has been working from his home office pursuing scientific discovery to help produce and donate a potential life-saver in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
“The ingredients are basic. It’s pharmaceutical grade 190 to 200 proof ethanol—much stronger than the spirits you get at the local liquor store—hydrogen peroxide and a softening agent like glycerin to make sure your hands don’t get dried out to the point of seriously cracking,” says Leitch, who collaborated on the project with six other researchers.
“The recipe is in line with World Health Organization guidelines – so it’s easy, safe, useful and potentially life-saving for someone in this current climate.”
Using a hand sanitizer that is at least 60 per cent alcohol – or 120 proof – helps avoid people getting sick or spreading germs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Leitch was able to leverage his prior experience in the pharmaceutical industry to plan and execute a manufacturing campaign consistent with stringent Health Canada standards.
A team of researchers used supplies already on hand. From conception, licensing approval to manufacture, the process took less than two weeks, much faster than normal, says Leitch.
He adds delivery would not have been possible without extremely rapid turnaround time for Health Canada approvals, a donation of kegs by a local microbrewery to mix the sanitizer and the incredibly hard work of UVic researchers.
UVic chemistry faculty and staff—Katherine Elvira, Scott McIndoe, Jeremy Wulff, David Berry, and department chair, Neil Burford—along with Heather Buckley, cross-appointed in chemistry and civil engineering, spent a morning mixing up the solutions.
“In uncertain and different times, researchers are also doing everything they can to use their knowledge and experience as teachers to keep the UVic community engaged with science, despite the new remote working reality,” says Elvira.
“Science contributes vitally to some of the world’s toughest problems including the current COVID-19 response. We are all—researchers, students, UVic—adapting as a community,” she says.
Burford adds he is inspired by the hard work of faculty, staff and students, and their efforts under these “very challenging conditions” to maintain consistency.
In ongoing care for COVID-19 patients, Island Health welcomes donations of personal protective equipment and medical supplies.
Note: This article has been updated to reflect a time change. The livestream concert will now be hosted at 4 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. as originally reported.
This Thursday, the provincial government is hosting an event like never before — and it can all be viewed from the comfort of your couch as you self isolate!
At 4 p.m. on April 16th, Premier John Horgan will be hosting a free livestream concert featuring four well-known B.C. musicians. The entire show can be viewed on the Government of British Columbia Facebook page.
“Music has the power to lift us up and give us hope in times of crisis,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
“B.C.’s music industry responded swiftly by embracing opportunities to livestream and bring people together online.”
The lineup for this concert includes:
Alex Cuba (from Smithers), Juno and Latin Grammy-award winning pop-soul singer/songwriter,
Kym Gouchie (from Prince George), self taught Indigenous traditional, folk and country singer and musician,
Desiree Dawson (from White Rock), winner of CBC Music Searchlight talent contest in 2016, and soulful folk singer, and
Dan Mangan (from Vancouver), Juno award winning indie-rock musician.
This concert acts as a way to both bring live, local music to people’s homes during this period of physical isolation, and support the province’s music industry.
The initiative, called Showcase BC, provides one-time micro-grants of $500 to emerging artists and $2,000 to established artists for livestreaming, songwriting, and professional development.
All of the virtual live events approved by Showcase BC will be made available for free on their website.
The majority of Canadians are happy with the steps taken by federal and provincial governments in their efforts to combat the COVID-19 crisis, according to a recent poll.
The results of an online survey representative of a national sample conducted by Research Co., show that 68 per cent of Canadians are happy with the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As was the case last month, Canadians aged 55 and over (71%) are more likely to endorse Ottawa’s performance on COVID-19,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co.
“Majorities of Canadians aged 35-to-54 (68%) and aged 18-to-34 (66%) are also satisfied.”
(Research Co.)
However 34 per cent of respondents believe that former Prime Minister Stephen Harper would have been doing a better job than Trudeau — 50 per cent of the population disagrees with this statement.
Around 77 per cent of residents are happy with how their provincial governments are handling the pandemic, with 72 per cent in British Columbia providing the highest marks for their administration.
The survey found that both B.C. and Ontario, one-third of residents believe their former premiers — Christy Clark in British Columbia — would be doing a better job of responding the needs presented by the global pandemic.
Nevertheless, most in B.C. voted in favour of the current NDP-Green Party administration.
In Alberta, on the other hand, 54 per cent of respondents would prefer their former NDP premier Rachel Notley to be in charge during the COVID-19 pandemic over current CPC leader Jason Kenney.
The results of this poll are based on an online study conducted between April 6th and 8th among 1,000 adults that form a representative sample of the Canadian population.
The data was weighed statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
West Shore RCMP are investigating a string of thefts and attempted thefts that took place last night across several municipalities.
In the first incident, the complainant called police after finding two people attempting to cut the chains off of their bike, and chasing them away.
One suspect was described as a 5’5″ tall man wearing a yellow jacket and carrying bolt cutters, while the second was driving a large yellow van.
“The suspect vehicle is believed to be a U-Haul rental 2019 white GMC Savana with the licence plate of NX4941 which was reported stolen sometime overnight on April 14th from the 2100 block of Sooke Rd and was used in this crime,” reads a statement from RCMP.
This stolen U-Haul vehicle has since been recovered by Saanich Police, and anyone who has information about this vehicle on the morning of April 14th or about the people driving it is asked to contact their local police detachment.
In addition to this theft, West Shore RCMP also received reports of another stolen vehicle from the 2800-block of Hagel Rd in Colwood. This vehicle was later found by police in Victoria.
Officers are also investigating allegations of two vehicles that were broken into and their contents rifled through. One of them was parked on Hagel Rd in Colwood, and another on Goldstream Ave in Langford.
Anyone who has information about these crimes is asked contact West Shore RCMP at 250-474-2264. You can also report anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
(Dr. Bonnie Henry, Minister Adrian Dix/BC Gov Flickr)
The B.C. Ministry of Health has reported 27 new test-positive cases of novel coronavirus in the province today, bringing the total number cases in B.C. to 1,517 people.
In total, 658 of these cases are in the Vancouver Coastal Region, 601 in Fraser Health, 89 on Vancouver Island, 141 in Interior Health and 28 in Northern Health region.
There are now a total of 134 people who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, 58 of whom are in critical care – ICU or acute care units.
Sadly 3 additional deaths were reported today, bringing the death toll in B.C. to 72. All three deaths occurred at long term care homes, two people in Vancouver health region and one person in Fraser health region.
In good news, a total of 942 people have now recovered from novel coronavirus in B.C.
There are now COVID-19 outbreaks at 21 long term care centres on the mainland, the hardest hit of which is the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver.
That’s one additional outbreak since the past few days, at South Granville Park lodge in Vancouver Coastal Health Region.
The outbreaks include a total of 289 active cases at these facilities, including 169 residents and 124 staff members.
Dr. Bonnie Henry addressed the concerning community outbreak at the federal correctional facility in Mission, B.C. where there are now 41 confirmed cases of COVID-19, seven of whom have been hospitalized.
In response to this outbreak, the Abbottsford Regional Hospital has developed a dedicated unit to safety treat those affected by the virus. Fraser Health Region is also looking at redeploying their mobile medical unit to the Abbottsford hospital to provide additional support.
Another concern was the number of travellers returning to B.C. from other provinces last week and this week, in response to which the provincial and federal government enacted measures requiring travellers to present their self-isolation plan for 14 days after their return.
Dr. Henry says there have been 237 arrivals in B.C. since those measures were put in place. 24 of those people have been offered accommodation in which to safely quarantine, while the rest have presented adequate self isolation plans.
She says this is a “big success story” in keeping the firewall strong in British Columbia.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 1,990,746.
Over 125,900 people have died from the illness and 466,997 have made a full recovery.
Saanich Police have confirmed they are investigating a break-and-enter at a cellphone kiosk in Uptown Shopping Centre, which resulted in thousands of dollars of electronics stolen.
According to Blackapple Cellular’s owner Mandeep Rana, the incident occurred on the evening of Thursday, April 9th between approximately 10:50 p.m. and 11 p.m.
There was an estimated $5000 in products stolen, including cellphones, wireless headphones, high-end bluetooth speakers, as well as phone cases and other accessories
Rana tells Victoria Buzz that the suspect broke in through the glass door by prying it open, and then proceeded to break some of the glass.
In the surveillance video, the suspect can be seen rummaging through products throughout the kiosk.
The local business owner has also stated that Uptown security immediately contacted Saanich Police following the incident.
“My advice for businesses that are open is to stay positive and not let unfortunate events like these bring morale down,” says Rana in a statement to Victoria Buzz.
“We are all in this together and the only way to survive is to stay together and do every bit we can to support our community.”
Blackapple Cellular continues to remain open, and currently is still providing cellphone repair and services via pickup and delivery.
Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call Saanich Police at 250-475-4321. To report anonymously, please call the Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Victoria was hit with another series of suspicious fires over the Eastern long weekend, says VicPD.
Fortunately there were no injuries in any of the incidents, but police believe six fires were deliberately set between 9:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 12th and 10:30 p.m. on Monday, April 13th.
These arson cases are being investigated alongside nine other suspicious fires set in Victoria and Esquimalt throughout the month of March and in early April.
Here are the details of the six most recent fires:
9:45 a.m., April 12th: Officers responded to a dumpster fire in the 3000-block of Blanshard Street. The dumpster sustained fire damage.
11 a.m., April 12th: Another dumpster fire was reported in the 2800-block of Irma Street. Again, the dumpster sustained damage.
10:15 p.m., April 12th: A patrol officer saw a cedar hedge on fire in the 900-block of Topaz Avenue, and used a fire extinguisher to start putting it out. Victoria Fire Department extinguished the rest of the flames.
8:15 a.m., April 13th: Police attended reports of a shed fire in the 400-block of Parry Street. The fire spread to the garage of an adjacent property in the 500-block of Michigan Street, and both the shed and the garage sustained fire damage.
10:30 p.m., April 13th: A large area of burned grass on a residential lawn was reported in the 500-block of Toronto Street. Police believe the fire that caused the damage was set within 24 hours of police being called.
10:45 p.m., April 13th: Officers attended for reports of a tent fire in the 500-block of Ellice Street in which multiple tents were damaged. Fortunately no one was injured.
In the wake of these fires, police are reminding the public to keep flammable objects like branches and cardboard away from businesses and residences, and remember to turn on exterior building lights at night to increase visibility in the area.
Victoria and Esquimalt aren’t the only areas affected by arsonists over the past month.
On March 30th, Saanich Police reported a series of suspicious fires that spanned the municipal borders of Saanich and Oak Bay, set in the area of Camosun College. A 26-year-old man was arrested in connection with those fires one day after they were reported.
Anyone with information on the fires reported today is asked to contact VicPD at (250) 995-7654. To report what you know anonymously, call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
After being forced to shut down carriage tours in downtown Victoria, one company is now struggling to sustain their 18 draft horses.
Tally-Ho Carriage Tours has launched a GoFundMe campaignto raise funds to take care of their horses after realizing that the company will have no income for about 12 months.
The horses live with their owners at Hidden Acres Farm, but the cost of their upkeep does not come cheap even in the best of times.
Now, after laying off all staff and cutting non-essential costs, the family-run business is still facing a shortage of $120,000 necessary to maintain a high standard of care for the draft horses.
“Our savings will not cover the horsesˊfeed, foot care, veterinarian care, shelter and base needs for long,” writes owner Donna Friedlander.
“Only one of the Federal assistance programs applies to our situation and, if we qualify, it will only be enough to cover some non-horse care business expenses.”
As a way to raise money to cover these expenses, Tally Ho has set up a GoFundMe campaign with the following donation options:
Sponsor a Tally-Ho horse – pick your favorite: $600/month
Adopt the Tally-Ho herd for a day: $350
One regular vet visit – an important check-up: $200
One farrier visit – time for toes: $100
One bag of grain – super food for horses: $20
“We remain hopeful that the COVID-19 crisis passes faster than anticipated and if we are able to resume operations sooner we will forward all unused donations to other equine causes in the province of British Columbia,” says Friedlander.
The business promises to post regular updates about how the herd is doing and what the donated funds are being used to purchase.
The campaign was created on Monday and hopes to raise $120,000. As of the time of publication, nearly $3,000 have been donated.
