News/Canada/British Columbia

A Federal Court judge will begin hearing arguments Tuesday in the case of a B.C. ostrich farm which has been ordered to cull its entire flock over avian flu concerns.Universal Ostrich is located on a rural road near Edgewood, in B.C.'s West Kootenay region, an approximately 175-kilometre drive east from Kelowna along a winding highway.Its entire flock of about 400 birds was ordered culled in February by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after H5N1 avian flu was detected in December — but the farm managed to get its birds a stay of execution until the court could rule on the merits of the cull order.The two-day hearing, which is set to be conducted virtually starting Tuesday, is the latest development in a case that has pitted public opinion in favour of the birds against officials who sa...

Nine years ago, former B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared a public health emergency, in response to a sharp increase in deaths related to toxic drugs and drug overdoses. Overdose deaths had been climbing steadily since 2010; the 474 deaths in 2015 were a 30 per cent increase from the year before.Those annual numbers kept climbing, peaking at more than 2,500 deaths in 2023. More than 16,000 people have died as a result of toxic drugs across B.C. in those nine years. Although recent numbers show those numbers could be declining, officials remain steadfast in their commitment to saving lives.More than six British Columbians died per day due to toxic drugs last year."This crisis continues to have a devastating impact throughout our province, from families and communities...

Federal parties have pitched different approaches to dealing with the toxic drug crisis in B.C. — particularly when it comes to overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites. While the Conservatives have pledged to severely restrict overdose prevention sites, and the Liberals say they're reviewing their effectiveness, the federal NDP and Greens have come out in support of harm reduction for drug users and services like these.B.C.'s health minister defends the province's network of sites aimed at preventing overdoses, while one harm reduction advocate worries the life-saving services are becoming a political football.In New Westminster on Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to close overdose prevention sites, which are regulated by the province and often run by non-...

Vancouver Coastal Health officials are urging residents, especially men who have sex with other men, to see if they are fully immunized against mpox amid a recent rise in cases.Mpox, a virus in the same family as smallpox, can cause painful rashes, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, and respiratory symptoms.Officials say the virus continues to spread primarily through person-to-person contact and is currently affecting gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.The virus gained prominence in 2022, when it exploded and caused severe disease in communities around the world and was observed as being primarily transmitted through sexual contact.WATCH | Mpox cases spreading in Vancouver area: Mpox cases rising in Vancouver's gay and bisexual communities, health officials say B.C. health offici...

B.C.'s Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender says she has found "systemic discrimination" in how health authorities detain vulnerable adults who are at risk of harm.Adults who appear to be abused, neglected, or facing self-neglect and are unable to give consent for care in hospitals or care facilities are sometimes detained under the Adult Guardianship Act (AGA). However, the 134-page report found that seniors, disabled people, and those living unhoused are being disproportionately detained.These detentions, Govender said, often lack transparency, oversight, and legal authority."I have found that a significant number of vulnerable adults are being detained under this act through an opaque process with very little oversight," she said. "While adults are being held for their own safety, ...

Cancer patients in British Columbia will no longer be referred to clinics in Bellingham, Wash., for care, Health Minister Josie Osborne announced Monday.Osborne says the ministry's decision was not a result of the current U.S.-Canada trade war but due to declining participation in the program and shorter wait times for care in B.C."This has always been about delivering more cancer care for people closer to home," she said."The investments we've made in more oncologists, more radiation therapy, therapists, improving hospital facilities, that's what's been able to enable us to reduce those wait times."WATCH | How much does the U.S. cancer treatment plan cost B.C.? The cost of U.S-based cancer treatment for British ColumbiansThe B.C. government is now sharing how much it's costing taxpayers t...

There is a window of relief for British Columbia farmers from the devastating waves of avian flu, leaving them to assess the toll of outbreaks spanning more than three years that saw millions of birds culled at hundreds of farms.Farmers and scientists also worry what the next migration of wild birds will bring this year.Some farmers have moved their operations outside British Columbia's Fraser Valley or exited the industry altogether since the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu began circulating, said farmer Ray Nickel.Nickel, who operates a farm in Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley, was forced to cull 60,000 chickens in the fall of 2022 due to the disease. He said his flock of about 9,000 turkeys on another farm was also euthanized in 2023.WATCH | B.C. poultry farms face avian flu threat: Avi...

An independent report detailing the "choices and mistakes" that led to the overdose death of a first-year University of Victoria student in January 2024 has been released by the university, casting new light on the circumstances of the incident and her parent's fight for transparency in the year since.The report, written by former Abbotsford police chief Bob Rich, found that there were "several points" on the night when Sidney McIntyre-Starko overdosed that, had the response been different, she would have likely survived. Another student who overdosed alongside McIntyre-Starko in the residence building was revived by naloxone. "Sidney, her family, the other students who overdosed, and the students who tried to help, were not properly cared for that night," says the report."The only way for...

A Burnaby spa employee who provided purported vaginal-tightening treatments has been found guilty on all seven charges of sexual assault by a B.C. Supreme Court jury.Farshad Khojsteh Kashani was first charged in 2022 after two clients of Fab Skin Care complained to police of being sexually assaulted during treatments. After police said there might be more victims, five more women came forward.All seven complainants testified during the trial. Three of the women had a Groupon — from the online marketplace that offers deals and discounts — for the procedure. The other four had been to the clinic for different esthetic procedures previously. Crown prosecutors said Khojsteh Kashani sexually assaulted each of the seven complainants during the procedure, meaning he touched them sexually, arguing...

Northern Health is warning that a toxic drug that is "equal or more toxic than fentanyl" is being sold in northern B.C.The health authority issued the alert Thursday, saying it had tested round white pills as positive for the synthetic opioid sotonitazene or "nitazene". Created in the 1950s as potential pain relievers, they were never approved for clinical use.However, they have emerged within recreational drug supplies in the United States, Canada and European countries since 2019.Scientists have relatively little information about how the human body reacts to nitazenes because the chemicals have never gone through clinical trials that offer a chance to find out.Northern Health says the drug has been detected in pills being sold as oxycocet, a prescription pain reliever.It warns that whil...