B-C is reporting one-thousand-130 new cases of COVID-19 over the past two days — including 808 in the Fraser Health region. That includes 594 cases from yesterday to this morning — a new daily record and it lifts the total number of infections past the 20-thousand mark since the pandemic began. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there have also been four additional deaths, bringing the total to 288. A record 155 people are being treated in hospital — beating the previous high of 139 set last April
A Surrey B.C. woman and her three-year-old daughter are missing and their family is concerned about their well-being. Naomi Morrisseau was last seen on Nov. 6 in the 10400-block of 125A Street in Surrey, according to RCMP. They believe she is with her daughter Genesis Reign-Soldat but no one has heard from them since Nov. 7 at approximately 4 p.m. Morrisseau is described as a 26-year-old Aboriginal woman, about five-feet-four-inches tall, 165 pounds with a medium build and long dark brown hair. Anyone with information about Morrisseau and her daughter is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP
A woman has been left with life-threatening injuries after she was struck by a car while crossing an intersection in Surrey. It happened in the Cloverdale area at the intersection of 192 Street and 68 Ave Wednesday around 4PM. Police say she was crossing at the crosswalk intersection and was struck by a vehicle taking a left-hand turn. The driver remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
The B-C Labour Relations Board says it will provide neutral, third-party “troubleshooters” to help resolve issues around COVID-19 protocols in schools. The board says the troubleshooters will be available beginning Monday on an expedited basis to play a fact-finding role and make recommendations. The move comes after the B-C Teachers’ Federation filed an application asking for help with concerns about unsafe working conditions. While the board didn’t address all of the union’s concerns, the union says this is the enforcement tool it needed to push school districts to comply with health and safety guidelines.
The MP for Surrey Centre and a Surrey city councillor appear to have violated a provincial health order just days before B.C.’s top doctor warned the coronavirus was disproportionately affecting communities in the Fraser Valley. The questionable behaviour was recorded by cameras from community media outlets late last month, When Liberal MP Randeep Sarai and Coun. Mandeep Nagra were attending a welcome dinner for India’s new envoy to Vancouver…the photo shows the elected leaders posing with as many as eight other men inside a Surrey restaurant, sometimes without masks or not physically distanced from others in the group.
Canadians stopped and paid tribute to our fallen soldiers yesterday, though the COVID-19 pandemic meant many traditional Remembrance Day ceremonies were either cancelled or had gone virtual. A modest crowd gathered in Ottawa to witness a solemn Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial, instead of the tens of thousands who normally show up. Many of the wreaths were already positioned around the cenotaph, one way to keep the number of people down as the country grapples with the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A child psychiatrist at B-C Children’s Hospital says children and youth with family problems or pre-existing mental health issues are struggling during the pandemic. But without long-term data, Dr. Ashley Miller says it’s tough to determine exactly how the pandemic and restrictions are affecting kids. British Columbia’s children’s representative is calling for a major investment in children’s mental health so experts can handle an expected increase in rates of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress.
The COVID-19 diagnoses of two stars working on the Vancouver-produced television series “The Good Doctor” won’t derail the show’s schedule. Freddie Highmore, who stars as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, has confirmed that filming continues. This season’s episodes have been exploring issues related to COVID-19 and now co-stars Richard Schiff and Sheila Kelley — who are married in real life and play a married couple on the show — have posted social media messages about testing positive for the virus. Sony Pictures isn’t commenting, but Schiff says it has been “the most bizarre week,” while Kelley says their symptoms change daily — even hourly — although she says neither actor contracted the illness on set
Winter storm and snowfall warnings have been posted for parts of southeastern B-C with hazardous conditions expected. Environment Canada says a Pacific frontal system moving across the B-C Interior is expected to intensify tonight and persist through tomorrow. It says up to 40 centimetres of snow could fall over Highway 3 – Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass before flurries taper off on Saturday. Up to 20 centimetres is expected in the Elk Valley region except for Fernie, which is predicted to see 30 centimetres — with lesser amounts projected in the Boundary and West Kootenay regions.