There were no new deaths but 21 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in BC since yesterday, including one in Island Health; Meanwhile, a new study by the BC Center for Disease Control has found the number of people infected by COVID-19 in Vancouver is eight times higher than the number of confirmed cases; BC's Provincial Health Officer is calling new overdose death statistics "a tragic record." There were 175 overdose deaths in BC in June, passing May's record of 171; The Premier says he's proud that a diverse group of politicians has inked a deal to share $19 billion dollars worth of federal funding to recover from COVID-19 and to prepare for a possible second wave.

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A new study of COVID-19 antibodies in British Columbians has found eight times as many people in Metro Vancouver have been infected with the virus than the number of reported cases; Despite the positive results, BC's Provincial Health Officer says she remains concerned there is still a low level of transmission in the community; Nanaimo's transit system has suffered a $2million dollar loss in revenue because of the pandemic; The West Coast Baseball League has a new team, The Nanaimo Night Owls. It's the 13th team in the WCL, which is a summer league made up of college-level players.

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BC's COVID-19 numbers continue the trend of an upward increase in cases. There are 21 new confirmed infections over the past 24 hours, including four in the Interior Health Region; Nanaimo city staff is examining if and how the city's pools could reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic; Nanaimo's pools may be closed, but its lifeguards are offering demonstrations and creative activities in area parks and beaches. For more information, contact the city's aquatics coordinator at 250-756-5243; A former Sayward RCMP Officer has resigned after been suspended for posting racially offensive content to social media; Nanaimo's Member of Parliament Paul Manly is hosting an online conversation tonight, about serving vulnerable populations in times of crisis.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has turned BC's projected budget surplus into a $12 and a half billion dollar deficit; However, James says an already budgeted 3 year $22 billion dollar capital spending plan for roads, hospitals, housing and schools will help the economy recover; On the topic of the pandemic, there were no deaths from COVID-19 in BC over the past 24 hours, however, there were 13 new cases confirmed. None is in the Island Health Region; Nanaimo RCMP say yesterday's fire at the Bastion was caused by someone starting a fire in the stairwell at the lower door.

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The Nanoose First Nation has lost its bid to have some E&N rail line land returned to it; The head of Canada's National Immunity Task Force says his team will present a more detailed picture of how many Canadians have been infected with the novel coronavirus within the next two weeks; The World Health Organization has ended its study into whether hydroxychloroquine and two other drugs help treat patients in hospital who are suffering from COVID-19. Interim results from the group's research arm found the drugs have little or no effect in reducing deaths from the coronavirus; Two Victoria police officers are under investigation after a complaint by two outreach workers.

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WorkSafe BC and local health inspectors are being kept busy with establishments that are not following COVID-19 safety plans; A private seniors' care home that's being built in Duncan will not allow doctor-assisted deaths to take place in its facility; Port Hardy has become the latest community in B.C. to be registered as Bear Smart.

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There is a new case of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island. The provincial health officer is not announcing exactly where the infected person lives; Currently, there are two active cases on the virus in the Island Health Region. The second case is related to the health centre on the Tsartlip reserve near Victoria; The City of Nanaimo has changed its mind about recording meetings of the Mayor's Task Force on Recovery and Resilience. Provincial emergency orders issued in March, allow municipalities to hold public meetings without the public being present due to COVID-19; The World Health Organization has started looking at how different countries are faring as they lift their lockdown measures. Doctor Maria Van Kerkhove says the information will be shared.

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There have been three new deaths from COVID 19 in BC since Tuesday. All were seniors in care homes on the lower mainland; There is a new case of COVID-19 in the Island Health Region. It's one of 24 new cases of the virus confirmed over the past two days; Meanwhile, the BC Center for Disease Control has issued COVID-19 travel alerts related to several flights that arrived at Vancouver International Airport in June; The Premier says he's concerned by reports of US tourists entering BC under false pretences. The provincial health officer does not share the same level of alarm as the Premier.

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An uproar has started in North Cowichan over a proposed RCMP facility. The new building will cost 48 million dollars; BC's Provincial Health Officer says she has no plans to expand the 50 person limit on large gatherings, despite what other provinces are doing; Henry says her contact tracing teams are able to track down everyone who has come into contact with a known COVID case within 24 hours. She says that is the key to preventing huge outbreaks; Moviegoers will finally be able to go out and watch their favourite films starting this weekend.

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Seniors living in long term care and assisted living homes in BC will soon be allowed visitors; To that end, the province will provide $160 million dollars to public and private care homes to each hire three full-time staff to support safe visits with screening, instructions to visitors and infection control; There have been no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours. There have been 12 new cases, most of which are on the lower mainland, and one case in the interior health region; A Nanaimo Transit Supervisor made a gruesome discovery last night. Human skeletal remains were found behind the transit loop at the south entrance to Port Place.

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There are ten new cases of COVID-19 in BC, all in the Fraser Health Region. There has been one death reported since yesterday, in the Vancouver Coastal Health Region; First Nations in BC have fared better than the non-indigenous population when it comes to battling COVID-19; Nanaimo RCMP are under investigation over an incident related to a wellness check last month. BC's Independent Investigations Office says officers arrested a woman under the Mental Health Act in the afternoon of May the 26th.

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BC is open for business, with the Premier announcing the start of Phase 3 in its COVID-19 plan; A program that delivers local food products to people in the Cowichan Valley will expand its service, thanks to a $100,000 dollar grant from the Ministry of Social Development. The Cowichan Valley Co-operative Marketplace or Cow-op has been providing an online marketplace for farm products since 2014; Island Health is celebrating Pride with rainbow sidewalks to show that love is healthy—whatever a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression.

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There has been another death from COVID-19 in BC over the past 24 hours and once again, the death was at a long term care home in the Vancouver Coastal Health Region; Care homes are one of the few places in the province that are not opening up under Phase 3 of BC's COVID-19 plan. Today the Premier announced BC is officially open to travellers from across the country; BC's Independent Investigations Office has found police in Courtenay did not cause the death of a man who killed himself during a wellness check earlier this month; If you would like to help grow local journalism at our station, please consider making a donation at chly.ca/support.

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New legislation designed to combat fatal drug overdoses among youth is getting a failing grade from B.C.'s Chief Coroner. Amendments to the Mental Health Act will allow hospitals to impose involuntary emergency stabilization on those under the age of 19 who have overdosed; The BC Centre for Disease Control is leading the world in a study to detect small amounts of the COVID-19 virus in wastewater; The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation is demanding the police officer who killed Chantal Moore be charged with murder. Moore died at her home in Edmunston New Brunswick on June the 4th, after being shot during a wellness check; Please help us to increase local news on our airwaves with a donation to chly.ca/support.

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There has been one death from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours in BC and 13 new cases of infection; The Provincial Health Officer says B.C. is well-positioned to enter the next phase of re-openings, despite new data that shows a high contact rate between people; Changes are coming to the laws that govern strata housing with the aim of reducing skyrocketing insurance rates; Please help us to increase local news on our airwaves with a donation to chly.ca/support.

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Nanaimo city council will spend just over $136,000 on a pilot project to hire private security and create a hotline for people working and living in the old city quarter; The Minister of Health is promising to set up whistleblower protection for those who report racist behaviour in the health care system; Oceanside RCMP have arrested a pair of suspects believed to be responsible for dozens of thefts and break and enters in Nanaoose, Parksville and Nanaimo.

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Vancouver Island has recorded its first new case of COVID-19 in just over a month. The provincial numbers confirm the case of a person who visited the Tsartlip Nation Health Centre last Tuesday; Nanaimo city bylaw officers are moving to clear a homeless camp after neighbours threatened to do it themselves. A group called "Van Isle Clean Team" posted its plan on its Facebook page last weekend; BC Ferries will increase sailings on its three major routes over the summer.

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The BC Legislature resumes sitting today but with a few changes to how things will be run in the house during the pandemic; The Chair of the Board of Governors at UBC has resigned amidst a furore over Twitter; A First Nation near Victoria has put out a COVID-19 alert about an infected person who was at their health centre last Tuesday.

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A well-respected indigenous and youth advocate will investigate allegations of a racist game being played in some hospital emergency rooms. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond will look into claims that health care workers in at least one BC hospital play a game to guess the blood alcohol level of indigenous people seeking treatment in their emergency departments; British Columbia continues to flatten the COVID-19 curve, with no deaths reported for the seventh straight day; Two Nanaimo schools will get close to $19 million dollars to make them earthquake-proof and two others will get upgrades. Seismic upgrades at Cilaire and Pleasant Valley Elementary schools will begin in the summer of 2021 with construction completed by the following summer; Nanaimo RCMP and city fire inspectors are investigating an arson at Motion Specialties on Bowen Road; You can help grow more local journalism on these airwaves with a donation at chly.ca/support.

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Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, BC's former children's advocate will investigate a troubling allegation that health care workers played a game to guess the blood alcohol levels of indigenous people in at least one hospital emergency room; Two Nanaimo elementary schools will get seismic upgrades worth $18.8 million dollars. The work will begin at Cilaire Elementary and Pleasant Valley Elementary schools in the summer of 2021, and will be completed by the summer of 2022; A Nanaimo nightclub will open its doors tomorrow night, despite a raging controversy on social media. Nightclubs are not allowed to open in BC, under current health orders. But, Koncept Nightclub says its reopening as a pub, and not a club; The province is extending help for renters until the end of August. The temporary Rental Supplement provides between $300 and $500 dollars a month to landlords of renters who qualify; If you would like to help increase local news coverage on our station, please make a donation to chly.ca/support.

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