Jon Hernandez

Benzodiazepine, a prescription sedative often used to treat anxiety, is becoming increasingly common in B.C.’s illicit drug market, having been detected in 55 of the 192 fatal overdoses in July, according to the B.C. Coroners Service.

Maria Kovacs won’t risk waiting for the bus near her church on her own anymore. The last time she tried it, a cyclist hit her.

Nearly 7,000 Chileans settled in Canada after the democratically elected government was overthrown in a coup d’état led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet in 1973. Their experiences vary, with many coming to terms with trauma they endured during the violent transfer of power in their home country.

B.C. leaders say although they welcome Ottawa’s affordable housing funding pledge, they worry it will amount to few projects over the next four years, while co-op housing advocates say they’re disappointed by the plan’s lack of urgency.

A program by the Vancouver Hospice Society is serving as a supportive gathering for people who are grieving. Organizers say enrolment has near doubled in what can be a hard time of year for people experiencing grief.

B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has ordered Maple Ridge to change an intersection and bus stop, and pay a woman $35,000 after it found recent changes to infrastructure did not accommodate people with visual impairments.

Hefty markups and competition are among the challenges plaguing shop owners five years into legalization. Municipalities have yet to see promised tax revenue, and businesses hope provincial and federal governments will ease regulations.

The federal government recently announced it will cap the number of international student permits over the next two years. Ottawa says the measure is to stabilize the number of international students, who often arrive without “the proper supports they need to succeed.”

Concerns linger over B.C. Wildfire Service’s planned ignition before wildfire spread and burned 170 homes during the 2023 wildfire season. A Forest Practices Board investigation into the planned ignition is ongoing, as residents prepare for another wildfire season.

Brijesh Mishra was arrested after prospective students said he provided them with fake admission letters to Canadian colleges and universities.