British Columbia is taking a critical step toward reducing the shame and fear associated with substance use as the federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health announced the granting of a three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) to remove criminal penalties for people who possess a…

LOWER MAINLAND: Three Vancouver Island men have been charged for running a cryptocurrency-funded dark web drug trafficking ring. In early 2019, BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) – Cybercrime Operations Group initiated an online undercover investigation into an international dark web organized crime group with the vendor name “Always Overweight”. The dark web…

As of June 1, 2022, B.C.’s lowest paid workers will get a pay boost as the minimum wage increases from $15.20 to $15.65 per hour, which is the highest of any province. This increase is part of a commitment made by government in 2018 to support workers and their families. Five years of measured, predictable…

RICHMOND, BC: As large numbers of young people begin entering the workforce for summer jobs, WorkSafeBC cautions that young and new workers are vulnerable to injury at work.   In 2021, WorkSafeBC accepted 7,125 claims related to injuries from young workers. Injuries were most likely to occur in service-sector jobs (2,801 claims), followed by retail and wholesale (1,335…