BC News

VANCOUVER — A few thousand British Columbians could get help expanding their families this year with the launch of the province's new publicly funded in vitro fertilization program.

ABBOTSFORD — A man and woman, both 80 years old, are dead in what police say was a murder-suicide in Abbotsford, B.C. Police say the bodies were found Monday night when officers responded to a report of a dispute in a home in the city.

COMOX — A Vancouver Island councillor and family doctor has announced his candidacy for the B.C. Green Party leadership. Dr. Jonathan Kerr says he will officially launch his campaign on Saturday with an event in Courtenay.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has declared a local state of emergency for the Blue Sky Country region, and two evacuation orders have been issued due to an encroaching out-of-control wildfire near Lytton, B.C.

SURREY — Metro Vancouver Transit Police say there were no injuries after a TransLink Bus attempted to avoid colliding with a vehicle and instead crashed into a traffic pole in Surrey, B.C.

CHASE — The Village of Chase in British Columbia's Interior has activated its emergency operations centre as a wildfire burns in the area.

FORT ST. JOHN — Mounties in Fort St John, B.C., say three suspects have been charged with manslaughter following a death earlier this week. A statement from Fort St John RCMP says police received a report of an assault on Tuesday.

TORONTO — A warming climate is driving a rise in Lyme disease and the introduction of lesser-known tick-borne diseases, public health specialists say.

NORTH VANCOUVER — British Columbia's Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma says there was a "frightening" security incident at her constituency office in North Vancouver early Friday.

KAMLOOPS — British Columbia's Interior health authority says it has confirmed additional cases of measles in the region spanning the province's southern Interior.