In Abbotsford, needle exchange has been illegal since 2005, when city council passed a zoning bylaw that effectively bans any form of harm reduction. But the bylaw is now up for review, as the local health authority pushes for a government-run needle exchange program, and community groups that have been quietly contravening the law for years argue it's time for the city to embrace the concept of harm reduction. Read more…

Levels of plastic pollution in waters along the northwest coast of North America are reaching notoriously high levels, according to a study published online in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. Read more…

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a health alert for oil and gas employees working with fine sands commonly used during the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing. Read more…

Doctors and health care workers across the country say a slight reversal in cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) -- only for refugees the government itself sponsored -- is "too little and too late." But CIC spokesperson Alexis Pavlich says the government's intention is "to ensure that those who come to Canada as asylum seekers from abroad do not receive better health care coverage than Canadians," and the reversal is merely a "clarification." Read more…

Air monitoring in northeastern British Columbia is a step in the right direction, said the author of a new report on how the province's oil and gas industry may be affecting people's health. Read more…

British Columbia officials have decided to keep secret a letter regarding trade with Europe that Premier Christy Clark had previously said she believed could be released. Read more…

The B.C. Supreme Court's recent move to strike down a ban on doctor assisted-suicide has reopened debate around the responsibilities of doctors providing end-of-life care. While some doctors say the decision will guarantee rights for terminally ill patients seeking to alleviate suffering, others contend the decision could lead to patient abuse. Read more…

The B.C. Supreme Court ruled today that the current law banning doctor-assisted suicide in Canada is unconstitutional, siding with the group claiming the law goes against the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Read more…

People in northeastern British Columbia are concerned development of the oil and gas industry is making them sick, says a report the provincial government commissioned. Read more…

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark has nixed a promise to consult with the public on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union. Read more…

Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett seems to view environmentalists as a threat to freedom, said a person who received a blunt and dismissive email from him this week. Read more…

B.C.'s interim First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) has received the green light from chiefs and leaders to begin the transition into a permanent healthcare operation. Read more…

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark backtracked today on her promise to introduce a province-wide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides, despite public support for such a ban. Read more…

As the debate over a provincial ban on cosmetic pesticides continues, First Call, a B.C. youth advocacy coalition, is urging the B.C. government to consider the effects of pesticides on children's health. Read more…

Backcountry safety experts are warning that a “send only” device being sold as an avalanche safety beacon is putting lives at risk. Read more…

VANCOUVER - It has been exactly 25 years since Canada's "Man in Motion," Rick Hansen, completed his round-the-world tour to raise funds for spinal cord research. Read more…

A year ago British Columbia Premier Christy Clark promised a province-wide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides. But now the government majority on the bi-partisan committee she appointed on the topic has recommended against such a ban. Read more…

VICTORIA - The federal government is preparing to put together a relief plan for a B.C. First Nation that has declared a state of emergency over a disturbing spike in suicides and attempted suicides. Read more…

British Columbia's information and privacy commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, has panned a third piece of government legislation this week. Read more…

Premier Christy Clark's claim that she'd cut a good deal for British Columbians regarding changes to the federal government's transfer payments for health care doesn't pan out according to political analyst and former NDP David Schreck. Read more…