Vancouver Rundown

It could happen now or at any time in the next 24 hours. That’s the fear of provincial emergency officials watching that giant landslide that’s blocked part of the Chilcotin River west of Williams Lake. Experts aren’t sure when or if it’s going to give way, sending a massive amount of water and debris down the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers. Evacuation orders remain in place for dozens of properties...

One person has been hurt and an evacuation order is in place after a landslide in a remote area along the Chilcotin River, west of Williams Lake. The Tsilhqot'in has issued an updated Stage 2 Emergency due to a danger of unpredictable water flows in at least one area. The few people living along the river are being told to leave. Most of the evacuees are being told to head toward Highway 20 and th...

The City of Vancouver and the VPD are being sued by the police department’s former director of public affairs over claims of harassment. Sharmini Dee, who resigned from her post in June, is suing the city, the force and high-profile spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison saying she was subjected to gender and racial discrimination, harassment and bullying. The provincial government is also being sued for...

This week’s rain and cooler conditions are a help but hundreds of evacuees remain as B.C.’s collection of wildfires continues to grow. There are about 360 fires burning at the moment including the two large ones in the Slocan Valley. A 40-kilometre stretch of Highway 6 along Slocan Lake remained closed on Monday. There are six other fires-of-note in the province including the Shetland Creek wildfi...

Hundreds of people who live in the province’s Slocan Valley have been told to evacuate as wildfires continue to threaten homes. The 11 kilometre Mulvey Creek fire and the 6 kilometre Ponderosa fire continued to grow on Sunday. Many of the evacuees have been placed at Selkirk College near Castlegar. Meanwhile, cool wet weather’s been helping crews battle many other fires around the province.

A small group of wildfire evacuees from Jasper continue to share their heartache after homes were destroyed in their community, on the Alberta side of the Rockies. Those gathered in Valemount, on the B.C. side, got word late Wednesday that fire crews retreated and almost half of the buildings had been lost. That wildfire is still considered out-of-control.

Some ranchers in the B.C. Interior are furious with the BC Wildfire Service as the ‘monster blaze’ east of Spences Bridge continues to grow. Half a dozen homes have been destroyed and cattle have been moved due to the Shetland Creek fire. Ranchers say a less than full initial response from crews may have allowed the fire to spread through rangeland. It’s believed the fire was caused by lightning b...

Go west! That’s what tourists and residents in Jasper, Alberta are being told as they head to B.C. to escape the dangers of a growing wildfire. One of the several wildfires burning in the national park is only a dozen kilometres from the Jasper townsite. Meanwhile, crews in the B.C. interior continue to battle dry and often windy conditions as they try to contain several wildfires including the la...

Williams Lake has been saved from a wildfire that came close to the Cariboo city. The BC Wildfire Service says that fire is now in the mop-up stage - even though it burned right next to the downtown area. The lake itself was still closed on Monday to allow aircraft to safely scoop up water. Close to 340 fires are burning in the province right now - some were sparked by lightning over the weekend.

The historic B.C. tourist attraction ghost town at Wells-Barkerville is now under wildfire evacuation order. Several fires are burning in that area of the North Cariboo as a cooler weather system brought in some thunderstorms over the weekend. Meanwhile, a small 10 hectare fire broke out near Williams Lake on Sunday and those in the area say it continues to grow. In the Thompson-Nicola, the large...

Over a hundred people are on evacuation order as the Shetland Creek wildfire continues to grow. That order covers several reserves of the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band. And many small roads leading to Highway One between Spences Bridge and Cache Creek are now closed. The Village of Ashcroft issued an evacuation alert for Ashcroft Ranch late Thursday evening. Meanwhile, Ashcroft Mayor Barbara Roden is s...

Slow down - that’s the plea from the RCMP after a series of deadly crashes and high-speed violations in B.C. over the past week. Last week, police clocked a Corvette going 213 km/h on Highway 1 near Langley. In fact, police have issued over 130 excessive speeding tickets including one for a motorcycle rider going over 140 km/h in a 70 km/h zone in Castlegar. At least 19 people died on B.C. roads i...

Two wildfires continue to grow between Lytton and Ashcroft. Both are burning north of Spences Bridge with one reaching at least 300 hectares late Tuesday afternoon. The Cook’s Ferry Indian Band has issued an evacuation order. Gusty wind is expected to hinder efforts to contain the fires.

Crews from both Australia and New Zealand will be arriving in B.C. this week as more wildfires break out around the province. A five kilometre stretch of the east lanes of Highway One, between Chilliwack and Hope, were closed for a while on Monday as fire fighters battled a small fire on the mountain side. The BC Wildfire Service thinks this fire was caused by human activity. A helicopter crew hel...

A prominent BC academic is in big trouble following her social media take on Donald Trump’s attempted assassination on Saturday. UBC prof Karen Pinder took to X saying, “Damn, so close. Too bad.” The medical school professor also posted, “What a glorious day this could have been,” before deleting the statements. A UBC statement says the university does not condone violence of any kind and is looki...

Great views of the city and mountains may soon be disappearing thanks to Vancouver relaxing its view cone policies to increase housing. City council is expected to vote next week on staff recommendations to reduce or eliminate many of the building height restrictions designed to protect views. Staff believe a relaxation could create up to 215 million square feet of housing space. The recommendatio...

More B.C. families will now qualify for provincial rebates on newly installed heat pumps. The Energy Minister has bumped up the combined-income qualification from $115, 000 to $186,000 saying cooling is absolutely necessary for health and well-being. Homeowners can now apply for up to $5,000 to help cover the installation costs. The costs of installing heat pumps can range up to $20,000.

There’s no word on possible charges following an ugly physical confrontation on a Burnaby golf course over the weekend. RCMP had to be called after a fight broke out between two groups of golfers at Riverway on Saturday - apparently over course etiquette. Paramedics were called to the scene but no one had to be taken to hospital.

Schedules should be getting back to normal after a deal was reached at WestJet, ending strike action that cancelled hundreds of flights. It appears both the airlines and its unionized members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association have now agreed to continue arbitration. WestJet says it grounded 130 planes at 13 airports after the union members walked off the job over the weekend. Dozens...

A fatal crash in West Vancouver late Wednesday evening left the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal without any access for hours. Two people died in the head-on Highway One near West Port Road. Several others were hurt. The area was not fully re-opened until close to 9:00 a.m. BC Ferries had to delay at least one of its sailings due to a crew shortage resulting from staff delays.

Should Vancouver’s mayor turn civic space into “Ken's mojo dojo casa house?” That’s the exact wording Councillor Pete Fry is using to question why Ken Sim has turned a City Hall third floor boardroom into a private exercise space. The mayor has held a news conference to defend the space saying it’s a way to improve health, well-being and privacy for his office. Fry has likened the move to a stereo...

Former B.C. Premier John Horgan has been diagnosed with cancer for a third time. Horgan has taken a leave from his new post as Canada’s ambassador to Germany. Details about this latest diagnosis have not been released. Horgan has already battled bladder cancer and more recently, throat cancer.

Former B.C. Premier John Horgan has been diagnosed with cancer for a third time. Horgan has taken a leave from his new post as Canada’s ambassador to Germany. Details about this latest diagnosis have not been released. Horgan has already battled bladder cancer and more recently, throat cancer.

Breaking News: The Edmonton Oilers, who beat the Canucks in the second round, will not be bringing the Stanley Cup home to Canada. The Florida Panthers beat the Oilers 2-1 in the seventh and final game of the NHL final. This is the first time the Panthers have won the cup. Other news… Last week’s sewage spill in Vancouver’s False Creek was more deleterious than many had thought or hoped. Vancouver...

The family of a woman who died after being found injured in a home in Surrey last week says it’s learned more details from the media than homicide investigators. That lack of confirmed information continues even after friends and family gathered over the weekend for a vigil for Tori Dunn at Surrey Bend Regional Park. Dunn died after being found with life-threatening injuries at a home in Port Kell...