Vancouver Rundown

Environment Canada now says 17 B.C. communities broke rainfall records over the weekend and that doesn’t even count Monday’s downpours. A low pressure system that brought pouring rain to many areas is also responsible for trees falling on cars and some homes. The good news - a coastal campfire ban is expected to be lifted on Wednesday.

The West Coast Express is back in service Monday but expect delays. That’s what TransLink’s telling Vancouver area media after the commuter train was off-line Thursday and Friday following labour strife at Canada’s two largest rail companies. The federal labour board has since ordered all rail workers back to work. The Teamsters vow to appeal the order.

The West Coast Express commuter train between Mission and Vancouver remains out-of-service Friday even though the lockout is over at Canada’s two largest rail companies. TransLink has been providing additional bus service to riders during the labour dispute. About 3,000 commuters take the West Coast Express on weekdays.

Assault charges have been laid against two Vancouver Police officers in a violent incident that happened in the city in late 2023. Global News reports both Joshua Wong and Brian Hunt were off-duty at the time. Neither is serving in an operational role right now while their case is before the courts. Constable Wong was one of several officers investigated in a violent assault that resulted in the death of Myles Gray in 2015 - he was never charged but did testify at a coroner’s inquest.

Was it a homicide? That’s what investigators are trying to figure out after an adult woman and a school-aged child plunged from an apartment balcony in North Vancouver. There’s no official word on what floor the two fell from on East Esplanade in Lower Lonsdale early Tuesday morning. Officers say the two knew each other and are not looking for any suspects at this time.

Wildfire crews are getting a much needed break thanks to wetter and cooler weather around the province. Only a third of the 370 wildfires are classed as out-of-control, down from 40 per cent just last week. The large fire between Cache Creek and Spences Bridge is now contained. Most of the fire danger is now in the northern part of the province and in areas of Yukon.

Power crews spent most of Sunday getting the lights back on for many of the up to 12-thousand BC Hydro customers hit by blackouts around the South Coast. High wind and multiple lightning strikes followed a storm late Saturday evening that made its way up the coast from northern California. The bad weather followed a warm Saturday with highs that topped 30C in many areas of the Lower Mainland.

Late and over budget. The provincial government now admits its latest cost projections for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain Extension will be $6B. That’s a stunning 50 per cent more than first promised. The Ministry of Transportation also says it now expects the project to be finished at the end of 2029…not 2028 as previously announced. The government blames market conditions, rising costs, labour shortages and supply chain issues for the extra costs. Even though work is already underway, BC Conservative leader John Rustad says he doesn’t think the NDP government will ever deliver on this project.

The provincial government has announced - or re-announced - close to $3B to complete Highway 1 improvements from Langley to Abbotsford. Most of that is to cover improvements in Abbotsford including those at Mount Lehman Road. Those improvements will eventually extend to Chilliwack and require even more money. Highway 1 improvement work has been underway in Langley for several months.

A young Burnaby man is now charged with close to two dozen counts of sextorting teens across Canada. The majority of the victims are between 15 and 18 and the investigation started after police looked into threats of explicit photos being shared online of teens in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Anwer Jelassi, 19, is charged with multiple counts of child luring, child pornography and extortion.

It’s a frightening warning for cyclists who use the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge. RCMP say they’re looking into reports a wire was strong across the eastside cycling lane at the north end of the bridge. The incident apparently happened last week and police say it’s lucky no one was hurt.

Two more weeks! That’s the latest word on how long that collapsed construction crane is expected to block West 41 Avenue near Collingwood Street in Vancouver’s Dunbar neighbourhood. The crane came down during that massive Tuesday night fire that destroyed a couple under-construction buildings and heavily damaged several homes. The cause is still being investigated while some area residents remain out of their homes.

Boaters have been dodging logs and debris along the Lower Mainland stretch of the Fraser River after water broke through the Chilcotin River log jam earlier this week. Officials are warning people to stay off the river in Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Surrey. A debris trap near Agassiz has been working, capturing much of the dreck before it floats further downstream.

The Hullcar Mountain Wildfire near Vernon has almost doubled in size to nearly 6.7 square kilometres. Dozens of people were forced to evacuate on Tuesday, shortly after the fire broke out. Others remain on evacuation alert. Meanwhile, evacuation orders remain in place for two small wildfires near Penticton. Hot conditions are in the forecast for much of the B.C. Interior with an added danger of possible thunderstorms in some areas.

Breaking news: Vancouver Rundown has learned at least two people including a child are dead, several others are badly hurt, after a multi-vehicle crash on Highway One in Chilliwack. It happened at around 2:30 Tuesday afternoon, just east of the Vedder River Bridge prompting an immediate response by more than half-a-dozen ambulance crews and the Chilliwack Fire Department. Highway One was closed eastbound at Yale Road for much of the afternoon. Traffic heading west was all-but-stopped with heavy congestion.

Emergency evacuations were issued Monday after the Chilcotin River breached its slide. Water started to flow over the top and through the blockage near Farwell Canyon, southwest of Williams Lake. Evacuation orders are in place for some people downstream. Alerts remain posted all the way down the Fraser River to Hope.

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 downstream. Those as far south as Hope are being warned to stay clear of the rivers and their banks for now.

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 then east to Williams Lake.

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 negligence and wrongful dismissal….even though she quit. A statement of defence has not yet been filed.

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 wildfire between Cache Creek and Spences Bridge.

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 back on July 12th.

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 large one near Cache Creek.

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 Shetland Creek fire-of-note, between Spences Bridge and Cache Creek, has resulted in several temporary closures of Highway One.

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 slamming the provincial government and its BC Wildfire Service for a lack of communication in responding to the rapidly growing fire. It’s now close to 50 kilometres but area residents have almost no real-time information about its growth.

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 in the last week.

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 helped those on the ground keep the flames from spreading.

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 looking into the matter.

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 recommendation could impact about 35 per cent of the protected view cones.

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 of people were left stranded at airports including YVR.

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 stereotypical bachelor pad from the 2023 Barbie movie.

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 Coastal Health’s testing has revealed E.coli levels 55 times greater than the number that would trigger an investigation. Sewage began leaking into False Creek early Thursday morning after a pipe broke near Olympic Village. Dragon boat competitions went ahead over the weekend after event organizers were reassured the water was safe.

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 Kells on June 16. Police are still not confirming that she died in a home invasion. A man was arrested near the home, a short time after the attack.

Vancouver’s Dragon Boast Festival is going ahead despite a sewage leak in False Creek. Metro Vancouver crews had to repair a burst pipe near Columbia Street and West Second that allowed effluent to flow into the water Thursday morning. Dragon Boat BC says its festival will not be impacted by the leak in any significant way. Health officers will continue to check the area through the weekend.

Kevin Falcon’s BC United has lost another candidate to the BC Conservatives. Chris Moore has decided to defect to John Rustad’s Conservatives, running in the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding. That riding has been held by the NDP for close to two decades. Moore is a former Sechelt councillor and a real estate agent. The NDP candidate for the riding is former Vancouver TV anchor Randene Neill.

The family of a young woman killed in a homicide at her home on Sunday says the attack was random. Tori Dunn, the owner of Dunn Right Landscaping services, was killed during an apparent home invasion on 182A Street in Surrey. Global News is reporting a suspect who was arrested near the scene was recently released from custody and had a lengthy criminal history of violent crimes. None of those details have been released by the RCMP or Crown.

A woman is dead and homicide investigators are trying to figure out what happened at a home on 182A Street at Parsons Drive in the north eastern part of Surrey. Despite help from primary care paramedics Sunday night, the woman died before making it to the hospital. A man was arrested nearby.

Heavy rain caused massive flooding along Marine Drive in White Rock over the weekend. On Saturday morning, water was seen streaming down several streets - part of Marine Drive was closed for several hours. Meanwhile, that same storm system produced a rare funnel cloud between Abbotsford and Chilliwack. There are no confirmed reports of it touching down.

‘Suck it up’ - that’s the message from Premier David Eby to Uber and other gig-based app companies that link drivers with those wanting rides or food deliveries. The response comes as Uber sounds the alarm about the cost of B.C.’s new legislation that will offer a basic minimum wage of $20.88 per hour and 35 cents per km for drivers engaged in a ride or delivery. Those same drivers will also be covered by WorkSafeBC as of Sep 3. Both Uber and Skip the Dishes say this will drive up costs for those who order food deliveries online.

App-based ride-hailing and food delivery workers will be covered by new regulations as of Sep 3 that set minimum wage, milage and WorkSafe standards. The B.C. government has finalized rules including a minimum wage of $20.88 per hour for time engaged in a pickup and delivery, 35 to 45 cents per kilometre travelled, and 100 per cent of tips collected. B.C.’s new rules do not apply to other gig workers such as dog walkers, musicians and freelance writers.

Kevin Falcon’s BC United has punted its Surrey North candidate - Asad Gondal. Falcon released a statement late Tuesday afternoon saying the candidate held views that were inconsistent with the party’s stance on the war in Gaza and support for the LGBTQ+ community. Falcon says Gondal’s views were shared in correspondence he signed as head of the BC Muslim Association. On Sunday, BC United issued a statement praising Gondal for his ability to pave the way for a brighter future for the community.

Ten people have been displaced after a fire Monday morning at a single room occupancy building on Vancouver’s Granville Street between Nelson and Helmcken. Police and fire investigators think the blaze was intentionally set at around 10:30. Those from the SRO are being assisted by by several social service agencies in finding new accommodation.