Vancouver Rundown

Two people are recovering in hospital after a floatplane collided with a small boat in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour. It happened Saturday afternoon, shocking witnesses who saw the plane taking off but failing to clear the boat that powered in front of its path. All five of the plane’s passengers and the pilot were not hurt. An investigation is underway to figure out blame.

A popular chef from Japan has been identified by friends as the person stabbed to death on the Downtown Eastside early Wednesday morning. Wataru Kakiuchi, 32, could not be revived after he was found injured at Main and Union Streets. It’s believed he was waiting for a ride home when it happened. No arrests have been made.

The Metro Vancouver board should be elected - that’s the call from four city councillors in light of cost overruns on projects such as the new waste water treatment plant in North Vancouver. Surrey’s Linda Annis and New Westminster’s Daniel Lafontaine along with Kash Heed from Richmond and Ahmed Yousef from Maple Ridge say voters should be the ones who decide who sits on the regional district board. Board members are currently chosen by member municipalities, an electoral district and a First Nation.

Plans are in the works to remove a dead grey whale from a Boundary Bay mudflat near Crescent Beach. The cause of death will likely not be confirmed until late this summer once the DFO’s necropsy results are in. The Department got numerous calls on Sunday after people spotted the dead whale. Warmer weather may contribute to an increase in smell from the dead mammal.

Now the provincial government is revealing email inboxes and ‘sensitive personal information’ was accessed in a hack that was discovered on April 10. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says hackers may have accessed 22 email inboxes containing the private information of 19 people. Most of that was from personnel files. Farnworth says the people impacted have been notified and there are no signs of anything being done with the files. He does admit it appears the cyber attacks were led by a state or part of state-sponsored activity.

Members of Squamish Search and Rescue spent most of Sunday looking for three hikers, reported missing in heavy rain on Mount Atwell in Garibaldi Park. The three have not been heard from since Friday. All three are experienced hikers with good equipment. The air and ground search has been hampered by the bad weather.Other news…Exclusive: Several people have been badly injured in a crash that closed the Coquihalla Highway heading north for a short time Sunday afternoon. Vancouver Rundown has confirmed an air ambulance was dispatched to the crash site, despite the stormy weather, along with several ground ambulances. Details have not been released.

The B.C. NDP would have an easy path to victory if an election were held today. An Angus Reid Institute poll finds the David Eby New Democrats at 41 per cent voter support. That’s well ahead of the 30 per cent for the BC Conservatives and 16 for BC United. The Greens have 11 per cent. The cost of living remains the number one issue, followed by health care and then housing affordability. Premier Eby’s voter approval rating is strong at 45 per cent…more than double that of party leaders John Rustad and Kevin Falcon who are tied at 22 per cent.

At least one person’s been arrested after RCMP moved in on anti-Israeli protesters on the main UBC campus. The blockade disrupted movement around the busy Westbrook Mall area at the Point Grey campus. The protesters continue to demand UBC cut ties with Israeli universities and companies that do business with Israel. This follows an international student movement aimed at condemning Israeli retaliations following the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct 7 that killed at least 1,200 people.

Freight trains have been used to smuggle people from B.C. into the United States. Two Americans have been arrested and are accused of smuggling dozens of people across the line at the Peace Arch Border. Close to 30 Mexican nationals and one Columbian were found inside one of the cars, concealed inside a load of plastic pellets. American law enforcement has been tracking the smuggling operation since 2022.

The Vancouver School Board is considering tighter restrictions on cellphones in schools. Board Chair Victoria Jung has been pushing to get the superintendent to bring in new rules which would also include requiring students up to Grade 6 to keep their phones on silent and out-of-sight during school hours. The provincial government is asking all school districts to bring in some form of rules covering students and phones.

The Vancouver School Board is considering tighter restrictions on cellphones in schools. Board Chair Victoria Jung has been pushing to get the superintendent to bring in new rules which would also include requiring students up to Grade 6 to keep their phones on silent and out-of-sight during school hours. The provincial government is asking all school districts to bring in some form of rules covering students and phones.

Two people have been killed in the Friday evening crash of a small plane, south of Squamish. It went down in a mountainous area west of Howe Sound during bad weather. A smartphone fall indicator was the first sign that something went wrong. Search and Rescue members had to be called in over the weekend to reach the crash site.

The provincial government has won its battle with Mayor Brenda Locke and the City of Surrey over the cop swap that never stops (full credit to punster Bob Mackin). The B.C. Supreme Court has nixed the petition aimed at ending Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth’s endorsement of transitioning from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service. Locke has not said whether an appeal may be in the works but does say she accepts this ruling.

Could it be that London Drugs paid the ransom or at least agreed to negotiate with cyber attackers? LockBit, the group claiming to be behind an earlier attack on the retailer’s computer systems, has now removed its $25M ransom demand from a public website. There were earlier suggestions LockBit rejected an $8M ransom offer. London Drugs has not been commenting on its involvement in any negotiations with the cyber terrorists.

The B.C. NDP will likely focus on the B.C. Conservatives with yet another poll showing Kevin Falcon’s B.C. United falling to irrelevancy. A Research Co poll released Tuesday comes with the headline: NDP First, Conservatives Rise, United Plummets in British Columbia. The New Democrats still hold a ten point lead at 42 per cent but B.C. United is tied with the Greens at 12 per cent. Surprisingly, the 18-34-year-olds favour the Conservatives over the NDP by five points.

The Vancouver Canucks are out of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Oilers beat Vancouver 3-2 Monday evening, ending the second round series in seven games. The Canucks ended the regular season as the top team in the Pacific Division. The Canucks had not been in the playoffs since 2015.

Two men have been found dead inside a home in Newton. Homicide investigators were called to the home on 151 Street Wednesday evening after Surrey Mounties were asked to check on the occupants. It’s believed both men knew each other and police are not looking for suspects. There is no risk to the public.

BC Ferries is doing its level best to control the narrative ahead of what could be a very busy and challenging travel season. It’s projecting 8 million passengers and 3.2 million vehicles will use ferries between June and September. BC Ferries is now subject to possible fines for service delays after a couple seasons of delays and cancellations due to both mechanical problems and staffing issues. A BC Ferries spokesperson says they are in a better position now to bring customers the reliability they need.

There’s reason for optimism as crews on the front lines keep the Parker Lake wildfire away from Fort Nelson. Cooler weather, light rain and less wind has helped as the 84 square kilometre fire burns on the edge of town. So far, no homes have been lost but an evacuation order remains in place. The RCMP says there has been some minor looting in the area and people are encouraged to report any criminal activity to police.

Conditions remain volatile as crews continue to fight a growing wildfire that threatens Fort Nelson. The Parker Lake wildfire is about a kilometre away from the town where most people have already evacuated. The fire is approaching 60 square kilometres - Emergency Management Minister Bowin Ma says fire crews, aircraft and heavy equipment are in place to protect homes and the community.

An out-of-control forest fire continued to burn through the weekend, keeping people from their homes in Fort Nelson. The 2,000 hectare fire’s been growing in an area four kilometres west of the community and there are concerns about the wind pushing the flames toward town. Highway 97 has been closed north of Fort Nelson.

The B.C. government has announced a new gang homicide team as it deals with 356 unsolved murders. The Integrated Gang Homicide Team is expected to take organized crime related killings off the plate of overworked IHIT members. Gang related homicides now account for 46 per cent of killings in B.C. - more than double the per cent only two decades ago.

Premier David Eby has announced ICBC rebates of $110 for holders of close to 3.6 million auto insurance policies. Those rebates will apply to both personal and commercial ICBC policy holders and come as the insurance corporation claims it’s had a strong financial performance. Basic insurance rates will remain the same until March 31, 2026.

Once again, it’s illegal to use hard drugs in public in B.C. The federal government has now approved the province’s policy reversal effective immediately. The troubled pilot project had allowed British Columbians to carry and use small amounts of crack, coke, meth and other hard drugs. Critics had pointed out such drugs were being consumed in hospitals, parks and other public spots while tainted drug overdoses continued to rise.

Vancouver is now considering possible public viewing sites for upcoming second round NHL playoff games between the Canucks and the Oilers. The City hopes to share more details this week - the first game of this round is Wednesday in Vancouver. Mayor Ken Sim has said he wants this to continue to be a ‘fun, family-friendly experience for everyone.’ Vancouver Police have expressed concerns about the possibility of people walking around with open liquor.

Concerns are growing over foreign intelligence services hiring Canadian gangs to carry out contract killings. Global News quotes senior sources as saying governments are turning to criminal organizations in trying to silence or kill opponents outside their borders. Three young men were arrested in Edmonton late last week in connection with the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey last June.

For all the details on these local Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these local Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these local Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.

For all the details on these Vancouver area stories, along with the links, go to vancouverrundown.substack.com.