Vancouver Rundown

Another MLA has quit the BC Conservatives becoming the fifth to do so in less than a year. Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee says she’s leaving the caucus because John Rustad’s failed leadership needs to end. Boultbee says Rustad invited her to “get the fuck out” and she’s taking him up on the offer. Rustad accuses Boultbee of leaking caucus information to the media, suffering mental health issues and supporting Hamas. She also backed fellow MLA Elenore Sturko who quit the party over differences with Rustad.

A small group of only about a hundred people gathered at Vancouver’s Jack Poole Plaza Saturday afternoon as part of anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protests being held in cities around the world. Those braving the heavy rain denounced Donald Trump saying he’s an authoritarian would-be dictator. The Vancouver rally comes as Premier David Eby continues his anti-Donald Trump comments while B.C.’s resource sector suffers during a campaign of tariffs on Canadian goods.

.BC.’s public service strike continues to escalate despite a meeting between government negotiators and leaders of the BCGEU. Union president Paul Finch says the government refuses to come close to demands of an eight per cent increase over two years - right now the NDP’s offer stands at between four and five percent over the same period. Meanwhile, about 370 more BCGEU members have joined the strike action. The move also comes as all non-essential members of the smaller Professional Employees Association walk of the job.

Airports in Victoria and Kelowna are among the five around North America that had their flight information systems hacked on Wednesday with pro-Hamas information. The screens, along with some public address systems, spewed anti-Jewish messages while slamming leaders of the U.S. and Israel. Transport Canada says it’s working with police to ensure there are no safety and security risks. Canada is routinely criticized by experts as a low-risk, high-value cyberattack target.

SFU’s new medical school is now accepting students. The announcement is a major step forward with the first group of students expected at the Surrey campus next August. The medical school will start with temporary facilities - permanent ones are expected to be in place by 2030. The government expects the school to add an extra 48 students to the region. There’s no word on what - if anything - is being offered to keep them from moving out-of-province.

A suspect has now been arrested in those random stabbing attacks in Yaletown. Four strangers received non-life threatening injuries after being knifed along the seawall in David Lam Park early Friday morning. On Monday afternoon, Vancouver Police arrested a 35-year-old woman on the Downtown Eastside. It’s not clear if the suspect is being connected to other attacks that happened in the same area.

Vancouverites will get to vote on whether to get rid of the Park Board. The provincial government has introduced legislation to change the Vancouver Charter and allow the city to axe its unique park board if voters approve. Mayor Ken Sim, who has been pushing for its demise, says he welcomes the province’s move but would have preferred it happened two years ago. Sim says Vancouverites deserve world-class parks that are delivered in a cost-effective manner.

All government liquor and cannabis stores are now behind BCGEU pickets. The move marks a major escalation in the public service strike after last week’s brief meeting between union and government negotiators. It also comes as the province’s bars and restaurants start running out of stock which would normally come through the government liquor distribution system. Right now, there are still no plans for the two sides to return to the bargaining table.

Those on 14 properties north of Kamloops are on evacuation alert following fears an unauthorized dam may fail. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District fears the Fadear Lake Dam could give way, releasing a large flow of water into a creek below it. The Regional District is telling people below the dam to be ready to leave on short notice.

“We won’t stop until we win a fair deal.” That’s what BCGEU president Paul Finch says as members of his union enter the sixth week of their public sector strike. Thousands of striking members and supporters marched from Victoria City Hall to the BC Legislature on Monday. The union says 22,000 of its 34,000 members are involved in job action now. The provincial government is not returning to the bargaining table right now.

“We won’t stop until we win a fair deal.” That’s what BCGEU president Paul Finch says as members of his union enter the sixth week of their public sector strike. Thousands of striking members and supporters marched from Victoria City Hall to the BC Legislature on Monday. The union says 22,000 of its 34,000 members are involved in job action now. The provincial government is not returning to the bargaining table right now.

“We won’t stop until we win a fair deal.” That’s what BCGEU president Paul Finch says as members of his union enter the sixth week of their public sector strike. Thousands of striking members and supporters marched from Victoria City Hall to the BC Legislature on Monday. The union says 22,000 of its 34,000 members are involved in job action now. The provincial government is not returning to the bargaining table right now.

‘It’s a public health emergency’ - that’s what Delta Councillor Dylan Kruger calls a 12 hours shutdown of his community’s only ER. A doctor staffing shortage is being touted as the cause of the fourth emergency room closure at Delta Hospital this year. It happened Saturday night, forcing emergency patients to be redirected to Surrey or hospitals on the other side of the Fraser River. Kruger says Health Minister Josie Osborne did not take-up his request to meet about this situation at last week’s Union of BC Municipalities conference.

Strike action will vastly increase in the next week - that’s the warning from the BCGEU as the province’s public sector strike continues into a fifth week. Union members rallied outside the B.C. Legislature Thursday in an effort to get the government to move beyond its latest wage offer. The union continues to demand an eight per cent wage hike over two years. The government is offering five per cent over the same period.

A few hundred striking public sector workers marched through downtown Vancouver Wednesday to draw attention to their push for much higher wages. The BCGEU members were joined by those from other unions for a noon hour walk from the Vancouver Art Gallery to Jack Poole Plaza. The union says it’s prepared to escalate the strike action after rejecting the Eby government’s five per cent wage increase over two years. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey says it’s important to reach a fair deal but one that is fair for all British Columbians.

B.C.’s new Extortion Taskforce is taking the lead, investigating shots fired at South Asian radio station Swift 1200 AM. Staff at the station, located in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, called police Tuesday morning after discovering an exterior door shot-up. There are no reports of injuries. Radio Swift recently aired an interview with Surrey’s Police Chief, focusing on extortion and violence in the South Asian business community.

Canada’s postal workers have started strike action after the federal government announced plans to end door-to-door delivery. Ottawa’s move is an attempt to end huge and growing losses at Canada Post. The government’s plan also includes the closure of post offices in areas that were once rural but are now suburban. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says the changes are drastic. CUPW is not saying how long it plans to continue the strike.

Close to 600 workers at 25 government liquor stores have now walked-off the job as the BCGEU strike continues to ramp up. The move comes only two days after the Liquor Distribution Branch’s main warehouse and head office ended up behind pickets. Most of those 25 stores are in the Lower Mainland or Victoria and are considered the most profitable of the 200 outlets around the province. The BCGEU is pointing to a Leger poll that finds 81 per cent of British Columbians believe the public sector workers deserve raises matching or exceeding the rate of inflation.

Two people have been arrested and released as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency gets set to move in and cull close to 400 ostriches from a farm in the Kootenays. The CFIA now has control of the property where inspectors had previously found infected birds. The farm’s managers and their supporters say all the birds are healthy now - having fully recovered. The CFIA’s cull order has been backed up in federal court.

Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko has been kicked out of the BC Conservative caucus while party leader John Rustad holds on to his leadership. Sturko says Rustad accused her of plotting against him during the party’s leadership review - Rustad has survived that review with 71 per cent of members endorsing his leadership. Sturko has used a Monday evening news conference to call on her former colleagues to ‘grow a set’ and ‘have some courage’ and tell Rustad how they feel about his leadership. Sturko also says she’s raised concerns about the allegations that 2,100 members were fraudulently signed up.

Wildfires in Washington state are responsible for the smoky air around the Lower Mainland over the weekend. Fire departments across the region received a number of calls from those concerned about the smell of smoke. The air quality index remains at medium. Most of the wildfire smoke can be blamed on the huge Bear Gulch wildfire in Olympic National Park.

B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad says his party’s database has been breached and that’s what’s lead to emails and texts attacking him. That position stands as concerns and public comments over his leadership continue to grow. An internal party audit also finds there have been over two thousand bogus membership signups and subsequent cancellations. Results of a leadership vote, following a four month review, will be released on Monday.

A new extortion task force is being set up in B.C. with one goal - targeting threats and violence in the South Asian business community. The RCMP-led task force will include 40 members from various agencies. Police say 45 extortion attempts and 27 shootings are under investigation in Surrey from this year alone. The Surrey Police Service says it’s very close to making arrests in this year’s shootings and arsons.

Public sector workers who support the B.C. mining sector are the latest to walk off the job as the BCGEU strike expands. Many of the workers are involved in safety and environmental regulation. The move comes as the two sides appear entrenched in their positions with the union pushing for a large wage increase and the government facing a huge budget deficit. In addition to the strike action, an overtime ban is now in place for provincial corrections workers.

B.C.’s provincial deficit is now pegged at $11.6B and expected to grow to $12.6B next year. That record high has been laid out by Finance Minister Brenda Bailey in her first quarter report. In addition to a loss in carbon tax revenue, Bailey says the province has seen decreases in revenue sources from natural gas, mining and forestry. The government continues to lay much of the blame on the Trump tariffs. Conservative Finance Critic Peter Milobar says the real issue is fiscal mismanagement. Other news…

Surrey Police have not yet commented on whether a suspect has been identified in a shooting in a parking lot at Bear Creek Park. It happened just after 9:00 Saturday evening following a confrontation between two groups of people. The victim’s injuries are serious but a recovery is expected. Investigators are now seeking more witnesses and dashcam footage.

RCMP say two deadly Lower Mainland shootings over the past week are linked to B.C.’s gang conflict. Last Friday, 24-year-old Taran Pandher was found shot dead in a taxi near 200 Street and 53 Avenue in Langley. On Wednesday, 34-year-old Shahaib Abasi was gunned down outside the Burnaby McDonald’s at Still Creek, just north of Highway One. Both victims were known to police. RCMP say the gang landscape is complex and fluid with those responsible for the shootings showing a complete disregard for public safety.

The hunt continues for the person who shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Kirk was shot in the neck Wednesday morning while taking questions during an outdoor speaking event at the university campus south of Salt Lake City. Two initial suspects have been cleared following their arrests. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, is a friend and supporter of Donald Trump. He was 31-years-old.

Close to 4,000 B.C. public sector workers are now on strike with pickets up at 22 sites across the province. The Eby government continues to acknowledge its latest offer is below the rate of inflation but says the pay raises are above inflation if the previous three years are taken into account. BCGEU members in places such as Kelowna joined the pickets with one telling Black Press the government failed to live up to a promise last year to keep up with inflation.

Eight more cities, all outside the Lower Mainland, are now included in expanded picket action as the BCGEU strike enters its next phase. A B.C. Corrections office in Surrey will also be behind pickets on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the provincial government has tabled what it calls a final offer - a 4.5 per cent increase over two years consisting of both a wage increase and a cost-of-living allowance. Premier David Eby says the government wants a deal that fair to both public sector workers and B.C. taxpayers.

A high level B.C. gang member who escaped from the North Fraser pretrial jail three years ago has been arrested in Qatar. The Vancouver Sun reports Wolfpack gangster Robby Alkhalil was taken into custody on Friday. A month after he escaped, Alkhalil was convicted in absentia of the 2012 first degree murder of rival gangster Sandip Duhre. Despite a continuing investigation into the escape, no charges have been laid against those who helped Alkhalil flee.

Pickets are expanding as the BCGEU ramps up the province’s public service strike. The Vancouver office of the Ministry of Finance is now behind a picket line. Workers in Surrey, Victoria and Prince George remain off the job. The union says there’s no indication the government is prepared to return to the bargaining table with an improved offer. Premier David Eby says the government is not in a position to offer the wage hikes being sought by the BCGEU - he says union members already got a substantial wage increase in the last contract.

Pickets are expanding as the BCGEU ramps up the province’s public service strike. The Vancouver office of the Ministry of Finance is now behind a picket line. Workers in Surrey, Victoria and Prince George remain off the job. The union says there’s no indication the government is prepared to return to the bargaining table with an improved offer. Premier David Eby says the government is not in a position to offer the wage hikes being sought by the BCGEU - he says union members already got a substantial wage increase in the last contract.

Blame wildfire smoke and the warm, dry weather for the bad air around the Lower Mainland. A visible layer of haze will continue to hang for the next several days over the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver, Sea-to-Sky and other parts of B.C. Air quality advisories are in effect. Those bothered by the smoke are advised to stay indoors, close windows and use air filters.Meanwhile, more than two days after a wildfire broke out in the hills next to the Coquihalla Highway, the blaze is so far out-of-control that the route between Hope and Merritt has had to be shut down. The Mine Creek wildfire was discovered Monday - the Coquihalla was closed late Wednesday afternoon. Some people are speculating on social media the province allowed the situation to escalate by underestimating the need for greater initial action. There are no fatalities or serious injuries after a helicopter and its wildfire attack crew made a forced landing in the backcountry near Pemberton. Rescuers, along with paramedics, had to bring the crew to safety. The Transportation Safety Board has no early word on why the chopper went down.

The first round of job action by B.C. public sector workers has started. Pickets went up in Surrey, Victoria and Prince George as members of the BCGEU and the Professional Employees Association push for substantial wage hikes. Several ICBC offices are not open. The Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria is closed. While many of the workers are deemed ‘essential’ and likely won’t strike, others work for government liquor stores, cannabis outlets, social service agencies and more.

Close to 35,000 public service workers in B.C. are set to hit the picket lines Tuesday. Members of the BCGEU and about 1,800 members of the Professional Employees Association are now in a legal strike position following 72 hour notice. Both unions are pushing for higher wages. It comes as the provincial government braces for an $11B deficit this year.

Members of Canada’s largest general trades union have staged a Vancouver rally to push for greater efforts to save jobs amid U.S. tariffs. Close to 1,500 members of Unifor gathered near the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre calling on Canadians to protect jobs in the auto sector as well as those in key resource industries. Union members blame Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney for losing the leverage needed to push Donald Trump to drop his tariffs on many Canadian goods.

A carny has been killed after being hit by a ride in Prince Rupert. The worker was struck by a rotating cart on the Zipper during the first night of the Prince Rupert Summer Carnival. The company that operates the rides - Mission-based Shooting Star Amusements - says its worker was a ‘dear close friend’ and a ‘great man.’ WorkSafeBC, Technical Safety BC and the Coroners Service are investigating. Other news…Breaking News: A Wednesday evening stabbing in Mission has left a victim with life-threatening injuries. It happened at around 9:15 near the A&W on Lougheed Highway. Paramedics on scene stood-down an air ambulance but there’s no confirmation on the victim’s condition.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University is poised to layoff another 45 full-time staff members as international student enrollment takes a dive. Foreign enrollment is down 60 per cent from two years ago. KPU’s acting president blames the school’s money troubles on the federal government’s recent changes to visa rules. Domestic enrollment is also down by close to three per cent over the same period.

Mayor Ken Sim and his Vancouver civic party have broken the rules by holding secret meetings according to the city’s integrity commissioner. A damning report finds the mayor and seven councillors with ABC willfully breached the Vancouver charter by holding private discussions on two issues - the city’s climate plan and upgrades to Moberly Park. The ethics report follows a year long investigation. Sim has rejected the findings.

Numerous temperature records have been broken across the province after a late summer weekend of hot weather. On Saturday, Victoria reached 31.1C, breaking an August 23 record dating back to 1916, Other areas with record highs include Abbotsford, West Vancouver, Whistler and Pemberton. Lytton hit 38.6C - the warmest day for the date since 1958. The BC Wildfire Service remains on alert as this coming week promises more hot, dry weather across the province.

Voters will notice a new civic party in the next round of municipal elections. The B.C. Conservatives have filed the paper work allowing the party to be on the ballot in 15 of the province’s largest municipalities. There’s no word on the degree of alignment between the civic and provincial Conservatives but a party spokesperson says more information will be shared in the coming weeks including details about future plans.

The leader of the upstart One BC party has filed a private prosecution accusing a well-known pro-Palestinian activist of terrorism. Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie - who broke away from the BC Conservatives - accuses Charlotte Kates of a variety of terrorism offences relating to statements made at anti-Israel protests in Vancouver. Outside the courthouse on Main Street, Kates’ supporters shouted, calling Brodie a fascist and right-wing bigot. Crown prosecutors will now review the court filing and decide whether to take any next steps.

The strike is over. Air Canada has resumed most of its flights now that a deal has been reached with its CUPE represented flight attendants. The four-year deal provides wage increases of between 16 and 20 per cent. Flight attendants will also receive some compensation for pre and post flight duties. The tentative deal still has to be ratified by members.

Mediated talks have restarted between Air Canada and its CUPE represented flight attendants. The Union says Air Canada contacted CUPE Monday night in the impasse over wages and pay for pre-flight work. The move also comes after labour leaders defied a second order to resume working. The strike has shut down most Air Canada flights in and out of the country’s major airports including YVR.

A stubborn fire that started early Sunday morning and burned through the day has destroyed most of an under-construction, residential/mixed-use building next to the future SkyTrain extension in Langley City. RCMP and the fire department are not commenting on the cause of the blaze at this point. Several businesses near Fraser Highway and 201 Street remained closed Sunday, including the Save-on-Foods next door.

B.C.’s South Coast is under a heavy rainfall warning as the weather takes a major turn. A frontal system has moved in which could bring up to 80mm of rain by the end of Friday. That’s prompted some concerns about possible flooding after weeks of dry weather - the BC River Forecast Centre has issued a high streamflow advisory for the North Shore mountains, Howe Sound, Sea-to-Sky and Pemberton.

Rain is in the forecast for Friday which may be good news as crews try to contain the huge and still growing Mount Underwood wildfire south of Port Alberni. The fire had reached 22 square kilometres by Wednesday morning. Parts of Port Alberni remain on evacuation alert. Meanwhile, the small town of Bamfield has been hit by a power outage as a result of the fire. The main road between Bamfield and Port Alberni is still closed.

That wildfire near Port Alberni has grown to at least 1,400 hectares as of early Tuesday afternoon. The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District has declared a local state of emergency as crews continue to fight the Mount Underwood fire from the ground and air. Bamfield Road is closed between Bamfield and Port Alberni. The China Creek Campground remains evacuated.

Breaking news…crews are working to contain a new and rapidly growing wildfire near Port Alberni. By late Monday evening, the Mount Underwood fire had grown to more than 150 hectares in the China Creek Marina area. On social media, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says a BC Wildfire attack crew, air tanker, four helicopters, three unit crews and a Type 1 Incident Management Team had been sent in. Night-vision equipment has been used to follow through on the initial attack.