Vancouver Rundown

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.

Heat warnings continue for parts of Vancouver Island and southern B.C. with temperatures expected to be in the high 30s in many areas. Sea-to-Sky, eastern and inland parts of Vancouver Island, and the Similkameen and South Okanagan are under warnings - cooling is not expected until late Tuesday. The Lower Mainland is not under any such warnings but eastern parts of the Fraser Valley may hit the low 30s.

BC Conservative Leader John Rustad says his party’s troubled fundraising campaign has been impacted by the last federal election. Rustad tells the Vancouver Sun a lot of people are just tapped out. The Conservatives only managed to raise $350,000 from April to the end of June. That’s half of what the NDP raised during that time period. The Conservatives are currently involved in a leadership review.

Some people forced from their properties due to the Wesley Ridge wildfire on Vancouver Island are now allowed back home. The partial downgrade of the evacuation order comes as crews make progress fighting the fire, which is about 540 hectares and burning 50 kilometres northwest of Nanaimo. Meanwhile, BC Wildfire crews will be surveying areas around the B.C. Interior Thursday after a new round of thunderstorms hit the Okanagan, Cariboo and Thompson-Nicola Wednesday.

Those attending one of B.C.’s most notable music festivals continue to be targeted by RCMP. Numbers released by the Mounties show 800 violation tickets were handed out to drivers during multiple road checks along the mountain passes leading to the Shambhala festival near Salmo in the West Kootenay. Another 83 people got drug-impairment charges. Almost half the tickets were for speeding but nine were for excessive speed, 11 for no insurance and 11 for unsafe vehicles. This is not the first year festival goers received tickets - last year, hundreds more were caught.

Hundreds of people have now been forced to evacuate as the Wesley Ridge wildfire on Vancouver Island continues to grow. It’s now well-over 500 hectares, out-of-control, and continuing to expand. Heavy equipment, planes and helicopters, specialists and more than 160 crew have been brought in. The area includes Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park and spots next to Highway 4. Drivers are being warned to prepare for sudden changes between Parksville and Port Alberni.Meanwhile, smoke from the Wesley Ridge fire is starting to impact the air quality on Vancouver Island. Air Quality advisories have been posted for Nanaimo, Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Nanoose Bay. Those in the B.C. Interior are also dealing with bad air from a host of fires. Air Quality bulletins are up for the Fraser Canyon, Okanagan, Cariboo and South Thompson.

Crews continue to contend with a growing number of wildfires around B.C. An out-of-control Vancouver Island fire has prompted an evacuation order for some properties on the north side of Cameron Lake. Highway 4 remains open between Nanaimo and Port Alberni. Meanwhile, the Bear Creek wildfire next to Harrison Lake has grown to nearly 100 hectares. Some forestry roads in the area are closed to campers. Tourists are still able to visit Harrison Hotsprings. And several new lightning-sparked wildfires are burning in Washington state, just south of the Canadian Okanagan. Smoke is visible from Osoyoos. Some parts of the southern B.C. Interior have had lightning strikes late Thursday and early Friday morning.

Hot, dry weather seems to be a turning point as B.C.’s wildfire season ramps up. The wildfire south of Lytton has more than tripled in size to about 500 hectares. Three helicopters and 45 ground crew are working to contain the blaze which is about 10 kilometres south of the village. Evacuation alerts are in place for a few properties. Crews remain concerned about ash that has been falling in parts of Lytton.Meanwhile, some campers have been told to leave as the Bear Creek wildfire near Harrison becomes a fire of note. It grew to at least 64 hectares early Wednesday. Travelers are being told to stay clear of the part of Harrison Lake where fire crews are working.And, a wildfire near Peachland has shut down the highways at the junction of the Okanagan Connector and Highway 97. The fire is at least 12 hectares and burning out-of-control. It’s believed to be human caused.

Hot, dry weather seems to be a turning point as B.C.’s wildfire season ramps up. The wildfire south of Lytton has more than tripled in size to about 500 hectares. Three helicopters and 45 ground crew are working to contain the blaze which is about 10 kilometres south of the village. Evacuation alerts are in place for a few properties. Crews remain concerned about ash that has been falling in parts of Lytton.Meanwhile, some campers have been told to leave as the Bear Creek wildfire near Harrison becomes a fire of note. It grew to at least 64 hectares early Wednesday. Travelers are being told to stay clear of the part of Harrison Lake where fire crews are working.And, a wildfire near Peachland has shut down the highways at the junction of the Okanagan Connector and Highway 97. The fire is at least 12 hectares and burning out-of-control. It’s believed to be human caused.

Wildfire crews are on edge, concerned ash from a nearby fire could rain down on Lytton. A 200 hectare wildfire is burning south of Lytton as the village deals with dry conditions and temperatures nearing 40C. Evacuation alerts remain in place for properties on the west side of the Fraser River, across from Lytton. More than 60 wildfires are currently burning in B.C.

Heat warnings are posted for many B.C. areas outside of the south coast as temperatures are expected to soar above 30C for most of this week. Warnings are up for the Fraser Canyon, Cariboo, Okanagan Valley and West Kootenay. Some are bracing for temperatures as high as 37C. The Interior Health authority is advising the very old, very young, pregnant and homeless to be extra careful.

Three women have been arrested following a weekend stabbing at North Vancouver’s Lonsdale Quay. RCMP say the three were involved in a fight near the bus loop early Saturday morning. Two of the women in their 20s, along with another woman, suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious. Police say they all knew each other and there is no risk to the public.

The three miners trapped underground in northern B.C. are reported to have access to the natural flow of air according to the company. Drones have been assisting in rescue efforts at the Red Chris gold and copper mine near Dease Lake. The miners, employed by Hy-Tech Drilling, are in a refuge area that has enough food and water to supply 16 people for two days. Cave-ins trapped the miners on Tuesday.

Business leaders and politicians from Washington state are asking British Columbians to not forget about their friends south of the border. Senator Patty Murray says Canada isn’t just a trading partner, it’s an ally and neighbour. Murray says her state imports close to $18B worth of Canadian goods each year. Donald Trump is promising to impose a 35 per cent tariff on many Canadian goods starting August 1.

Business leaders and politicians from Washington state are asking British Columbians to not forget about their friends south of the border. Senator Patty Murray says Canada isn’t just a trading partner, it’s an ally and neighbour. Murray says her state imports close to $18B worth of Canadian goods each year. Donald Trump is promising to impose a 35 per cent tariff on many Canadian goods starting August 1.

Those going to bars, nightclubs and restaurants in downtown Vancouver will soon be able to drink until 4:00 a.m. City Council has unanimously voted to extend the hours for establishments in the downtown core that decide to opt-in. This means most bars will remain open after SkyTrain shuts down and all but a few buses end service. Vancouver Coast Health is opposed to the move noting alcohol consumption is linked to many health and safety risks.

Breaking news: The BC Wildfire Service has been notified of at least one new fire following a Monday evening thunderstorm in parts of the Lower Mainland. A blaze on Nicomen Mountain, east of Mission, was reported just after 10:00 p.m. Dozens of lightning strikes were recorded from Chilliwack through to Coquitlam.

Crews continue to fight a wildfire north of Harrison Hot Springs, on the east side of the lake. The fire broke out late Saturday - more than two dozen crew are now fighting the blaze. Two helicopters have been dropping water. The fire is believed to be human caused.Meanwhile, wildfire crews have gained the upper hand on a small fire burning in the Fraser Canyon between Hope and Boston Bar. The Alexandra Bridge Park wildfire started late Friday and could be seen from Highway One, north of Spuzzum. No alerts or evacuations have been necessary.

David Eby’s NDP government has finally backed down and will reinstate funding to cover an extremely expensive drug for a little girl who is dying of a rare disease. Ten-year-old Charleigh Pollock’s Brineura infusions cost close to $33,000 a dose - and the province will reverse its decision to end coverage following outrage from politicians, medical professionals and the general public. The Langford girl suffers from Batten disease - a very rare condition that is likely fatal.

A former commercial pilot has been charged with terrorism offences in the hijacking of a single-engine plane from Victoria. Shaheer Cassim, a long-time environmental activist, is the man arrested by police after a plane from the Victoria Flying Club touched down at YVR. Air traffic around Vancouver International was halted for a short time Tuesday afternoon as the Cessna 172 Skyhawk circled the airport. Cassim was arrested at gunpoint.

A security incident at YVR has been prompted by the theft of a single engine plane on Vancouver Island. Some flights had to be grounded and airspace had to be shutdown Tuesday afternoon after a Cessna 172S Skyhawk was taken from the Victoria Flying Club and flown to Vancouver. The suspect and lone occupant circled YVR for close to 20 minutes before landing the plane. He was promptly arrested. There’s no word on the motive.

Kelly Ellard’s day parole has been revoked. Reena Virk’s killer - who legally changed her name to Kerry Sim - has lost her day parole over positive drug tests and negative behaviour. She’s also been called an undue risk to society by the Parole Board. Ellard is serving a life sentence for second degree murder for her part in the savage 1997 killing of the 14-year-old in Victoria.

Dozens of properties, campsites and a popular golf course are included in a wildfire evacuation east of Princeton. The still-small August Lake wildfire is about 2 kilometres from the town and burning out of control. The fire, which broke out Saturday afternoon, is thought to be human caused. Meanwhile, BC Wildfire crews have been dealing with several other new fires that started over the weekend including ones in Manning Park, Keremeos and the Cowichan Valley.

B.C. now has over a hundred confirmed cases of the measles including 18 in the two health authorities that cover the Lower Mainland. The majority of cases are in those who are not fully vaccinated. Health experts continue to express concerns that summer events and travel will lead to a rapid expansion of measles. The provincial government is advising people to contact their family doctor or call 811 if they suspect they need an updated shot.

The B.C. government should mandate risk assessments for all public events - that is the key recommendation from the inquiry into the Lapu-Lapu Day attack. The Commission of Inquiry into the deadly Filipino street festival also calls for improved training and clearer definitions of udicial roles. The Eby government has stated it accepts the intent of the recommendations but there is no word on any path toward implementation. Eleven people died when the driver of an SUV plowed into pedestrians at the event on April 26.

A man has been shot dead by RCMP at a home in Surrey’s Clayton Heights where a woman’s body was found inside. It happened Monday evening when officers responded to a possible domestic violence call on 66A Avenue, just east of 195 Street. Neighbours say they heard several bangs and then saw victims removed from the home. It’s believed the two were a couple in their 60s. While the Surrey Police Service is the force of jurisdiction, the incident happened in an area where Surrey RCMP respond to most of the calls.

The federal government’s transportation committee is calling out the Eby government and demanding to know why the province has awarded a Chinese Communist Party owned, overseas shipyard the BC Ferries contract thanks to a $1B federal loan. The House of Commons committee has voted to investigate a deal which includes major financing from a federal Crown owned lender. The BC NDP government has been widely criticized for choosing China over any North American shipbuilder for the new ferries.

The Izman Creek wildfire, north of Lytton, is now 245 hectares and expected to grow over the next couple days. Temperatures on Monday and Tuesday will be in the low 30s in that area and then cool down with strong winds on Wednesday. Highway 12 between Lytton and Lillooet remains open even as crews fight the fire from the ground and air. The wildfire started back on Canada Day when sparks from an RCMP trailer ignited brush.

This week’s wildfire north of Lytton was caused by an RCMP vehicle. The Mounties now admit that an equipment failure on a trailer being towed by a police vehicle started the Izman Creek wildfire, 18 km north of Lytton. Three properties in the area have been evacuated while the Lytton First Nation has issued an evacuation alert for others. Meanwhile, BC Wildfire is dealing with several other small fires including one that broke out near Hope Thursday afternoon.

A wildfire north of Lytton has now grown to at least 100 hectares. Several small evacuation alerts remain in place as the Izman Creek wildfire burns out-of-control. The fire is burning on Lytton’s opposite side of the Thompson River, near small farms and reserves. Thunderstorms remain in the forecast for many parts of the B.C. Interior.

A wildfire north of Lytton has now grown to at least 100 hectares. Several small evacuation alerts remain in place as the Izman Creek wildfire burns out-of-control. The fire is burning on Lytton’s opposite side of the Thompson River, near small farms and reserves. Thunderstorms remain in the forecast for many parts of the B.C. Interior.

Businessman and political watcher Alex Tsakumis is doubling down on his allegations Mayor Ken Sim was driving drunk and Vancouver Police knew it. In a response to Sim’s defamation lawsuit Tsakumis says the mayor has a history of intoxication while attending events and social media posts had been made in the public interest. The Statement of Defense is filed on behalf of Tsakumis and former ABC campaign manager Kareem Allam. A police review of the situation had found no basis to the claims.

Even more cases of the measles have been confirmed in B.C. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control now says the province has 63 confirmed cases - up from the 49 reported on Tuesday. Most of the infections are in the Norther Health region. Premier David Eby says this is sadly the predictable outcome of reckless politicians who question vaccine safety.

Richmond Mayor Malcom Brodie is not apologizing for grabbing a news camera on Tuesday. Brodie says the Global News TV camera was up in his face after he had already said no to answering questions about a European trip taken by city employees and those working at the Olympic Oval. The mayor says the incident happened at a family oriented event and the interview was not prearranged. At a Wednesday media availability, Premier David Eby said journalists have a tough job and we have to respect their role in holding politicians to account.

Three unvaccinated people in Chilliwack have confirmed cases of the measles. That confirmation comes from the Fraser Health Authority which is expressing concern that those cases appear to have been acquired locally. Meanwhile, Interior Health says Kamloops has a confirmed case - the first one in that area this year. The BC Centre for Disease Control has posted a list of several locations, including BC Ferries, where people may have been exposed in the past week.

The Abbotsford Canucks are the 2025 Calder Cup champions. Abbotsford defeated the Charlotte Checkers 3-2 in game six of the final. The win for the Vancouver Canucks affiliate marks several firsts. It’s the team’s first AHL cup and the first time a B.C. pro hockey team has won a championship since the Victoria Cougars won the Stanley Cup in 1925.