Rachna Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, and Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education, have released the following statement for the National Summit on Islamophobia, hosted by the Government of Canada on Thursday, July 22, 2021:"Over the past year, we’ve seen a significant increase in hateful attacks against Muslims across Canada. In June, the cowardly attack in London, Ontario shocked the country, taking the lives of four members of the community and leaving a son without a family."In B.C., we’ve also seen a rise in anti-Muslim comments on social media, women at

American beach volleyball player Taylor Crabb is out of the Olympics after four positive COVID-19 tests, and Tri Bourne will take his place as the partner of four-time Olympian Jake Gibb when the competition begins this weekend. Crabb confirmed his withdrawal Thursday in a statement to The Associated Press, noting that he was vaccinated and tested negative before he left the United States but tested positive when he arrived in Japan.U.S. gymnast in isolation after testing positive U.S. gymnast Kara Eaker is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, while teammate Leanne Wong is in qua

The latest wildfire evacuation order in BC is in the Shuswap where the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District says 39 people were ordered out of an area near Seymour Arm on the northern edge of Shuswap Lake early this morning. The tiny rural community of Seymour Arm remains on evacuation alert, threatened by the 11-square kilometre Hunakwa Lake fire. This morning's evacuation adds to the several residents ordered out yesterday north of Lillooet, north of Kamloops and in the Slocan and Lower Arrow Lakes regions of the Kootenays. They come as the BC Wildfire Service warns strong winds will complica

At approximately 8:00 pm on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 the AbbyPD responded to an arson on the south side of Central Heights church at 1661 McCallum Rd. Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service attended the scene and extinguished the fire.Patrol members reviewed CCTV and the suspect is described as a dark-skinned male, average build, approximately 30-40 years old, 5’8-5’10, wearing a grey baseball hat, a bright yellow rain jacket, white muscle shirt, blue/green shorts with a pattern, black and white shoes, and carrying a dark brown or black backpack.At the time of the fire, the church was closed and u

The union representing Rio Tinto employees in British Columbia has issued a 72-hour strike notice after nearly seven weeks of negotiations. Unifor Local 2301, which represents about 900 workers at the smelting facility in Kitimat and the power generating facility in Kemano, have unanimously voted in support of a potential strike. Union national president Jerry Dias says the historic member vote ``speaks volumes to the culture of disrespect and unfair treatment Rio Tinto has created over many years.'' The union says it has proposed the first changes to workers' retirement income and benefit le

Canada has a team of 370 athletes in Tokyo, but most won't be taking part in tomorrow's Olympic opening ceremony. Only 30 to 40 Canadian athletes will march into Olympic Stadium behind flag-bearers Miranda Ayim of the women's basketball team and men's rugby sevens co-captain Nathan Hirayama. COVID-19 restrictions set out that athletes can only come into the Olympic Village five days before they compete, which means fewer athletes are on hand for the start of the Games. US beats Canada in women's softball: The U.S. is 2-0 in Olympic women's softball following a 1-0 victory over Canada. Monica

Burnaby RCMP’s Criminal Collision Investigation Team is investigating a serious motor vehicle collision that has resulted in two fatalities.This evening, at 5:20 p.m., Burnaby RCMP frontline officers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision at Duthie Avenue and Montecito Drive. Two people have died as a result of this collision. There were no other injuries.The investigation is in it’s early stages and we are trying to piece together what occurred. Says Corporal Mike Kalanj of the Burnaby RCMP. If you witnessed the incident or have dash cam video of the incident, please come forwar

Vancouver Police are calling on witnesses to report suspicious activity around churches, following a major spike in crimes at religious properties this summer. "We’re reminding people to be proactive and to report anything unusual at church properties, because we’re concerned this could escalate into a situation where someone gets badly hurt," says Sergeant Steve Addison, VPD. "If you see anyone who looks suspicious and you think they’re about to commit a crime, please don’t hesitate to call 9-1-1." Vancouver Police are currently investigating 13 incidents of mischief and vandalism at

A group representing Canada's small business sector has launched a petition pressing the federal government to halt the phasing out of financial support programs.The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says small business owners are keen to replace subsidies with sales but only 35 per cent are back to normal levels of sales and many don't see that happening until next year.In addition to closing the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan program last month, Ottawa has started to phase out the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS).The subs