B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad has accused Premier David Eby of blaming U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs for the province’s forestry-sector decline in an attempt to hide his government’s own failures. In a statement Tuesday, Rustad said U.S. tariffs are harmful and should be strongly opposed. However, he said forestry production in B.C.’s Interior began declining as early as 2016, long before Trump returned to office, and has now fallen by about 50 per cent. According to Rustad, poor provincial policies, permit processes that can take two to three years, and uncertaint

A 27-year-old man has died after getting into distress while swimming near Goldstream Falls in Goldstream Provincial Park on Monday evening. West Shore RCMP said officers responded to the incident at around 7:35 p.m. on August 17. The man reportedly went underwater while swimming near the waterfall and did not resurface. Bystanders pulled him from the water and immediately began life-saving measures. Police, BC Emergency Health Services and Langford Fire Department later arrived and continued the emergency response. The man was taken to hospital for further treatment but later succumbed to his

Canada’s main opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, has launched a strong attack on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government over its electric vehicle policy. Poilievre alleges that while the government is moving to scrap the existing EV sales mandate, it is planning to bring back a similar requirement through the “back door” using tougher emissions standards. According to a notice published in the Canada Gazette, the government has recently started the process of repealing the previous EV Sales Mandate, which required 20 per cent of new vehicles sold in 2026 to be electric. Reacting to

Unionized Metro Vancouver outside workers have stepped up job action, with picket lines established at two water main projects in Vancouver and North Vancouver. The Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union says the projects must be completed before planned dredging beneath the Second Narrows Ironworkers Memorial Bridge can begin in September. The dredging is intended to allow larger oil tankers carrying greater loads to navigate Burrard Inlet. The plan has received support from the federal government. The outside workers and Metro Vancouver have been without a new collective agre

Nanaimo RCMP are investigating a hit-and-run collision that occurred on August 16 and resulted in the death of a pedestrian. According to police, the incident happened at around 1:48 a.m. at the intersection of Albert Street and Dunsmuir Street, where a vehicle struck a pedestrian. The driver fled the scene in the vehicle immediately after the collision. A frontline officer arrived at the scene and transported the seriously injured man to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Police initially took one driver into custody, but the individual was released after investigators determ

B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad and Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Eleanor Sturko have sharply criticized Premier David Eby’s latest cabinet shuffle. Rustad described the new appointments - including Josie Osborne as finance minister and Ravi Kahlon as health minister - as little more than a “musical chairs” exercise. He argued that replacing ministers will not address the province’s growing tax burden and large deficits, saying the Eby government has no concrete plan to bring spending and finances under control. Sturko, meanwhile, accused the NDP government of failing to address hom

A shooting at a home in Abbotsford is under investigation after several bullets were fired at the residence early Sunday morning. Police say they were called around 1 a.m. on August 16 to a home in the 2100 block of Enderby Street, near McMillan Road, after receiving reports of gunfire. When officers arrived, they found that the home had been struck by multiple bullets. Family members were inside the residence and asleep at the time of the shooting. Fortunately, no one was injured. The Abbotsford Police Major Crime Unit has taken over the investigation. Based on the initial findings, police do

Criminal Code charges have been approved against a 40-year-old man following a Surrey Police Service (SPS) investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving a female youth at Bear Creek Park. Police say officers responded to the park on August 9, 2026, after receiving a report that a female youth had been groped by an adult male. The suspect allegedly fled the scene before officers arrived. On August 12, SPS released photos of the suspect and appealed to the public for help identifying him. A man matching the suspect’s description was identified and arrested later that day. The B.C. Pro

Police in Fort St. John, B.C., are investigating a shooting that marks the third incident involving gunfire near schools in the city since July 22. According to police, shots were fired at around 10 p.m. Friday in the 8800 block of 107A Avenue. A residence was targeted in the incident. Following an initial investigation, officers believe the shooting was targeted. No suspect has been identified or arrested so far. Fort St. John RCMP’s Serious Crime Unit, Street Enforcement Team and frontline officers are working together on the investigation. Police and B.C. Emergency Health Services have no