BCJul 02, 2021
Toronto police officer killed in line of duty at city hall parking garage
A veteran police officer has died after he was struck by a vehicle in ``an intentional and deliberate act'' that left another officer injured. Interim police Chief James Ramer says Constable Jeffrey Northrup was killed early this morning in the parking garage at Toronto City Hall. The 31-year veteran of the service was responding to a 9-1-1 call for a robbery in progress. Ramer says Northrup's return to the major crimes unit ``speaks to the kind of officer he was and the dedication that he had that it was at this stage of his career.'' Ontario Premier Doug Ford is offering his sympathies to
BCJul 02, 2021
Some Lytton, B.C., residents still unaccounted for after wildfire evacuation
The search continues today for multiple residents of a village in British Columbia's Interior that was decimated by a wildfire this week.Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth hasn't said how many people from the Lytton, B.C., area are unaccounted for.He says it's been hard to keep tabs on where everyone ended up given the urgent nature of Wednesday evening's evacuation.Officials say it's unclear whether anyone remains in the village due to a lack of cell service.RCMP say details about conditions in the village are scant because it's not safe to enter the area, but aerial photos show that nume
BCJul 01, 2021
Majority of homes and infrastructure in Lytton destroyed, including the RCMP detachment and local ambulance station: Mike Farnworth
Residents of a BC village that set a Canadian high-temperature record of 49.6 Celsius this week were ordered to evacuate their homes last night due to a wildfire that spread quickly. The majority of Lytton has been burned by a fast-moving wildfire, and a number of locals are missing. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the majority of homes and infrastructure in the village have been destroyed, including the RCMP detachment and local ambulance station. Farnworth says in addition to the damage done, some residents have not been accounted for. "Their location is currently being investigat
BCJul 01, 2021
62 wildfires and 29,000 lightning strikes have been reported in B.C. in just past 24 hours: John Horgan
In BC 62 wildfires and 29,000 lightning strikes have been reported in B.C. in just past 24 hours. At a last-minute news conference hosted by Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth in Vancouver and B.C. Premier John Horgan in Victoria, they addressed wildfires currently burning across the province, and a wildfire tearing through the village of Lytton. Premier Horgan told the province has had 62 wildfires started in just 24 hours and requested people to avoid any activities that can result in a wildfire. He further added that that province has requested for help from the federal govt. and Prime M
BCJul 01, 2021
Lytton fire: MP says 90% of B.C. village has burned in fire
Residents of a BC village that set a Canadian high-temperature record of 49.6 Celsius this week were ordered to evacuate their homes last night due to a wildfire that spread quickly. Mayor Jan Polderman of Lytton issued the order, saying residents and structures were threatened by the blaze in an area where two other fires are already burning. Chief administrative officer Scott Hildebrand of the local regional district says it's tough finding shelter for people who had to scramble to escape the smoke as some homes were burning. Provincial fire information officer Erica Berg says resources wer
BCJul 01, 2021
486 sudden and unexpected deaths have been reported in B.C. amid heat wave: BC Coroners Service
BC's chief coroner says at least 486 sudden and unexpected deaths have been reported to the agency during the extreme heat wave in the province. Lisa Lapointe says that's a 195 per cent increase over the approximately 165 deaths that would normally occur in the province over a five-day period. Lapointe says it's still too early to determine the exact cause of death but it's believed likely that the increase is attributable to the extreme weather BC has been experiencing. She also says the number of sudden deaths is preliminary and will increase as coroners enter death reports into the system.
BCJul 01, 2021
B.C. residents should still wear masks in indoor public places: Dr. Bonnie Henry
British Columbia's top doctor is encouraging people to continue wearing masks in all indoor places, even as they're no longer mandatory starting Canada Day. Dr. Bonnie Henry says masks remain an important layer of protection until more people have immunity from two doses of vaccine, which nearly 31 per cent of residents aged 12 and over have received. Dr. Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that 44 new cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed, for a total of nearly 148,000 cases. Of the 816 active cases, 108 people are hospitalized, and 34 of them are in intensive care.
BCJun 30, 2021
Evacuation orders, alerts issued in B.C. as several new wildfires flare up
Evacuation orders and alerts are now posted for three wildfires in the Lillooet, Kamloops and Fort St. John areas, as the wildfire season takes hold. Orders and alerts were issued last night as a fire near Pavilion, just north of Lillooet, flared to 50 square kilometres, while residents of 18 addresses around Sparks Lake, north of Kamloops, have also been ordered out. More than 100 other properties in the same area are under an evacuation alert because of a 23-square kilometre fire there. An alert was also posted by the Peace River Regional District in response to a 30-square kilometre blaze
BCJun 30, 2021
Metro Vancouver residents being urged to conserve water as daily consumption across the region reached near-record levels
Metro Vancouver residents are being urged to conserve water as daily consumption across the region reached near-record levels over the weekend. A statement from Metro Vancouver says daily water consumption hit 1.79 billion litres on Sunday, just shy of the all-time high set in 2009, when almost two billion litres were used on a single summer day. Metro Vancouver says that, as of yesterday, drinking water reservoirs are within normal levels, but the continued hot, dry weather, along with unchecked demand for wate, will quickly deplete the region's storage reserves. Lawn watering restrictions a