BCJan 15, 2020
B.C. lifeguard sentenced to six years for child pornography, sexual exploitation
It's possible "an entire generation" of boys in Summerland, B.C., may have been surreptitiously recorded in the nude at the community's pool over a 10- to 15-year period, a judge said Monday before passing sentence on a former lifeguard who created the videos. Edward Casavant, 55, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, making child pornography, voyeurism and sexual exploitation of a person with a disability, and was sentenced to six years in prison. With enhanced credit for time served, Casavant, who gave himself the nickname "Eddie Spaghetti" and retired from his job at the Summe
BCJan 14, 2020
B.C. gondola ride to reopen early after cable cut by vandals last August
Operators of the Sea to Sky Gondola say the attraction will reopen ahead of schedule after vandals cut the ride's main cable last August. The company says operations in Squamish, B.C., will resume Feb. 14, several weeks ahead of the previously estimated date. The ride's 30 cabins, each capable of carrying eight people, smashed to the ground but the vandalism occurred while the attraction was closed and no one was hurt. The main cable and 30 new cabins arrived from Europe in the months after the incident and general manager Kirby Brown says final safety inspections and certification by Technic
BCJan 14, 2020
Victoria-bound WestJet plane lands in Vancouver after hitting a bird
A WestJet plane bound for Victoria from Calgary has landed in Vancouver after striking a bird in the air.
A statement from the company says WestJet flight 209 reported hitting the bird while inbound to Victoria.
The statement says a decision was made to divert to Vancouver due to the availability of maintenance resources.
It says the flight landed normally and the aircraft has subsequently been removed from service for required safety inspections.
WestJet says it sincerely apologizes for the interruption to passengers' travel plans and any inconvenience it may have caused.
It adds all 31
BCJan 14, 2020
Horgan says 'rule of law applies,' LNG pipeline will proceed despite protests
Premier John Horgan says a natural gas pipeline across northern British Columbia will be built despite on going protests and an eviction notice from some hereditary Indigenous leaders. The premier says the courts have ruled in favour of the project and the rule of law will apply to ensure work continues on the Coastal GasLink pipeline across northern B.C. to a coastal an export terminal. The 670-kilometre pipeline is part of a $40 billion liquefied natural gas project. Horgan says the project has received approval from 20 Indigenous nations along the pipeline route and its completion is of vi
BCJan 14, 2020
B.C. police watchdog investigating fatal shooting of man in southern Interior
The Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia is investigating the fatal shooting of a man following an hours-long standoff with police in the southern Interior of the province. Lytton RCMP say they got a call about a man in distress at about 8 a.m. on Monday. They say the man had firearms and there was a report of gunfire from the residence soon after police arrived. Police say there were two other people who were safely evacuated from the house while the man remained inside and negotiations continued. They say at about 2 p.m., an interaction between the man and the officers resu
BCJan 14, 2020
Judge turfs media request to broadcast Meng Wanzhou extradition hearing
A senior judge with the British Columbia Supreme Court has denied a media request to broadcast the extradition hearing of a Huawei executive wanted in the United States on fraud charges. A consortium of 13 Canadian and international media outlets, including The Canadian Press, applied to use two discrete cameras to record portions of Meng Wanzhou's extradition hearing next week. The media's lawyer Daniel Coles argued that there is significant public interest in the case and that broadcasting proceedings would engage with the very meaning of open and accessible justice in the modern era. The c
BCJan 14, 2020
Provincial govt to increase specialty nurse training opportunities
The provincial government is more than doubling the number of specialty nurse training opportunities in the province by funding 1,000 seats each year at the British Columbia School of Technology (BCIT). This increase will help meet growing demand for care throughout British Columbia. Specialty nurses work in high-skill areas ranging from emergency settings to intensive care units for high-risk cardiac care patients, to delivering babies and providing newborn care, to working with complex patients with multiple health challenges. "Specialty nurses help us when we need emergency care; they help
BCJan 13, 2020
Weather warnings for many parts of British Columbia
Frigid temperatures have prompted Environment Canada to issue weather warnings for many parts of British Columbia and Alberta, while snow snarled the morning commute in Metro Vancouver.
The foul weather even pinned down Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who intended to travel from Vancouver to Victoria for a meeting with B.C. Premier John Horgan but the premier's office says the two leaders will speak by video conference, instead.
Sunday's snow across the inner south coast caused dozens of crashes, delays or closures on several highways and bridges, while as much as 25 centimetres of snow for
BCJan 13, 2020
Police investigating suspicious death in Maple Ridge
Police are investigating what they describe as a suspicious death in Maple Ridge, B.C. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says a body was found in a rural area of the city on Saturday. A statement from the team says it was called when suspicions were raised about the circumstances surrounding the body and the area it was found. Detective Lara Jansen says the victim remains unidentified. She says the homicide team is working with Maple Ridge RCMP, forensic experts and the BC Coroners Service to gather more details. Officers want to speak to anyone who hiked though the area just east of