BCMar 04, 2020
New Westminster Police release new footage of missing woman Nirla Sharma
Police in New Westminster have released new video surveillance footage of a woman who has been missing for more than a week.A news release says 44 year old Nirla Sharma was recorded in the Queensborough Landing business area in the early hours of February 24th, the morning of her disappearance.Police say images circulated widely last week were actually of a different person, not Sharma.They are asking anyone with dash cam footage who was driving in the area to come forward.
BCMar 04, 2020
3 more cases of the novel coronavirus in B.C.
Three more cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in British Columbia, bringing the total of people infected to 12 in the province. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, says the two women and one man are linked to travel to Iran. She says one of the women is in her 30s and was infected in a household linked to the eighth case in BC, which involved travel to Iran. Henry says the most important advice she can offer is for people to wash their hands to prevent infection as COVID-19 spreads around the world. Health Minister Adrian Dix says the first five cases in BC were l
BCMar 03, 2020
B.C. announces 5 days of paid leave for workers fleeing domestic and sexual violence
The B.C. government has announced five days of paid leave for workers fleeing domestic and sexual violence. The ministries of labour, finance and the gender equity office made the announcement this morning in Victoria. The new legislation also covers parents of a child or dependent impacted by domestic or sexual violence. Tracy Porteous, the executive director of the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia says survivors of such violence face many difficulties but having informed and respectful people and processes in place to offer assistance will give them time to heal.
BCMar 03, 2020
9th confirmed case of COVID-19 in BC is a man who recently returned from Iran
Another case of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, has been identified in British Columbia. B.C.'s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says the man, in his 50's, returned from Iran last week and began to feel ill. He is in isolation at home in the Fraser Health region and Henry says he, his family and close contacts are all being monitored. Ontario reported two more cases of the virus this morning and those, along with the latest B.C. case, have pushed the total number of COVID-19 illnesses in Canada to 30.
BCMar 03, 2020
Vancouver police cruisers, fleeing car, damaged at end of early morning chase
Police say one man suffered minor injuries when his car and several police cruisers collided numerous times at the end of a brief pursuit in Vancouver.It happened just after 2 a.m. when Const. Tania Visintin says officers tried to pull over a suspicious vehicle believed to be linked to break-ins on the city's west side. Visintin says in an email that the driver sped away, ignoring the lights and sirens.The 38 year old Vancouver man was stopped a short distance away after what Visintin describes as "a number of collisions" with the cruisers.The car and cruisers were badly damaged but Visintin s
BCMar 03, 2020
Woman wins discrimination complaint against former landlord over smudging ceremonies
A landlord who accused his former tenant of smoking pot when she was actually burning sage has been ordered to pay her more than $23,000.Crystal Smith filed a discrimination complaint against Parminder Mohan after he tried to evict her in 2017 and made derogatory comments about her Indigenous background.The BC Human Rights Tribunal has determined the mother of two never should have been harassed for performing smudging ceremonies in her Burnaby home.The spiritual cleansing is a cultural tradition.
BCMar 03, 2020
Suspected arson at CN Rail building not connected to protests:RCMP
The RCMP says a teenage male was arrested and released with a future court date after a suspected arson at a Canadian National Railway building in northwest British Columbia. Cpl. Devon Gerrits of the Prince Rupert RCMP says the investigation is ongoing and charges haven't been laid yet against the youth, who is under 18. Gerrits says the incident is not associated with protests in support of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs who oppose a pipeline in northern B.C. He says the Prince Rupert Fire Department called the RCMP around 4:45 p.m. Sunday about a structure fire on Bill Murray Drive close t
BCMar 03, 2020
Data breach recorded at SFU, B.C.'s privacy commissioner notified
B.C.'s privacy commissioner has been notified of a data breach recorded at Simon Fraser University last Thursday. Administrators say the problem was identified and corrected the following day but students and staff are being asked to change their passwords because their privacy may have been breached. Chief information officer Mark Roman sent out an email this morning saying the ransomware attack involved data collected before June 20th of last year, but no current systems have been exposed. The cause of the breach is still under investigation.
BCMar 02, 2020
David Eby: New legislation to prevent government's from skimming I.C.B.C. surpluses
Attorney General David Eby says B.C.'s New Democrat government is taking steps to ensure profits made by the Insurance Corporation of B.C. stay with the public insurer. Eby says he is preparing to bring in legislation that would prevent government's from skimming I.C.B.C. surpluses away from the corporation to use for other government initiatives. In an announcement this morning Eby says I.C.B.C. profits should be used to offset premium costs. He says previous Liberal governments stripped 1.2-billion dollars from I.C.B.C. between 2009 and 2016, eroding the financial stability of the Crown cor