Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says Metro Vancouver's decision to reduce the size of its governance board does not address what she describes as longstanding inequities in the regional voting system. According to a statement from Locke, Metro Vancouver's decision to reduce the number of board directors from 45 to 34 will make the board smaller but will not resolve what she called an unfair distribution of voting power. She said the Village of Belcarra, with a population of fewer than 1,000 residents, holds one full vote on the board, while Surrey, despite having a population hundreds of times large

At least 30 people were killed after armed attackers raided a village in Nigeria's northwestern Kaduna state early Monday, according to local residents. The victims include eight children, while four other people were injured. Dogon Rana, secretary to the village chief, said the attackers entered the community, opened fire indiscriminately, and set several homes ablaze. He said many of those killed were women, children, and elderly residents. According to Rana, the attackers fled the area after carrying out the assault. Local residents said security forces arrived in the village several hours

Halton Regional Police have arrested a 25-year-old Etobicoke man in connection with two alleged sexual assaults involving the same woman in Burlington. Police identified the accused as Mandeep Singh and said he was working as an Uber driver at the time of the incident. According to Halton Regional Police, the incident occurred at about 5:15 p.m. on June 16 near the south parking lot of the Burlington GO Station. Investigators allege Singh approached the woman and began speaking with her before sexually assaulting her. Police further allege that after the woman left the area, the accused follow

Sanitation workers in Punjab have announced an end to their strike after reaching an agreement with the Punjab government over their long-pending demands. The decision follows a series of measures announced by the state government, including a substantial increase in monthly wages for sanitation employees. According to the Punjab government, sanitation workers who were previously receiving a monthly salary of ₹10,500 will now receive ₹20,500. The revised wages will be paid from Aug. 1 to sanitation workers and sewermen employed on a contractual basis. The government also announced the form

The U.S. Consulate at the intersection of University Avenue and Armoury Street in downtown Toronto was struck by gunfire early Monday morning, according to Toronto Police. No injuries were reported. Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said the shooting occurred at approximately 4:45 a.m. while police officers were already present in the area. Investigators confirmed that at least one bullet struck the front of the consulate building. Police said the suspect fled the scene in a white Honda Accord sedan without licence plates. Officers briefly pursued the vehicle but discontinued the chase out of concern

A man has died following a police-involved shooting in Abbotsford early Monday morning, according to the Abbotsford Police Department. Sgt. Paul Walker said the incident occurred at the Petro-Pass truck stop in the Matsqui Place area near the Trans-Canada Highway. Police said the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle after officers discharged their firearms. The vehicle was later located several kilometres away near 272 Street and 30 Avenue in the Aldergrove area, where the man was found dead inside. According to Abbotsford Police, the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO)

Two major wildfires burning near Clinton, B.C. have merged, increasing the combined fire area to approximately 670 square kilometres, according to the BC Wildfire Service. Officials say the merged Pear Lake and Fifteenmile Creek wildfires have damaged homes and other structures on the outskirts of the Clinton community. The full extent of the damage has not yet been confirmed. BC Wildfire Service Fire Information Officer Shae Stearns said firefighters continue working to protect homes in Clinton as crews respond to the fast-moving wildfire. Residents of Clinton were placed under an evacuation

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will make changes to its Amber Alert system following the disappearance of 11-year-old Parker Wells, whose case has raised questions about how quickly alerts are issued. Parker Wells, who has autism, went missing on July 16. According to provincial officials, his case did not initially meet the existing criteria for an Amber Alert. Smith said an alert was issued as soon as the Calgary Police Service requested one. Smith said the provincial government plans to introduce legislative changes during the fall session that would give local police grea

At least 107 people have died and 344 others have been injured in Pakistan after weeks of heavy rainfall and flooding that began in late June, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The agency also reported that hundreds of homes have been damaged, with more heavy rain forecast in the coming days. According to the NDMA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 55 deaths, followed by Punjab province, where 36 people have died. The authority said more than half of the fatalities were caused by collapsing homes and roofs during the severe wea