B.C. Premier David Eby has called a byelection in the Abbotsford-Mission riding for Sept. 26, following the resignation of B.C. Conservative MLA Reine Gasper. Gasper recently stepped down from the legislature to run for the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party, whose leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay does not currently hold a seat in the legislature. The governing B.C. NDP has nominated former agriculture minister Pam Alexis. Alexis lost to Gasper in the previous election by roughly 3,000 votes. Centre BC has also entered the race, naming Lakhwinder Jhajj as its candidate. Jhajj said the campaig

B.C. Opposition MLA Harman Bhangu has criticized Premier David Eby and the NDP government after the Elections Department approved the launch of a petition seeking to repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Bhangu welcomed the approval, accusing the Eby government of failing to take action on what he described as a controversial law. He said British Columbians now have a direct opportunity to push for the repeal of the legislation, which he claims has raised significant concerns about jobs, land rights and the province’s future. Bhangu said the B.C. Conservativ

The B.C. government says provinces and territories have reached agreements on several measures aimed at removing internal trade barriers across Canada amid ongoing trade uncertainty with the United States. Jobs and Economic Development Minister Adrian Dix said the federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for internal trade met Thursday and approved key changes to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. Under the changes, a 30-day service standard will be introduced for labour mobility applications across Canada. Ministers also agreed to approve free trade in services nationwide by

A shooting incident has been reported in Abbotsford. According to police, shots were fired around 6:10 a.m. Wednesday in an outdoor parking lot in the 2400 block of Clearbrook Road. Both the suspect and the victim had fled the scene before officers arrived. After several hours of investigation, detectives traced three suspects to a home in the 2300 block of Westerly Street. With assistance from the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team, police arrested 33-year-old Ryan Sawatsky, 28-year-old Lucas Bezanson, and 34-year-old Kyle Korneik. Police later located the victim. Major Crime detectives a

A couple from Port Moody, B.C., is missing after devastating floods and mudslides triggered by a glacial outburst along the Nepal-Tibet border, leaving their family deeply concerned. According to reports, 52-year-old Dhaval Shah and his 50-year-old wife, Megha Shah, were travelling to Tibet to visit the sacred Mount Kailash. The couple was staying at Hotel Kailash in the Timure area near the Nepal-China border shortly before the floods struck Wednesday morning. They were preparing to head toward a border checkpoint when contact with their tour company was lost. Dhaval Shah’s family said he p

B.C. Conservative MLA for Abbotsford-South Bruce Banman has left the party and announced that he will sit as an independent member in the legislature. Banman is the sixth MLA to leave the party this month amid growing concerns over leader Karin Kirkpatrick Findlay’s leadership. In a statement, Banman said he had been receiving consistent feedback from residents that Findlay, who currently does not hold a seat in the legislature, is unable to lead the party to an election victory. He said the party needs to broaden its political appeal to defeat Premier David Eby’s NDP government, but argue

Two people were killed in a serious crash involving a Volkswagen Jetta and a Kia Sedona minivan on Highway 19 near Lantzville on Vancouver Island early Friday morning. According to B.C. Highway Patrol, the collision occurred around 3 a.m. near the intersection of Ware Road, involving two vehicles travelling in the southbound lanes. Police said two occupants of the Volkswagen died at the scene. The 16-year-old girl driving the Kia minivan was also injured and remains in hospital for treatment. The teenage driver has been charged with impaired driving causing death and dangerous operation of a m

Metro Vancouver is set to ease its water restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1 starting Sept. 1, allowing residents and businesses to water their lawns once a week. Under Stage 1, residential properties with even-numbered addresses can water their lawns on Saturdays, while odd-numbered addresses can do so on Sundays. Automatic watering is permitted from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., while manual watering is allowed from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. For commercial properties, lawn watering will be allowed on Mondays for even-numbered addresses and Tuesdays for odd-numbered addresses. Trees, shrubs and flowers can als

A 43-year-old man, Dustin Gastel, has been sentenced to three years in prison for desecrating human remains in connection with a 2023 homicide in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The case came to light on January 3, 2023, when Vancouver Fire Rescue Services discovered burned human remains while extinguishing a suspicious outdoor fire near Powell Street and Raymur Avenue. Police later identified the victim as 34-year-old Jeff Genty, who was the first homicide victim recorded in Vancouver that year. According to Vancouver police, Gastel was sentenced by the court on August 10. His three-year sen