BCSep 19, 2023
More evacuation alerts for southern BC wildfire; cooler weather could help
Most of the District of Peachland along the west side of Okanagan Lake is now on evacuation alert as drought, heat and windy conditions in southern British Columbia fuel the late-season Glen Lake wildfire.The Central Okanagan Regional District expanded evacuation alerts Monday as the BC Wildfire Service said the suspected human-caused blaze had grown to nearly eight square kilometres after being sparked on Saturday.The regional district says Peachland's downtown core and its Beach Avenue neighbourhoods are not included in the broader alert, and there is no change to an evacuation order posted
BCSep 19, 2023
I am deeply disturbed after CSIS briefing on Nijjar killing in Surrey : Eby
Premier David Eby says he's deeply disturbed and angry to hear that there is credible evidence of links between the government of India and the killing of a Sikh leader in Surrey. Eby says he received a further briefing on the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar from Canada's spy agency after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement in Parliament.The premier says his government will do all it can to enhance protection for the people of BC against the threat of violence from 'state actors'.Eby says Canadians must be safe from foreign government interference, including the threat of violenc
BCSep 19, 2023
India expels Canadian diplomat after Canada links Indian agents to Sikh leader death
India struck back at Canada early Tuesday after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked agents of India's government to the shooting death of a Sikh leader near Vancouver.
A statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs says an unnamed senior Canadian diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said earlier on Monday that Canada was expelling India's Pavan Kumar Rai, whom her department lists in its public registry as a diplomatic agent who heads up an Indian intelligence agency based in Ottawa.
Trudeau told the House of Commons on
BCSep 18, 2023
PM Trudeau blamed the Indian government for killing Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made a big statement after the shooting death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, president of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey.He said that India is behind the killing of BC's Sikh leader.Trudeau has accused the Indian government of involvement in the killing in the House of Commons on Monday.Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty, he said.It is worth mentioning that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered on the night of June 18 in the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh
BCSep 18, 2023
Removal of BC MLA Adam Walker from NDP caucus unrelated to police, harassment: Eby
British Columbia Premier David Eby says a complaint by an employee in late July led to the removal of MLA Adam Walker from the New Democrat caucus, but the issue doesn't involve police or sexual harassment.Speaking to reporters for the first time since Walker was kicked out over the weekend, Eby says he decided the member could no longer be part of the group after a formal investigation by NDP caucus.Eby says he wishes he could share more but rules related to human resources and privacy prevent him going into specifics about the accusations, which are not a criminal matter.The premier says he
BCSep 18, 2023
Punjabi youth shot dead in Burnaby
The RCMP Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has identified the victim of a fatal shooting in Burnaby, B.C., in the hopes of advancing its investigation.
Burnaby RCMP say they were called to the North Road and Cameron Street area just after 5 p.m. Saturday for reports of gunshots and arrived to find the body of a man in a parkade.
About 15 minutes later, officers were called to a vehicle fire several blocks away in the Bainbridge Avenue and Greenwood Street area.
IHIT is now identifying the victim as 29-year old Gagandeep Sandhu of Abbotsford, B.C.
They say initial evidence suggests this wa
BCSep 15, 2023
83-year-old man charged & arrested in double murder case in B.C.
Homicide detectives have identified two people found dead in a home in rural Chilliwack, B.C., on Wednesday and say an elderly suspect has been charged.The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 58-year-old John Kavaloff and 67-year-old Valerie Smith were found in the home as officers responded to reports of gunfire.Police say 83-year-old Robert Freeman was nearby and was taken into custody a short time later.Court documents show he made a first appearance before a judge late Thursday and is due to return to provincial court in Chilliwack on Sept. 25.Homicide team spokesman Sgt. Timothy P
BCSep 15, 2023
B.C. Sikh referendum will ask if Indian diplomat was responsible for Nijjar killing
Organizers of an unofficial worldwide referendum on Punjabi independence have added a question to the ballot in British Columbia asking if India's high commissioner was responsible for the killing of a prominent provincial Sikh leader in June.The group Sikhs for Justice, which has been staging a series of non-binding votes in several countries on the independence issue, says the first stage of balloting in B.C. on Sunday attracted more than 135,000 voters.It says the second stage will be held on Oct. 29 and will add a second question about whether High Commissioner Sanjay Verma was responsible
BCSep 14, 2023
Youth arrested for bear-spray attack on Sikh teen in Kelowna, B.C.: RCMP
RCMP say they've arrested a youth after a bear-spray attack on a Sikh teenager who was riding a bus in Kelowna, B.C.Corp. Michael Gauthier with Kelowna RCMP says in a statement that video shows the suspect assaulting and spraying the victim during an attack that took place both on and off a B.C. Transit bus on Monday.Gauthier says the suspect remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday for a bail hearing.In a previous statement, the Kelowna detachment said the 17-year-old Sikh student had been attacked by another teenage male and the motive was unknown.The World Sikh Organi