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BCMar 20, 2023

CUPE workers begin full-scale strike, halting bus service across B.C.'s Fraser Valley

Bus service across most of B.C.'s Fraser Valley, from Abbotsford to Hope, has been halted by a strike.More than 200 members of CUPE Local 561 walked off the job, affecting all bus service in Abbotsford, Mission, Agassiz-Harrison, Chilliwack and Hope, although essential HandiDart trips can still be booked. The union says its members, who work for a company that contracts service to BC Transit, have no pension and make 32 per cent less than bus drivers and other staff elsewhere in Metro Vancouver's transit system.Talks between the two sides collapsed last week and the union says BC Transit and i
b-c-man-arrested-for-allegedly-wielding-syringe-with-needle-attached-to-toy-arrow
BCMar 17, 2023

B.C. man arrested for allegedly wielding syringe with needle attached to toy arrow

Police say they have arrested a man in Nanaimo, B.C., who was allegedly threatening people with a toy bow and arrow that had a syringe with a needle attached to the arrow's tip.Mounties say they were called to the parking lot of the Port Place Mall in the Vancouver Island city on Monday after the man was reportedly threatening people with a stick and the toy bow and arrow.Police say the arrow "appeared to have" a hypodermic needle attached to the end, and the man was taken into custody after a brief foot chase and struggle with officers.RCMP say the 32-year-old man now faces charges of assault
drug-smuggling-guards-union-says-second-pigeon-with-a-backpack-found-in-b-c-prison
BCMar 17, 2023

Drug Smuggling: Guards union says second pigeon with a backpack found in B.C. prison

A pigeon wearing a tiny empty backpack has been captured inside a federal prison in British Columbia, in what a union official says was likely another plan by inmates to smuggle drugs.The discovery at the Matsqui prison in the Fraser Valley comes just a few months after another pigeon was captured carrying a bird-size backpack full of crystal methamphetamine at the Pacific Institution right next door.John Randle, the Pacific regional president at the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says the latest pigeon's pack was made of blue jeans and bedsheets, materials easily available to inmate
b-c-mounties-announce-results-of-organized-crime-drug
BCMar 17, 2023

B.C. Mounties announce results of organized crime drug

RCMP in British Columbia say they've disrupted major organized crime groups that are flooding the streets with toxic drugs in two separate investigations involving transnational drug production and distribution operations.Police in Surrey, B.C., announced the seizure of a massive cache of precursor chemicals used to make the powerful opioid fentanyl and MDMA, also known as ecstasy.Police say they executed several search warrants in late February across Metro Vancouver, leading to the arrests of a man and woman and the seizure of the chemicals in addition to luxury cars, electronics, watches an
17-wild-horses-shot-dead-near-kamloops-b-c-in-disheartening-act-rcmp
BCMar 15, 2023

17 wild horses shot dead near Kamloops, B.C., in 'disheartening' act: RCMP

Authorities in British Columbia are investigating after 17 wild horses were shot in what Mounties are calling a "disheartening act."The RCMP say in a news release that Tk’emlups Rural RCMP received a report of several dead horses found about 65 kilometres west of Kamloops, near Walhachin, B.C., on Friday.Police say the RCMP’s Forensic Identification Section carefully examined the scene, along with a veterinarian and a livestock investigator.They say the animals appear to have been from a herd of feral horses that frequent that area.RCMP say the motive has not yet been confirmed and the inv
b-c-to-lift-age-limit-for-free-tuition-for-those-who-lived-in-foster-care
BCMar 14, 2023

B.C to lift age limit for free tuition for those who lived in foster care

Anyone who has been in foster care in B.C. and is at least 19 years old, will soon be eligible for a post-secondary tuition waiver. The B.C. government says the 2017 program that waives tuition fees for foster care recipients aged 19 to 26 will be expanded next August to remove the upper age cap. To be eligible, students must be undergraduates studying full or part time at a B-C public, post-secondary institution, the Native Education College or with one of 10 approved trades-training providers. Just under 2000 people have had tuition fees waived since the program launched six years ago, an
bc-public-servants-no-longer-required-to-provide-proof-of-covid-19-vaccination
BCMar 10, 2023

BC public servants no longer required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination

As of April 3, 2023, BC Public Service employees will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.The decision to rescind the policy was made based on the high level of vaccination among public-service employees and the current state of the pandemic.More than 98% of employees met the requirement, which helped keep everyone safe.Rescinding the vaccination policy means a small number of employees on administrative leave due to non-compliance will be provided the opportunity to return to the workplace.The Public Service Agency has provided direction to ministries and wi
supreme-court-of-canada-restores-voyeurism-conviction-against-b-c-hockey-coach
BCMar 10, 2023

Supreme Court of Canada restores voyeurism conviction against B.C. hockey coach

The Supreme Court of Canada has overturned a British Columbia court ruling and restored two voyeurism convictions against a former Metro Vancouver minor hockey coach.Randy Downes had coached minor hockey and children's baseball in Burnaby and Coquitlam for 30 years when he was charged in 2016 after border agents found images on his phone as he returned to Canada from Washington state.All the images involved youths who were clothed and none were deemed pornographic, but Downes was convicted of two counts of voyeurism in 2019 for separate events where surreptitious cellphone photos were taken of
bc-revokes-civil-liberties-award-granted-to-mary-ellen-turpel-lafond
BCMar 09, 2023

BC revokes civil liberties award granted to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

The B.C Civil Liberties Association is the latest to strip an award from a once powerful advocate and educator whose claims of Indigenous ancestry have been discredited.The association says it has rescinded the Reg Robson civil liberties award granted to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond in 2020.A statement from the association says Turpel-Lafond, B.C's former representative for children and youth has not explained allegations about her claim to Cree heritage and remains quiet about professional accomplishments that are now being questioned, such as her reported designation as a Queen's Counsel in Sask

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CanadaOct 17, 2025

IMF chief says Canada well positioned among G7 nations despite rising deficit

The head of the International Monetary Fund says Canada remains in one of the strongest fiscal positions among G7 countries, even as Ottawa prepares to run a higher deficit this year. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva made the remarks Thursday during the organization’s annual meetings in Washington. Asked about the fiscal health of advanced economies, she said some G7 members face deeper challenges, while “Germany and Canada stand up in that regard.” Georgieva added that Canada has room to make targeted investments in areas that could boost productivity and long-term growth. She
CanadaOct 17, 2025

Police seize 72 illegal handguns linked to cross-border trafficking probe in northern Ontario

An Ontario Provincial Police investigation into cross-border drug and weapons trafficking has led to the seizure of more than 70 illegal handguns from a tractor-trailer stopped in northern Ontario. Police say the truck was pulled over at a Ministry of Transportation inspection station near Temiskaming Shores on September 11, following an eight-month probe that began in the Greater Toronto Area. Officers reportedly discovered 72 U.S.-made handguns and 66 prohibited devices during the search. Investigators believe the shipment originated in Toronto and was part of a larger network involved in co
IndiaOct 17, 2025

Chandigarh CBI court sends Punjab DIG Harcharan Bhullar to 14-day judicial custody in corruption case

A CBI court in Chandigarh on Friday sent Punjab Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ropar Range) Harcharan Singh Bhullar to a 14-day judicial custody following his arrest in a high-profile corruption case. Bhullar, along with a middleman named Kirshanu Sharda, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 8 lakh from a scrap dealer to settle a 2023 FIR. The arrest came after a scrap dealer from Mandi Gobindgarh filed a complaint alleging that DIG Bhullar demanded monthly bribes—referred to as "sewa-paani"—in exchange for settling a 2023 FIR against him and e
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CanadaOct 17, 2025

Poilievre accuses RCMP of shielding Trudeau-era controversies; RCMP, minister reject claims

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is accusing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of protecting former prime minister Justin Trudeau from potential criminal charges during past controversies, a claim the RCMP and federal government strongly deny. In an interview posted on the YouTube channel Northern Perspective, Poilievre alleged that the RCMP “covered up” what he described as scandals tied to Trudeau’s time in office. He said several incidents “should have involved jail time,” pointing specifically to the 2019 SNC-Lavalin affair and a 2016 family vacation at the Aga Khan’s priva
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CanadaOct 16, 2025

Carney to Brief Premier Ford on Ongoing U.S. Trade Negotiations

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he will meet with Ontario Premier Doug Ford today to provide an update on Canada’s ongoing negotiations with the United States over sector-specific trade agreements. Carney confirmed that federal officials are engaged in intensive discussions with Washington on key economic sectors, including energy, aluminum and steel. He said the meeting with Ford will focus on the tariffs affecting Ontario’s automotive, forestry and manufacturing industries, which have faced trade pressures in recent months. Premier Ford recently urged Ottawa to take a tougher stance if t