Vancouver police say high-risk sex offender Randall Hopley was likely worried about an upcoming court appearance and took "deliberate actions" to avoid it when he walked away from his Vancouver halfway house.Sgt. Steve Addison says at about 3 p.m. on Saturday Hopley told several people that he was going to a nearby thrift store, but removed his electronic monitoring bracelet a short time later and has not been seen since.Hopley has a history of convictions for assault, property and sexual crimes, including three sex offences against children.He was declared a long-term offender and handed a si

The NDP has decided to support a Conservative motion to include all forms of home heating in the federal carbon tax exemption.Peter Julian, NDP MP for New Westminster-Burnaby, gave this information.The motion will be voted on Monday, which will now put pressure on the Bloc Quebecois to either side with the Liberals to reject the motion or join the opposition party.A federal government source called the move by the NDP, which has been "tough talking" on climate action, a surprise.Meanwhile, NDP MP Peter Julian said he sees the Conservatives' motion for home heating as an equal benefit for all C

A death review panel from the British Columbia Coroners Service recommends community groups be allowed to hand out drugs without a prescription in an attempt to stop toxic drugs from killing more people.The panel’s report coincided with the monthly overdose death toll of 175 people in September, which the coroners service says is a 10 per cent drop from the same month a year ago, but still equal to 5.8 deaths a day across B.C.The report says an estimated 225,000 people in B.C. use unregulated substances but less than 5,000 people a month have prescriptions to receive safer supply drugs.Micha

The City of Surrey is looking for businesses that are willing to lease their industrial land and then use the land as a truck parking facility.At yesterday's Surrey City Council meeting, council voted on a request proposal for a potential parking operator.Mayor Brenda Locke said on this occasion that the problem of large truck parking in Surrey is almost a decade old.Due to lack of facilities for truck parking, they are parked on roads.Now the city staff has been urged to find such places which can be used for truck parking.The Mayor says that a large number of trucks are based in Surrey and t

British Columbia has plans to make Holocaust education mandatory for high school students with additions to Grade 10 curriculum coming in 2025.Eby made the announcement at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on Monday.Premier David Eby says it's been a "frightening time" for the Jewish community after deadly terrorists attacks by Hamas militants in Israel earlier this month.He says there has been a rise in antisemitism in B.C., and combatting hate starts with learning from the past so the same horrors are never repeated.The changes will take effect in the 2025-2026 school year to

More than 200,000 people turned out to vote in two unofficial referendums at the centre of Canada's ongoing tensions with India, officials said Sunday, after the latest one in the MetroVancouver municipality of Surrey wrapped up in the evening.A second referendum on Khalistan, an independent state in India proposed by some Sikhs was held today at the same Surrey gurdwara where activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in June.Sarbraj Kahlon, news director at Radio Punjab who was at the referendum site, called the latest vote a success after 65,700 people turned out in Surrey Sunday to cast b

BC Hydro is warning customers to be prepared for significant power outages after the province endured one of its driest summers on record this year. Hydro spokeswoman Susie Rieder says trees weakened by drought can be more susceptible to winds and as storm season ramps up, a substantial number of dead and damaged trees are expected to fall, leading to power outages.The Crown corporation says its crews replaced more than 1400 power poles for 20,000 customers affected by wildfires since May, but the ongoing drought means there are still risks of outages this fall.Reider says residents should hav

A police crackdown on violent and chronic shoplifters in Vancouver has ended in 258 arrests and the recovery of almost $57,000 in stolen goods.Vancouver police say the arrests were made during a two-week operation in September, which was co-ordinated with other Lower Mainland police departments, resulting in another 82 arrests in Delta, Langley, Richmond and Burnaby.Staff Sgt. Mario Mastropieri says Vancouver isn't alone in dealing with rampant theft, and other North American cities have seen some major retailers shut down because of violent shoplifting.He says police are determined not to let

Organizers of an upcoming vote on an independent Sikh state say Canada's allegations of an Indian link to the killing of an activist in Surrey have significantly bolstered support for their cause.A lawyer for Sikhs For Justice says many supporters of an independent Sikh state in India had been reluctant to voice their opinions over fear of being labelled terrorists.But Gurpatwant Singh Pannun says discussions about India's possible role in the killing are allowing supporters to discuss the issue without fear.Sikhs For Justice will hold a second round of voting for its unofficial referendum ab