A Victoria man has pleaded guilty to misappropriating investors’ funds to pay for his own personal expenses and cash withdrawals. Randolph Michael Rochefort, 70, pleaded guilty on November 7 in B.C. Provincial Court in Victoria to four counts of theft over $5,000. As part of his plea, he must serve a conditional sentence of nearly two years and must pay approximately $77,000 in restitution to five victims.The charges against Rochefort resulted from an investigation by the B.C. Securities Commission’s Criminal Investigations Branch.Starting in 2008, Rochefort worked as a salesperson for a r

The union representing members of the fledgling Surrey Police Service says its officers and civilian workers have "no intention" of joining the RCMP, should the municipal force be scrapped.A statement from the Surrey Police Union says 94 per cent of its members have signed a pledge to refuse to apply to, or join, the Mounties, if newly elected Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke makes good on a campaign promise to cancel the city's switch from the national police force to a municipal one.The union says it issued the statement after a media interview quoted Locke as saying she is working on a plan with t

The City of Surrey is encouraging residents to take part in one of the various Remembrance Day ceremonies taking place across the city this Friday. Services will be held at Veteran’s Square at 17610 56A Avenue; at Surrey Centre Cemetery at 16671 Old McLellan Road; at the Whalley Cenotaph at 13633 Grosvenor Road and at the Royal Canadian Legion Crescent Branch at 2643 128th Street. They will occur between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. with the traditional two-minute silent tribute taking place at 11 a.m. Residents are encouraged to arrive early to find parking, or consider walking, biking or taking tran

On November 6th at approximately 8:00am, New Westminster Police Department patrol officers responded to a 9-1-1 call from a convenience store worker in the 400 block of Columbia Street who has just been assaulted by an unknown man. The victim shared that when the suspect was spoken to about not paying for ice cream, he began to strike the staff member and brandished a knife.Officers rushed to the scene and located someone matching the suspect description exiting the Columbia SkyTrain Station. When told by officers that he was under arrest, the suspect attempted to flee. Officers arrested the s

On November 9, 2022, the City of Port Moody unveiled a new heritage storyboard in Rocky Point Park commemorating the 1914 Komagata Maru incident and the efforts of the local Sikh community to reduce the suffering of passengers forced to stay aboard the ship. The Komagata Maru was the name of a steamship carrying 376 prospective immigrants, mostly Sikhs from the Punjab region of India. In May 1914, when the ship arrived in Vancouver, the passengers were denied entry to Canada and forced to stay aboard due to enforcement of Canada’s exclusionary and discriminatory immigration laws. The storybo

Burnaby RCMP is releasing a suspect sketch to create public awareness after a man allegedly made inappropriate comments and gestures to three women at Deer Lake Park on October 13, 2022. The women were walking together when the man allegedly approached them and made the comments and a hand gesture. There was no physical contact and the victims were able to safely walk away from the suspect. "Burnaby RCMP is investigating this matter and has identified a person of interest in this case. Our investigation is ongoing, but we want the public to be aware that this happened, and to report any simil

On October 30th at approximately 12:20 pm, New Westminster Police Department officers were dispatched to Howes Street and Ewen Avenue for a report of a man with a handgun. The 9-1-1 call came from someone who observed the firearm fall out of the pocket of the suspect as they were on the same bus. The suspect and a second individual exited the bus together. Officers rushed to the area and were able to quickly identify the suspects and arrest them without incident. The suspect was in possession of a BB gun, was breaching several conditions, and was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant. The second ind

On November 5, 2022, at approximately 1 am, the Abbotsford Police Department responded to a structure fire at an occupied residence at 3030 Trethewey Street. Upon arrival, Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service and Abbotsford Police Patrol Members assisted with the evacuation of the occupants. No occupants were injured in this incident.As a result of the preliminary investigation, this fire is being treated as suspicious. The Abbotsford Police Department, Major Crimes Unit, has now taken over this investigation. Although the investigation is in its early stages, Detectives believe this incident was ta

Federal health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the federal government will add more money to health care, if provinces and territories contribute information to a national database on health information. Ministers are meeting in Vancouver this week, and host Minister Adrian Dix says they are pleased the federal government has had a change of heart on extra funding, but their governments have long been keeping track of their health systems.Dix says they have asked that health transfers be increased to about 35 per cent of the health budget, up from the current 22 per cent.