Surrey Forward Mayoral candidate Jinny Sims will end the ban on cannabis shops in Surrey if elected Mayor. "The current ban is based on outdated evidence," said Sims. "It was assumed that prohibited sales would reduce use, protect our youth and ensure community safety. None of that has occurred." There are three reasons to allow Cannabis sales in Surrey: 1. To curtail the impact of gangs and illegal sellers of cannabis. Legal sales reduce illegal demand.2. Ensure the safe supply of cannabis products in Surrey.3. Stop dealers from moving recreational cannabis users on to more dangerous drugs.

British Columbia's chief coroner says the province has lost more than 10,000 lives to illicit drugs since the province declared a public health emergency in April 2016. Lisa Lapointe says the province is on track to lose another record number of people to the toxic drug supply this year, with the number of deaths in the first half of 2022 surpassing those of the same period in 2021. New data from the coroner's service says at least 1,095 residents are believed to have died from January to June this year, at an average of six deaths per day. The report found more than three-quarters of the tho

Vancouver Police are urging occupants of the Hastings Street encampment to be vigilant and report suspicious activity, after someone began distributed threatening flyers throughout the Downtown Eastside this weekend. VPD has launched an investigation to identify who is responsible for the flyers, which threaten to burn tents with gasoline and propane if people don’t leave within seven days. The flyers also include threats against Insite, the supervised injection site near Main and Hastings."We are working to identify the person or people responsible for these messages, which have understanda

Jennifer Cole says the decision to set up a lottery subscription on BCLC’s PlayNow.com in May was one of the best of her life. After all, she won a life-changing $31-million jackpot just months later from the July 8, 2022, Lotto Max draw. "I heard that the jackpot was won on PlayNow.com, so I logged on to my account," recalled Cole of the moment she found out that she won the largest lottery prize ever awarded from a ticket purchased on PlayNow.com. "When I saw the number in my account, it was a lot more than expected." The West Kelowna resident first told her family of the win. "My family i

The BC RCMP has notified the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO BC) of an incident near Kamloops where one man has died. On Sunday August 14, 2022, at approximately 5:20 p.m., 9-1-1 operators received a call from a woman asking for help from what reportedly sounded like vehicle. A short time later a second call was received reporting an erratic driver on the Trans Canada Highway, and a woman attempting to get out of the vehicle. At approximately 5:45 p.m., a third caller reported that a family member and a child had been abducted. Officers attended the scene and reporte

The investigation into the discovery of a deceased man after a house fire on August 11, 2022, is now being treated as a homicide. The deceased was found in a home located on Athletic St, in south Nanaimo. In order to further the investigation, the name of the deceased person is being released to the public. The deceased has been identified as 40-year-old Trevor Stross, of no fixed address. Investigators have determined that Stross recently arrived in Nanaimo and was known to travel between Nanaimo and Victoria. If anyone had any recent interactions with Trevor Stross, please contact the Nanaim

Surrey trucker was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment for smuggling 33 Kg of methamphetamine into Canada from the U.S. On November 18, 2018, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) conducted a screening of a Canada-bound tractor-trailer at the Pacific Highway Border Crossing, and discovered 33 Kg of methamphetamine hidden inside the driver’s cabin. The driver was identified as Sarbjit Chahal of Surrey, BC, and was subsequently arrested by the BC RCMP Federal Serious & Organized Crime (FSOC) Border Integrity Team.Upon Health Canada’s confirmation that the seized illicit substances we

Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and their supporters opposed to a natural gas pipeline under construction in northern British Columbia are rallying in Vancouver as they near the end of a tour of several communities across Canada. The group walked across the Cambie Street bridge from city hall and a news advisory says they planned to rally in front of the CBC Vancouver building. The advisory says the event is part of a ``larger struggle to empower the Wet'suwet'en Nation'' against imminent drilling for the pipeline under a river, and to connect Indigenous communities grappling with the effects o

A crash on Highway 3 between Osoyoos and Cawston has sparked a wildfire that closed the highway earlier today and has now prompted an evacuation alert in the area. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued the alert for about two dozen properties south of Cawston along Highway 3 and Sumac Road. The BC Wildfire Service says the blaze has charred about 40 hectares, or just under half a square kilometer, along the road on the west side of Richter Mountain. Residents affected by the evacuation alert are being told to pack essential items and make arrangements for pets or farm anima