A report examining the wildfire that wiped out Lytton last June says it's important to understand what happened so other communities don't suffer the same fate. The report says the destruction of Lytton was more than a wildfire problem and it makes 33 recommendations to reduce fire risk, especially within so-called home ignition zones, where structures and homes burn easily. The authors say the loss of the village could not have been stopped, even with immediate emergency aid, because at least 20 buildings were engulfed in barely an hour, requiring the response of as many as 60 fire trucks. R

The Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies (GNI) officially launched providing a world-class infrastructure and academic environment for research and teaching on Sikh philosophy, history, literature, culture, and devotional music in an interdisciplinary manner. GNI is a PTIB (Private Training Institution Branch) approved, non-profit educational and research institute founded in 2021 to commemorate Guru Nanak’s 550th anniversary. The name Guru Nanak (the revealer of Sikhi) is synonymous with equality, equity, justice, compassion, open dialogue, spiritual revolution, life-long learning, and e

Summer is just over four weeks away but south coast residents are being warned to brace for more snow, at least at higher elevations, as winter won't release its chilly grip. Special weather statements from Environment Canada cover Vancouver Island and the inner south coast as an unseasonably strong spring storm arrives tonight packing gusty winds, heavy rain and another dump of snow on coastal mountain passes. The weather office says all of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, Howe Sound, Whistler, Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley will be affected before conditions ease and temperatures sta

New Westminster police say a charge of assault has been recommended against a 50 year old man after another man was pushed to the ground and punched in an apparently unprovoked attack. Police say it happened last Thursday near the Sapperton SkyTrain station as the suspect and victim passed each other on the overpass leading to transit platform. A witness saw the alleged assault, called 9-1-1 and stayed to help the victim while the suspect boarded SkyTrain and was intercepted by police just outside the New Westminster station. Investigators say the case is troubling because it was unprovoked s

Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon says he's ready to hold the NDP government to account after returning to the BC legislature for the first time in about a decade. Falcon was sworn in today after easily winning a byelection in the Liberal stronghold of Vancouver-Quilchena on April 30th. The 59 year old won the party leadership last February after Andrew Wilkinson stepped down as Liberal leader following the NDP's majority win in last year's provincial election. Falcon says affordability will be a key issue for his party and repeated Liberal calls today for the NDP government to temporarily suspend a

Vancouver police say they believe speed was a factor in a four-car collision that killed one person and sent two others to hospital on Monday. Police say in a news release that a Toyota Corolla had topped the speed limit when it crossed into oncoming traffic on Granville Street at West 46th Avenue. They say the vehicle side-swiped a taxi, struck a Porsche, and went airborne over a truck before landing on top of a Hyundai Elantra and coming to rest on the pavement. Police say the driver of the Corolla was trapped in the vehicle and died at the scene. They say the drivers of the Porsche and Hyu

Vancouver Police are appealing for witnesses to a seemingly random assault that is alleged to have been committed on a 15-year-boy, and have released video of the incident with hopes that people will come forward. "Although we have arrested a suspect in this case, we are still gathering evidence," says Constable Tania Visintin. "We are particularly interested in speaking to people who saw the suspect immediately before or after the alleged assault, or overheard any interaction the suspect had with the victim or other people."The 15-year-old victim was walking in Pacific Centre Mall around 11:4

A Kamloops woman has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of arson following a joint investigation between the BC RCMP and BC Wildfire Service. On April 30, 2022, a resident in the Monte Lake area encountered a suspicious vehicle on a forestry road while investigating some smoke in the hills. The resident took note of the license plate and reported it to the RCMP.The community was alerted to this suspicious vehicle through a news release issued on May 3, 2022, which prompted other local residents to report their own encounters with the vehicle, driven by a woman.An investigation was

A BC man convicted of importing 2 kg of opium was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment last month. In February 2017, a BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) - Major Projects team initiated a transnational drug importation investigation stemming from Germany. Shortly after arresting Hamid Nemati Shirazi for drug trafficking, German Federal Police authorities (Bundespolizei or BPOL) discovered shipment details for a package suspected of containing opium and alerted the RCMP International Liaison Officer to the Canada-bound package. Acting on this intelligence, the RCMP Liaison Offic