The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has launched an effort to gain intervener status in a human rights case involving an Indigenous man and his granddaughter over their treatment by Vancouver police while attempting to open a bank account. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a former judge who represents the union, says the organization wants to have a voice in Maxwell Johnson's case to highlight what it alleges is a history of systemic racism against Indigenous people by Vancouver's police force. Johnson, who is from the Heiltsuk Nation on B.C.'s central coast, says both he and his 12-year-old granddaught

The death of 27 year old Amy Watts, whose body was discovered in downtown Nanaimo, is being treated as a homicide. The deceased was discovered on Thursday June 3, 2021, in a small wooded steep ravine near the intersection of Albert St and Victoria Crescent. The Nanaimo RCMP Serious Crime Unit has overall responsibility for the investigation. Police spoke with the family of the deceased last week and informed them on the status of the investigation. Police are fully engaged and are actively pursuing all investigative steps, said Constable Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP. To date, no arrests

Two RCMP officers have been cleared of wrongdoing related to the fatal crash of an all-terrain vehicle in northwestern B.C. The Independent Investigations Office, which examines all cases of death or serious harm involving police, says its review has determined two officers from the Terrace RCMP detachment did not commit any offences related to the May 23 crash. The officers had attempted to pull over the ATV on a forest service road near Terrace because none of the three riders had helmets. The ATV did not stop and continued about 10 kilometres north before crashing, injuring a woman who ev

British Columbia health officials are reporting 108 new cases of COVID-19 as the province begins step two of its reopening plan. They say in a statement B.C. has 1,496 active cases and 143,299 people have recovered from the infection. There have been no new deaths and the total number of fatalities is 1,734. Officials say more than 76 per cent of eligible adults have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 657,491 have had their second shot. Step two of the reopening plan means indoor seated gatherings with up to 50 people are permitted at venues such as movie theatres and banque

Vancouver Police are reminding east-side residents to be wary of jewelry scammers, after a Collingwood man was bilked out of thousands of dollars yesterday."With Covid restrictions easing and more people heading outside to enjoy the warm weather, these scammers will prey on people’s good will and naivety," says Sergeant Steve Addison, VPD. "We need people to know how they work and to be assertive if they are approached."VPD is investigating two incidents that occurred Monday afternoon in East Vancouver, and suspect there might be links between the cases.A 51-year-old man was walking alone ne

The Canadian Real Estate Association says buyers are increasingly frustrated by volatile home sales in this country and an expected decline in transactions could underscore their irritation with hot markets like those in Metro Vancouver. The association says home sales fell 7.4 per cent in May compared with the month earlier, and the month-over-month skid affected about 80 per cent of markets across Canada. But the association also predicts sales will hit a new, overall record by the end of the year, leaping nearly 24 per cent compared with 2020 before slipping about 13 per cent next year. As

As COVID-19 restrictions on non-essential travel within BC are lifted today, police road checks established in the first week of May have also come to an end. RCMP Staff Sergeant Janelle Shoihet says more than 14,000 vehicles were stopped at the checkpoints set up along several highways on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between May 6th and last weekend. She says just 26 vehicles were told to turn around by police and another 236 voluntarily turned around at the checks established to prevent people from travelling between three regional zones for non-essential reasons. No tickets were handed

The owner of the Budway cannabis dispensary in Vancouver has been ordered to pay 40,000 dollars to Subway for imitating the sandwich chain's branding. The Federal Court ruled the shop was both benefitting from and damaging Subway's brand by infringing on its trademark logo and using a mascot. Justice Nicholas McHaffie described it as ``a submarine sandwich filled with cannabis leaves.'' The pot shop has been ordered to pay 15,000 dollars in damages and 25,000 dollars to cover Subway's legal fees.

BC is reporting 68 new cases of COVID-19, the lowest daily rate since last August, as the province prepares to enter the second stage of its restart plan tomorrow. The new cases announced are among 277 diagnosed since Friday for a total of one-thousand-537 active infections, including 136 people who are in hospital. Another four people have died, pushing the death toll in BC to 1,734. Just over 74 per cent of all eligible residents aged 12 and up have now had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine out of more than four million shots administered overall. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provinci