The defacing of a public memorial in Vancouver to those who were aboard a ship that was forced to return to India more than a century ago is being treated by police as a possible hate crime. Police say they began an investigation Sunday after seeing reports that white paint had been splattered on the Komagata Maru memorial on the city's seawall in the Coal Harbour neighbourhood. The Komagata Maru, which arrived in Vancouver's Burrard Inlet on May 23, 1914, carrying 376 people, was denied entry to Canada even though those on board were British subjects. Police say the graffiti, which included

The hockey community, including the NHL and Humboldt Broncos, are offering condolences to the families of three junior players killed in a car crash in Surrey. The NHL says in a social media post that it sends its love to the families of junior hockey players Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson. Emergency crews found the car had hit a tree on Saturday and all three occupants were found dead at the scene. Police and other emergency services personnel were dispatched to the scene of the crash in the Fraser Heights neighbourhood just before 3 am on Saturday. Police say the cause of th

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021.Fires:Wildfires currently burning in B.C.: 246Since April 1, 2021:1,539 wildfires862,992 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 26Coastal: 18Kamloops: 81Northwest: 5Prince George: 53Southeast: 63Resources:Total firefighters and other personnel currently fighting the fires: 3,409Out-of-province firefighters: 514Contractors: 1,141Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 188Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 63 (-1)Evacuation alerts: 117

B.C. is reporting 663 new cases of COVID-19, including seven epi-linked cases, for a total of 158,919 cases in the province.There are 6,345 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 150,657 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 129 individuals are in hospital and 59 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, one new death (Fraser Health) has been reported, for an overall total of 1,785.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. There are 11 active outbreaks:- long-term care: Heritage Villa

Vancouver Police are investigating after a driver was injured during a violent and unprovoked assault by a panhandler earlier this month."We are extremely concerned by the random nature of this assault, which occurred in the middle of the day on a busy downtown street," says Sergeant Steve Addison, VPD. "We want people to be aware of this incident, and to contact us if they can identify the suspect."The frightening incident occurred around 1 p.m. on August 6, as a 25-year-old man was driving on West Georgia Street, near the Vancouver Art Gallery. A panhandler approached the front of his car, b

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021.Fires:Wildfires burning in B.C.: 254Since April 1, 2021:1,530 wildfires858,292 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 30Coastal: 19Kamloops: 82Northwest: 5Prince George: 52Southeast: 66Resources:Firefighters and other personnel fighting the fires: 3,728Out-of-province firefighters: 520Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 206Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 75Evacuation alerts: 118 (-4)Properties:Number of properties on order:

B.C. is reporting 689 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 158,256 cases in the province.There are 5,982 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 150,377 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 121 individuals are in hospital and 56 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, two new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,784. The new deaths include:Interior Health: oneNorthern Health: oneThere is one new long-term care facility outbreak at Heritage Village (Fraser Health). The outbreak a

A North Vancouver man is facing multiple criminal charges after a traffic stop nets drugs and a loaded firearm. On July 17th, 2021, a WVPD officer was travelling through North Vancouver when he conducted a traffic stop in the 1700 blk. of Main St. The driver, a North Vancouver resident, was found to be the subject of two arrest warrants, and he was taken into custody. A search of his vehicle yielded a loaded handgun, weapons, drugs packaged for sale, and police-like equipment including a holster, fake police badge, and gun belt. Some of the items had been hidden in secret compartments througho

Ambulance staff called police last week when a man in need of medical attention was unwilling to go to hospital. Officers arrived and were able to convince the man to get in the ambulance. The paramedics requested an officer ride in the back of the ambulance to escort them to the hospital.While in the ambulance, the man became aggressive, and punched the officer in the face. A struggle ensued, but police were able to help restrain him until they arrived safely at the hospital.The officer suffered minor injuries. The suspect could face a charge of assault peace officer.