BMW busted after speeding past Vancouver police station - BC News (2024)

HandyDART strike looms

Brendan Kergin / Vancouver is Awesome - Sep 2, 2024 / 5:18 pm | Story: 504466

With a strike planned,locals relying on the HandyDART service may need to find alternate ways to get around this week.

The Amalgamated Transit Union has announced Local 1724, which represents drivers and staff workingfor Transdev, the company contracted to run the HandyDART service, will take strike action startingtomorrow.

"HandyDART workers will conduct a full work stoppage starting Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 5 a.m.," reads a union press release.

The union is working out essential transit services for those needing medical treatments including dialysis patients, and those undergoing cancer and multiple sclerosis treatments.

As part of the job action, a "massive show of solidarity" in the form of a rally and picket is planned for Thornton Park, the park next to the Pacific Central Train Station and Main Street-Science World SkyTrain Station starting at noon on Sept. 3.

Talks between Transdev and the union are expected to resume Sept. 12.

With files from the Canadian Press.

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Three lost brothers found

Mina Kerr-Lazenby, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter / North Shore News - Sep 2, 2024 / 5:18 pm | Story: 504465

Three brothers who got lost while hiking North Vancouver trails overnight Sunday, Sept. 1 have been located, according to North Shore Rescue.

The trio, from West Vancouver and in their late 20s and early 30s, had to be rescued after attempting a technical, 21-kilometre hike to Coliseum Mountain unprepared and far too late in the day, said search manager Paul Markey.

The hike, a backcountry trail west of Mount Seymour, is considered difficult and can take nine hours to complete.

“They were about a third of the way up the Coliseum peak trail, and they were told by park rangers that it was getting late and there would be no way they would be able to make the peak and return back to the car before darkness,” he said.

“But the brothers decided to carry on anyway.”

Setting off at 1 p.m., the three brothers arrived at the peak at 7 p.m. before making their descent around half an hour later. As nightfell, the group took a wrong turn on their descent, arriving at Paton Peak in complete darkness at 9 p.m.

“They called 911 at that point, and then the police called us,” he said.

“We knew exactly where they were on the trail, so I told them to stay put for the night. Just hunker down. I knew the weather was good and it was going to be a warm night, so that wasn’t a problem,” said Markey.

“They were healthy and strong, uninjured. So I knew they could spend the night exactly where they were.”

North Shore Rescue was called at first light Monday morning when the three hikers,with dwindling phone battery, couldn’t source the trail to descend Paton Peak.

“We took a decision with the RCMP to go and help rescue the guys and get them safely back down the mountain,” said Markey, adding that rescue teams were divided into one driving up the Seymour Demonstration Forest service roads, another stationed at the Bone Creek search and rescue station nearby and a third, flown up to the summit of Paton Peak.

The three descended unharmed, but with the area around Paton Peak “treacherous” when off the trail, events could have unfolded very differently, said Markey.

The incident should serve as a reminder to other hikers to be prepared when taking to the local trails, said Markey, especially as the weather makes its gradual shift to autumnal conditions and the days become shorter.

“The issue was that they just started way too late in the day,” he said, adding how the group had no headlights, no survival equipment, no battery backup for their phones and had ignored the advice of park rangers.

“People can learn from this misadventure.”

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Interior Health called to task

A health care advocacy group is calling for an independent review of Interior Health following five Interior-area ER closures over the long weekend.

In a news release based on a Vancouver Sun article issued Sunday, B.C. Rural Health Network said the current system isn't working.

Over the Labour Day long weekend, emergency departments in Oliver, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Lillooet, and Merritt were closed at some point.

“A very high percentage of rural and remote emergency departments are basically being kept open by the willingness of a staff member to do additional on-call work,” said Paul Adams, executive director of B.C. Rural Health Network, said in the press release. “Everybody in the entire system is working hard to keep doors open and they do everything they can.”

On Saturday night, emergency departments at both hospitals in Cariboo-Chilcotin were closed, with Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson calling the situation “incredibly dangerous.”

As of Sunday, Oliver’s South Okanagan General Hospital has closed nearly 30 times since the start of this year.

Both Interior Health and the B.C. Ministry of Health have said they are focusing their efforts on recruiting doctors and retention strategies to tackle the closures, with Interior Health describing the health human resource shortage as “very real.”

Adams described the hospitals’ current operations as “whack-a-mole-style management.”

“There must be an independent review of Interior Health,” he said.

“Nobody has a magic wand that you can just take and create physicians and nurses. But maybe we need to start looking at how we enhance the labour pool of people who can provide some level of service to keep an emergency door open.”

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Busted outside cop shop

Brendan Kergin / Glacier Media - Sep 2, 2024 / 11:31 am | Story: 504432

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Feels slighted by United

Nick Laba / North Shore News - Sep 1, 2024 / 7:49 pm | Story: 504390

It wasn’t until Wednesday morning that West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Karin Kirkpatrick and her BC United colleagues started seeing the news on X (formerly Twitter) that their party’s top brass had decided to end its campaign.

For Kirkpatrick, a loyal supporter of the rebranded BC Liberal organization, the way in which she and others learned about the decision was “appalling” and “cowardly.”

News that former BC United leader Kevin Falcon had made a deal with the BC Conservatives emerged just prior to a caucus meeting Wednesday morning (Aug. 28), where the former head of the official opposition offered little information to his former political teammates, Kirkpatrick said.

“We ended that caucus meeting shell-shocked and confused,” she said. “We didn’t know who was in and who was out, and from there it’s just progressed.”

Despite some of his missteps, Kirkpatrick said she got behind Falcon as leader of her party, which made her even more angry to hear the news without any warning or consultation.

“I thought I had a good relationship with Kevin. He’d always take my phone call. He would call me and get advice on social issues and policy issues, because I’ve got a background in that area,” she said. “I feel very stabbed in the back.”

After learning that private negotiations to fold BC United had been led by Caroline Elliott, Kirkpatrick believes she was misled by her and Falcon. Elliott was set to replace Kirkpatrick as the BC United candidate for West Vancouver-Capilano, and is also Falcon’s sister-in-law.

“They knew that this was happening,” Kirkpatrick said.

Elliott gave up on campaign or knew party would fold, Kirkpatrick says

In May, there were talks between the provincial United and Conservatives, but a deal couldn’t be reached that would protect enough sitting MLAs, Kirkpatrick said.

After that, everyone was all hands on deck to rebuild BC United.

“That’s the last thing we heard,” Kirkpatrick said. "I find that hard to believe that these discussions haven’t been going on longer than that.

“And if they’ve only been speaking since Sunday (Aug. 25), I think that it’s pretty poor form to come up with a policy that’s going to impact the future politics of British Columbia for decades to come, and they’re going to do it in 72 hours,” she said.

Elliott also appeared to be putting less effort into her campaign, Kirkpatrick said, especially compared to peers like former BC United Candidate for North Vancouver-Seymour James Mitchell.

“If you look at somebody like James Mitchell working so hard in North and Seymour, he knocked on 3,000 doors,” she said. “He puts together great events like that. One was with [former federal Conservative leader] Erin O’Toole.”

“Many of our candidates were looking at [Elliott] and saying, ‘What is she doing? She's not helping the party,’” Kirkpatrick said.

“[Elliott] either knew there wasn’t going to be a party, or she gave up on the fact that she thought we could win,” she said.

While Elliott admits that a 72-hour timeline is a short one to redefine the province’s political landscape, she insists that formal talks to team up with the BC Conservatives only began on Aug. 25.

With direction from Falcon to start face-to-face discussions, Elliott texted BC Conservative executive director Angelo Isidorou, she said, and then the pair met for a chat that Sunday evening at Browns Socialhouse in North Vancouver.

Common ground there eventually led to a handshake between Falcon and Conservative leader John Rustad on the evening of Aug. 27, Elliott said. BC United would end its run, with some of its strongest candidates running for the Conservatives.

“[Kirkpatrick] may be surprised at the suddenness, and I get that,” Elliott said.

But with BC United donations falling below the Conservatives in the most recent quarter, the message from voters was clear, Elliott said.

“The message we were getting, and certainly the message I was getting on the doorstep here in West Van-Capilano, was ‘You guys have to find a way to put the province first. We do not want to see a split in the vote,’” she said.

Kirkpatrick considering cancelling retirement from politics

Another glaring issue now for former BC United candidates is a financial one. What happens to all the money raised by candidates, as well as the money put into campaigns by the politicians themselves?

“Everything we’ve done to raise money, the party locked up,” Kirkpatrick said. “I was sitting MLA, and I’ve now been locked out of the BC United system, and all our money is gone from our account.”

Under B.C. election law, funds can’t be transferred directly to another party. Kirkpatrick said she’s learned that some of the money in those accounts is going to be used to pay off debts.

“We did a big fundraising push a couple weeks ago. Nobody told us we are fundraising to pay the bills,” she said.

Kirkpatrick said she and others intend to demand accountability from executives in the BC United organization.

“All the members of BC United, who have been donating for years and years … they were consulted on this name changing, but they were not consulted on folding the party,” she said.

“There’s a lot of angry people, and I’ve got donors wanting their money back. That can’t happen if we don’t have the money,” Kirkpatrick added.

But Elliott said she’s not at all involved in the financial management of the party.

“I received assurances that everything is being run in terms of what the entitled party [should] do at headquarters,” she said.

BC United was reached for comment on its finances, but did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

Kirkpatrick said she also disapproves of teaming up with the Conservatives on an ideological level.

“There’s issues with women’s rights, reproductive rights – there are issues with hom*ophobia, transphobia,” she said. “Anybody in a party with people who think that vaccines cause you to be magnetic, I don’t want them anywhere near government policy making.”

Part of the deal between Rustad and Falcon was that the Conservatives would put the best candidates going forward, Elliott said, “and is going forward reviewing the vetting process and reviewing some candidates based on that.”

With just 22 days left to declare candidacy, Kirkpatrick’s head is spinning with potential courses of action, which include the possibility of forming another political party or cancelling her retirement to run as an independent.

“That door is open because British Columbians need to have a centre party, and they’ve just lost their home politically,” she said.

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Falcon on ending campaign

Cindy E. Harnett / Times Colonist - Sep 1, 2024 / 7:00 am | Story: 504320

As news cameras flashed and BC United Leader Kevin Falcon announced a seismic shift in B.C. politics that would end his political career, he thought of his two daughters, Josephine and Rose.

“I just wanted them to be proud of their dad doing what was right, not what’s easy,” an emotional Falcon said Friday in an exclusive interview with the Times Colonist.

Just two days earlier, on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., in the leader’s office, Falcon sat for another half-hour interview with the Times Colonist.

As he rushed to eat a late lunch, he addressed personal matters and political high points.

Full of political brawn, he celebrated his B.C. Liberal party’s fiscal and infrastructure accomplishments since 2001 — he served as minister of deregulation, transportation, health and finance — defended failures, conceded the B.C. Liberal rebranding to BC United last year had not gone well, and criticized B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad and his candidates as if nothing else was happening.

But everything was happening.

Within the hour, Falcon would board a flight to Vancouver where a handful of people were in secret merger discussions with the B.C. Conservatives, triggered by Falcon just 48 hours earlier.

Staff were rushing him out of his office to a plane at Victoria’s Inner Harbour. His closest advisers, some of his longest-serving MLAs — none of them had any indication of what was about to transpire.

“Outside of my chief of staff, I could not talk to anyone,” Falcon said. “That’s just the nature of something like this that’s so highly sensitive.”

How did he proceed with press announcements and one-on-one interviews Tuesday with one foot pedal-to-the-metal in a BC United election campaign at full throttle, and the other slamming on the brakes?

“This is the toughest part of leadership,” Falcon said. “Because, yes, it absolutely will come across to those I’m speaking to, and even the public, perhaps as duplicitous.

“But I have no knowledge that any of this will come to a positive end. In fact I was, frankly, more of the view that it was unlikely to,” Falcon said.

“And so I still have to keep my game face on, and I have to continue moving forward with the knowledge that I’m going to be leading our group into a campaign, however challenging and difficult as that may be … and that’s what I did.”

Falcon said he empowered sister-in-law Caroline Elliott, the BC United candidate for West Vancouver-­Capilano and former party vice-president, to reach out to Angelo Isidorou, the Conservative party’s executive director, to start discussions last Sunday.

The two met that night over beer at Browns Socialhouse in North Vancouver and quickly concluded there were grounds for formal talks.

On Tuesday, Elliott and BC United executive director Lindsay Coté met in a Vancouver boardroom with Isidorou and Conservative president Aisha Estey. All were sensitive to the fact that earlier merger talks in the spring had imploded.

“There’s a trust relationship, I think, between them [Caroline and Angelo] and that was important to me, that whoever reaches out has to be someone that John’s key staff will have trust in,” Falcon said.

The mood was described as resolute and serious, given the gravity of the talks, the impact on people’s lives, and the timing just eight weeks shy of the Oct. 19 election. Candid discussions followed about the MLAs and candidates United wanted retained and Conservative candidates to whom Rustad made promises.

Falcon, having landed in Vancouver, asked if it would be helpful if he stopped by.

“As the leader, I needed to reach out and have a direct conversation with the key people in John [Rustad]’s staff to just determine whether there was any point in getting together,” Falcon said.

If they could agree on the big picture of getting rid of the NDP, “then everything else is just a detail that has to be worked out.”

That common ground and a review of candidates triggered the last step: a face-to-face meeting of the leaders.

At 9 p.m. in the boardroom of Estey’s law firm, Kazlaw Injury & Trauma Lawyers, in Vancouver’s downtown financial district, a three-hour meeting commenced between Falcon and Rustad — adversaries since Falcon bounced Rustad, on his birthday, from caucus over his views on climate change. Rustad went on to rejuvenate the Conservative Party of B.C. and became its leader.

Estey, Isidorou and Elliott were also in the room.

Falcon said he started out by telling Rustad “I probably only agree with 75 per cent of the things you do and it’s probably mostly fiscal and economic issues” but that he still thought Rustad would be a better premier than David Eby, a sentiment he repeated when announcing the deal.

“This was just a real, genuine human-being to human-being sit-down to see if two people could park their differences and the history of name-calling and all the rest of it, and just sit down and be adults,” Falcon said. “And ultimately, we were able to do that.”

Rustad had long refused to cut candidates he recruited despite their anti-science or bigoted views. BC United researchers had compiled a book of bios on candidates with conspiracy theories and problematic views. The two pored over candidates in 93 ridings.

“The commitment I got from John, and it was genuine, was that he would work in good faith to make sure that he will assemble with my advice — now he can ignore my advice, he has that right — to select and present the best possible team of candidates … and that includes from our own MLA caucus,” Falcon said.

(As of Friday, a full official list of candidates had yet to be made public and an Angus Reid poll showed the NDP and Conservatives in a statistical tie after BC United’s withdrawal).

For that merger of centre-right candidates to be successful it’s critical that everyone is welcome, regardless of “what God they pray to, who they choose to love, or what their background is,” said Falcon.

“Everyone should feel welcome in a British Columbia that believes that a private-sector economy is the best way to generate growth and opportunity for our kids in the next generation.”

Just before midnight, an historic decision between two adversaries was sealed with a handshake.

Falcon would remain leader but suspend BC United’s campaign, release his candidates, and put his faith in Rustad’s promise that the Conservatives will draw from BC United’s pool of candidates based on an improved vetting process.

“I think my legacy has to be trying to do what is the right thing, ultimately, for our party and our province,” said Falcon. “And although it’s hard to accept for our party, I really believe that that was the right thing.”

The next morning, as the finer details were hammered out, rumours swirled and the news leaked. A news conference was scheduled for 2:40 p.m. at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre.

As BC United caucus members and candidates heard the news, Falcon frantically made calls.

“That was hard, because the story leaks and it’s out there, and then, you know, events overwhelm you, and so that’s not the way I wanted my colleagues to see this,” he said.

Internal polling, door-knocking and attendance at events — almost 700 attended a Beans-and-Jeans event at Delta South MLA Ian Paton’s farm last Sunday — contradicted flagging polling. But long-time supporters and donors of all stripes had increasingly approached Falcon, worried a vote-split would give the NDP a victory.

“There is a little bit of a myth, as if Kevin Falcon woke up one day and said, ‘well that’s it, I’ll make a phone call. I’m just going to do this on my own without consulting people,” Falcon said. “That’s just not how it works, obviously. This is something that has been going back and forth for months.” And there was all kinds of information privy only to the leader, including the possibility of more defections — several high-profile BC United MLAs had already left for the Conservatives — a withdrawal of endorsem*nts and donations from the business community, and other pressures.

As media, candidates and ­supporters waited for the ­official announcement, the clock for the news conference ticked. And ticked. The event was delayed.

“The reason we’re late to the announcement is because I had just come from the [BC United] board meeting where the board endorsed the decision I made,” said Falcon.

“I didn’t need the board’s endorsem*nt but I think it was very helpful that the board understand why I was making that decision and why it was in the best interest of the party.”

The news conference left many questions unanswered about donations and subsidies. Rustad didn’t directly answer a question about his view that carbon dioxide emissions do not contribute to climate change.

“We’re not changing our principles and the values that we stand for,” said Rustad.

Afterward, Falcon said, he received more calls and texts, gifts and cards than ever in his political history. A deputy minister applauded Falcon’s time as finance minister.

“It’s been absolutely overwhelming,” Falcon said. “Honestly, 98 per cent of the messages are so incredibly supportive, and they’re coming from just all over the place.”

“I’ve run for office, I’ve had these big wins, I’ve had all kinds of things happen, and I make the biggest loser play in my life,” he jokes, “and I’m getting all this congratulatory support.”

But there were lots of tough calls and conversations — like with Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond.

Bond, first elected as a B.C. Liberal in 2001, worked alongside Falcon for many years, served as deputy premier under Gordon Campbell, was minister of multiple ministries including education and health, and was B.C.’s first female attorney general while she was minister of justice.

But Rustad didn’t choose her to be the riding’s Conservative candidate. Falcon couldn’t believe it.

“So here I am trying to make phone calls to talk to my caucus members — and these aren’t easy phone calls, you know, especially someone who I love and respect like Shirley Bond,” said Falcon.

“I would have made a different decision if I was John, but that was his decision, and I had to, you know, share that kind of news.”

Bond announced Thursday she had withdrawn her candidacy, adding Falcon’s suspension of the campaign came as a complete surprise.

Falcon said he has apologized to caucus and staff, saying he would have loved to have had talked beforehand, and ­acknowledged he understood “the anger, the disappointment, sense of betrayal, whatever the emotion is, I totally understand.”

“But what they have to understand from me is that I have a different vista than they all do,” said Falcon. “I see and know way more things than they do.”

Falcon now looks back on his time in Opposition as fondly as his time in government.

“I can look at our time in Opposition and say we were one of the best damn Oppositions in history and I really mean that,” he said.

“I’ve never seen a government ever have to fold or withdraw so many bills, have to back off so many initiatives … whether it was decriminalization, or whether it was their proposed Land Act changes, or whether it was that ridiculous billion-dollar museum in ­Victoria.”

And that might have been it for the earth-shaking news for Falcon this week, but it wasn’t.

On Thursday, after some of the dust had settled, Falcon called his brother Danny, who has Stage 4 cancer.

Despite the gravity of that diagnosis and an unsuccessful surgery, Falcon had been living in a world of hope fed by the possibilities of chemotherapy, new medications and therapies.

“You think you wouldn’t be surprised, that you’re prepared, but I guess you’re not, because you’re always, you’re always hopeful, right?”

But then on Thursday he learned that Danny’s prognosis had worsened.

The devastation of hearing his brother’s time is limited met with Falcon’s realization his free time is now limitless.

“I’ve been given this ­incredible, beautiful gift of free time over the next few months,” said Falcon, choking back tears.

“I obviously didn’t know ­anything about this and the ­serious nature — other than he’s in the hospital right now — but what I can tell you is that, had I still been running to be the next premier of this province, I would have been spending now up until election day ­campaigning, it would have just been one of the busiest times of my life.”

Falcon said he’s now at peace — with all of it.

“Just imagine the gift I’ve been given that I now, fortuitously, have this opportunity to spend time with a family member that’s really sick,” he said. “That is a gift that I treasure above all else.”

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BC NDP minister pulls out

The Canadian Press - Aug 31, 2024 / 5:06 pm | Story: 504287

British Columbia's Minister of State for Child Care Mitzi Dean says she won't be running in the provincial election in October.

Dean says she's bowing out of the election to focus on her health and her family.

She says "personal challenges" over the last year have affected her health, and says dropping out of the running was "one of the most difficult decisions" of her life.

Dean says she's grateful to her fellow caucus members and constituents in her riding on Vancouver Island, now known as Esquimalt-Colwood.

Premier David Eby says he agreed with Dean's reasons for not running again, and says Dean is on leave from her ministerial role "effective immediately."

In July, fellow ministers Harry Bains, Bruce Ralston and Rob Fleming also announced they wouldn't be seeking re-election when British Columbians head to the polls on October 19.

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Missing man found dead

The Canadian Press - Aug 31, 2024 / 3:32 pm | Story: 504274

Police on Vancouver Island say a man reported missing Friday was found dead down a steep embankment in Port Alberni.

Port Alberni Mounties say an adult male was reported missing Friday after not coming back to his family's home after going out that night.

They say he was spotted around 1 a.m. on Aug. 30 leaving a friend's home and found dead that afternoon.

Police say fire and rescue crews went to the embankment and had to use a helicopter to retrieve his body from what they say was a 50-foot rocky embankment.

Port Alberni RCMP say forensic investigators examined the scene and the man's family has been told of his death.

Mounties say they're still investigating the fatal incident.

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Sea noise strategy released

Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada's National Observer / Glacier Media - Aug 31, 2024 / 12:30 pm | Story: 504256

A long-overdue federal strategy to tackle ocean noise is here at last — but some advocates say it falls short of what’s needed to protect species from the ever-increasing shipping traffic in Canadian waters.

Underwater noise from ships and industrial activity interferes with fish, invertebrates and more, but it’s best known for its effect on the ability of marine mammals — such as orcas — to navigate, communicate, socialize, find food and mates and avoid predators.

With major projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline looming, the new Liberal government announced it was working on a strategy to deal with the issue in 2016 and promised a strategy and action plan by summer 2021. Three years after that deadline, the draft strategy is out. With each year of delay, shipping traffic continues to increase, particularly in rapidly developing areas like the Arctic. In the intervening years, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has been built and begun operating, driving an influx of oil tanker traffic in the Salish Sea.

The plan may have taken eight years, but Dyna Tuytel, staff lawyer with Ecojustice, says it’s still in some ways an exercise in buying more time — nine of the 20 recommendations relate to gathering information, studying, monitoring or collecting and reporting data to better understand the underwater noise problem.

“I'm concerned that they're … using the ongoing pursuit of perfect information as an excuse not to act,” Tuytel said in an interview with Canada’s National Observer.

The draft strategy was released on Aug. 23. Now, there is a 60-day consultation period for the public, Indigenous Peoples, partners and stakeholders to submit feedback. The next step is a federal action plan — to be published in 2025 — that will track the implementation of the strategy’s 20 recommendations, impose timelines and assign responsibilities to certain government departments and organizations.

“This is disappointing as it essentially means there will be more delays to seeing meaningful action rolled out, especially since the Government of Canada committed to incorporating the action plan with the draft strategy,” explained Kristen Powell, the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) specialist on marine conservation and shipping.

Tuytel says there are concerning parallels between this strategy and others like it that have failed to deliver.

“The southern resident killer whales have had an action plan since 2017 that sets out timelines and lead agencies for various actions — and the implementation of it seven years later has just been absolutely abysmal because no one is ultimately accountable and the timelines just go by without anything happening,” Tuytel said. “I’m really concerned that this action plan will meet the same fate as the southern resident action plan, of being this neglected document gathering dust."

With only 74 southern resident orcas left and myriad cumulative noise impacts to other species — both large and small — time is of the essence, according to conservation groups, in lowering the volume underwater.

“Marine life communicates through noise, so this becomes an ongoing challenge when you can't perceive your surroundings with sound,” said Powell, adding that research shows it impacts fish such as salmon and invertebrates.

“As we understand more in-depth what the long-term consequences of underwater noise pollution are, it is becoming increasingly urgent to implement a strong strategy for mitigating these impacts, because they're affecting several species at risk.”

Trans Mountain estimates its newly completed pipeline expansion will attract about 37 oil tankers each month. This increased total would represent about 14 per cent of today’s marine traffic in Port of Vancouver, according to the company. (Put differently, it’s a sevenfold increase in tanker traffic, specifically.) The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project — the expansion of a major shipping container terminal in Delta, B.C. — is another megaproject with implications for underwater noise.

Shipping is also ramping up along the coast and elsewhere. B.C. is doubling down on the production and export of liquefied natural gas and climate change is opening up new shipping corridors in the Arctic, among other drivers of new traffic.

Despite concerns over implementation and timelines, the environmental groups are giving the government some credit for taking noise seriously. Overall, the draft strategy is “a really important first step forward in tackling the increasing issue of underwater noise,” Powell said. For the last four years, WWF ran a campaign on underwater noise and made submissions to help shape the federal strategy. Some of the language they pushed for is in the strategy.

“It contains several important elements that are required to finalize a strong and actionable strategy,” Powell said. Some of these recommendations include addressing knowledge gaps, promoting innovative technologies to reduce noise, expanding and standardizing data collection and reporting, and ensuring the federal government clearly lays roles and responsibilities.

“However, it's not clear how the research and innovation will lead to meaningful and measurable action at this time,” she said.

To Oceans North, a charity that focuses on conservation in the Arctic and Atlantic regions of Canada, the draft strategy is “a good start.”

“We're happy to see that the strategy acknowledges the success of the existing programs in the Arctic, where communities have really taken the initiative in the monitoring management of ocean noise,” said Amanda Joynt, senior policy advisor with Oceans North, in an interview.

“What the strategy is really showing is basically that there's existing tools already for management of underwater noise,” Joynt said.

“It's showing us that even without the strategy, communities — especially in the Arctic — have taken the initiative to actually manage ocean noise and shipping traffic on their own, with the tools that are available to them.”

One of the strategy’s three main themes is “science, knowledge gathering and innovation,” and while there are always information gaps to fill, conservation groups don’t want research to come at the expense of meaningful action.

“There's a lot of really good reports, there's been a lot of good academic science that's come out in the last decade on impacts of underwater noise,” Joynt said.

“We're further ahead than we think we are, and we can move probably faster than we think we can on this issue with the tools that we have.”

A legal analysis by East and West Coast Environmental Law (commissioned by WWF) found Canada could use its existing legal tools to crack down on ocean noise pollution in the near term.

For example, it says the Department of Fisheries and Oceans could develop marine environmental quality standards and requirements for ocean noise under the Oceans Act and apply it nationally with noise limits specific to Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific regions.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is in the process of reviewing the federal government’s ocean noise strategy and will be providing feedback in the coming weeks, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Canada’s National Observer.

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Campfire tips from BCWS

With campfire bans lifted across the province in areas under BC Wildfire Service jurisdiction, the provincial service is reminding locals and visitors of some steps to take to enjoy the backcountry safely.

With cooler and wetter weather across much of the province, campfire bans were lifted by BCWS on Wednesday. Some safety tips for campfires include:

• Keep your campfire to a half-metre by half-metre. Have a shovel and eight litres of water on hand to extinguish the fire.
• Always ensure that a fire is cool to the touch before you leave the campsite for any length of time or go to bed for the night.
• Never leave your campfire unattended.
• Anyone riding an all-terrain vehicle on or within 300 metres of forested land or rangeland must have a spark arrestor installed on the vehicle.
• To help reduce wildfire risks, check the condition of the muffler, regularly clear buildups of grass or other vegetation from hot spots, stay on dirt paths and avoid tall grass and weeds.
• Dispose of smoking materials responsibly, ensuring they are completely extinguished.

BCWS said anyone who leaves a campfire unattended for any length of time can be fined up to $1,150 while anyone whose campfire causes a wildfire may also be subject to a penalty of $100,000 and one year in jail along with any costs associated with fighting the fire and damages.

"There is no excuse for having a non-compliant campfire," BCWS added. "Use common sense this long weekend while enjoying the outdoors."

People should check with local governments, First Nations and other authorities to see if any burning restrictions or bylaws are in effect.

Open burning, known as category two and category three fires, are still banned across the province with the exception of the Northwest Fire Centre area.

Any open fire violations can be reported to a conservation officer by calling 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP)

While the cooler weather has helped, wildfire still can occur. Report signs of a wildfire by calling 1-800-663-5555 toll free, *5555 on a cell or through the BC Wildfire public mobile app.

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Phone, seatbelt fines upheld

Jeremy Hainsworth / Glacier Media - Aug 31, 2024 / 8:00 am | Story: 504233

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has upheld $525 in fines against a woman caught driving and using her cellphone while her child was not wearing a seatbelt.

However, it wasn’t the fines that led Sunyoung Kim to appeal.

What bothered her was ICBC levying four points against her licence as a result of the conviction.

In her newly released July 31 decision, Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick said Kim was issued a ticket on March 12 for the two offences under the provincial Motor Vehicle Act.

The judge said Kim promptly paid both tickets.

“By doing so, Ms. Kim was deemed to have entered a guilty plea, which of course gave rise to the convictions,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said the notice of appeal indicated an appeal of the sentence.

The judge, however, agreed with the Crown’s characterization of the case as Kim wanting to withdraw the guilty plea.

“Ms. Kim says that she would like the court to remove the points imposed on her and decrease the amount of the fines,” Fitzpatrick wrote.

The ruling notedKim admitted her errors.

“She admits that she touched her cellphone, which is contrary to theMVA. She also admits that one of her children who was sitting in the back seat was not wearing a seat belt,” the judge said.

“Needless to say, both of those infractions raise serious safety concerns and, for obvious reasons, such behaviours must be discouraged, if not outright banned, by theMVAprovisions,” she said.

Fitzpatrick found there was no basis on which Kim’s deemed guilty plea should be set aside.

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Event brings up questions

Graeme Wood / Richmond News - Aug 30, 2024 / 7:30 pm | Story: 504187

A pro-democracy and human rights group is questioning public funding of a community event in Richmond due to the organizer’s “political agenda” on foreign interference on the part of the People’s Republic of China.

The Aug.24 “Concert in the Park” at Cambie Community Centre wasorganized by The International Elite Club Association of Canada, a registered non-profit society.

One of the club’s founding directors is Ivan (Ngai) Pak, a former federal candidate for the People’s Party of Canada who is also co-founder of the Stop Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Advocacy Group, the Chinese CanadianGo to VoteAssociation and Maple Leaf Anti-Racism Association.

Elite Club received $3,580 from the City of Richmond this year via two grant programs and $2,500 from the provincial government’s BC Fairs, Festivals and Events Fund.

Elite Club has a stated mandate “to build a strong and viable social network within the Chinese Canadians community,” adding “our activities and programs cover educational content related to Canadian systems, including but not limited to democracy, governance, elections, political parties, the justice system, the Charters, economics, civil society, human rights and the environment.”

Elite Club told the city it would be hosting a live music concert featuring Asian-Canadian musicians and artists.

But on Aug.2,Pak and co-founder Ally (Ali) Wang issued a statement via Go To Vote to select media (not Glacier Media) to inform the public the concert also aims to raise awareness of the October provincial election and that major political parties have been invited to set up tents to promote their platforms.

On Aug. 6, the group is understood to have held a press conference “to announce the ‘Concert in the Park, 2024’ event and invite theHonorable Yuen Pau WooSenator to give a speech on the impact of foreign interference and its relevance to the Chinese community’s participation in the elections.”

In April 2023, Wang spearheaded a petition to the federal government opposing the Foreign Influence Transparency Registry claiming it is a “misleading way to identify sources of foreign influence.”

Last month,Pak and Stop Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Advocacy Group submitted feedback on the initial report from the ongoing foreign interference commission.

Pak and the group conclude that the inquiry has lacked evidence of foreign interference on the part of China while risking discrimination against Chinese-Canadians on the whole.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Canadian Concern Group on the CCP’s Human Rights Violations has labelled the concert a “pro-PRC event” and written a statement of opposition to local politicians and B.C. Premier David Eby.

Pak told Glacier Media in an interview he's not a “pro-CCP activist.”

“We are Canadians living in Canada,” said Pak, who said his advocacy on anti-racism began amid pandemic-related spike in anti-Asian racism.

Asked to explain his position with the People’s Party (which does not posit racism as a major concern for Canada) turned anti-racism advocacy Pak said “Canada is not a racist country at all; there are bad apples everywhere.”

Pak said he opposes foreign interference from any nation and in his personal experience he has not observed or experienced such actions from Chinese consular officials.

Pak said media reporting must be backed up by facts, otherwise it risks discriminating the Chinese population.

On China, Pak said, “I don’t think China is a threat. …I do hold some concerns about the regime. It would be more proactive to engage with them than to make enemies of them.”

On the event, Pak said he is not bringing politics to the event he describes as non-partisan “civil engagement.”

According to Richmond spokesperson Clay Adams, the funding was granted because Elite Group is not a political organization in and of itself.

Grant rules posted online indicate “political events” are ineligible. Adams was asked if the city stands by the funding; however, he did not answer directly, rather he noted the Elite Group’s registered mandate.

Masked protesters show up at event

The festival on Saturday featured a multicultural singing contest and local bandsand several non-profit organizations were invited to set up exhibitions, including the Responsible Drug Learning Association and D.A.R.E. BC Society, which held drug prevention exhibitions.

Pak and Wang released a statement after the event saying “a certain organization released disinformation about the event.”

This, they said, led to a demonstration by masked protesters “threatening the event before it started.”

The statement claimed organizers had to call police to “ensure public safety.”

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