Environmental groups say the federal government’s approval of a container port terminal expansion project south of Vancouver will be devastating for at-risk species and biodiversity. Charlotte Dawe with the Wilderness Committee says the decision left her shaking with sadness, rage and frustration. She says the federal ministers involved in approving the Roberts Bank terminal expansion are well aware of the adverse effects it will have on the environment. Dawe says they didn’t use their power to stand up for at-risk salmon and orca populations.
Vancouver police say they’re looking for a man wanted nationwide after he failed to return to a halfway house. Police say the public should be on the lookout for 56-year-old Steven Frederickson, who breached a long-term supervision order. They say Frederickson is legally deaf and considered a violent public safety risk.
Vancouver’s police chief says he doesn’t think it will be hard to implement recommendations from a coroner’s inquest into the suicide of constable Nicole Chan. The recommendations include upgrading psychological interviews for potential new recruits and seeking funding to pay for annual psychological check-ins for all the department’s officers. Chief Adam Palmer says the department can move quickly on them as long as funding needs are met. Chan killed herself in 2019 after tumultuous intimate relationships with two senior officers.
The chief administrative officer of the City of Merritt says he’s leaving his job for the private sector this summer. Sean Smith says his job became more critical after flooding last November. He says the city still has recovery projects to complete. The city’s council must now find Smith’s replacement before he leaves for a new job in the Lower Mainland.
The BC Liquor Distribution branch says it will release a specially curated selection of wines on Saturday from local vintners. The branch says it will showcase wines from small and family-run wineries from around the province. The wines will be on the shelves of 127 BC Liquor stores, with prices ranging from about 16 to 160 dollars. The branch says it sourced the selected vintages from 30 different wineries.
Police in Victoria say they gave civic service awards to citizens this week to recognize them for stepping up in times of community crises. The police department says Gregory Owens was honoured for helping neighbours during a house fire. Michael Tull got a civic service award for giving medical assistance to someone who had been stabbed. Police say Dr. Dan Thompson was given an award for his two decades of providing veterinary care to the force’s canine unit.