The BC Prosecution Service says it has withdrawn charges against 146 old-growth logging protesters after the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear an appeal of a case that was tossed earlier this year. Canada’s highest court declined to hear an appeal by prosecutors of an acquittal of protester Ryan Henderson, whose case was tossed when the BC Supreme Court found police hadn’t properly informed him of the terms of an injunction. Dan McLaughlin with the prosecution service says the court found the RCMP had been using a short script to summarize the injunction details before arresting people at Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island. McLaughlin says the 146 other cases hinged upon the same issues in Henderson’s case, and the Supreme Court of Canada’s refusal to hear the appeal meant the other cases weren’t likely to succeed, and the matters are now concluded.
A Vancouver man who lives part time on the Hawaiian island of Maui says wildfires in the town of Lahaina (luh-HYE’-nuh) that have killed more than 50 people are like nothing residents have ever seen. Brad Desaulniers says he’s owned a place in Maui for 20 years and was on the island when the fires began, fuelled by hot and dry weather and strong winds. He says there have been more and more wildfires on the island in the last decade, but nothing to the extent of the deadly and devastating fires this week. Hawaii’s governor says more than 50 people have died in the fires so far, and the death toll is expected to climb.
The BC government says it’s partnering with a First Nation to open a new camp for wildfire evacuees in Kamloops. The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness says it’s partnering with the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (teh-KUM’-loops sue-WET’-muck) to open a camp for up to 300 people in the city’s Rayleigh neighbourhood. Minister Bowinn Ma says it’s important to ensure there’s enough capacity for evacuees and for them to have a culturally safe and supportive environment when dealing with the stress of an evacuation. The province says it’s been working with First Nations and local authorities on evacuation measures, knowing that hotels are likely full during peak tourist season.
The Opposition BC United says patients at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital were left shocked over the long weekend when they were told there were no doctors on-site. Health critic Shirley Bond says patients in the island city were failed and didn’t receive the level of care they needed, highlighting the dangerous state of health care in BC. The Opposition says some patients admitted to the hospital over the BC Day weekend were given letters telling them there were no doctors to oversee their care. Bond says health-care workers are overwhelmed and the NDP government hasn’t properly ensured people have access to services they need as health-care facilities in the province are in crisis as they struggle with staffing issues.
The BC Court of Appeal has struck down a six-month sentence for contempt against a BC father who breached court orders prohibiting him from talking about his child’s medical care for gender dysphoria. The Appeal Court’s ruling says the man, who can’t be identified due to a publication ban, repeatedly gave interviews revealing protected details about his child’s identity. The court found that his lawyer failed to realize that a deal offered by prosecutors would’ve allowed him to go free upon pleading guilty, and leave him with no criminal record. The case stemmed from a long-standing battle by the man to stop his transgender child’s medical treatment, and his six-month contempt sentence was reduced to 45-days time served, and a 30 thousand dollar fine was also scrapped by the Appeal Court.
A small Yukon village is still under an evacuation order handed down last weekend, as a nearly 50 square kilometre wildfire burns nearby. The village of Mayo remains evacuated and Yukon Protective Services says it’s not safe to return as crews battle the blaze known as the Talbot Creek fire. Yukon Protective Services says firefighters are working to protect structures and building guards, and a 20-person crew from Nova Scotia left the capital of Whitehorse on Thursday morning to join the fight.