Police in Abbotsford say they’re looking for the driver of a red Dodge pickup truck after a fatal hit-and-run along a rural road overnight. They say officers responded to the call along Lefeuvre Road and the victim, whose own truck was parked on the shoulder, died of his injuries at the scene. Police say the red Dodge was found crashed a short distance away, but they’re still searching for the driver, who fled before officers arrived. Anyone with information or dash camera footage from Lefeuvre Road between the Fraser Highway and Downes Road or Downes Road west of Bradner Road around midnight Sunday is asked to call police.
Two suspects have been charged and two others remain at large after a chaotic crime spree around the Tri-Cities area east of Vancouver last month. The two men are each accused of one count of robbery in connection with the incident that began at a car dealership, where employees told Global News three masked men with guns walked in while another waited outside in a getaway car. They allegedly stole keys, wallets and cell phones from staff begore fleeing in a stolen Mercedes, and a shootout ensued as RCMP tried to stop the vehicle. The stolen vehicle later crashed and police have said the suspects ran off — one was arrested near the scene, while a second was captured in Surrey after allegedly stealing a vehicle in Coquitlam, while police are searching for the others.
Parts of BC known for towering rainforests and endless days of winter precipitation are experiencing some of the driest conditions on record. Both the Sunshine Coast and east side of Vancouver Island are facing persistent water shortages as below-average precipitation fails to replenish reservoirs drained by drought that extended well into this fall. Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Erven says BC has had a precipitation deficit for many months, and even now, during what’s normally one of the rainiest times of year, cold air moving south from the Arctic has created colder than-normal conditions and blocked rain in many places. The province’s drought map shows many regions are rated at level three out of five, while the Fraser Canyon and all of northeastern BC are classified at level four or higher, meaning adverse impacts are likely.
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank says it has never seen so much foot traffic or registered so many new clients. Calling the situation “unprecedented,” the food bank is taking on about 1,000 new clients a month, more than twice as many as the 400 at this time last year. The increased demand comes amid climbing interest rates and rising costs of food, with more people struggling to afford the basics. Chief operating officer Cynthia Boulter says the food bank has never before had such difficult conversations about what their “ceiling” for helping clients might be, but their goal is to be able to continue to support everyone who shows up.
BC’s minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation issued a statement yesterday to mark 25 years since a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Canada. Murray Rankin says the Delgamuukw (DEL’-gah-mukh) decision was a “foundational shift in Canada’s jurisprudence” — becoming a critically important precedent for how Indigenous rights are understood and applied in the courts. He says the decision affirmed those rights, including Aboriginal title to lands, and recognized oral testimony from Indigenous Peoples as lawful evidence. Rankin says the government’s approach to reconciliation has evolved since the decision on December 11th, 1997, as B-C works to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
There are just a few weeks left to visit Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology before it closes its doors for most of next year to undergo seismic upgrades. The museum located on the University of British Columbia campus had hoped to remain open, but the school says it has since been determined closing will expedite the timeline for visitors to return without disruptions. The building was designed by renowned architect Arthur Erickson, and the school’s statement says the upgrades will preserve its original appearance while protecting the structure and its collections in the event of an earthquake. The museum is set to close on January 15th, though it plans to offer virtual events, behind-the-scenes tours and online education resources.