A property in the Lower North Thompson region of BC’s Interior has been place on alert for possible evacuation due to an advancing wildfire. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District says the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire forced emergency officials to issue the alert at 4:30pm yesterday. Meanwhile, BC is expecting the arrival of 100 firefighters from Brazil today, adding to the province’s growing international wildfire force. The BC Wildfire Service says about 500 international firefighters are already in the province, boosting the ranks of the more than two-thousand provincial wildfire service personnel on the front line battling hundreds of blazes.
The uncertainty at BC ports persists as a union local for workers says that a tentative agreement has been reached between a union bargaining committee and employers. A statement on the website of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada Local 502 says that a tentative agreement has been reached with the BC Maritime Employers Association, and an ILWU caucus vote will be held today to decide if the deal will be presented to the full union membership. Neither the ILWU or the BCMEA confirmed the latest development, as the dispute saw the union vote down a federal mediator’s terms, then issuing but quickly rescinding a new 72-hour strike notice this week. A strike in the dispute originally started on Canada Day and ran for 13 days, shutting down or severely disrupting operations at more than 30 BC port terminals and other sites where union members work, freezing billions of dollars’ worth of products in place.
The province is spending more than 270-million dollars on a new training centre at Vancouver Community College focused on clean energy. The government says it will offer programs in clean energy technology, light rail and zero-emissions vehicle repair and technology. The centre is expected to be complete by 2027, with classes to start in the fall. The province says it will accommodate as many as 14-hundred students each year.
Forecasters say stream flows in most areas of the province have dropped to levels normally not seen until September. Dave Campbell, with the BC River Forecast Centre, says much of the province is experiencing drought-level conditions. Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma has urged residents to conserve water but has not imposed restrictions. Along with the drought, there are hundreds of wildfires burning across the province.
BC’s Interior Health region has issued a heat warning guidance for residents who may experience temperatures reaching the high-30s today and tomorrow. Health authorities say high-risk individuals such as the elderly, people who live alone or those with pre-existing medical conditions should take extra precautions. Residents are advised to drink plenty of water and avoid physical activity, use air conditioning and fans if available and shut curtains and blinds, or make use of shaded outdoor spaces to cool down. Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for the North and South Thompson regions, as well as Boundary and North Okanagan, with daily high temperatures expected to reach 38 degrees over the next two days.
Police say they have recovered four stolen vehicles and arrested one male suspect after an operation in Kelowna. RCMP say officers from its target team along with canine units executed a search warrant at a property in the 28-hundred block of Appaloosa Road on July 14th. The search turned up three stolen utility-task vehicles and one all-terrain vehicle worth a total of 75-thousand dollars, as well as firearms and some substances suspected to be methamphetamine. Police say a 30-year-old man has been arrested and released on conditions, set to appear in court at a later date.