Police in Coquitlam say they’ve identified a vehicle involved in a fatal shooting incident in the city on July 2nd. Coquitlam Mounties say they were called to an alley off Foster Avenue just before 9:30 last Sunday night where they found a man who had been shot multiple times. Police say the man later identified as 25-year-old Karnvir Singh Garcha died from his injuries despite the efforts of first responders, and Port Moody police found a white Kia Niro days later on fire in a parking lot. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the shooter fled in the Kia, and they are now seeking witnesses or video from the 500 block of Foster Avenue between North Road and Blue Mountain Street on July 2nd from 7 to 9:30 pm or the three thousand block of Murray Street on July 5th between 9:30 and 10:30 pm.
The BC Ministry of Transportation says convoys along an alternate route set up after the closure of Highway 4 on Vancouver Island will end today. The ministry says the convoys along the detour route started on June 11th when wildfire activity and debris on the road forced the closure of the highway, which links several island communities including Tofino, Ucluelet and Port Alberni. The province says the convoys have not been used by commercial trucks since the highway reopened to single-lane alternating traffic. The ministry says the highway is set to fully reopen in the coming weeks after safety concerns shut the route down on June 6th.
Kelowna RCMP say they’re looking for a suspect who ripped down a trans flag hanging outside the city’s art gallery back in May. Kelowna Mounties say they received a report in early June about the incident, where video surveillance showed a man and woman near the art gallery where a trans and rainbow flag were flying during Pride month. Investigators say the video shows the man jumping and ripping down the trans flag, but it appeared he was unable to reach the rainbow flag. Police say the man is Caucasian, 45 to 50 years old with a medium build, and Corporal Michael Gauthier with the Kelowna RCMP says they’re looking to identify the man as they investigate the mischief and the possibility that the act was motivated by hate.
The BC Maritime Employers Association says the strike at the province’s ports now in its seventh day is causing layoffs in related industries. The association says it has learned of the layoffs as well as cargo diversions as the labour dispute drags on, calling on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to enter a voluntary arbitration process to end the strike. The ILWU says the employers association has launched a smear campaign against their own workers to try and break the strike. ILWU Canada president Rob Ashton says the employers are refusing to share massive profits with workers, while exaggerating dock workers’ earnings and being silent on bonuses and salaries of senior managers and company CEOs.
The City of Vancouver says it’s begun a pilot project aimed at owners of rental buildings to retrofit buildings to make them less susceptible to the effects of climate change. The city says the rental apartment retrofit accelerator pilot program aims to improve buildings’ energy efficiency and make indoor environments more comfortable. The city says the program is funded in part by BC Hydro and is being handled by Landlord BC, doling out three-and-a-half million dollars in grant funding to owners of market rental buildings for retrofits. The city says the program will support upgrades such as building electrification and the installation of heat pumps, and will serve to inform how investments will be made in the city’s existing rental stock in the future.
The provincial government says British Columbians should prepare for upcoming hot weather after Environment and Climate Change Canada issued heat warnings for several regions in province. The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness says the heat warnings cover several communities including Fort Nelson, Lytton, Kitimat and Terrace. The ministry says temperatures are set to peak this weekend, and says the heat warnings may expand to other regions, though the temperatures won’t reach the threshold for an extreme heat event. The ministry says people should have a plan to deal with the heat and can access cooling centres, community centres, libraries and other locations, while funding will be provided to First Nations and other agencies to cover costs of opening cooling centres.