A woman is in serious condition after being hit by a truck in the Newton yesterday evening. It happened at 80th Ave and 128th Street a little after 6:30. Police say the driver was taken into custody. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is being asked to contact Surrey RCMP.
One man is now in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after shots were fired last night in Surrey. Officers arrived at the area 126 Street and 72 Avenue, near the Kwantlen University Campus, after receiving calls about a shooting around 7:15 p.m. where they found an injured man. They say the incident seems to be targeted.
As BC continues to deal with ridiculously high gas prices, Premier John Horgan is set to address the issue this morning a news conference will be held this morning at 9:30 with Horgan and Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General, Mike Farnworth. While no details are being released, rumour has it the announcement will be gas related. Sources say relief could be on the way in the form of a rebate through ICBC for drivers.
A Burnaby pharmacy has lost the ability to dispense prescriptions as it faces an investigation over allegations it was entering people in the COVID-19 vaccine system without actually giving them the shots. This would allow a person to download the BC Vaccine Card, which remains necessary to access a variety of non-essential services until April 8th. Health Minister Adrian Dix says if the allegations are proven true, those at fault could face discipline from the College of Pharmacists of B-C or be charged by police.
B-C’s Health Ministry says there were 255 people in hospital yesterday with COVID-19, including 52 in intensive care. It also said that six more people had died, raising B-C’s death toll to two-thousand 981. Four health-care facilities have ongoing outbreaks, with no new ones reported yesterday. The province, meantime, has announced a new 34-milion-dollar COVID-19 recovery fund for non-profit groups to help organizations that have seen their staff, volunteers, programs and operations disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
U-S Health experts are using a variety of methods to monitor for a new wave of COVID-19 infections from a the B-A-2 variant. The World Health Organization this week reported the number of new coronavirus cases have increased two weeks in a row globally. The W-H-O says that’s likely because COVID-19 prevention measures have been halted in numerous countries and because B-A-2 spreads more easily.
TransLink is raising fares for everyone who takes transit around Metro Vancouver, including buses, SkyTrain, SeaBus, West Coast Express, or HandyDART. It’s an average 2.3 per cent increase. The amount varies by the type of fare purchased. The fare hikes take effect July 1 and mean people who regularly commute between Surrey and Vancouver will pay about $50 more per year for their monthly passes.
The World Health Organization says it is reviewing its policies that it says prevent it from accepting a Canadian company’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. Health Canada has authorized Medicago’s two-dose Covifenz vaccine for adults 18 to 64. But the government’s ability to donate those doses to countries in need could be seriously impeded without emergency approval from the W-H-O. The organization has a strict policy not to engage with companies that promote tobacco, and Philip Morris owns about one-fifth of Medicago.
I-C-B-C will be rolling out a one-time rebate to drivers starting in May to help offset the soaring cost of gas due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Premier John Horgan says the public auto insurer is in a robust financial position and can cover the 110-dollar rebate for drivers with a basic policy and 165-dollars for commercial drivers. The rebates will cost a total of 395-million dollars. Horgan says the one-time payment is a better approach than cutting fuel taxes because the price will only increase again at the pumps. (The Canadian Press)
Surrey RCMP is investigating a fire lit inside a Walmart Store and requesting anyone with information to contact police. On March 23, 2022, at 7:30 p.m., Surrey RCMP received a report that a man had lit an item on fire inside the Walmart located at 10153 King George Boulevard. An employee witnessed the man light the item on fire and flee the store. The fire was small, quickly extinguished by staff and no injuries were reported. The suspect fled the area on foot and was not located by police. The suspect is described as a Caucasian male in his 30’s with a medium build, wearing a grey jacket, black hoodie, blue t-shirt, grey sweatpants, dark baseball cap, dark gloves, a medical mask and he was carrying a black duffle bag. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
YouTube says Canadian influencers, streamers and other digital creators could lose out if the government forces digital platforms to promote Canadian content. The company says in a briefing that proposed legislation obliging platforms to promote “Can-con” risks downgrading the popularity of that same content abroad — affecting the foreign earnings many Canadian YouTubers rely on. A spokeswoman for Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says the act does not affect user-generated content and will give online streaming platforms flexibility on how they make Canadian commercial content easier to find.
An infamous nightlife hub on Granville Street has suddenly closed its doors. According to an Instagram post from The Roxy, it will be closed for a while. “The Roxy unfortunately sustained external structural damage to the building caused by neighbouring construction” in the morning of Thursday, March 24.
The B-C government is providing up to 3.1-million dollars to improve cellular coverage on Highway 3 between Hope and Keremeos. Rogers Communications will pay the rest of the 9.7-million cost to upgrade service along an estimated 92 kilometres of the highway by adding 11 new cell towers. The province says emergencies like the recent flooding and landslides have shown the importance of travellers having access to reliable cellular coverage. The project is aimed at ending intermittent coverage along the route and is expected to be complete by the fall of 2024.
Author J-K Rowling is pushing back after Russian President Vladimir Putin dragged her into a rant against Western efforts to, in his words, “cancel” Russian culture. Putin has compared recent Western criticism of Russia with efforts to “cancel” Rowling over her views on transgender issues. Rowling has been criticized for saying she supports transgender rights, but does not believe in what she describes as “erasing” the concept of biological sex. She says Putin has no right to critique western culture.