At least one person was killed and other victims hurt after yet another brazen shooting in Metro Vancouver, this time outside a Burnaby Cactus Club restaurant Thursday night. Several RCMP officers and other emergency responders convened at the Byrne Road Cactus Club in the Market Crossing shopping complex just off Marine Way after 8 p.m. Helicopters were also monitoring the scene. A body could be seen covered with a tarp next to a vehicle parked outside the restaurant. Over a dozen bullet holes could be seen littering the vehicle. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team was later seen arriving at the site of the shooting. Two other victims, a man and a woman, were rushed from the scene to Royal Columbian Hospital. It is not known what condition they are in. Witnesses said they saw at least two victims get shot at in the parking lot in front of the restaurant The parking lot in front of the Cactus Club was closed off to the public for hours as police investigated. The shooting is the latest in a string of brazen acts of gunfire across Metro Vancouver in recent weeks, many of which have been fatal and linked to a wider gang conflict in the Lower Mainland. It also came just hours after the region’s top police chiefs met with Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth to discuss potential solutions to the growing wave of gang violence.
B-C’s provincial health officer says rising vaccination rates are leading to declining COVID-19 cases, and that has officials thinking some restrictions could be loosened in the weeks to come. Doctor Bonnie Henry says more than 2.3-million vaccines have now been administered in B-C, where 587 cases were recorded yesterday,along with five more deaths. She says a second person in the province is being treated for a rare blood clot associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The man in his 40s is in stable condition as he receives care in the Fraser Valley, and Henry says anyone who feels unwell up to 28 days following any vaccine should seek medical help.
Two joggers in Stanley Park were bitten on the ankles by coyotes Thursday morning, prompting a warning from conservation officers. The first person encountered the animal near Third Beach — one on the sidewalk on Stanley Park Drive around 8 a.m, the other on the Seawall around 10 a.m. Conservation Officer Erich Harbich says they were called to the park after the second attack, and found a woman with minor injuries. “The victim was treated for some superficial wounds, just minor breakage of the skin that just required some sanitation to prevent infection and a small bandage,”: he explains. But there was no sign of the coyote. “There was no imminent public safety threat. After a quick patrol and assessment of the situation, we withdrew at that point and went back to more of a reactionary report-based approach again.” He encourages anyone who encounters wildlife to report it to conservation officers by calling 1-877-952-7277.
Canadians looking at progress south of the border may once again be finding themselves envious of the U.S. as it ditches some of its pandemic rules. In a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. It’s a stark contrast to Canada, as the country finds itself very much in the middle of a third COVID-19 wave, even with vaccination campaigns in full force from coast to coast. The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues — even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated. So although we are not there yet here in Canada, at least we know progress is being made.
Surrey’s police chief hopes to have uniformed officers on the streets sometime this fall in what he called a “soft launch” of the new municipal force that will replace the RCMP. Lipinski said the full transition to replace the Surrey RCMP detachment would continue into 2022 and 2023. Lipinski said he wanted to ensure there are “no gaps” in the delivery of police service during the transition to safeguard public safety He said the force is preparing for community consultation, including surveys and focus group interviews and surveys, before the launch, and that feedback will be used to determine what type of policing services people want. Yearly surveys will continue after the launch, he said.
Canada’s top doctor says this summer could include small outdoor gatherings in the warm weather, such as picnics in the park, outdoor sports and patio dining. But Dr. Theresa Tam says for that to happen, 75 per cent of adults must receive at least their first COVID-19 vaccine, including 20 per cent who have both doses. Tam says if at least 75 per cent of eligible adults are fully vaccinated this fall, there could be a return to offices, classrooms and holiday parties. But for now, Tam says Canadians need to keep following public health guidelines, as the numbers of cases and hospitalizations in many regions are still too high.
Starting tomorrow, the use of wood burning appliances — such as stoves or fireplace inserts — is banned in Metro Vancouver until mid-September. Metro Vancouver says the ban is part of its bylaw regulating residential indoor wood burning emissions and will run annually from May 15 to September 15. The ban is aimed at reducing particulate matter in the atmosphere during the summer when air quality across Metro Vancouver can be poor. Particulates put the young, ill and elderly at risk because they are fine enough to easily enter buildings and penetrate deep into a person’s lungs and bloodstream — and Metro Vancouver says residential wood smoke is the most significant source of that type of pollution.
Police say the seventh person to be shot and killed in Metro Vancouver since early last month was a 23-year-old man affiliated with gangs. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says Jaskeert Kalkat was hit by a barrage of gunfire in the parking lot of a Burnaby mall last night. Sergeant Frank Jang says a man and woman in their 20’s who were with Kalkat were also seriously wounded but are expected to survive. Police have no suspects in the latest fatality as escalating gang violence has seen daylight shootings in parks, malls and at the Vancouver International Airport.
Federal health authorities are laying out their vision of what life could look like after most Canadians are vaccinated against COVID-19. Canada’s chief public health officer is touting the fact that about half of all adults have had at least one vaccine dose. Dr. Theresa Tam suggests maintaining this pace could pay off in the form of a summer where much-missed outdoor activities can resume, such as sports and patio dining. She says the next step will be to fully vaccinate at least 75 per cent of eligible adults to allow for more indoor activities this Fall.
After years of planning, construction is beginning on the newest section of Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain system. Groundbreaking is underway on the Broadway Subway Project, a nearly six kilometre extension of the Millennium Line west to Arbutus at Broadway. The nearly three-billion dollar extension will add a total of six stations, servicing Vancouver General Hospital and some of the busiest sections of Broadway. Most of the construction will be done underground, using boring machines, while traffic continues above on specially built decks, and completion is aimed for 2025.