A family is in mourning after a 12-year-old child died in a skiing accident in North Vancouver on Saturday night. The RCMP says officers were called to Mount Seymour around 8 p.m. to assist the BC Ambulance Service, after a child was seriously injured in the accident. Paramedics later transported the 12-year-old to BC Children’s Hospital, where, tragically, the child was pronounced deceased. RCMP isn’t commenting on exactly how this happened, but says, the child’s family is no doubt devastated. Victim Services is providing support to the family, while the BC Coroners Service is investigating
With variants of concern continuing to pop up in our province, one epidemiologist says the province’s lack of transparency with data on COVID variants is leading to the surge. Compared to other provinces tracking variants of concern, Jean-Paul Soucy, the co-founder of the COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group, says B.C. is lagging behind. He says compared to Ontario, or Quebec, the public and epidemiologists, are in the dark when looking for information about the variants progress in B.C. Soucy explains if B.C. had gotten ahead of the curve with implementing restrictions, we would be in a much better position in the fight against the virus. Saying “We just implemented [COVID measures] too late.” Whistler has nearly 200 of 877 confirmed cases of the P1 Brazil variant and he says it isn’t surprising. However, Soucy says British Columbians should keep in mind significant transmission is being recorded around in the world, and for all we know, even more, dangerous variants can be emerging in areas of really high transmission.
Adult residents and workers in Whistler, B-C will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations starting today. Vancouver Coastal Health says the Howe Sound health area, which includes Whistler, has the highest rate of COVID-19 of any local health area in the province. Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton says the move will protect both his town and those who come to visit. Those eligible must provide proof of their permanent residency in Whistler or a recent paystub to confirm their employment in the area.
A search in Surrey for a missing dog who can barely see or hear spanned 10 days — hundreds of flyers went up, volunteers combed the neighbourhood, professional pet finders were hired, and bloodhounds hunted for clues. But 16-year-old Sheba was ultimately spotted and rescued by a couple who went to watch the sunset on the beach Saturday. Sherri Storoshenko’s beloved pet went missing the night of April 1 when the family was packing their car for a camping trip. Neighbours, friends, and family rallied, searching the beaches and parks in the Ocean Park neighborhood but had no luck finding the pitbull-lab cross. On Saturday evening, she got a message to her phone from a stranger saying her dog sheeba was found, in the bushes near 1001 steps at cresnt beach. The dog spent the night at a 24-hour vet clinic and was given a clean bill of health and is now back home with Sherri.
The Vancouver Canucks were not able to return to thice ice yesterday as expected after another player joined the NHL’s COVID protocol list. As a result, the team’s facilities will not open until today at the earliest. The decision is not expected to impact the Canucks’ return to play on April 16, which is just 5 days from now. Twenty-five people, including 21 players and four coaching staff, have tested positive for the virus during the Canucks’ outbreak. One other player has been deemed a close contact. General manager Jim Benning said Friday that many of the players who fell ill were feeling better. The outbreak saw seven Canucks’ games postponed between March 31 and April 14. The NHL has rescheduled those games, with Vancouver’s regular season now set to end on May 16 with a visit to the Calgary Flames. It will be a gruelling end to the Canucks’ campaign, with 19 games in 30 days, including six sets of back-to-backs. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday during Hockey Night in Canada that none of the Canucks players are expected to opt-out of the remainder of the season after this virus scare.
Today the City of Vancouver has sent its second submission regarding drug decriminalization to Health Canada — with this latest proposal saying users should be allowed to legally carry a three-day supply. The submission came as Vancouver continues its campaign for a federal exemption that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use — reducing the stigma of drug use and promoting a health-focused approach to recovery. Mayor Kennedy Stewart says the city, its police department, officials with Vancouver Coastal Health and others have agreed on the three-day threshold, based on science and research. The city’s proposal says the possession thresholds would apply to the most common substances contributing to the overdose crisis, and a final submission to Health Canada is expected next month.
A provincial court judge in Richmond has found Tenshi Seafood Limited and its co-owner, Dishi Liu, guilty of charges under the Fisheries Act and has imposed a total fine of 100-thousand dollars. The Department of Fisheries says in a news release the court has also ordered the fish processing company to publish a letter to all its customers explaining why it was found guilty. The department says the charges stem from a routine inspection at the crab processing plant where a fisheries officer was obstructed from doing an inspection, the owner and staff wouldn’t answer questions and there was an attempt to destroy evidence. D-F-O says several undersized crabs were also found discarded at the processing plant.
British Columbia recorded 3,289 new cases of COVID-19 over the past three days. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is also reporting 18 new deaths, pushing the total to 1,513. She says there are more than 99-hundred active cases in the province with 368 people hospitalized, including 121 in intensive care. Henry says about 50 per cent of cases now involve one of the more contagious COVID-19 variants, primarily the one first identified in the U-K.
Canada’s chief public health officer says the third wave of COVID-19 is a reminder that serious illness can occur at any age. Dr. Theresa Tam says evidence indicates that variants of concerns can be associated with more severe illness and death. She says there are more than 33,000 confirmed cases involving variants in Canada. Most still involve the B-1-1-7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom.
George Floyd’s brother shed tears on the witness stand today as he was shown a picture of his late mother and a young George. Thirty-nine-year-old Philonise Floyd said he misses both of them at the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin. Prosecutors put him on the stand to humanize George Floyd in front of the jury and make him more than a crime statistic.
Surrey city council will be voting on another lofty high rise tower proposal for the city centre tonight, following a public hearing. The applicant, Tien Sher Whalley Fortuna Gateway Ltd., proposes to build a 54-storey residential tower with a seven-storey office podium and retail space on the ground floor on a 1.88-acre site at 10761 King George Boulevard. The tower’s 479 residential units, if council gives its approval, are expected to be ready for occupancy by early 2026.