Pulse FM News Update for Monday, August 23

The National Hockey League and teams around the country are offering condolences to the families of three junior players who died when a vehicle crashed into a tree in Surrey over the weekend. Police and other emergency services personnel were dispatched to the scene of the crash in the Fraser Heights neighbourhood just before 3 a-m on Saturday. The N-H-L issued a statement yesterday, saying it was sending its love and condolences to the families of the victims.

Premier John Horgan, along with Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry, will be holding a briefing on COVID-19 vaccinations in British Columbia this afternoon. Details on the update or what will be announced were not immediately available. Henry said on Friday that B-C may not be able to move to the next step in its COVID-19 restart plan as quickly as planned. A surge in COVID cases in the Interior Health authority — driven by the Delta variant — has prompted a tightening of restrictions across the entire region.

Wildfire crews say cooler temperatures and periods of rain over the weekend helped them battle large blazes burning in B-C’s Interior. But despite the improved conditions Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says firefighters still have their hands full with the White Rock Lake wildfire. Agency officials are asking residents to avoid the area and follow evacuation orders and alerts.
The B-C Wildfire Service says about 250 blazes are still burning across the province.

The Lower Mainland’s hockey community is devastated after learning the three boys who died in Saturday’s car crash in Surrey were all local players. Parker Magnuson, Ronin Sharma and Caleb Reimer were all youth hockey players, with Reimer playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL. Two of the boys, Reimer and Magnuson, played with the Cloverdale Minor Hockey Association from a young age, says President Deanna Cox. Surrey RCMP says the three teenagers, two 16-year-olds and one 17-year-old, were travelling in a car when it hit a tree on 104 Avenue near 160 Street just before 3 a.m. on Saturday morning. Police say when emergency services arrived on scene, they determined that all three occupants were dead. The hockey association plans to memorialize the boys in some way, but says it will hold off on the specifics until it has approval from the families. The Surrey RCMP says officers and support workers will be outside the Fraser Heights Recreation Centre Sunday and Monday afternoons to provide support and answer any question the community may have.

Another 121 Afghan nationals, Canadian citizens and family members have left Kabul on a rescue flight — Canada’s third evacuation mission since the Taliban overtook the Afghan capital. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says as long as it’s safe, Canada will continue working toward getting people out of the chaos. Sajjan says the security conditions in Kabul are changing rapidly, but Canadian personnel are doing everything in their power to get people to safety. He says continued crowding and violence around the Kabul airport is posing a major challenge for efforts to get more flights out, noting security conditions are changing by the hour. There was no immediate word from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s camp on whether he would take time away from the election campaign to attend the meeting. Trudeau has faced criticism in recent days for not acting fast enough to evacuate Afghans who supported Canada’s military and diplomatic efforts in the war-torn country.

The main federal party leaders are in central and eastern Canada as the election campaign enters its second full week. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau remains on the East Coast today, making an announcement in Halifax before heading to St. John’s, N.L., to meet with locals and supporters. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, meanwhile, returns to the Ottawa hotel where he spent the first several days of the campaign. He’s set to make an announcement in the morning, followed by two of the “virtual telephone town halls” that have become a hallmark of his election outreach later in the day. O’Toole has faced criticism from his opponents for spending so much time on the fourth floor of the Westin, but he says he’s simply a pandemic-era leader making safety-driven decisions. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh plans to make an announcement about climate change in Montreal, where he launched his campaign and is trying to win back seats from the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois.

B-C residents will soon require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for a range of indoor activities and businesses including restaurants, gyms, concerts and sports games. A new order from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will require those age 12 and up to provide proof of a first dose of vaccine by September 13th and both doses by October 24th to access those and other settings. Henry says there won’t be any exemptions to the policy because it’s a temporary measure to get the province through a risky period, and the events are optional. She says it will help businesses stay open through the fall and give people the confidence knowing that others are protected around them.

British Columbia health officials announced on Monday that there have been 1,711 new test-positive COVID-19 cases since Friday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the province to 160,630. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said that there are 5,056 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 133 individuals are currently hospitalized, 80 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. There were 724 cases between Friday and Saturday, 545 between Saturday and Sunday, and 442 between Sunday and Monday. New cases, as well as total active cases, broken down by health region are as follows:

Fraser Health: 419 new cases, 1,194 total active cases
Vancouver Coastal Health: 290 new cases, 1,223 total active cases
Interior Health: 768 new cases, 1,930 total active cases
Northern Health: 100 new cases, 298 total active cases
Island Health: 133 new cases, 401 total active cases
Outside of Canada: One new case, 10 total active cases

There have been 16 new COVID-19-related deaths for a total of 1,801 deaths in British Columbia. Of the new deaths, one was in Fraser Health, one was in Island Health, and 14 were in Interior Health (this includes an updated reporting of deaths from August 1). Health officials in BC also shared data on COVID-19 cases in vaccinated and unvaccinated people, which are as follows:

Cases (August 11 to 17):

Unvaccinated: 2,620 (71%)
Partically vaccinated: 583 (16%)
Fully vaccinated: 498 (13%)

Hospitalizations (August 10 to 16):

Unvaccinated: 95 (84%)
Partically vaccinated: Six (5%)
Fully vaccinated: 12 (11%)

To date, 83.2% of all eligible people 12 and over have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 153,627 people who tested positive have now recovered.