Strike action by BC General Employees’ Union members appears to be having a major impact on local businesses. Job action comes after many in the B.C. economy spent more than two years struggling with COVID-19 restrictions. Two weeks into the strike and a new survey is finding out just how much businesses are struggling. BC’s Alliance of Beverage Licensees surveyed 400 pubs, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, wineries, private liquor stores, and craft brewers, and learned many are taking a financial hit, with liquor availability limited across the province. The survey found about one-in-five business owners have lost $20,000 in profit so far. Meanwhile, 20 per cent say they have had to reduce their staff’s hours. Talks continue between the provincial government and the union, though it’s unclear how close they are to finding middle ground.
R-C-M-P say a 37-year-old man has died hours after being hospitalized with injuries from a shooting in south Surrey Saturday night. They say it happened at around 11 near 166 Street and 19 Avenue. The Mounties say initial indications are that the shooting stemmed from what they called an altercation between people who knew each other. The latest statement says police detained several people following the shooting, but offered no further details.
Travellers reported waiting for hours to get through security at Vancouver International Airport yesterday, as a result of what the airport described as an “unexpected staffing shortage” among security screeners. Some passengers told reporters they had been waiting for up to three hours to get through security, in a line that stretched across the airport. Y-V-R says there were 17 screening lines open, while 20 to 23 lines would typically be open on a day with Sunday’s level of traffic.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked the final day of Ottawa Pride Sunday by announcing 100-million-dollars to fund a five-year plan to support L-G-B-T-Q communities….Trudeau says 75 per cent of the funding will go toward community organizations focused on diversity and inclusion…He says this will help break down barriers, advance rights, and build a future where everyone in Canada is truly free to be who they are and love whom they love.
NASA has called off today’s planned launch of its new moon rocket because of fuel leaks and an engine problem and won’t try again until Friday at the earliest. The rocket was set to lift off with three test dummies aboard on a mission to propel a capsule into orbit around the moon. Today’s problems were reminiscent of NASA’s space shuttle era, when hydrogen fuel leaks disrupted countdowns and delayed a string of launches back in 1990.
The president and C-E-O of Bell Media’s parent company says age and gender had nothing to do with the decision to end Lisa LaFlamme’s contract with C-T-V. He says shifting viewer habits meant the change was necessary to ensure Bell Media can provide its journalists with the resources they need across all platforms where news is consumed. The uproar over LaFlamme’s abrupt dissminal saw Bell Media vice-president of news Michael Melling take a leave from his job. Bell says Melling has been the subject of “various allegations” and is on leave pending the outcome of a workplace review.