B-C’s health minister says officials will have further announcements about proceeding with vaccination plans in the coming week following a reduction in shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to Canada. Adrian Dix says the shortage will mean the province is expected to receive about half of the 50-thousand doses it was supposed to get through that period. His comments come as the province reported 509 new COVID-19 cases yesterday for a total of sixty-thousand-117 infections. There were also nine additional deaths — bringing the total number of fatalities to one-thousand-and-47. The number of British Columbians who received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine so far is seventy-five-thousand-914.
A volunteer who worked for weeks to organize a drive-in rally in Surrey supporting Indian farmers Saturday is crushed that police shut it down before it even began, saying the explanation of why it was not allowed to proceed makes no sense. She says the explanation she was given was that because there were speeches and songs planned, the rally was more of an “event” or a “concert” and therefore required a permit. Police said there was no way to ensure public health and safety, but volunteers says a detailed plan was in place. COVID-19 related safety measures included handwashing stations, and a live stream so no one would have to leave their car to hear the speeches. Talks between the Indian government and representatives of tens of thousands of protesting farmers remained deadlocked Friday, with the government refusing to scrap new agricultural reform laws which the farmers say will benefit large corporations.
A Langley woman says she feels both vindicated about her actions and anxious to return to a local grocery store after a tense encounter with a man who was not wearing a mask. Stephanie, stepped in to help another woman she felt was being harassed, last Wednesday. While standing in line at a checkout, she overheard a man calling a woman “stupid” for getting her vaccine, suggesting she didn’t know what she was putting in her body. She felt the need to jump in and record the situation which shows a mask less man in a busy store yelling about why wearing a mask is wrong. Stephanie says she was terrified while filming and struggled with anxiety for days after, which impacted her sleep, worrying that this man may be back in the same store and harass her. Since the incident advice has risen on how to handle situations like this which include speaking directly to the person who is threatened and not the aggressor. asking them if they feel safe and suggesting you can leave the scene with them, such as walking to the parking lot together. Stephanie says she has called the Langley RCMP to open a case file on the incident
Langley RCMP was called shortly after midnight this morning for a report of a male who had been shot. Officers attended and found the victim in an underground parking lot in the 5600 block of 201A Street. The victim had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was immediately transported to hospital with critical injuries. Very little information was obtained from the victim, a 27-year-old Langley man, prior to being taken to surgery. The victim is known to police and this shooting is believed to be targeted. IT is too early to definitively say this incident is linked to the Lower Mainland gang conflict. Langley Serious Crimes has assumed conduct of the investigation. Anyone with information that might assist with this investigation is asked to call Langley RCMP
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe say halting construction of the Keystone X-L pipeline expansion project would be disastrous for the Canadian and U-S economies. Both premiers are condemning president-elect Joe Biden’s plan to scrap the project on his first day in office, as outlined in transition documents seen by The Canadian Press. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hasn’t commented yet, but Canada’s ambassador to Washington says the project fits into Canada’s climate plan and promises good jobs
Washington, D-C is on high alert in advance of Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. About 25-thousand U-S National Guard troops have been deployed after intelligence suggests that Trump supporters might come back, and could be armed. all national guard troops will also be vetted to make sure none of them pose a threat. One of the rioters arrested after the January 6th attack on the Capitol says he and others would have murdered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence if they had gotten the chance.
Four people travelling along Highway 6 in the Kootenay region say they encountered a strange animal that resembled the legendary and illusive Bigfoot. Erica of Silverton says she was in a vehicle last month when her friends saw a huge, human-like figure at the side of the road that quickly ran into the bushes. Erica says the four friends returned to the scene shortly afterwards and found tracks that appeared to have been made by a large bipedal animal. But the prospect of a Bigfoot sighting has been discounted by an Okanagan Bigfoot group that sent some members to the Silverton site and concluded the animal wasn’t a Sasquatch but more likely a moose.
Transport Canada has approved the return of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that was grounded after two deadly crashes overseas. The agency says carriers can begin using the plane in Canadian airspace starting Wednesday, Jan. 20, providing several required modifications have been made. Transport Canada says it has introduced “unique Canadian measures” for enhanced safety. An Interim Order that clearly indicates Transport Canada’s expectations and requirements for additional training for crew members was also issued for operators. It is complementary to the design and maintenance requirements of the Airworthiness Directive
BC is reporting 1,330 new cases of COVID-19 over the last three days. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says another 31 people have died — pushing the total of 1,078. The province has more than 3,800 active cases with 343 people in hospital, including 68 in intensive care. Henry says more than 87,000 people have received their first dose of vaccine and the province is on track to vaccinate all of the most vulnerable by the end of March, despite a delay in Pfizer vaccine shipments.
The RCMP says a 79-year-old woman was arrested in Burnaby for breaching a court injunction banning protests that block access to Trans Mountain pipeline worksites. Police say Maxine Kaufman-Lacuta was released on Saturday and will be charged with criminal contempt of court. An RCMP spokesman says a small group of protesters staged a blockade on Saturday to halt construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He says they were told they would be arrested if they remained
and Kaufman-Lacuta was the only person taken into custody.
A 35-year-old man has been charged in two bank robberies in New Westminster earlier this month. Police say the first robbery in the uptown neighbourhood occurred on January 8th and the second on January 11th. They say a suspect was arrested last Wednesday. Daniel Donaldson of New Westminster faces the charges.
“Schitt’s Creek” continues to flood the awards circuit. The Canadian series, which swept the Emmys’ comedy categories with seven trophies last September, is now up for five Critics Choice Awards. The story of the riches-to-rags Rose family is nominated for best comedy series and in acting categories for stars Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Levy, and Annie Murphy