Pulse FM News Update for Monday, July 26

The B-C Wildfire Service says there are 259 blazes currently burning in the province. That’s a small improvement, down from about 300 earlier in the week. There are now 58 evacuation orders in place, affecting about 44-hundred properties. Another nearly 17-thousand-500 properties are on evacuation alert, meaning residents have been told to be ready to leave on short notice.

An emergency room doctor who’s seen firsthand the health impacts of prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke says the situation is likely to get worse in the future. Doctor Courtney Howard says it was harder than usual to treat people who showed up at the emergency department in Yellowknife with symptoms of asthma as wildfires and smoke swept across the Northwest Territories in the summer of 2014. While the cumulative health impacts of exposure to wildfire smoke haven’t been thoroughly studied, Howard says hints can be drawn from the link between disease, death and air pollution in general. She says the pollution increases deaths from the conditions that kill Canadians the most — stroke, heart disease, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases

The Mounties in B-C say protesters breaching an injunction against blockades set up to prevent old-growth logging on southern Vancouver Island cut 18 trees. Police say R-C-M-P Chief Superintendent John Brewer found the trees had been cut with chainsaws and laid across a road to block vehicle access. They say one person was also found to be smoking a cigarette surrounded by tinder-dry forest. The Fairy Creek Watershed area protesters, known as the Rainforest Flying Squad, did not immediately return requests for comment. The R-C-M-P also say 16 people were arrested, including one for allegedly assaulting a police officer, bringing the total number of protesters arrested so far to 494

As the University of British Columbia prepares to welcome students back to in-person learning, the vice-president of the UBC student union says students still feel uneasy about the return in the midst of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Eshana Bhangu, the vice-president of the Alma Mater Society, says according to a survey the society organized, most students are concerned about the return to campus. The survey found 60 per cent of students are concerned they will be exposed to the virus, so Bhangu says the AMS is asking the university to make protocol changes. “We are asking for a mask mandate in lecture halls. Students just don’t want to be sitting in packed lecture halls, and we’re also asking that the university require vaccinations to live in student residences.” In a letter to the UBC board of governors and executives on July 22, the AMS says 82 per cent of the students it surveyed would be “in support of a policy to mandate vaccinations in student residences.” In a letter responding to the concerns, the UBC Vice President of Students, Ainsley Carry, says UBC recognizes and appreciates that there are students who have concerns about returning to in-person classes in the fall. Carry says the health and safety of the UBC community is first and foremost in it’s planning processes, which have been informed by and in consultation with the PHO, Vancouver Coastal Health and in accordance with the B.C. government’s Re-Start Plan.

Canada’s next governor general is set to be installed today. Mary Simon will be greeted at the Senate building this morning by a First Nations drumming circle and will be accompanied by a traditional Inuit drummer on her way into the Senate chamber. Inside the chamber, a traditional Inuit oil lamp will remain lit during the ceremony. Simon, an Inuk leader and former Canadian diplomat, will become the first Indigenous person to hold the role of the Queen’s representative in Canada. She replaces former astronaut Julie Payette, who resigned in January after a report found that a toxic work environment had developed during her tenure.

As of July 26, 2021, 80.6% (3,736,651) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 61.3% (2,840,194) have received their second dose. In addition, 81.6% (3,529,236) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose and 64.4% (2,783,587) have received their second dose. Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 267 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 149,109 cases in the province:

* July 23-24: 94 new cases

* July 24-25: 79 new cases

* July 25-26: 94 new cases

There are currently 695 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 146,636 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 43 individuals are in hospital and 17 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

Surrey RCMP is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing male. David Cohen, also know as David Smith, was last seen July 23, 2021 in Surrey. He has not been seen or heard from since. David Cohen is described as a 62 year old Caucasian male , 5’6”, 141 pounds, with grey hair and blue eyes. (Please see attached photo). He was last seen wearing dark coloured shorts with a short sleeved shirt. Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 and quote file# 2021-110127. If you wish to make an anonymous report please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or www.solvecrime.ca.

Swimmer Maggie Mac Neil is golden. She came first in the women’s 100-metre butterfly to score Canada’s first gold medal in Tokyo. Jessica Klimkait (KLIM’-kate) won Canada’s second medal of the day, earning bronze in the women’s under-57 judo competition. Meanwhile, Canadian Katrina Bellio is a first-ever Olympic record holder after the first preliminary heat of the women’s 15-hundred-meter freestyle swim event. It’s the first time that the women’s metric mile event is included in the Games. Sixteen-year-old Bellio was in disbelief as she learned that had earned the unique place in history, finishing in just over 16-minutes, 24-seconds.