Surrey RCMP are investigating a “serious” single vehicle collision in Cloverdale Saturday evening. In a news release issued Saturday at 11:30 p.m., police said they closed north and south lanes on 184 Street between 40 Avenue and 54 Avenue. The closure was expected to continue for several hours while police investigated the collision. A witness told Peace Arch News emergency crews arrived to find a vehicle collided with a utility pole at approximately 9:30 p.m. Anyone with information about the incident or dash-cam video is being asked to contact the Surrey RCMP.
Fraser Health has announced another six exposures to coronavirus variants of concern at schools in its jurisdiction. Five schools in Surrey have had recent exposures to variants, as has a school in Burnaby, the health authority said in a news release Sunday night. Fraser Health did not specify which variant of concern was found at the schools. The Surrey schools with recent exposures to COVID-19 variants are:
- Chimney Hill Elementary
- Fleetwood Park Secondary
- Frank Hurt Secondary
- Princess Margaret Secondary
- Tamanawis Secondary
The Burnaby school with a recent exposure to a variant is Marlborough Elementary. All of the schools on the list except Chimney Hill and Fleetwood Park have had exposures to variants of concern previously. The health authority said it is working to identify any additional variant cases and ensure that the infected individuals self-isolate immediately
Some of B-C’s oldest residents can book appointments for COVID-19 vaccines starting today. Call centers are being opened to schedule vaccine appointments for people 90 years and older and Indigenous people 65 and older, or those who identify as elders. Health officials say those born in 1936 and earlier can start calling on March 15th and those born in 1941 or earlier can start to schedule their shots on March 22nd Fraser Health will be opening up 22 clinics as the region begins its mass vaccination. The health authority said the 22 clinics would span the 20 communities within the health authority. Five of the clinics will be drive-thru ones, and clinics will be able to flex capacity up and down depending on demand. For people who cannot leave their homes, mobile outreach teams will vaccinate them where they live.
Health Minister Adrian Dix will hold two news conferences today to update British Columbians about the COVID-19 pandemic. Dix has scheduled a morning news conference to discuss health-care services, followed by an afternoon COVID-19 update with provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. The last update of B-C’s COVID-19 numbers reported 634 new cases Friday and four deaths.
Monday marks International Women’s Day — a day to celebrate the achievements of women, raise awareness against bias, and take action for equality. But public relations expert Leslie Boldt with Boldt Communications. is warning companies not to treat the occasion like a holiday. She’s urging companies to remember that the day isn’t about raising business profiles through vague sentiments. She says any company — especially those in male-dominated industries — which are highlighting International Women’s Day should be talking about what they are doing to support and help women get into their fields. this year the focus behind International Women’s Day is to choose to challenge. A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.
So let’s all choose to challenge. How will you help forge a gender equal world? Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.
In a statement issued to mark International Women’s Day, Premier John Horgan says B-C’s recovery from COVID-19 must be rooted in equality, with opportunities available to all — regardless of gender or ethnicity. Horgan says B-C has taken meaningful strides toward gender equality, but the pandemic has highlighted how much more work is needed. He says data shows women have shouldered much of the pandemic burden — with more women working in the hardest-hit sectors, coping with additional caregiving responsibilities for children or family members and facing a jump in reports of intimate partner and family violence. Horgan says his government will use all opportunities to advance equality, protect the right to live free from violence and build a better future for women, girls and trans people in the province and around the world.
Parking fees are about to be imposed at two extremely busy and popular parks on the Lower Mainland. Metro Vancouver, the regional district that oversees Lynn Headwaters and Belcarra regional parks, says a two-dollar per hour parking fee will be implemented in an effort to control demand in the always packed parking lots at both locations. The new fee takes effect April 1st and continues to September 30th at Belcarra — on the east side of Deep Cove — while the fee for Lynn Headwaters in North Vancouver runs between March 1st and October 31st.
Some of B-C’s oldest residents can book appointments for COVID-19 vaccines starting today. Call centres are being opened to schedule vaccine appointments for people 90 years and older and Indigenous people 65 and older, or those who identify as elders. Health officials say those born in 1936 and earlier can start calling on March 15th and those born in 1941 or earlier can start to schedule their shots on March 22nd.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took part in a virtual Daughters of the Vote event to mark International Women’s Day. He says the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard for women, who are leaving the workforce at a higher rate than men and often taking on the greater share of childcare responsibilities. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole told the event that women bring a wealth of bold new ideas to the world of politics and a desire to build a better nation for themselves and for the generations that follow.
Reservations for camping spots in B-C’s provincial parks opened this morning and while there were waits and disappointment for some, others users were able to access the online site. Only B-C residents can make reservations for the next four months and bookings can only be made two months in advance, meaning those wanting a spot for the upcoming Victoria Day long weekend — for instance — can’t begin until the 21st of this month. That might have curbed some interest today, and it’s also impossible to book certain other campsites that don’t open for more than two months. Overwhelming demand crashed the online reservation site last year when it launched for the season, prompting some of the new limits this year.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says people who aren’t currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations should not be swamping call centres trying to book appointments. Call centres were overwhelmed with 1.7-million calls in less than three hours after B-C launched its age-based vaccination program today. But Dix says only those at least 90-years-old and Indigenous people over 65 or who identify as elders are eligible for vaccinations. He says they only make up only about 82-thousand people and many in those groups have already received a shot in care homes.
The prime minister says Thursday March 11th will be a COVID-19 National Day of Observance. The day is meant to remember the 22-thousand lives lost in the pandemic. Justin Trudeau says it will also acknowledge the ways lives have changed over the past year. The P-M says that includes kids’ missed birthday parties, seniors’ increased isolation, lost jobs and failing businesses. The day is also meant to honour workers in health care and other essential front-line services.
The Surrey Police Service has signed an agreement with CUPE 402 to enable support staff currently working with the Surrey RCMP to transfer over to the fledgling police force. The memorandum of agreement has been signed by Chief Constable Norm Lipinski, CUPE 402 President Jeannie Kilby and Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum. Through it the RCMP will continue to receive support during the transition to the city-made force and confirms unionized staff will have positions available to them as the SPS gets underway.