The skin of the young killer whale stranded in the lagoon off Vancouver Island is turning white due to the low salinity of the water. But the Fisheries Department says the female calf is active and isn’t showing signs of emaciation. A statement from the Fisheries Department says planning for a rescue operation continues with the Ehattesaht (eh-HAT’-eh-sat) First Nation. The calf was left alone on March 23 when her mother, who was pregnant, became stranded and died in the lagoon during a low tide.
BC Premier David Eby says the government has asked the auditor general to review the province’s grant programs after a clean technology firm made allegations that there was a conflict of interest. Edison Motors, a BC based company, says accounting firm MNP was administrating a Clean BC grant and offering to provide services to help businesses with their applications. Eby says he thinks it’s safe to say that Edison has raised some serious questions that need to be fairly and independently investigated. MNP says it cannot comment on specific grant applications due to privacy and legal requirements, but these allegations are false and misleading.
BC is rolling out a spring COVID 19 booster program with invitations starting to go out yesterday. Ministry of Health says people who have received a booster against the XBB. 1.5 Omicron variant of COVID 19 will be among those offered the free shot. The vaccines will be offered at pharmacies, regional health-authority clinics, some primary care offices, and community health centres. It says about 3.9 million people in BC have yet to receive the XBB. 1.5 vaccine.
Mounties in North Vancouver say they’ve arrested a man after he was allegedly holding a plastic replica gun near the city’s library. Police say officers received reports of a man was “manipulating” a gun near North Vancouver City Library on Saturday and they took the man into custody and seized the replica gun. Police say the suspect was found to be on probation for a previous offence and had conditions to not possess any imitation firearms or weapons. Forty-seven-year-old Benjamin McBeath was charged with failing to comply with his probation order on Sunday and police say he was held in custody.
Vancouver fire crews put out an “intentionally set” fire in the back alley of a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown yesterday afternoon. Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services says someone lit the fire on purpose by using combustible materials at the back door. Captain Matthew Trudeau, spokesman with VFRS, says crews were called to the scene after receiving a report of smoke coming into the restaurant, and the fire spread up the wall and into a space between layers of construction. Trudeau says intentional fires are frequent in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, with a number of people indiscriminately setting garbage cans, dumpsters and anything else that’s combustible on fire.