Social media conglomerate Meta has responded to criticism from both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and BC Premier David Eby on its decision to continue its ban on Canadian news content on Facebook and Instagram. Meta says in a statement that the company has been clear since February about the federal Online News Act and its effect on Canadian news content on its platforms. The statement also says Canadians can still access news by going directly to news outlets’ websites and mobile apps, while Facebook continues to carry emergency information through crisis-response pages for both Kelowna and Yellowknife. Both Trudeau and Eby said earlier that Meta’s ban on Canadian news content on its platforms is akin to placing corporate interests over people’s safety during an emergency.
BC Premier David Eby is calling out people’s removal of firefighting equipment at wildfire sites, saying such actions are not helping the province’s fight against this year’s record season. The BC Wildfire Service says pumps, sprinklers, hoses and ATVs have been taken in the North Shuswap area, “critically impacting” the effectiveness of structural protection. Eby says while people might think they are being helpful when they move equipment, firefighters are experienced when it comes to making those decisions. A wildfire service official says residents who have ideas for where equipment should be placed should talk to a firefighter before moving anything.
A Kelowna teacher has been charged with luring a child after police investigated allegations of inappropriate communications with a student. Kelowna RCMP say Jeffrey Allen Jennens was scheduled to appear in court yesterday. Police say they began investigating Jennens in May, and the teacher was arrested and placed on a number of conditions based on evidence reviewed by the Kelowna sex crime unit. The information from the investigation was turned over to prosecutors last week, resulting in the charge against Jennens.
Penticton has issued a water advisory for a section of Okanagan Beach with higher-than-normal levels of the Ecoli bacteria. The City of Penticton says it issued the advisory for the stretch of the beach between the SS Sicamous and Power Street, and signs have been posted on-site stating the water is not suitable for swimming. A recent test of the water in the area found one-thousand 500 colony-forming units of E.coli in a 100-millilitre sample, more than three times higher than Health Canada’s allowable guideline of 400 units. Officials say the City of Penticton will notify the public and remove the signs once bacteria levels return to acceptable levels.
The Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival is extending its Goblin: Macbeth run by one week due to high ticket demands. Organizers say the play, which opens this week, will now end its run on September 24th at Vancouver’s Vanier Park. Artistic director Christopher Gaze says tickets to the entire run of Goblin: Macbeth have “virtually” sold out before opening night something that has never happened before in Bard on the Beach’s 34 year history. The organizers say Goblin: Macbeth runs 90 minutes per performance and features unique interactive elements in its production.
The BC Conservation Officer Service says it has found and killed a black bear that attacked a hiker in Squamish over the weekend. The agency says the bear was killed on Sunday after a woman hiking the Coho Trail on Saturday evening encountered the animal, who swatted the hiker. Officials say the woman used a piece of lumber to defend herself and fought off the bear with the help of a passing cyclist. Conservation officers say an investigation found there have been other encounters in the area with a black bear approaching and following people, and officials believe the bear killed on Sunday was the culprit.