A stubborn 2.5 square kilometre fire burning in steep terrain above Highway 4 on Vancouver Island is forcing the continued closure of the main route to Port Alberni. The BC Ministry of Transportation says in a statement there’s no estimate for when the route might reopen. In the meantime, drivers are asked to use a rough, four-hour detour for essential purposes only. Convoys of trucks are scheduled twice each day to deliver gas, food and other essential goods to the communities cut off by the wildfire.
Victoria Police have arrested a man they allege threatened to shoot another person. Police say officers responded to a report of a man threatening to shoot someone in the 11-hundred block on Pandora Avenue on June 9th. Police say the suspect left the area in a vehicle by the time officers arrived, but they were able to locate him near the intersection of Tyee (tie-‘EE) Road and Wilson Street a short while later. The Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team made the arrest, and the suspect is being held by Victoria Police for court.
RCMP in Penticton have opened a vandalism file after two recently installed art sculptures on the lakefront were damaged. The City of Penticton says in a statement that the two sculptures are part of the community’s public exhibition on the waterfront that has been in operation for the last seven years. City officials say one sculpture was torn off of its pedestal, while another was damaged in an unspecified manner. The sculptures are leased from the artists who created them, and Penticton officials say the attack will not disrupt the program’s goal of providing “a stage for public art.”
Police in Surrey are looking for a suspected arsonist who set afire at the front entrance of a building earlier this month. RCMP say officers responded to a report of a fire in front of a building in the 139-hundred block of 100 Avenue on June 5th. Surrey firefighters also responded to the scene and quickly extinguished the flames with minimal damage and no injuries reported. Police say it is clear the fire was set on purpose, but the suspect’s motive is unknown.
A former lawyer in BC has been suspended for six months and ordered to pay more than 4-thousand dollars for sexually harassing a client. The Law Society of BC says William James Heflin made “unwelcome comments, advances and physical contact” with a client during an October 2020 meeting at the Victoria courthouse. The Law Society says Heflin was representing the female client in a family law matter from 2017 to 2020. According to the Law Society tribunal’s decision, Heflin is no longer a member, is not currently seeking reinstatement as a lawyer, and will see his suspension begin on the first business day after he is reinstated if he chooses to reapply.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for strong winds in the coastal areas along the Straight of Georgia, including Metro Vancouver. The forecast says a cold front sweeping through the south coast today will generate gusts up to 70 kilometres an hour. Winds are expected to develop in the late afternoon and continue through the night before easing early tomorrow morning. The areas that could potentially be impacted by the high winds include Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, Delta, Burnaby and New Westminster.