Premier David Eby says there’s been a rise in antisemitism in BC, and combating hate starts with learning from the past so the same horrors are never repeated. He says that’s why the BC government has committed to making Holocaust education mandatory for all Grade 10 students in the province starting in 2025. That will allow for consultation with education partners and the Jewish community, particularly Holocaust survivors, whose voices Eby says are precious. A statement from the province says further additions to the social studies curriculum will also be considered, including topics such as the destruction of the historically Black Hogan’s Alley neighbourhood in Vancouver, Japanese internment and discrimination against other culturally diverse groups.
The BC government has introduced legislative changes that it says would make it easier to use prescribed burning as a tool for mitigating the risk of severe wildfires. A statement from the Forests Ministry says proposed amendments to the Wildfire Act would give prescribed fire “legal standing” in BC’s forest-management toolkit and enable it to expand work with First Nations on cultural burns. The ministry says the government has also proposed changes that would provide new tools to ensure compliance with natural resource laws. It says the changes are the latest step in fulfilling the government’s commitments to modernizing forest policy first outlined two years ago.
A pilot is in hospital with minor injuries after an aircraft crashed in the Crescent Beach area of south Surrey. RCMP in the city east of Vancouver say the crash happened at around 2:30 pm yesterday in the 31-hundred block of McBride Avenue near Blackie Spit. They say the pilot was the only person on the plane. Police say the initial investigation indicates there were no other injuries or damage as a result of the crash.
Canada’s first law requiring companies in the asbestos abatement industry to be licensed and workers trained to be certified is coming soon to BC. WorkSafe BC says the legislation aimed at mitigating the threat of asbestos exposure will come into force on January 1st. The province says it’s the leading cause of death for workers in BC. The workers’ protection agency is urging companies and workers to apply for a licence or certification as soon as possible, as the new law is enforceable in just eight weeks and applications can take weeks to process.
Bylaw officers in Surrey have seized 100-thousand dollars’ worth of fireworks from a single unlicensed retail location, just ahead of Halloween. A statement from the City of Surrey says RCMP officers found the illegal fireworks store through online and social media searches and issued municipal tickets to the owner and two employees. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says it took four pickup trucks and a minivan to transport the illegal inventory. Fireworks cannot be sold in Surrey without a valid permit from the fire department, as well as a federal fireworks operator certificate.
Yukon’s finance minister says the government will table the territory’s public accounts for 2022-23 later than today’s legislated deadline. Sandy Silver says additional time has been necessary to ensure the territory remains fully compliant with the latest accounting rules and guidelines, following new standards introduced by the Public Sector Accounting Board. The former premier says the government is working through the process with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. Silver says he looks forward to sharing a complete, audited account of the Yukon’s finances in the coming weeks.