A heavy police presence can be seen at the home of a missing Langley woman Tuesday morning. Several officers, including police dogs, appeared to be searching the property late Monday night with flashlights. By Tuesday morning, neighbours could see crime scene tape up near the home but there are no details from RCMP as to the nature of the search, or if there is any updates on this two-week old missing person’s case. On Monday, Langley RCMP released images of Naomi Onotera’s car, in hopes of helping investigators retrace the missing woman’s steps. Onotera, a 40-year-old mother and teacher, was last seen leaving her home near 200 St. and 50 Ave. Saturday, Aug. 28. Police have appealed to people who live in the area, or who were driving through for any security or dashcam footage captured between 6 p.m. on Aug. 28 and 7 a.m. on Aug. 29. If you need help downloading video surveillance or dashcam footage that could help in the investigation, or you’ve already done so, you are asked to call the Langley RCMP tip line
All health-care workers in B-C will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by next month as a condition of employment. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry’s order goes into effect on October 26th and matches that for workers in long-term care and assisted living facilities, where staff must be immunized by mid-October Henry says she’d heard concerns that workers in those settings wanting to shun vaccination would switch to acute-care settings but that’s no longer an option She says disruptions in health-care settings from workers sick with COVID-19 aren’t the only reason to get vaccinated, but that patients are also at risk.
People who are most immunocompromised in B-C will be prioritized for third doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry says about 15-thousand people will be eligible for an extra dose so they can mount a stronger response against the virus. Her order comes after recommendations from a national advisory panel on vaccines, and will include people who’ve had transplants, some cancers and lymphoma. Henry says notices will be going out by email and text this week to those who qualify for the booster shot and people who are moderately immunocompromised will get their notices in a few months.
B-C’s provincial health officer says she’s stunned and saddened that people are gathering outside hospitals to protest the province’s vaccine passport. Bonnie Henry says health-care staff have worked flat out for nearly 20 months and many are exhausted as I-C-U beds are filling up, mostly with unvaccinated patients. Health Minister Adrian Dix calls pushback against businesses
requiring a vaccine passport “despicable.” He says 121 of the 139 people currently getting intensive care in B-C are unvaccinated and the aim of the vaccine cards is to get life back to normal. Yesterday in BC a group gathered outside Vancouver city hall to protest vaccine passports, mask mandates and the Covid vaccine.
Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum and his slate of councilors have passed a motion barring some “individuals” from in-person meetings, a move the opposition is slamming as undemocratic. In a statement, McCallum says the motion will apply to “individuals who have repeatedly disrupted and verbally harassed council and city staff during public hearings,” and is necessary to “protect council and city staff from harassment.” According to the mayor, the impacted individuals have been “given notice” that they will “be able to submit questions in comments in writing” but be denied access to council chambers. Coun. Brenda Locke, in a tweet, says the mayor’s motion is directed at seven residents, all supporters of the campaign to keep the RCMP in Surrey Frank Bucholtz, a longtime municipal politics watcher and columnist, says the move is not totally unprecedented for a city council. However, he’s not sure a compelling case has been made that it’s necessary in Surrey at this time, even amid the “discord” surrounding the policing issue.
The Weather Network says there are still warm days to come this year. The network says in its fall forecast that much of Canada can expect some spells of warm temperatures in the next month or so, mixed in with the wide swings in weather the season typically brings. Chris Scott, chief meteorologist at The Weather Network, says many Canadians can expect above-normal temperatures and a typical number of rainy days. He says that September has so far brought in precipitation and cooler days to offer some relief to the blistering heat that led to devastating wildfires in B.C. and northern Ontario and parched conditions in the Prairies this summer. In British Columbia, which this summer saw the highest temperatures ever recorded in Canada, people can expect near-normal temperatures and slightly warmer-than-normal in the south. The number of rainy days should be normal, but are expected to be heavier than normal, said Scott. He said to watch out though because around mid-November he expects the weather to shift to an earlier onset of winter than the region has seen in recent years.
The B-C government is ending a provincial state of emergency today because of wildfires in a season that has seen about 32-thousand people displaced. It says the wildfire season is not over and the public needs to remain prepared and follow the direction of local authorities. The state of emergency was declared on July 20th and will expire at 11:59 p-m. As of yesterday, 205 wildfires were burning, with three evacuation orders still in place affecting about 223 properties.
R-C-M-P in Surrey say two missing school children have been found safe and sound. Police say the boys were last seen about 1:15 p-m running away from a school. Search and rescue was called to assist in the search. Police tweeted shortly after 3:30 p-m that they had been found.
The September 20th finish line is almost in sight, and the major federal party leaders are continuing their push for votes. A new poll by Leger — in association with The Canadian Press — indicates that front runners Justin Trudeau and Erin O’Toole are neck-and-neck. Both the Liberal leader and the Conservative leader have the support of 32 per cent of decided voters. If the trajectory of polls bear out on election day, the country could find itself again with a minority government with the N-D-P or Bloc Quebecois potentially holding the balance of power.
B-C has reported 677 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death. The number of active infections has ticked up to six-thousand-165 across the province, with close to a third located in the Fraser Health region. There are 288 people in hospital with the illness, including 140 in intensive care. The Health Ministry says 78.5 per cent of eligible residents have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, while 86 per cent have had at least one.
Police estimated a crowd of about 400 gathered to protest against vaccinations and vaccine passports outside Vancouver city hall yesterday as similar demonstrations were held across the country. Some protesters carried signs that read “My body, my choice.” Police in Victoria say a man was arrested for assault during a protest at the B-C legislature after a person was doused with hot liquid. Police say no charges have been laid in the incident, which remains under investigation.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says if re-elected, he would increase immigration targets to make up for the time lost during the pandemic. At a campaign stop in B-C today, Trudeau acknowledged his government had to suspend immigration completely last year because it closed the borders due to COVID-19. Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is promising to speed up processing of family reunification and skilled workers’ immigration applications. But at a campaign stop today in Eastern Ontario, he wouldn’t say whether he would maintain the Liberal government’s target of accepting about 400-thousand new immigrants every year.
Comic Norm Macdonald has died after a private, nine-year battle with cancer. He was 61. Macdonald, the son of two school teachers, was raised in Quebec City. He was a standup comic and briefly a writer for the sitcom “Roseanne” before he was picked to join the cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 1993. He’s perhaps best-known as a laconic host of S-N-L’s “Weekend Update.” After leaving the show in 1998, he created and starred in the short-lived comedy “The Norm Show” for A-B-C.