There’s no doubt it’s been hot across much of B.C. the last couple of days, but we now know that the heat has been record-breaking in some parts. In Abbotsford, the mercury climbed to 33.7 degrees yesterday afternoon, breaking the previous high of 31.8 for Aug. 30 set in 1987. In Squamish, temperatures hit 33.2 degrees to break the previous record of 28 degrees from 2003. Temperatures are expected to remain on the higher end today so more records could fall. Cooler temperatures are expected to follow for the weekend.
A 25-year-old woman has gone missing, with Surrey RCMP asking for the public’s help in locating her. Navdeep Kaur was last seen at a home near 67th ave and 150th Street on Monday at 6:30 a.m. Her family has not been able to reach her and are worried for her safety. Kaur is described as a South Asian woman, five-foot-five with a medium build, black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black zip-up hoodie, black backpack with black-and-white VANS shoes.
Members of the advocacy group Moms Stop the Harm will be rallying in Victoria and elsewhere today as part of its annual awareness campaign for International Overdose Awareness Day. It’s among various organizations trying to draw attention to the plight of those at risk of dying from a toxic drug supply in a province where over 10-thousand people have fatally overdosed since 2016. Groups including the Drug User Liberation Front and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users are also scheduled to speak in Vancouver on issues affecting those who use illicit drugs.
The Canadian economy grew at an annual rate of 3.3 per cent in the second quarter, with growth largely driven by increased business investment in inventories and household spending. Statistics Canada released its latest reports on monthly and quarterly real gross domestic product this morning, which showed the economy grew for a fourth consecutive quarter. Household spending on semi-durable goods rose, with the rise driven by an increase in spending on clothing and footwear as more people headed back to the office.
The Retail Cannabis Council of B-C is thanking the province’s largest public-sector union for ending job action that put the livelihood of many pot stores and their employees at risk. The union says it ended job action and an overtime ban due to significant progress during bargaining sessions with the province though no details have been released about when a tentative contract could be signed. Owners of restaurants and bars are also relieved and hope they can soon restock their alcohol supply after the province imposed limits of three bottles of certain types of booze.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is conducting a mini-shuffle of his cabinet, a week before a cabinet retreat in Vancouver. He’ll swap two ministers in a swearing in ceremony later this morning Four sources with knowledge of the plan say Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi asked Trudeau for a lighter workload because of a family health matter. The shuffle comes one week before a cabinet retreat in Vancouver.
It was 25 years ago today Princess Diana was killed in a horrific car crash in a tunnel near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Mercedes she was riding in was being chased by paparazzi and tests later showed the drivers blood-alcohol level was triple the legal limit for driving. Diana’s sudden death at age 36 unleashed an outpouring of stunned grief around the world, culminating in a televised funeral at Westminster Abbey that was watched by millions.