A 23-year-old Chilliwack mother hasn’t been seen since Saturday, leaving her friends and family desperate for answers. On Tuesday afternoon, Shaelene Keeler Bell’s loved ones gathered to plead for tips from the public. Bell is a mother of two young boys and was last seen Saturday night leaving her apartment on Edward Street. On Monday, her vehicle, a 2021 Hyundai Too-son, was found abandoned. Her mother, Alina Durham, says the disappearance is highly unusual and is worried for her daughter’s safety. Bell is 5’2” tall, weighs around 95 lbs., and has blonde hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call Chilliwack RCMP or crime stoppers if you want to remain anonymous.
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British Columbia has extended its state of emergency again, allowing officials to use extraordinary powers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. It comes as health officials say there’s an encouraging trend in the curve, with the efforts of residents making a difference, and that puts the province in a better position to deal with new variants. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix reported 429 new cases and eight deaths yesterday, bringing to 1,218 the number of fatalities linked to COVID-19. But Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says some people still refuse to follow safety rules for their own “selfish needs,” noting that since August, more than 800 violations have been issued.
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Health Canada could approve AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine within weeks. If it does, the country could receive up to 1.1-million additional doses of it by the end of March through a global vaccine sharing initiative. Procurement Minister Anita Anand says up to 3.2-million total doses could arrive by the end of June. She says that would be a boost to the current six-million doses expected from Pfizer and Moderna before the end of next month.
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COVID-19 variants are taking root across Canada, and the country’s top doctor says we are in a very delicate period of the pandemic. Doctor Theresa Tam says at least 148 cases of the variants –both the U-K and South African strains — have been confirmed across the country. Tam says Canada needs to ramp up testing for variants through the labour-intensive process of whole-genome sequencing. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix reported 429 new cases and eight deaths yesterday, bringing the total to 1,218 fatalities linked to COVID-19.
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ICBC is giving out one-time rebate cheques averaging about $190 to people who had car insurance last year. “This will affect all of those who had policies between April 1 and Sept. 30 last year,” said Premier John Horgan Tuesday. Horgan says the public insurer has about $600 million in savings, due to fewer crashes leading to lower claim costs. The province says a higher-than-expected income was “partly offset” by decreased revenue due to lapsed and cancelled policies. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the drivers’ rebate amount will be “based on a portion of what they paid for coverage during that period.” As to why it took until now to issue the rebate, Farnworth explained the province wanted to ensure ICBC was in the financial position to afford this. Horgan says the “cheques will be in the mail soon,” but you won’t see them for several weeks.
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IF you’re looking to get the 30-second gargle COVID 19 test rather than having swab stuck down deep into your nose, Vancouver Coastal Health says you need to follow pre-sampling instructions. “VCH advises members of the public who wish to use the COVID-19 saline gargle device to avoid eating, drinking, vaping or smoking, brushing their teeth or chewing gum for at least one hour prior to taking this test,” says the health authority. According to test collectors, people are arriving at collection sites expecting oral tests but are often unprepared and find themselves receiving a long, uncomfortable nasopharyngeal swab instead. Many people have complained the nasal swab is uncomfortable and in some cases painful. It takes about 10 to 15 seconds and involves swirling the swab several times inside of the sinus. The less-invasive alternative, saline-based gargle sampling involves swishing and swirling a solution in the mouth and throat for 30 seconds while a test collector supervises. Saline gargling was made available for school-aged children in September and made more widely-available by Vancouver Coastal Health in late November, 2020.
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World Vision has released a report titled “Risky Goods” that warns you could be contributing to child labor every time you buy groceries. It says imports from Mexico account for the largest value of risky products and is urging the government to introduce legislation requiring companies to take action against child labor in their supply chains. In the meantime, World Vision is encouraging shoppers to buy from companies that participate in ethical certification systems.
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The province has announced 12-million dollars in funding to help small and medium-sized businesses launch or upgrade online stores. Economic Recovery Minister Ravi Kahlon says the new e-commerce grant program is expected to help about 15-hundred businesses. It will provide grants of up 75-hundred dollars per owner, with up to one quarter of the funding reserved for regional and Indigenous businesses. Kahlon says the support is critical to help businesses adapt to a shift to online shopping during the pandemic — but acknowledges delays in getting some previously announced support out the door.
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The BC SPCA says four adult dogs and eight puppies in distress have been seized from a breeder on Vancouver Island. The animal welfare agency says inspectors went to the property yesterday in response to a complaint from the public. It says they found signs of eye and ear infections, neurological issues, lameness and suspected canine parovirus, which is highly
contagious and potentially deadly. The dogs and puppies — mainly Chihuahua crosses — are now in the care of the S-P-C-A in Victoria.
contagious and potentially deadly. The dogs and puppies — mainly Chihuahua crosses — are now in the care of the S-P-C-A in Victoria.
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British Columbia health officials are reporting 414 new cases of COVID-19 and 16 new deaths, bringing the total to 1,234 fatalities linked to the virus in the province. Nine new cases are being reported at Burnaby Hospital just days after an earlier outbreak at the facility was declared over. The Fraser Health authority says all the cases are among patients
in the medicine unit and it has been temporarily closed to admissions. BC’s Interior Health authority is also reporting 37 new cases in Williams Lake, seven more in Fernie and five additional cases at the Big White ski resort.
in the medicine unit and it has been temporarily closed to admissions. BC’s Interior Health authority is also reporting 37 new cases in Williams Lake, seven more in Fernie and five additional cases at the Big White ski resort.
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BC’s information and privacy commissioner has joined with the federal privacy commission and two provincial counterparts to release a report highly critical of the use of facial recognition technology in Canada. The report says use of facial recognition applications provided by U-S firm Clearview A-I are a clear violation of Canadians’ privacy rights. Clearview A-I programs allow police forces, financial institutions and other clients to gather billions of images from across the internet, but the report says that amounts to mass surveillance and violates federal and provincial laws about the collection of personal information. Clients, including the RCMP, used the technology during investigations — matching photos of unknown people against the Clearview A-I databank of more than three billion images — but the New York-based firm has ended all work in this country, including its only remaining R-C-M-P contract.