Monthly Archives: October 2017

Photo: The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to meet with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson this morning, but their once-rosy relationship has been threatened by the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Photo: File photo

The theft of a water pump and hoses being used by the BC Wildfire Service has hindered fire suppression efforts on the Harrop Creek wildfire.

As if their job was not hard enough already, BC wildfire crews also have to deal with thieves.

The theft of a water pump and hoses being used by the BC Wildfire Service has hindered fire suppression efforts on the Harrop Creek wildfire, which is burning 10 kilometres south of the communities of Harrop and Procter.

One water pump and 10, 100-foot lengths of hose went missing during the night of July 31-Aug. 1.

BC Wildfire Service officials said criminal acts such as these impact the effectiveness of fire suppression activities and pose safety risks to the public and also to the first responders working to contain these fires.

RCMP has zero tolerance for such actions and those suspected of theft or mischief will be arrested. Anyone with any information about this theft is asked to contact the RCMP or contact BC Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

As of the afternoon of Aug. 1, the Harrop Creek wildfire covered about 655 hectares and is burning at high elevations. Twenty personnel are currently establishing a fire guard with the aid of heavy equipment and one helicopter.

While this fire is visible from surrounding communities, it is currently not threatening any communities or structures.

Photo: Contributed

Historic Hat Creek Ranch near Cache Creek is on evacuation alert.

A piece of British Columbia history is under threat from wildfire.

Historic Hat Creek Ranch, 14 kilometres north of Cache Creek, has been placed on evacuation alert while the community of 16 Mile has been ordered evacuated.

An employee at Hat Creek said they were packing things up and getting ready to leave ata moments notice.

There are a lot of people helping right now, she said frantically Tuesday afternoon before getting off of the telephone.

Hat Creek Ranch was one of the stopping points for people hoping to strike it rich in the Klondike Gold Rush.

It features an historic hotel and numerous other buildings as well as cattle and other farm animals.

This is the second time fire has threatened the ranch this year.

The Canadian Press Aug 1, 2017 / 2:50 pm | Story: 203228

Photo: The Canadian Press

A home destroyed by wildfire is seen on the Ashcroft First Nation.

Wildfires continue to burn across B.C., and officials say flames have now destroyed more than 300 buildings.

Robert Turner with Emergency Management BC says 71 of those were homes, 116 were outbuildings like sheds, three were commercial buildings and 115 have yet to be identified.

He says the Cariboo Regional District, Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the Ashcroft Indian Band have been the hardest hit, but no critical infrastructure has been lost.

More than 840 fires have charred about 4,260 square kilometres in B.C. since April 1, and Kevin Skrepnek with the BC Wildfire Service says hot, dry weather is expected to increase fire activity in the coming days.

He says smoke from the fires is hanging over several communities, creating visibility and safety issues for aircraft that are fighting and detecting the fires.

About 3,700 people are currently battling the flames and 108 fire personnel from Mexico are coming to join them later this week.

The Canadian Press Aug 1, 2017 / 2:37 pm | Story: 203227

Photo: Twitter

British Columbias police complaints commissioner has ordered a public hearing into the actions of a Vancouver constable over a complaint of abuse of authority.

A Vancouver man contacted the commissioner saying he believed police entered his home unlawfully after he found a man in his laundry room in November 2015.

The complainant said he asked the stranger who he was, and the man flashed his badge, started questioning him, said he was under arrest, searched the home, then left without an explanation.

A Vancouver police discipline authority found Const. Brian Hobbs committed two acts of abuse of authority by unlawfully entering the mans home and by placing the resident in handcuffs.

But Commissioner Stan Lowe says the superintendent went beyond the Police Act in his finding and the complainant didnt testify so the ability to search for truth in the proceeding has been hampered.

Lowe says there is a reasonable basis to believe the discipline authoritys findings are incorrect and a public hearing is necessary.

Photo: Orkin

Three cities in B.C. are among the worst in Canada for bed bugs, according to pest-control company Orkin.

Toronto is worst for the hard-to-kill pests that cause itchy sores with their bites.

Vancouver ranked third behind Winnipeg, while Surrey and Burnaby came in at No. 20 and 21, respectively.

The top 25 was based on commercial and residential bed bug infestations treated by the company over the past year. Many of the worst cities were clustered in Southern Ontario.

Bed bugs are extremely efficient hitch hikers. They can move easily across a room and climb onto luggage or anything left on a bed in just one night, the company says.

They can live for up to a year without food and can ruin a vacation. Experts recommend checking hotel room beds before settling in. Look forblood stains, dead bugs, eggs and bug exoskeletons.

with files from CTV Vancouver

The Canadian Press Aug 1, 2017 / 8:50 am | Story: 203168

Photo: SFU

A haze has fallen on the Lower Mainland as winds carry smoke from wildfires in the B.C. Interior to the coast.

Environment Canadas special air quality and weather advisories continue for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast and eastern Vancouver Island as the smoke and a heat wave pose potential health risks.

The advisories say people with medical conditions should avoid strenuous activity outdoors and its suggested infants and the elderly stay in air-conditioned environments to avoid the pollution.

There are about 150 fires burning throughout the province with no reprieve in sight as hot, dry conditions continue.

Temperatures across the southern parts of the province are forecast to reach the mid to high 30s and no rain is expected for at least the next seven days.

Wildfire smoke blocking the sun could actually lower daytime temperatures, which Environment Canada say makes it difficult to forecast exactly how hot it will get and if records will be broken.

The Canadian Press Aug 1, 2017 / 6:14 am | Story: 203155

Photo: Twitter

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets firefighters in Williams Lake, Monday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to meet with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson this morning, but their once-rosy relationship has been threatened by the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Trudeaus government approved the $7.4-billion expansion last November despite Robertsons staunch opposition to the project, which would see a seven-fold increase in the number of tankers in Vancouver-area waters.

Robertson and Trudeau have long had a friendly rapport, but the mayor has said he was profoundly disappointed by the decision, calling it a big step backwards for Canadas environment and economy.

The opioid epidemic that has claimed hundreds of lives in Vancouver is also likely to be high on the agenda for the meeting, as is the citys affordable-housing crisis.

Trudeau took a helicopter tour yesterday of the damage caused by fast-moving wildfires in British Columbias Interior and thanked the crews who have fought to the edge of exhaustion to keep people and buildings safe.

He later spoke at a $1,000-a-plate Liberal fundraiser in Surrey, where he urged the crowd of about 250 people to donate to the Canadian Red Cross to help people displaced by wildfires.

Inside the banquet hall last night, Trudeau urged supporters to help the Liberals get re-elected in 2019. Canada needs to keep going in the same direction, he said, at a time when the world is turning toward the politics of division, populism and fear.

The Canadian Press Jul 31, 2017 / 9:16 pm | Story: 203150

Photo: Twitter

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a helicopter tour of British Columbias charred landscape Monday left him awed by the destructive force of wildfires burning across the province and impressed by the extraordinary determination of firefighters battling the flames.

Trudeau said he saw ranches in the Cariboo region surrounded by scorched earth and evidence of flames stopping just short of a runway.

The speed at which it can flare up, the way it could cut across roads, really impressed upon me the extraordinary work being done by our wildfire professionals, he said. I really saw the extent of the scale of the devastation and the damage.

Fire crews on the edge of exhaustion have pushed through to keep people and buildings safe, the prime minister added.

Trudeau, accompanied by several federal politicians and B.C. Premier John Horgan, spent an hour above a fire zone in a Canadian Forces Chinook helicopter watching spot fires and billowing smoke. At times, the dense smoke blurred out the land below.

Wildfires burning in the Cariboo have forced thousands from their homes, including 10,000 residents of Williams Lake who had to leave on July 15 when a fast-moving fire encroached on their community.

People were allowed to return last weekend, but the city remains under evacuation alert and residents must be ready to leave again at a moments notice.

Most businesses in Williams Lake had reopened Monday, but it was a staggered start as many employees were still returning to the community. .

Dozens of homes have been lost as more than 800 fires have burned around the province, scorching about 4,200 square kilometres.

There will be challenges in the months to come that we will also be there for, Trudeau said. This is what Canadians do, we stand up for each other in times of difficulty, he said.

People in the Cariboo have been hit especially hard by wildfires this year, Horgan said, echoing Trudeaus promise.

Were going to make sure people are whole when this is all over, Horgan said. The province is going to be there to help rebuild.

Photo: CTV

A Surrey man has been ordered by a judgeto stop bringing his four-year-old daughter to creep stings.

The girls mother says Lance Loy was arrested and charged with assaulting a Surrey Creep Catcherstarget in April all while his daughter was present.

The mother told CTVno child should be anywhere near a suspected predator.

Its a pedophile environment. Either hes sitting there talking beside her about pedophile activities or hes bringing her around pedophiles potentially. Nothing good has come out of this, she said.

Loy was charged after an April 19 sting turned violent.

The mother shares custody with Loy and saysIf Lance didnt have my daughter, then who had her?

Judge P. LaPrairie ordered Loy to keep the girl away from any creep catching.

Loy insiststhe child was at a safe distance that night and was never in any danger.

with files from CTV Vancouver

Photo: BC Wildfire Service

Harrop Creek wildfire

Increased wind activity has caused the size of several fires to growin the Southeast Fire Centre.

As of Monday afternoon, the Island Pond wildfire is at 150hectares, about 17 kilometres southeast of Canal Flats.Three helicopters, airtankers and heavy equipment are supporting 33 firefighting personnel on the ground. Crews are building fire guards.

The Rapid Creek wildfire is estimated to cover 300 hectares, about four km southwest of Highway 31 and about 27 km northwest of Meadow Creek.

BC Wildfire Service will be sending in heavy equipment to help ground crews create a fire break between the fire and the community. At this time, there is no threat to residents or visitors in the area.As a precautionary measure, an evacuation alert has been issued for the Poplar Creek area.

The Harrop Creek wildfire is about 10 km south of the communities of Harrop and Procter. It is estimated to cover 200 hectares, and some growth has occurred on the fires east flank.Ground crews (supported by aircraft and heavy equipment) are working thefire.

The Glacier Creek wildfire is about 26 km northeast of Copper Creek. It is estimated to cover 70 hectares.Recent growth has resulted in a road restriction being placed on the Duncan-Glacier Creek Forest Service Road.

The combination of complex terrain, remote location and aggressive fire behaviour has created unsafe working environments for ground crews. The fires continue to be monitored from the air and, in some cases may be allowed to burn.

The Southeast Fire Centre extends from the U.S. border to Mica Dam in the north and from the Okanagan Highlands and Monashee Mountains in the west to the B.C.-Alberta border.

Photo: Contributed

Police are investigating the cause of the massiveElephant Hill wildfire near Ashcroft.

Read the rest here:300+ buildings destroyed Castanet.net

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