Police are investigating a Saturday-evening shooting in Surrey that they say preceded a car crash. They say officers were dispatched to investigate a report that the occupants of a silver S-U-V had fired shots at people in a white Jeep in the 7300 block of 128 Street. Police say both vehicles sped away, but the Jeep crashed near the intersection of 128 Street and 76 Avenue. R-C-M-P investigators say the driver and passenger of the Jeep are in custody, adding they believe it was a targeted shooting related to drug trafficking and gang activity.
Restrictions will be eased as of July 5 for travellers to Canada who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The federal government has laid out its plan to roll back some of its COVID-19 measures, and though it lists some loosening of quarantine requirements for people who’ve received a full course of a vaccine, it doesn’t guarantee anything. As of July 5 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, fully vaccinated travellers, who are permitted entry into Canada, may be able to forego the 14-day quarantine, including the government-authorized hotel stay. However, being fully vaccinated does not automatically ensure someone is exempt from quarantine requirements. Travellers will still be required to have a “suitable quarantine plan, and be prepared to quarantine, in case it is determined at the border that they do not meet the necessary requirements.” If they are deemed eligible, people who are allowed to enter Canada will not be required to complete a day-8 test. Get all the info you need on Travel outside of Canada HERE
This year’s National Indigenous Peoples Day, which is today, will include a vigil for the 215 children whose bodies were recently identified as buried in unmarked graves at the Kamloops residential school site. Those who organized the kids’ shoe memorial at the Vancouver Art Gallery are asking people from coast to coast to mourn and remember the children at 7 p.m. Kamloops time. “Everyone mourning the discovery of the 215 children at residential schools, raise your voices, your drums …. let them hear us,” reads the event description. you are being invited to come to the steps outside of the gallery, where the existing shoe memorial is located. “Now more than ever non-Indigenous persons are called to hold space and centre Indigenous peoples and their experiences,” “Wear orange and bring your drums,” reads the event description, making reference to First Nations drummers. Earlier in the day Today you can Tune in to FRAFCA Facebook Live and YouTube Live, for Surrey’s National Indigenous Peoples Day Virtual Celebration:
- Kids Show: 10:50AM-11:30AM
- Main Event: 6:00PM-7:30PM
Hosted by the Local Land Based Nations, Semiahmoo, Kwantlen and Katzie First Nations, Surrey’s National Indigenous Peoples Day is an opportunity to acknowledge and show respect and admiration for Indigenous People past, present and future; to share cultural history; and to share spirit, experiences, stories, song, art and dance with each other and the community.
The sister of a missing Surrey man is pleading with the public to come forward with any information on her brother’s whereabouts. Ettie Shurack is renewing calls to help find her brother, Bernard Grempel, after he was last seen leaving 22nd Street SkyTrain Station in New Westminster on May 14, boarding the 340 bus towards North Delta and Strawberry Hills. “He’s a really special individual, and I feel like the world is suffering without him actively present and doing everything that he does — just so naturally and effortlessly,” she says. Community led searches have been underway since Grempel went missing, including one happening Saturday and Sunday near the Surrey Central SkyTrain Station. A $20,000 reward has been raised for anyone who has information that leads to Grempel being found. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Surrey RCMP
Get ready for more hot, sunny days ahead. The Metro Vancouver region is kicking off the summer season with high temperatures and a special weather statement, which lays out a mini heatwave. Forecasters says temperatures will be five to 10 degrees above normal on Monday, and into the 30s for some areas away from the shore. The heat is also setting up a continued dry pattern, though we’re not in dangerous territory yet. B.C.’s first wildfire of note this season continues to burn south of Lytton in the Fraser Canyon. The George Road wildfire is considered out of control, and is scattered across steep and rocky terrain, according to the BC Wildfire Service. Back on the South Coast, he notes there’s little rain to look forward to in the coming two weeks. Temperatures are expected to cool slightly late Tuesday, but are forecast to once again climb on Thursday, lasting well into the weekend.
Fraser Health, the region that has seen some of the highest cases of COVID-19 in the province, held a 32-hour overnight ‘vax-a-thon’ in Surrey this weekend. The goal for the event was to vaccinate 7,000 people and the health authority says they reached their goal in a tweet following the event. Elizabeth Bremner, clinical manager at the Guildford Recreational Centre, says the ‘vax-a-thon’ saw people come through for their shot around the clock. “That’s a total of 32 hours of us helping people get those important immunizations and building that immunity in the community,” she says. She says the clinic was busy during the late hours too, as the overnight worked well for people who work during traditional open hours. “There were a lot of people came by during extended hours which was great because we were hoping to open it up to people who maybe might work non traditional shift hours and haven’t had that capacity to get in. “We definitely hit our target on that one, because people were coming through the night. We’ve stayed busy the whole time and I think that’s something to be celebrated,” Bremner says.
R-C-M-P in Burnaby are investigating an alleged hit-and-run that caused the death of a motorcyclist Saturday evening. The Mounties say they responded to a report of a vehicle rear-ending a motorcycle at Canada Way and Imperial Street. They say the motorcyclist was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police haven’t released any further details, but are urging any potential witnesses to contact them.
The Union of B-C Indian Chiefs says this year’s National Indigenous Peoples Day comes during a time of grieving. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip says it follows the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Stewart says it’s time Canada admitted accountability for past wrongs inflicted by practices of colonialism. Premier John Horgan has released a statement honouring the resilience of Indigenous people but saying B-C must recognize the institutional racism and discrimination they continue to experience.
Fraser Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Eagle Ridge Hospital after evidence of transmission in a medicine/PATH unit. Nine patients at Eagle Ridge Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19 as part of this outbreak. The outbreak is limited to one unit, which is temporarily closed to admissions. Upon declaring the outbreak, Fraser Health immediately implemented precautions, including enhanced cleaning as well as contact tracing to protect the health of all staff, medical staff, and patients. The emergency department at Eagle Ridge Hospital remains open and there has been no impact to any other areas of the hospital. Fraser Health has notified all patients on the affected unit about the outbreak, and in addition, families of patients who are unable to share this information have been informed.
The City of Penticton says it’s cancelling its Canada Day activities this year. Mayor John Vassilaki says they want to make July 1st a day to honour Indigenous people. He’s encouraging people to take time to reflect on Canada’s history and consider ways to create a more inclusive community. This follows Victoria’s decision to cancel its Canada Day events following the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children buried at a former residential school in Kamloops.
British Columbia health officials announced on Monday there have been 229 new test-positive COVID-19 cases since Friday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the province to 147,131. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said there were 94 cases reported from Friday to Saturday, 90 from Saturday to Sunday, and 45 from Sunday to Monday. Broken down by health region, this equates to 51 new cases in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 99 new cases in the Fraser Health region, five new cases in the Island Health region, 60 new cases in the Interior Health region, and 13 new cases in the Northern Health region. There were also three more deaths over the weekend, bringing the death toll to 1,743. There are 1,204 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 108 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, 48 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. Henry said that 144,153 individuals who tested positive have now recovered, and to date, 4,436,432 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered, 935,401 of which are second doses.