The long weekend push to get out of town is already on, and if you’re planning a trip to the Island, you’ll have a tough time getting on a ferry if you don’t have a reservation. Virtually all sailings from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay and Duke Point are full until 3 p.m. Saturday. There is limited availability from Tsawwassen to Duke Point Friday, however, that should sell out quickly. BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall says this long weekend is unlike many others. “[There is] probably a lot of pent-up demand. People have been looking forward to getting out and doing some staycations this summer. So, we are seeing customers book well in advance with their reservations.” And while the rush right now is to get away for the weekend, Marshall recommends planning your trip back ahead of time if you can. She suggests coming home on less busy days, such as Sunday or Tuesday, when there are still reservations available on sailings. People are being told to check the BC Ferries website for current conditions before heading to terminals.
With temperatures in the 30s expected until Sunday, Environment Canada is advising people in several areas to be prepared for dangerously high temperatures. The heat warnings include the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver. Many cities have opened cooling centers as a result, although space will be limited due to the ongoing pandemic. They are expected to stay open until the heatwave ends. For a full list CLICK HERE
The Canadian women’s eight rowing crew has captured gold at the Tokyo Olympics. The eight rowers crossed the line first in the final in a time of five minutes 59.13 seconds at Sea Forest Waterway. It’s Canada’s first gold in the event since the 1992 Barcelona Games. New Zealand grabbed silver (6:00.04), while China took bronze (6:01.21). Canada will leave the Tokyo Olympics with two rowing medals, after Victoria’s Caileigh Filmer and Hillary Janssens of Surrey, B.C., took bronze in Thursday’s women’s pair. The double-podium performance comes after Canada secured just one medal — in the lightweight women’s double sculls — at the Rio Games five years ago. Canada qualified 10 boats at a Games for the first time since the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and fielded a gender-balanced crew for the first time.
The surge in COVID-19 cases in B.C.’s Interior that has prompted new restrictions for Kelowna and surrounding communities continued Thursday, with health officials announcing 204 new infections in the province, 107 of them in the Interior Health region. Other regions of B.C. recorded fewer new cases Thursday, with 58 in Fraser Health, 23 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 14 in Island Health and two in Northern Health. The 204 cases added Thursday represent the largest single-day jump since June 5, when B.C. added 217 new infections to its total. The latest numbers bring the province’s rolling seven-day average for new cases to 131, the highest it’s been since June 13. There were no new deaths related to COVID-19 over the last 24 hours. B.C. does not report cases by vaccination status on a daily basis, but officials announced earlier this week that fewer than five per cent of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the province between June 15 and July 15 had received both doses of vaccine. The vast majority – 78 per cent – of infections during that period were among people who had not received either a first or a second dose.
The director of fire centre operations for the B-C wildfire service says this week’s heat is expected to contribute to “severe burning conditions” in B-C’s southern half. Rob Schweitzer’s crews will be watching out for lighting this weekend, though next week could bring a measure of relief with cooler temperatures and some rain. There were 62 evacuation orders covering more than 34-hundred properties at the province’s latest count, with close to 17-thousand-700 more on alert. In response to the fires, Interior Health says two mobile alternative care sites being set up in the Okanagan “out of an abundance of caution.”
Environment Canada has upgraded several special weather statements to heat warnings that now stretch across most of B-C’s Southern Interior and south coast. A heat warning also covers the inner north and central coasts and parts of Vancouver Island, with temperatures hitting 30 or higher, depending on the region. Daytime highs near 40 are expected now through Saturday in the Fraser Canyon, while temperatures in neighbouring areas are forecast to hit 35. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has urged people to remain on guard about the potentially deadly effects of extreme heat.
Wildfire smoke has created choking conditions over many parts of southern B-C this month — especially over Kamloops, the entire Okanagan Valley and the southeast — where air quality is rated at a high or very high health risk. Now models suggest the Metro Vancouver area could soon see smudgy skies as wildfire smoke drifts north from huge blazes south of the border. Environment Canada forecasts smoke beginning to affect Metro Vancouver by late tonight and then drifting over all but B-C’s northwest coast by early Sunday. The very young, very old, those who are pregnant or suffer from heart or lung conditions are advised to avoid exposure and seek shelter in a community cooling centre if conditions become too hot and stuffy in homes. (The Canadian Press)
Heat warnings or special weather statements cover much of B-C as Environment Canada says unseasonable temperatures will continue through the weekend. But it says there’s also a chance of showers as early as tonight over Metro Vancouver and over the weekend for parts of the southern Interior, including Lytton and Kamloops — where some of the most aggressive wildfires are burning. Showers aren’t expected until Sunday night or Monday over Osoyoos, Penticton and Grand Forks, near the roughly 70-square kilometre Nk’Mip (in-KAH’-neep) Creek blaze — and the forecast also carries the chance of lightning. The wildfire service says its crews are ready to battle any new blazes as the fire risk remains high to extreme in the south and is beginning to climb again in the north after soggy weather reduced the risk earlier this month. (The Canadian Press)
The B-C government is urging travellers planning a getaway this B-C Day long weekend to use extra caution as heat warnings cover much of the province and the wildfire risk is high to extreme in many areas. Campfires are allowed in the Northwest Fire Centre, on Haida Gwaii and in some parts of the Prince George Fire Centre — but they are banned everywhere else. Vacationers should also check for road closures, evacuation orders or alerts and wildfire-related park closures before they head into the back country. The province is encouraging people to review HealthLink B-C tips for staying cool — including drinking lots of water or planning outdoor activities before 10 a-m or after 4 p-m — when the sun’s U-V rays are not as intense. (The Canadian Press)
Health officials are warning that Canada could fall into a fourth wave of COVID-19 driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. They say that could happen if the country opens up too fast with more people still to be vaccinated. Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo (NOO’) says it’s frustrating to watch what is happening in the United States. Vaccination rates are much lower in some states than in Canada, and young people are getting the brunt of infections.
The number of active cases of COVID-19 in the province has more than doubled in the past week amid an outbreak in the central Okanagan. The province reported 243 new cases of COVID-19 today — with more than half being diagnosed in the Interior health region. The number of active cases has climbed to one-thousand-231 — up from 603 last Friday and amounting to the highest number since last May. But the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has dropped slightly to 47, including 16 in intensive care.
The federal government has announced nearly 12-million dollars to help 11 regional airports across B-C recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Victoria receives the largest investment of just under three-million dollars, while payments of slightly over one-million dollars will go to airports in Comox, Prince George, Kamloops, Fort St. John, Terrace and Nanaimo-Cassidy. Cheques amounting to several hundred thousand dollars will be cut to Prince Rupert, Bella Coola, Golden and the Nanaimo Port Authority float place facility. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra also confirms that 38-million dollars will be available to Vancouver International Airport for projects such as extending runways and protecting the sea-level facility from rising ocean waters.