Environment Canada says southern British Columbia should brace for a deluge of rainfall today that amounts to an atmospheric river. But the federal weather agency says the storm won’t be as massive as the November 2021 atmospheric river event that caused floods, slides and major damage to highways and railway transportation links. Environment Canada says Monday’s forecast calls for heavy rain and snow at higher elevations, and will increase the risk of flooding and landslides. A special weather statement says elevated ocean water levels near Metro Vancouver, the southern Gulf Islands and Saanich Peninsula are expected to create high astronomical tides.
The RCMP in Trail says three members of Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue face charges of assault with a weapon in connection with an incident involving a homeless man last April. The RCMP says the three men are scheduled to appear in provincial court in Rossland on December 7th. The Mounties say the alleged incident is not connected to the duties or workplace of the firefighters. They say the male victim was living in his vehicle at the time of the alleged assault and was considered homeless.
A BC Interior regional district is preparing to develop new policies and guidelines to identify and protect sacred Indigenous sites. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District says it is planning to develop a regional Culture and Heritage Protection Policy. Regional Director Tricia Thorpe says she expects the district to consult with the nearby Caribou Regional District, which has completed an Indigenous site protection draft policy. She says the plan is to work with local First Nations to help identify and ensure sacred sites are protected from development.
A Prince George naturopathic doctor says the BC government should permit the province’s naturopaths to prescribe safer supply substances to help fight the opioid overdose crisis. Naturopath Deborah Phair says there’s a shortage of doctors, registered nurses, psychiatric nurses and nurse practitioners who have the authority to prescribe safe-supply substances. Phair says she is calling on the BC government to allow naturopaths to prescribe immediate-release safer supply substances and opiate agonist therapies that take away their cravings for hard drugs. The BC Coroners Service report says 189 people were suspected to have died of toxic drug overdoses in October, an average of more than six overdose deaths a day.
Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair is set to play in her final game Tuesday at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium. Canada’s national women’s soccer team is scheduled to play Australia in what is expected to be a packed stadium. Forty-year-old Sinclair, who has played 330 games for Canada, is the world’s all-time leading scorer with 190 goals. BC Place Stadium is being renamed Christine Sinclair Place for the contest.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it has detected the presence of Avian influenza at a Chilliwack commercial poultry operation. It is now the 50th BC location where the contagious viral infection has been detected at commercial or backyard bird operations since October. Commonly known as bird flu, avian influenza can affect several species of food producing birds as well as pet birds and wild birds. More than five million birds have been culled since the outbreak.