Plans are underway to ensure educational needs are met as quickly as possible for students and teachers who are without a school to attend following a suspicious weekend fire in Port Coquitlam. Coquitlam’s School District 43 says the fire that destroyed Hazel Trembath Elementary School is “sad news” for the community, but officials are working to find an alternate education arrangement for the 215 students. Coquitlam RCMP say they are investigating a suspicious fire at the school, which was fully engulfed when first responders arrived at the scene early Saturday. The RCMP urged people on the weekend to avoid the area in and around the school due to potentially hazardous air quality, saying road closures near the school should be expected for several days as the investigation continues.
The BC government is expected to introduce new housing legislation today that targets short-term rentals. Premier David Eby and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon have scheduled a Victoria news conference that will follow the introduction of the proposed housing legislation. A government release says the proposed legislation will return short-term rentals to long-term homes for people and give local governments more tools and resources to ensure that rules are being followed. Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto is expected to join Eby and Kahlon at the news conference at a downtown hotel.
A second-degree murder charge has now been laid in connection with the death of a Coquitlam woman reported missing missing more than one year ago. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says in a statement 30-year-old Carson Mackay was arrested in Calgary and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Jodine Millar. IHIT says fifty-seven-year-old Millar was reported missing from her Coquitlam home last November. IHIT says the RCMP in Coquitlam and Airdrie, Alberta, as well as the Calgary Police Service, were involved in the investigation.
The BC government is poised to introduce legislation that provides clear directions for municipalities who want to change police forces. Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth has said the legislation could come as early as today. Farnworth’s comments come as the city of Surrey says it is asking for a judicial review by the Supreme Court of BC to challenge the minister’s order that Surrey continue its transition from the RCMP to a municipal force. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says in a letter that the city can’t afford the burden that faces taxpayers due to the province’s order.
Unionized workers who service and maintain elevators at various locations across BC have been served with a lockout notice by their employers. Mike Funk, a business manager at the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 82, says the union and employers will be at the BC Labour Relations Board today to discuss possible essential services designations, which following the meeting could see the lockout start Tuesday. Funk says the union will ensure elevators in hospitals and long-term care homes will be serviced despite any job action. He says the union local has about 900 members across BC, with most in maintenance and service, and others in construction.
A regional district director is calling on the BC government to help some Fraser Valley residents still suffering from the area’s historic flood two years ago. Fraser Valley Regional District Area E director Patti MacAhonic says she’s sent the province a letter recommending a “financial solution” for six homeowners. She says the homeowners have not been able to move forward and recover from the floods after their homes were destroyed or deemed not safe for return. MacAhonic says the damages to their properties were not covered under private insurance, nor were they eligible for disaster financial relief.