Friends and community members are remembering RCMP Constable Rick O’Brien, who was killed in Coquitlam while executing a warrant days ago. Family friend Jeanette Martin says O’Brien was “humble,” “genuine” and “very funny,” and what stood out about the fallen officer was his ability to communicate and connect with people. Martin says she organized a motivational event in 2020 where O’Brien spoke about his gratitude toward his family, who he said allowed him to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a police officer. O’Brien leaves behind a wife and six children.
Drivers on Highway 4 in the Cathedral Grove area of Vancouver Island are being asked to use caution as this fall’s first wind storm rolls through the region Drive BC is warning drivers to be prepared for unplanned closures as the storm may bring about falling debris, and officials have implemented enhanced monitoring of the situation Environment Canada has issued a wind warning for Vancouver Island’s coastal areas including Greater Victoria and much of the province’s central coast down to the northern portion of Sunshine Coast including Powell River. The advisory warns that the full fall foliage can make trees more prone to breaks, increasing the risk of power outages.
BC Premier David Eby is in Ottawa for the next two days to meet with federal officials including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. A statement from the premier’s office says Eby is scheduled to meet Trudeau and senior federal ministers to discuss the need to build more homes quickly, as well as the province’s clean energy opportunities and infrastructure needs. Eby is also expected to discuss national support for emergency responses to disasters such as wildfires and flooding. The BC delegation also includes provincial Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, Jobs Minister Brenda Bailey, Transportation Minister Rob Fleming and Attorney General Niki Sharma, among others.
Police say one person is dead after a shooting in Richmond over the weekend. Richmond RCMP say officers were called to the area of Cooney and Anderson roads on Sunday just before 5 a-m to investigate reports of shots being fired. At the scene, police say they found an unidentified victim, who died from their injuries. Homicide investigators are working with Richmond Mounties on the case.
Police in Summerland are looking for a man who tried to lure a child into his vehicle last week. Summerland RCMP say a 10 year old girl reported on Sept. 20 that a Caucasian male about 40 years of age approached the girl in his red truck while she was walking along Kelly Avenue on her way to Giants Head Elementary. Police say the man asked the girl if she wanted a ride to school, prompting the girl to run away in the opposite direction. The man did not follow the girl, and police are asking the public to contact investigators if they have any information on the case or experienced similar incidents recently.
Officials have released two spotted owls into protected habitat in the Fraser Canyon in the latest effort to recover the threatened species’ population in the wild. The provincial Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says caretakers opened the door to the birds’ aviary on July 25 to allow the owls to forage on their own. One of the two male birds released this time was part of the original spotted owl release conducted in August 2022, where two of the three birds released died of unknown causes. The only surviving animal was found in fall 2022 injured near train tracks in the Fraser Canyon, and it has since made a full recovery to take part in the latest release in partnership with the Spuzzum First Nation.