Organizers of a rescue effort in the Vancouver Island community of Zeballos are working to get a young killer whale out of a lagoon and back to the ocean, where she might reconnect with her family pod. Ehattesaht (eh-HAT’-eh-sat) First Nation Chief Simon John says the plan to free the orca calf could go ahead as early as Sunday or early next week. The nation says in a statement that it has been raining heavily over the past two days, and the lagoon water has become brackish, leading veterinarians to think the water is hurting the skin of the young calf. The two-year-old female’s mother died in the lagoon after being caught by a low tide, and she was pregnant with another calf at that time.
Two new peer-reviewed research papers appear to show BC’s safer supply program in different lights. One study shows it was associated with reduced risk of overdose deaths, while the other noted it was linked to increased opioid overdose hospitalizations in the community. The safer supply in BC has been criticized by politicians across the country, including federal Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, who has vowed to clamp down on it if his Conservative Party wins the next federal election. In April 2016, the BC government declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. Since that declaration, more than 14-thousand people have died.
New BC legislation would allow police to arrest or ticket demonstrators blocking access, disrupting schools or intimidating students or school staff. Premier David Eby says disruptive protests have included people angry about sexual orientation and gender identity education being taught in schools. If passed, the new law would bring in 20 metre protest exclusion zones around schools. Eby says these are things that shouldn’t need law, but unfortunately, the legislation is necessary.
Prolific Canadian jazz composer, educator and clarinetist Phil Nimmons has died at the age of 100. Nimmons was born in Kamloops and raised in Vancouver. His career accolades included the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2002 — Canada’s highest honour for an artist — the Order of Canada and a Juno Award. His daughter, Holly Nimmons, says her father affected generations of musicians who went on to contribute to the fabric of the arts and culture in deeply meaningful ways.
A North Vancouver company’s creation aims to help strawberries boldly go where no berry has gone before. Ecoation Innovative Solutions won the grand prize in the Deep Space Food Challenge for its wardrobe-sized system, which can grow food indoors, including strawberries and dwarf cherry tomatoes. The contest, run by the Canadian Space Agency and NASA, aims to find ways to sustain astronauts during long missions while also addressing food security in isolated communities on Earth. The winning company receives 380-thousand dollars in grant funding.
Police in New Westminster say they arrested two people yesterday after an incident involving a fake handgun that turned out to be a lighter. Police say they received a call from a witness who saw a man and woman arguing in an intersection and the witness reported feared for the woman’s safety as they believed the man possessed a handgun. The suspect was soon located by the police after a number of transit users called 911 after seeing what they believed to be a handgun. Police say the item seized from the suspect was determined to be a butane lighter and they are investigating this incident.