The BC government is giving nine-million dollars to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority for infrastructure updates to allow cruise ships to plug into hydroelectricity. The improvements to Ogden Point will allow ships to turn off their engines at the port and help protect the environment. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says shore power will be installed at two berths. The harbour authority estimates 320 cruise ships dock at Ogden Point each year with about 850-thousand passengers.
The BC Federation of Labour says a planned increase to the province’s minimum wage will give workers a much-needed raise. The province announced that starting June 1st the minimum wage will increase to 16-dollars, 75-cents an hour, up from the current 15-65. The change is expected to affect about 150-thousand workers. Federation president Sussanne Skidmore says there’s still work needed to close the gap between the minimum wage and the living wage the amount a family needs to cover basic expenses.
The president of the BC Chamber of Commerce says it’s extremely disappointed by the increase in the minimum wage. Fiona Famulak says the June 1st bump to 16-dollars, 75-cents an hour is the wrong choice at the wrong time. She says businesses already have significant added costs from the introduction of the mandatory five days paid sick leave and a new statutory holiday. Famulak says the increase will make it difficult for many businesses to manage and is a disincentive to invest in BC.
Mounties in Burnaby are warning the public of a fraudster posing on the phone as a Burnaby RCMP Victim Services employee. Police say the scammer targeted an elderly man who had already been the victim of a different fraud. The man, who was first scammed last summer, received a phone call from a person claiming to work for victim services who said she could help him recover his lost money. Police say when the caller could not provide any identification, the victim realized it was a scam and contacted police.
The Pattullo Bridge between Surrey and New Westminster is closing tonight starting at 10 p-m and is to reopen on Tuesday at 5 a-m. The Easter long weekend closure is so crews can complete soil densification activities and relocate the seismic warning system as part of the bridge’s reconstruction. TransLink will also conduct sign relocation, line painting, concrete patching and bridge inspections. The Ministry of Transportation says drivers should take the Port Mann or Alex Fraser bridges as alternate routes.
The SPCA in BC says it’s experiencing an influx of surrendered puppies, many of them bred during the pandemic. The society says it has had 350 puppies in its care so far this year, compared to 200 at the same time last year. One of the most recent examples is a breeder in Surrey who surrendered 19 dogs, including 11 eight-day-old yellow Labrador retrievers and three 10-week-old border collie-crosses. The society says many of the puppies are from people who bred dogs when the demand for pets was high, but now are overwhelmed with the costs of caring for animals.