Homicide investigators have identified the victim of a Surrey shooting in the city’s Guildford area on Tuesday. The victim, a taxi passenger, was shot and killed in a parking lot at the Riverside Heights Shopping Centre on 108 Avenue near 148 Street. The brazen shooting happened shortly before 2:30 p.m. The driver has serious injuries. The man who was killed has been identified as 30-year-old David Chavez-Jara of Surrey. He was well-known to police, and was recently convicted of a drug trafficking charge. Police have released his name in the hopes it will generate tips.
Vancouver Coastal Health says clinics administering monkeypox vaccines are reporting an increasing number of United States residents travelling to B-C for the sole purpose of getting immunized against the virus. The health authority is discouraging Americans from crossing the border for the shot — but a spokesperson says there is no process to verify citizenship and no one who meets the eligibility criteria for the vaccine will be turned away. The shot is available to those who identify as a man who has sex with men and/or a man who works in the sex trade, has had two or more sexual partners in the past three weeks, or has had a S-T-I diagnosis in the past two months. People are not required to provide identification in an effort to combat stigma.
Human rights advocates say Canada’s euthanasia rules devalue the lives of disabled people. They say the regulations also prompt doctors and health workers to suggest the procedure to those who might not otherwise consider it. The current law allows people with serious disabilities to choose to die in the absence of any other medical issue. And next year, Canada is set to authorize medical assistance in dying solely for mental health reasons, leading some critics to say the system needs further scrutiny.
B-C Wildfire officials say a lightning storm rolling over Vancouver Island was responsible for sparking up to nine fires burning in the region yesterday. All of the fires are centred around the Barkley Sound area, crews says it’s possible some of the fires are being reported more than once, given their close proximity. All of those reported on the island were smaller than an acre in size as of yesterday afternoon.
Surrey residents can again buy quality trees at an affordable price to help grow the urban forest. The city’s next online tree sale starts Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. and ends Sept. 7, while supplies last. The tree pickup date is Sept. 18 at Surrey Operations Centre Close to 1,000 trees will be sold for $20 each, with more than a dozen types available. Sales are limited to Surrey residents, and three trees can be purchased per Surrey billing address.
People living in a home in Surrey were able to quickly escape as a fire broke out early this morning. Crews say the flames are believed to have started in one of two abandoned houses in the area of 140 Street and 104 Avenue, east of King George Boulevard. Crews say Two of the homes were abandoned so there were no injuries. A third home, the people escaped quite quickly and easily, so there was no injuries to either the residents or the firefighters. The cause of the blaze is unclear at this time, though investigators are looking into it.
A former federal N-D-P candidate in the riding of Vancouver-Granville is challenging Attorney General David Eby for leadership of the B-C New Democrats. In June, Premier John Horgan announced his intention to step down once a new leader is chosen. Anjali Appadurai says she’s running as a way to challenge what she calls the status quo of the party, with a focus on addressing the climate crisis, health care and deaths from toxic drugs, housing affordability and the rising cost of living. The deadline for candidates to enter the race is set for October 4th, with voting for a new leader starting on November 13th and a decision expected in December.
The housing market in Metro Vancouver over the last few months has seen sliding sales as a result of the Bank of Canada’s consecutive interest rate hikes beginning in early spring. It’s just the latest sign of the accelerating housing downturn in Metro Vancouver and across Canada. With falling demand, the median home price in Metro Vancouver in July 2022 was down by 14.4% compared to the tail end of the historic housing sales boom in February 2022 the greatest declines were experienced in Delta, where the median home price fell by 24.7%..Surrey saw the second highest drop in median home price, falling by 24%