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A man who refused to wear a mask inside a Burnaby Canadian Tire store on Monday is at the center of an assault investigation. Video of the incident has been widely shared online and it appears to show a man being surrounded by staff at the store. Before the man attempts to get away, the employees pin him down and try to put handcuffs on him. When he said no, they decided that they were going to escort him out. That’s when he allegedly, at this point, assaulted a couple of the staff members. That’s of course when the video starts and the altercation happens says RCMP. When police arrived on the scene, the staff members had the man pinned down and officers took over from there. Kilanj says the video only captured the aftermath of the situation and the investigation is ongoing. He notes police are investigating this situation as an for assault and they weren’t called there for a public health violation

 

Teachers are responsible for creating a safe learning environment, not policing how students dress, according to an advocate after a Grade 12 student in Kamloops says she was sent home for violating a school dress code. Chris Wilson posted a video on Facebook, questioning why his daughter Karis was told to leave NorKam Secondary School in Kamloops for wearing a knee-length lace-trimmed dress over a white turtleneck sweater. On Tuesday, Karis says she spent 20 minutes working in class before she was pulled out into the hallway. She says she was told that the dress she was wearing was inappropriate and that it made her teacher — a woman — and a male student teacher uncomfortable because it reminded them of a slip. Karis says she didn’t even know what a slip was and that she was simply trying to express herself, adding she felt confident wearing the outfit. And then felt completely embarrassed asking to leave. The Kamloops-Thompson School District is reviewing the complaint. Students at NorKam Secondary staged a walkout Wednesday afternoon in support of Karis Wilson Armed with signs and chants, students marched out of class to make a statement and stand in solidarity with Karis Wilson.

 

B-C health officials are reporting 456 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday Two additional deaths have also been announced, bringing the total to one-thousand-338. There are four-thousand-668 active cases in the province, including 237 people who are hospitalized with COVID-19. Sixty-four of those patients are in intensive care.

President of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1-5-1-8, which represents grocery and retail workers, says there’s been a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases among members. Kim Novak says anxiety has increased with the news that several faster-spreading variants have reached B-C. She agrees that the most vulnerable residents, and those who are most at risk of dying, need to be vaccinated first but she says front-line workers must be prioritized if the province’s vaccine supply grows. A newly released study suggests B-C should change its COVID-19 vaccine rollout plans to prioritize essential workers who can’t avoid contact with others. Health officials are scheduled to give an update on COVID-19 numbers and vaccinations in the province at 1 p-m today.

Many people on the Lower Mainland were caught off guard by snowfall early Thursday morning. While snow is expected to ease off later in the morning and turn to rain, the road conditions were less than ideal for some drivers to start the day. Slippery road conditions weren’t just isolated to the highways. People from Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey and other areas on the Lower Mainland have been calling in to report similar situations. There have also been calls from people reporting barely any snow — it all depends on where you are. Meteorologist Michael Kuss says the snow in higher elevations is expected to end early on in the day. He says conditions will be slightly unsettled into the afternoon, with the forecast calling for isolated showers. We are reminded to give extra time to get to where you’re going, drive slow an clean off your car

 

The online reservation system for camping sites in provincial parks will open on March 8th. B-C residents will have priority access until July 8th to book sites up to two months in advance  — and after that reservations will be opened to residents of other provinces. The Environment Ministry says this year’s season is expected to be busy as COVID-19 travel restrictions remain in place. Environment Minister George Heyman campers are asked to book sites as close to home as possible to avoid long road trips and non-essential travel.

 

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says rising case numbers and test positivity rates mean it’s soon to lift COVID-19 restrictions. Henry says B-C has seen its rolling seven-day average case numbers rise and there’s potential to see rapid growth in cases if residents aren’t careful. She adds B-C is ramping up screening for variants of concern and aims to be testing 100 per cent of all COVID-positive samples starting next week to see if they’re likely variants that should be sent on for further study. Henry reported 395 new cases of COVID-19 today and 10 more deaths.

 

Pfizer-BioNTech says it has officially asked Health Canada to change the label on the COVID-19 vaccine to reflect that it’s now safe to store for up to two weeks in regular freezers. Before this, the vaccine has been shipped and stored in ultra-low-temperature freezers. But The head of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution program says if Health Canada is good with it, then provinces will have more flexibility in where they can use the vaccine.

There is a new study that is suggesting the province vaccinate essential workers before seniors to help curb the spread of COVID-19. The research from experts at Simon Fraser University, which is yet to be peer reviewed, shows that vaccinating essential workers earlier could prevent more infections, hospitalizations and deaths than the province’s age-based approach. It says the shift in strategy for vaccinating the general population could also save millions in health-care costs and reduce instances of so-called long COVID, or people who experience symptoms for more than 28 days.

 

A new “modular” washroom in service at two Surrey parks has many people talking on “the world’s most visited architecture website.” Maple Green Park and Chimney Heights Park now have specially designed washrooms by Vancouver-based JIM Architecture, with Forsyth Park and Latimer Lake Park targeted as proposed locations for installation in 2021. In 2018 the city contracted the firm to develop a modular park washroom with specific features, for installation throughout the park system, where needed. 

Surrey step up is back March 12th! Surrey Steps Up is an annual showcase of the positive impact youth have on the city. Celebrate the amazing young people who are transforming our schools and communities through good deeds, community projects, creating art and more.