The village of Lytton, B-C, says there are extreme challenges as the community looks to rebuild. It says in a statement that people had only minutes to flee the deadly wildfire that destroyed much of the community last week. The village says the top priority is locating and supporting residents. The B-C Wildfire Service says there are roughly wildfires currently burning across the province.
later today. Special constables will retrieve the animals and transport them to the edge of the evacuation cordon, where they will be shuttled to Kamloops, B-C. Owners can retrieve the animals there, or the S-P-C-A says it can keep them in emergency boarding if they require temporary shelter.
Support is coming in for the family whose baby died in Downtown Vancouver Tuesday, after the little girl and her father were struck by one of two cars that had collided. While police are expected to provide more details Thursday, after it was announced one of the two drivers was arrested, the update comes as first responders to the heartbreaking scene are being urged to ask for help if they need it. In a series of tweets, a Vancouver Police inspector says the crash, like the one we saw Tuesday evening near the courthouse, can take a toll on first responders. “In the last few days, three Lower Mainland children under the age of five have either been killed or been placed in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm,” wrote Sandra Glendinning, referring to two other incidents in recent days involving young children. “These are called ‘critical incidents’ and weigh heavy on first responders.” Glendinning goes on to say the VPD’s Critical Incident Stress Management Team is there to provide support for members responding to such calls, urging her colleagues to reach out for help if they need it.
The BC Wildfire Service predicts “heightened” activity for July, with large fires already burning throughout the province, an extreme risk of new ones being sparked, and very little precipitation forecast. Dry fuel conditions, lack of June rain, and the record-breaking heatwave all “created the necessary environment for very large fire growth,” according to the July outlook. “Significant rain is required to reduce the hazard however none is forecast in the foreseeable future.” Spokesperson Shaelee Stearns says current wildfire activity is well above average.
“The average at this time of year is 8,915 hectares and this year so far we’ve had 73,301 hectares burnt,” she says. Burning conditions right now are about three to four weeks ahead of schedule, and the hard-hit Southern Interior only received 30 per cent of normal June rainfall. The Okanagan and Southern Cariboo regions are currently showing the highest hazard “Even though we had cooler temperatures this week it was still quite warm.” So far this year B.C. has had 689 fires, with roughly 318 occurring the week of June 28.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier John Horgan say B-C and the federal government have reached an agreement on funding for 10-dollar-a-day child care. Speaking in Coquitlam this morning, Horgan and Trudeau say the two governments have agreed to reach 10-dollar-per-day spaces for children under six before 2026. The pact would create as many as 30-thousand spaces in B-C while cutting fees in half for regulated spaces by next year. B-C is the first province to accept the federal proposal of subsidized childcare offered in the last federal budget.
BC health officials announced another 59 new test-positive COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the province to 147,915. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said that there are 649 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 74 individuals are currently hospitalized, 19 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
New cases, as well as total active cases, broken down by health region, are as follows:
- Fraser Health: 21 new cases, 175 total active cases
- Vancouver Coastal Health: 10 new cases, 236 total active cases
- Interior Health: 19 new cases, 175 total active cases
- Northern Health: Two new cases, 30 total active cases
- Island Health: Seven new cases, 22 total active cases
- Outside of Canada: No new cases, 11 total active cases
There has been one new COVID-19-related death in Interior Health, for a total of 1,760 deaths in British Columbia. To date, 78.4% of all eligible people 12 and over have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In total, 5,550,198 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in BC, 1,854,387 of which are second doses. 145,491 people who tested positive have now recovered.
Pub and restaurant owners are calling a regulation change allowing them to sell pre-mixed cocktails with takeout or food deliveries a “sensible shot in the arm.” Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says the move will open up new sources of revenue to help the hospitality sector rebuild in the wake of the pandemic. He says Ontario and Alberta have allowed the sale of cocktails-to-go since December 2020 and have not noted any public safety issues. Kelly Gordon, a partner at Romer’s Burgers, says it will be great to give patrons the option of a single mixed drink when they don’t feel like buying a whole bottle.
B-C’s premier is expected to push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the military’s help preparing for wildfire season. John Horgan is looking for assistance in clearing forest debris to reduce fuel before fires start. He says B-C is accustomed to dealing with wildfires — but massive, destructive blazes over the past five years are demanding governments look at new approaches to prevent and fight the fires. Trudeau, who is in B-C today, earlier said his government’s primary concern right now is supporting the residents of Lytton, whose community was razed in a fast-burning wildfire last week.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it will be some time before Canada’s borders are open to people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. But he told a news conference in B-C today that he expects to announce soon when vaccinated international travellers will be welcomed into the country. He says the safety of Canadians comes first. Travel restrictions were eased this week to allow Canadians who have been fully vaccinated to return to Canada without the need to quarantine for two weeks.