BC’s River Forecast Centre has added high streamflow advisories in the southern Interior amid heavy rain that’s expected to ease later today. The advisories now cover all of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound and the Fraser Valley, as well as the Similkameen, Okanagan, Boundary and Kootenay regions. In the southern Interior, the river forecaster says flows are below normal as the spring freshet has yet to set in, but the rainfall is expected to cause rapid increases in water levels, with smaller, low-elevation creeks and rivers at greatest risk. It says these rain-on-snow events carry a high degree of uncertainty based on rainfall totals, the ripeness of the snowpack for melting, and the fluctuation of the freezing level.
A stretch of the TransCanada highway through the Rocky Mountains is set to be closed for almost five days starting at noon. Crews building the four-lane route through the Kicking Horse Canyon are shutting down to re-align the traffic patterns for the rest of the spring and summer. Project Executive Director Mike Lorimer says the closure will mean an approximately 90-minute detour for anyone travelling from BC into Alberta. Once the 4.5-kilometre stretch reopens on Sunday, Lorimer says he doesn’t expect it will have to shut again until the fall.
A video circulating online showing a commercial truck driver attempting a dangerous and illegal pass on the Yellowhead Highway north of Kamloops has caught the attention of BC’s Transportation Minister. Rob Fleming says he has seen the video, and has confirmed that police are investigating the incident, saying its up them to decide what happens next. The video captured on March 24th by the dash-cam of a fellow trucker shows the driver attempting to pass a car on a stretch of highway with a double-yellow line, then forcing it onto the shoulder to avoid a head-on collision with another vehicle. While the license plate of the truck was from Alberta, Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell says authorities in Ontario have also contacted him.
Two Vancouver city councillors are making a move to try and shake the label “no fun city” by putting forward a motion to allow allow more events and parties in informal venues like warehouses, coffee shops and retail spaces. Under the current rules, non-traditional venues can host three events per month, while the motion aims to increase that to six. Some of the examples include a book launch in a coffee shop, a music event in an industrial space, or an art exhibit in a retail store. The motion to expand the city’s Arts Event License Policy is expected to be up for discussion at a council meeting tonight.
A BC couple is battling serious injuries in a San Diego, California, hospital following a hit-and-run last Friday, as their family members appeal to the driver to come forward so they can get some closure. Kevin Gulbranson and his partner Dayae Choi had parked their car along a street when they were hit by a driver who fled the scene. Gulbranson sustained serious injuries to his head and brain, and his sister Allison says he’s being cared for in a medically induced coma, while Choi has now had two surgeries to treat damaged and missing muscle, fat and skin in one of her legs. The family says they want to fly the couple back to Vancouver as soon as possible, but it’s dependent on Gulbranson’s condition.
Tyson Venegas, a high school student from Metro Vancouver, was nervous as he waited to learn if he’d be advancing to American Idol’s top 24 contestants, after telling the judges he knew his last performance was not his best. Katie Perry told the 17-year-old the judges didn’t think he was destined for the top 24 before clarifying they thought he was top-10 material. Venegas had chosen to sing Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You,” and after his performance, the judges noted he’d forgotten some of the lyrics and missed a couple of notes. Venegas told the judges he’d practiced the song many times, but when he got on stage, he felt a lot of pressure, and Perry encouraged him to go easy on himself as he moves forward in this year’s competition.