B-C’s top doctor says people can increase their social connections a little bit more as the province enters the second stage of its COVID-19 restart plan today. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says it means residents may now travel to visit family within B-C, host a small wedding or go to a kids’ sports game outside. The updated rules allow for up to 50 people to attend outdoor
gatherings or seated indoor gatherings, such as a movie or live theatre, while high-intensity fitness may resume and liquor service at bars and restaurants has been extended to midnight, provided
safety plans are in place and masks are worn in public spaces indoors. Henry says the next couple of weeks will be “key” as July 1st approaches — that’s the date set for the next step in B-C’s reopening plan.
As COVID-19 restrictions on non-essential travel within B-C are lifted today, police road checks established in the first week of May have also come to an end. R-C-M-P Staff Sergeant Janelle Shoihet (SHOY’-het) says more than 14-thousand vehicles were stopped at the checkpoints set up along several highways on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between May 6th and last weekend. She says just 26 vehicles were told to turn around by police and another 236 voluntarily turned around at the checks established to prevent people from travelling between three regional zones for non-essential reasons. No tickets were handed out as a result of the checks
B-C has reported 277 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed over three days, including 68 between Sunday and yesterday, the lowest daily rate since last August. Another four people have died, pushing the death toll in B-C to one-thousand-734. Just over 74 per cent of all eligible residents aged 12 and up have now had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine out of more than four million shots administered.
In addition to grieving the discovery of suspected remains of hundreds of former students on the grounds of the former Kamloops residential school, Indigenous communities are now also mulling what to do with the buildings left behind when residential schools were finally closed. Some First Nations — like the Tk’emlups (teh-KUM’-loops) in Kamloops — want the old buildings to stay — as a reminder that their children will never have to attend. But the Okanagan Indian Band has written to the prime minister asking the federal government to remove three school buildings that remain “symbols of trauma” on their territories. A co-founder of Reconciliation Canada and survivor of a residential school on northern Vancouver Island says the experience was “transformative” when he witnessed the demolition of that facility and he urges other First Nations to use the power of such ceremonies as part of their healing
Proposed changes aimed at reducing pollution in Vancouver could see some drivers forced to pay an annual climate change tax, on top of their insurance. The city’s “Climate Emergency Parking Program” proposes Vancouverites who own a 2023 or newer “high-polluting” vehicle — described as a gas-powered luxury sports car, large SUV or full-size pickup truck — would be charged $1,000 per year to get a residential parking permit. Owners of 2023 or newer vehicles deemed “moderately polluting” — gas-powered sporty sedans or higher efficiency small SUVS — would have to pay $500 for the same permit. Electric and “low polluting” new vehicles — such as electric cars, hybrids, and most economy vehicles — would not be charged the fee, nor would any 2022 models or older or specialized vehicles for wheelchairs. Under the same proposed program, a new overnight permit would be introduced. It would cost $45 per year and be required for Vancouverites to park between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on all residential streets and lanes that are unregulated or signed as “No parking except residents of this block.” Visitors would have to pay $3 if they want to park overnight in those areas. The City is asking for your input on the charges. You have until July 5 to take part in a survey regarding the next steps. If approved, this program would start in 2022.
It’s been 10 years since Vancouver was taken over by rioters after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Boston Bruins. While the final game in the NHL post-season didn’t go as planned, it was what happened off the ice that drew eyes from around the world. Tens of thousands of people flooded into the streets of Vancouver’s downtown core, setting cars on fire, looting businesses, and destroying storefronts and other infrastructure. In the end, at least 140 people were hurt — one critically. Four people were stabbed, nine officers were injured, and 101 people were arrested. What we know now is hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage was being done to local businesses. Rioters would be taken to court for the next five years. All-in-all, prosecution costs soared into the millions. Though both the loss and riot have left a painful mark on Vancouver, a day after the riot, thousands converged on the city — this time for a very different reason. People drove in from across the region, with hundreds of volunteers cleaning up the streets. Many left messages of hope and apology scrawled on plywood boards that had been installed on storefronts
Canada is close to hitting its first national vaccination target. While chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 might impact case count, Canadians have been stepping up to get vaccinated. Canada is set to reach the milestone of 75 per cent of eligible people having their first vaccine dose sometime in the next 24 hours.
British Columbia health officials announced 108 new test-positive COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the province to 146,561. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said that broken down by health region, 11 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 53 are in the Fraser Health region, four are in the Island Health region, 37 are in the Interior Health region, and three are in the Northern Health region. There are 1,496 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 139 individuals are currently hospitalized, 39 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. There have been no new COVID-19-related deaths, for a total of 1,734 deaths in British Columbia.
Vancouver police say the hate crimes team is part of an investigation into the vandalism of an artistic installation set up for Pride Month. Police say white paint was splashed on the installation outside a United Church in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood sometime between Sunday night and yesterday afternoon. The installation features a set of brightly coloured doors painted with the words God’s Doors Are Open For All. Police say they take seriously any incident that appears to show hate, bias or prejudice against an identifiable group.
The owner of the Budway cannabis dispensary in Vancouver has been ordered to pay 40-thousand dollars to Subway for imitating the sandwich chain’s branding. The Federal Court ruled the shop was both benefiting from and damaging Subway’s brand by infringing on its trademark logo and using a mascot Justice Nicholas McHaffie described as “a submarine sandwich filled with cannabis leaves.” The pot shop has been ordered to pay 15-thousand dollars in damages and 25-thousand dollars to cover Subway’s legal fees.