A procession and memorial is set to happen in Penticton this afternoon to honour a BC wildland firefighter who died last month. Zak Muise, who was based in the Okanagan, died fighting the Donnie Creek fire near Fort St. John when his heavy-duty ATV rolled over a steep drop on a gravel road. Organizers say the procession at Skaha (SKA’-ha) Lake Park will include the RCMP, fire department and crews from the contractor Muise worked for. Afterward, a service is planned at the park gazebo.
The terms of a new contract between BC port workers and their employers include a commitment by employers to train workers to perform maintenance on new equipment. Details of the new deal, which ended a lengthy dispute at the ports, were released by the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Contracting out of maintenance work to third parties had been one of the most contentious issues between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada and the B-C Maritime Employers Association. The four-year agreement also contains several terms about workers compensation.
The government of Yukon has declared a state of emergency for the village of Mayo and the surrounding area due to a wildfire burning nearby. The community of about 450 people has been under an evacuation order since Sunday due to the Talbot Creek fire burning about four kilometres away. The declaration covers a 15 kilometre radius around the community, which is about 400 kilometres north of Whitehorse. Yukon Protective Services says the Talbot Creek fire is estimated at nearly five square kilometres.
Cooler weather and some rain across much of the province is expected to ease wildfire conditions in the short term but hot, dry weather is set to return by the end of the week. The forecast ranges from spotty showers in the southwest to steady rain in the north, with fewer lightning strikes and cooler temperatures provincewide. The BC Wildfire Service says despite a short reprieve, it’s anticipating a ridge to rebuild near the end of the week and bring some further warming and drying. There are more than 400 active wildfires in the province including 14 that are considered of note because they are especially visible or pose a threat to public safety.
A new interventional radiology suite has opened at the Kelowna General Hospital. The location offers diagnosis and treatment for conditions such as blood clots, cancer care and procedures to stop internal bleeding. Allison Young, CEO of the hospital’s foundation, says the new suite means access to state-of-the-art equipment to provide quality care to patients. The suite cost 9.6-million dollars and was paid for by the province and the hospital foundation.
A Vancouver man and his dog are both recovering from injuries after they were attacked by a trio of raccoons in Kitsilano last week. Jake Moss says he and his dog Pingu were walking down West 1st Avenue when the dog stopped to sniff the bushes and the raccoons pounced. Pingu lost an eye in the attack and Moss was treated in hospital, where fragments of raccoon tooth were removed from his puncture wounds. This is not the first time raccoons have attacked and the City of Vancouver says an investigation into reports of people feeding wildlife in the area is underway.