Police in Vancouver say high-risk sex offender Randall Hopley told them he showed up outside a police station to turn himself in because he was cold. Hopley was arrested Tuesday morning by an officer who was about to start his shift at the Downtown Eastside station. Hopley disappeared 10 days earlier after police say he cut off his ankle monitor and walked away from his halfway home, launching an extensive manhunt. He was previously sent to prison for six years for the 2011 abduction of a three year old boy in southeastern BC.
BC residents should be prepared for a scheduled test of the national Alert Ready system this afternoon. The test of Canada’s national public alerting system is taking place in most provinces and territories. One test message will be sent from provincial or territorial emergency management organizations over television, radio and compatible wireless devices. BC’s test is scheduled for 1:55 pm Pacific time.
A BC man has been ordered to pay the provincial government nearly 450-thousand dollars for firefighting costs and lost timber after he started a wildfire in 2019. The BC Forest Appeals Commission says Clarke Matthiesen tried to blame an arsonist for the wildfire that started on his property west of Quesnel. It says Matthiesen lit a 1 -metre by 16 metre debris pile on a property he owns in February 2019, thinking snow around the blaze would work as a “fuel break.” But months later, holdover from that fire lit a nearby grass fire that the BC Wildfire Service had to respond to.
The prime minister says a billion dollar battery cell production plant in Maple Ridge will produce up to 135 million batteries each year as part of Canada’s push toward clean technology. Justin Trudeau says it will be the largest factory in Canada to manufacture the high-performance batteries. The new plant will produce high-performance lithium-cell batteries found in products including vacuums, medical devices, and power and gardening tools. Construction is expected to start next June with the facility expected to be fully operational in 2028.
Vancouver city council has approved a Youth Safety and Violence Prevention Strategy that includes a new grant program for community groups. The Build Safer Communities Vancouver grant program will give out 2.7-million dollars over three years. Projects funded through the grant can come from three categories capacity building, engagement or violence prevention. The city says details on how to apply for the grant will be released on Friday.
One person is dead and another seriously injured after an explosion that demolished a home in Whitehorse on Tuesday. Fire crews arrived at the Riverdale subdivision at about 5:30 am local time and found one home destroyed and adjacent homes with extensive damage. Bits of the destroyed home were blasted across a large area and home furnishings – including a mattress – were recognizable among the rubble. A cause of the explosion has not been announced and RCMP say an investigation is underway.