Regional officials in the Okanagan say residents poised to return home after evacuation orders are lifted should brace themselves to return to neighbourhoods that won’t be the same as they left. Lance Kayfish, the city of Kelowna’s risk manager, says people returning home should exercise caution in fire-impacted areas, where trees may be in danger of falling due to fire damage. Kayfish says wildlife will may also be more visible in areas in the absence of humans, warning drivers of deer and even bears, which have been seen by conservation officers. Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says 4,858 properties remain on evacuation alert in the region, and 380 properties remain on evacuation order.
The Surrey Board of Trade says Canada’s immigration system needs a revolutionary change to make sure it’s serving industry and both new and existing immigrants. Board president and CEO Anita Huberman says the system has significant gaps, as certain occupations aren’t valued by the country’s permanent residency regime. Panellists at a leadership dialogue held by the board Tuesday say the emphasis placed on work experience inside Canada doesn’t reflect the realities of other countries with strong economies and greater per-capita GDPs. The board also says housing affordability remains a top issue for newcomers to Canada, urging governments to work with private homebuilders to speed up housing construction.
TransLink says it’s partnering with e-bike and e-scooter sharing firm Lime to give Canada Line riders discounted options during times of track maintenance. TransLink says riders at certain stations along the Canada Line can get a 40 per cent discount on Lime’s shared vehicles by scanning a QR code in mid-September through the end of October. Sonia Kandola, Lime’s director of government relations, says the collaboration with TransLink will allow riders to choose so-called micromobility vehicles during times of train maintenance delays. TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn says the collaboration with Lime will give transit customers sustainable alternative transportation options, and the discounted service will be avalabiled at Richmond-Brighouse, Lansdowne, Aberdeen, and Bridgeport stations.
The Canadian Armed Forces says its gearing up to leave fire impacted areas in BC as federal fire assistance support tasks wrap up. The CAF says the assistance request from the B-C government was approved in late August, sending members to the Prince George fire centre for firefighting support work. The time frame is almost up, ending September 15th, and the armed forces says members started redeploying to their home units on Tuesday, with the remainder leaving by Friday. The armed forces says people may see vehicles including large green army trucks along forest service roads and highways as members leave, but say the move won’t be any risk to local populations or transportation infrastructure.
The Vancouver Heritage Foundation says the city’s proposed missing middle housing policy threatens to bulldoze prized heritage homes. The foundation says its sent a letter to the mayor and council about concerns it has about the prospect of six-unit buildings being allowed across Vancouver if the policy passes as-is. The foundation says only about 30 per cent of homes on the city’s heritage registry are protected, and could be torn down for multi-unit housing under the missing middle plan. It says it plans to voice concerns to council on Sept. 14, saying there’s a way to tweak the policy to retain heritage homes while also promoting needed densification.
The Coquitlam RCMP says it’s aware of a lawsuit launched by a man who claims police wrongfully entered his home to serve him a traffic ticket. Coquitlam resident Kirk Forbes says in a lawsuit that two officers entered his home without permission while he was showering in June 2022. Mounties say they came upon an insecure premise and thought they had dealt with Forbes’ concerns informally. Coquitlam RCMP says the Department of Justice will review the lawsuit and prepare a statement of defence, and won’t provide comment while the case is before the courts.