Category: British Columbia

Impasse at Strikebound BC Ports Not Broken by Saturday’s Round of Negotiations

Striking British Columbia dock workers and their employer held a round of bargaining over the weekend, the first since negotiations collapsed one week ago, but neither side is saying when, or if, more talks are planned. About 7,400 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada have been on strike since July 1, idling…


Environment Canada Issues Heat Warnings for BC, Parts of Alberta and the North

Parts of southern and coastal British Columbia as well as large swaths of Alberta and the North are under heat warnings as temperatures are forecasted to soar near or above 30 degrees Celsius over the weekend and into Monday. Environment Canada says heat warnings are issued when very high temperature could pose an elevated risk…


BC RCMP Announce Corruption, Drug Trafficking Charges Against Former Constable

The B.C. RCMP says a former probationary constable at the force’s Surrey detachment has been charged with multiple offences after a months-long corruption investigation. Mounties say the ex-constable faces 13 charges related to drug trafficking, breach of trust, theft, cannabis distribution and conspiracy to commit robbery. Police say the force started a covert investigation in…


Ministerial Adviser Won’t Be Charged in Election Rule Violation Probe

The British Columbia Prosecution Service says a former school board trustee who later became a provincial government adviser will not be charged for allegedly violating election laws. A special prosecutor was appointed in May to give legal advice on the investigation of Gurveen Dhaliwal, who was elected to the New Westminster school board last year…


More Campfire Bans Coming to BC by Friday as Dry Conditions Raise Wildfire Danger

More campfire bans are on the way in British Columbia as warm, dry conditions push the wildfire danger upward. The BC Wildfire Service says, as of noon on Friday, campfires will no longer be permitted in the Kamloops Fire Centre. The restriction will also extend to include all areas of the Coastal Fire Centre, except…


Union Warns Against Ottawa Interfering in BC Port Workers Strike as Talks Continue

The union representing thousands of striking British Columbia port workers is asking the federal government to not interfere after business groups called for back-to-work legislation. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada’s president, Rob Ashton, held a news conference Sunday afternoon after 7,400 members walked off the job Saturday morning. “For the last 30 years,…


Strike Gets Underway for More Than 7,400 Port Workers Across BC

Major groups representing businesses across Canada sounded the alarm on Saturday over the potential economic impact of a strike by British Columbia’s port workers. More than 7,400 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada walked off the job on Saturday morning after days of federally mediated talks with the BC Maritime Employers Association…


Possible BC Port Strike Will Spare Cruise Ships, Employers Say

A possible strike by British Columbia port workers will not disrupt cruise ships docked in Vancouver, Prince Rupert or Vancouver Island, employers say. The BC Maritime Employers Association says it and the union representing cargo loaders have “confirmed” that cruise ships will continue to be serviced if a strike starts Saturday morning. The association says…


Amanda Todd Case: Dutch Prosecutors Seek to Cut BC ‘Sextortion’ Sentence

Prosecutors in the Netherlands are seeking to cut the sentence imposed on a Dutch national for the “sextortion” of a British Columbia teenager who died by suicide, from 13 years to 4 1/2 years, an amount the girl’s mother says pleasantly surprised her. “I was just in that mindset that it would be zero because…


Canadian Chamber of Commerce Wants BC Port Strike Averted, Cites Economic Impact

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce says it is “deeply disturbed” the British Columbia port workers’ union has served strike notice and is prepared to walk out on Saturday. The chamber has issued a statement urging the federal government to “use all the tools in its tool box” to prevent a strike. It says the shutdown…