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Almost everything lost, but Squamish couple hopes to rebuild

Fundraiser to help victims of Magee Road fire grows

At the end of the driveway to their scorched property stands a golden owl proudly perched on a stump, placed pre-fire so people could find their home.…

Village of Pemberton council preview for Tuesday, Nov. 5

First Look: Five Year Financial Plan; Hillside Development Standards

Here’s a quick look at what you can expect at the Village of Pemberton (VOP) council meeting on April 21. After an in-camera session at 8:30 a.m., the public portion of the meeting is set to kick off at 9:00 a.m.…

B.C. to levy $2,000 fines for price gouging and reselling medical supplies

Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth allowing police and other law enforcement agencies to issue tickets

POLICE AND OTHER law enforcement officials are now empowered to issue $2,000 violation tickets for price gouging of essential goods and the reselling of medical supplies, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth announced Sunday. Citing the recent resale of face masks at grossly inflated prices, Farnworth said some seedy people are preying on “collective anxieties” of the public during the global pandemic response.…

Parliament’s pandemic politics take centre stage ahead of House sitting

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants fewer limited sittings each week than the Conservative Party of Canada does

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday addressed some of the pressing pandemic-related political and economic matters in the upcoming week, but also reaffirmed the country’s support for people with disabilities and called on children to help parents at home. Hard-nosed politics is at play in Ottawa the day before Parliament is scheduled to resume.…

Squamish Valley fire 50% contained; evacuation order lifted for 120 residents

The Magee Road remains active and a reduced evacuation alert remains in effect along Squamish Valley Road

ABOUT 120 Squamish locals, who have had a dramatic four days, awoke to good news Sunday. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District announced Sunday morning that residents of the Upper Squamish Valley, evacuated on Wednesday, April 15, due to the Magee Road wildfire can return to their homes Sunday, as the evacuation order for their area has been lifted.…

Here’s why B.C. won’t be supporting a herd immunity strategy

BRITISH COLUMBIA won’t be moving towards developing herd immunity to COVID-19, according to Vancouver Coastal Health’s chief medical officer. With herd immunity, a high enough percentage of the population is immune to an illness—such as COVID-19—meaning its spread is stopped within the community, Dr. Patricia Daly said during Friday’s virtual town hall on B.C.’s coronavirus epidemic.…

Police arrest active shooter after pursuit in Nova Scotia

‘Multiple victims;’ nature of injuries unknown

A SUSPECT in an active shooter investigation is in custody in Nova Scotia, with police saying several people were harmed before a man wearing police clothing was arrested. Gabriel Wortman was arrested by the RCMP at the Irving Big Stop in Enfield, N.S., about 35 km west of downtown Halifax.…

Raven Backcountry Festival boosts bursary

Lisa Korthals Memorial Bursary appreciates $16,000 lift

Lisa Korthals was known for inspiring others, and now, even two years after her passing, continues to do so.…

Life is now a million LEGO pieces, and it’s OK to name this as loss

The other morning, my kid woke up with an idea in his mind. Literally, the first words out of his mouth, still prone and pyjama-clad, were: “I’m going to make an Inukshuk.…

OPINION: Pandemic modelling is a useful tool, but not a crystal ball

‘The most recent B.C. modelling shows us that in the face of this storm, we have made considerable progress in our province.’

Now that we are well and truly into our COVID-19 pandemic response, many people throughout British Columbia and Canada have similar questions and concerns. How bad is it going to get?…

Feed the Need campaign launches

Corridor leaders supporting food banks from Squamish to Lillooet

Communities in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) are joining forces to support local food banks. The SLRD announced on Saturday that its municipal leaders in Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and Lillooet have banded together to launch the Feed the Need program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.…

Don’t expect PNE and other large gathering this summer

PNE, festivals, large weddings will not happen this summer, says provincial health officer

New confirmed cases of COVID-19 are down again since Friday, as are the number of hospitalizations, but it will likely be two more weeks before some of the restrictions now in place might start being eased, says provincial health officer Bonnie Henry. “The easing of the restrictions when they come will be gradual,” Henry said in her daily pandemic update Saturday.…

Canada, U.S., agree to extend border closure

Trudeau announces $306 million for Aboriginal businesses

Canada and the U.S. will extend a border closure for another 30 days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in his daily pandemic briefing Saturday morning. The border controls apply to non-essential travel.…

Campfires banned in Squamish, effective immediately

The District has announced that effective immediately (April 17), and until further notice, all campfires within Squamish are prohibited, even if under 50 centimetres in diameter, and even if a current permit exists. “Dry weather conditions and the ongoing emergency response to the Magee Road Fire in the Upper Squamish Valley have prompted the ban,” the District release states.…

Favourable conditions Saturday to battle Squamish wildfire: BC Wildfire Service

Fire remains at 203 hectares, and is a Rank 1 with little open flame

While the fire in the Squamish Valley is still out of control, it appears Mother Nature is set to lend a hand. Weather conditions will remain similar to what they have been the past two days, according to Marg Drysdale, Coastal Fire Centre fire information officer for the BC Wildfire Service.…