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PM promises resources for provinces fighting novel coronavirus

HALIFAX — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says provincial health authorities won’t be alone in their fight against the novel coronavirus because the federal government will ensure they have the resources to contain and treat cases. The Public Health Agency of Canada has said that Canada is preparing for a pandemic outbreak, though the risk of contracting the illness known as COVID-19 here is still low.…

Agreement on Wet’suwet’en title hasn’t stopped protests

Agreement to expedite Wet’suwet’en rights and title recognition doesn’t resolve dispute over Coastal GasLink

Work is set to resume today on the $6.6 billion Coastal GasLink pipeline, following a four-day pause to allow federal and provincial ministers of aboriginal affairs to hash out an agreement with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who oppose the project. On Sunday, provincial and federal ministers of aboriginal affairs and hereditary chief, Frank Alec (Chief Woos) announced they had agreed to an expedited process to recognize Wet’suwet’en rights and title.…

B.C.-wide tuna recall due to elevated levels of histamine

High levels of histamine in fish can cause an allergic-type reaction known as scombroid poisoning. Symptoms can include burning throat, diarrhea, dizziness, facial swelling, headache, vomiting and peppery taste in mouth.

Various tuna products are being recalled from the marketplace across British Columbia due to elevated levels of histamine.…

Metro Vancouver passenger lied about having coronavirus to change flight

‘They self-identified as having the coronavirus, stating that was the reason for changing their flight.’

A passenger reportedly attempted to change a flight at the Abbotsford International Airport on Friday by claiming that they had been diagnosed with coronavirus. The incident allegedly took place on Friday, Feb. 28, when a passenger who was booked on a Swoop flight tried to change their flight.…

UBC students want to dig out access to the Rubble Creek trailhead

Varsity Outdoor Club members, along with others, will dig out a section of the road leading to the trailhead on Saturday, March 7

The UBC Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC) is taking action to address winter accessibility issues in Garibaldi Provincial Park.…

Whistler Blackcomb offers new day-pass product for 2020-2021 season

Advance-purchase pass will offer significant discounts to ski one to 10 days

Vail Resorts has introduced a new pass product aimed squarely at casual Whistler Blackcomb (WB) skiers and boarders. According to a release, the “deeply discounted” pass product will provide “unprecedented flexibility and season pass discounts” to people who are looking to ski as little as one day a season at the resort.…

Bears punch tickets to provincials

Bantams get it done at home, midgets qualify on Sunshine Coast

In its inaugural season, the Sea to Sky Bears program went two-for-two. Both the bantam and midget teams qualified for provincials last weekend during zone Final 4 play, with the bantams doing so on home ice, while the midgets ferried over to the Sunshine Coast and came back with the championship banner.…

Channell ends challenging season with silver

Skeleton athlete spent much of 2019-20 campaign adjusting to sled

When it’s been two-and-a-half years since your last World Cup medal and top-10 appearances are fewer and further between than you’d like, it can be difficult to remain positive. But for Jane Channell, it was all part of the long game, and she’s feeling jubilant and confident after hitting her first high-level skeleton podium since 2017 at the IBSF World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, on March 1.…

Despite financial protection, Quest’s biggest lender sues school

Vanchorverve Foundation files lawsuit against Squamish’s Quest University

Quest University’s biggest lender is suing the school after declaring that it’s allegedly owed $23.4 million. This claim has been filed despite the fact the courts recently granted Quest financial protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, or CCAA, in January.…

Canadians lax on checking personal data security, agency warns

Younger adults unsure on how to handle identity theft

Canadians are feeling less vulnerable to identity theft and are becoming lax in checking credit reports to help detect fraud, one Canada’s leading credit-checking agencies says. Global giant Equifax said Monday that 29% of recent survey respondents checked their credit report as a way of protecting their personal data over the last 12 months.…

Local church creates fundraiser for Squamish family

Donations go toward family of two-year-old who died following parking lot incident

After the tragic incident in a Squamish parking lot on Feb. 28 claimed the life of a toddler, the Rock Church has put together a fundraiser to support the family. Five hours after the fundraiser was launched on Feb. 29, it raised more than half of its $5,000 goal.…

B.C. hate-motivated crime numbers jumped in 2018

Crimes based on sexual orientation, race numbers rise, religion-based attacks fall

While hate-motivated crimes based on race, religion or sexual orientation dropped countrywide in 2018, they rose significantly in B.C. newly released Statistics Canada numbers show. “Despite the decline, police-reported hate crimes had been increasing since 2014 and the number reported in 2018 was the second highest since 2009,” Statistics Canada said.…

Aging, growing population mean more cancer cases in Canada: study

VANCOUVER — A technician holds a mesh bag full of marbles meant to represent breast tissue, pointing out a single black marble among the clear ones. The goal is to explain why a woman’s breasts are compressed during a mammogram.…

Action needed now on fish farms

LETTER: For the week of Feb. 27

Our new Minister of Fisheries [Bernadette] Jordan was recently quoted in The Narwhal magazine as believing that the mandate letter from Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau only requires her to legislate a plan to remove open-net salmon farms from our Pacific tidal waters by 2025, not to actually remove them. This obfuscation is a recipe for disaster; I sincerely fear our wild salmon will not survive another 10 years of decline.…

Whistler council preview for Tuesday, March 3

First look: Strategic Planning Committee update; permits for public washrooms on the agenda

HERE’S A QUCK LOOK at what to expect at Tuesday’s council meeting, kicking off at 5:30 p.m. at the Maury Young Arts Centre. STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE UPDATE…