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Squamish Canyon bound for public hearing

Public will be able to provide feedback on proposed tourist attraction on March 10

Speak or forever hold your peace — a date has been set. Members of the public will be able to comment on the proposed Squamish Canyon project on Tuesday, March 10 at The 55 Activity Centre at 6 p.m.…

Fake Viagra dealers avoid stiff fines

Two North Vancouver residents have avoided hard time but will face fines after pleading guilty to importing and selling off-brand erectile dysfunction drugs. Mohamad Fejvai Nejad, 31, and Marissa Tettamanti, 23, pleaded guilty to selling prescription drugs without a prescription and dealing with a drug in a manner that deceives between the spring of 2017 and the summer of 2018 when they were arrested.…

A big shout-out to Whistler bus drivers

LETTER: For the week of Feb. 20

I boarded the bus with my $2.50 prepaid ticket. The driver refused to take my ticket and instructed me to pass it to the young man in the next seat.…

Vancouver’s Skookum Festival will not return this summer

Don’t call it a comeback: After taking a year off, arts and music festival appears to be sunk

It turns out, everything isn’t so “skookum” for Vancouver’s short-lived Skookum Festival. Organizers announced today that the music and arts festival will not take place this summer as planned.…

Whistler synchro teams medal in debut

Whistler Skating Club enjoying banner year, but worried about ice time

The Whistler Skating Club is emphasizing the true meaning of team with its recent program additions. The club attended its first synchronized skating competition, the West Coast Challenge Synchronized Skating Competition in Delta, with both of its entries medalling in the Feb. 15 event.…

‘Extremely intoxicated’ Aussie man arrested after reportedly stealing snowboard and assaulting woman

Staff at village business locked suspect in bathroom until police arrived

An Australian man is facing multiple possible charges after he allegedly stole a snowboard and assaulted a woman this week, police said. A man who said his snowboard was stolen after he left it on the ground momentarily flagged police down in the Upper Village at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23.…

Small plane skids off runway at Pemberton airport

Pilot was attempting ‘touch-and-go’ landing common when learning to fly

No one was injured after a small plane skidded off the runway of the Pemberton Regional Airport last week, police said in a release. At approximately 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18, Pemberton RCMP was called to the airport after the Cessna 172 flying from Abbotsford slid off the runway while attempting a “touch-and-go” landing, a common manoeuvre when learning to fly.…

The kids are (mostly) all right—even online

Talking cyberbullying in time for Pink Shirt Day

In the ’30s, it was radio. In the ‘50s, it was Elvis.…

Winter traditions are feeling the heat of climate change

Warm temperatures cancel local events like skijoring—resulting in economic and cultural impacts

On Jan. 20, 2020, Ted Valentiner and the other organizers of the annual World Invitational Skijoring Championship in Whitefish, Mont., stood in a snow-covered field just outside of town. They had gathered to make a fateful decision about the upcoming event, scheduled to take place a few days later—a decision they hoped they would never have to make.…

Coronavirus latest: Cruise passengers in quarantine in B.C.

Two passengers who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan are now in quarantine in B.C. The province’s top medical health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, told media Tuesday morning that the two people from the ship – which has been quarantined in Japan – have come back here and are again under quarantine, as per a federal order.…

Teacher’s comments about Islam net reprimand

Vancouver teacher removed Facebook posts “insulting” to major religions

A Vancouver teacher has been reprimanded for comments he made about B.C. Mosque Day on Facebook, comments the B.C. Commission for Teacher regulation said are “discourteous and disrespectful. Open Mosque Day B.C. placed a public advertisement on Facebook in January 2019 inviting people to “explore BC’s major Mosques as we open doors to welcome everyone.”…

B.C. Liberals propose legislation aimed at easing strata insurance crisis

“Simple, easy-to-apply” measures would define insurance responsibility and let homeowners earn financial breaks, says MLA Todd Stone

With insurance premiums on strata buildings skyrocketing, especially in British Columbia, the B.C. Liberal opposition party proposed a private member’s bill of new measures aimed at easing the crisis. Liberal MLA Todd Stone announced February 25 that he is proposing changes to the Strata Property Act that would define insurance responsibility, give insurance companies clarity on liability, and introduce a water-damage prevention program that would allow homeowners to earn breaks on their insurance premiums.…

Who speaks for the Wet’suwet’en?

Some First Nations members not happy with hereditary chiefs

Federal and provincial ministers of Aboriginal relations were planning to meet with chiefs representing the Office of the Wet’suwet’en last week to try to resolve what has turned into a national crisis, with the flashpoint being the Coastal GasLink pipeline. Scott Fraser, B.C. minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, and Carolyn Bennett, federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, invited hereditary chiefs of the Office of the Wet’suwet’en to a February 20 meeting in Smithers.…

Coronavirus privacy: Top B.C. doc defends policy

B.C.’s health authorities have defended their protection of people’s privacy when it comes to revealing details of coronavirus cases. It was revealed last week that the province’s sixth case of the virus (COVID-19) was a woman from the Fraser Health region, who had recently returned from Iran.…

B.C. liquor merchants find adding cannabis sideline is a tricky pivot

Cannabis market’s regulatory thicket, unique customer base challenge new entrants

Canada’s move to legalize recreational cannabis prompted many alcohol retailers to add cannabis to their product lineup, as though it were a natural extension of their businesses. Executives reasoned they were used to adhering to strict government regulations – but the similarities between the two retail niches largely end there.…