Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Jul, 2024 04:41 PM
The Metro Vancouver regional district has issued an air quality advisory as hot, sunny weather mixes with emissions to create ground-level ozone, or smog.
The advisory spans Metro Vancouver and parts of the Fraser Valley.
It says the smog is expected to persist for a few days.
Officials are encouraging residents to limit unnecessary outdoor activities and check on those at higher risk of heat-related illness.
The BC Coroners Service says 177 people died in February due to "toxic, unregulated drugs." The service says at least 175 people have died because of the toxic drug supply in each of the last 20 consecutive months.
BC's transportation ministry says it is implementing a new law that will give cyclists and pedestrians added protection on roads. It says the changes, which come into effect on June 3rd, establish a new minimum distance of one metre that drivers must maintain when passing cyclists and other so-called vulnerable road users.
Taiwan's Central News Agency says a Canadian missing after this week's powerful earthquake on the island's east coast has been found safe. The partially government-funded news agency, citing information from the Central Emergency Operation Center, says the Canadian man is now camped near a hotel in Taiwan's Taroko National Park.
The federal Liberal government plans a $600-million package of loans and funding to help make it easier and cheaper to build homes for owners and renters. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is making the announcement in Calgary, just the latest in a string of pre-budget announcements aimed at winning over younger voters.
The federal government and a British Columbia First Nation have reached a $7-million settlement over a lumber grievance that dates back to 1942. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Chief Joe Pierre Jr. announced the settlement Thursday, where Canada will pay the cash to compensate the First Nation for its economic losses from the timber surrender.
Israel advocates are asking the Federal Court to reverse Ottawa's decision to continue funding the main United Nations agency supporting Palestinians. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is joining Canadians whose relatives were killed in the Hamas attack last October in asking Ottawa to stop funding UNRWA.