Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Dec, 2023 10:48 AM
B-C Ferries says it’s adding more than 152 sailings between Metro Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland for people travelling over holidays.
The additional sailings begin today and will operate until New Year’s Day with 112 extra sailings added along the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route.
It’s also reminding people to check schedules online while making their travel plans on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day since sailings will be reduced on some routes due to low demand.
Vessels have also been decorated with festive displays to get people into the holiday spirit.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland started off her meeting with her provincial and territorial counterparts by saying housing is the central priority for many Canadians today. She says today's discussions in Toronto will include looking how to work together to build more homes faster, and crack down on short term rentals.
RCMP in Surrey say their investigation into a deadly overnight crash has found the victim was not a pedestrian. The Mounties say one person was killed and another taken to hospital with serious injuries after the crash, which led to ongoing road closures in the area.
Delta police are investigating after a targeted shooting sent one person to hospital. Police say the shooting happened at around 5:45 p-m yesterday at 82nd Avenue between 110th and 112th streets.
The British Columbia government is stepping up penalties for truckers who crash into highway overpasses after a rash of such incidents in recent years. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says the province will implement escalating penalties for companies and drivers with repeat offences, adding longer suspensions and the possible loss of their operating certificate.
More than 50 poultry farms in British Columbia have been infected with avian flu since October, but animal health officials say that rate is slowing as the fall migration of wild birds ends. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday 47 commercial farms and five small-flocks have been infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus this fall.
British Columbia's Coroners Service says there's been a sharp increase in deaths among people experiencing homelessness. A statement from the coroners service says the deaths of 342 people experiencing homelessness were reported last year, an increase of almost 140 over the past two years.