Firefighters in Delta, south of Vancouver, spent yesterday getting flames under control at a lumber mill along the Fraser River.
Delta Fire Deputy Chief Dave Ayton says crews got the call at around 1 a-m yesterday and arrived to find a pile of stacked lumber on fire.
He says the blaze was about 15 by 30 metres in size, while several smaller fires were sparked inside the industrial building.
The investigation into the fire was to start once the scene was safe.
The federal government is lashing out at the U.S. Commerce Department over plans to raise duties on Canadian softwood lumber. International Trade Minister Mary Ng says the U.S. has signalled it intends to raise duties to 13.86 per cent, up from 8.05 per cent. Ng calls the move disappointing and entirely unwarranted.
The Sons of Freedom were a small faction within the Doukhobor community, an exiled Russian Christian group, and were once known for naked protests and periodically burning down their own homes as a rejection of materialism. In her formal apology Thursday, Attorney General Niki Sharma acknowledged the children were "mistreated both physically and psychologically."
British Columbia's River Forecast Centre lifted a flood warning for the Lillooet and Squamish rivers, saying flows remain high but rainfall and snowmelt are tapering off. A flood watch remains in effect for the Sproat and Somass rivers on Vancouver Island, while lower-level streamflow advisories cover the rest of the South Coast.
British Columbia is launching a review of its Labour Relations Code and has appointed a three-member panel to recommend possible amendments. Labour Minister Harry Bains says the panel has been told to report back to him by May 31 after consulting interest groups and Indigenous communities on the labour laws.
Police in Metro Vancouver say a 17-year-old has been charged after stabbings that injured two women last month. A statement from Delta police says their department has been working with R-C-M-P in Surrey to identify a suspect in the stabbings on January 16th and 23rd.
Canada's famous prognosticating rodents appeared to reach a consensus on Groundhog Day, as furry forecasters spanning three provinces predicted an early spring. The tradition holds that if a groundhog doesn't see its shadow on Groundhog Day, springlike weather will soon arrive. But if a shadow appears, winter's icy grip won't let go for quite some time.