Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Oct, 2023 06:47 PM
Farmers in B-C are preparing for an influx of avian flu cases as wild birds begin migrating south.
But a spokesperson for the B-C Poultry Association Emergency Operations Centre says he doesn't expect as much devastation as last year.
Ray Nickel says farmers are using the lessons they learned since the highly infectious H-5-N-1 strain began spreading in late 2021 to better prepare for potential outbreaks.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it believes migratory birds are responsible for the outbreaks.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says the city has taken a "huge step" toward "housing attainability" by approving multiplex units in single-family neighbourhoods, but critics of the plan argue the step is little more than a shuffle. Councillors unanimously endorsed a motion Thursday night that creates a single residential zone across most of the city, clearing the way for what supporters call "missing middle" housing.
The B-C government's drug decriminalization policy has changed to make it illegal to possess illicit drugs near playgrounds, water parks and skate parks. The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions says the change is intended to keep drugs and drug users away from what it calls "child-focused spaces," adding to the existing list of excluded spaces that includes schools and childcare facilities.
The British Columbia government says it is ending the state of emergency imposed last month when thousands of residents were chased out of their homes by wildfires. The government says in a statement the wildfire risk is diminishing in much of the province as temperatures cool, allowing most residents to return home.
An RCMP expert testifying at Ibrahim Ali's murder trial told the court she has never seen a DNA match as close as the one between the suspect and samples found on his alleged victim — except for DNA matches between identical twins. Forensic biologist Christine Crossman said police investigators were very thorough in their collection and testing of genetic samples from the body of the 13-year-old girl, whose identity is protected by a publication ban.
Former Abbotsford police chief Bob Rich has been appointed to look into the release of a man from British Columbia's psychiatric hospital before the man allegedly stabbed three people in Vancouver's Chinatown. Premier David Eby said Thursday that he has read the BC Review Board report on the accused and wants Rich to determine how the man could have been released, despite being a "really significant danger to the public."
A senior government source says Ottawa is planning to remove the G-S-T on construction of new rental apartment buildings. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to make the announcement today as he wraps up a three-day Liberal caucus retreat in London, Ontario.
