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.
Two premiers have sent letters to Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem urging the central bank to halt rate hikes ahead of its next rate decision tomorrow. Ontario Premier Doug Ford sent a letter on Sunday saying families and businesses cannot afford the "crushing impact of further rate hikes," echoing a letter British Columbia Premier David Eby sent on Thursday.
A man is in hospital and police are looking for a suspect vehicle after a shooting in Port Alberni. The R-C-M-P say it happened earlier today in a city back alley, leaving the victim with non-life-threatening injuries.
Prison officials in British Columbia say they've seized a large stash of contraband, including steroids and cellphones, smuggled into a maximum security institution outside Vancouver last week. Kim MacPherson, an assistant warden at Kent Institution, says the seizure was made on Aug. 24 thanks to staff vigilance.
Canada's first known case of the Omicron variant BA.2.86 was detected this week in British Columbia as the country became the seventh in the world to report its presence. Health Canada is currently reviewing applications for Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech's new mRNA vaccines, developed against the dominant XBB.1.5 variant ahead of a vaccination campaign set for the fall.
Vancouver's park board is urging Stanley Park visitors to avoid driving to Stanley Park in September to alleviate heavy traffic linked to large-scale events. The board says visitors should consider using alternative transportation methods or park elsewhere in the city.
The City of Vancouver is cautioning people to stop consuming alcohol on beaches starting next week as a three-month pilot program comes to an end. The city's park board says alcohol consumption on Vancouver beaches will no longer be legal as of this coming Tuesday.
