Surrey police are investigating a suspicious fire overnight that engulfed several businesses at a strip mall.
R-C-M-P say it happened at around midnight at the mall at the intersection of 148th Street and 108th Avenue.
Police say some businesses were opened as the fire broke out, but everyone was evacuated safely without injuries.
Investigators say they are looking into the cause of the blaze and are asking any witnesses or those with dash cam footage to contact police.
Mounties say the suspect is a South Asian man in his 40s with a slim build, and investigators are seeking dashcam footage from the area of Brentwood Drive between Beta Avenue and Delta Avenue from between 6 and 7 p-m on New Year’s Eve.
Tensions connected to the war between Israel and Hamas have prompted a British Columbia theatre company to cancel the scheduled run of a play set in the region. Victoria's Belfry Theatre says in a statement the timing isn't right to stage The Runner by Canadian writer and actor Christopher Morris and it could "further tensions" in the community.
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his country should "encourage migration" of Palestinians from Gaza and re-establish Israeli settlements there, echoing similar comments from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller condemnedremarks from both politicians as "inflammatory and irresponsible."
Surrey R-C-M-P say there's been a propane leak at a gas station. The station's surrounding area in the Port Kells neighbourhood has been evacuated. Mounties say roads have also been shut down.
The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Wednesday that the federal ethics commissioner was consulted "on these details prior to the travel to ensure that the rules were followed." The office offered the clarification the day before Trudeau's holiday on the Caribbean island is set to conclude. He is there with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and their three children.
Canada and some of its allies are warning the Houthis that they will bear responsibility for the consequences of their continued attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Iran-backed rebel group has been firing long-range missiles at Israel from Yemen and attacking civilian cargo ships, and the statement said the group has been significantly escalating its efforts in the past week.