Vancouver police say a man considered a high risk and violent sex offender is missing after he failed to check in to his halfway house yesterday.
They say 36-year-old Johnny Walkus is wanted Canada-wide.
Walkus is serving a sentence for two counts of sexual assault, and one count each of break and enter with intent and uttering threats.
Police say Walkus is five-foot, eight inches tall with a heavy build, short black hair, and the name Johnny Cash tattooed on his right forearm.
Severe weather across Canada caused by climate change has wreaked havoc with the pumpkin harvest this year. Nova Scotia pumpkin farmer Danny Dill says the spring planting season was arid because of wildfires, then heavy rains in the summer flooded his fields.
The federal government is expanding its drug and substance use strategy to try to save more lives and provide more services to people disproportionately affected by Canada's overdose crisis. Health Canada says the drug landscape has changed with an increasingly toxic supply since the strategy was first developed in 2016.
A group of more than 30 British Columbia retailers, trade associations and other organizations is calling for a co-ordinated government response for repeat offenders they say are behind a wave of theft, vandalism and violent crime. The Save Our Streets coalition says the need for immediate action is "critical" to meet threats to staff safety, rising security costs and the community impact.
The head of British Columbia's police watchdog says caring for intoxicated prisoners is a health-care issue and shouldn't be a police responsibility. A report released by Ronald J. MacDonald, the chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office, says holding those who are intoxicated in jail cells is outdated and offers no guarantee of their safety and health.
Certain non-profit organizations in British Columbia are getting $60 million from the government in grant funding to help them do their work. Premier David Eby says the help of non-profits is crucial and they benefit the people of B.C. with community supports, arts and cultural services and assistance to find affordable housing.
B.C.'s Education and Child Care Ministry says the $2-per-hour raise and previous wage boosts totalling $4 an hour since 2018 will increase the hourly wage for early childhood educators to $28 per hour. The ministry says early childhood educators who hold specialized certificates for infant, toddler and special needs education are also eligible for up to $3,000 extra per year.