A 56-year-old man is facing a sexual assault charge after what Burnaby R-C-M-P are calling a "cleansing ritual scam".
Police say a 29-year-old woman was approached by a man at a Burnaby mall on August 5th.
They say the man claimed to be a Taoist Master and Chinese medicine practitioner who could perform a ritual to improve the woman's health and life.
Mounties say the victim and suspect drove to another location for the ritual, during which the suspect allegedly assaulted the woman
Canadians living in provinces where the federal carbon price is collected are expected to receive their first Climate Action Incentive rebate of the year today. The federal government says people living in provinces including Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Saskatchewan will receive the rebate through direct bank deposit or by cheque if they have filed their income tax and benefit returns.
Environment Canada says the forecast calls for snowflurries in the Metro Vancouver area by Tuesday, followed by rain later this week. Temperatures are still forecast to remain well below zero Celsius in the province's northeast and Kootenay regions.
In British Columbia, rescue crews say two skiers are lucky to be alive after they became lost in the Fitzsimmons Creek area near Whistler late Thursday as wind chill dipped around -50 C. North Shore Rescue says on social media that a helicopter was used to hoist out the pair who were hypothermic with frozen feet, and it's "unlikely the skiers would have survived the night."
Mounties in Coquitlam are reminding the public that its emergency and non-emergency lines are not meant for complaints about things like a cold fast-food burger. Police say that was one of many calls they had to 9-1-1 that take away staff time from helping someone with a life-threatening situation.
An abrupt snowfall in Metro Vancouver resulted in snarled traffic and set off numerous crashes on major routes. Environment Canada says the area received about 3 centimetres of snow Thursday, which combined with freezing temperatures to create icy roads throughout the region.
The Defence Department says Canadian Armed Forces members provided planning support for the U.S.-led attack on Houthi positions in Yemen Thursday but no Canadian equipment was involved. Three staff officers were deployed in December to the multinational operation in the Red Sea aimed at deterring Houthi blockades of the key shipping route.