One of the federal government's top priorities for the year ahead involves attracting new international grocers to Canada to expand competition and drive down prices, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Sunday as a cabinet retreat was about to begin in Montreal. The entire federal cabinet is in the city for a three-day retreat ahead of the return of Parliament on Jan. 29 and the next federal budget expected later this winter.
It said an incident at Burnaby's Parkland fuel refinery caused the "strong chemical odour" around the region and enforcement officers were sent to the site to make sure Parkland was complying with it's emissions permit. Metro Vancouver is responsible for issuing air emissions permits and environmental regulation.
Mounties in Maple Ridge are investigating a shooting that occurred on Saturday afternoon that sent a man to hospital. Ridge Meadows R-C-M-P say officers responded to a call of shots fired just before 3 p-m in the area around 123 Avenue and 222nd Street.
The cap on new student visas will be implemented for this year and next. The number of new visas handed out this year will be capped at 364,000, a 35 per cent decrease from the nearly 560,000 issued last year. The number for 2025 will be set after an assessment of the situation later this year, he said.
Police in Abbotsford say a 25-year-old man is dead after a shooting in the city on Saturday. Investigators have identified the victim as 25-year old man Amritpal Saran of Abbotsford.
Metro Vancouver has been left without most bus services and SeaBus after weekend talks between transit supervisors and the Coast Mountain Bus Company broke down without a deal. TransLink says bus routes operated by Coast Mountain stopped running at 1 a.m. and SeaBus sailings for the morning have also been cancelled.