Police on Vancouver Island have issued a warning after responding to a series of reports about people being struck in the face and neck by teenagers shooting what police describe as "water gel blasters" or soft air guns.
The statement from Campbell River R-C-M-P says the teens are driving by and shooting at pedestrians.
The Mounties are warning the youth that it may seem like a harmless prank, but it's a criminal offence and they could be seen as committing assault with a weapon.
The federal government and a British Columbia First Nation have reached a $7-million settlement over a lumber grievance that dates back to 1942. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Chief Joe Pierre Jr. announced the settlement Thursday, where Canada will pay the cash to compensate the First Nation for its economic losses from the timber surrender.
Israel advocates are asking the Federal Court to reverse Ottawa's decision to continue funding the main United Nations agency supporting Palestinians. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is joining Canadians whose relatives were killed in the Hamas attack last October in asking Ottawa to stop funding UNRWA.
Global Affairs Canada and Taiwan's top diplomat in Ottawa say a Canadian is missing in Taiwan after the powerful earthquake that hit the island this week. Global Affairs spokesman Pierre Cuguen says consular officials are providing assistance to the family and are in contact with local authorities.
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says the police force has several open investigations into possible foreign interference in the last two general elections — probes that began only after the votes were counted. Duheme declined to elaborate Thursday on the number or nature of the probes, citing the integrity of the investigations, privacy concerns and public safety.
The Canada Border Services Agency says a man who got caught smuggling more than 70 kilograms of cocaine into Canada through the Pacific Highway border crossing has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Gerry Crawley, a commercial driver from New Brunswick, came through the Surrey crossing in March 2021 with a tractor-trailer of products from California.
The province has announced changes to the Police Act that it says would strengthen oversight of local police forces and improve their governance. The legislative changes would allow B-C’s police complaints commissioner to call a public hearing earlier into misconduct investigations, and give the commissioner the authority to conduct systemic reviews into causes or contributors of police complaints.