British Columbia Archives - Page 3 of 7

29 Dec

Rockfall Forces Closure of Popular Squamish Hiking Trail in B.C.

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsBritish Columbia, Canada, TrendingBritish Columbia, Squamish Hiking Trail

Squamish, B.C. (Rajeev Sharma): Authorities have closed the main trail at Stawamus Chief indefinitely following a major rockfall that covered a significant portion of the path with rocks and fallen trees. The incident reportedly occurred around 10:40 p.m. on December 26, according to witnesses, though the closure was officially announced by B.C. Parks on December 27. Fortunately, Squamish Search and Rescue confirmed that no hikers were injured in the event. A social media post from Squamish SAR urged the public to avoid the area entirely until officials can assess the trail for safety. Hiker Nathan Romanin encountered the debris the…

23 Dec

Halford Says B.C. Conservative Leadership Contest Will Reset Party and Bring Unity

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsBritish Columbia, CanadaBritish Columbia

Victoria (Rajeev Sharma): Trevor Halford says the upcoming leadership race for the Conservative Party of British Columbia will be an opportunity to clarify the party’s direction and restore cohesion after weeks of internal turmoil that briefly left the party with competing claims to its top job. Halford stepped into the role of interim leader on December 3 after the party’s board appointed him amid mounting tensions within caucus. Earlier that day, a majority of Conservative MLAs publicly withdrew their support from then-leader John Rustad, citing ongoing disputes that had affected fundraising and damaged the party’s public standing. The board later…

20 Dec

British Columbia Sets 2026 PNP Nomination Allocation, Falls Short of Request

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsBritish Columbia, Canada, TrendingBritish Columbia

British Columbia (Rajeev Sharma): British Columbia has become the first Canadian province to announce its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allocation for 2026, revealing a total that is lower than what it had originally requested. The announcement was published on the BC PNP’s official updates page on December 18, 2025. For the upcoming year, the federal government has granted British Columbia 5,254 nomination spaces. While this represents a 31% increase over the initial 2025 allocation of 4,000 slots, it is fewer than the province ended 2025 with, after receiving additional nominations throughout the year: 1,254 extra slots in October and another…

19 Dec

Power Restored Gradually After Powerful Windstorm Disrupts Life Across B.C.

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsBritish Columbia, Canada, TrendingBritish Columbia

British Columbia (Rajeev Sharma): A powerful wind and rain system swept across British Columbia this week, cutting electricity to tens of thousands of homes, shutting down schools, and creating hazardous travel conditions across large parts of the province. According to B.C. Hydro, outages peaked early Wednesday, affecting roughly 120,000 customers, largely concentrated in the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast regions. By mid-afternoon, crews had reduced that figure to about 30,000 as repair work continued throughout the day. Utility officials said the damage was worsened by weakened trees, many of which were compromised by years of drought and toppled easily under…

18 Dec

Federal Investment Vital to Protect B.C. Trade Corridors, Says Premier David Eby

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsBritish Columbia, CanadaBritish Columbia, David Eby, federal infrastructure funding, Highway 1

Vancouver (Rajeev Sharma): British Columbia Premier David Eby has stressed that sustained federal investment in provincial transportation infrastructure is critical to preventing long-term disruptions to cross-Canada trade and maintaining business confidence in the province.Eby said he raised concerns over “trade-enabling infrastructure” during a meeting with the federal government’s major projects office, pointing specifically to Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley and the Massey Tunnel, both of which are crucial for commuters and freight movement to coastal ports. His remarks come days after severe flooding forced the closure of sections of Highway 1, exposing vulnerabilities in one of the country’s most…

14 Dec

Flood Threat Persists Across Parts of B.C. as Communities Remain on High Alert

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsBritish Columbia, Canada, TrendingBritish Columbia

British Columbia (Rajeev Sharma): While floodwaters have begun to ease in some areas of Abbotsford, authorities say the danger is far from over for many communities in British Columbia, with more rain expected to fall on already waterlogged ground in the coming days. City officials in Abbotsford confirmed on Saturday that conditions have improved in certain neighbourhoods. However, water continues to flow north from the Nooksack River in Washington state, which breached its banks earlier in the week, keeping pressure on low-lying areas of the Fraser Valley. Major transportation routes remain severely disrupted. The Trans-Canada Highway is still closed through…

15 Nov

Growing Alarm in B.C. as Punjabi Community Caught in Expanding Extortion Network; Calls Intensify for Terrorism Designation

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, TrendingBritish Columbia, Canada

British Columbia (Rajeev Sharma): A surge in violent extortion schemes across the province has prompted renewed demands for Ottawa to classify such offences as acts of terrorism, as police, lawmakers, and community leaders warn the crisis is spiralling beyond traditional organized crime. The latest flashpoint came after the Law Society of British Columbia alerted its members on November 14 to a string of threats directed at practising lawyers. The notice described phone calls and messages demanding significant sums of money, including explicit warnings of harm should victims refuse to comply — a development that has rattled the legal sector. Conservative…

30 Sep

B.C. First Nations Seek Meeting with PM Carney to Discuss Salmon Protection and Open-Net Farm Ban

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, TrendingBritish Columbia

British Columbia (Rajeev Sharma): British Columbia’s First Nations are urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to meet with them to address the urgent need to protect and restore wild salmon populations. Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance—a coalition representing over 120 First Nations—called for a collaborative, Indigenous-led plan to safeguard wild salmon, similar in approach to the joint land-use strategy employed for the Great Bear Rainforest. “We invite Prime Minister Carney to visit British Columbia to engage with us on a comprehensive initiative to rehabilitate and rebuild wild salmon populations as part of a nation-building effort,” Chamberlin…

29 Sep

Crews Plan Controlled Ignition to Contain Munro Lake Wildfire Near Peachland, B.C.

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, TrendingBritish Columbia

Peachland, B.C. (Richa Walia): Firefighters battling the Munro Lake wildfire near Peachland in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley are preparing to carry out a planned ignition operation aimed at reinforcing control lines and slowing the wildfire's progress, emergency officials said Sunday. The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre reported that the fire, which has forced evacuations since Thursday, showed no growth overnight, though it remains out of control. The wildfire currently spans just over three square kilometres. Planned Burn to Reduce Fuel Load The BC Wildfire Service says the planned ignition will target approximately 54 hectares along the fire's southeastern edge, aiming…

27 Sep

B.C. Government, Public Sector Union to Resume Negotiations Monday; Picket Lines to Stay in Place

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, TrendingBritish Columbia

Victoria (Rajeev Sharma): Talks between the British Columbia government and the B.C. General Employees' Union (BCGEU) are set to resume on Monday after nearly two months of stalled negotiations. Despite the renewed dialogue, striking public service workers will continue to picket outside government offices and provincial liquor outlets. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey confirmed late Thursday that the province’s Public Service Agency extended a formal invitation to the union to return to the bargaining table. Speaking on Friday, Bailey reaffirmed the government’s goal of reaching a fair deal that balances worker needs with the province's fiscal limits. “We remain committed to…