Sarah Grochowski

Tuesday, July 20 marks British Columbia’s 150th birthday. (Nature Conservancy of Canada)

B.C. turns 150: From fur trades to ferries and controversy in 2021

A First Nations land then a British colony – it wasn’t until 1871 the settlement joined Canada as a province

Tuesday, July 20 marks British Columbia’s 150th birthday. (Nature Conservancy of Canada)
A plume of smoke rise from a forest fire burning northeast of the city in Prince Albert, Sask., Monday, May 17, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Kayle Neis)

Western Canada desperately needs rain but it’s not in the forecast: climatologist

300 wildfires were burning across British Columbia Monday, evacuation orders were issued for several regions

A plume of smoke rise from a forest fire burning northeast of the city in Prince Albert, Sask., Monday, May 17, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Kayle Neis)
Gabriel Rodriguez is one of four people who have been arrested after more than a dozen weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized at a downtown Denver hotel close to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. (Denver Police/AP)

3 men arrested near All-Star Game facing federal gun charges

The suspects were arrested with more than a dozen weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a Denver hotel near the site

Gabriel Rodriguez is one of four people who have been arrested after more than a dozen weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized at a downtown Denver hotel close to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. (Denver Police/AP)
COVID-19 vaccination, Maple Ridge, March 26, 2021 (Ronan O’Doherty/Black Press Media)

Half of eligible B.C residents fully vaccinated, 45 new COVID-19 cases reported

No new deaths were reported as a result of the disease

COVID-19 vaccination, Maple Ridge, March 26, 2021 (Ronan O’Doherty/Black Press Media)
Meaz Nour-Eldin (left) and Elkan Vyizigiro, both 23, have both been charged with human trafficking offences (VPD)

3 males charged with human trafficking of underage girls in Vancouver

Investigators believe the group recruited and trafficked underage girls for several months

Meaz Nour-Eldin (left) and Elkan Vyizigiro, both 23, have both been charged with human trafficking offences (VPD)
(Vancouver Police Department)

Stun grenade deployed in Vancouver takedown of suspect allegedly seen holding rifle

Const. Tania Visintin said the man arrested wasn’t an active shooter

(Vancouver Police Department)
A decommissioned Royal Canadian Navy diving support ship sat derelict in Bridgewater, N.S. in 2019. ANDREW VAUGHAN /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Feds doling out $1.5M for removal of 18 derelict boats from B.C., Atlantic coasts

18 abandoned vessels will be pulled out from Bamfield, Barkley Sound and Nootka Sound waters

A decommissioned Royal Canadian Navy diving support ship sat derelict in Bridgewater, N.S. in 2019. ANDREW VAUGHAN /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Flames attack the hillside in Bonney Lake. (East Pierce Fire & Rescue)

Wildfire season strikes a month early in B.C. with 1,100 blazes to date

Dry conditions will see new fires spark across the province into fall, says B.C. Wildfire Services

Flames attack the hillside in Bonney Lake. (East Pierce Fire & Rescue)
The U.S. and Canadian flags fly atop the Peace Arch at Peace Arch Historical State Park on the border with Canada in Blaine, Wash. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Elaine Thompson

80% of British Columbians believe border with U.S. should remain closed: survey

A majority would also like also to see travellers arriving in Canada placed into mandatory quarantine

The U.S. and Canadian flags fly atop the Peace Arch at Peace Arch Historical State Park on the border with Canada in Blaine, Wash. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Elaine Thompson
Sewist Nadine Baker is collecting donations to provide displaced residents mobile sewing kits so that they can begin to replace many significant items that were decimated by wildfire. (Facebook/Nadine Baker)

Indigenous woman collecting sewing kits to recreate sacred items lost in Lytton wildfire

Lillooet artisan Nadine Baker is determined to help the displaced peoples of Nlakapamux Nation

Sewist Nadine Baker is collecting donations to provide displaced residents mobile sewing kits so that they can begin to replace many significant items that were decimated by wildfire. (Facebook/Nadine Baker)
A coyote attacked three people in Stanley Park on Wednesday, July 7, 2021. (Conservation Officer Service/Facebook)

4 coyotes euthanized following attack on toddler in Stanley Park

B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it’s unsure whether the animals killed overnight were those involved

A coyote attacked three people in Stanley Park on Wednesday, July 7, 2021. (Conservation Officer Service/Facebook)
A recent B.C. Supreme Court order has prohibited Christopher James Pritchard from practising law by appearing as counsel or drafting legal documents. (YouTube/A Warrior Calls)

‘Expert’ of fighting COVID-19 restrictions in court barred from acting as lawyer in B.C.

Christopher James Pritchard has been shut out from practising law or referring to himself as a lawyer

A recent B.C. Supreme Court order has prohibited Christopher James Pritchard from practising law by appearing as counsel or drafting legal documents. (YouTube/A Warrior Calls)
A protester gathers containers depicting OxyContin prescription pill bottles. (AP/Patrick Semansky)

Returning unused prescriptions to B.C. pharmacies could help prevent overdoses

New HPSA survey shows 1 in 3 Canadians do not know how to safely dispose of old, unused medications

A protester gathers containers depicting OxyContin prescription pill bottles. (AP/Patrick Semansky)
Yun Lu Li, right, is one of two suspects accused of the murder of 39-year-old Tyler Pratt, left. (Instagram)

Suspect wanted for murder of B.C. man returned to Canada following arrest in Europe

Yun Lu Li, 25, was extradited into the country Monday and appeared in court the following day

Yun Lu Li, right, is one of two suspects accused of the murder of 39-year-old Tyler Pratt, left. (Instagram)
Extreme heat played a factor in an unprecedented amount of B.C. deaths this week, says chief coroner Lisa Lapointe.(Black Press Media files)

B.C. deaths triple over the past week, to 719, as a result of heat wave

Many of the deaths were among older individuals living alone in private residences

Extreme heat played a factor in an unprecedented amount of B.C. deaths this week, says chief coroner Lisa Lapointe.(Black Press Media files)
Skies over Fort St. John were ignited by a municipal display of fireworks this Canada Day, despite a province-wide fire ban and 119 wildfires that have recently sparked across B.C. (Instagram/Yvett Michna)

B.C. city defends Canada Day fireworks as province sees moderate-extreme fire danger

‘Towns are burning down and here we are, trying to light ours up,’ says Fort St. John resident

Skies over Fort St. John were ignited by a municipal display of fireworks this Canada Day, despite a province-wide fire ban and 119 wildfires that have recently sparked across B.C. (Instagram/Yvett Michna)
Michael J. Fox was bestowed with Simon Fraser University’s highest honor this week. (YouTube/SFU)

VIDEO: High school dropout turned actor Michael J. Fox receives honorary B.C. degree

‘The closest I got to Simon Fraser University was parking at the Burnaby lookout with my girlfriend on Saturday night,’ he joked

Michael J. Fox was bestowed with Simon Fraser University’s highest honor this week. (YouTube/SFU)
An ‘every child matters’ commemorative mural now stretches a block-long in East Vancouver. (Facebook/Tamara Bell)

Block-long ‘every child matters’ mural in Vancouver to stay 2 years past Canada Day

Haida artist Tamara Bell is among dozens deciding to honor the lives of Indigenous children instead this July 1

An ‘every child matters’ commemorative mural now stretches a block-long in East Vancouver. (Facebook/Tamara Bell)
Donations are pouring in at the Shulus Community Arena in Lower Nicola for Lytton evacuees. Everything from food to clothes to bedding is being donated by locals. (Michael Rodriguez/Black Press Media)

Here’s how you can help victims of the devastating Lytton wildfire

Donations centres, GoFundMes have been set up to assist roughly 1,000 displaced residents

Donations are pouring in at the Shulus Community Arena in Lower Nicola for Lytton evacuees. Everything from food to clothes to bedding is being donated by locals. (Michael Rodriguez/Black Press Media)
People try to beat the heat at a beach on June 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Persistent pressure from B.C. heat wave to affect rest of summer: meteorologist

Seasonal modelling is predicting higher-than-normal temperatures to persist through August and September

People try to beat the heat at a beach on June 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh