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Fewer English, more international speakers in Vancouver region: census

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The latest census numbers in the census metropolitan area of Vancouver show the same trend as Canada.

The number of English speakers in the region has declined, from 57.6 per cent down to 57.2 per cent, or about 100,000 people.

About the same is reflected in the rise of people whose mother tongue is something other than the two official languages.

That's 41.5 percent of people in the region.

The top languages spoken, after English, in order, are Cantonese or Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Korean and Farsi.

And those are all spoken by more people than those who speak French.

In total, about 179 languages were indentified in the greater Vancouver area.


No mistrial in case related to Pitt Meadows rave sex assault

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A new trial has dismissed a request for a mistrial for a young man accused of distributing child porn online in Maple Ridge.

Dennis Warrington, 21, posted images on his Facebook page of sexual activity between two teens at a rave in Pitt Meadows more than two years ago.

The judge has determined the Crown's request to use larger monitors in court for witnesses to examine the evidence is reasonable, and witnesses who've already testified can be recalled to view the images again.

She also ruled a mistrial would cause unnecessary delays and she agreed with prosecutors who say a new trial should only be ordered as a last resort.

The trial is slated to resume Nov. 27 with up to 13 more witnesses slated to testify.

NDP leader talks what he considers 'high income'

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Adriax Dix has shed a bit more light on what he considers the "high end" of the individual tax bracket.

Speaking in studio with CKNW's Bill Good, he reiterates his position -- that he has to look at the province's budget next spring before he can give a firm figure.

But he says he does not consider $100,000 a year to be a high income.

"We have to look at what the numbers are. I take this issue seriously. It's driven by concerns about the fiscal state of the province, and ensuring that we have fairness. But I think those numbers, the numbers in the 150, 200, 250 range are the ones you'd have to look at. But all of those numbers, even there -- I don't think there's very much tax room."

Dix has also said in the past he will not raise small business taxes, but will move big business rates back to 2008 levels.

On skilled workers, Dix says the premier shows "a lack of regard" in her comments yesterday.

Christy Clark said why train for mining jobs that don't exist yet in B.C.?

Dix calls that an "inadequate" response.

"It's clear, anyway, that the Liberal party doesn't take seriously its responsibility for skills training. Because these projects have been in the works for some time. The premier has been celebrating these projects and saying that those jobs would go to British Columbians for some time, even though she and (Jobs) Minister (Pat) Bell were well aware that they weren't, right?"

Specifically, he says B.C. has to start the training, in the first place, at all levels, and get all stakeholders involved.

Dix was also asked: Does B.C.'s coast belong to British Columbia or does it belong to Canada?

"Where I disgree with Premier Redford and Prime Minister Harper is that for decades people believed it was in the national interest not to have oil supertankers on the north coast of British Columbia. We had a moratorium and that was a national policy right? that was supported overwhelmingly nationally and overwhelmingly in British Columbia. And the reasons for that policy still apply. 

"So you know when people say it's the national interest that we develop the oil sands as quickly as possible, it's also in the national interest that the economy of the coast succeed and survive and not be threatened."

Sixth person fired in alleged health privacy breach

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The sixth person in an alleged privacy breach involving people's medical records has been fired.

A spokesman with B.C.'s health ministry confirms the employee has received a letter as such, but he wouldn't provide any details.

The seventh person implicated remains suspended.

The incident surfaced earlier this year as an alleged misuse of medical data released for health research.

Vancouver announces pass to visit attractions for free

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Vancouver residents can now visit some of the city’s most popular attractions, such as Science World, for free.

Mayor Gregor Robertson announced a new program called the Vancouver Inspiration Pass, or VIP, to help residents who might be struggling financially.   

"It is an exciting ticket into many of the city’s most, best known experiences and incredible facilities."

Starting Nov. 1, anyone over the age of 14 with a library card can borrow the pass for two weeks at any branch of the Vancouver Public Library. 

Abbotsford Police searching for B&E suspect

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Abbotsford Police are reporting a spike in residential break-ins.

And most of them are happening during the day.

Constable Ian MacDonald says the thieves are entering homes through unlocked windows or they break glass next to the front door and turn the handle from inside.

The crooks are after cash, credit cards, jewelry and portable electronics.

One of the suspects was captured on a home security camera.

He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt, jeans, baseball cap, sunglasses and gloves.

His mountain bike had a white stem with large shocks on the front.

If you know who he is, call Abbotsford Police.

Top cop has a plan to reduce cell phone robberies

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It's working well in Britain, so why not try it here?

That's what Vancouver's Police chief is saying about plans to curb the number of cell phone robberies -- not thefts -- in this city.

"When you're holding your cell phone in your hand, that's like waving 500 dollars cash in front of people that may come up to you and grab it out of your hand and take it."

Chief Jim Chu says police in the United Kingdom have reduced the black market re-sale of phones by working with wireless providers to block the signals of devices reported stolen... and that may be the cure for Vancouver's growing problem.

"It's about a 40 per cent increase year to date from last year. A very common place for it to occur is near a transit hub. Of course, downtown are the main transit hubs."

Chu adds the UK has already recorded a 35 per cent drop in this type of robbery.

Man wanted by Mission RCMP

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Mission RCMP is looking for a man with outstanding warrants on charges of assault with a weapon, uttering threats and failure to comply with probation conditions.

Police say 48-year old Thomas Michael Pappas was last spotted on a bus from Mission to Aldergrove.

He is about 160 pounds with brown eyes and short brown hair.

He has a tattoo of a bird and flowers on his right forearm.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crimestoppers or 9-1-1.


Hazardous waste or not? Regional District and incinerator at odds

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Metro Vancouver and the Ministry of Environment are trying to figure out what to do with thousands of tonnes of potentially hazardous material pumped out by a Burnaby waste to energy facility.

Regional district solid waste manager Paul Henderson says ash, with levels of cadmium exceeding allowable limits, was produced by the facility in July and August.

"Roughly 2000 tonnes of material was delivered to Cache Creek [landfill] during July and August that we are uncertain about and so we are working again with Wastech and the Ministry of Environment to investigate that fly ash and determine whether it is most appropriate to leave it or alternatively whether there is a requirement to remove it."

Henderson says Covanta, the US company running the Burnaby incinerator, didn't inform Metro Vancouver until a month later, September 26th.

"We are working closely with Covanta and Wastec and our other partners again to understand exactly what happened as far as the specific reasons for why the information wasn't communicated to both Wastec and Metro Vancouver earlier Covanta would actually be the best entity to ask that question of."

Henderson says once they were notified they took action right away.

"Starting immediately we stopped transporting the fly ash to Cache Creek we immediately notified the Ministry of Environment in Surrey. Since the incident was identified we have been testing every single load of ash that is generated at the facility and all that ash has passed the requirement to be managed as municipal solid waste."

For their part Covanta says there is nothing to see here.

In an email response the company chalks the whole thing up to mistake in the testing.

They say the tests through both months of July and August were simply an aberration and the ash is not hazardous at all.

They point to 100% positive tests on the shipments of ash since the end of September.

As for the month long delay in informing Metro Vancouver, the company says it was nothing deliberate just a communications lapse, one they deeply regret.

Government committee looking in Burnaby hospital woes accused of bias

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The NDP's Health critic says internal emails show a supposedly unbiased government appointed committee looking into problems at Burnaby hospital is anything but, "I think what this committee has done is really stunk up the process around Burnaby hospital."

Mike Farnworth says looking over the emails there were a number of immediate alarm bells.  

"There is a number of things such as you know 'should we run it by you guys first before we get it over to Fraser Health or even to the minister' 'lets take this out it doesn't sound so good' its....its...when you see them all together...its..its just....you know..its the type of stuff that makes people really cynical about politics."

Farnworth says the committee is stacked with Liberal insiders. 

"The government put this committee together and said it was unbiased and what we are seeing from these emails is that it was anything but unbiased it was coordinated by Liberal operatives they used private emails as opposed to government emails I mean this is a taxpayer funded project and you are using private emails? The only reason you do that is because you are trying to hide things." 

While the committee's final report has yet to be tabled Farnworth says it isn't worth the paper it is written on. 

"The whole report has been compromised...corrupted." 

The Hospital Employees union is disappointed over what appears to be political interference in the committee. 

But spokesperson Mike Old says since a C-Difficile outbreak at the hospital there have been improvements. 

 "The C-Diff situation at Burnaby General has improved a lot over the last few years but our members are always working very hard often under short staffing conditions to try and provide good care at the hospital it is always a challenge and you know we need real solutions here not exercises in political deflection."

Old says it appears now that the government committee is bent on directing attention away from the real cause of the problems. 

"You know many of the problems that led to the high rates of superbug infections over the last few years at Burnaby General like the lack of cleaning staff and supplies and too few infection control staff can be directly connected to a lack of funding from the province and other policies like the privatization of support services. 

However Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid had a different take on the situation. 

"The committee that we are talking about started up with the two BC Liberal MLA's in Burnaby Harry Bloy and Richard Lee and they wanted to go out and spend some time consulting with stakeholders about the future of the Burnaby hospital."

MacDiarmid admits other BC Liberals have become involved. 

"There have been some political supporters that have been involved I think that there are some BC Liberals out there in Burnaby and they really feel strongly about there hospital and they want to see a great new development."

When asked about the whether or not some of the inferences in the emails are appropriate MacDiarmid said.

"I certainly understand why people are concerned but I think it is very important though to remember what this is all about this is two BC Liberal MLA's from the riding who wanted to go out and consult and they do have some supporters that are involved in it but they are not making the decisions or calling the shots on the redevelopment of the Burnaby hospital."

When it was pointed out it sounds like from her perspective this appears to be almost an individual effort from two BC Liberals MLA's who appear to have taken the job on themselves when the NDP say this is actually a government appointed committee using taxpayer dollars, MacDiarmid said.

"I do have to look into this before I can say this with 100% certainty but when this committee started up I was not the Minister of Health but I do however remember hearing former Health minister Mike De Jong talking about this and he couldn't really understand why the NDP MLA's in Burnaby were being so critical he said this is exactly what I would expect local MLA's to do to go out and consult with their constituents and find out what is really important to people who live in Burnaby when we are going to redevelop the hospital."

When pressed on taxpayer money being used on the committee, several hundred thousand dollars according to the NDP, MacDiarmid said.

"I am not aware that there has been funding that has gone towards this."

MacDiarmid is also not willing to just throw the committee's final report away despite the NDP saying it is already "corrupted."

"It is interesting how often we find the NDP are judging things before they have the actual evidence in front of them they have done that with Enbridge and they appear to be doing it here and as I said i certainly understand why people are concerned but I think it would be a really good idea for MLA Farnworth and others to have a look at the report before they dismiss it don't forget that hundreds of people in Burnaby have had input into this."

Anti-bullying event attracts hundreds

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An event set up to discuss the topic of bullying drew a crowd of hundreds in Port Coquitlam Wednesday night at Terry Fox Theatre, as many continue to seek answers in the wake of Amanda Todd's high-profile suicide.

The event was called Bullying: It Ends With You.

Wendy, whose son knew Amanda Todd, felt the panel discussion with psychologists, educators and youth advocates was useful.

"This is very timely. It's been in the works for a long time and it's just quite incredible everything happened the way it did, so I'm glad the turnout that they did. There's a little more education out there and people are going to feel a little bit more empowered and able to help."

The evening also featured a documentary on bullying produced by the Red Cross.

Overnight fires in Vancouver

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Firefighters say two overnight blazes have caused extensive damage in Vancouver.

The La Baguette Bakery on Granville Island is closed indefinitely after a fire started in one of its ovens around 8 p.m.

That one is considered accidental.

An hour later, fire at the caretaker and clubhouse facility at Columbia Park in the 5900 block of Alberta Street caused more than $100,000 in damage.

That fire was deliberately set.

North Delta MLA won't run again

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North Delta New Democrat MLA Guy Gentner is calling it quits.

Gentner has announced he won't run in next year's provincial election.

Party leader Adrian Dix praised Gentner for being what he called "a passionate advocate for the Agricultural Land Reserve."

He says Gentner's contributions will be missed.

Man gets two years less a day for deadly White Rock hit-and-run

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A Surrey man has been given a jail sentence of two years less a day for a hit and run a year and a half ago that killed a White Rock woman.

Kyle Danyliuk also faces three years’ probation and a five-year driving ban.

Last winter, he pleaded guilty to five counts from the crash that killed Marilyn Laursen.

She was in a crosswalk at Johnston Road and Thrift Avenue when Danyliuk's car hit a stopped vehicle, then careened into the 56-year-old.

He was fleeing police at the time.

Updated: Woman, toddler found safely after disappearing in Powell River

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UPDATED: The woman and her daughter have been found safely.

Search crews are looking for a woman and her baby missing outside of Powell River.

Police say 31-year-old Heather Thompson and her 20-month-old daughter, Erica, went mushroom picking yesterday morning in the back country.

Her boyfriend reported the pair missing last evening.

Search and rescue crews were dispatched, but had to be called off last night and resumed this morning.

RCMP Constable Chris Bakker says her van was later located off a forest service road.

"In the van, we found her cell phone and purse tucked away as if they had put them away to go into the bush to do the mushroom picking. There's no evidence of anything other than that right now."

A police dog and RCMP helicopter have also been called in.

Bakker says Thompson is an experienced mushroom picker, and it does not appear she intended to stay overnight.


Vernon man facing more than 30 charges after guns seized

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A 32-year old man from Vernon is facing more than 30 charges linked to the bust of a major gun smuggling operation on both sides of the border.

Riley Stewart Kotz is one of four Canadian men arrested following a 10 month undercover operation by BC's Combined Forces Special Enforcment Unit.

A woman from Florida is also facing charges.

Chief Dan Malo says Kotz was not known to police before this probe started in February.

About 80 guns have been seized and some are believed to worth more than 4000-dollars each.

The weapons were being sold online.

Kotz is charged with 34 gun offences including 12 counts of Transferring a Prohibited Firearm.

Teachers who hit, poke, drag students among discipline rulings

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Teachers who hit, pulled or dragged students are among those disciplined in the first batch of decisions released from the BC Teacher Regulation Branch.

In one case, a teacher struck a Grade 7 student on the back of the head, told the kid to shut up and tried to physically restrain him from leaving the class – all in the same day.

He was reprimanded.

Another teacher was suspended for two months for poking and pushing students, pulling their clothing, inappropriately raising her voice, and telling them to shut up.

A third teacher approached an 11-year-old boy talking during a test and pulled him, seated, by the hood of his sweatshirt across the floor, choking him.

It was reported to police, and she completed community service, counselling and an apology.

She was suspended for 14 days.

One of the other seven cases now posted online includes a Victoria teacher who accessed, among other things, porn on his school computer. It was discovered by two student teachers using his computer to input marks.

The school district administered its own punishment, but would not provide details. He is still working within the district.

The branch replaced the BC College of Teachers in January.

This is the first batch of decisions released to the public online. They were made between March and June of this year.

Investigation launched into potentially toxic ash from Burnaby incinerator

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The Minister of Environment is looking for answers in the case of potentially hazardous ash shipped to the Cache Creek landfill.

Terry Lake says the ministry is investigating on several fronts including what toxicity, if any, exists in the ash shipped from a Burnaby waste to energy incinerator.

"Well we are looking into that I do not have a defintive answer on that at this time but certainly you know we will follow protocol and make sure Metro is not causing a problem in terms of landfill but you know it is a very well run landfill and there are certainly ways of handling material we will follow up with them but we will have to get more information before we can comment further."

Lake says he also wants answers on why Covanta, the company running the incinerator, took a month to report the tests showing high levels of cadmium.

"I would be concerned if this is an unusual delay I think Metro Vancouver needs to know if there is something that is out of the terms of the permit they need to know that as soon as possible so we will review that with them certainly it is my goal to make sure we are very transparent and open."

When asked if the ash in the landfill poses any environmental risk, Lake says  "I don't think so, our staff are working with Metro Vancouver they have the authority over this site and they are investigating so we are following it closely with staff at Metro Vancouver but there is no indication at this point there is an concern however we are following up with them."

Roughly 2000 tonnes of the material was shipped to the landfill and Metro Vancouver is working to determine if it needs to be removed or not.

Lake's NDP counterpart says Metro Vancouver needs to take this incident into account as it explores the idea of dealing with the region's garbage by using a waste to energy incinerator.

Rob Fleming says the potential risk to the ground and air concerns not just metro residents, but those in the Fraser Valley too.

"I think this investigation really has to determine the facts on whether the contamination has occured at Cache Creek. But of course there needs to be a full explanation on the reporting lag by all the parties involved, including the private operator."

Fleming also says it isn't just the ash at the Cache Creek landfill he also has concerns about pollutants that may have been emitted at the incinerator during the two months over the summer where tests showed high levels of cadmium.

"Cadmium is serious. Other hazardouse materials getting into the environment, getting into the airshed is a concern to residents in this region and the Fraser Valley up the way. So I think Metro Vancouver has to do a good job explaining this issue to people because now that it's come to light, there's a serious concern here."

Covanta maintains the ash is not hazardous and they blame an aberration in testing and communications lapse for the incident.

BC government will tweak liquor laws for charity auctions

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The provincial government is making what it calls a common-sense change to liquor policy to allow charities to auction off gift baskets that contain some alcoholic products.

Minister responsible Rich Coleman says the current rules are out of date.

"I don't think even when the law was probably written people were as much into wine and collection of wine as they were when it was written 30 to 40 years ago so I am just going to fix it."

But for the time being, charities will only be able to auction items that include some alcohol.

Coleman says legislation will have to be changed to allow booze-only auctions, and that will have to wait until the spring.

Government considers allowing sale of lottery tickets in liquor stores

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The provincial government is considering allowing lottery ticket sales in BC liquor stores.

But Minister Responsible Rich Coleman says a decision is a long way off.

"well what it is, it's under discussion, it's being looked at, it would take some technical upgrades for software, there would have to be an RFP, so the decision would come through going into the spring, and if it was gonna happen it wouldn't happen before next summer."

Coleman says the BC Lotteries Corporation is studying the issue as it looks for new revenue streams.   

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