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Port Mann toll account information possibly compromised

September 30, 2012, 7:44 pm
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More than 270 people who opened tolling accounts for the new Port Mann Bridge should expect letters in the mail this week warning their personal information--including credit cards--may have been compromised.

Mike Proudfoot, CEO of the Transportation Investment Corporation says an employee provided false identification during the hiring process.

"What I can tell you at this time is the individual is not who he claimed to be when he was hired. It's a criminal matter and it has been referred to the RCMP."

The man was fired and arrested at the call centre.

Proudfoot says the letters are precautionary and there's no evidence customer information was compromised.

The 271 customers receiving letters created or updated accounts with the man over the phone.

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Officers gather to remember fallen comrades

September 30, 2012, 4:46 pm
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Police forces from across the Province gathered in Stanley Park to remember those who have died on duty for the 15th Annual BC Police and Peace Officer's Memorial.

While no officers died in the line of duty this year, junior officers took turns reading a list of all the names of those who have died on duty in the Province’s policing history, serving as a reminder of the risks of the profession.

Civilian RCMP helicopter pilot David Brolin, who died following a training mission in January, was honored during the ceremony.

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Votes by Licensed Practical Nurses still yet to be counted in union battle

October 1, 2012, 7:05 am
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With two unions battling over licensed practical nurses, the counting of ballots LPN's cast back in June, still, has yet to start. 

 BC's Health Minister Margaret Macdiarmid was asked if she has concerns over the three months and counting in getting LPN's ballots tabulated. 

 

 "You know I know that this issue is with the LRB and I am not certain about what the delay is. I know everyone is anxious to know the results but this is with the LRB I think it has been quite complicated, I can't speak for them, but I believe it has been quite complicated."

 

 While the Labour Relations Board is playing a role the Employment Standards Branch will do the actual count, which 'might' happen at the end of this week. 

 This is the second attempt by the BC Nurses Union to try and lure LPN's away from the Hospital Employees Union. 

 The effort is widely condemned by other union leaders. 

 The votes will be counted in each of BC's six health authorities separately with the possibility of different results in each.

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Patient logjams at Royal Columbian Hospital improving, but more needs to be done

October 1, 2012, 7:18 am
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BC's new Health Minister has Royal Columbian Hospital on her priority list. 

 Margaret MacDiarmid was asked if any progress is being made on reducing wait times, and patient backlogs, not to mention treatment at the New Westminster hospital. 

 "You know I haven't been there recently but I was speaking with the deputy minister just yesterday who has had a chance to go to Royal Columbian and said that great progress has been made and so on my list is to there relatively soon for a visit."

The overcrowding at Royal Columbian Hospital has been so severe on occasion the buildings Tim Hortons has been pressed into service to house patients. 

 In June then Health Minister Mike DeJong announced the province would spend $750 million to expand the facility. 

 Doctor Sheldon Glazer agrees things are improving at Royal Columbian. 

 Glazer says patients are being treated more quickly and in a much safer environment. 

 But he adds more needs to be done. 

 "There aren't quite enough inpatient acute care beds for the population that it serves."

 Glazer says the ultimate solution would be getting shovels into the ground on a new facility. 

 "What we really need of course is new hospitals built in that area with more beds and that is something that is planned for Royal Columbian but I am waiting to see a budget and a definite timeline."

 When asked if he thought the hospital's Tim Hortons will ever be used again to house patients Glazer said there are no guarantees. 

 "We are trying to do the best we can with the situations that we are dealing with first and foremost in the minds of all of us working in emergency at Royal Columbian is the welfare of our patients we will do what is necessary at the time when we see a crisis or an overloaded situation we will do what is necessary to try and ensure the safety of our patients."

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BCTF wants 5800 more teachers hired

October 1, 2012, 10:08 am
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The B-C Teachers Union wants the Provincial Government to spend half-a-billion dollars more on education.

BCTF President Susan Lambert is urging the province to adopt a plan to begin to bring BC's education funding and services up to the national average.

She says, "we have been so chronically underfunded for so long."

For starters, Lambert is pointing to the student/educator ratio in B-C that is 16.6 to 1.

The national average is 14 to 1.

For B-C to meet that Canadian average, 5800 more full-time equivalent teachers would have to be hired at a cost of roughly 500-million dollars.

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Remains of Albert Chretien found

October 1, 2012, 10:15 am
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(photo courtesy of Reuters)

The remains of a B-C man missing more than 18 months have been found in Nevada.

A couple of hunters found Albert Chretien's remains on Saturday.

The 59-year old disappeared in March of last year with his wife Rita who was found alive 48 days later.

The hunters, Rodney Thompson and Jay Doke, found the remains in a heavily wooded area of Merritt Mountain in Northern Elko County.

His i-d was found in the pocket of clothes found with the remains. 

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Man charged in connection with attempted suicide

October 1, 2012, 10:36 am
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Abbotsford Police say a man has been charged with counselling to commit suicide.


They started investigating after they encountered a local woman with ligature marks on her neck.


The woman suffers from depression, and a family member took her to police.


Now charged in 53 year old Kenneth William Carr.


Police say this may have happened more than once, and they're asking anyone with information about Carr to contact them immediately.

 

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Cost of BC Ferry service going up

October 1, 2012, 11:11 am
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Ferry travellers in BC will soon pay more for the service, and within three years, rates will rise as much as 12 per cent.


The British Columbia Ferry Commission has approved a 4.1 per cent hike in April, another four per cent in 2014 and 3.9 per cent in 2015.


The prices have been capped to factor in efficiency targets and service level adjustments.


BC Ferries has also been ordered to submit plans for reducing fuel consumption and use of alternate fuels within the next 30 days.

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More transit fare checks; fewer tickets issued

October 1, 2012, 2:13 pm
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Transit Police have stepped up fare checks but the number of tickets they're writing is down.


230 thousand fare checks were made last month,  resulting in 29-hundred tickets.


A year ago in the same month 164-thousand fare checks were made with five-thousand tickets resulting.


Translink Chief Operating Officer Doug Kelsey says it could be that people who cheated the system before are finally paying up, now that officers are focusing more on fare checks.

"We're trying to raise the visibility up absolutely so you know they're moving all over the system."

Translink security are also now able to write tickets and they're paid an extra five per cent.


 

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UPDATED: Clark's meeting with Redford described as "frosty and short"

October 1, 2012, 4:48 pm
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The meeting was short, and both sides say the atmosphere was "frosty".

 Premier Christy Clark met in Calgary today with Alberta Premier Alison Redford.

 They spent a grand total of 15 minutes discussing the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline proposal.

 Christy Clark ".......well, you know I mean I can't...I wouldn't say we made a whole lot of progress on it. But I was here...I came to Alberta so I could speak to the people of Alberta and I'm that Premier Redford had time to meet with me while I was here"

 The bottom line from Redford:

 "....fundamentally, and I believe it's critical for us as Albertans, because we have defended this for so long, is that our resources belong to Albertans. we are compensated as Albertans for the resources that we own, and those are the economic benefit we receive".

 Clark says if BC's conditions are not met, the pipeline will not be built.

 She adds in Alberta BC is painted as putting its emphasis on just one of her five conditions, the revenue sharing, but Clark says the three conditions she is emphasizing are all related to the environment.

 But Redford says Alberta is on the same page as BC in every one of the four conditions Premier Clark has tabled, but when it comes to the fifth condition revenue sharing her position will not change.

 Redford adds she asked about exactly what Clark had in mind when it comes to a greater share of the revenue pie.

 "......in fact I asked Premier Clark if she had any particular ideas with respect to that, and she didn't have a response. So I don't have any idea what she means, but she certainly did not at all say that royalties weren't on the table and I will say I gave her the opportunity more than once in the meeting to say that royalties weren't on the table and she didn't take that."

 Redford was also asked if the two plan to meet again.

 "I have no idea I could very well get another letter next month and if she is in town and would like to meet I will continue to meet with her to keep the dialogue open."

 She was referring to an oddly worded letter from Clark that was released to the media last week and emailed to Redford's general email inbox.


 

 

 

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More job action at ICBC

October 10, 2012, 10:19 am
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The union at ICBC has announced more job action in its on-going contract dispute.


COPE local 378 has issued 48-hour notice that it's returning to 1996 workload levels for adjustors - the last time the insurance corporation studied such things.


Union president David Black says workload is a big problem, especially at claims centres.


The job action means customers may have a longer wait to get an appointment at 42 claims centres around the province.


 

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Mayor wants to know where offender is living

October 10, 2012, 10:50 am
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It's been a week since a convicted child sex tourist was released on several conditions from police custody, but we still don't know where he's living.


Christopher Neil was arrested after he flew in from Thailand, where he served time for sex assault, though he has not been charged with anything in Canada.


A judge later released him on strict conditions, including no contact with anyone under 16.


Neil used to live in Maple Ridge, and the mayor, Ernie Daykin, wants to know if he's returned.

"If the person is in our community, I would like to know, and I think our community would like to know, and has the right to that information".

BC Corrections says it may warn the public when offenders pose a high-risk, but given the high level of media attention in neil's case, there will be no more public notification unless his circumstances change.

 

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Treaty Commissioner sees progress

October 10, 2012, 11:14 am
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A more upbeat annual report from the BC Treaty Commission today.


Last year, chief commissioner Sophie Pierre said without signs of progress, the billion dollar enterprise might as well be shut down.


Today,  Pierre says the parties listened.

"From that statement thankfully it appears that our message has gotten through because we have seen a more concerted effort in the last year that we had in the previous three years.  Yes there's still a long way to go, but at least we seem to be heading in the right direction."
 

Pierre says the federal government has shown renewed commitment in the past year, but admits the entire treaty process could last another 20 years.

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BREAKING: Twists and turns for BC Conservative Party

October 10, 2012, 11:23 am
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A looming "high noon" showdown has become a game of "wait and see" for the embattled BC Conservative Party.


Leader John Cummins told dissidents within the party to either get on board, or get lost, by noon today.


But the latest word is the party will now wait and see what some of the so-called dissidents plan to say at their four o clock news conference in Vancouver.

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Government says it's taking action on domestic violence

October 10, 2012, 1:16 pm
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The BC government says it's taking action to reduce domestic violence.


It's released a so-called "Action Plan" in response to a scathing report by the Child and Youth representative into the 2008 murders of three children in Merritt by their father.


The plan calls for training more than 20-thousand professionals on addressing domestic violence over the next two years including school personnel, support workers and community partners.


And the government says a broader three year plan to address domestic violence will be rolled out in 2013.


The report into the Schoenborn murders found the tragedy could have been prevented if even current procedures had been followed.

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Embattled leader Cummins says the books are in great shape

October 10, 2012, 1:44 pm
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 With his leadership under attack, BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins has now issued a statement.


 But the statement focuses on the bottom line, not the turmoil within the party.


 Cummins has released information saying the party is in the best financial shape it's ever seen.


The party's treasurer says the B.C. Conservatives raised over  two hundred thousand dollars in the first nine months of this year.

Dissidents within the party say they can't raise money with Cummins at the helm, and are pushing hard to get rid of him.


They plan to hold a news conference in Vancouver at 4pm this afternoon.


We may see lawyers getting involved to settle the leadership issue once and for all.
 


 

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Enbridge: offshore spills not our responsibility

October 10, 2012, 3:25 pm
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While insisting the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline will be safely built and operated, an Enbridge executive says tanker spills are not her company's responsibility.


After speaking to a Vancouver summit on energy, Janet Holder confirmed Enbridge is no longer accountable for oil once it leaves BC's coast.
 
"That isn't our responsibility and that is well-taken care of. We don't need to."

Opponents to the six billion dollar project, including Ben West with the Wilderness Committee, say that's part of the problem.

"The longer that a pipeline is in operation, the greater the risk that there's a spill. You know, it's not a matter of if there's a spill, it's a matter of when.  I think it's important for people in BC to remember that this isn't oil for our consumption. This is oil for the consumption of those in the Asia-Pacific region."

Today's summit was organized by the BC Chamber of Commerce, headed up by John Winter.


He's concerned about the impact of saying no to Enbridge.

"The X-L pipeline to the Gulf of Mexico will become a reality and all that product will go to another market --the one we're already servicing at a hugely discounted price to a great disadvantage for Canadians. Canada needs to get full value for its oil product and we're not getting ..that today."

If approved, the pipeline is expected to create nearly 600 permanent jobs and generate more than a billion dollars in tax revenues for BC.

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Cummins; dissidents deadlocked

October 10, 2012, 5:19 pm
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The leader says he's staying.


The so-called dissidents say he has to be gone, by the weekend.


It's been a truly topsy-turvy day for the embattled BC Conservative Party.


John Cummins has issued a couple of statements today, one saying the BC Conservative party is in its best ever shape, financially.


His second statement says 14 active members of the party had resigned as of his noon deadline, while the party had gained more than 380 members since early September.


Dissidents say Cummins can't lead the party and big league status, and they want him to step down by the weekend.


But it's not clear what they plan to do if he refuses to leave.

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Residents spoke their minds over pipeline expansion

October 11, 2012, 12:24 am
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People from all over Metro Vancouver attended a town hall in Burnaby opposing local pipeline expansion. They're concerned over potential damage to their homes and disruption to their day to day lives.
  
"There's nothing in this for Burnaby except potential damage."

The possibility of Kinder Morgan expanding an existing pipeline across Burnaby, Abbotsford and Langley has not just Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan upset. Those who attended the packed townhall, like Burnaby resident Hanne Syne, says it's not a simple issue, but she's against it, "I like people to have jobs, for sure, but I also feel like a lot of jobs are being taken away because it's not even refined oil before it's shipped out."
 
Hundreds of people were in attendance. Some expressed their disappointment the meeting seemed to be one-sided without Kinder Morgan representatives present. 

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Bieber message scrawled on Rypien memorial

October 11, 2012, 8:56 am
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A local Justin Bieber fan appears to have sparked some intense online anger, after a message about the singer’s concert appeared on the memorial for a former Vancouver Canuck.

A photo of Rick Rypien's public memorial at Rogers Arena is circulating on Twitter, showing a message commemorating last night's Bieber concert, encircled with a heart.

The message was signed.

Twitter users began posting their outrage at the girl, saying she should be ashamed, and should apologize and clean up the memorial.

They eventually found the girl's own Twitter account, and started threatening her.

It got so bad that she appears to have deleted her account.

Some users spoke out against the threats, saying bullying is the wrong response.

Rypien took his own list last year after a long battle with depression.

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