The Early Edition from CBC Radio British Columbia (Highlights)

The federal government is sending air and ground support to aid in the fight against B.C's wildfires. We hear from federal Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale. *

Wondering what this smoky, orange sky means for your lungs? We speak with Michael Brauer, an expert on air quality and health impacts. *

The longtime artistic director of the Vancouver Jazz Festival, Ken Pickering, is passed away last Friday. We talk to two members of our local jazz scene about Pickering's legacy.

The statue of John A. MacDonald is coming down, and there has been a lot of buzz around this decision by Victoria City Council. We hear from two members of the Indigenous community on their thoughts about the removal of this statue. *

The provincial government has asked the Liberal Party to make documents related to money laundering public. It's not clear yet whether the Liberals will agree to do this. But according to journalist Bob Mackin the only thing keeping those documents private is simply convention. *

There's a lot of buzz around the film 'Crazy Rich Asians' which opens in theatres this week. But some critics say it's promoting negative stereotypes of Asians. We hear from some industry insiders about their take on this.

ICBC may finally get a rate model re-vamp after all. But how will this latest announcement affect the cost of your car insurance? We speak to Richard McCandless to find out. *

Ottawa has announced 30 million dollars in prize money for First Nations to come up with housing solutions. Some are calling the competition insensitive, while others say solutions ARE needed for housing poor communities. Our CBC reporter Angela Sterritt has more.

Taxpayers could be paying an extra 1.9 billion dollars for the Kinder Morgan expansion project, according to documents filed with U.S. financial regulators this week. We speak with Tom Gunton. *

The City of Victoria has decided to remove a statue of John A. Macdonald from outside of city hall. We discuss the reasons and the possible ramifications of removing historical monuments with John Lutz. *

She loved Taylor Swift, animals and Hot Wheels. Tributes continue to roll in for 7-year-old Aaliyah Rosa, who was killed in Langley last month. South of the Fraser reporter Jesse Johnston was at her memorial service.

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is expected to announce he'll be running for a seat in the riding of Burnaby South. We speak with the CBC's Eric Grenier about his chances, and what's at stake. *

The mayoral race in Pitt Meadows is picking up steam. Our municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy joins us to tell us more about the who's who in the race, and what some of the big issues are for this upcoming election. *

The family of Canadian veteran Joseph Allina say the system failed their son, after he committed suicide last month following struggles with PTSD. We speak with Dr. Alexandra Heber, Chief Psychiatrist of Veterans Affais Canada, about what is and isn't working when it comes to supporting veterans with PTSD.

A wildfire burning out of control has prompted the evacuation of 77 residences in the Nanaimo region and others are on alert. We speak to board chair Bill Veenhof.

We continue to follow the story of Joseph Allina, the Canadian veteran who died by suicide in front of the Seaforth Armoury in Vancouver last month. Today we hear from the National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman, Gary Walbourne.

Seattle Times reporter Lynda V. Mapes joins us on the show to talk about the threats facing the critically endangered southern resident killer whales, as experts rush to help an ailing 4 year old calf.

Canadian veteran Joseph Allina ended his own life in front of the Seaforth Armoury at Burrard and 1st Ave three weeks ago. Now his family is speaking out, saying more help is needed for military personel struggling with PTSD. *

The Vancouver Pride parade is Sunday, and coming up on the program, we'll hear from two of this year's grand marshals. They're being recognized for sharing their stories of being indigenous and living with HIV. *

a four-year-old whale from J pod is starving, and may only have days to live. We speak with NOAA Fisheries about how they hope to save it, including a possible plan to feed it fish dosed with medicine.

Changes to the federal carbon tax policy will see polluters pay less for emissions. We discuss why the Liberal party made that change and what it means for climate change and the economy with three local MPs. *

The demand for housing and cheap land is squeezing out needed industrial supply. Coming up we'll hear how one of BC's smallest First Nations has made that space and our CBC reporter Angela Sterritt takes us there. *

Canada is the only G7 country without a federal inheritance tax and political scientist David Moscrop says that's bad for democracy.

A controversial West End tower with a so-called "poor door" has been approved, after the developer was required to combine play areas. We speak with Abi Bond, the city's director of affordable housing about that.

A grieving orca mother has carried her dead calf for more than a week. That has the spotlight back on the reproductive problems facing southern resident killer whales. We speak with whale biologist Deborah Giles.

A new development proposal for downtown Vancouver has separate entrance doors AND playgrounds for the market housing and the social housing tenants. Concerns will be voiced tonight at a public hearing on the project. Angela Sterritt has more.

US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort will be in federal court today, facing bank and tax fraud charges. We'll talk about what this may mean for Robert Muller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U-S presidential election, with Anthony Gaughan, law professor from Drake University.