Vancouver’s FIFA World Cup tickets are finally approaching sell-out levels. Only a handful of tickets are available for some of the games, a week after the event officially kicked off. Just over 52,000 people attended the city’s first game (Australia vs Turkey) last weekend. Canada vs Qatar and five other matches remain for Vancouver.

Some tense moments for those living in a waterfront community in the Okanagan. Several hundred people have returned to their homes in a West Kelowna neighbourhood after a wildfire came dangerously close to some houses Tuesday afternoon. More than 800 people had to evacuate from a hillside southwest of the Bill Bennett Bridge as flames quickly spread. Crews have managed to ‘hold’ the fire - it’s not expected to grow.

A dozen children, most from a Port Coquitlam middle school, are injured after something went wrong at the Cultus Lake Waterpark late Monday morning. Reports from the scene suggest the students from Minnekhada Middle School suffered electrical burns. At least two were airlifted to hospital. All have been reported to be in stable condition. Cultus Lake Water Park says it will be closed for 48 hours to investigate what happened noting the incident occurred in a queuing area near one of the rides.

All non-essential Metro Vancouver workers are making Monday their first day of a full scale strike. Close to 700 unionized outside workers who take care of regional parks, watersheds, drinking water and sewer services are now off the job. It’s unclear whether this will be a one-and-done walkout but the workers are backed by a 98 per cent strike mandate. They’ve been without a contract for close to 17 months.

Pedestrian zones are now in place as Vancouver heads into its first weekend of the FIFA World Cup. While not all downtown hotel rooms are sold-out, fans from across the country and around the world have been spotted with flags and jerseys in the Granville Entertainment District. City staff have set up viewing locations in some parks, including those on the Downtown Eastside. Ten community organizations have been funded by the City of Vancouver to provide outreach and support during the World Cup.

Recover balance for the City of Vancouver and slow the pace of housing development. That’s a central plank for Colleen Hardwick as the former councillor runs for mayor for a second time. Hardwick tells The Tyee she hopes to ‘course correct’ for future generations. In 2022, Hardwick placed third in the race for mayor.

Vancouver Police have shot and killed the suspect in a hostage taking Monday night. The VPD says officers arrived at a home on Commercial Street after getting reports of a home invasion - that’s when they found the suspect holding a resident hostage. Police say they were forced to shoot when de-escalation efforts failed. The IIO is looking into the case as per protocol.

An A&W restaurant in Burnaby has been badly damaged by a Monday afternoon fire. Part of the building went up in flames shortly after 3:00 p.m. - Kingsway was closed at Arcola Street during the afternoon rush. Burnaby Fire says it was a stubborn, deep-seated fire within the restaurant’s structural components. There’s no word yet on the cause.

Coastal areas of B.C. have avoided any tsunami alerts following a 7.8 earthquake in the southern Philippines. It happened early Monday - so far there is no confirmed information about damage or the number of fatalities. The quake had a depth of about 35 kilometres.

A B.C. MLA has been charged with sexual assault. Jordan Kealy, a former Conservative who now sits as an Independent, is charged following a sexual assault investigation into a 2024 incident in Fort St. John, before he was elected. A special prosecutor has been appointed. Kealy says he’s innocent of the allegation.