Vancouver Rundown

A grizzly bear attack on B.C.’s Central Coast has killed a mother and daughter. The two hikers were found dead in the Snooka West Trail area near Bella Coola. Conservations Officers are trying to track down the bears. The trail area has been closed to the public.

Pete Fry is calling for cooperation to get work done as he’s sworn-in as Vancouver’s new mayor. In his inauguration speech, Fry promises to work through difficult conversations and ‘stay at the table’ when things get complicated. The city’s first Green Party mayor is backed by a left-leaning council except for one NPA member. Many other B.C. cities also held meetings Monday evening with new mayors and council members being being sworn in.

Three-term MLA Jennifer Whiteside has been named interim NDP leader, replacing David Eby. The member from New Westminster-Coquitlam will take on the roll until a new leader is selected by the NDP. Eby announced his resignation on election night after his party suffered a major defeat at the hands of the BC Conservatives. Former Solicitor General Mike Farnworth has been named House Leader.

Numerous crashes and a few highway closures have been reported after the B.C. Interior recorded its first major snowfall of the season. Highway 97C was closed for several hours Wednesday after a series of crashes - one resulted in three people being rushed to hospital. On Tuesday evening, five people were injured, two critically, after a car went off a cliff on Highway One near Kamloops. Highway 97, north of Quesnel, and Highway 16, near Houston, also faced closures due to heavy snow and several crashes.

Vancouver Mayor-elect Pete Fry says he’s looking forward to a productive, working relationship with the newly elected BC Conservative government. Fry says his main priorities are housing, shelter space and health care. The Green Party mayor is backed by a huge left-leaning majority on council while Premier-elect Lorne Doerksen has a super majority in the Legislature.

BC Ferries has fired its CEO. Only two days after the BC Conservatives swept to power, Nicolas Jimenez has been ousted and the board of directors has launched a leadership transition and revitalization review. Vice President of Planning Brian Anderson has been tapped as interim CEO. The former Crown corporation continues to face a financial crisis and problems maintaining its fleet despite increases in provincial government compensation.

Premier-elect Lorne Doerksen promises to take a deep look at B.C.’s finances and start working toward a West Coast pipeline. The BC Conservative leader outlined those top priorities in his first news conference after Saturday’s election win with his party earning a super majority with 64 MLAs elected. The NDP - 27. The Greens - 2. David Eby, who called the snap election, will step down as NDP leader. There are strong indications Doerksen will call a fall sitting of the Legislature.

Fewer British Columbians have voted in the advance polls. Elections BC says voter turnout is down 11 per cent over 2024. That’s a complete reversal from the trend that saw a record breaking 49 per cent jump last time when more than a million people cast a ballot ahead of election day. This time, just over 891-thousand votes have been cast. Provincial and civic election campaigns have overlapped this year.

Vancouver voters want laws to ban open-air drug use. Close to 70 per cent of those who voted in one of two non-binding city plebiscites favour bolstering local laws to crack down on the use of hard drugs in public places. The other question, asking whether Vancouverites support a facility that includes involuntary care for some people with addictions or mental health issues, also passed by close to the same margin. Both results run contrary to the positions held by Mayor-elect Pete Fry and the majority of his new council.

B.C. is the hardest hit province as the flu season gets underway. Health Canada says close to five per cent of all tests have come back positive for the flu - the most common strain is influenza A at more than 98 per cent. The Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre says the numbers show an early start to the flu season with those over age 65 the most likely to become infected. The provincial government is providing free vaccines for the flu, COVID-19 and RSV this year.