Two people have been arrested and released as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency gets set to move in and cull close to 400 ostriches from a farm in the Kootenays. The CFIA now has control of the property where inspectors had previously found infected birds. The farm’s managers and their supporters say all the birds are healthy now - having fully recovered. The CFIA’s cull order has been backed up in federal court.

Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko has been kicked out of the BC Conservative caucus while party leader John Rustad holds on to his leadership. Sturko says Rustad accused her of plotting against him during the party’s leadership review - Rustad has survived that review with 71 per cent of members endorsing his leadership. Sturko has used a Monday evening news conference to call on her former colleagues to ‘grow a set’ and ‘have some courage’ and tell Rustad how they feel about his leadership. Sturko also says she’s raised concerns about the allegations that 2,100 members were fraudulently signed up.

Wildfires in Washington state are responsible for the smoky air around the Lower Mainland over the weekend. Fire departments across the region received a number of calls from those concerned about the smell of smoke. The air quality index remains at medium. Most of the wildfire smoke can be blamed on the huge Bear Gulch wildfire in Olympic National Park.

B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad says his party’s database has been breached and that’s what’s lead to emails and texts attacking him. That position stands as concerns and public comments over his leadership continue to grow. An internal party audit also finds there have been over two thousand bogus membership signups and subsequent cancellations. Results of a leadership vote, following a four month review, will be released on Monday.

A new extortion task force is being set up in B.C. with one goal - targeting threats and violence in the South Asian business community. The RCMP-led task force will include 40 members from various agencies. Police say 45 extortion attempts and 27 shootings are under investigation in Surrey from this year alone. The Surrey Police Service says it’s very close to making arrests in this year’s shootings and arsons.

Public sector workers who support the B.C. mining sector are the latest to walk off the job as the BCGEU strike expands. Many of the workers are involved in safety and environmental regulation. The move comes as the two sides appear entrenched in their positions with the union pushing for a large wage increase and the government facing a huge budget deficit. In addition to the strike action, an overtime ban is now in place for provincial corrections workers.

B.C.’s provincial deficit is now pegged at $11.6B and expected to grow to $12.6B next year. That record high has been laid out by Finance Minister Brenda Bailey in her first quarter report. In addition to a loss in carbon tax revenue, Bailey says the province has seen decreases in revenue sources from natural gas, mining and forestry. The government continues to lay much of the blame on the Trump tariffs. Conservative Finance Critic Peter Milobar says the real issue is fiscal mismanagement.

Other news…

Surrey Police have not yet commented on whether a suspect has been identified in a shooting in a parking lot at Bear Creek Park. It happened just after 9:00 Saturday evening following a confrontation between two groups of people. The victim’s injuries are serious but a recovery is expected. Investigators are now seeking more witnesses and dashcam footage.

RCMP say two deadly Lower Mainland shootings over the past week are linked to B.C.’s gang conflict. Last Friday, 24-year-old Taran Pandher was found shot dead in a taxi near 200 Street and 53 Avenue in Langley. On Wednesday, 34-year-old Shahaib Abasi was gunned down outside the Burnaby McDonald’s at Still Creek, just north of Highway One. Both victims were known to police. RCMP say the gang landscape is complex and fluid with those responsible for the shootings showing a complete disregard for public safety.

The hunt continues for the person who shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Kirk was shot in the neck Wednesday morning while taking questions during an outdoor speaking event at the university campus south of Salt Lake City. Two initial suspects have been cleared following their arrests. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, is a friend and supporter of Donald Trump. He was 31-years-old.