Close to 4,000 B.C. public sector workers are now on strike with pickets up at 22 sites across the province. The Eby government continues to acknowledge its latest offer is below the rate of inflation but says the pay raises are above inflation if the previous three years are taken into account. BCGEU members in places such as Kelowna joined the pickets with one telling Black Press the government failed to live up to a promise last year to keep up with inflation.

Eight more cities, all outside the Lower Mainland, are now included in expanded picket action as the BCGEU strike enters its next phase. A B.C. Corrections office in Surrey will also be behind pickets on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the provincial government has tabled what it calls a final offer - a 4.5 per cent increase over two years consisting of both a wage increase and a cost-of-living allowance. Premier David Eby says the government wants a deal that fair to both public sector workers and B.C. taxpayers.

A high level B.C. gang member who escaped from the North Fraser pretrial jail three years ago has been arrested in Qatar. The Vancouver Sun reports Wolfpack gangster Robby Alkhalil was taken into custody on Friday. A month after he escaped, Alkhalil was convicted in absentia of the 2012 first degree murder of rival gangster Sandip Duhre. Despite a continuing investigation into the escape, no charges have been laid against those who helped Alkhalil flee.

Pickets are expanding as the BCGEU ramps up the province’s public service strike. The Vancouver office of the Ministry of Finance is now behind a picket line. Workers in Surrey, Victoria and Prince George remain off the job. The union says there’s no indication the government is prepared to return to the bargaining table with an improved offer. Premier David Eby says the government is not in a position to offer the wage hikes being sought by the BCGEU - he says union members already got a substantial wage increase in the last contract.

Pickets are expanding as the BCGEU ramps up the province’s public service strike. The Vancouver office of the Ministry of Finance is now behind a picket line. Workers in Surrey, Victoria and Prince George remain off the job. The union says there’s no indication the government is prepared to return to the bargaining table with an improved offer. Premier David Eby says the government is not in a position to offer the wage hikes being sought by the BCGEU - he says union members already got a substantial wage increase in the last contract.

Blame wildfire smoke and the warm, dry weather for the bad air around the Lower Mainland. A visible layer of haze will continue to hang for the next several days over the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver, Sea-to-Sky and other parts of B.C. Air quality advisories are in effect. Those bothered by the smoke are advised to stay indoors, close windows and use air filters.

Meanwhile, more than two days after a wildfire broke out in the hills next to the Coquihalla Highway, the blaze is so far out-of-control that the route between Hope and Merritt has had to be shut down. The Mine Creek wildfire was discovered Monday - the Coquihalla was closed late Wednesday afternoon. Some people are speculating on social media the province allowed the situation to escalate by underestimating the need for greater initial action.

There are no fatalities or serious injuries after a helicopter and its wildfire attack crew made a forced landing in the backcountry near Pemberton. Rescuers, along with paramedics, had to bring the crew to safety. The Transportation Safety Board has no early word on why the chopper went down.

The first round of job action by B.C. public sector workers has started. Pickets went up in Surrey, Victoria and Prince George as members of the BCGEU and the Professional Employees Association push for substantial wage hikes. Several ICBC offices are not open. The Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria is closed. While many of the workers are deemed ‘essential’ and likely won’t strike, others work for government liquor stores, cannabis outlets, social service agencies and more.

Close to 35,000 public service workers in B.C. are set to hit the picket lines Tuesday. Members of the BCGEU and about 1,800 members of the Professional Employees Association are now in a legal strike position following 72 hour notice. Both unions are pushing for higher wages. It comes as the provincial government braces for an $11B deficit this year.

Members of Canada’s largest general trades union have staged a Vancouver rally to push for greater efforts to save jobs amid U.S. tariffs. Close to 1,500 members of Unifor gathered near the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre calling on Canadians to protect jobs in the auto sector as well as those in key resource industries. Union members blame Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney for losing the leverage needed to push Donald Trump to drop his tariffs on many Canadian goods.

A carny has been killed after being hit by a ride in Prince Rupert. The worker was struck by a rotating cart on the Zipper during the first night of the Prince Rupert Summer Carnival. The company that operates the rides - Mission-based Shooting Star Amusements - says its worker was a ‘dear close friend’ and a ‘great man.’ WorkSafeBC, Technical Safety BC and the Coroners Service are investigating.

Other news…

Breaking News: A Wednesday evening stabbing in Mission has left a victim with life-threatening injuries. It happened at around 9:15 near the A&W on Lougheed Highway. Paramedics on scene stood-down an air ambulance but there’s no confirmation on the victim’s condition.