Plans are in the works to remove a dead grey whale from a Boundary Bay mudflat near Crescent Beach. The cause of death will likely not be confirmed until late this summer once the DFO’s necropsy results are in. The Department got numerous calls on Sunday after people spotted the dead whale. Warmer weather may contribute to an increase in smell from the dead mammal.

Now the provincial government is revealing email inboxes and ‘sensitive personal information’ was accessed in a hack that was discovered on April 10. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says hackers may have accessed 22 email inboxes containing the private information of 19 people. Most of that was from personnel files. Farnworth says the people impacted have been notified and there are no signs of anything being done with the files. He does admit it appears the cyber attacks were led by a state or part of state-sponsored activity.

Members of Squamish Search and Rescue spent most of Sunday looking for three hikers, reported missing in heavy rain on Mount Atwell in Garibaldi Park. The three have not been heard from since Friday. All three are experienced hikers with good equipment. The air and ground search has been hampered by the bad weather.

Other news…

Exclusive: Several people have been badly injured in a crash that closed the Coquihalla Highway heading north for a short time Sunday afternoon. Vancouver Rundown has confirmed an air ambulance was dispatched to the crash site, despite the stormy weather, along with several ground ambulances. Details have not been released.

The B.C. NDP would have an easy path to victory if an election were held today. An Angus Reid Institute poll finds the David Eby New Democrats at 41 per cent voter support. That’s well ahead of the 30 per cent for the BC Conservatives and 16 for BC United. The Greens have 11 per cent. The cost of living remains the number one issue, followed by health care and then housing affordability. Premier Eby’s voter approval rating is strong at 45 per cent…more than double that of party leaders John Rustad and Kevin Falcon who are tied at 22 per cent.

At least one person’s been arrested after RCMP moved in on anti-Israeli protesters on the main UBC campus. The blockade disrupted movement around the busy Westbrook Mall area at the Point Grey campus. The protesters continue to demand UBC cut ties with Israeli universities and companies that do business with Israel. This follows an international student movement aimed at condemning Israeli retaliations following the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct 7 that killed at least 1,200 people.

Freight trains have been used to smuggle people from B.C. into the United States. Two Americans have been arrested and are accused of smuggling dozens of people across the line at the Peace Arch Border. Close to 30 Mexican nationals and one Columbian were found inside one of the cars, concealed inside a load of plastic pellets. American law enforcement has been tracking the smuggling operation since 2022.

The Vancouver School Board is considering tighter restrictions on cellphones in schools. Board Chair Victoria Jung has been pushing to get the superintendent to bring in new rules which would also include requiring students up to Grade 6 to keep their phones on silent and out-of-sight during school hours. The provincial government is asking all school districts to bring in some form of rules covering students and phones.

The Vancouver School Board is considering tighter restrictions on cellphones in schools. Board Chair Victoria Jung has been pushing to get the superintendent to bring in new rules which would also include requiring students up to Grade 6 to keep their phones on silent and out-of-sight during school hours. The provincial government is asking all school districts to bring in some form of rules covering students and phones.

Two people have been killed in the Friday evening crash of a small plane, south of Squamish. It went down in a mountainous area west of Howe Sound during bad weather. A smartphone fall indicator was the first sign that something went wrong. Search and Rescue members had to be called in over the weekend to reach the crash site.

The provincial government has won its battle with Mayor Brenda Locke and the City of Surrey over the cop swap that never stops (full credit to punster Bob Mackin). The B.C. Supreme Court has nixed the petition aimed at ending Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth’s endorsement of transitioning from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service. Locke has not said whether an appeal may be in the works but does say she accepts this ruling.