Vancouver will not lower its voting age to 16. A motion to change the Vancouver Charter to lower the age from 18 to 16 has been soundly defeated. Councillor Pete Fry says he’s disappointed noting those who are 16 and 17 are increasingly engaged in civic issues and should be able to participate in city life. He says the lower voting age exists in some cities in numerous countries around the world.

ICBC says it will not increase insurance premiums for BC drivers until 2027. The crown insurance company says its finances don’t require any change for next year. That announcement, along with an NDP claim that its keeping rates low and affordable, comes despite many drivers paying more for the same coverage even though they have clean driving records and the same vehicle. ICBC says it plans to expand customer service and its online offerings.

Government liquor stores have reopened but those in the food and beverage industry say it may be a while before B.C.’s booze supply is back to normal. The end of the BCGEU strike is a major step toward restocking but restaurants, bars and private liquor stores may have to wait for supply to catch up to demand. Some expect that could take between two and six months. The tentative deal for the public sector workers still has to be ratified.

B.C.’s massive public service strike may be over. The BCGEU has reached a tentative deal with the provincial government, ending labour action that started back on Sept. 2. The Professional Employees Association has also announced it will end its pickets and return to talks with the province. BCGEU members will now vote on a deal that gives them a 12 per cent wage hike over four years - mediator Vince Ready has assisted in reaching the compromise deal.

Breaking News…Donald Trump says he’s ending all trade negotiations with Canada. The announcement on social media comes as the U.S. president expresses outrage over the Ontario government’s recent TV ads protesting U.S. tariffs. Those ads feature old clips of Ronald Regan speaking negatively about tariffs. Trump says the ad campaign is designed to interfere with the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts. Ontario’s campaign cost taxpayers $75M.

John Rustad won’t quit. The BC Conservative leader is rejecting the demands of his party’s president and the management committee to step down in light of what they call an ‘unprecedented level of turmoil’ over the past year. Rustad has rejected a letter signed by the party’s management committee saying the 39-member caucus is in a good place. Rustad says he has the support of membership after a vote on his leadership last summer.

A B.C. gangster who spent many years as a fugitive has now pleaded guilty to plotting to kill the Bacon brothers. UN gangster Conor D’Monte has pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill Red Scorpions Jonathan, Jared and Jamie Bacon more than 15 years ago. A date for sentencing has not yet been set - it’s expected the Crown will drop D’Monte’s first degree murder charge in the 2009 Langley shooting death of Red Scorpion Kevin LeClair. In February 2022, D’Monte was arrested in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he’d been living under a different name.

Another MLA has quit the BC Conservatives becoming the fifth to do so in less than a year. Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee says she’s leaving the caucus because John Rustad’s failed leadership needs to end. Boultbee says Rustad invited her to “get the fuck out” and she’s taking him up on the offer. Rustad accuses Boultbee of leaking caucus information to the media, suffering mental health issues and supporting Hamas. She also backed fellow MLA Elenore Sturko who quit the party over differences with Rustad.

A small group of only about a hundred people gathered at Vancouver’s Jack Poole Plaza Saturday afternoon as part of anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protests being held in cities around the world. Those braving the heavy rain denounced Donald Trump saying he’s an authoritarian would-be dictator. The Vancouver rally comes as Premier David Eby continues his anti-Donald Trump comments while B.C.’s resource sector suffers during a campaign of tariffs on Canadian goods.

.BC.’s public service strike continues to escalate despite a meeting between government negotiators and leaders of the BCGEU. Union president Paul Finch says the government refuses to come close to demands of an eight per cent increase over two years - right now the NDP’s offer stands at between four and five percent over the same period. Meanwhile, about 370 more BCGEU members have joined the strike action. The move also comes as all non-essential members of the smaller Professional Employees Association walk of the job.