New VPD Academy, Surrey Park Knife Rescue & E‑motorcycle Dangers — Vancouver Thursday

🚨 Crime & Public Safety

1. Driver rescues man from knife-wielding suspect after Jeep reportedly rams pickup in Redwood Park. Surrey police say the alleged assault began just before 5 p.m. when a suspect drove a Jeep Wrangler into a victim’s Ford pickup; 37-year-old Richard Mark James Evoy now faces charges including assault with a weapon and criminal harassment.
2. RCMP release video of illegal e-motorcycle that blew through a stop sign in North Vancouver. The incident happened Aug. 28 on Grand Boulevard and police say the rider, believed to be 14–18 years old, fled after nearly colliding with a car; officers warn e-motorcycles have no plates, signals or pedals and are for off-road use only.
3. Vancouver opens new VPD Training Academy in Woodward’s building, 40 recruits already enrolled. The 30,000 sq ft academy at 351 Abbott St. began training 40 recruits who are expected to start city duties next June, with a second 40-recruit intake planned for January; the City provided $4 million toward District 5 and the academy.

🎨 Community & Culture

4. Langley Animal Protection Society launches Canada’s first ‘Kitten College’ to train neonatal caregivers. LAPS says sessions are free and aim to expand foster programmes to care for orphaned kittens; Sarah Jones of LAPS described recruiting volunteers to manage round-the-clock neonatal care.
5. Nanaimo man Jessy Bourgeois, 46, killed in Donetsk on Aug. 18 while fighting in Ukraine. Family members say Bourgeois, a drone mechanic who volunteered in November, was killed instantly in a drone attack and leaves behind two children, according to statements from his father James and stepmother Dawn Bourgeois.
6. Edmonton Oilers sign Alex Formenton to one-year US$850,000 contract; longtime fan withdraws support. Mary Loewen, known as “Mama Stanley,” posted that she will no longer support the Oilers after the team signed Formenton, who was acquitted last year of sexual-assault charges stemming from a 2018 Hockey Canada incident.

📰 Also Today

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• Court records show Canada’s most prolific voyeur sought more victims while police did not intervene.
• Human Rights Tribunal orders B.C. doctor to pay after refusing puberty blocker to trans teen.
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• Kamloops neighbourhood raises safety concerns about proposed railyard.
• B.C. forestry sector leaders warn industry is on verge of collapse, urge provincial action.
• Nisg̱a'a and Tahltan Nations open Stewart, B.C. port amid expansion plans.
• Sons speak publicly after Burnaby senior killed by stray bullet.
• Proposed electrical substation in Vancouver’s West End faces community opposition.