PST Pause, CentreBC Shake-up & Bowen Island Search — Vancouver Friday

🏛️ Government & Politics

1. B.C. delays planned PST expansion to professional services. Premier David Eby announced on Sept. 18 that the provincial sales tax expansion to include professional services will be paused until trade uncertainty linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade actions clears; the province is also committing an extra $75 million for business support programs, including $30 million for the B.C. Manufacturing Jobs Fund and $30 million for the Integrated Marketplace initiative.

2. Premier Eby will address municipal leaders amid snap-election worries. Eby spoke to delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities on Sept. 18 while facing speculation about a possible provincial election that could overlap municipal voting from Sept. 19 to Oct. 17; UBCM president Cori Ramsay warned that overlapping campaigns would disadvantage voters choosing among about 3,500 local candidates.

3. Peter Milobar named leader of CentreBC as eight former Conservatives join. Milobar’s move on Sept. 18 makes CentreBC the third-largest party in the legislature after eight former BC Conservative MLAs, including Eleanor Sturko, announced they’re joining CentreBC; Milobar said the party will focus on affordability, health care and public safety.

4. BC Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay removes three MLAs from caucus. Findlay said on Sept. 18 that Trevor Halford, Claire Rattée and John Rustad “will no longer serve” in the Conservative caucus amid ongoing turmoil that has seen nine MLAs depart since August, and Rattée publicly disputed the removal in a statement posted on X.

5. Ex-Conservative MLAs and party president say a private investigator was hired. Former BC Conservative MLAs and the party president allege a former party director hired a private investigator to look into 14 people, including MLAs and a Victoria-based journalist, an allegation made public on Sept. 18 as caucus defections continued.

🚨 Crime & Public Safety

1. IHI investigators return to Bowen Island in 17-year disappearance case. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team conducted a search this week related to 17-year-old Jodi Henrickson’s disappearance after a June 2009 party; Henrickson’s ex-boyfriend Gavin Arnott, once named a person of interest and convicted in 2009 of assaulting Henrickson, told Global News on Sept. 18 he expects no evidence will tie him to her disappearance.

2. Two Alberta children from July Amber Alert found safe on a West Kelowna rural property. Alberta RCMP reported on Sept. 18 that the two boys taken from Valhalla Centre in early July were located in B.C., were in good health, and that Krista Morrison and Daniel Ludwig have been arrested on warrants for contravening a custody order; investigators are seeking their detention in B.C. pending return to Alberta.

🎨 Community & Culture

1. Langford tower to be demolished after repeated safety evacuations. City officials confirmed on Sept. 18 that the tower in Langford will be demolished following years of safety concerns and multiple resident evacuations related to building defects and structural risk.

2. Vancouver Rise leading scorer Jessica De Filippo signs extension through 2027. The Vancouver Rise announced on Sept. 18 that De Filippo, the team’s leading scorer, has a contract extension running to the end of the 2027 season.

📰 Also Today

• Vernon family rescues exhausted baby bear in Okanagan Lake, they warmed cub on boat and returned it to shore.
• Three more MLAs labelled 'no longer affiliated' with BC Conservatives, clerk's office reported three departures.
• Eby discusses forestry, ferries and PST delays at municipal leaders convention, speech covered multiple provincial files.
• Two missing Alberta children previously reported found safe in rural B.C., Alberta RCMP statement matched later reports.
• Vancouver Island western bluebirds making a comeback, species once declared locally extinct shows recovery.
• Deepfake doctors offering bogus cures becoming more convincing, reports warn limited legal remedies.
• Local politicians say holding municipal and provincial elections together is a bad idea, councillors argued risks to voter focus.
• First Nations stakeholders list priorities for Vancouver’s next mayor and council, indigenous groups outlined expectations.
• Dawson Creek residents say animal control is a ballot-box issue, municipal candidates face pressure on services.
• B.C. will replace the bar exam with a new program for law students, legal education changes announced.
• Northern B.C. officials press for promised Prince George helipad, local leaders demand provincial follow-through.
• Great Dane given stretcher ride after paw injuries on B.C. mountain, animal rescue required human assistance.
• UBCM advocates call gender-based violence a key municipal-election issue, delegates urged policy focus.
• OpenAI asks California court to dismiss lawsuits over Tumbler Ridge shooting, company filed motion in U.S. court.
• B.C. fast-tracks forestry reviews in Fort St. John and Fort Nelson after wildfire losses, province cited 'catastrophic' timber losses.