🚑 Breaking & Incidents
- Multi-vehicle crash on Highway 99 sends 13 people to hospital. Police say a semi-truck, a bus and several vehicles collided on Friday, Oct. 16, injuring 13 people; two were seriously hurt and one was airlifted, while investigators say the semi crossed into incoming traffic and the highway was closed for hours.
- Four people hospitalized after Coquihalla crash near Merritt. Emergency services confirmed an Oct. 14 crash on the Coquihalla near Merritt that led to four patients being taken to hospital; police responded to the scene and the cause remained under investigation in initial reports.
- Body of missing paddleboarder recovered from Okanagan Lake. A Hutterite dive team recovered the body of a paddleboarder from Okanagan Lake, with authorities reporting recovery operations and identification steps following the recovery on Oct. 13.
🏛️ Government & Politics
- Pete Fry projected as Vancouver’s first Green mayor. CBC projected Pete Fry to become Vancouver’s first Green Party mayor on municipal election night, Oct. 17, marking a historic first for the party in the city.
- Doug McCallum projected to reclaim Surrey mayor’s office as Brenda Locke concedes. McCallum was projected winner on Oct. 17 after Locke conceded; his campaign pledged focus on affordability, safety and infrastructure according to his victory remarks.
- Rob Howard elected Richmond’s first new mayor in 25 years. Election results on Oct. 17 showed Rob Howard winning Richmond’s mayoralty, ending a 25-year incumbency streak in the city.
- Victoria names new mayor in municipal-results release. Official results for the City of Victoria’s mayoral race were posted following Oct. 17 balloting, with the city declaring its winner in the municipal election count.
- Tom Dyas re-elected mayor of Kelowna. Kelowna election results released Oct. 17 show Tom Dyas winning another term as mayor, according to local returns published the same night.
- Voters swept out incumbents in several B.C. mayoral races, favouring experienced rivals. Coverage of Oct. 17 municipal results across B.C. documents voters replacing incumbents in multiple cities with candidates who cited prior council or mayoral experience.
🎨 Community & Culture
- Okanagan rapper SonReal scores a viral hit with accordion and drums. Local artist SonReal released a song that went viral during the week of Oct. 12–18, featuring accordion and drums and drawing widespread online attention to the Okanagan musician.
- Douglas College suspends men's soccer program after brawl caught on video. Douglas College announced suspension of its men’s soccer program following a brawl that was recorded on video; the college cited the incident when announcing the disciplinary decision.
- Victoria writer publishes book on extinction’s impact on humanity. A Victoria-based author released a book this week exploring extinction and its consequences for humanity, with the publication noted in local literary coverage on Oct. 14.
- Kitimat puts two dogs on the ballot to boost turnout. Kitimat added two canine candidates to its municipal ballot this election cycle as a novelty measure intended to increase voter engagement, according to local election reports.
🚨 Crime & Public Safety
- Man charged with murder in 2022 Burnaby double homicide. Authorities charged a suspect this week in the 2022 double homicide in Burnaby, formally alleging murder in the case and moving it into the criminal justice process.
- Woman arrested as police continue search for two suspects after three stranger attacks in Vancouver. Vancouver police arrested one woman and said two other suspects remained sought after three separate stranger attacks reported on the same day earlier in October; investigations were ongoing.
- Police ask public for dashcam footage after six-vehicle highway crash in Surrey. Surrey investigators appealed for dashcam and witness footage following a six-vehicle collision, asking the public to submit recordings to assist the ongoing probe.
💼 Economy & Business
- Pattison Food Group confirms More Rewards customer data accessed in breach. The company said unusual server activity was found on Oct. 13 and that accessed data included names and, if provided, addresses, phone numbers, emails and dates of birth; it stated account credentials and payment data were not accessed.
- CentreBC pledges $25 million to keep rural emergency rooms open. CentreBC announced a $25-million pledge aimed at maintaining rural emergency-room operations, specifying the dollar figure and the intended goal in a funding announcement this week.
🏈 Sports
- Laura Hall beats Valérie Maltais to win first long-track nationals title. B.C. speed skater Laura Hall upset former champion Valérie Maltais to claim her first national long-track title at the championships held this week.
- Steph Labbé parts ways with Vancouver Rise FC. Vancouver Rise FC confirmed the departure of goalkeeper Steph Labbé from the club this week, with the team announcing the roster change ahead of upcoming fixtures.
