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New business CCTV registry in Kelowna — deja vu for owners: Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas announced what the city called a new business CCTV registry on Jan. 27 to help RCMP find nearby cameras during investigations, but local business owners point out similar pilots existed in 2020 (51 cameras registered then) and under a previous council. This means many shopkeepers feel the move is recycled — they say footage is already available and want results, not another relaunch.
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Dual anti‑ICE protests in Vancouver — one turns into a win: Two protests were planned over links between B.C. businesses and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but Jim Pattison Developments confirmed it would not proceed with selling a Virginia warehouse to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, prompting one protest to be called off; a second was held outside Hootsuite on Jan. 30, where protesters demanded Hootsuite end contracts with ICE. Hootsuite CEO Irina Novoselsky responded that the company’s work for ICE did not include surveillance of individuals and that their tools analyze public social conversation responsibly.
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Vancouver Whitecaps’ future shaky and unsold: Axel Schuster, the club’s CEO and sporting director, said on Jan. 30 that despite dozens of NDAs and nearly 40 bidders reviewing the club’s data room, not a single group is willing to buy even 1% of the Whitecaps because of financial and market concerns. The club — playing many 2026 home games away due to FIFA World Cup uses of BC Place, and in an MOU exploring a new stadium at Hastings Park — warns 2026 could be worse than 2025 financially and says stadium plans alone won’t solve immediate revenue shortfalls.
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State of Local Emergency — Comox Valley flooding: The Comox Valley Regional District declared a State of Local Emergency after heavy rain and flooding led to rising waters, evacuation orders, and reports that someone may have been swept into the Puntledge River; search-and-rescue crews used inflatable boats and worked through swiftwater hazards. Highway 28 west of Campbell River was washed out and an Emergency Operations Centre opened to coordinate response and warnings on Jan. 28–30.
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B.C. launches power allotment for AI and data centres — 400 MW up for grabs: On Jan. 30 B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix announced a competitive selection process giving AI and data centre projects access to a combined 400 megawatts over two years, prioritizing economic, environmental and data‑sovereignty benefits; applications are open until March 18 and successful projects will be announced late summer or fall. BC Hydro warned demand could rise 15%+ by 2030 and said the process helps manage power requests responsibly — existing projects already underway are exempt from applying.