Daily Digest — British Columbia (2026-03-20)

Tense detainment at an ICE checkpoint: A B.C. mother, Tania, and her seven-year-old autistic daughter Ayla — both born in Penticton — were detained by U.S. ICE in Sarita, Texas after a checkpoint on routes 77/281; they were later moved to the Dilley Detention Centre while Edward Warner (Tania’s partner) stays free and works with a lawyer to try to get them released. This came despite paperwork Tania says is being processed (she applied four years ago); Vancouver lawyer Richard Kurland and Global Affairs Canada say such domestic U.S. immigration checks can still lead to detention even when documents appear in order.

A troubling NICU incident and a quick re-arrest: Lindsey Susan Hirtreiter, 35, faces three counts of assault after an Oct. 28, 2025 incident in Surrey where she allegedly removed her shirt and held three newborns skin-to-skin; she was granted $500 bail and ordered to live at Glory House in Mission but was arrested again under Section 512.3 and will appear in court March 23. Questions remain about police response times (security called police at 9:15 a.m. after a 6:55 a.m. entry) and Hirtreiter’s past convictions, including a 2016 sentence related to animal cruelty.

Water advisory after suspected reservoir sabotage: West Kelowna found intentional damage at the Tallus Ridge reservoir and issued a do-not-consume advisory for about 300 residents in the Rose Valley service area (Tallus Ridge and Shannon Woods); crews are isolating, emptying and disinfecting the reservoir and Interior Health requires two clean samples 24 hours apart (sent to Vancouver) before lifting the advisory. RCMP say they’ve identified suspects but made no arrests yet, a bulk water station is open at Shannon Lake and Asquith Roads, and anyone near Big Sky Drive on Thursday between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. is asked to contact police.

Two arrested in B.C. tied to a Dec. 10 Calgary murder: Calgary police say two Edmonton men — Aken Bolakok Aken, 23, and Ayomide Opemipo Adeyinka, 21 — were arrested in B.C. and are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in the Dec. 10 slaying of 32-year-old Feysal Osman Abul-Aziz in Ogden; a youth has also been charged. RCMP found the suspects after a March 12 vehicle crash near Blue River on Highway 5; investigators are still looking for a fourth suspect, Yahya Abdullahi, 22, who may be in Edmonton, B.C.’s Lower Mainland or the Northwest Territories.

Flood worries along the Chilliwack River: About 30 properties along the Chilliwack River are under evacuation alert after up to 120 mm of rain fell between Thursday and Friday and repeated high-water events have strained the area; crews are building a dyke on Sheldon Road and parts of the road to Cultus Lake are partially closed. Residents report anxiety after three high-water events in three months, orange rainfall warnings remain across the Fraser Valley and nearby regions, and emergency teams earlier rescued eight people, two dogs and a cat after a landslide in Coquitlam.