B.C. Daily Digest — March 23, 2026

Heads up on your grocery bill — gas is still pricey and food costs may rise: gas was about $2.14 per litre in the Lower Mainland on March 23, and Dalhousie professor Sylvain Charlebois warns that if oil stays near $100 a barrel the average family of four could pay $400–$600 more on food this year, with meat, dairy, produce and seafood hit hardest. Small businesses are already absorbing higher fuel bills and the CFIB is urging faster development of Canada’s domestic energy supply to help ease pressure.

Woman jailed after alleged NICU incident remains in custody: 35‑year‑old Lindsey Hirtreiter — arrested again after earlier October charges for giving three babies “skin‑to‑skin” contact at Surrey Memorial Hospital — was remanded pending a possible bail hearing and was picked up under Section 512.3 for allegedly breaching release conditions; she has a 2015 animal cruelty conviction on her record.

Drone flight near wildfire costs Kelowna man $5,000: Derek Leippi was fined after flying a drone on Aug. 27, 2023 during the McDougall Creek fire and distracting a water‑pickup helicopter; he was found guilty Feb. 9 and sentenced on March 23, with Justice Cathaline Heinrich citing mitigation but saying the fine should deter others as B.C. enters a new wildfire season.

A survivor speaks up to help others: Abbotsford woman Nicolle Lauder, 27, has gone public about sexual abuse by her stepfather beginning at age 12; her abuser, 60‑year‑old Leonard Debad, was sentenced Jan. 20 to 18 months in prison plus three years’ probation, and Lauder says she lifted a publication ban on her name to support other victims.

Kelowna residents upset after trees removed for flood works: Dozens of trees were cut for the City of Kelowna’s $9.1‑million Mill Creek flood‑protection project tied to the Parkinson Recreation Centre; officials say work restores the creek and creates a 15‑metre setback and that 800 new trees plus about 6,000 plants and shrubs will be planted, but neighbours worry about lost habitat and the look of the landscape.

B.C. mom says U.S. detention centre feels like prison: Tania Warner and her seven‑year‑old daughter Ayla (who is autistic) — both born in B.C. but living in Texas — were stopped at a U.S. checkpoint on March 14 and taken to a processing centre in Dilley, Texas; Warner says they’re being subjected to “prison conditions,” and Global Affairs Canada is aware of detained Canadians.

Four people killed in separate northern B.C. avalanches: Three heli‑skiers died on the Iridium Shoulder of Mount Knauss north of Terrace after search‑and‑rescue was activated at 1:30 p.m., and a separate slide near the Canada‑U.S. border close to Skagway led to one more death with remains recovered in a remote area; Avalanche Canada rated the Terrace area as considerable and the border area as moderate.

Don’t nap at the wheel — driver fined: On March 17 a 37‑year‑old Metro Vancouver woman was spotted apparently dozing on Highway 1 in Coquitlam and was fined $368 for driving without due care and $138 for speeding, plus six penalty points; BC Highway Patrol reminded drivers that so‑called self driving modes are not legal in B.C.

Surgery setback for Tumbler Ridge shooting survivor: Twelve‑year‑old Maya Gebala missed a planned skull‑repair surgery because doctors found a leaking abscess, her mother Cia Edmonds posted; Maya has been at BC Children’s Hospital since the Feb. 10 shooting and still cannot speak or move her right side.

Lesser charge, $1,000 fine in mall parking lot death: Jazmin Faye Patenaude pleaded guilty on March 18 to driving without due care in the March 21, 2024 death of 85‑year‑old Maureen Martin at Woodgrove Mall in Nanaimo and was fined $1,000 plus a $150 victim surcharge; police said the truck’s monster‑style modifications (lift, oversized tires) made the parking‑lot manoeuvre unsafe.

Affidavit alleges plot to ‘silence’ activist; murder charges follow: Naturopath Rosita Fatemi’s affidavit says a Park Royal parking‑lot meeting involved Arezou Soltani and Mehdi Ahmadzadeh Razavi discussing how to “silence” activist Masood Masjoody and asking about a drug to “get rid of him”; the affidavit was filed Jan. 28, Masjoody was reported missing days later and his remains were found in Mission on March 6, and Soltani and Razavi are charged with first‑degree murder and due back in court March 25.

U.S. sanctions name a Vancouver company over alleged Hezbollah ties: Seven Seas for International Trading and Logistics (registered as 1380892 B.C. LTD in 2022) was added to a U.S. sanctions list among 16 targets, with U.S. authorities alleging co‑founder/CEO Raoof Fadel is linked to a network led by Alaa Hamieh that diverted over $100 million since 2020; the company isn’t sanctioned in Canada and B.C. says it’s contacting federal agencies.