Belcarra Wildfire, Kelowna Evacuations & SFU Medical School — Vancouver Thursday

🚑 Breaking & Incidents

1. Belcarra Regional Park wildfire holds at 1.5 hectares; 35 Anmore properties on evacuation alert. The fire, sparked near Sugar Mountain Trail, prompted evacuation of two Fern Drive properties and activation of Anmore's Emergency Operations Centre, officials said. Metro Vancouver and multiple fire departments responded with helicopters and crews, according to village acting mayor Doug Richardson.
2. Quilpituk Creek fire grows to 742 hectares; evacuation order expanded in Kelowna's Shelter Cove area. Central Okanagan Emergency Management moved parts of Shelter Cove, Secret Point and Cinnabar Creek from alert to order and named Westside Road southbound as the evacuation route for residents ordered to leave immediately.

🏛️ Government & Politics

1. SFU’s new medical school welcomed its first 48 students this week. Simon Fraser University enrolled an inaugural class of 48 students in the medical programme, marking the school's operational start and first cohort intake, university officials confirmed.
2. B.C. Hydro to buy a gas-fired power plant in Campbell River from private owner. The provincial utility announced a purchase of the Campbell River gas-fired generation facility to add capacity to the provincial grid, B.C. Hydro said in its statement.
3. B.C.'s labour board ordered Amazon and a union into binding arbitration. The provincial labour relations body directed parties to resolve their dispute via binding arbitration after certification and bargaining issues between Amazon and the union were reported.

💼 Economy & Business

1. Richmond Night Market ends operations at its current Lansdowne location after 26 years. Organizers confirmed the market will cease operating at Lansdowne Centre following a 26-year run, affecting vendors and nightly attendance figures historically in the thousands.
2. B.C. wineries face 'smoke taint' uncertainty as wildfires continue across the province. Winemakers in the Okanagan and surrounding regions reported concerns about smoke exposure to grapes this season amid ongoing wildfire activity, industry sources said.

📰 Also Today

• Fort St. John RCMP probe a second drive-by shooting in recent weeks.
• Bradley Creek fire destroyed a rancher's home in the Okanagan.
• Missing hiker found in Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island.
• 72-year-old woman attacked by grizzly bear while hiking in B.C.
• Wildfire breaks out in Metro Vancouver's Belcarra Regional Park (initial report).
• Nisga'a volcanic landscape linked to Indigenous history and resilience.
• Guide published on protecting yourself and children from wildfire smoke.
• Search launched for B.C.'s best roadside attraction, Round 1: the north.
• Daily roundup: what you need to know about B.C. wildfires on Aug. 6.
• CBSA report names alleged Bishnoi gang members operating in Canada.
• Study finds climate change roughly doubled wildfire likelihood in N.W.T. and Ontario.
• Two sentenced for blocking logging in Vancouver Island’s Walbran Valley.
• Washington state wildfires displace thousands; crews report containment progress.
• Black bear carcass found dumped in river near Fort Nelson.