🚑 Breaking & Incidents
- Child killed after being struck by car at Abbotsford townhouse complex. Police say officers were called to the 32000 block of Simon Avenue at about 12:45 p.m.; the child died at the scene and the driver stayed and is cooperating. The complex entrance remains closed to vehicles while investigators process evidence; police ask witnesses or dashcam owners to call Abbotsford PD at 604-859-5225.
🚨 Crime & Public Safety
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Top B.C. Mountie Dwayne McDonald relieved of duties amid historical allegations. The RCMP says Deputy Commissioner McDonald, commanding officer in B.C., was removed after unspecified allegations dating to 2016–2018 were recently raised; RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme named John Brewer as interim commanding officer. Duheme said investigations are ongoing and the change will not affect RCMP operations in B.C.
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Man charged in 1996 Vancouver murder of Muriel Lindsay, now 68. Police charged Juan Manuel Rueda Salud in the Feb. 16, 1996 killing of 40-year-old Muriel Lindsay; investigators say Salud was located in Oaxaca in 2015, arrested under a provisional warrant on Jan. 22, 2025, and became eligible for extradition on July 15, 2026. Vancouver investigators escorted him back to Vancouver this week and the case is before the courts.
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Man sentenced to 10 years for violent sexual assault in Downtown Eastside. Mark Edward Grant, 62, pleaded guilty to unlawful confinement and sexual assault for a Jan. 8, 2026 attack on a 61-year-old woman in an SRO; BC Supreme Court imposed a 10-year sentence after Crown read an Agreed Statement of Facts covering a five-hour confinement. The victim’s identity remains protected by a publication ban.
🏛️ Government & Politics
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B.C. housing minister defends $101,000 July cost to keep Granville SRO open for one tenant. Christine Boyle said the Luugat (former Howard Johnson) remained large and costly to maintain after the province promised closure; she said more than 80 residents have been moved and one tenant with specific needs remains while relocation continues. Boyle said the government is working to close the building and cited privacy around the tenant’s needs.
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B.C. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey announces early-stage, treatable cancer. Bailey said the diagnosis came weeks ago, she has a good prognosis, and will begin treatment later this summer with plans to return for the fall legislative session; she worked with Premier David Eby on a treatment plan. Bailey delivered a fiscal update on Monday showing a $3.3-billion smaller deficit for 2025–26 than previously estimated.
🔥 Fire
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Penticton search-and-rescue volunteers lost homes but kept helping with Bald Range evacuations. Penticton SAR public affairs officer Jesse MacDonald said members who lost houses in Summerland and Faulder continued door-knocking and evacuations alongside 68 total SAR volunteers from neighbouring teams; Norman Cole, Penticton SAR president, said the joint response strengthened inter-team relationships. The SAR helicopter unit worked with Top Flight to search for missing people during the evacuation.
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Highway 97 reopens between Penticton and Kelowna with limited hours and restrictions. The RDOS announced the highway will open 7 a.m.–7 p.m. daily with reduced 70 km/h speed limits; overnight work continues and side roads into evacuation-order areas are closed without an RDOS Temporary Access Pass. Officials warned noncompliance could prompt another closure.
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Meadow Valley resident stayed to defend home during Bald Range wildfire. Tyler Wall said he and neighbours used a mini excavator and loader to clear roads so people could evacuate after the Bald Range fire began last Friday; Wall said he remained because he had invested in the property and helped fight the fire alongside two men with firefighting experience.
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Penticton Indian Band chief calls for cooperation and alternate emergency routes after Bald Range fire. Chief Greg Gabriel urged changes to logging practices and drought responses, and asked the province for a secondary egress because Highway 97 was cut off; Premier David Eby acknowledged demand for secondary routes and said Transportation will prioritize which routes to work on. The Bald Range fire forced roughly 20,000 people from Summerland and surrounding communities last Friday.
📰 Also Today
- B.C. Conservatives worry Quesnel pulp mill curtailment may be permanent.
- Fort St. James ER hours reduced until at least October due to doctor shortage.
- Volunteers tend animals rescued from B.C. wildfires, noting behavioural changes.
- Northern semifinals held in search for B.C.'s best roadside attraction, regional winners named.
- Prince George theatre employee’s hand-drawn Spider-Man poster goes viral.
- B.C. wildfire update for Aug. 13 lists active fires and advisories.
- Okanagan Indian Band mourns lost forests and artifacts in wildfire.
- Okanagan wildfires damaging tourism in towns hundreds of kilometres away.
- Status of iconic mountain goats near Summerland unknown amid Bald Range fire.
- Released documents show Tumbler Ridge shooter was fascinated with guns, per ITO.
- Report: 10 Canadian youths died from e-scooter/e-bike injuries in 2025.
- Former Vancouver band teacher banned from teaching after sexual assault conviction.
- Pipeline contracts awarded as Ksi Lisims LNG nears final investment decision.
- Dawson Creek water pipeline cost estimate rises to up to $272 million.
- B.C. premier promises review of emergency response to Summerland-area wildfire.
- Unsealed documents detail RCMP response to Tumbler Ridge shooting released.
- Fernie begins construction on a purpose-built fire hall.
- Daycare workers report babies, toddlers sweltering; AC policy debate persists.
