Fraud Charges, Dyslexia Centre & Backcountry Bear Attack — Vancouver's Week in Review.

🚨 Crime & Public Safety

1. Vancouver police officer Kalwinder Dosanjh arrested on fraud, theft and breach of trust charges. The 26-year VPD veteran faces four counts of fraud over $5,000, four counts of theft over $5,000 and one count of breach of trust after a covert investigation; prosecutors say the alleged offences span 2017–2025 and 19 victims are known.
2. Four people sentenced for 2023 Burnaby home-invasion killing. IHIT says all four pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received global prison terms ranging from six to 10.5 years for the June 29, 2023, death of 19-year-old Ryan Nagy following a home invasion in the 7600-block of 17 Avenue in Burnaby.
3. Only one person charged after RCMP dismantled what was called Canada’s largest super lab. Gaganpreet Singh Randhawa pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court to drug-trafficking and firearms charges related to the massive 2024 seizure near Falkland; RCMP note he is the sole name charged so far in the operation.

🏛️ Government & Politics

1. Five former B.C. Conservative MLAs form a new provincial party ahead of return of the legislature. Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman, Áʼa꞉líya Warbus, Peter Milobar and Ian Paton announced the move and Milobar said the group aims to register the party with Elections BC before the legislature reconvenes Oct. 5.
2. Jerry Dobrovolny steps down as CAO of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. The long-serving regional chief administrative officer has left the post effective this week, triggering Metro Vancouver’s search for a permanent replacement and interim management arrangements.

🏥 Health

1. Canada’s first dedicated Centre for Dyslexia gets a permanent home in Vancouver. The Centre for Dyslexia will provide direct programs for families and training for teachers after noting about 20 per cent of the population has dyslexia and an estimated 80 per cent go undiagnosed.
2. B.C. expands supports for intimate-partner-violence survivors, adding services including a family court worker for the northwest. The province announced expanded supports this week that include on-the-ground family court worker resources for northwest B.C. communities.

🚑 Breaking & Incidents

1. Woman airlifted to hospital after bear attack near Whistler; adult male black bear euthanized. B.C. Conservation Officer Service says the hiker was attacked near Conflict Lake in the Callaghan Conservancy, received first aid at scene and was airlifted with non-life-threatening injuries; officers killed an adult male black bear at the site for safety.
2. Missing man near Squamish found alive after nearly week-long search. Sea to Sky RCMP and Squamish Search and Rescue located Stanislav Volo after a multi-agency search that mobilized teams across B.C.; Volo was taken to hospital with what police described as minor injuries.
3. B.C. man recounts surviving five nights lost in mountains near Squamish. The hiker’s survival story followed an extensive search and illustrates the scope of recent search-and-rescue operations in the Sea to Sky corridor.

💼 Economy & Business

1. Nass Valley opens a new concrete plant to meet local building-material demand. The new concrete facility is positioned to supply growing construction needs in the Nass Valley region and surrounding northern B.C. projects.
2. Brink Forest Products to cut 50 jobs at its Prince George lumber plant. The company confirmed a workforce reduction of 50 positions at the mill as part of recent operational changes.

🎨 Community & Culture

1. Advocates say cultural programs for urban Indigenous girls can help address MMIWG crisis. Community groups are promoting targeted cultural programming in cities to support Indigenous girls and young women amid the ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls discussions.
2. Lytton River Festival returns after intense wildfire season to bring events back to the community. Organizers staged the festival this summer to revive local gatherings months after the community was affected by wildfires.
3. One of Canada’s last steam tugboats headed for restoration. Preservation groups announced plans to restore the historic steam tug, aiming to conserve maritime heritage tied to B.C.’s coastal communities.

🏈 Sports

1. Canucks sign young defenceman Zeev Buium to an eight-year extension. The Vancouver Canucks committed to a long-term deal for Buium this week as part of the team's roster planning ahead of the new NHL season.

🌦️ Weather & Roads

1. Several Vancouver Island municipalities maintain campfire bans over the Labour Day long weekend. Local councils kept prohibitions in place through Labour Day citing ongoing wildfire risk and public-safety concerns.
2. Nanoose Bay residents petition after multiple fatalities on a stretch of Highway 19. Community members are collecting signatures to press for safety changes following a series of fatal collisions on that Vancouver Island highway.