Latest news with #AllPointsWest
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tsunami watch upgraded to advisory for much of B.C. coast after major earthquake near Russia
THE LATEST: An advisory is the second step in a three-tiered warning system, and it means strong currents are likely. Officials say an advisory means significant flooding isn't expected, but strong currents could be dangerous for those near the water. The advisory covers B.C.'s central and north coasts, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island. It also spans Juan de Fuca Strait and Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula. The District of Tofino on Vancouver Island says that tsunami activity may reach the community around 11:30 p.m. PT, with a wave height of around one foot (0.3 metres). Residents have been asked to avoid shorelines and beaches after a tsunami advisory was issued for multiple parts of the B.C. coast following a large earthquake in the Pacific basin near Kamchatka, Russia, on Tuesday afternoon. The U.S.-based National Tsunami Warning Centre says there was a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, with B.C. officials saying it occurred around 135 kilometres southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk around 4:25 p.m. PT. A tsunami advisory, upgraded from an earlier watch, has been issued for B.C.'s north and central coasts, including Kitimat and Bella Coola, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island. It also spans the Juan de Fuca Strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula. Emergency officials say that tsunami waves arrive in a series and the first of them may not be the biggest, with tsunami activity expected in some regions of coastal B.C. late Tuesday night. A tsunami advisory means residents should move away from the ocean and stay alert for more instructions from officials. They say the current advisory means strong currents are likely in coastal regions. "Significant inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory, but coastal zones may be at risk due to strong currents," reads an Emergency Info B.C. advisory. The advisory adds strong waves and currents could drown or injure people who are in the water, and currents at beaches, harbours, marinas or bays could be especially dangerous. It had earlier advised boat operators in areas under a tsunami watch to move their boats out to sea to a depth of at least 180 feet (55 metres) if time and conditions permit, and avoid shallow water and inlets if they are already at sea. A tsunami warning, which is the highest level, means move away from the water immediately. "So that's what's taking place right now in Kamchatka," said John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada. He added Tuesday's earthquake was the type of seismic movement that was most likely to generate a tsunami, and there was already confirmation of a tsunami being generated in the local region of Kamchatka. "Those waves can travel across the Pacific.... They can travel a long way when they're out in the open ocean," he told Jason D'Souza, host of CBC's All Points West, just before 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday. "The tsunami waves travel at about the same speed as a jet," he District of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island said in an emergency notification around 7 p.m. PT that people shouldn't go to the shore to observe the waves, and later told CBC News in an email that it had closed all beaches until further notice. It says the National Tsunami Warning Center has indicated tsunami activity would reach Tofino around 11:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday, with a wave height of around one foot (0.3 metres). Emergency Info B.C. says Langara Island, off the coast of Haida Gwaii, will see tsunami waves around 10:05 p.m. PT, but the wave height is expected to be less than 0.3 metres. If the magnitude of 8.8 is confirmed, the earthquake would be among the top 10 strongest earthquakes recorded since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It would be the strongest earthquake since the devastating 2011 earthquake that struck near the Tōhoku region of Japan, which had a magnitude of 9.0 and triggered a tsunami wave more than 40 metres high. "It's a larger earthquake than we've seen,... in my lifetime anyway, that's that close [and] could potentially affect our B.C. coast," said Elmer Frank, chief councillor of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, whose traditional territories encompass Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. Frank said Tuesday's earthquake and tsunami scare is a reminder for his community to keep up on emergency drills and preparedness. Warning issued for Hawaii The U.S. Geological Survey, in an updated measurement on Tuesday evening, said the quake hit at a depth of 20.7 kilometres. A tsunami warning has been issued for the U.S. state of Hawaii, with the National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center saying a tsunami from the quake had been generated that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 p.m. local time. A tsunami warning is also in place for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands. Japan's meteorological agency has issued a tsunami alert for Japan's Pacific coast, upgrading an earlier advisory that warned of a tsunami of up to three metres across the Pacific coast of Japan.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Workers vote down offer in 5-month-long transit strike in B.C.'s Cowichan Valley
The mayor of North Cowichan, B.C., is reiterating calls for the province to step in and end a five-month-long transit strike on Vancouver Island. The strike, which began on Feb. 8 and is the longest transit contract dispute in the province's history, affects about 50 bus drivers, maintenance workers and cleaners in the region north of Victoria. Cowichan Valley's transit system covers more than 45 kilometres, north to south, and the valley itself has around 90,000 residents. Over the weekend, workers represented by Unifor locals 114 and 333 voted down a proposal put forward by a government-appointed mediator in a bid to resolve the 150-day-long dispute between them and private employer, Douglas, the mayor of North Cowichan, is calling on the province to take a more active approach to end the strike, which he says is affecting the region's most vulnerable residents. "In my view, it makes sense at this point to have the province play a bigger role in these negotiations and have them at the table to help us sort out some kind of resolution," he told Jason D'Souza, host of CBC's All Points West, on Monday. Douglas said that residents in the region may have expected a strike to last several weeks, but none of them anticipated it would last five months and counting. "As we spread out so much of our development over the years, it has been the sprawl model of development, which, you know, does create challenges in terms of our transit system," he said. Gerald Watson, 77, is a Lake Cowichan resident who has to either spend hours walking or spend more than $80 on a taxi to get to Duncan. He estimates that he'd have to spend more than $285 to get to Victoria. He said he supports the drivers' union, but wants the government to step in and resolve the strike. He added that the government has done little to support transit services in rural areas since the closure of Greyhound bus services in 2021. "This is a complete abdication, as far as I'm concerned, of government responsibility towards the public, and that's the way it is," he said. A statement from Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside said it was regrettable that both parties in the labour dispute had not agreed on a deal. "The best, most lasting agreements are negotiated at the bargaining table," she said. "We are reviewing the situation to determine how the Ministry may best support this work, so that transit services can be restored as soon as possible." Union votes down offer Striking Unifor members are demanding higher wages, scheduled washroom breaks, and access to private washrooms. The contract between the union and the employer expired last March. CBC News asked Unifor whether there were particular reasons the recommendations were rejected over the weekend, but the union did not directly respond. "Unifor is dedicated in continuing to work with our members, the company and government on finding a solution to resolve the dispute," it said in an emailed which is contracted by the provincial Crown corporation, B.C. Transit, to provide services in the region, said in a statement that it was disappointed by the union's decision to reject the mediated proposal. "Transdev supported the mediators' recommended settlement, believing it was both generous and sustainable, recognizing the critical contribution of our teams while ensuring long-term service viability," read a statement from Emily Watson, the senior vice-president of Transdev in Western Canada. The company said that the mediator's proposal included wage increases for both bus and handyDART drivers, as well as "improvements to available washroom facilities throughout the system."
CBC
01-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Bobcat sisters released into wild near Powell River, B.C., 10 months after being found
Two orphaned bobcat sisters were released into the wild near Powell River, B.C., on Friday, 10 months after they were found malnourished near a logging road. Last July, Merrilee Prior from the Powell River Orphaned Wildlife Society (PROWLS) says she got a call about two kittens being found by someone driving up a logging road near the Sunshine Coast city. Prior says the kittens were perhaps two weeks old, and their mother had been killed a day or two prior. Their eyes had just opened, and the two bobcats were "very, very hungry." "You should have heard them roar as we tried to put food in their cage," she told Jason D'Souza, host of CBC's All Points West. "They snarled and sounded like something from a sci-fi movie." After the kittens were put into a crate, the rescue society president then called up Angelika Langen — who runs the large Northern Lights Wildlife Society in Smithers, B.C. Over the next 10 months, Northern Lights put them in an enclosure where they couldn't see other humans for the most part, in order to prepare them for going back into the wild. "Food would be dropped down a chute," Prior said. "So, they never associated food with humans, and they were just left to their own devices. "And they snuggled and snarled and bickered and, you know, fought each other for food and grew up as young bobcats would." Langen says that her society always aims to return any beasts that they take care of to their natural homes, in order not to mess with genetics or population numbers. "It was a lot of fun and quite an honour to be caring for them for that time," she told CBC News. Last week, Langen and the bobcats made a lengthy trip over three days — from Smithers to Prince Rupert, a ferry to Port Hardy, and then another ferry to Powell River. Watch 2 bobcat sisters being released into the wild 11 hours ago Duration 0:46 Ten months ago, two orphaned bobcat kittens were found dehydrated and malnourished near Powell River, B.C. After being taken care of and raised to fend for themselves, they were released into the wild once again on Friday. "They came down in separate crates," Prior said. "Because they squabbled a lot, and Angelika didn't want them going out with bloody noses." When the time came for the release, Prior and her volunteers opened up the crates — and the two bobcats hesitated for a second before scurrying off. "All I did was pick them up and ship them to someone who could raise them," Prior said. "But it just, it felt wonderful." The exact number of bobcats in B.C. is unknown, but the small feline predators generally keep to themselves. The Squamish-Lilooet Regional District advises residents of the province to cut back on wildlife attractants to avoid having them come inside people's homes, and also be aware of claw marks on trails.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
From Canadianos to freedom fries, there's a long history of renaming foods amid political tensions
Amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Canada, some Canadian coffee shops have changed the name of the Americano to the Canadiano. Among them is Mugz 2.0 Coffee House in Port McNeill, B.C. Owner Boni Sharpe says the menu switch at the café on northern Vancouver Island was meant to poke fun at a serious situation and highlight the value of buying local. "Port McNeill is a small little community that relies heavily on other small communities, and I'm spreading the word to the best that I can," Sharpe told CBC's All Points West last month. "And I think when you add that little bit of humorous spin on it, it really sparked some good conversation." Anelyse Weiler, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Victoria, says renaming the espresso-based drink is a sign that many Canadians are "mad as a stirred-up hornet's nest" about the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump. "It's meant to be a coy, symbolic way to assert Canadian national identity," Weiler told CBC's On The Island. Sharpe said the switch to Canadiano aims to add a little humour to the "craziness" of current events, but in the past there have been less light-hearted efforts to change the names of food. In 2003, U.S. politicians moved to rename French fries served in the House to "freedom fries" amid strained relations with France over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. That year, the maker of French's mustard, worried that some Americans would boycott its product because of the French-led campaign against the Iraq war, issued a news release saying it's not French. As American soldiers battled Germany and its Central Powers allies in the First World War, there was an effort in the U.S. to rebrand sauerkraut as "liberty cabbage" to rid the fermented vegetable of its "pro-German stigma," The New York Times reported in 1918. In 2006, Iran renamed Danish pastries "Roses of the Prophet Muhammad" after a newspaper in Denmark published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, according to a BBC report. Weiler hopes that renaming efforts and the push to buy local can spark deeper conversations around food-related issues, such as the rights of agricultural workers, the removal of interprovincial trade barriers, the impact of real estate speculation on farmland, and Canada's National School Food Program, which was announced last year. While she praises the push toward buying local, she encourages consumers to think critically about efforts by large supermarket chains to market Canadian-made products, noting that not long ago, grocery giant Loblaw agreed to pay $500 million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in a bread price-fixing scheme. Weiler calls the Canadiano a nice spin on the Americano and said more renaming efforts may be on the way, although some may be more successful than others. "In our household, we eat a lot of Buffalo sauce," she said of the hot sauce that shares its name with the Western New York city. "So to be petty, we started calling it 'bison sauce,' but it just doesn't have the same ring."
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Yahoo
Fatal parking lot crash involving modified truck leads to RCMP warning
RCMP are warning drivers with modified vehicles to check they're within legal limits, after a dangerous driving charge was laid against a Nanaimo, B.C. woman following a fatal parking lot crash. On Tuesday, Nanaimo RCMP said they had charged a 24-year-old woman with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, after an 85-year-old woman was killed following a crash on March 21, 2024. Police say the crash, in the Woodgrove Centre parking lot, came about after the senior parked her vehicle next to the woman's pickup truck and began walking toward the mall. The suspect in the case then exited her parking spot and turned left with her pickup truck, and the senior was knocked to the ground and subsequently died. Police say the modifications made to the truck, including a raised suspension, oversized tires and tinted windows contributed to the fatal crash. They say the modifications made driving in the crowded parking lot unsafe, and weren't part of the original truck design. "The charge of Dangerous Operation Causing Death is a serious one," Nanaimo RCMP wrote in a statement. "It signifies that the person operating a vehicle, considering all the circumstances, poses a significant danger to the public." RCMP say that if drivers' vehicle modifications aren't within legal limits, they could be ticketed or have their vehicles towed. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Const. Sherri Wade with Nanaimo RCMP said the pickup truck was taken for inspection after the crash, and police determined the modifications weren't within legal limits. "You can certainly make modifications, the Motor Vehicle Regulations make it so that you are allowed to have modifications," she told Jason D'Souza, host of CBC's All Points West. "They just give you pretty specific instructions." LISTEN | Vehicle modifications were considered to be a factor in the fatal crash Wade says that a vehicle's suspension height cannot be altered by more than 10 centimetres, and any tint on the windshield cannot be lower than 75 millimetres below the top. The officer says that if police find that vehicle modifications aren't within legal limits, drivers could be ticketed or their vehicles towed, and the owner must then pay the towing fees and modify it as per regulations.
