Latest news with #British Columbia
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Vancouver city council extends downtown liquor serving hours
Most downtown Vancouver bars will be able to apply to serve alcohol as late as 4 a.m., and bars outside the core will also be able to extend their hours after Vancouver city council voted unanimously to change its liquor serving laws on Tuesday. Several business owners spoke at council in support of the motion, applauding the decision. "This is changing the perception of 'liquor primary licence' to 'vibrant gathering places' for communities to meet in real life," said Cameron Bogue, owner-operator of Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions. "I've opened one of the most successful restaurants in the city, with staggering year-over-year growth, because we're providing [what] the community wants — a place to socialize, rub elbows, simply stand with a drink, and dance where they can meet people in an engaging, high-volume cocktail bar." Where and when can you drink? Liquor-primary establishments like bars and pubs inside downtown Vancouver will be able to make an application to the province to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. Outside of downtown, businesses will be able to apply to serve drinks until 3 a.m. on weekends and 2 a.m. on weeknights. Restaurants will also be able to apply to sell alcohol until 2 a.m. The change, expected to be in place later this year, aligns with B.C.'s present rules on serving liquor from 9 to 4 a.m. Local governments are able to adjust their hours according to community needs. While others in the industry reflected Bogue's support, a Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) officer advised council to reconsider expanding drinking hours. Extending hours risky, says medical health officer "Increasing alcohol consumption into the late night or early morning hours is particularly risky, and the risk increases as you get later in the evening," said Mark Lysyshyn, medical health officer, VCH. "It's not so much that more people drink into the evening — it's just the type of drinking that's done in that timeframe is more risky, it's more likely to result in problems," he said referring to a risk of injuries, violence and the potential for harm to others compared to allowing earlier opening hours. Coun. Pete Fry said he would "reluctantly" support the motion and shared concerns about possible increased policing costs that may be incurred if serving hours extend to 4 a.m. "I say 'reluctantly' because I would have liked to see more staff input on what this means for resources, what this means for policing, and what this could potentially mean for opportunities, especially with FIFA coming," said Fry. "I imagine the majority of businesses won't support it unless there's a viable output for a 4 a.m. closure," he added. City staff don't expect every bar and pub in the city to extend their hours right away. "Staff anticipate it's likely going to be a slow uptake," said Sarah Hicks, chief licence inspector, with the City of Vancouver. "It really needs to make economic sense for businesses. In order to look at expanding those hours. There's increased costs for staffing. They have to consider being able to provide that ... [in] the application with the province in order to go through with that, so it's likely going to be a slower uptake with any of these changes." A staff report to council said that as of April 2025, Vancouver has licensed 209 liquor establishments, such as bars or nightclubs and 1,225 restaurants with liquor service.
Globe and Mail
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
First Nations in coastal B.C. issue open letter calling on Carney to reject suggested pipeline
Coastal First Nations in British Columbia have issued an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, asking him to reject any new proposal for a crude oil pipeline to the northwest coast. The move comes as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pushes for a new private-sector pipeline that would send crude oil to the northern B.C. coast for export to Asia. Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative, says in a news release that there is no pipeline or oil tanker project that would be acceptable to their group, and any proposal to send crude oil through their coastal waters is a 'non-starter.' The group is asking Carney to uphold the 2019 Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which prohibits oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude from stopping, loading or unloading at ports or marine installations along the north coast. It says the act is Canada's recognition of more than 50 years of effort to protect the north Pacific coast, which includes the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii, from the risks of an oil spill. Alberta Premier Smith says plan for new West Coast oil pipeline 'pretty close' Opinion: Should Canada build a pipeline to the West or the East? The nations say they have not changed their stance since oil tankers were banned from their territorial waters in 2010 based on ancestral laws, rights and responsibilities. The group says the north Pacific coast has one of the richest and most productive cold-water marine ecosystems on Earth, and it remains a source of sustenance, culture, and livelihood for coastal communities and all B.C. residents. The group has instead suggested the prime minister meet with them to 'better understand the credible ecological treasure that is the north Pacific coast.' The letter comes less than a week after Carney met hundreds of First Nations chiefs, where he faced resistance to the Building Canada Act, which allows the government to fast track major projects that it deems to be in the national interest, including by sidestepping existing laws.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
My family of 4 moved from a big city to a quiet mountain town. We love it here, but wish we lived closer to my kids' grandparents.
In 2017, my family moved to a small mountain town. It was a big change, and we love living there. However, relocating meant moving hours away from our kids' grandparents. We've had to get creative to stay connected. Almost eight years ago, in the fall of 2017, my wife and I packed up our lives and moved to Nelson, British Columbia. You've likely never heard of this hidden gem. It's a quirky, secluded mountain town nestled deep in the West Kootenays in central British Columbia. After years of living in big cities, we were craving something different. We wanted our kids (at the time, we had a 2-year-old and a newborn) to grow up with space to roam, clean air to breathe, and a strong sense of community. We dreamed of a slower pace, afternoon bike rides to the lake, and winters spent skiing instead of commuting. And in many ways, that dream came true. But what we didn't fully grasp was what we'd be giving up, which was the consistent presence of grandparents and the reliable network of support that only close family can provide. We underestimated the emotional weight of raising kids without our parents nearby and how much they would miss being part of our children's daily lives. The lifestyle trade-off felt worth it at first Moving to Nelson from a major city was a major lifestyle upgrade. The lake views are stunning, there are hiking trails minutes from our front door, and we have a tight-knit, creative community that rallies around its kids. Our children have the kind of freedom I was fortunate enough to have as a suburban kid, such as riding bikes to school, building forts in the woods, and learning to ski on weekends. Not to mention, we're more active, more present, and more connected to nature than we ever were in the city. We've cultivated a sense of spaciousness and calmness in our days that's hard to describe until you've lived it. However, the decision to move here wasn't made lightly. We considered the lengthy drive to see family, the lack of direct flights, and the fact that winter travel in the mountains can be perilous at the best of times. But we told ourselves we'd visit often. We assumed the bond between our kids and their grandparents would remain strong, even with the miles between us. The absence of family ran deeper than we expected Long-distance grandparenting is hard for everyone involved, including my partner and me. We miss the impromptu dinners, the free babysitting, the help when one of the kids is sick, and we both have pressing deadlines. But more than anything, we miss the presence of people who love our children as much as we do. That kind of love is irreplaceable. It's been especially hard to watch my parents age from a distance. With each visit, I feel the dull ache of time slipping by. I notice subtle changes, like slower movement and more forgetfulness. I think about all the ordinary moments our kids don't get to share with them: baking cookies, reading books, getting picked up from school "just because." My parents try. They video chat, they send cards in the mail, and they make the seven-hour drive a few times a year. But it's not the same as watching your grandkids grow up in real time. We've had to get creative to stay connected To help bridge the gap, we've established some rituals, like Saturday morning FaceTime calls, monthly mail swaps (our kids love sending their drawings), and using those digital photo frames that you can upload photos to from an app. Now that our kids are 8 and 10, we can meet our parents halfway between our homes and have them take the kids for a week or two without my partner and me being there. It's times like these that their bond truly flourishes. These rituals help. But some days, it doesn't feel like enough. I often wonder if we made the right decision moving far away. Did we choose adventure at the expense of closeness? Are we giving our kids a magical childhood, or robbing them of deeper relationships? Maybe the answer is both. What I do know is that we made this move out of love. We wanted to raise our kids in a place that reflects our values of community, nature, and togetherness. But I've learned that "togetherness" isn't just about where you live. It's about who you let in and how you find ways to show up for each other, no matter how far apart you live. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Storm risk returns to the Prairies as fresh instability arrives Sunday
We're closing out the weekend with a renewed threat for strong to severe thunderstorms across the southern Prairies. While much of the region deals with thick smoke from ongoing wildfires, another wedge of instability will foster fresh storm activity from British Columbia's Interior through southern Saskatchewan. Looking beyond Sunday's storm risk, some areas could see a remarkable drop in temperatures for the start of the new workweek. Keep an eye on the radar and listen for severe weather alerts in your area as you go about your day. [don't miss link] Sunday storm threat includes supercell risk Sunday morning will see a trough extending from the B.C. Interior through southern Saskatchewan, with modest instability fuelling a risk for non-severe storms for the first half of the day. Warm air spiralling around a low-pressure system will allow the atmosphere to destabilize across the southern Prairies by Sunday afternoon. The greatest risk for severe weather will cover southern Saskatchewan, including Regina. This is where ample humidity and the best dynamics may favour the development of supercell thunderstorms. Any storms in Saskatchewan able to reach severe limits will be capable of producing damaging wind gusts and large hail. We'll see a modest tornado risk across the region—a funnel cloud or even a brief tornado is possible, but it's not the primary threat with Sunday's storms. Looking ahead to an unseasonable chill Folks across central Alberta and the Rockies will experience a temperature dip through the day Sunday, but a stronger signal for well-below seasonal temperatures is on the horizon. The approaching pattern is likely to trigger a remarkable temperature drop Tuesday, with forecast daytime temperatures coming in 10-15 degrees below seasonal across central and southern Alberta. We could even see some heavy accumulating snowfall in the Rockies above 2200 metres, especially around Jasper. Header image submitted by Loreen in Saskatchewan. Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across the Prairies. WATCH: In a tornado warning? Here's what you should do Click here to view the video
CTV News
5 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Scientists confirm megathrust quake danger exists not only in southern B.C., but also in the north
The potential for large quakes and tsunamis off the south coast has long been known, but now scientists are confirming another theory in the north of the provin The potential for large quakes and tsunamis off the south coast has long been known, but now scientists are confirming another theory in the north of the province. Following years of debate, scientists can now confirm that a fault zone off B.C.'s northern coast is capable of producing powerful megathrust earthquakes, the kind that can generate tsunamis. The findings reveal what many researchers theorized: That the Pacific Plate is partially dipping beneath the North American Plate. This comes more than a decade after a powerful 7.8-magnitude quake struck near Haida Gwaii, on Oct. 27, 2012. At the time, scientists were puzzled by the quake's characteristics because it resembled activity normally seen much further south, in the Cascadia Subduction Zone off Vancouver Island and Washington State. The 2012 quake had a thrust mechanism which was not typical of the Queen Charlotte Fault, where plates usually slide past each other horizontally. 'So not just sliding, but also going a bit under North America,' said Mladen Nedimovic, a professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Dalhousie University. The research team used a state-of-the-art, 15-kilometre-long hydrophone streamer. Essentially, a very long wire with thousands of underwater microphones attached. They then scoured the fault from northern B.C. to southern Alaska. The breakthrough will allow researchers to better predict what types of earthquakes to expect. 'They're both large,' Nedimovic explained. 'But the ones where one plate pushes under another are the type that can produce tsunamis.' Scientists still can't predict exactly when a quake might hit, but the findings will help governments better prepare. 'It's not just about saving lives, but also about protecting critical infrastructure,' he added. The findings have been published in the journal Science Advances, and included research from Canadian and American scientists, including from Dalhousie University in Halifax.
