March 05, 2018 - 4:05 PM
VANCOUVER - KENNEY SAYS HE'D DEFEND ALBERTA'S ECONOMY IF PIPELINE BLOCKED
Alberta Opposition Leader Jason Kenney paid a visit to Vancouver on Monday and spoke about what he'd do as premier if British Columbia blocks the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
The United Conservative Party leader says he'd be prepared to stop permits for the shipment of Alberta oil through the Trans Mountain pipeline, and place a toll on shipments of natural gas from B.C. through Alberta.
He says he realizes that might upset some Calgary-based companies that develop B.C. natural gas.
But he says a premier of Alberta should defend that province's economic future.
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PUBLIC CONSULTATION STARTS ON ICBC
A consultation process on B.C.'s public auto insurance system started Monday and will and continues until April 5.
David Eby, the minister responsible for the Insurance Corp. of B.C., says he'd like to see good drivers rewarded with lower rates and poor drivers penalized.
The recent provincial budget forecast a $1.3-billion deficit at ICBC this year.
Eby says the government will introduce legislation with measures to save money, including a $5,500 cap on claim payouts for minor pain and suffering.
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SEASPAN EXPECTED TO START WORK THIS YEAR ON NAVY SUPPORT SHIPS
Defence officials say they'd like to see work begin later this year on two new navy support ships in Vancouver.
The Department of National Defence wants to start cutting steel on the two ships early, as it tries to keep a multibillion-dollar project from slipping farther behind schedule.
Vancouver's Seaspan Shipbuilding is responsible for building the two Protecteur-class joint support ships, as well as four science ships and a polar icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard.
It's hoped the work on the support ships could be started during a lull in the construction of two science vessels for the coast guard.
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QUSTIONS RAISED ABOUT WHY POLICE DIDN'T REVEAL SEX-RELATED CHARGES
A central B.C. Indigenous leader wants to know why it took so long for RCMP to reveal that a former mayor of a nearby village was charged with sex-related offences.
Mounties say former Burns Lake mayor Luke Strimbold is charged with numerous counts of sexual assault and related offences that are alleged to have happened in 2016.
Court records show the 28-year-old former mayor was arrested and released on Feb. 3, but news about the case didn't emerge until last week.
Chief Wilf Adam of the Lake Babine Nation says Strimbold worked closely with area First Nations on a variety of issues and helped out at a camp that Lake Babine put on about five years ago.
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DRUGS, GUN, ID SEIZED AT SURREY HOME
RCMP say a large amount of drugs and a loaded handgun were seized at a Surrey residence following complaints from neighbours about suspicious activity.
Mounties say officers armed with a search warrant found about 50,000 doses worth of suspected methamphetamine, along with more than 2,000 doses of suspected heroin.
They say other suspected drugs including marijuana and cocaine were seized, along with more than 100 pieces of stolen and counterfeit ID and a loaded semi-automatic pistol believed to be stolen during a residential break and enter in Chilliwack.
Police say arrests are expected to be made.
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SUSPENSION HAILED AS CHANCE TO RECOVER HERRING STOCKS
The Heiltsuk Nation on the central coast is applauding the suspension of this year's commercial roe herring fishery in that region.
Heiltsuk chief coun. Marilyn Slett says the suspension will give roe herring stocks on the central coast an opportunity to recover.
She says the Heiltsuk have been working hard to secure the closure and she calls the decision by Fisheries and Oceans Canada "an encouraging, concrete step to show that it is serious about reconciliation."
A news release from the Heiltsuk Nation says it has been working with fisheries officials since August to develop a joint fisheries management plan, in part because they say herring stocks in their region remain far below historical levels.
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By The Canadian Press, Vancouver
News from © The Canadian Press, 2018