What's making news in British Columbia | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Mostly Cloudy  6.0°C

What's making news in British Columbia

VANCOUVER - B.C. TEACHERS PROMISED NEW FUNDING FORMULA

Premier John Horgan says the NDP government is rejecting what he calls the "one-size-fits-all" funding formula for school districts that was brought in by the previous Liberal government.

Horgan told the B.C. Teachers Federation's annual general meeting that his government wants to replace that system with one that accounts for differences in urban and rural communities.

School districts currently get funding based on the number of students, but the union is calling for a needs-based formula that would prevent cuts to programs and staffing levels when enrolment decreases.

Horgan says the government plans to put more money into public education up to 2021, but had nothing to say about bargaining with the teachers, who begin contract talks in about 10 months.

---

---

MOUNTIES INJURED ARRESTING TRANS MOUNTAIN PROTESTERS

Mounties say three officers suffered minor injuries Monday night while arresting demonstrators against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in Burnaby.

They say one officer suffered a head injury after being kicked, another had a knee injury and a third ended up with an injured hand as four people were arrested.

Fifteen other people were arrested earlier Monday, while police say at least 28 were arrested at the site over the weekend, after zip-tying themselves to a gate.

Protesters are not allowed within five metres of two work sites in Burnaby, under an injunction issued by a B.C. Supreme Court judge.

---

---

OCEAN PLASTIC A MENACE FOR ANIMALS

The head veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium says the entanglement of a Steller sea lion illustrates the serious problem posed by plastic pollution in the oceans.

The aquarium says the full-grown female sea lion saved by a team from its Marine Mammal Rescue Centre had a thick piece of braided plastic around its neck.

Dr. Martin Haulena says the rope was cutting "quite deeply" into the sea lion and eventually she would have died.

The aquarium says the team also tried to help a younger animal entangled in a plastic packing strap, but it was able to bite out a sedative-carrying dart and escape into the ocean.

---

---

B.C. GETS THREE NEW JUDGES

Three new provincial court judges have been appointed in British Columbia.

The appointments of Diana Dorey, Peter McDermick and Andrew Tam fill vacancies created by retirements.

Dorey will be assigned to the Fraser region, McDermick to the Northern region and Tam to the Interior.

All the appointments will take effect early next month.

---

---

DISCHARGE-FEE INCREASES TO BRING IN $2.7 MILLION A YEAR

The province says waste discharge fees are being increased for the first time in more than a decade.

The government says the fees, along with annual fees paid by industry and local governments, will help fund environmental protection and improved service.

The fees under the Environmental Management Act will be going up as of April 1.

The province says the fee increases are expected to generate about $2.7 million in revenue annually.

---

---

MAN FACES MISCHIEF CHARGES AFTER SPREADING SUBSTANCE AT POLICE DETACHMENT

A 55-year-old man is facing two charges following a hazardous materials incident at the RCMP detachment in Coquitlam.

It's alleged the man walked in Monday and spread around a powdery substance that he claimed was poison.

Mounties say the man was immediately arrested and the detachment was evacuated until it could be confirmed there was no danger.

The man is facing charges of public mischief and possession of a controlled substance and has been released on a promise to appear in provincial court on July 16.

---

---

By The Canadian Press, Vancouver

News from © The Canadian Press, 2018
The Canadian Press

  • Popular penticton News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile