Wednesday, December 24, 2025
ADVT 
National

Additional charges laid after Masonic hall fires

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 Apr, 2021 11:58 PM
  • Additional charges laid after Masonic hall fires

Police say five more charges have been approved against a man accused of setting fire to three Masonic halls in Metro Vancouver last week.

Police say 42-year-old Benjamin Kohlman was charged Tuesday with two counts of arson and three counts of break and enter to commit arson after fires in Vancouver and North Vancouver.

Police arrested Kohlman in nearby Burnaby within a few hours of the fires.

He was charged the following day with one count of arson in relation to the fire in Vancouver, as well as one count of assaulting a police officer.

All three fires were allegedly set in the span of an hour last Tuesday.

The first call came in at around 6:45 a.m. about a fire at the Lynn Valley Lodge in North Vancouver, while a second fire reported minutes later severely damaged a Masonic centre located four kilometres away.

Fire officials said the third fire at a Masonic hall in east Vancouver was reported around 7:30 a.m. and caused little damage.

MORE National ARTICLES

Vaccinating Mounties should be a priority: union

Vaccinating Mounties should be a priority: union
The National Police Federation says inoculating its members will ensure the safety of both officers and the communities they serve.

Vaccinating Mounties should be a priority: union

Woman dead, man hurt in shooting in Surrey, B.C

Woman dead, man hurt in shooting in Surrey, B.C
Officers found a woman in grave condition and a man suffering non-life-threatening injuries inside the home.

Woman dead, man hurt in shooting in Surrey, B.C

B.C. expands mask requirements in schools

B.C. expands mask requirements in schools
Previously, students and staff were only required to wear masks in areas where interactions are not controlled, such as in hallways, libraries and on school buses.

B.C. expands mask requirements in schools

Canada sees 30-per-cent drop in COVID cases

Canada sees 30-per-cent drop in COVID cases
Even with this decline, Tam said the current caseload continues to burden local health-care resources, particularly in regions with high infection rates.

Canada sees 30-per-cent drop in COVID cases

PBO: Work-from-home tax break to cost feds $260M

PBO: Work-from-home tax break to cost feds $260M
Workers who have been able to do their jobs remotely have been asked to do so since the spring as part of public health efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

PBO: Work-from-home tax break to cost feds $260M

RCMP cameras to cost $131 million over five years

RCMP cameras to cost $131 million over five years
A costing note Thursday said the RCMP is expected to purchase 12,500 camera subscriptions for use across the country at 700 detachments.

RCMP cameras to cost $131 million over five years