Saturday, June 6, 2026
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

Amber Alert launched in P.E.I. for 12-year-old girl

Amber Alert launched in P.E.I. for 12-year-old girl
 An Amber Alert has been issued following the possible abduction of a 12-year-old girl in Prince Edward Island.

Amber Alert launched in P.E.I. for 12-year-old girl

Lawsuit to challenge Quebec back-to-school plan

Lawsuit to challenge Quebec back-to-school plan
A group of parents are moving forward with a legal challenge aimed at forcing Quebec to offer remote learning services to families who don't want their children returning to classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic this fall, the lawyer representing them said Monday.

Lawsuit to challenge Quebec back-to-school plan

First Nations accuse DFO of systemic racism

First Nations accuse DFO of systemic racism
Five British Columbia First Nations are challenging a federal decision on salmon fishing in their territories this year, and they are accusing federal fisheries officials of systemic racism in the way they have been treated.

First Nations accuse DFO of systemic racism

Calgary woman swept away in B.C. river dies

Calgary woman swept away in B.C. river dies
A Calgary woman has died after slipping into a river and being swept away in B.C.'s Kootenay National Park.

Calgary woman swept away in B.C. river dies

A guide to back-to-school rules across the country

A guide to back-to-school rules across the country
Plans are being made across the country for how to safely send students back to school in the fall as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

A guide to back-to-school rules across the country

Report blasts limits on veterans' watchdog

Report blasts limits on veterans' watchdog
The veterans ombudsman's office is hoping a new report flagging problems with the watchdog's limited authority and lack of independence from the federal government will lead to improvements in its ability to help those who have served in uniform.

Report blasts limits on veterans' watchdog