Monday, June 8, 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

Aid for care homes needed ahead of next wave

Aid for care homes needed ahead of next wave
With an uptick in new cases of COVID-19 in Canada sparking concerns about a second wave of the illness, advocates for seniors in long-term care say more federal support must start flowing immediately to ensure elders do not again become the primary casualties.

Aid for care homes needed ahead of next wave

Calgary man facing terrorism-related charges

Calgary man facing terrorism-related charges
RCMP have laid terrorism-related charges against a Calgary man following what they say was an extensive and complex seven-year investigation.

Calgary man facing terrorism-related charges

Service puppies put through their paces on transit

Service puppies put through their paces on transit
It appears that even service puppies can't escape the changes of the pandemic. Bill Thornton, the CEO of BC & Alberta Guide Dogs, says the new recruits are far behind on their transit training schedule because of COVID-19.

Service puppies put through their paces on transit

Legal action launched against B.C.'s wolf cull

Legal action launched against B.C.'s wolf cull
A British Columbia environmental group has launched a legal petition alleging the provincial government's wolf kill to save caribou is breaking federal and provincial laws.

Legal action launched against B.C.'s wolf cull

Court strikes down Canada-U.S. refugee pact

Court strikes down Canada-U.S. refugee pact
A federal judge has struck down a key agreement on refugees between Canada and the United States, but gave Ottawa six months of breathing room to respond to the landmark decision.

Court strikes down Canada-U.S. refugee pact

Students call on feds to scrap grant program

Students call on feds to scrap grant program
Two groups representing thousands of post-secondary students are calling on the Trudeau Liberals to abandon its troubled volunteer program and push its $900-million funding to other student supports.

Students call on feds to scrap grant program