Tuesday, June 9, 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

Ban on vaping ads to take effect next month

Ban on vaping ads to take effect next month
Ottawa's new rules restricting the promotion of vaping products in places young people can access are set to come into effect next month.

Ban on vaping ads to take effect next month

Lean, mean, biting machines at military base

Lean, mean, biting machines at military base
A Canadian Forces base in Alberta is recruiting a new battalion of lean, mean, eating machines for a mission that will require limited action this summer.

Lean, mean, biting machines at military base

Rideau Hall incident shows systemic racism: Singh

Rideau Hall incident shows systemic racism: Singh
If the Rideau Hall intruder had been a person of colour, the outcome of last week's events in Ottawa would have been very different, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Wednesday.

Rideau Hall incident shows systemic racism: Singh

Vancouver Police Report Substantial Increase In Replica Gun Seizures

Vancouver Police Report Substantial Increase In Replica Gun Seizures
Vancouver Police are reporting a large increase in the number of replica gun seizures in Vancouver and an increase in the frequency with which police encounter highly realistic replica firearms. “In the first six months of 2020, seizures of replica guns are up over 107 per cent, compared to the same time period in 2018.

Vancouver Police Report Substantial Increase In Replica Gun Seizures

No sign of payments for disabled Canadians

No sign of payments for disabled Canadians
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to provide a $600 payment to disabled Canadians to help with additional costs in the COVID-19 pandemic remains in limbo.

No sign of payments for disabled Canadians

BC Coroners Service investigates death of inmate

BC Coroners Service investigates death of inmate
The BC Coroners Service is investigating the death of an inmate at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre in Greater Victoria.

BC Coroners Service investigates death of inmate