Aggravated assault charges for Chinatown stabbing suspect
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Sep, 2023 12:27 PM
The man accused of stabbing three people during a festival in Vancouver's Chinatown last Sunday has appeared in provincial court in Vancouver, charged with three counts of aggravated assault.
Sixty-four-year-old Blair Donnelly was wearing a red prison-type jump suit when he appeared this morning via video link from the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital where he remains in custody.
He has been ordered to return to court on September 27th.
Donnelly was on an unescorted day pass from the psychiatric hospital last Sunday when three people were stabbed -- and the province has ordered a review of the decision to release him.
Two schools have stopped in-person classes in British Columbia, less than two days after most students returned to classrooms following an extended holiday break due to the surging COVID-19 Omicron variant. The Education Ministry says schools in Hazelton and Surrey recently made the decision.
Given the continued need for public safety measures under the Emergency Program Act and ongoing work to repair damaged highways, the provincial state of emergency is being extended until the end of day, Jan. 18, 2022.
There are 36,087 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 244,551 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 469 individuals are in hospital and 97 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Federal COVID-19 vaccine contracts mean Canada should get enough doses to give two or three more mRNA shots to every Canadian, every year until at least 2024.
British Columbia's provincial health officer says the current wave of COVID-19 infections is expected to continue for several more weeks. Dr. Bonnie Henry says many people who have contracted the highly transmissible Omicron variant are fully vaccinated and their illness has been relatively mild.
In a newly released decision, Federal Court Associate Chief Justice Jocelyne Gagne says Lucki breached her duty under the RCMP Act by not submitting a response to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission’s interim report on the spying allegations "as soon as feasible."
