Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Aug, 2023 09:30 AM
An air quality advisory for Metro Vancouver remains in place due to wildfire smoke.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District says people should postpone or reduce outdoor physical activity particularly if they have underlying conditions related to breathing.
An Air Quality Advisory is in effect for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley due to elevated levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from BC wildfire smoke. Advisory expected to last until there is a change in weather. For current AQ info: https://t.co/qyfTAdTQkFpic.twitter.com/1UN6QxdywF
British Columbia was the first to sign on, inking a $3.2-billion deal in July 2021 with plans to create 30,000 new child-care spaces within five years and 40,000 within seven years. B.C. started a $10-a-day program at select facilities in 2018 and plans to double those spaces to 12,500 this month.
It boosts annual salaries for new teachers as much as $8,500 by the end of the third year while B.C.'s highest-paid educators will earn up to $13,500 more over the same period, which Johnston says pushes them above the $100,000-per-year threshold for the first time.
Arctic outflow warnings have been posted for B.C.’s central and northern coasts, with the wind chill predicted at minus 20. Special weather statements are also up for most of Vancouver Island and the south coast, with icy conditions and wind chills near minus 10.
The coroner says the October statistics show that illicit drugs caused the deaths of 1,827 people in B.C. in the first 10 months of this year. Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says the increased toxicity and variability of street drugs has created an environment where everyone who uses substances is at risk.
Several crashes blocked the Alex Fraser Bridge, one of the main arteries over the Fraser River. The route was closed for hours in both directions over safety concerns, the government said.
32-year-old Baljit Singh Nijjar of Surrey has been charged with multiple firearms charges including unauthorized possession of a prohibited/restricted firearm and possession of a prohibited/restricted firearm without a license.
