Drug overdose deaths are down by 24 per cent between April last year and this April, but still B-C’s Coroner says 182 people died.
Fentanyl remains the primary killer, with the drug detected in 82 per cent of test results for those who died so far this year.
The coroner’s service says nearly half of those who overdosed were between the ages of 30 and 49.
The latest figures lift the number of deaths since the public health emergency was declared eight years ago to 14-thousand 582 people.
Witnesses called 9-1-1 reporting shots fired near East Hastings and Columbia just before 4:30 p.m. VPD flooded the area and located a victim with gunshot wounds, while several people were seen fleeing the area on foot. Eight people were arrested and have since been released pending further investigation.
B-C Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau says it's time youth up to the age of 18 were allowed to ride free on transit. A statement from Furstenau says the B-C Green caucus wants the New Democrat government to expand free transit to youth.
A new text alert system to warn about batches of toxic drugs is being implemented in the Vancouver Coastal Health authority. Those who want the alerts can text JOIN to the number 2-5-3-7-8-7, while those who were already signed up on Radar will be added automatically.
Almost 700 firefighters from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are set to arrive in Canada over the next two weeks to help with the unusually severe start to the wildfire season. There are 214 fires burning and 93 of them are out of control, up from 87 out-of-control fires Thursday.
The B.C. board says Vancouver's housing market is showing signs of heating up heading into the summer, as prices increased for the sixth consecutive month. The board says sales for the month totalled 3,411, which was 1.4 per cent below the 10-year seasonal average of 3,458.
After heated debates and decision reversals, most of Stanley Park’s temporary bike lanes set up during the pandemic have now been removed. It means cars now have two lanes along the main Park Drive and those cycling through will either have to share the road or go to the seawall for a slower pace.