Mounties in Surrey say a 52-year-old man has been charged with arson.
They say two fires occurred in the northwest part of the city on May 28th, less than 12 hours apart.
The R-C-M-P say firefighters and officers received reports of a man allegedly setting fire to bushes, and police later found and arrested the suspect, who was hiding in the area.
They say the man has been charged with two counts of arson and remains in custody until his next court appearance on June 13th.
The throne speech comes two weeks ahead of the government's budget, which is expected to include a financial accounting of last fall's floods and mudslides that devastated communities, farms and highways throughout southern B.C.
Ravi Kahlon, the minister of jobs, economic recovery and innovation, said eight out of every 10 new openings in the next decade will require post-secondary education or skills training, which points to where the economy is headed and what is needed to get ready.
Kevin Falcon, who was elected party leader on Saturday, said Andrew Wilkinson has decided to resign his seat in Vancouver-Quilchena, clearing a possible path to the legislature.
There are 23,739 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 306,419 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 987 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 141 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
The Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU) was consulted and Care and Treatment Zone area of the hospital was evacuated. The Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service attended and conducted a full sweep of surrounding areas.
VPD officers were on patrol when they spotted the suspect randomly kicking and punching people as she walked near Main Street and National Avenue on Saturday afternoon.