Police on Vancouver Island say they have arrested a suspect after a suspicious fire at a home in Sidney.
R-C-M-P say officers responded just before 2 p-m yesterday. They say the blaze required a response from the North Saanich, Sidney and Central Saanich Fire Departments.
One suspect was arrested at the scene along Lochside Drive and the Mounties are asking anyone with information to contact them.
British Columbia's government has been fined more than $700,000 after inspectors say they found unsafe wildfire mitigation practices at a site in the province's northeast. A summary posted online by WorkSafeBC says inspectors went to a site near Wonowon, B.C., where trees were being cut down to reduce wildfire fuel, finding evidence of unsafe cuts.
Mounties say the suspect is a South Asian man in his 40s with a slim build, and investigators are seeking dashcam footage from the area of Brentwood Drive between Beta Avenue and Delta Avenue from between 6 and 7 p-m on New Year’s Eve.
Tensions connected to the war between Israel and Hamas have prompted a British Columbia theatre company to cancel the scheduled run of a play set in the region. Victoria's Belfry Theatre says in a statement the timing isn't right to stage The Runner by Canadian writer and actor Christopher Morris and it could "further tensions" in the community.
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his country should "encourage migration" of Palestinians from Gaza and re-establish Israeli settlements there, echoing similar comments from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller condemnedremarks from both politicians as "inflammatory and irresponsible."
Surrey R-C-M-P say there's been a propane leak at a gas station. The station's surrounding area in the Port Kells neighbourhood has been evacuated. Mounties say roads have also been shut down.
The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Wednesday that the federal ethics commissioner was consulted "on these details prior to the travel to ensure that the rules were followed." The office offered the clarification the day before Trudeau's holiday on the Caribbean island is set to conclude. He is there with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and their three children.