Some Chinese nationals blame the strike at Canada Post for a situation that’s left them stuck in Vancouver, waiting for critical documents. Stella Xing, a Chinese national who has been working in the U.S., tells CBC News her passport and work visa were approved last week but are now caught up in the mail. She says she travelled to Vancouver earlier this month to renew her documents. She’s one of several in the same situation who say they are losing hundreds of dollars each day because of the delay.

Two more South Coast ski hills are opening this weekend - Grouse and Seymour. It follows this week’s fresh snow dumps on the North Shore Mountains. On Thursday, Whistler-Blackcomb re-opened. All mountains are operating with a few of their runs set to go…full-openings usually start during the winter break.

We now know some of the strongest gusts reached up to 170 km/h in that windstorm that hit Vancouver Island and parts of the Lower Mainland Tuesday evening. BC Hydro also says close to 300,000 customers were without power at the peak of the ‘cyclone bomb.’ Vancouver’s Langara College had to cancel classes Wednesday morning over concerns about fallen trees on power lines. Meanwhile, many parts of the Fraser Valley experienced very few problems during the storm.

Parts of Vancouver Island have been hardest hit by a ‘bomb cyclone’ of high winds and heavy downpours that hit the South Coast Tuesday evening. BC Ferries cancelled many of its sailings, half a dozen highways and roads were closed and more than 200,000 BC Hydro customers were hit by outages. There are remaining concerns about flooding in some areas of the South Coast as heavy rain continues for much of Wednesday.

Breaking news: Snow (or snow mixed with rain) has fallen in many parts of the Lower Mainland. Those driving through higher elevations or eastern sections of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley started reporting some snow late Monday night. Wind advisories are posted for Tuesday afternoon.Other news…Adrian Dix is no longer B.C.’s Health Minister. That’s the most notable of many moves in a huge cabinet shuffle by Premier David Eby. Dix is now the Minister of Energy and Climate. Former Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne has been appointed the new Health Minister. The new cabinet includes 23 ministers and four so-called junior ministers.

The Toronto Argonauts beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-24 to win this year’s CFL Grey Cup in Vancouver. That’s the third year in a row the Blue Bombers lost the big game. Nick Arbuckle picked up MVP honours after throwing two touchdown passes. The Grey Cup game also included a surprise BC Place appearance by Prince Harry.

Canada Lands Company, a federal crown corporation, will sell its stake in a high-profile Vancouver housing project to an Indigenous led developer. Daily Hive reports CLC will sell-off its share of the Heather Lands, just west of Queen Elizabeth Park, to co-owner MST Development - owned by the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Close to 2,600 homes will be built in several phases on the 21-acre former RCMP headquarters land. The project will include a mix of leasehold strata units, social housing and so-called market housing.

Wednesday was a recovery day as yet another November storm swept across the Lower Mainland. Close to 20-thousand homes and businesses were without power due to high winds. Those conditions also prompted up to five-sailing waits for BC Ferries on the Mainland-Vancouver Island runs. Some commuters also had to contend with pooling water, slowing down traffic in many areas.

John Horgan has died. The former B.C. NDP Premier turned Canadian Ambassador to Germany has passed away following a third battle with cancer. Horgan was considered one of Canada’s most popular premiers - managing to bridge political divides. Some of his accomplishments included removing tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges and eliminating MSP premiums, He died Tuesday at Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital, surrounded by friends and loved ones. John Horgan was 65.

Those living in the federal riding of Cloverdale-Langley will go to the polls on Dec. 16. That byelection date was announced over the weekend, squaring a vacancy left by Liberal MP John Aldag’s failed attempt to win a seat as an NDP MLA. Indigenous communications specialist and law school graduate Madison Fleischer will run for the Liberals while former MP Tamara Jansen expects to turn back the seat for the Conservatives once again.

One of Vancouver’s longest standing and best-known homeless camps is gone…for now. Rangers moved in Thursday afternoon and started dismantling tents in CRAB Park. Those with the City say they have been working to make sure everyone has a place to go - but CRAB Park will be treated like all other Vancouver parks with no overnight camping allowed.

Homicide investigators are only now confirming the death of a woman from Surrey who was reported missing Feb. 23, 2024. The body of 28-year-old Navdeep Kaur was found this past summer near the Massey Tunnel. RCMP say Kaur’s death may have been the result of criminality. No more details are being released even though the remains were found at the foot of Williams Road in Richmond back on July 23. Still, police want the public’s help in trying to figure out the story behind Kaur’s death.

Breaking news…Donald Trump has been elected the next President of the United States. While final results were not confirmed Tuesday night, Trump received enough of the electoral college votes to beat Democrat Kamala Harris. He also won the popular vote. The States will also have a majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives, making any of Trump’s judicial appointments and cabinet confirmations all but certain.

The wind came late and stayed a little too long. More than 150 thousand homes and businesses were hit by blackouts as strong winds hit the Lower Mainland Monday. Some of the strongest winds on the south coast were almost 110 km/h keeping BC Hydro crews and contractors busy. Meanwhile, home and business owners have been asked to keep storm drains clear of leaves so water from the heavy rain can clear.

Weather warnings remain posted as heavy rain and strong winds continue to hit the B.C. south coast. Wind and snow warnings are also up for mountain passes heading in and out of the Lower Mainland. Extra BC Hydro crews and contractors have been called-in in anticipation of power outages. The storm conditions are expected to end by Monday afternoon.

Golden Ears Park north of Maple Ridge is closed until further notice thanks to damage from the recent heavy rain. The stormy weather has cut into river banks and park roads and left lots of debris. The campgrounds are closed. There will be no vehicle access to Golden Ears until further notice.

Three people died in an intense house fire north of Duncan on Monday. All bodies were found at the scene. The updated details from the RCMP come more than two days after firefighters from North Cowichan, Maple Bay, Crofton and Chemainus were called to put out the fire. That house is now rubble. There’s still no word on how the fire started.

Premier David Eby is reaching out to opposition members following word the NDP will form a thin, majority government. Eby says his party has its work cut-out noting British Columbians want more from their government. He’s not ruling out asking a BC Conservative to serve as Speaker of the House. The comments come in his first official news conference following the confirmation of results from the B.C. election.

The BC NDP have managed to scrape out a slim, majority government after several recounts. Barring any unexpected change due to a judicial recount, David Eby’s New Democrats return to power with 47 seats. That means they won’t need the support of B.C.’s two newly elected Green MLAs to pass legislation. The BC Conservatives won 44 seats.

David Eby and the BC NDP appear all-but-certain to form that minority government - election night results from a week ago are holding after weekend recounts. The NDP has increased its lead in some close races but no seats have flipped. Only a small number of absentee ballots are left to be counted before Elections BC confirms its final result.

British Columbians will have to wait until next week - at the earliest - to learn the official results of the provincial election. Elections BC says a final count will be finished on Monday. If election night results hold, David Eby will most likely remain as premier in a minority government. The BC Greens will hold the balance of power and are not entertaining any notions of partnering with the BC Conservatives to remove the NDP from power.

ICBC is now dealing with 266 claims relating to damage from the weekend rainstorms. In some cases, cars floated away due to flooding. Many of the vehicles suffered repairable electrical damage - others are write-offs. ICBC has warned all drivers with partially submerged vehicles to not start the ignition until all the water is gone.

The BC Greens are not ready to formally enter into any agreement with the presumptive governing NDP. That’s the word from New Democrat leader David Eby who also says he’s preparing for every possibility as he awaits the still-to-be confirmed outcome of the provincial election. Meanwhile, Sonia Furstenau has confirmed she will stay on as leader of the BC Greens despite losing her seat.

A fight broke out inside a New Westminster courtroom shortly after two men pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the killing of a prime suspect in the 1985 Air India bombing. One of the two rushed over to punch his co-accused after they both pleaded guilty to killing Surrey businessman Rupidaman Singh Malik. On July 14, 2022, Jose Lopez and Tanner Fox waited in a car outside Malik’s Surrey business before the 75-year-old was shot multiple times. Malik was acquitted of charges in the 1985 Air India bombing the claimed 329 lives as well as the lives of two baggage handlers in a second explosion in Japan. Malik was once a supporter of a separate Sikh state but had changed his views in recent years.

While David Eby appears poised to keep his job as premier, it may be a couple weeks before we officially know if B.C.’s NDP will hold on to power and whether the province will be governed by a majority or minority government. Eby’s New Democrats hold or are leading with 46 seats while the B.C. Conservatives have 45 seats and the Greens - two rookies were elected. Green leader Sonia Furstenau did not get re-elected on Saturday. Some mail-in ballots remains to be counted and there will be at least two recounts over the next several days.

Advance voter turn out has been heavy and B.C. may have a dramatic shift in government - those are two of the realities heading into General Election Day. Many pundits have been expecting a toss up between the governing NDP and the newcomers - the B.C. Conservatives. Polls open at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Close to half a million voters have already cast ballots in advance voting in the B.C. election. That’s a stunning 17 per cent of voters - an extremely high turn out. Still, some experts warn little can be read into election outcomes noting many people are simply taking advantage of new technology and convenience. Advance voting has increased every provincial election in the past 20 years.

A Tuesday afternoon crash closed the north lanes of the Massey Tunnel for several hours. It happened at around 3:45 and even southbound traffic was impacted. Many drivers had to use the Alex Fraser Bridge as an alternative to get from Surrey and Delta into Richmond. There’s no word on the cause of the crash or any injuries.

Both India and Canada are removing their diplomats from each others’ countries following new allegations by the RCMP. The national force claims Indian government officials are linked to homicides, extortion cases and coercion across the country including parts of the Lower Mainland. The tensions ramped up after Canada kicked-out six top diplomats.

The White Rock Muslim Association is demanding a B.C. Conservative candidate withdraw over racist comments made on social media. Brent Chapman, who is now running for the Conservatives in Surrey South made a Facebook comment calling Palestinians “little inbred walking, talking, breathing time bombs.” Chapman’s defenders point out he has since apologized and the original post was made close to nine years ago. The Chair of the White Muslim Association says his community does not feel safe being represented by someone who has made such hateful statements on more than once occasion.

Vancouver business icon and former Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths is among several people under investigation by the B.C. Securities Commission. Griffiths is among a group of investors in cannabis company Rocca Verde Wellness Corporation accused of illegally distributing securities. None of the accusations have been proven in court.

Plenty of jabs but no knock out blows - that’s what most viewers are saying about Tuesday evening’s televised leaders’ debate as B.C. voters get set to go to the advance polls. While David Eby and John Rustad exchanged accusations, Green leader Sonia Furstenau accused both of being aligned on privatizing B.C. healthcare. Most polls still show the NDP and Conservatives in a statistical tie heading into the Oct. 19 vote.

Western Canada’s tallest skyscraper will be built in Burnaby. City Council has given developer Pinnacle International the green light to build a cluster of towers next to the Lougheed Town Centre SkyTrain Station. One of those will be an 850-foot, 80 storey tower…making it the tallest building west of Toronto. The cluster of five towers will include a mix of business and residential units on a six acre site that used to have a Sears outlet store.

One person is dead, four others are injured, after a Saturday afternoon rollover crash on the Coquihalla Highway, south of Merritt. It happened just before 4:00 p.m. Speed is believed to be a factor.

The City of Surrey has failed in its court action to get a Hells Angels clubhouse shutdown. The City had tried to get the rented home on 96 Ave. near 180 Street closed for violating bylaws. The small home is rented by the Hardside Hells Angels and is often used as a meeting place. No one actually lives there.

David Eby attacked John Rustad over conspiracy theories. Rustad took Eby to task over tax increases and affordability. Those were just a couple of the themes popping up in a three way leaders debate on 980-CKNW radio Wednesday morning. Green leader Sonia Furstenau defended her party’s decision to keep a consumer-based carbon tax as a means of fighting climate change. A televised debate will be held Oct. 8. B.C. voters go to the polls Oct. 19.

The leaders of B.C.’s three main political parties are set for a live radio debate on 980-CKNW at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. Show host Mike Smyth will moderate the one hour long debate between David Eby (NDP), John Rustad (BC Conservative) and Sonia Furstenau (BC Green). This is set to be the only radio-only debate during this provincial election campaign. A broadcast consortium TV debate will be held on Oct. 8.

All evacuation orders have been rescinded in a late-season wildfire burning at Christina Lake. Close to 42 homes had been under evacuation order over the weekend as an out-of-control fire burned close to Spaulding Creek and Highway 3. That’s only a couple dozen kilometres from the large Goosmus Wildfire burning in Washington state and some areas near Grande Forks.

Demands for answers are growing after Surrey RCMP shot a mother dead at a home in Cloverdale last week. Community leaders accuse police and an oversight body (IIO) of citing well-worn narratives used against refugees, women and Black people in the fatal police shooting of (Vanessa) Renteria Valencia. They say Valencia was a victim of domestic violence and had recently returned to the home after spending time at a shelter. RCMP say the woman was barricaded in a room and holding a weapon next to a child. There’s no word on whether RCMP tried to deescalate the situation. Valencia’s advocates say police used her husband as an interpreter before she was shot three times.

A growing wildfire has forced some residents to evacuate west of Grand Forks. More than 150 properties were part of an evacuation order Wednesday evening. Another 500 were on evacuation alert. The 200-hectare Goosmus wildfire was discovered on Wednesday.

The BC Greens are promising to expand the province’s safer drug supply. That announcement was made by leader Sonia Furstenau who stood at a podium next to former chief coroner Lisa Lapointe. The move stands in sharp contrast to the NDP’s reversal of its support of the idea and the BC Conservative’s promise to shut down safter drug consumption sites.

The BC NDP has fired a direct shot at John Rustad by posting a video clip to social media from the Conservative leader’s July interview with an anti-vax group that’s suing Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. The clip, shared on X, has Rustad saying he regrets getting the ‘so-called’ vaccine three times. Rustad says he soon realized the shots were more about shaping opinion and controlling the population. Reaction has been swift with many people in the health profession condemning the Conservative leader’s remarks.

A man is dead and a well-known Brothers Keeper gangster is recovering from gunshot wounds after an exchange of gunfire on the Langley side of the Surrey-Langley boundary Saturday night. Vancouver Rundown posted exclusive video to social media after police and paramedics rushed a man later identified by the Vancouver Sun as gangster Barinder (Shrek) Dhaliwal to hospital. He was pulled from a car on 208th Street south of 80th Avenue in the Willoughby neighbourhood. That happened shortly after 6:00 p.m. in front of a busy restaurant and retail complex. Dhaliwal is expected to survive. First responders found a victim dead at another scene near 196th and 82nd, where the shooting likely occurred. IHIT is trying to figure out the circumstances but believes this is linked to B.C.’s gang war.

The B.C. election campaign will officially start on Saturday - when the writ drops - with the BC Conservatives and NDP in a tie, according to the most recent polls. The latest Leger poll echoes others showing statistical ties between the two parties but also finds British Columbians tend to approve of Premier David Eby more than Conservative leader John Rustad. 44 per cent plan to vote NDP, 42 per cent Conservative and 11 per cent Green. Polling does not reflect recent decisions by some former BC United candidates to run as independents.

A driver’s been hurt after being shot by a suspect with a BB gun. Vancouver Police say it happened while the driver of a car-share vehicle was near West 4th and Balaclava in the Kitsilano neighbourhood early Tuesday evening. The driver was treated at the scene and taken home by family members.

Metro Vancouver mayors are once again going ‘cap in hand’ to ask for more taxpayer money for TransLink. The Mayors’ Council is asking all political parties to outline their funding plans for the transit body as fears continue over potential service cuts. Part of the plea is asking people to send letters to their political leaders asking for details. Right now, TransLink is funded by taxpayers through income tax, property tax, Metro Vancouver parking levies, BC Hydro surcharges and bus fares.

The ball appears to be in Ottawa’s court after NDP leader David Eby made a campaign promise to bring in involuntary care for the most severe cases of drug addiction or mental illness. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and close to two dozen other local government leaders are asking the feds to pave the way to make Eby’s plan viable. That plan also has the backing of leaders from the Musqueam Band, Vancouver Fire, Vancouver Police and the Canadian Police Association. Politicians aside - some experts in drug addiction say forced care simply doesn’t work.

The B.C. government is poised to force the severely mentally ill or drug addicted into involuntary care. That surprise announcement was made by NDP leader David Eby. He says the escalating toxic drug crisis justifies such a move. BC Conservative leader John Rustad says he’s not surprised by the announcement as Eby continues to flip-flop on policy.