The BC Wildfire Service has announced a 5-month ban on Category 3 fires in some parts of BC’s Interior, which includes the Kamloops, Penticton, Lillooet, Vernon, and Merritt fire zones.

Category 3 open fires will be prohibited from May 3 to Oct. 11, prohibiting people from burning three or more fires on a property at one time, and any fire burning with a burning pile of more than 2 meters in height or 3 meters in width.

As drought conditions persist across most of the province, officials fear the 2024 wildfire season could be as bad, or worse, than last year's record-setter.

The BC Wildfire Service said in a media release that anyone found to be violating the open burning prohibition could face a $1,150 fine and up to $100,000 with possible jail time for those found guilty.

The fire ban does not include Category 1 campfires, or Category 2 open fires, for now.

The Kootenay region is not included in this fire ban. More information on burning restrictions can be found here.

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The BC Government says social media giants Meta, Snap, TikTok and X have agreed to work collaboratively with the province of the development of Bill 12, its public harms legislation, and will be part of BC’s Online Safety Action Table. 

The province says it will place Bill 12 on hold while discussions take place on how to create safe, empowering experiences online

 In a news release, the province says it’s an opportunity to bring experts, parents, technology companies and government together to find new ways of helping young people stay safe online and  be better protected from online harms. 

The province also says Meta has also committed to working with BC’s emergency management organization to help amplify official information for people in emergency situations like wildfires. 

The official opposition says the NDP’s decision to retract Bill 12 only comes after significant public backlash. 

BC United says the business community and concerned citizens across the province forced the NDP to acknowledge the flaws in the legislation. 

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A new round of climate action funding encourages local governments to attempt larger projects.

The province announced earlier this week that they will provide nearly $72 million through the Local Government Climate Action Program, a program aiming to help local communities lower emissions, turn to clean-energy sources and prepare for a changing climate.

This funding comes as part of Budget 2024.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change strategy George Heyman says many sources of emissions are local in nature.

“By providing the next three years of Local Government Climate Action Program funding upfront this year, we can build a more sustainable and climate-friendly future for British Columbians,” said Heyman.

For this funding, the province is giving the money away in a lump sum instead of disbursing it annually, with hopes it will give local governments more confidence in making these projects.

They add the projects need to be aligned with CleanBC and/or climate adaptation objectives.

To learn more about the program, click here.

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Fully self-driving cars are now banned in BC, but there weren’t any for sale yet, anyway.

Changes to the Motor Vehicle Act took effect this month, banning all vehicles with self-driving capabilities at level three or above. That would affect cars that can drive themselves without human input, and there are currently only a few for sale world-wide.

In the US, the only two vehicles available with the feature are models of the Mercedes S-class, and they are only allowed on the roads in California and Nevada.

The self-driving features in newer Tesla EVs are considered level two, which offer assistance while changing lanes and automatic braking, but still require a human driver at the wheel. Vehicles with those features are still allowed in BC.

The rating system was designed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and has five levels, with level one featuring minimal driver assist and level five featuring a full autopilot.

The province could relax the rules in the future once technology improves.

“Highly automated self-driving vehicles remain a new and emerging transportation technology,” says the Ministry of Transportation. “Further testing and policy development are necessary before Level 3 or higher automated vehicles are considered safe and can begin to be allowed for public use on B.C. roads.”

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British Columbia achieved a major landmark yesterday (Monday), with the planting of the ten-billionth tree since provincial reforestation efforts began in 1930.

The pace has picked up in recent years, with two-billion of those new seedlings planted since 2017.

Forests Minister Bruce Ralston calls the program one of the province’s most important mega-projects, and will ensure the forests are with us for generations to come.

“Ten billion seedlings planted is a remarkable achievement in making sure our forests are with us for generations to come,” Ralston said.

“It’s easy to get lost in the number, but there’s a very human story here, too. Planting 10 billion trees means 10 billion carefully wielded shovels by 20 billion hands across almost 100 years. This is an accomplishment we can all be proud of, and it’s an honour to play a small part in that number by planting this tree today.”

Last year, 305 million seedlings were planted in B.C. forests. One of these seedlings was the 10-billionth planted since work began almost a century ago.

Forest tenure holders have been legally required to undertake reforestation efforts since 1987.

“The planting of 10 billion trees in our province is one of B.C.’s most important mega projects,” said John Betts, executive director, Western Forestry Contractors’ Association.

“Besides the hard work involved, it’s an act of optimism where the full benefits won’t be realized until well into the future. It’s a fine legacy for all the thousands of nursery workers, planters and foresters involved over the years.”

In 2024, 235 million of the 290 million seedlings expected to be planted will be done through forestry companies, with an additional five million planted by First Nations.

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The province says they’re ready to create an atmosphere of respect and safety for everyone as they begin Prevention of Violence Against Women week. 

According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, one woman or girl is killed every 48 hours in Canada and the cost to deal with the aftermath of spousal abuse is over $7 billion.  

Parliamentary secretary for gender equity Kelli Paddon says violence against women takes many forms and has become far more prevalent than anyone can imagine. 

“It can be verbal, such as jokes, rumors, threats or slander,” she says.

“It also occurs online and can involve sharing of intimate images without someone’s consent.” 

Patton says it is because of the rising violence the government decided to end it. 

“Safe and Supported brings all of government together in collaboration with Indigenous partners, and community organizations to prevent and help end violence against women and gender-diverse people,” she says.

“This work includes preventing violence through education and awareness, while also increasing safety and support for survivors.” 

For more about gender-based violence and how to support victims visit the province’s website.

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Unvaccinated Canadians will soon be able to board a plane or train.

Federal officials announced Tuesday afternoon that, as of June 20th, the vaccine mandate for domestic and outbound international travellers will end.

The restriction was announced last October as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Those coming back to Canada will still have to quarantine while foreign nationals arriving in the country will still need to be vaccinated.

Mask mandates will also stay in place. Officials say the changes are based on science and not on cutting down on long lines and delays seen at airports including Toronto and Vancouver.

They add the measures could be brought back if COVID-19 cases surge once again.

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Ottawa police are taking steps to prevent more protesters from entering the city this weekend.

Chief Peter Sloly says a three-pronged “surge and contain” operation will be used with the goal of shutting the protest down.

The police intend to use concrete barriers and heavy equipment to further restrict vehicles coming into the downtown core.

They will also be deploying 150 more officers in the hardest-hit areas who will be on duty 24/7 over the weekend looking for, investigating, and charging people for any acts of unlawful behaviour.

They also have increased intelligence and investigative abilities to identify illegal activity, including collecting financial, digital, vehicle, and insurance information.

Police are estimating another 300 to 400 trucks, up to 2,000 supporters and demonstrators on foot, and up to 1,000 counter-protesters will be in Ottawa this weekend.

Sloly says the protest remains an “increasingly volatile and dangerous situation” and remains unresolved as several of the remaining demonstrators are resistant to leaving. He could not give any indication when the protest may end.

He urged people planning to go to Ottawa to stay home saying what the residents, businesses, and vulnerable population of downtown Ottawa have endured is unacceptable. Sloly says he understands their anger and frustration with the now week-long protest where they continue to be “impacted by unlawful activity.”

On Thursday, members of the Freedom Convoy said they will leave Ottawa when the prime minister ends all COVID-19 mandates.

Tamara Lich, one of the organizers, says the movement is calling on all levels of government in Canada to end all COVID-19 mandates and restrictions, “we will continue our protest until we see a clear plan for their elimination.”

Lich says so far no one from the federal, provincial, or municipal governments have spoken directly with the convoy.

Daniel Bulford a former RCMP officer who is now a convoy security organizing volunteer, says they have been working closely with the Ottawa Police Service, the OPP, the RCMP, and the Parliamentary Protective Service since early last week.

“Any information that we have received related to any public safety concern has been immediately forwarded to the respective police services because the safety of the truckers, the Ottawa public, and police and first responders is our paramount concern,” he says.

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Looking to stop the spread of COVID-19, Canada’s House of Commons is shutting down for five weeks.

All of the federal parties were discussing not returning from their scheduled break next week and reached an agreement on Thursday.

The House of Commons will be suspended until April 20th.

As part of the shutdown plan, the Canadian Parliament passed the new NAFTA deal between the United States, Canada, and Mexicos, now known as the USMCA. A vote is expected Thursday afternoon in the Senate.

The federal budget which was scheduled to be tabled on March 30th has been unscheduled and will be presented at a later date as a result of the shutdown.

*** Story by Wendy Gray/Bradley Jones ***

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