Appeal court denies bail review to accused gun trafficker
A Prince George man facing 24 firearms charges has lost a bid to be released on bail pending trial. Jamie Hal Hammerstrom, 35, was charged last year with eight counts of possessing firearms for the...
View ArticleMan dies after assault on Commercial Drive Saturday morning: UPDATE
Vancouver Police have arrested a 27-year old after a man was fatally assaulted in East Vancouver just after 10:30 am Saturday morning. The suspect has not yet been charged. Sgt. Randy Fincham issued a...
View ArticleRIP Clyde Hertzman: 1953 – 2013
Many are mourning the death in recent days of Clyde Hertzman, a leading expert in early childhood development. UBC announced his sudden passing Saturday, noting that his research has had influence...
View ArticlePoliticians asked to take a stand on LGBTQ issues in B.C. schools
The Pride Education Network is urging B.C. political parties to address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) students as they prepare for the May election. The group...
View ArticleIndependent school in North Vancouver settles discrimination complaint (UPDATED)
A confidential agreement has ended a human-rights complaint against a private school in North Vancouver that caters to children with learning disabilities. The complaint was filed in 2011 by a family...
View ArticleB.C. throne speech thin on education initiatives
There were no big surprises for the education sector in Tuesday’s throne speech. It contained only a few vague promises in this area, including unspecified measures to improve early childhood services,...
View ArticleAccused gunman gets Queen’s Medal
Radio India owner Maninder Gill has yet to go to trial on gun charges laid in connection with an August 2010 shooting. But controversy is swirling after New Democrat MP Jinny Sims gave Gill one of...
View ArticleUniversity Hill secondary school in Vancouver prepares for grand opening...
The long-awaited grand opening of the new University Hill secondary school in Vancouver is set for Thursday morning. Premier Christy Clark is scheduled to attend and may be hoping for a little...
View ArticleLiberals hire marketing managers to sell B.C. education overseas
The Liberal government has hired at least seven marketing managers to promote B.C. education abroad. Although there has been no public announcement, information was emailed to B.C. school districts,...
View ArticleAbbotsford cops find medical pot grower way over plant limit
Abbotsford police raided a marijuana grow-op Tuesday night that had more than eight times the number of plants it was entitled to grow under a medical marijuana licence. Const. Ian MacDonald said...
View ArticleNew Westminster school official takes medical leave amid controversy
The man at the centre of a storm in New Westminster school district has taken a medical leave of absence. Secretary-treasurer Brian Sommerfeldt is expected to be gone for a month, board chairman...
View ArticleSurrey Six cops facing charges finally have lawyers – UPDATE
The RCMP won’t confirm whether it has agreed to pay the legal fees for four Mounties charged after their work on the Surrey Six murder case. Sgt. Julie Gagnon, a media relations officer in Ottawa, said...
View ArticleRichmond man pleads guilty in double slaying
A Richmond man pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court Thursday to killing his estranged wife and her male companion at a busy McDonald’s restaurant in August 2009. Through a Mandarin interpreter, Chang...
View ArticleWhat Barack Obama and Gordon Campbell have in common
What do U.S. President Barack Obama and former B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell have in common? Misleading charts. Or, to be more precise, a serious problem with using a zero baseline. This is basically...
View ArticleBC Hydro, BCSC compete for worst FOI request response time
UPDATE: The B.C. Securities Commission sent me their data at 4 p.m. Feb. 15. That leaves BC Hydro as the winner with the slowest FOI response of 100+ agencies. Every year around this time, The...
View ArticleDelta mom says schools discriminated against learning-disabled son
A mother has filed a human-rights complaint against the Delta school district and two senior officials, alleging they discriminated against her learning-disabled son by failing to provide him with an...
View ArticleSean Doak ordered extradited by B.C. Supreme Court judge
Accused cross-border drug smuggler Sean Doak was ordered released on bail Friday hours after he was taken into custody because of a court order committing him for extradition to the United States. On...
View ArticleAverage class size in B.C. school districts 2012-13
The average class size in Grades 4-7 is smaller in Central Coast and Vancouver Island West this year than other B.C. public school districts. Central Coast, with only 253 students, has an average class...
View ArticleDelta school district seeks gag order in human-rights case
A lawyer for the Delta board of education is not happy that Lisa McWilliams went public with a human-rights complaint against the district on behalf of her learning-disabled son. Now she’s seeking an...
View ArticleSupreme Court to decide on prisoner transfers from US
The BC Civil Liberties Association will be in the Supreme Court of Canada Monday arguing in favour of a prisoner transfer for Pierino Divito, a 75-year convicted trafficker with purported links to the...
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