Latest news with #Squamish
CTV News
15 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
B.C. Forest Practices Board says forestry changes could reduce wildfire risk
A helicopter works on the Dryden Creek wildfire north of Squamish, B.C., on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin British Columbia's Forest Practices Board says a two-year investigation has found 'outdated rules and unclear responsibility' are stopping forestry from becoming a wildfire prevention tool. The board — an independent body that audits B.C. forest practices — says it examined forestry operations between 2019 and 2022 in areas where communities and forests meet, including the Sea to Sky, Cariboo-Chilcotin and Peace districts. It says fire hazard assessments are a 'cornerstone of wildfire risk reduction,' and while the industry assessments met 70 per cent of the requirements, fewer than one-quarter were completed on time. The board says municipalities are excluded from the definition of legal interface, a term used for fires burning close to homes, which means logging debris can remain for up to 30 months, even in high-risk areas. The report makes five recommendations to the province that it says would help support 'faster fuel cleanup, better co-ordination and more consistent protection for people and communities throughout B.C.' The suggestions include encouraging forest operators to actively reduce fire risk, improve co-ordination between government and industry, update legal definitions to add municipalities in the interface, modernize hazard assessment guidelines and incentivize faster logging cleanup. Board chair Keith Atkinson says more than a million B.C. residents live in areas with high or extreme wildfire risk. 'Foresters are already active in these spaces. With better rules and incentives, their efforts can become part of the wildfire solution,' he says in the release. 'This is an opportunity to improve our policies and processes toward proactive, risk-reducing forestry. It starts with better policy and ends with safer, more fire-resilient communities.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. The Canadian Press
Vancouver Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Vancouver's Trutch Street is now šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street. Not everyone is happy
A round of applause erupted Tuesday in the gallery of Vancouver city council chambers, after the city officially adopted its first street name in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the language of the Musqueam First Nation. But while the council vote on this first-of-its-kind change was unanimous, the sentiment outside of city hall was not. The Kitsilano road formerly known as Trutch Street is now legally šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street, a name given to the city by the Musqueam First Nation. By Tuesday afternoon, the new name was showing up on Google maps, and new street signs are set to be unveiled within days. The city called the change 'a landmark moment' that will weave 'the display of hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ into the public fabric of city life.' A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. For years, the Musqueam First Nation has called for removing the name of B.C.'s first lieutenant-governor, Joseph Trutch, from the street as a way to acknowledge the colonial politician's racist legacy and reduce the prominence of his name. The change stemmed from a vote by Vancouver's previous council in 2021. Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow spoke at council Tuesday, and thanked city staff for what he called 'reconciliation in action.' Some residents worry about practical implications of this change. And at least one other local First Nation is unhappy about the process. On Monday, the council of the Squamish First Nation sent a letter to Vancouver's mayor and council, urging them to withdraw the renaming proposal at the last minute. While Squamish council supported removing Trutch's name, they wrote, they were 'disappointed with the lack of proper consultation with the Squamish Nation on this project' and oppose the chosen name of šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street. 'It is imperative that the city engage with the Squamish Nation on changes happening on our territory. The street in question is next to our ancestral village of Sen̓áḵw,' the Squamish council wrote. 'Proceeding with this name change in collaboration solely with Musqueam disregards the well-established and enduring connection the Squamish Nation has to this area.' Council also heard Tuesday from some of the people living in the roughly 100 addresses impacted by the change. Resident Gail Langton said she and her neighbours are 'in full agreement with getting rid of the Trutch name, given its terrible history,' and they support the name that they long believed was coming: 'Musqueamview,' spelled using the Latin alphabet. The people with the affected addresses were surprised last week, Langton said, to read in The Vancouver Sun that 'the legal name of the street will be solely šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street,' in keeping with the Musqueam Nation's wishes. Langton is nervous about real-world implications of making šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm the street's sole legal name, because many people can't pronounce it, and it can't be spelled by many systems, including Canada Post and Service Canada. The city has said that while šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm is the legal name, the English name of Musqueamview can 'be used while systems work to integrate multilingual characters.' It seems likely that will be the variation that most people speak and write for the foreseeable future. The city said it consulted with emergency service providers about the changer, and proposes to address safety concerns by installing two street signs on each post: one with 'šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm' and another with 'Musqueamview.' Langton worries that if someone used 'Musqueamview' in a legal document — like a will or a real estate transaction — it could be challenged or invalidated. She worries she might not be able to shop online or receive the delivery of packages. She hopes that other systems will accept 'Musqueamview' and these problems won't materialize. But she worries. Langton thinks it's a good thing, though, that the whole episode is teaching more Vancouverites about the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language, and promoting dialogue. People can visit musqueamview to learn more about the renaming and hear the correct pronunciation of šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm. Trying something new is often difficult. Several municipal staff members could be heard Tuesday chatting inside city hall about how the new street name would work in practice. There seem to still be some unanswered questions. Michelle Bryant-Gravelle, Vancouver's senior director of Indigenous relations, commented during Tuesday's meeting that city staff learned a lot throughout this process. 'Any time you do something for the first time, it's a process,' she said. dfumano@
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Five events to celebrate the official arrival of summer in Vancouver this weekend
Article content Friday officially marks the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Let the sunburns begin. Article content With the arrival of the beloved, if short, period comes an absolute blooming of events all across the Lower Mainland. Article content So many events are being announced in the coming weeks that you can expect to see frequent updates like this one to keep you informed and adding to your weekly planner. After all, best to get out and enjoy the longer days and warmer temperatures while they are here. Article content Article content Article content When: June 20, 8 p.m. Article content Article content Article content National Indigenous Peoples Day Article content When: June 21, noon Article content Where: Carnegie Centre and area of the 400 Block of Main and Hastings Streets Article content Tickets/info: Free Article content Opening remarks from local chiefs representing the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, food and exhibitor booths and live performers from such Indigenous music talents as JB the First Lady, Jez Dylan Bonham Band, TALON and more. Article content Waahli, Jacky Essombé, Yoro Noukoussi and Kocassalé Dioubaté Article content Article content When: June 21, 1 p.m. Article content Where: Civic Plaza, 126 14th St. W, North Van. Article content Co-presented with the French Cultural Centre and part of the North Shore Jazz Series of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Montreal-based artist of Haitian descent Waahli dropped his seventh album, Seven Bubbles, earlier this year. He is joined by Vancouver musicians Jacky Essombé, Yoro Noukoussi and Kocassalé Dioubaté.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
B.C. wildfire behaviour decreases
Vancouver Watch Firefighters are marking success in all areas of the province as wildfire behaviour decreases, including in Squamish.
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
1 presumed dead, another missing following separate incidents at B.C. bodies of water
One person is presumed drowned and another is unaccounted for following two separate incidents involving bodies of water in southwest B.C. last weekend. Police in West Vancouver say a 29-year-old man is believed to have died after going missing while swimming across a lake in Cypress Provincial Park. They say B.C. Emergency Health Services and North Shore Rescue reported the man missing to the department around 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Police say the man, who was from Burnaby, was swimming across Cabin Lake with his fiancée when he "began to struggle." They say several witnesses saw the man in distress and his companion trying to help him before the man slipped beneath the surface and disappeared. A news release from the department says North Shore Rescue and West Vancouver Fire Service conducted an initial search in the water Sunday night, but were forced to suspend it as it got dark. It says another underwater search will be conducted, but police confirmed the man's family has been notified and the investigation will be turned over to the B.C. Coroners Service once the body has been recovered from the lake. Squamish crash leaves 1 unaccounted for Another person is unaccounted for after a vehicle with four occupants went into the Squamish River around 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning. A release from Squamish RCMP says three individuals were able to make it to safety, but one person is not believed to have made it out of the vehicle. Police say aerial and ground searches have not been able to locate the vehicle. Media relations officer Const. Kelly Wu says recovery efforts were paused due to current elevated water levels resulting from spring runoff. She says they will reassess recovery efforts as water levels begins to recede and visibility improves. "We do want to acknowledge that it's a very difficult time for the family and we're going to do everything we can to continue to monitor and reassess the conditions to determine when it's safe to proceed with the recovery," she said.
