Vancouver

Not sure if everyone is familiar with the Mountain Valley Express (MVX) plan, but it's been gaining momentum lately and the Township of Langley is deciding whether or not they want to support exploring the feasibility of the project.

Location: "Newton Area of Surrey, BC" (from a youtube video on their channel)

RAPS is engaged in one of the largest operations we have ever undertaken — rescuing scores of kittens and cats from a disastrous hoarding situation.

“We were called by a family member to intervene in a situation where a person with some significant issues had been hoarding cats and kittens in a large townhouse,” says Valerie Wilson, manager of the RAPS Cat Sanctuary and RAPS Adoption Center. “What we discovered was unlike anything most of us had seen in decades of animal welfare work.”

When the rescuers arrived at the home, dozens of cats and kittens scattered like insects. Opening bathroom cupboards, drawers and looking behind appliances, there were kittens and cats everywhere throughout the house. The entire house was festering with urine and feces everywhere and the stench was unbearable. The home has almost no furniture and the frightened kittens were scampering under urine-soaked blankets to hide from the human “intruders.” When our team cold called unannounced, there were no litter boxes and most of the cats were locked in a room with no furniture, surrounded by feces and urine.

“One of the most disturbing aspects of this situation is that not one, but two, animal rescue organizations had intervened in the past, but had not addressed the underlying hoarding situation,” says Wilson. “In both instances, the organizations had removed cats from the premises but left intact cats, resulting in further reproduction and this near-catastrophic situation that has ballooned into dozens of cats and kittens.”

RAPS has already removed about 15 kittens, as well as a nursing mom.

The nursing mom was so unhealthy she couldn’t care for her kittens. One of those kittens was initially thought to have a brain condition, which was discovered to be merely severely low blood sugar. Through bottle-feeding, that kitten is regaining its strength. The mother is under medical care at the RAPS Animal Hospital and we hope for the best.

As RAPS continues this rescue operation, we anticipate upwards of 10 or more pregnant females and as many as 50 or more cats and kittens in total, most of them unsocialized kittens. And RAPS anticipates at least another 20 to 30 kittens to be born, bringing the overall total to upwards of 80.

RAPS has set up a special fund to support these animals and the ongoing rescue operation. They are calling on the community to support this major undertaking.

RAPS is also seeking experienced cat and kitten fosterers.

See locations and times: https://vancouver.ca/election/2025/where-to-vote.aspx

Independent Investigations Office says unnamed officer may have committed driving offences in 2024 crash

Vancouver By-election ABC Competitor Candidates

I need to figure out who the leading not-ABC candidates are for this week's municipal by-election (Sat Apr 5). Help me out and pitch the best contenders? Thank you!

#Vancouver #BritishColumbia @vancouver

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Police say a man was found deceased on the park's beach just before 8:30 a.m. on Saturday

Vancouver police are investigating after a man was found deceased at a waterfront park on Saturday morning, in what is the first homicide reported to police in the city this year.

Police say they were called to CRAB Park just before 8:30 a.m. PT on Saturday after a man's body was found on the beach.

The park is located near the city's port and the Canada Place seaplane terminal, along the waterfront.

Environment Canada says up to 120 mm of rain can be expected by Tuesday morning

Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings for many parts of Metro Vancouver, after downpours over the weekend and two landslides.

The federal weather agency said 75 to 120 mm of rain can be expected by early Tuesday morning. The highest amounts will be near the coastal mountains, it said. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible.

Cities covered under the warnings include Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and Coquitlam.

details from article:

When: Tentative opening date of April 11 to May 2025 Time: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Where: 41310 Royal Dr., Chilliwack Tickets: Tickets start at $15 for adults and $12 for children 5 to 15 years old and seniors 65 and up. Free for children 4 years and under. Mondays offer a special flat-rate entry of $10 for all guests. Purchase online

Jerusalem Shawarma is a top shawarma destination in Calgary. It currently operates 12 locations, and this new spot is its first in B.C.

“Our roots started in Palestine when our grandfather started this restaurant business in the middle of last century in a village in Palestine. With the great passion he had for food and its varieties, he developed unique recipes to ensure customer satisfaction,” said the restaurant on its website.

“By using the grandfather’s recipes, we are able to offer the exceptional taste to all our customers. Our generous members are ready to welcome you in and offer great food and warm hospitality for dine-in or serve you for either take-out or catering.”

On the first Sunday in March, I was cycling along the Rawlings Trail in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, past numerous strollers and cyclists enjoying the balmy early-spring weather.

Near Second Beach I was keeping an eye out for coyotes. What I saw beside the trail instead was a bright splash of auburn glory.

Only two legs were visible, bright yellow, so clearly not a canine. Two people were standing nearby. I stopped my bike, and together we contemplated the rather surreal presence of a large, apparently healthy, thoroughly placid rooster.

The bird’s guardians introduced themselves as Karl and Olya Schmidt. They were not its owners, they assured me — they had simply come upon the bird as he pecked his contented way around the path.

Sunday at 3:30 PM Location: Arbutus Greenway at 41st Avenue (Intersection of 41st and West Boulevard)

This Sunday, join neighbours in the Vancouver-Quilchena riding to stand up for kindness and honour survivors who have shared the truth of the impacts of the residential school system.

MLA Brodie was kicked out of the Conservative Party Caucus on March 7th after mocking the testimony of residential school survivors. This harmful behaviour would be unacceptable for anyone in Canada and is inexcusable for an elected official. Now that Brodie is an Independent MLA, she cannot effectively represent the interests of our riding. We did not vote for her as an Independent. She should resign so a by-election can be held.

There are moments when we must look around and ask who will speak up. The answer is, we will! We should all speak up when politicians use issues like this to rewrite history for their own benefit and distract from other issues that require attention.

As Vancouver nears its April 5 two-seat byelection, candidates have been in neighbourhoods talking directly with voters at several all-candidates meetings, but two in particular have, so far, been absent.

The pass on the events by ABC Vancouver candidates Jaime Stein and Ralph Kaisers — running for the party with a current majority on council — has puzzled some voters and candidates from opposition parties who are making community-led events a central pillar of their campaigns.

"I mean, this is democracy manifest, right?" said Theodore Abbott, one of two TEAM for A Livable Vancouver byelection candidates at an event Monday in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood.

"This is democracy in action happening."

Costco Wholesale has major plans to add at least two more store locations in Metro Vancouver, but what sets one of these future locations apart is that it will feature a store concept unique to the region.

The region’s first Costco Business Centre is planned for New Westminster, catering specifically to business customers with bulk and specialized products, in contrast to the far more common Costco warehouses primarily tailored for everyday shoppers.