CBC Vancouver News at 11, July 25: B.C.'s coolest weather in a month expected to aid wildfire fight

this is CBC Vancouver news they were screaming at us they're like evacuate now evacuate now the smoke and the the fire does not look like it's it's hit silveron cooling temperatures but more evacuation orders Wildfire crews in BC stay busy as more than 400 fires burn in the province and and I rely on Transit I take bus Sky Train and then I bus again a dire warning for Transit users the stakes are high and the clock is ticking TransLink says without a new funding model it may be forced to cut service in half also be prepared and get educated on the rules of the waterways nearly a month after a terrifying crash between a sea plane and a boat a push for better safety in a busy Waterway hello thanks for joining us I'm janela Hamilton we begin in Alberta where fears have become a reality one of the wildfires threatening Jasper has swept through the historic town reducing buildings to Ash the North and South fires have now merged because of Gusty winds up to 100 kilometers an hour although those of us who experienced Jasper has visitors can't imagine what it feels like to be a desperate right now we share the sense of loss with all of those who live in the town who care for it and who have helped build it there is significant damage in the southwestern part of the Town scores of homes businesses and vehicles have been destroyed as well as some significant landmarks there are reports the Flames reached 100 m into the air and spread as fast as 15 MERS a minute firefighters there continue to battle The Blaze there have been no reports of deaths or injuries meanwhile here in BC firefighters hope cooling temperatures will help in their fight against more than 400 wild fires that continue to burn in the province the fire is prompting several new evacuation orders and alerts in the past 24 hours as Cory bulock reports the safety of people is Paramount wind is whipping through the southeast fire Center churning up wildfires like the dog tooth FSR in Golden there's about seven rescue vehicles firefighters uh once the fire jumped the highway they jumped in their vehicles and took off and they were screaming at us they're like evacuate now evacuate now I've never been through anything like this that in my life the fire just south of the community has quickly grown in size engulfing more than 130 hectares the mayor of golden says six homes have been lost to The Blaze on Thursday ultimately we've lost a few homes and people Define them as structures but these are actually people's homes there are some out buildings that have been damaged also but to this point in time we're not aware of any injuries or or anybody getting hurt he says Crews are still working to learn the full extent of the damage and over in the west couy it's a similar story it's been extremely windy this morning all last night the the wind gusts were were insane the entire Village of Silverton was evacuated Wednesday night because of the Awin Creek Fire but the mayor says she's holding out hope the smoke and the the fire does not look like it's it's hit silveron nearby a cluster of fires in the west Cy dubbed the Slane Lake complex broke out last week when a lightning storm rolled through the region Kus resident Lissa hinchel was camping across from Silverton when she saw the sky light up it was intense none of us had ever experienced anything like it um it was very powerful very on inspiring to to say the least and we were a little fearful to be honest the BC Wildfire service says cooler conditions and rain May give Crews the chance to make more progress on fighting fires at the forecast thankfully we're not going to see a return to some of the extreme temperatures uh returning to a bit more seasonal conditions however we do have warm conditions prevailing she says more resources are on route to help crws battle the many blazes in the region and officials are urging everyone in BC to be prepared by packing a grab andgo kit and signing up for emergency alerts Cory Bok CBC News cran Brook there is some better news on the firefront in BC the evacuation order for the District of Wells has been downgraded to an alert residents are now able to return home but are being told to be prepared to leave if the aner creek fire activity changes as well there is no longer an evacuation Alert in place for the village of Ashcraft meanwhile it appears Barkerville in the bowern lake area are still on evacuation order but officials say firefighters are being helped by periods of rain as they battle the to control the Flames at the end of the month Vancouver will lose almost two dozen transitional housing units with Supportive Services the facility was first opened as a covid response to get marginalized people into safer conditions BC housing says it was supposed to be a temporary fix now 3 years later it's about to close as Bel pury reports some of the people living in those units fear they'll be left homeless it's a sweet idea in its fledgling stages My First Market is Saturday at UBC so I'll be at that farmers's market the start of her vegan ice cream business is a big step for Elaine Lynn until recently she spent a year in hospital I was struggling really bad with my suicidality so I was having like suicide attempts multiple times a day and just unable to keep myself safe because of how bad I was doing mentally in March she was strong enough to move into supportive transitional housing with Mental Health Care staff on site she was informed at the outset the facility would close on July 31st but BC housing also promised that they guaranteed us all housing before July 31st of equal or similar value and that's not been followed through the 21 second floor unit leased from Easter Seal's house are funded by BC housing and operated by Coast mental health since 2021 the lease and services have been extended year by year until now our team focuses so so many resources on doing our best to match people with the housing that will best meet their need the reality of it is there's there's not enough housing in British Columbia BC housing says residents have been offered multiple options for new housing so far I've been offered housing that is like heavily substance used Focus so a lot of active users there I've been offered a place in Richmond which is out of the vicinity I specified according to BC housing six residents have already been moved others will be supported to move this week we don't understand why this is happening and this is the lack of communication and the refusal to work and cooperate with us has caus nothing but mental and emotional stress and pain to every single one I have tenants coming to me every day asking me what to do the fear is the promise of equal quality housing is about to become no housing at all for myself it's very hard to see my life like past July 31st I have no idea where I'm going B pury CBC News Vancouver a Siri homeowner accused of violating stop workor orders and building unauthorized Suites in her house is the target of enforcement by the city but as mea Baines reports the city is struggling to stop illegal construction after construction of several illegal add-ons to our Newton home gim Jo Dylan told a city hearing that she's trying to bring her home into compliance but she argues sir's bylaw department has been harassing her I urgently request the councel to direct bylaw officers to seize the ongoing harassment which includes unwarranted visits to the property Dylan a licensed realtor says she hired a contractor but was unaware no permits had been issued for the work she says she was dealing with health issues at the time the city claims construction was still taking place despite it posting several stop work orders it says there were efforts to evade bylaw officers including workers fleeing the scene the work includes three unauthorized secondary Suites a two-story addition to two sides of the property a small roof structure over the front door and a laundry room we have spent approximately $250,000 for the renovation work by taking debt an Airbnb posting for a two-bedroom Suite shows photos of the same home listed for $228 a night city council voted to file a notice on Dylan's property informing any potential buyer of the unauthorized construction this is what the city can do at this point we can always take people to court the challenge with that is that takes a lot of time and a lot of resources the city has issued Dylan six bylaw notices totaling $3,000 in fines at least half a dozen homes in Dylan's Newton neighborhood have notices posted on them a building contractor who has had to tear down and rebuild sections of homes says it's common all over the Lower Mainland he says electrical work done without a permit is especially concerning and it's all meant to protect the homeowner too their insurance may possibly be voided if they don't do things properly and with proper uh permits Dylan is still asking the city for a development variant's permit to keep an addition to the back of the home we would like to uh put forth on the city Hall's desk so they can go ahead and review the plans Dylan did not reveal the name of the contractor who performed the illegal construction Mira Baines CBC News Siri a warning now for Transit users transing says if it can't find a new funding model it may be forced to cut transit services in half Katie D roza has the story imagine trying to get home from downtown Vancouver but there's no buses after 8:00 p.m. or waiting twice as long for a sky train or SE bus I rely on Transit I take bus Sky Train and then I bus again so so Transit is very important for me I will feel Troublesome about that because I think the actually the that kind of the rapid bus and the frequent bus is very I think it's very important in my life or being stuck in traffic from the Fraser Valley to downtown because the West Coast Express commuter train has been parked that's the worst case scenario now being outlined by TransLink in a new report it warns that Transit service could be gutted unless the federal and provincial governments Pony up more cash CEO Kevin Quinn says transing is facing a financial shortfall of $600 Million by 2026 the results of that report were nothing short of shocking so what would these potential Cuts mean for commuters according to the report 145 out of 230 Transit routes would be cancelled including most night buses Sky Train and seab bus service would drop by 30% handy Dart Services would run only for essential medical appointments almost 700,000 people would no longer be able to walk to public transit and that would push more commuters onto already clogged roads increasing congestion by 20% impacts won't just be felt by transit Riders it would be felt by the entire region the provincial government has been providing temporary relief funding for TransLink since the start of the pandemic but that money dries up in 2025 the Mayor of Richmond says it's not sustainable for TransLink to be constantly wondering where its funding will come from year after year I'm not surprised to hear the gravity of the cuts and and I I want to emphasize um I am fully confident that the province particularly and the federal government will step up and they'll be supportive uh but the question is if they're not then what BC conservative leader John rustad says despite $1.7 billion in what he calls provincial government bailout since 2020 the trans trans Authority is still floundering he wants an audit of translink's books TransLink itself is saying that they have record ridership why did they allow this numbers to get to be as bad as they are today official opposition leader Kevin Falcon released his party's Transit plan Thursday vowing to extend the sky train to the NorthShore and build a new larger iron workers Memorial Bridge Falcon does not yet have a cost estimate for those plans if we don't start investing in infrastructure we are going to have people sitting in parking lots for hours a day as is often the case today BC's Transportation Minister did not guarantee the TransLink will get the money it's asking for well I I think the Mayors are are looking at a provincial election cycle coming up and understandably they're wanting to get some commitments however Fleming argues that the NDP has been a reliable funding partner for trans lake and is calling on Ottawa to step up Katie do roza CBC News Victoria a Prince George mounty has been found found guilty of obstruction of justice in relation to an incident involving the death of an indigenous man nearly 7 years ago Jason Proctor has the latest it's been nearly seven years since Dale Calver died after a police incident which saw multiple officers apprehend and arrest him in what's been described as a violent takedown Calver died about 30 minutes after he was taken into custody in a packed courtroom today a judge accepted the testimony of a bystand who came on the scene after Cala was in custody and started filming he said Constable Arthur Dalman approached him and ordered him to either hand over his phone or delete the video Dalman denied the accusation but the judge said he didn't believe him there was another accused in the case who the judge acquitted Dalman is the only one of five officers to have been charged in connection with events surrounding Culver's death have been found guilty manslaughter charges were stayed against two other officers and charges were also stayed against another mounty he was charged with obstructing justice ca's daughter Lily speed was in the courtroom here is her reaction to today's decision we did have our own little suspicions that dolman was going to be found guilty um how the judge chose to word it was quite intense and I kind of couldn't help but happy cry I guess a little bit while he was describing it cuz it's been a long years waiting to hear those words the courtroom included two dozen uniformed RCMP members who came to support a colleague Culver's cousin Debbie Pierre was in the court as well as were many other supporters who see this case as a test of the judicial system's ability to handle allegations made against police in relation to treatment of indigenous people we have not had our day in court to hear what happened to to Dale and uh today we were able toar hear portions of of what happened with Dale and that's so important for our family to understand who was all involved why Dale ended up dead and what are the consequences of that Doan's lawyer said he'll file an application to stay the charge because of delay sentencing will be set later this year Jason Proctor CBC News Vancouver following a serious Collision last month in Cole Harbor several agencies are urging boers to be aware of increased traffic that story after the break [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] nearly a month after a terrifying crash between a boat and a SE plane in Cole Harbor several agency are agencies are again pushing for greater safety in the busy Waterway so and du reports typically the the planes are always taking off into the wind and they're Landing into the wind so um you know which way the wind's coming from when you're on the water and and you can be assured that that's the way that the planes will be taking off Bruce Haynes says for anyone out on a boat or any kind of watercraft staying clear off a sea planes pathway is imperative be prepared and get educated on the rules of the waterways last month two people were hospitalized following a collision between a sea plane and a pleasure boat Transportation safety board is currently investigating the Collision the crash spark calls for more safety measures in and around Bard Inlet where the Collision occurred these experts say it's up to people on boats and other watercrafts to make way for the bigger vessels large deep sea vessels and sea planes have limited visibility don't assume they can see you it's also hard for a big ship to change course it come to complete stop currently there is no licensing required for recreational boating in BC however experts say all boter must equip themselves of the safety regulations before entering the water recreational boter must be particularly aware of the rules and designated shipping lanes such as those in English Bay and in other parts of the Salish sea and even those planning to venture out on motor L watercraft there is a word of caution if you're on a paddle board you still need safety equipment you need a PFD you need a whistle you need a buoyant throwing line there's stuff that is that is necessary for you to have to go out on the water Sergeant McDougall says with strong winds keeping course could become challenging even for expert water sports Enthusiast it was uh pretty evident last night as people weren't paying attention to the forecast and the celebration of lights were were on and we had a Southwest early that was 10 to 15 knots and people on those personal watercrafts were really struggling experts say even those who are out on Lake water need to watch out for traffic around them and yield to any emergency crws in action with the wildfires in BC right now I'm asking and urging all recreational boers on the on the lakes in the interior to stay away from helicopters and and planes that are scooping and working on the wildfires Hy says anyone planning to spend time on the water should have proper safety gear and a float plan and tell someone on the dry land when they are expected back s Sandu CBC News Vancouver here we have a live shot of BC Place in the Georgia Viaduct tonight russle Kate will have our full forecast next [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the weather update is brought to you by Direct by furnace to cool and clean the air in your home call Direct by furnace installing train the most reliable heating and cooling brand [Music] Russ leate joins us now with a look at our weather now Russ I know we're going to talk a little bit about the Dynamic Fire situ situation rather around the province right now yes as we've been talking about the past couple of days J I want to keep referencing this chart giving you an idea of what the change in the forest fire danger rating provincewide has been since Monday compared to today we see large portions of the northern two-thirds of the province really having lowered in terms of the forest fire danger rating so that's good news the cooler air the rain has helped out with that one of the troubl spots still down in the Cy the southeast corner of the provin happens to be where most of our not only active and out of control fires are but those fires of note as well the ones threatening communities threatening populations a lot of smoke a lot of Ash in the air the circulation provincewide has almost been anticyclonic for a couple of days with this lad tracking through the central part of the province towards Alberta if you can imagine all of that smoke smoke plume caught up in the circulation and being guided down the coast as high pressure begins to build in again our weather pattern through the central part of the province I think it's going to dry out probably Trend sunnier again even warm up by a few degrees the problem is there's going to be some smoke and train with that this is an estimation from the smoke model forecast from earlier today and we roll that ahead to the end of the day tomorrow and a lot of that smoke from the intense wildfires in the Southeast corner of the province wrapping around and closing in on the lower main land I really hope this doesn't turn out that way but we may have some rather diffuse smoke a loft in the air around parts of the Lower Mainland by tomorrow into the weekend your provincewide forecast yes it does dry out in areas like bellula it dries out for Wester across much of the South as well one or two showers in Golden we're not even talking about one millimeters worth of rain temperatures rebounding into the mid 20s Metro Vancouver looking good to start your weekend we've got some sunshine tomorrow and Saturday ranging up to 24 Sunday the cloudier of the two this weekend Monday that's not Garden variety showers I think it's some significant rain coming to start next week nice to see a little rain in our forecast thank you so much Russ that is your late news for Thursday July 25th thank you so much for joining us tonight for News on the go visit our website we'll see you tomorrow [Music]