Top Stories – Sept 21 – Firefighter Deaths

Once again, the BC Wildfire Service is mourning the deaths of colleagues and co-workers. Four sub-contractor firefighters died in a car accident early Tuesday morning on Highway 1, between Kamloops and Cache Creek. Police say the truck they were in, crossed the centre line and hit a semi head-on. The firefighters were heading home after working in the Vanderhoof area.

Quebec already has one, now Alberta is set to release its report today on whether the province should quit the Canada Pension Plan and pursue its own provincial program. Premier Danielle Smith has said regardless of the report’s conclusions, Albertans would have the final say on whether to abandon CPP in a referendum. The opposition NDP says opinion polls suggest ditching it is very unpopular.

A woman was rescued from an outhouse in northern Michigan after she climbed in to retrieve her Apple Watch and got trapped. First responders were called when the woman was heard yelling for help. The toilet was removed and a strap was used to haul her out.

There wasn’t much new to report from the Glen Lake wildfire west of Peachland yesterday. Crews continued to fight it from the ground and air and said a fireguard placed earlier by BC Wildfire Service aircraft held. Previous evacuation orders and alerts remain in place.

If you are shutting your pool down for the season, the City of Kelowna has a few tips. They include: Dechlorinate the water first; Drain onto a dry area on your property over a long period of time, ensuring water stays on the property; and stop draining if it starts raining or the ground becomes saturated. If you’re not sure, contact the city’s Water Quality Department.

The federal privacy watchdog says Canada Post is breaking the law by getting address information from the outside of envelopes and packages to help build marketing lists that it rents to businesses. He found Canada Post had not got permission from individuals to indirectly collect personal information. He recommended the post office stop doing that, but so far it has refused.

The company that owns Prospera Place is once again floating the idea of putting three high rises where the parking lot is. GSL Group wants to go up to 26 storeys in an area where height is restricted to 12. An application to city hall says public parking for the arena will be part of the discussion but so far that number appears to be capped at 95.

One in four adolescents in Canada have been cyberbullied and it’s taking a toll on their mental health, according to Stats Canada. Youth who have been victimized online are at increased risk of depression, eating disorders, thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts. Those who live with health, or other disabilities are at higher risk for cyberbullying, especially if they live in low-income households.

An RBC survey suggests financial uncertainty has become the new normal for many Canadians as inflation eats into savings and hampers their future financial security. 77 percent say they are not able to save as much as they would like to and roughly half say they’ve never been more stressed about money. More than one-third of Canadians can’t afford to have an emergency fund, further weakening their financial flexibility.

SPORTS

Toronto Blue Jays have their final game in New York today when they take on the Yankees just after 4. Yesterday, they continued to hang on to a wild card spot with a 6-1 win over the pinstripes. That’s 5 straight wins for the Jays. Both Texas and Seattle picked up wins.

NFL Thursday Night Football is on the west coast as the San Francisco 49ers host the New York Giants at Levi’s Stadium. Kickoff is at 5:15.

Training camp officially gets underway for the Vancouver Canucks today. This year it is in Victoria. The first preseason game is on Sunday in Calgary at 5.