Top Stories – October 31

Starting tomorrow, employers in BC will be required to include salary or wage information on all publicly posted jobs under the Pay Transparency Act. That means employers can no longer ask prospective employees for pay history information or punish employees who disclose their pay to co-workers or potential job applicants.

Early childhood educators will receive a $2 hourly raise, starting on Jan. 1, to support the work they do to educate and care for young children. It will be based on hours worked in December and increase the median wage for ECEs to approximately $28 per hour. It will be on top of the existing $4-per-hour raise.

Public support for immigration has fallen sharply over the past year as Canadians increasingly tie affordability and housing concerns to an historic influx of newcomers. Environics Institute found 44% of Canadians think immigration levels are too high, up from 27% last year. Over the 12 months through June, the population expanded by around 1.2 million, bringing the total number of residents to 40.1 million.

If part of your Halloween theme includes a pumpkin, the regional district says they’re are a great addition to a backyard composter as they are high in nitrogen. If you cut them in smaller chunks with fall leaves, they’ll break down much faster than throwing the whole thing in. Or they can go into your curbside yard waste cart for the next pickup.

The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights and other organizations lost a legal challenge of Ottawa’s regulations banning about 15-hundred firearms. Justice Catherine Kane says the court only explored the question of whether Cabinet went beyond its powers in passing the regulations a few weeks after the mass killing in Nova Scotia. Kane also ruled the regulations don’t infringe on sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Bill of Rights.

Israeli tanks and troops are continuing to advance into Gaza, where conditions are deteriorating as food, medicine and fuel run dangerously low. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a news conference that he would not agree to a cease-fire, saying it would be tantamount “to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism.”

BC Hydro is applying to the BC Utilities Commission for a 2.3% rate increase that would take effect on April 1, 2024. If approved, it would add about $2 per month to the average residential customer’s bill. A decision on the increases expected by the end of February.

A BC coalition is calling for a co-ordinated government response to repeat offenders being blamed for a wave of violent retail crime. The Save Our Streets coalition says immediate action is critical as retailers are facing growing losses from theft. It says increased security and growing retail losses from theft are costing the average BC family an extra 500-dollars a year.

The federal government is banning WeChat and Kaspersky apps from its phones after the chief information officer determined they present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security. Ottawa says the apps’ data collection methods provide access to the contents of any mobile device they are installed on. WeChat is owned by a Chinese company, while Kaspersky was founded by a Russian entrepreneur.

SPORTS

Just two games in the NHL tonight. The Kings take on the Leafs at 5. And the Vancouver Canucks will be hoping for a treat when Nashville visits Rogers Arena. Puck drops at 7.

Game four of the World Series today. Last night in Phoenix, Texas took a 2 games to 1 lead with a 3-1 win over Arizona. Phoenix resident and PGA tour pro John Rahm will throw out the first pitch tonight.

FIFA imposed a three-year ban on former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales after his forced kiss on the lips of World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso shocked the world of football. He was initially suspended for 90 days.