Top Stories – July 6 – Gov. Workers Strike?

The BC General Employees Union, one of the largest unions representing public sector workers, says talks with the government have broken down. However, late yesterday the government sent an email to the bargaining committee outlining an average increase of 11% over 3 years, plus a 25-hundred dollar signing bonus. The union has a 94.6% strike mandate from its members.

If your travel plans in the next while involve flying, pack your patience and a good carry-on bag. A shortage of baggage handlers across the country is leading to delayed flights and luggage not making connections with their owners. On Monday, 63% of Air Canada flights were late… the most of any major airline in the world according to tracker FlightAware.

Police in Highland Park, Illinois say the gunman at the 4th of July parade fired more than 70 shots at the crowd and those participating in the parade. The death toll stands at 7 and more than 30 were injured. The 22 year old got away dressed in women’s clothing but was arrested Monday evening. He has been charged with 7 counts of first degree murder, and the prosecutor says there will be more charges.

The most active area for wildfires in the province right now is the Northwest where as of yesterday there were 14 burning. Almost all of them were caused by lightning. The largest has burned through 2,000 hectares and is located close to the Yukon border. The temperature in the area is in the mid-twenties.

With rising cost of living, many in Canada appear to have given up on the idea of owning a home in the future. A report from ‘Finder’ shows 29 percent of the population, now classify themselves as being “forever renters,” with 35-to-44-year-olds being the least hopeful. In BC 15 percent of residents say home ownership is out of reach, with only five percent saying they plan to buy a home in the next year.

Canada is about to toss more than half of its doses of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine because it couldn’t find any takers for it either in or outside of the country. Health Canada says 13.6 million doses of the vaccine expired in the spring and will be thrown out. It says there is limited demand for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

A Merritt teenager, wanted on an outstanding warrant, was arrested after a major police response in downtown Merritt yesterday. RCMP say the boy had been the subject of a series of police investigations recently. Among the 30 charges he is facing are: Break and enter, Theft of a motor vehicle, Possession of stolen property and Possession of a prohibited weapon.

The United Truckers Association says its members have voted unanimously in favour of job action at the Port of Vancouver to protest a program that would force the phaseout of older trucks. A statement says the port will not discuss the phaseout of all trucks that are 20 years old or older, even though most commercially licensed trucks elsewhere in BC don’t face similar measures.

Two reports from the Bank of Canada point to more inflation for Canadian businesses and consumers. The business outlook survey showed expectations for near-term inflation have increased, and firms expect it to be high for longer than they did in an earlier survey. The survey of consumers found expectations for inflation have also risen with worries about prices for food, gas and rent.

Sports

The San Jose Sharks hired Mike Grier as general manager yesterday, making him the first Black GM in NHL history. Grier had a 14-year career as a player, including a three-year stint with the Sharks. Most recently he was a hockey operations advisor with the New York Rangers.

Tiger Woods says he was in no condition to play the US Open and didn’t want to risk missing next week’s 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews. Woods won at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005 and has often referred to ‘The Home of Golf’ as his favourite course.

The Toronto Maple Leafs promoted Hayley Wickenheiser, Ryan Hardy, and Darryl Metcalf to assistant general managers. Wickenheiser joined the Leafs in 2018 as assistant director to player development and was promoted to senior director last year.

The independent International Ice Hockey Federation Disciplinary Board has rejected the appeals from the Russian and Belarusian Ice Hockey Federations against the decision to ban their national teams from IIHF competitions. They were both banned in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This week’s draft in Montreal is not only the National Hockey League’s first in-person talent lottery since 2019, but also the first one in three years in which the Vancouver Canucks have a pick in the opening round. This draft is especially significant to the Canucks because it is their first under new general manager Patrik Allvin, who built his career in amateur scouting with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After making ’23’ the most famous number in basketball, Michael Jordan will grace two covers of NBA 2K23. The Chicago Bulls icon is featured on the “Michael Jordan” edition of the popular game, while his autographed jersey is front and center for the “championship” edition. He has been the NBA 2K cover athlete on three previous occasions.