Vancouver Rundown Friday February 9, 2024
Local news still around...despite everything including Facebook
Summary
Starbucks has pulled all of its cake pops from Canadian outlets. The move comes after a Vancouver Island woman reported finding a pill inside one of the treats. A mother in Courtenay says here five-year-old son bit into a cake pop and said it tasted ‘funny.’ She says that’s when she discovered a red and blue pill inside. Comox RCMP are investigating while Starbucks checks with its supplier.
Other news…
A couple of 16-year-old boys have now been arrested, a week after shots were fired at the South Surrey home of a well-known Sikh activist. No one was hurt when Simranjeet Singh’s home was hit on Feb. 1. Singh is an associate of Hardeep Singh Nijjar…the man gunned down outside the Guru Nanak temple last spring.
Concerns are growing over a developer’s plans to subdivide an old pet cemetery into three lots for houses. It’s believed close to 700 animals have been buried at the site, located at 78 Avenue and 148A Street in Newton, since the early 1950s. The lot has been owned by Turnberry Developments for close to 30 years but was operated as a private pet cemetery business before that. Some pet lovers are concerned about development signs that have gone up at the site in recent days. Pet cemeteries are not protected in B.C.
CTV Vancouver has cancelled all its local weekend newscasts and some of the weekday shows as part of a massive layoff by Bell Media. The company has announced it’s selling 45 of its regional radio stations across the country - almost half of them are in the B.C. interior. Bell has issued an open letter blaming a difficult economy and federal government policies for the company’s decision to cut nearly 4,800 positions.
Talk about bad luck. Friday will have a mix of sun and clouds but it will be rainy all weekend. After the weekend is over, though, it’s back to a mix of sun and cloud for Monday. Here are the latest conditions from our private weather station in Surrey.
Top five stories to know
Global News: Starbucks pulls Birthday Cake Pops off shelves after B.C. mom finds pill inside one
CTV: Teens arrested after shooting at South Surrey home
Surrey Now-Leader: Old pet cemetery site in Surrey could be subdivided into 3 lots for houses
Vancouver Sun: Low snowpack puts B.C. at risk of another brutal drought
Business stories to know
Broadcast Dialogue: Bell to reduce workforce by 4,800, divest 45 radio stations
Business In Vancouver: Fast-growing non-alcoholic wine sales fuel B.C. business niche
Opinion
Vancouver Sun: Vaughn Palmer: B.C. NDP consulted a select list on Land Act changes
Journalism matters
The Tyee: A fatal fire brings calls for better protection for low income tenants
That’s cool
Vancouver Is Awesome: Massive tulip festival in Chilliwack returns as revamped event
Bonus
Daily Hive: Building up: A rundown of Metro Vancouver's major skyscraper projects