Vancouver Rundown Wednesday December 13, 2023

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Dec 13, 2023

Summary

So it turns out the dad of the 13-year-old girl, killed in Burnaby, was arrested and released by Vancouver Police after a man reportedly came into a courtroom with the intent to kill. Global News reports he now has conditions to stay away from the court. Defence lawyers for Ibrahim Ali say a man entered the court with a loaded handgun on the day their client was convicted of killing the girl. A publication ban remains in place that covers the names of the victim and family members.

Other news…

City council has cut a million bucks from the Vancouver Fire Rescue budget while also adding $180 thousand to the mayor’s office. The VFRS budget may be raised later to 2024 when hiring ramps up. Vancouverites are facing a 7.6% increase in their property taxes when the budget goes through.

Remember when the Vancouver Police Department promised to bring in body cams for its officers by the end of the year? Well, that ain’t happening…at least not this year. The force has pushed back its pilot project until at least January when more than six dozen officers will try out the new body cams. A VPD spokesperson has told the CBC this is a significant endeavour with months of stakeholder, community and legal consultations.

Expect to see those electric trolley buses in Vancouver for up to another 60 years. The federal government has announced it will kick-in more than $13M to help rewire the trolley system for the 262 bus fleet. TransLink and the City of Vancouver will match the funding. Metro Vancouver mayors are still pushing the feds for $2B for the region’s permanent transit projects.

Expect clouds with periods of rain Wednesday. Some sunny breaks and no rain on Thursday and then back to showers for Friday and the weekend. Here are the latest conditions from our private weather station in Surrey.