British Columbians forced to evacuate due to flooding are now entitled to $2,000 from the Red Cross — in addition to other financial support programs.
Canadian Pacific Railway resumed operations through B.C. on Tuesday, and Canadian National Rail plans to resume rail traffic today.
Non-essential travel restrictions remain in place for several areas of highway impacted by floods.
Restaurants are running out of food and other supplies, which is impacting their bottom line after an already difficult two years.
Recycle B.C. is asking residents to hang on to glass and foam packaging as transportation delays have forced a temporary pause on collection.
British Columbia is bracing for more rainfall in the coming days and weeks as the province works to rebuild after unprecedented precipitation earlier this month.
Up to 80 millimetres of rain is forecast for Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound, Whistler and the Fraser Valley, starting this morning and continuing until Friday.
Strong southeast winds near the water are also predicted as part of this weather system, and freezing levels will rise above mountain tops, which could trigger snowmelt and worsen the flooding situation.
Hay bales are pictured floating in the middle of a street surrounded by floodwaters in the Sumas Prairie flood zone in Abbotsford on Monday. An already dire flooding situation could worsen as heavy rainfall is predicted for the rest of the week. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
The River Forecast Centre has issued a high streamflow advisory for the South Coast, including the Fraser Valley and near Hope — both of which have been trying to recover from severe flood damage.
Forecasters expect rivers will rise Thursday as a result of the rainfall.
Wind, rain and snowfall warnings are in effect for parts of Vancouver Island, the Central Coast and North Coast.
But once that storm passes through, another is set to arrive on the coast on Saturday.
B.C. Hydro released a statement Wednesday saying it anticipates increased water flow into its South Coast and Vancouver Island reservoirs and a higher risk of power outages this week due to the weather.
Last week’s weather also caused power outages as heavy wind and landslides damaged some parts of the province’s hydro system; crews are working to replace transmission structures, power lines and wires while heading into the next series of storms.
Our crews are preparing for the next <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCStorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BCStorm</a> while clean up continues from the atmospheric river last week: <a href=”https://t.co/V9RCM61lna”>https://t.co/V9RCM61lna</a> <a href=”https://t.co/K8BkwHUslq”>pic.twitter.com/K8BkwHUslq</a>
The utility corporation is asking the public to be prepared in case they lose power in the coming days and to stay 10 metres away from fallen power lines.
“The next nine or 10 days could be quite challenging,” Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said during a news conference on Tuesday, as he asked British Columbians to pay close attention to weather forecasts for the coming days.
Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun is advising residents to prepare an emergency kit ahead of the next storm, and said the city’s focus is on preparing for more rain.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Braun thanked those from coast to coast who have contacted him to say that the City of Abbotsford is in their thoughts.
“Continue to pray for us, because we desperately need it,” he said.
Abbotsford water advisory
On Wednesday, Abbotsford replaced a boil water advisory for residents in the Sumas Prairie area with a do not use water advisory.
Toilet flushing is permitted, but the city says there are uncontrollable water main breaches in the region that could allow surface water to affect the supply of drinking water.
The affected area stretches from Angus Campbell Road in the west, to Highway One in the north, the boundary with Chilliwack in the east and to the U.S. border and Old Yale Road in the south. Other parts of Abbotsford are not affected.
The advisory could remain in place for several days.
Floodwaters are shown in the Sumas Prairie flood zone in Abbotsford. (Oliver Walters/CBC)
Braun said although recent dike repairs helped seal off the flow of water into the prairie lake bottom area, they need to continue to pump water out.
“As you can imagine, this is not clean water,” Braun said. “We know there are hazardous and potentially toxic material in these floodwaters, which is why we need to complete an environmental assessment of the area to ensure it is safe.”
He said bridges, roads and culverts are being inspected, as is drainage infrastructure. Rapid Damage Assessments also continue to be done to determine when evacuees can return home.
Highways closed for non-essential travel
Highways washed out by floods remain closed, though essential travel is allowed in some areas.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming advises people to check highways before heading out on the road, because many are closed for non-essential travel.
An aerial view shows a damaged road near Lytton, B.C., on Nov. 15. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation/Reuters)
On Tuesday, Highway 7 between Hope and Mission was closed to non-essential travel. However, the definition of essential travel was updated to include charter buses, school buses and public transit vehicles so that people are still able to get to school or work.
“First rule is, ask yourself, ‘Do I need to be out there?’ Don’t be out there unless it’s absolutely essential,” Fleming said Tuesday afternoon.
“If you are driving, slow down and follow the direction of traffic control personnel and be patient. It will be slow as you make your commute. If you’re heading out of the Lower Mainland, be prepared for winter conditions.”
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP) operations between Kamloops and Vancouver resumed Tuesday after flooding and mudslides cut vital supply links last week.
The route is CP’s busiest corridor and links the Port of Vancouver to the rest of North America. The first trains arrived in Vancouver Wednesday morning carrying grain and fuel.
Keep recycling at home for now
Road conditions have made it difficult to transport recycling in B.C., which has prompted the organization in charge of recycling to pause collection on some materials.
Recycle B.C. is asking residents to hang on to their glass and foam, as it has had to temporarily suspend collection from both residential addresses and depots.
Containers and paper will continue to be collected as usual, because Recycle B.C., says they can be baled and stored more compactly.
It is unclear how long the collection suspension will last, as the transportation situation in B.C., continues to change.
MONCTON, N.B. – New Brunswick RCMP say two youths have been arrested after an emergency alert was issued Monday evening about someone carrying a gun in the province’s southeast.
Caledonia Region Mounties say they were first called out to Main Street in the community of Salisbury around 7 p.m. on reports of a shooting.
A 48-year-old man was found at the scene suffering from gunshot wounds and he was rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police say in the interest of public safety, they issued an Alert Ready message at 8:15 p.m. for someone driving a silver Ford F-150 pickup truck and reportedly carrying a firearm with dangerous intent in the Salisbury and Moncton area.
Two youths were arrested without incident later in the evening in Salisbury, and the alert was cancelled just after midnight Tuesday.
Police are still looking for the silver pickup truck, covered in mud, with possible Nova Scotia licence plate HDC 958. They now confirm the truck was stolen from Central Blissville.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Golf Canada has set an impressive stretch goal of having 30 professional golfers at the highest levels of the sport by 2032.
The World Junior Girls Golf Championship is a huge part of that target.
Credit Valley Golf and Country Club will host the international tournament from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, with 24 teams representing 23 nations — Canada gets two squads — competing. Lindsay McGrath, a 17-year-old golfer from Oakville, Ont., said she’s excited to be representing Canada and continue to develop her game.
“I’m really grateful to be here,” said McGrath on Monday after a news conference in Credit Valley’s clubhouse in Mississauga, Ont. “It’s just such an awesome feeling being here and representing our country, wearing all the logos and being on Team Canada.
“I’ve always wanted to play in this tournament, so it’s really special to me.”
McGrath will be joined by Nobelle Park of Oakville, Ont., and Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., on Team Canada 2. All three earned their places through a qualifying tournament last month.
“I love my teammates so much,” said McGrath. “I know Nobelle and Eileen very well. I’m just so excited to be with them. We have such a great relationship.”
Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., Calgary’s Aphrodite Deng and Clairey Lin make up Team Canada 2. Liu earned her exemption following her win at the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship while Deng earned her exemption as being the low eligible Canadian on the world amateur golf ranking as of Aug. 7.
Deng was No. 175 at the time, she has since improved to No. 171 and is Canada’s lowest-ranked player.
“I think it’s a really great opportunity,” said Liu. “We don’t really get that many opportunities to play with people from across the world, so it’s really great to meet new people and play with them.
“It’s great to see maybe how they play and take parts from their game that we might also implement our own games.”
Golf Canada founded the World Junior Girls Golf Championship in 2014 to fill a void in women’s international competition and help grow its own homegrown talent. The hosts won for the first time last year when Vancouver’s Anna Huang, Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos and Vancouver’s Vanessa Zhang won team gold and Huang earned individual silver.
Medallists who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who was fourth in the individual competition at the inaugural tournament. She was on Canada’s bronze-medal team in 2014 with Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee.
Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include Angel Yin and Megan Khang of the United States, as well as Yuka Saso of the Philippines, Sweden’s Linn Grant and Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand.
“It’s not if, it’s when they’re going to be on the LPGA Tour,” said Garrett Ball, Golf Canada’s chief operating officer, of how Canada’s golfers in the World Junior Girls Championship can be part of the organization’s goal to have 30 pros in the LPGA and PGA Tours by 2032.
“Events like this, like the She Plays Golf festival that we launched two years ago, and then the CPKC Women’s Open exemptions that we utilize to bring in our national team athletes and get the experience has been important in that pathway.”
The individual winner of the World Junior Girls Golf Championship will earn a berth in next year’s CPKC Women’s Open at nearby Mississaugua Golf and Country Club.
Both clubs, as well as former RBC Canadian Open host site Glen Abbey Golf Club, were devastated by heavy rains through June and July as the Greater Toronto Area had its wettest summer in recorded history.
Jason Hanna, the chief operating officer of Credit Valley Golf and Country Club, said that he has seen the Credit River flood so badly that it affected the course’s playability a handful of times over his nearly two decades with the club.
Staff and members alike came together to clean up the course after the flooding was over, with hundreds of people coming together to make the club playable again.
“You had to show up, bring your own rake, bring your own shovel, bring your own gloves, and then we’d take them down to the golf course, assign them to areas where they would work, and then we would do a big barbecue down at the halfway house,” said Hanna. “We got guys, like, 80 years old, putting in eight-hour days down there, working away.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
NEW YORK (AP) — Fenway Park has the Ted Williams seat. And now Citi Field has the Grimace seat.
The kid-friendly McDonald’s character made another appearance at the ballpark Monday, when the New York Mets unveiled a commemorative purple seat in section 302 to honor “his special connection to Mets fans.”
Wearing his pear-shaped purple costume and a baseball glove on backwards, Grimace threw out a funny-looking first pitch — as best he could with those furry fingers and short arms — before New York beat the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on June 12.
That victory began a seven-game winning streak, and Grimace the Mets’ good-luck charm soon went viral, taking on a life of its own online.
New York is 53-31 since June 12, the best record in the majors during that span. The Mets were tied with rival Atlanta for the last National League playoff spot as they opened their final homestand of the season Monday night against Washington.
The new Grimace seat in the second deck in right field — located in row 6, seat 12 to signify 6/12 on the calendar — was brought into the Shannon Forde press conference room Monday afternoon. The character posed next to the chair and with fans who strolled into the room.
The seat is available for purchase for each of the Mets’ remaining home games.
“It’s been great to see how our fanbase created the Grimace phenomenon following his first pitch in June and in the months since,” Mets senior vice president of partnerships Brenden Mallette said in a news release. “As we explored how to further capture the magic of this moment and celebrate our new celebrity fan, installing a commemorative seat ahead of fan appreciation weekend felt like the perfect way to give something back to the fans in a fun and unique way.”
Up in Boston, the famous Ted Williams seat is painted bright red among rows of green chairs deep in the right-field stands at Fenway Park to mark where a reported 502-foot homer hit by the Hall of Fame slugger landed in June 1946.
So, does this catapult Grimace into Splendid Splinter territory?
“I don’t know if we put him on the same level,” Mets executive vice president and chief marketing officer Andy Goldberg said with a grin.
“It’s just been a fun year, and at the same time, we’ve been playing great ball. Ever since the end of May, we have been crushing it,” he explained. “So I think that added to the mystique.”
