August 2, 2025 • 19 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Check podcasts. This is an abbreviated version of check news
watch full Check newscasts weekdays at five, six, and ten,
or anytime one Check plus or checknews dot CA.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Here is a live look at Wesley Ridge, the major
wildfire burning out of control here on the island. New
evacuation orders tonight as a threat of the wildfire burning
near Cameron Lake expands. Check News starts right now. Good
(00:45):
evening and thanks for joining us. New danger tonight for
people living near the wildfire burning out of control near
Cameron Lake. What is being called the Wesley Ridge Fire.
It's now grown to three hundred and seventy three hec
this time now, this time last night, rather it was
around one thirty hectares, and crews are still fighting to
(01:07):
get hold of it. The wildfire is now burning on
both sides of the ridge towards a community of three
hundred homes near Qualicum and a long Cameron Lake, and
the evacuation orders have expanded, including Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park. Well,
we're now going to bring in our very own sky Rine,
who's joining us now live from the command center near
(01:29):
the Dashwood Fire Department tonight, we can see the fire
burning over your shoulders here tonight, Sky, What can you
tell us at this hour?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Well, I can tell you that I stood in the
same position here last night, Scott, and it is a
dramatically different one, a much more concerning one, as the
fire has now made its way over the ridge closer
into the meadow Wood area and the Little Qualcum River
Village area. So it's led to an increase in evacuation
orders here on the side of Qualicum Beach as well
(02:00):
as on the Camera lakeside. The north side of Qualicum
of Camera Lake rather has been evacuated as well as
Little Qualican Falls Provincial Park. This is a long weekend.
They are going to be going tent to tent making
sure people are out. There's a lot of options that
people are being given, and we'll get to those after
we show you just what people are facing as they
(02:22):
face that in their backyard, with their homes on the line.
The Wesley Ridge fire is aside. These Qualican men are
afraid to look away from it's nearing their community by
the hour, having already consumed several pieces of heavy equipment.
So Nathaniel Hyman is keeping around the clock vigil in
(02:43):
case he and his neighbors can help.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
If it comes down any purda, you know, it could
be a disaster for us. So you know it's the
guys are under floor here doing the best they can,
and ourselves community members, we are ready to stand by
the fire department and by the fire if necessary.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
I think this is bigger than the one that had
a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
That's a big fire.
Speaker 6 (03:03):
I on that one for sure.
Speaker 7 (03:06):
This one is threatening our community a lot more than
the other one being across the lake.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
The wildfire nearly doubled in size overnight Friday, from one
hundred and thirty hectares to two hundred and forty five,
starting several spot fires around the main blaze and breaching
this ridge that backs onto three hundred homes in Little
Qualicum River Village, placing hundreds under evacuation orders or alertsamous
(03:31):
rural area north of Qualicum Beach.
Speaker 8 (03:34):
Scared, worried.
Speaker 9 (03:35):
What have you got here?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
My dogs, my bird, her eggs that she laid a
couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
We're told to get out of the village.
Speaker 10 (03:43):
And that's so safe.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
What happens so you can date it's hight.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
So Saturday, cruise and equipment came from across the province
trying to contain this fire. As even more people left
their homes for those with hard to move trailers and
tiny houses. This good Samaritan named Ari stepped up offering
free towing because he's lived through a fire and knows
what these people are going through.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Thank you for saving our house last night. I don't
know how to say thank you, brother. Thank you from
the bottom of my heart.
Speaker 11 (04:15):
We just wanted to make ourselves available if anyone needed
help getting out, and vehicles, trailers moved and I said, let's.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Go, man, fire trucks are here. Are CMPIECE here? He said, no,
I'm staying here. We gotta get this out. He stayed
one forty seven. He got it out one forty seven morning.
Look at this smoke, and I don't know the guy.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
That's an awesome community.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
It really is everybody's help on everybody support. These people
will need. The days ahead Sunday, he's expected to bring
high winds to this wildfire, still burning out of control,
and that fire has now expanded to three hundred and
seventy three heck tares two hundred and forty, roughly more
(04:58):
than it was at this time last night. So the
evacuations continue. The Qualicum Civic Center has been open to
house as a reception center. Last night they hosted twenty
five evacuees. Many more are going to family and friends
or staying in fifth wheels. But I also wants to
mention that the Qualiticum Firscination is opening up their campground
(05:18):
to dry camping. It's just down the road and they
are taking all evacuees in with their hospitality. And really
that's the whole takeaway, Scott of this story is the
generous spirit of these people who are facing some of
the scariest days of their lives. For the last three days,
we've seen people face brave odds, giving to each other
(05:42):
and maybe not having much to give. They're tired, there's
a lot of heat, there's a lot of smoke. There's
people are sort of at the end of their rope,
but they're still helping each other and there is no
end to that in sight.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You could really see that sky and the story you're
talking to the people that you were meeting out there
trying to work their way through this. Certainly seeing the
spirit of the community coming together in these really difficult times.
You've been there for twenty four hours. You've been there
early this morning as well. Can you talk a little
bit about the crews and what they're seeing. What is
the overall mood in terms of the fight itself.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Well, I can tell you that they are tired. There
has been mutual aid coming in from as far away
as Hornby Island, Salt Spring Island, throughout Nanaimo, Parksville, Qualicum
and up to Campbell River. These crews need a break,
they need the mutual aid to come in and help them,
and that is just what our volunteer fire departments from
across Vancouver Island are doing. Take a look at that monster.
(06:40):
That is a big fire and last night, unfortunately it
went from just one big plume into so many more.
So they're fighting it on both sides of the ridge,
both BC Wildfire assistant by aircraft and a lot of
volunteer firefighters behind the scenes making this happen. And it
(07:00):
should be said the kindness that people are showing as
they face these firefighters. They're bringing water down, they're bringing
food down to the fire hall. They are doing what
they can trying to stay out of the way, and
that's really the message tonight from BC wildfire as well
as the regional District of Nanaimo is If you're headed
(07:21):
on Highway for past Cameron Lake, please keep driving. If
you're headed up Island, please keep driving. We have two
major thoroughfares that are impacted by this smoke. You can
see the fire, but we don't want to have more accidents.
We don't want to have more tragedies. These volunteer firefighters
are the guys that respond to those and they really
(07:41):
need to be out here.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
All right, really appreciate your time. Sky, Thank you so
much for the in depth report. You're going to stick
around throughout this broadcast and we'll touch base with you
as this fluid situation continues to develop. Now, let's take
a look at the big picture right now in our province.
In the last twenty four hours, eighteen new wildfires have
been declared in this province, bringing the total number of
(08:04):
active fires to one hundred and thirty five. Sixty three
of those are out of control. There had been tens
of thousands of lightning strikes since Wednesday, and the BC
Wildfire Service says thunderstorm activity continues, particularly in the eastern
part of the province. Let's bring in test van Stratton.
Now to talk about some of the current conditions out
(08:25):
there right now, tests very scary time.
Speaker 6 (08:28):
The risk is high, really dangerous.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Can you talk about some of the air quality and
what people are looking at over the next twenty four
hours or so.
Speaker 10 (08:35):
Absolutely, Scott, very difficult conditions out there right now. Unfortunately,
we have thunderstorms or a risk of thunderstorms in the
forecast again for parts of Vancouver Island. Not something we
normally see, but it did spark a fire last night
on the East Island east of Cumberland. That fire is
under control, but with more lightning possibly for inland areas
of the West Coast. That's not good news for the
fire in near Cameron Lake. Also a chance of mountain
(08:57):
ridges again on the East Island from Parkswellqualicum up to
Campbell River. A chance of those thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon as well,
which potentially could spark more fires unfortunately. And let's just
talk about the smoke a little bit. Yesterday I was
showing you how most of North America was impacted by
wildfire smoke. We were in the clear at that point,
but this is how things have developed. So you can
see the fire there where a sky is you can
(09:18):
see that most smoke increasing, so there is an air
quality warning and effect for parts of the East Island.
And then you can also see that fire that was
moving up from western Washington, so smoke from that will
likely impact the South Island as well, so be careful
if you have adverse reactions to smoke, take some precautions there.
And as you can see, it's really that smoke moving
down parts of the East Island that has the stronger
(09:38):
particulate matter in it, which can cause higher health disturbances
than the lighter particulate matter in the light yellow there.
So anywhere there's that stronger particulate matter partential for people
to have asthma attacks and really suffer in the smoke.
So please stay inside, make sure your windows are closed
if you're in one of the areas that is impacted
by that wildfare smoke. And I wanted to take a
quick look at the BC fire danger map. This was
(10:00):
updated today. You can see the area of extreme on
Vancouver Island has grown so with huge chunk. More than
half of Vancouver Island now extreme, the driest part of
the province, and then orange areas are high, so very
dire conditions on Vancouver Island. Port Alburning, which is the
nearest weather station that has data for July, only had
one point seven millimeters of rain last month, so that's
(10:21):
very very little. Normal is about thirty one millimeters of rain,
and we're talking about how dry conditions are for Vancouver Island.
Here the numbers from the Island Community Collaborative Rain, Hail
and Snow Network. So all of these locations had less
than one millimeter of rain last month, very very little precipitation,
barely non trace amounts, too little to measure. Couch and
(10:42):
Bay zero millimeters of precipitation, and then some areas in
Cumberland actually had zero point four milimeters of precipitation. One
of our weather watchers there reported that, so incredibly dry
conditions also for southern parts of Vancouver Island as well.
So let's take a look at our South Island map
and you can see just how dry those conditions were
for July. From Cocora, so Shawnigan Lake half a millimeter colwood,
(11:03):
not enough to measure a sandwich, broad meat not enough
to measure, and then downtown Victoria zero point two millimeters,
which is the same as Environment Canada's Gonzali's weather Station
and the Environment Canada Esquimalt station actually had zero millimeters
of rain last month, officially making it the driest July
on record for parts of Victoria. So that's why when
conditions are this dry, anything can spark a fire. And
(11:24):
I actually saw someone driving in Sanwich last night who
tossed his cigarette out the window onto the boulevard of
dry grass. Luckily the grass was completely cut down, but
you can imagine if it was higher, a little bit
of wind that could have sparked a fire.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
Yeah, it's not going to take much.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Thanks so much, Tess, and we'll stay on this story
throughout this broadcast. Also at checknews dot Ca, we're updating
the orders and the alerts as they happen in real time,
as the situation is incredibly fluid. In another story affecting
the entire country, now into its eighteenth month, the ongoing
labor dispute between Canada Posts and it's unionized workers has
(12:00):
hit yet another impasse. Nearly seventy percent of unionized postal
workers voted against the Crown Corporation's final contract offer. Now
the union is asking for a return to bargaining while
a strike or lockout is possible. It's left those who
rely on Canada Post dealing with more uncertainty.
Speaker 12 (12:19):
Hello, I'm Ria from Sideyley's Creations.
Speaker 8 (12:22):
Like many Canadian small businesses, this bead store owner relies
on Canada Posts to ship her products from coast to coast.
Affordable fast shipping for the thousands of items she offers
is part of her promise, which a Canada Post strike
last fall forced her to break.
Speaker 12 (12:39):
That really impacted our business, our flow at the customer's trust.
A lot of customers chose not to purchase during that
time and that really impacted our bottom line last year.
Speaker 8 (12:54):
For this indigenous fashion designer, being unable to guarantee delivery
of her clothing to her customers has their thinking of
throwing in the towel.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
This Canada Post and the struggle with the union and
their struggles has taken me from oh, this is going
to be my business my career, to kind of something
that I'm not really counting on anymore.
Speaker 8 (13:22):
Both entrepreneurs would like some stability, which this latest vote
by fifty five thousand unionized Canada Post workers doesn't deliver.
Almost seventy percent voted against the corporation's last and final offer.
In a statement, Canada Post says this result does not
lessen the urgent need to modernize and protect this vital
national service. However, does mean the uncertainty that has been
(13:45):
significantly impacting our business and many Canadians and Canadian businesses
who depend on Canada Post will continue. The Canadian Union
of Postal Workers says the overwhelming vote to reject the
latest offer sends a clear message.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
This was a vot of non confidence of the of
the executive board of Canada Posts. They're not in touch
with the workers.
Speaker 8 (14:07):
This analyst says. A likely scenario is that the two
sides will seek binding arbitration to break this impact.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
This is a necessary step, but it is not a
sufficient step.
Speaker 9 (14:18):
We would want a three or.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
Four year deals.
Speaker 8 (14:20):
The union says the best way to ensure labor peace
and stability for customers is a negotiated contract ratified by
its members. Canada Post says business as usual is not
sustainable and it's evaluating its next steps.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Back here on the island, the Independent Investigations Office of
BC is seeking witnesses to an incident in Victoria that
occurred Friday afternoon. VICPD says around three forty five officers
responded to a call near the intersection of Douglas Street
and Pandora Avenue. Callers to nine to one one reported
a man in possession of a weapon. Officers and attempted
(14:56):
to arrest the man will During the interaction, police use
what they is a less lethal force to take the
man into custody. The man suffered an injury while being
arrested and was taken to hospital for assessment and treatment. Now,
the iiO is asking that any witnesses that have not
already provided a statement or who have video footage of
the incident to contact them immediately. Santas Police seeking the
(15:20):
public's help in identifying a man related to an alleged
assault that took place recently at a public washroom last Sunday.
Santas Police say security was called to the public washroom
located at nine hundred Scotia Street due to a complaint
of a male that would not leave the washroom so
others could use it. When security arrived, they asked the
man to exit the washroom. However, that's when the man
(15:42):
allegedly became aggressive and spat and punched the security guard.
A man is described as standing five foot eight to
five foot ten, with tattoos on both arms, a muscular build.
He was seen wearing a blue T shirt and a
black backpack. Well, a festival dedicated to an alcohol, marijuana
and drug free event is gaining momentum entering its fourth
(16:04):
year here on the island.
Speaker 6 (16:05):
Here's Grace Miller now with more on Soberfest.
Speaker 9 (16:10):
This is Soberfest. It's bigger and better than ever.
Speaker 11 (16:14):
This is what addiction looks like as well.
Speaker 9 (16:16):
More than four thousand attendees are expected this year.
Speaker 13 (16:19):
I haven't seen this much like recovery before, so I'm
really glad to be a part of it.
Speaker 8 (16:25):
I mean bringing people together, showing that there's more sober
people out there and we can have a good time
at stuff like this, right, I think.
Speaker 12 (16:34):
Recovery is very important for this.
Speaker 6 (16:36):
Day and age.
Speaker 9 (16:37):
The festival has been doing a lot behind the scenes
as well, with seventy seven people sent for free treatment
since it started in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 11 (16:45):
There seems to be a struggle that I want to
get help, but I don't know where to start. Here's
a festival you can walk around and see all the
different places to start.
Speaker 9 (16:53):
One of those treatment places is One Life Recovery Society.
Speaker 7 (16:57):
I'm an addict and a lot of my friends are addicts,
and we're all like we're we're doing well in life
now and we can recover. And that's the message is
that like an attic doesn't have to suffer alone and
die on the street, that like you can have a
good life.
Speaker 9 (17:10):
The latest BC Corner Service report found one hundred and
forty five people likely died from toxic drugs between May
and June.
Speaker 7 (17:18):
I mean, it's a terrible problem. If you drive in
some of the areas that are known to be bad,
there's human beings that are suffering and incomplete agony and pain.
And to see and witness that is like, it's so
brutal to watch, you know, and like we deserve to
have opportunities to heal.
Speaker 9 (17:39):
For Menaz, it's also an opportunity to celebrate his own journey.
Speaker 11 (17:43):
It means the world, it's a chance for it's a
chance for us just to be ourselves and to celebrate,
to celebrate our community, to celebrate people healing, to honor
people that are still out there, and to show people
that there's hope out here.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
For the first time in decades, the Canadian Little League
Championships are being held in Victoria.
Speaker 6 (18:03):
The tournament is now in full swing.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Players from coast to coast are taking part in this
major youth sporting event. The winning team from this tournament
will represent our country at the Little League World Series
in Pennsylvania.
Speaker 13 (18:23):
This type of tournament doesn't often come around to Victoria,
hasn't been here in almost thirty five years, and kids
at this age eleven and twelve years old don't often
get the chance to represent Canada their country and be
Team Canada. So it's a really really high level of
competition for these guys and just a really unique chance
for them to compete with one another.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
The tournament is taking place at Larret's Park. Currently, the
host team from Laretz is undefeated. As of today. The
tournament goes right through until Tuesday. Symphony Splash has returned
to the Capitol Jees. The iconic event now spans two
days over this BC long weekend in Victoria's Inner Harbor.
(19:08):
It's a free public event and you can see here
hundreds are sitting on chairs and getting ready for the
big shows now. The barge concerts start tonight at seven
point thirty. The main event goes tomorrow and then fireworks
at nine forty for the grand finale, our very own
test vand Stratton will be down there live tomorrow during
this broadcast with weather so.
Speaker 6 (19:29):
More on that big event.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
In the hours ahead Canada, we'll keep talking the latest
on the inability for the federal government to get a
deal done with the US and what will it take.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Watch full Check newscasts weekdays at five, six, and ten,
or anytime on Check Plus or check News do CA
Check podcasts. This is an abbreviated version of check news
watch full Check newscasts weekdays at five, six, and ten,
or anytime one Check plus or checknews dot CA.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Here is a live look at Wesley Ridge, the major
wildfire burning out of control here on the island. New
evacuation orders tonight as a threat of the wildfire burning
near Cameron Lake expands. Check News starts right now. Good
(00:45):
evening and thanks for joining us. New danger tonight for
people living near the wildfire burning out of control near
Cameron Lake. What is being called the Wesley Ridge Fire.
It's now grown to three hundred and seventy three hec
this time now, this time last night, rather it was
around one thirty hectares, and crews are still fighting to
(01:07):
get hold of it. The wildfire is now burning on
both sides of the ridge towards a community of three
hundred homes near Qualicum and a long Cameron Lake, and
the evacuation orders have expanded, including Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park. Well,
we're now going to bring in our very own sky Rine,
who's joining us now live from the command center near
(01:29):
the Dashwood Fire Department tonight, we can see the fire
burning over your shoulders here tonight, Sky, What can you
tell us at this hour?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Well, I can tell you that I stood in the
same position here last night, Scott, and it is a
dramatically different one, a much more concerning one, as the
fire has now made its way over the ridge closer
into the meadow Wood area and the Little Qualcum River
Village area. So it's led to an increase in evacuation
orders here on the side of Qualicum Beach as well
(02:00):
as on the Camera lakeside. The north side of Qualicum
of Camera Lake rather has been evacuated as well as
Little Qualican Falls Provincial Park. This is a long weekend.
They are going to be going tent to tent making
sure people are out. There's a lot of options that
people are being given, and we'll get to those after
we show you just what people are facing as they
(02:22):
face that in their backyard, with their homes on the line.
The Wesley Ridge fire is aside. These Qualican men are
afraid to look away from it's nearing their community by
the hour, having already consumed several pieces of heavy equipment.
So Nathaniel Hyman is keeping around the clock vigil in
(02:43):
case he and his neighbors can help.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
If it comes down any purda, you know, it could
be a disaster for us. So you know it's the
guys are under floor here doing the best they can,
and ourselves community members, we are ready to stand by
the fire department and by the fire if necessary.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
I think this is bigger than the one that had
a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
That's a big fire.
Speaker 6 (03:03):
I on that one for sure.
Speaker 7 (03:06):
This one is threatening our community a lot more than
the other one being across the lake.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
The wildfire nearly doubled in size overnight Friday, from one
hundred and thirty hectares to two hundred and forty five,
starting several spot fires around the main blaze and breaching
this ridge that backs onto three hundred homes in Little
Qualicum River Village, placing hundreds under evacuation orders or alertsamous
(03:31):
rural area north of Qualicum Beach.
Speaker 8 (03:34):
Scared, worried.
Speaker 9 (03:35):
What have you got here?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
My dogs, my bird, her eggs that she laid a
couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
We're told to get out of the village.
Speaker 10 (03:43):
And that's so safe.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
What happens so you can date it's hight.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
So Saturday, cruise and equipment came from across the province
trying to contain this fire. As even more people left
their homes for those with hard to move trailers and
tiny houses. This good Samaritan named Ari stepped up offering
free towing because he's lived through a fire and knows
what these people are going through.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Thank you for saving our house last night. I don't
know how to say thank you, brother. Thank you from
the bottom of my heart.
Speaker 11 (04:15):
We just wanted to make ourselves available if anyone needed
help getting out, and vehicles, trailers moved and I said, let's.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Go, man, fire trucks are here. Are CMPIECE here? He said, no,
I'm staying here. We gotta get this out. He stayed
one forty seven. He got it out one forty seven morning.
Look at this smoke, and I don't know the guy.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
That's an awesome community.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
It really is everybody's help on everybody support. These people
will need. The days ahead Sunday, he's expected to bring
high winds to this wildfire, still burning out of control,
and that fire has now expanded to three hundred and
seventy three heck tares two hundred and forty, roughly more
(04:58):
than it was at this time last night. So the
evacuations continue. The Qualicum Civic Center has been open to
house as a reception center. Last night they hosted twenty
five evacuees. Many more are going to family and friends
or staying in fifth wheels. But I also wants to
mention that the Qualiticum Firscination is opening up their campground
(05:18):
to dry camping. It's just down the road and they
are taking all evacuees in with their hospitality. And really
that's the whole takeaway, Scott of this story is the
generous spirit of these people who are facing some of
the scariest days of their lives. For the last three days,
we've seen people face brave odds, giving to each other
(05:42):
and maybe not having much to give. They're tired, there's
a lot of heat, there's a lot of smoke. There's
people are sort of at the end of their rope,
but they're still helping each other and there is no
end to that in sight.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You could really see that sky and the story you're
talking to the people that you were meeting out there
trying to work their way through this. Certainly seeing the
spirit of the community coming together in these really difficult times.
You've been there for twenty four hours. You've been there
early this morning as well. Can you talk a little
bit about the crews and what they're seeing. What is
the overall mood in terms of the fight itself.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Well, I can tell you that they are tired. There
has been mutual aid coming in from as far away
as Hornby Island, Salt Spring Island, throughout Nanaimo, Parksville, Qualicum
and up to Campbell River. These crews need a break,
they need the mutual aid to come in and help them,
and that is just what our volunteer fire departments from
across Vancouver Island are doing. Take a look at that monster.
(06:40):
That is a big fire and last night, unfortunately it
went from just one big plume into so many more.
So they're fighting it on both sides of the ridge,
both BC Wildfire assistant by aircraft and a lot of
volunteer firefighters behind the scenes making this happen. And it
(07:00):
should be said the kindness that people are showing as
they face these firefighters. They're bringing water down, they're bringing
food down to the fire hall. They are doing what
they can trying to stay out of the way, and
that's really the message tonight from BC wildfire as well
as the regional District of Nanaimo is If you're headed
(07:21):
on Highway for past Cameron Lake, please keep driving. If
you're headed up Island, please keep driving. We have two
major thoroughfares that are impacted by this smoke. You can
see the fire, but we don't want to have more accidents.
We don't want to have more tragedies. These volunteer firefighters
are the guys that respond to those and they really
(07:41):
need to be out here.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
All right, really appreciate your time. Sky, Thank you so
much for the in depth report. You're going to stick
around throughout this broadcast and we'll touch base with you
as this fluid situation continues to develop. Now, let's take
a look at the big picture right now in our province.
In the last twenty four hours, eighteen new wildfires have
been declared in this province, bringing the total number of
(08:04):
active fires to one hundred and thirty five. Sixty three
of those are out of control. There had been tens
of thousands of lightning strikes since Wednesday, and the BC
Wildfire Service says thunderstorm activity continues, particularly in the eastern
part of the province. Let's bring in test van Stratton.
Now to talk about some of the current conditions out
(08:25):
there right now, tests very scary time.
Speaker 6 (08:28):
The risk is high, really dangerous.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Can you talk about some of the air quality and
what people are looking at over the next twenty four
hours or so.
Speaker 10 (08:35):
Absolutely, Scott, very difficult conditions out there right now. Unfortunately,
we have thunderstorms or a risk of thunderstorms in the
forecast again for parts of Vancouver Island. Not something we
normally see, but it did spark a fire last night
on the East Island east of Cumberland. That fire is
under control, but with more lightning possibly for inland areas
of the West Coast. That's not good news for the
fire in near Cameron Lake. Also a chance of mountain
(08:57):
ridges again on the East Island from Parkswellqualicum up to
Campbell River. A chance of those thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon as well,
which potentially could spark more fires unfortunately. And let's just
talk about the smoke a little bit. Yesterday I was
showing you how most of North America was impacted by
wildfire smoke. We were in the clear at that point,
but this is how things have developed. So you can
see the fire there where a sky is you can
(09:18):
see that most smoke increasing, so there is an air
quality warning and effect for parts of the East Island.
And then you can also see that fire that was
moving up from western Washington, so smoke from that will
likely impact the South Island as well, so be careful
if you have adverse reactions to smoke, take some precautions there.
And as you can see, it's really that smoke moving
down parts of the East Island that has the stronger
(09:38):
particulate matter in it, which can cause higher health disturbances
than the lighter particulate matter in the light yellow there.
So anywhere there's that stronger particulate matter partential for people
to have asthma attacks and really suffer in the smoke.
So please stay inside, make sure your windows are closed
if you're in one of the areas that is impacted
by that wildfare smoke. And I wanted to take a
quick look at the BC fire danger map. This was
(10:00):
updated today. You can see the area of extreme on
Vancouver Island has grown so with huge chunk. More than
half of Vancouver Island now extreme, the driest part of
the province, and then orange areas are high, so very
dire conditions on Vancouver Island. Port Alburning, which is the
nearest weather station that has data for July, only had
one point seven millimeters of rain last month, so that's
(10:21):
very very little. Normal is about thirty one millimeters of rain,
and we're talking about how dry conditions are for Vancouver Island.
Here the numbers from the Island Community Collaborative Rain, Hail
and Snow Network. So all of these locations had less
than one millimeter of rain last month, very very little precipitation,
barely non trace amounts, too little to measure. Couch and
(10:42):
Bay zero millimeters of precipitation, and then some areas in
Cumberland actually had zero point four milimeters of precipitation. One
of our weather watchers there reported that, so incredibly dry
conditions also for southern parts of Vancouver Island as well.
So let's take a look at our South Island map
and you can see just how dry those conditions were
for July. From Cocora, so Shawnigan Lake half a millimeter colwood,
(11:03):
not enough to measure a sandwich, broad meat not enough
to measure, and then downtown Victoria zero point two millimeters,
which is the same as Environment Canada's Gonzali's weather Station
and the Environment Canada Esquimalt station actually had zero millimeters
of rain last month, officially making it the driest July
on record for parts of Victoria. So that's why when
conditions are this dry, anything can spark a fire. And
(11:24):
I actually saw someone driving in Sanwich last night who
tossed his cigarette out the window onto the boulevard of
dry grass. Luckily the grass was completely cut down, but
you can imagine if it was higher, a little bit
of wind that could have sparked a fire.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
Yeah, it's not going to take much.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Thanks so much, Tess, and we'll stay on this story
throughout this broadcast. Also at checknews dot Ca, we're updating
the orders and the alerts as they happen in real time,
as the situation is incredibly fluid. In another story affecting
the entire country, now into its eighteenth month, the ongoing
labor dispute between Canada Posts and it's unionized workers has
(12:00):
hit yet another impasse. Nearly seventy percent of unionized postal
workers voted against the Crown Corporation's final contract offer. Now
the union is asking for a return to bargaining while
a strike or lockout is possible. It's left those who
rely on Canada Post dealing with more uncertainty.
Speaker 12 (12:19):
Hello, I'm Ria from Sideyley's Creations.
Speaker 8 (12:22):
Like many Canadian small businesses, this bead store owner relies
on Canada Posts to ship her products from coast to coast.
Affordable fast shipping for the thousands of items she offers
is part of her promise, which a Canada Post strike
last fall forced her to break.
Speaker 12 (12:39):
That really impacted our business, our flow at the customer's trust.
A lot of customers chose not to purchase during that
time and that really impacted our bottom line last year.
Speaker 8 (12:54):
For this indigenous fashion designer, being unable to guarantee delivery
of her clothing to her customers has their thinking of
throwing in the towel.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
This Canada Post and the struggle with the union and
their struggles has taken me from oh, this is going
to be my business my career, to kind of something
that I'm not really counting on anymore.
Speaker 8 (13:22):
Both entrepreneurs would like some stability, which this latest vote
by fifty five thousand unionized Canada Post workers doesn't deliver.
Almost seventy percent voted against the corporation's last and final offer.
In a statement, Canada Post says this result does not
lessen the urgent need to modernize and protect this vital
national service. However, does mean the uncertainty that has been
(13:45):
significantly impacting our business and many Canadians and Canadian businesses
who depend on Canada Post will continue. The Canadian Union
of Postal Workers says the overwhelming vote to reject the
latest offer sends a clear message.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
This was a vot of non confidence of the of
the executive board of Canada Posts. They're not in touch
with the workers.
Speaker 8 (14:07):
This analyst says. A likely scenario is that the two
sides will seek binding arbitration to break this impact.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
This is a necessary step, but it is not a
sufficient step.
Speaker 9 (14:18):
We would want a three or.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
Four year deals.
Speaker 8 (14:20):
The union says the best way to ensure labor peace
and stability for customers is a negotiated contract ratified by
its members. Canada Post says business as usual is not
sustainable and it's evaluating its next steps.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Back here on the island, the Independent Investigations Office of
BC is seeking witnesses to an incident in Victoria that
occurred Friday afternoon. VICPD says around three forty five officers
responded to a call near the intersection of Douglas Street
and Pandora Avenue. Callers to nine to one one reported
a man in possession of a weapon. Officers and attempted
(14:56):
to arrest the man will During the interaction, police use
what they is a less lethal force to take the
man into custody. The man suffered an injury while being
arrested and was taken to hospital for assessment and treatment. Now,
the iiO is asking that any witnesses that have not
already provided a statement or who have video footage of
the incident to contact them immediately. Santas Police seeking the
(15:20):
public's help in identifying a man related to an alleged
assault that took place recently at a public washroom last Sunday.
Santas Police say security was called to the public washroom
located at nine hundred Scotia Street due to a complaint
of a male that would not leave the washroom so
others could use it. When security arrived, they asked the
man to exit the washroom. However, that's when the man
(15:42):
allegedly became aggressive and spat and punched the security guard.
A man is described as standing five foot eight to
five foot ten, with tattoos on both arms, a muscular build.
He was seen wearing a blue T shirt and a
black backpack. Well, a festival dedicated to an alcohol, marijuana
and drug free event is gaining momentum entering its fourth
(16:04):
year here on the island.
Speaker 6 (16:05):
Here's Grace Miller now with more on Soberfest.
Speaker 9 (16:10):
This is Soberfest. It's bigger and better than ever.
Speaker 11 (16:14):
This is what addiction looks like as well.
Speaker 9 (16:16):
More than four thousand attendees are expected this year.
Speaker 13 (16:19):
I haven't seen this much like recovery before, so I'm
really glad to be a part of it.
Speaker 8 (16:25):
I mean bringing people together, showing that there's more sober
people out there and we can have a good time
at stuff like this, right, I think.
Speaker 12 (16:34):
Recovery is very important for this.
Speaker 6 (16:36):
Day and age.
Speaker 9 (16:37):
The festival has been doing a lot behind the scenes
as well, with seventy seven people sent for free treatment
since it started in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 11 (16:45):
There seems to be a struggle that I want to
get help, but I don't know where to start. Here's
a festival you can walk around and see all the
different places to start.
Speaker 9 (16:53):
One of those treatment places is One Life Recovery Society.
Speaker 7 (16:57):
I'm an addict and a lot of my friends are addicts,
and we're all like we're we're doing well in life
now and we can recover. And that's the message is
that like an attic doesn't have to suffer alone and
die on the street, that like you can have a
good life.
Speaker 9 (17:10):
The latest BC Corner Service report found one hundred and
forty five people likely died from toxic drugs between May
and June.
Speaker 7 (17:18):
I mean, it's a terrible problem. If you drive in
some of the areas that are known to be bad,
there's human beings that are suffering and incomplete agony and pain.
And to see and witness that is like, it's so
brutal to watch, you know, and like we deserve to
have opportunities to heal.
Speaker 9 (17:39):
For Menaz, it's also an opportunity to celebrate his own journey.
Speaker 11 (17:43):
It means the world, it's a chance for it's a
chance for us just to be ourselves and to celebrate,
to celebrate our community, to celebrate people healing, to honor
people that are still out there, and to show people
that there's hope out here.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
For the first time in decades, the Canadian Little League
Championships are being held in Victoria.
Speaker 6 (18:03):
The tournament is now in full swing.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Players from coast to coast are taking part in this
major youth sporting event. The winning team from this tournament
will represent our country at the Little League World Series
in Pennsylvania.
Speaker 13 (18:23):
This type of tournament doesn't often come around to Victoria,
hasn't been here in almost thirty five years, and kids
at this age eleven and twelve years old don't often
get the chance to represent Canada their country and be
Team Canada. So it's a really really high level of
competition for these guys and just a really unique chance
for them to compete with one another.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
The tournament is taking place at Larret's Park. Currently, the
host team from Laretz is undefeated. As of today. The
tournament goes right through until Tuesday. Symphony Splash has returned
to the Capitol Jees. The iconic event now spans two
days over this BC long weekend in Victoria's Inner Harbor.
(19:08):
It's a free public event and you can see here
hundreds are sitting on chairs and getting ready for the
big shows now. The barge concerts start tonight at seven
point thirty. The main event goes tomorrow and then fireworks
at nine forty for the grand finale, our very own
test vand Stratton will be down there live tomorrow during
this broadcast with weather so.
Speaker 6 (19:29):
More on that big event.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
In the hours ahead Canada, we'll keep talking the latest
on the inability for the federal government to get a
deal done with the US and what will it take.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Watch full Check newscasts weekdays at five, six, and ten,
or anytime on Check Plus or check News do CA
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