Mayor of Party City Ken Sim lays on ground for the cameras.
July 7th, 2024
TOUR DE CONCORD
Enjoy the free Vancouver Community Bike Festival and Criterium Cycling Races. Watch competitive pro cyclists race laps just off Vancouver’s False Creek. Register today to enjoy free family activities, bike tune-ups, kids bike obstacle courses, a chance to win over $5,000 in draw prizes, and more! Also enjoy a variety of food trucks, bike vendors, and beer garden with premium viewing of the racetrack. Fun for all ages!
BIKE FESTIVAL
Starting at 10:00 am, enjoy the beer garden, food trucks, various bike vendors, free bike safety checks and tune-ups, see a variety of the latest top brand e-bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes and apparel, Kids' Zone with bike & helmet decorating, kids bike obstacle courses with games for all ages, chances to win draw prizes and more. The Bike Festival will be fun for all ages!
ICBC REBATE 2024 ANNOUCEMENT FROM DAVID EBY BC NDP
ICBC announces $110 rebate to drivers, basic rates remain unchanged
Our CEO David Wong shares how we're able to offer a $110 rebate due to our robust investment income, Enhanced Care & healthy reserves. We're keeping Basic rates stable, with no increase, marking 6 years in a row, ensuring predictability & affordability for customers. #ICBCRebatespic.twitter.com/3CVe8jcROI
What to know about ICBC basic rates update and customer rebate
Due to positive performance and strong fiscal management, ICBC’s preliminary net income for the fiscal year 2023-24 is an estimated $1.5 billion. The total amount of the rebate is roughly $398 million, equivalent to $110 per eligible insurance policy. The cost to process and distribute the rebate is $3.9 million. Following legislative reforms, the net income balance will stay with ICBC, helping to stabilize rates for drivers over the long term. The final, audited net income figure, along with a full financial summary of the fiscal year, will be released this summer.
On average, since government enacted major ICBC reforms, customers with full ICBC basic and optional coverage have received $530 in four separate rebates and saved $490 per year on their insurance with the implementation of the Enhanced Care model.
The list of rebates with the average amounts is as follows:
April 2021 – first COVID-19 rebate: $190
July 2021 – second COVID-19 rebate: $120
2022 – relief rebate: $110 (flat)
2024 – ICBC rebate: $110 (flat)
ICBC basic rate:
In May 2021, ICBC transitioned from a legal-based insurance system to its care-based model called Enhanced Care. This lower-cost model not only provides better care and recovery benefits to people injured in crashes, but it has also lowered insurance rates and allowed ICBC to build back its capital reserves. In the first year under the new model, the basic insurance rate decreased by 15% and has been flat since then with no increases.
An insurer’s capital reserves are measured by a ratio called the minimum capital test (MCT). ICBC’s basic insurance MCT reached a low of -18% in fiscal year 2019-20. Since then, with government and ICBC actions such as the implementation of Enhanced Care, ICBC’s estimate for its basic MCT is above 160% and projected to be strong going forward.
ICBC rebate:
ICBC has roughly $18 billion in investments, which are managed by the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI). When ICBC’s investment portfolio does well, it has investment income to help offset claims costs, and higher investment returns in the future help reduce the need for rate increases.
At the beginning of fiscal 2024-25, much of the forecasting community was predicting a challenging year for equity markets. ICBC’s planned investment income for the fiscal year was $134 million. However, the global equity market had a remarkable bull run between November 2023 and March 2024, which drove ICBC’s unaudited net investment income up substantially higher than anticipated to $1.2 billion.
The improvement in investment income along with favourable claims costs compared to its third quarter estimates are the key drivers behind ICBC’s preliminary net income of approximately $1.5 billion. Four hundred million dollars will be rebated to eligible customers through a one-time rebate and the remainder will go toward building capital reserves, ensuring ICBC remains on solid financial ground.
Rebate eligibility:
Roughly 3.6 million customer policies are eligible for the rebate. All personal and commercial customers who had an active eligible basic insurance policy in February 2024 will receive the rebate. Keeping in mind that one driver can hold multiple polices, ICBC estimates nearly 2.7 million drivers will receive the rebate. Some vehicles with an average basic premium of less than $250 over a two-year period will not be eligible for the rebate. These include golf carts, off-road vehicles, utility vehicles, limited-speed motorcycles, trailers and vehicles insured in a collector rate class, among others. Temporary operating permits and storage policies are also not eligible. More information about the rebate, including eligibility and timelines, is available here: https://icbc.com/
Letter from Clint Mahlman COO of London Drugs to customers after the business was shut down due to a cyber security incident. Assuring customers that no data was taken.
I want to begin by expressing my sincere apologies for the inconvenience and any concerns that may have arisen from the cybersecurity incident against London Drugs that occurred on April 28, 2024.
Additionally, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible outpouring of support for our staff, our customers and community, both directly and indirectly via social media. Your expressions of positivity have been a tremendous source of motivation for our team during what has been one of the most challenging times in our company’s history. Your support has helped us immensely as we focus on restoring our operations in a methodical, safe, and secure manner.
At London Drugs, we take our responsibility to our customers and employees extremely seriously. We have security measures in place and engage expert outside specialists to ensure the security of our systems while maintaining accessibility for our customers. Our practices are regularly reviewed by independent auditors to uphold our commitment to privacy and security. Although those measures were implemented here, given the rapidly evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats, no organization can be 100% safe from advanced cybersecurity incidents orchestrated by sophisticated third parties.
In preparation for such events, we have robust contingency plans in place. These plans include an immediate shutdown of almost all systems to facilitate containment, remediation, and assessment of real or suspected cybersecurity incidents. As soon as we became aware of suspicious activity in our environment, we immediately engaged third party cybersecurity specialists from across North America to assist with containment, mitigation, and to conduct a forensic investigation. This resulted in an immediate company-wide shut down of operations. Following our established protocols, our process involves ensuring we can reopen in a methodical, safe, and secure way. This includes re-connecting with third-party systems, each of which have their own policies and protocols that take time to work through in a priority sequence. Our investigation is ongoing.
As of today’s date, we have found no evidence that our customer databases, including health data or LDExtras data, were compromised. However, should we discover any evidence that customer information was impacted, we will inform our customers and privacy commissioners in accordance with privacy laws. At the outset, we proactively alerted the privacy commissions in the provinces we operate in and have reported this incident to law enforcement.
London Drugs’ culture is known for being a standout in the retail industry. Our employees are the backbone of our organization, and we are proud to have some of the longest serving staff members of any retailer in Canada. The amazing teamwork, dedication, and creativity they have shown during this challenging period has been inspiring. We even had experienced retired employees show up to lend a hand given their considerable experience and historical knowledge. We can assure you that all our staff members were paid on their normal pay cycles, and even those not directly involved in the recovery efforts were employed with other tasks to provide job security during this difficult time. We deeply value the relationships our staff have with our customers, and it is imperative to us that they feel supported throughout this ordeal.
London Drugs is a private, multi-generational family-owned company dedicated to serving the communities and people of Western Canada. While this has been a challenging time for London Drugs, your support and understanding have made all the difference as we respond to this incident. We look forward to welcoming you back and serving you as our stores reopen and company systems are slowly and methodically restored in a safe and secure way.
Milan Lucic (Serbian pronunciation:[mǐlanlûːtʃitɕ]; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played major junior hockey with the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for three seasons and captured the Memorial Cup, while being named tournament MVP in 2007. He was selected 50th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft[1] and made the Bruins’ roster as a 19-year-old in 2007–08. Three years later, he won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins. He spent the first eight seasons of his NHL career with Boston prior to being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in June 2015. After a single season in Los Angeles, Lucic signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers in July 2016, playing three seasons for the Oilers before being traded to the Calgary Flames in July 2019.
Growing up, Lucic attended Killarney Secondary in Vancouver.[9] He was a fan of the hometown Vancouver Canucks and has named forward Todd Bertuzzi as one of his favourite players when following the team.[10] At age 15, Lucic was diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease, a condition that can cause the upper back to curve and has given him a hunched-over posture.[2]
Lucic played minor hockey (VMHA) in Vancouver, but nearly quit the sport after being passed up in the 2003 WHL Bantam Draft.[11] He was invited to play for the Coquitlam Express of the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), but was further demoralized when he initially failed to make the team out of rookie camp. He agreed to play, instead, for the Junior B Delta Ice Hawks, but later played his way onto the Express after five games.[11]
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says Canadians will be able to apply to renew their passports online beginning this fall.
He announced the news at an event to unveil a new design for Canada's passport, which includes updated security features and colourful new pages.
As summer approaches, more people are out. Here is a collection of recent crime in and around Vancouver. Tragic incidents will leave you wondering IS VANCOUVER SAFE?
2022-2023 so far.
RCMP Officer stabbed in Burnaby. 18 Oct 2022
An RCMP officer was fatally stabbed in Burnaby, B.C., while helping a bylaw officer address a tent located in a park. Const. Shaelyn Yang, who worked with the RCMP's mental health and outreach team, is being remembered for her compassion and kindness.
Downtown Vancouver Machete Attack 8 Aug 2022
An attack with a machete in downtown Vancouver, B.C. sent four victims to hospital Saturday night. One of the alleged victims spoke about the incident on Sunday. He said the suspect lives across the hall from his apartment.
Machete Gas Station Hastings St 1 Jun 2022
A suspect armed with a knife and pruning saw attacked strangers – stabbing and seriously inuring one -- at a gas station, police say.
Tim Hortons Stabbing 25 Jan 2022
Police released a graphic video of a suspect stabbing a stranger at a Tim Hortons, raising new questions over safety in Vancouver.
Uber Driver Attacked 25 Apr 2023
An Abbotsford Uber driver was attacked by his passenger and the incident was caught on camera.
Chinatown stabbing of Food Delivery Worker a new arrival in Canada. 12 Sept 2022
Vancouver police have arrested a man for what they say was a “violent and unprovoked stabbing that left a meal-delivery worker with life-threatening injuries Sunday night.”
B.C. police said the victim, who was working for a meal-delivery service, was locking his bike to a street pole in Chinatown around 6 p.m. PT when he was approached from behind and attacked.
Starbucks Stabbing 28 Mar 2023
A man stabbed outside a Vancouver Starbucks on Sunday evening has died, and his alleged assailant has been charged with murder, Vancouver police say.
Paul Stanley Schmidt, 37, was stabbed outside the café at the corner of Granville and West Pender streets around 5:40 p.m. following a “brief altercation,” according to police. Schmidt was rushed to hospital, where he later died.
The suspect, 32-year-old Inderdeep Singh Gosal, was arrested at the scene, and has since been charged with second-degree murder.
Surrey Stabbing on Bus 13 Apr 2023
The family of the 17-year-old boy who was stabbed on a Surrey, B.C., bus on Tuesday evening still haven’t returned to their home.
“I can’t be at home right now. All his stuff is there,” mother Holly Indridson said.
Ethan Bespflug died following an altercation on a bus on 100th Avenue and King George Boulevard around 9:30 p.m.
Vancouver is featured in this NOVA PBS documentary ADDICTION.
Hear firsthand from individuals struggling with opioid addiction and follow the cutting-edge work of doctors and scientists as they investigate why addiction is not a moral failing, but a chronic, treatable medical condition.
Easy access to drugs like heroin, fentanyl, and even prescription medications like OxyContin has fueled an epidemic of addiction—the deadliest in U.S. history. Now, science is revealing how addiction affects the brain, and top experts are gathering evidence about how we should address our drug problem, from embracing evidence-based treatments, to rethinking public policies.
(Premiered Wednesday, Oct. 2018 at 9 PM ET)
