Darren Handschuh

1 week ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen |Darren Handschuh |Cindy Harnett |Chelsey Mutter

British Columbia's chief coroner is taking the unusual step of not calling an inquest into the death of Lisa Rauch, who died after being hit by two plastic bullets fired by a Victoria police officer. While an inquest is mandatory after deaths in police custody, Coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan says in a statement that Rauch wasn't considered in custody at the time of her death. The statement says the decision was made after considering the wishes of the woman's family.

1 week ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen |Darren Handschuh |Cindy Harnett |Chelsey Mutter

A man seen speeding on a Jet Ski towards a pod of Pacific white sided dolphins has been fined $5,000 and has been banned from posting anything related to marine mammals on social media. The man was found guilty last November in B.C. provincial court for violating marine mammal regulations after his trial heard he raced towards the pod and came within metres of them while filming on his cellphone.

1 week ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen |Darren Handschuh |Brieanna Charlebois |Jami Makan

Two of the three most significant wildfires in British Columbia have been downgraded and are no longer considered fires of note. They include the 263-square-kilometre Kiskatinaw River wildfire in northeastern B.C., which was deemed on Wednesday to be no longer out of control. The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire northwest of Fort. St. John, the biggest blaze in B.C. at more than 1,500 square kilometres, has also lost wildfire-of-note status, having earlier been removed from the out-of-control stage.

1 week ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen |Darren Handschuh |Jami Makan |Wolfgang Depner

A man was arrested earlier this week after allegedly stealing a fishing boat on B.C.'s coast and travelling nearly 500 kilometres, before firing flares at police and attempting to ram a police boat. In a press release issued Thursday, police say a fishing boat was first reported stolen out of Port Hardy on June 15, and it was spotted near Prince Rupert, about 450 km to the north, the following evening.

1 week ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen |Darren Handschuh |Jami Makan |Wolfgang Depner

Nearly 400 BC Wildfire Service firefighters and staff have returned to the province after being deployed across Canada over the past month. B.C. crews have been helping fight fires in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where massive wildfires have forced the evacuation off a number of communities. In a recent social media post, the BC Wildfire Service says that these crews have now returned home, as the wildfire season picks up in the province.