Vancouver: The government of British Columbia (BC)  has appointed three Provincial Court judges to help ensure timely and efficient access to justice.

The new judges are Micah Rankin, Charles Hutchison  and Jodi Michaels.

Rankin will be assigned by the judiciary to Victoria. Rankin has more than 18 years of legal experience, having served as chair of the board of directors of Access Pro Bono and as pro bono counsel for several organizations, including the BC Civil Liberties Association. In 2011, Rankin was a founding member of Thompson Rivers University’s faculty of law, returning to practice in 2018 with the Ministry of Attorney General, before transitioning to the BC Prosecution Service’s Criminal Appeals and Special Prosecutions Unit in 2020. In recognition of professional excellence, Rankin was appointed King’s Counsel in 2023.

Hutchinson, who will be assigned by the judiciary to Prince George, brings more than 12 years of legal experience. Upon being called to the bar in 2013, Hutchinson opened a private practice in Prince George, focused on criminal defence, family law and child-protection matters. Since 2017, Hutchinson has also served as a local agent for Legal Aid BC in the Vanderhoof and Fort St. James area, overseeing intake services and working and travelling throughout northern B.C.

Michaels will be assigned by the judiciary to Dawson Creek. Michaels brings more than 13 years of legal experience across criminal, family and civil litigation. After being called to the bar in 2012, Michaels opened a practice handling criminal defence, family litigation and parents’ counsel work, as well as a broad range of civil matters, including civil forfeiture proceedings, ICBC plaintiff litigation, and residential tenancy and property disputes.

Judges are appointed after a multi-step process that starts with interested lawyers applying and the Judicial Council of B.C. reviewing the candidates. The council is a statutory body made up of the chief judge, an associate chief judge, other judges, lawyers and members from outside the legal profession. The council recommends potential judges to the attorney general, with the final appointment made through a cabinet order-in-council. Although judges are assigned to a judicial region, many use technology, such as videoconferencing, for court proceedings, enabling the court to provide timely access to justice for all British Columbians. Judges also travel regularly throughout the province to meet demands.

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Vancouver: Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has announced the Defence Industry Assist initiative, with the federal government committing $244.2 million to the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program beginning in the 2025–26 fiscal year.

“With this investment, our government is responding to the needs and ambitions of Canada’s defence industry. Defence Industry Assist will help Canadian companies scale up, commercialize cutting-edge dual-use technologies, and secure their place in global supply chains.” Said minister Joly.

As announced in Budget 2025, the Government of Canada has put into action initial investments to support Canada’s defence industrial base and is allocating $6.6 billion over 5 years on a cash basis. These initial investments will drive research and innovation, strengthen domestic supply chains, grow critical resource stockpiles, and improve access to funds for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses wanting to grow in the defence market.

“The best way to shape a secure and prosperous future for Canada, is to create it. Defending Canada starts with identifying global challenges and harnessing the innovation and expertise already found across our country to create solutions.”said David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence.

In 2024-2025, NRC IRAP’s network of more than 250 ITAs across Canada delivered advisory services and funding to more than 9,100 innovative Canadian SMEs.

“For over a century, the National Research Council of Canada has advanced research and innovation that has strengthened our nation’s defence, security and industrial development.”Said Mitch Davies, President, National Research Council of Canada.

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Vancouver : Citing rising costs, shrinking opportunities, and growing frustration across the province, business leader and philanthropist Yuri Fulmer announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, promising to put the province back on track after nearly a decade of decline.

“I’m running to be the next Premier of British Columbia because our province deserves real leadership ,” said Fulmer.

“David Eby and the NDP cannot be allowed to continue to mismanage the economy with a spiralling deficit while the cost of living skyrockets, criminals go unpunished, the healthcare system crumbles, and tens of thousands of people flee the province.”

Fulmer introduced himself as a prospective leadership candidate with an online video on New Year’s Day and his campaign launched a website earlier this week to accept pledges of support, register new memberships, and collect donations.

“I worked my way up from clearing tables and running the drive-thru at A&W to owning dozens of restaurants across Western Canada. Sadly, that success story is no longer possible in a B.C. where half the population is only $200 away from financial crisis each month. I believe every British Columbian deserves real opportunity and the confidence that the future can be better than today,” added Fulmer.

Yuri Fulmer is a Vancouver-based business leader, community builder, and proud father who believes British Columbia must once again become a place where hard work can create real opportunity. Born to a schoolteacher mother and a father from Northern Ontario, Yuri immigrated to Canada in 1991 and has spent almost his entire life in Vancouver.

Throughout his career, Fulmer has built and led organizations that strengthen communities, create opportunities and jobs, and make people’s lives better. He is currently the Global Chair of United Way Worldwide, Chancellor of Capilano University, and Chairman & CEO of Fulmer & Company, which invests in small and medium-sized businesses that share a passion for innovation and excellence. He received the Order of British Columbia in 2011 and was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025. In 2019, he established the Fulmer Foundation to support community-focused initiatives. Fulmer served as the Board Chair of BC Ferries from 2016 to 2019.

“Given the bleak outlook for the future of our province under the NDP, it is critical that the Conservative Party of BC has a leader with the skills and experience necessary to get this province heading in the right direction again. If you believe our province can once again be a place where people thrive, communities feel safe, and hard work leads to opportunity, then join our growing movement to build the strongest Conservative Party of BC to restore hope, create opportunity, and ensure everyone can dream and succeed right here in British Columbia,” concluded Fulmer.

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Vancouver:  In private dining rooms, board meetings, and late-night phone calls with lawyers, a question is spreading among California’s (US) wealthiest residents: Is it time to leave?

A proposed California “billionaire tax” has unsettled some of the state’s richest people, not because it is a law , but because it signals a shift in how the state views extreme wealth. For a small but powerful group of billionaires, the proposal has turned California from a long-trusted home into a place of financial uncertainty.

The idea was first floated in late 2024, driven by labor unions and progressive activists who argue the state can no longer afford rising health care and education costs without asking more from those at the very top. The plan would place a one-time tax on residents worth more than $1 billion, targeting wealth tied up in stocks, companies, and investments rather than just yearly income.

Publicly, few billionaires are speaking out. Privately, advisers say many are deeply uneasy.

Some are calling relocation consultants. Others are reviewing residency rules, property purchases, and flight logs— all in an effort to prove they no longer live in California if the tax moves forward. States like Texas, Florida, and Nevada are quietly benefiting from the anxiety, offering lower taxes and clearer rules.

“It’s not just about money,” said a billionaire on anonymity. “It’s about trust. People are asking whether California is changing the rules mid-game.”

For many tech founders and investors, their wealth exists mostly on paper — shares in companies that rise and fall with the market. The idea of taxing that wealth, even once, feels unpredictable to them, especially in an industry built on risk.

Supporters of the tax see it very differently. They estimate the measure could raise as much as $100 billion, drawn from just a few hundred people whose combined wealth far exceeds that of entire states.

To backers, the math is simple: a tiny fraction of residents hold enormous wealth, while millions rely on public services that are increasingly strained. Rather than raising taxes on working families, they argue, California should look upward.

Under the proposal, most of the money would be directed toward healthcare, particularly programs serving low-income residents and people with disabilities. A smaller portion would support public schools, food assistance programs, and the administration needed to manage the tax.

Advocates say the funds could help stabilize services during economic downturns and prevent painful cuts that often hit the most vulnerable Californians first.

The debate has created tension even within California’s Democratic leadership. Some lawmakers see the tax as overdue — a moral correction in a state marked by both staggering wealth and deep inequality. Others worry that even a handful of departures could cost California more in lost investment and philanthropy than the tax would raise.

Governor Gavin Newsom has been cautious, acknowledging the need for revenue while warning that driving wealth out of the state could have lasting consequences.

The proposal is now in the signature-gathering phase and could appear on the 2026 ballot. Until voters decide, the uncertainty remains  and so does the quiet planning among some of California’s richest residents.

For a state built on innovation and ambition, the billionaire tax debate has become something more personal: a test of loyalty, fairness, and whether California can ask more from its richest citizens without pushing them away.

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Vancouver: Soon, Americans will reach into their pockets and notice something missing. No copper shine. No lone cent stuck to the lining of a wallet. Beginning in 2026, the U.S. penny — a coin so familiar it often went unnoticed — will quietly step out of everyday life.

For more than two centuries, the penny has been part of America’s daily rhythm. It sat in tip jars, hid under couch cushions, and filled childhood piggy banks. It was the coin you dropped into fountains and saved “just in case.” Now, it’s being retired not because it failed symbolically, but because it no longer makes sense economically.

The penny is almost as old as the United States itself. First minted in 1793, just years after independence, it helped a young nation conduct trade and build trust in its money. Over time, it evolved in design but not in spirit. When Abraham Lincoln appeared on the penny in 1909, it became both currency and commemoration.

But while the country grew and prices rose, the penny stayed the same. What once bought something meaningful slowly became something people barely bothered to pick up off the ground.

The penny’s downfall wasn’t sudden — it was arithmetic. For years now, the U.S. Mint has spent several cents to make a single one-cent coin. Rising metal prices, labor costs, and transportation turned the penny into a money-losing operation. Every new penny entered circulation at a loss.

In an era where government budgets are closely scrutinized, continuing to mint a coin that costs more than it’s worth became harder to justify. Ending production won’t fix the federal deficit, but it stops an obvious inefficiency — and that matters.

This isn’t just about cost. It’s also about how Americans pay. Cash is no longer king. Credit cards, mobile wallets, and contactless payments dominate daily transactions. Many pennies never make it back into circulation at all.

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Vancouver: Canada along with other countries have expressed  serious concerns about the worsening  humanitarian situation in Gaza as they say, it  remains catastrophic.

In the online statement , released from Global Affairs Canada along with  Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom,  have called  on the Government of Israel to take urgent steps including ensure that international NGOs are able to operate in Gaza in a sustained and predictable way, allow the  UN and its partners to continue their work, lift unreasonable restrictions on imports considered to have a dual use and open crossings and boost the flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

All have expressed fears that as December 31 approaches, many established NGO partners are at risk of being deregistered because of the Government of Israel’s  new restrictive requirements.

“Deregistration could result in the forced closure of NGO operations within 60 days in Gaza and the West Bank. This would have a severe impact on access to essential services, including health care. One in three health care facilities in Gaza will close if  NGO operations are stopped.  NGOs are integral to the humanitarian response and, working with the UN and Palestinian organizations, collectively deliver approximately $1 billion in aid across Palestine each year.” reads the statement.

All have also demanded that it is essential to ensure the impartial, neutral and independent delivery of aid throughout the whole of Gaza. This includes United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which provides essential services, such as health care and education, to millions of Palestinian refugees.

All have welcomed the partial opening of the Allenby crossing, but they have alleged bureaucratic customs processes and extensive screenings are causing delays, while commercial cargo is being allowed in more freely. The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor, not a ceiling.

“These targets should be lifted so we can sure the vital supplies are getting in at the vast scale.” Reads the statement.

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Vancouver:  Thanks to the strict vigilance, packages containing contraband and unauthorized items were seized at Drummond Institution, which is a medium security federal institution.

Seized items  included cannabis concentrate, tobacco, vaping devices, cell phones and chargers. The total estimated institutional value of these seizures is $112,450.

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) uses a number of tools to prevent drugs from entering its institutions. These tools include  scanners and drug-detector dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates, and visitors.

“CSC is heightening measures to prevent contraband from entering its institutions in order to help ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone. CSC also works in partnership with the police to take action against those who attempt to introduce contraband into correctional institutions.” Said a release.

To receive additional information about activities relating to security at CSC institutions, it has also set up a telephone tip line . These activities may be related to drug use or trafficking that may threaten the safety and security of visitors, inmates, and staff members working at CSC institutions.

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Vancouver: Channel-Port aux Basques RCMP arrested two individuals —a 22-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man — early Saturday morning after a traffic stop revealed that the pair were in possession of cocaine and open cannabis.

officers were on patrol looking for impaired and erratic drivers when they spotted and stopped a vehicle on Main Road in Isle aux Morts.

During the traffic stop, the officers observed suspected cocaine and open cannabis in the car. The driver, a 22-year-old woman, and her lone passenger, a 30-year-old man, were arrested. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of a substance believed to be cocaine.

The pair both of St. David’s   are expected to make their first appearance in court on April 27, 2026 to answer to a charge under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of possession of a controlled substance.

It is against the law to drive with cannabis that is open or not sealed in its original purchase packaging, and the driver was ticketed under the Cannabis Control Act for having open cannabis on her person while driving a motor vehicle. The investigation is ongoing.

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Vancouver: Imagine a ride, where your ring shares your body data with the bike, the bike adapts its assistance instantly, the helmet provides personalized guidance, safety alerts and that is what Aivela Ring Pro proposes to perform  at CES 2026.

“At CES, we’ll show a live IoT Ecosystem demo with Urtopia smart e-bike, where Ring Pro acts as the AI Agent & health data hub to power the future riding. Aivela Ring Pro is the world’s first smart ring to combine 8 intuitive touch commands, 6 air gestures, and advanced health tracking.” said Rachel S from marketing team of AIVELA Ring.

The Aivela Ring Pro has already gained strong early validation, with 5,000+ Kickstarter backers, making it one of the most successful smart ring launches globally.

“Ring Pro is built around accurate and long-term health monitoring. It delivers precise sleep tracking and real-time fitness insights and 13+ core health metrics with long battery life. All health data is analyzed by two personalized AI advisors and delivered in easy-to-understand”

Earlier on September 5, 2025, debuting Aivela had launched its first product “the Aivela Ring Pro”. The Aivela Ring Pro has received strong endorsements from NBA Champion Mike Miller and WNBA Champions Sydney Colson and Theresa Plaisance. Its design is led by Hartmut Esslinger, the legendary former Apple designer, with contributions from Matteo Menotto (Gucci) and Anna Sokolova(Maison Margiela), an internationally recognized artist and designer.

Based in California, AIVELA was founded in 2024 by a team of ambitious and experienced engineers and scientists, who graduated from schools including MIT, Harvard, and Cornell, with backgrounds in Electronics, Biomed, and Artificial Intelligence.

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Vancouver: The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is requesting the public’s assistance to  identify a woman, wanted in a suspected hate-motivated mischief investigation.

According to police release, between Thursday, July 3, 2025, and Sunday, December 21, 2025, officers responded to numerous calls for reports of graffiti at various TTC stations. It was reported that the suspect attended the stations and vandalized property by writing anti-India messaging within the stations and on subway cars.

On December 21, the female suspect was described as wearing earmuffs, a long black coat, brown boots, and a white/brown scarf. To help residents identify, an image of the suspect has been released.

“This investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence. When suspected hate-motivated offences are reported to police, the investigation is led by the Hate Crime Unit (HCU). If a person is charged and convicted of the offence, the Judge will take into consideration hate as an aggravating factor when imposing a sentence. Wilful promotion of hatred and advocating genocide are hate propaganda (hate speech) offences and  require the Attorney General’s consent to lay charges. These charges are often laid at a later time.”

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