From stranger attacks to overturned wills, real-estate crackdowns to unexplained wealth, here are updates to 11 of our most-read stories of the year
The preventable fentanyl-poisoning death of University of Victoria student last January shocked B.C., and led to a long list of promised changes at universities and colleges, secondary schools, and in the health system.
And while the swift action is lauded by advocates who want to keep people safe during the deadly overdose crisis, they say pressure must be kept on officials to ensure those changes are made and that even more life-saving steps are taken.
“The mere presence of naloxone kits in residence buildings does not constitute a wholehearted response to the death of students on campus by overdose,” said fourth-year student Zack Fenniri, part of a group of students behind the petition.
“The communication surrounding what is available, what isn’t available, and how to take advantage of these (harm-reduction) resources has been ineffective … and so lacklustre.”
Sidney’s mother, emergency room physician Caroline McIntyre, said she is grateful for the demands being made by these students. “I cannot agree more with them: Everyone should know how to save a life.”
Sidney, 18, collapsed from drug poisoning in a residence on Jan. 23, but students didn’t have nearby access to naloxone; campus security officers waited too long to administer it; and the 911 operator also hesitated to recommend using the medication or to start CPR.
Sidney died of oxygen deprivation.
UVic initially insisted the actions of its security officers were “commendable” and denied evidence from the 911 recording that she didn’t receive naloxone for 13 minutes or chest compressions for 15 minutes after her collapse.
• Four hours after the story was published, Premier David Eby announced a coroner’s inquest.
• Disciplinary policies were also to be revised so that students don’t hesitate to report an overdose for fear they will be suspended for drug use.
In November, fourth-year UVic student Adrianna Balic joined with Fenniri and several other students to push for better harm reduction policies at the school. They spoke to several first-year classes, and were shocked by the number of questions they got about basic resources on campus.
An upper-year student who works in a UVic residence assisting first-years, who asked to remain anonymous, believes the naloxone training received by community leaders was “inadequate,” and there were no clear guidelines on what residence advisers should teach the younger students about how to use the medication.
“It feels like there’s a lot of blurriness in what is currently available, not only for community leaders but all students,” Balic added.
In a statement, a UVic spokesperson insisted the school shared the location of the naloxone kits with all students on move-in day in September and promoted naloxone training offered in other locations on campus. She added community leaders in August received “an in-person introduction to the proper use of opioid emergency kits and harm reduction strategies,” but did not elaborate.
The post-secondary ministry, in an email, said new guidelines released in August recommend all B.C. universities and colleges tell first-year students the location of naloxone as part of their orientation packages. The guidelines also include “training and response expectations” for community leaders, but the email did not provide specifics.
They have not heard back yet from all regions, but New Brunswick has asked its post-secondary institutions to follow up on the parents’ recommendations; Newfoundland said naloxone was supplied to elementary and secondary schools for the first time this year and that it would share the parents’ requests with their post-secondary institutions; and Saskatchewan said it would discuss their recommended changes with its universities and colleges.
Sidney’s parents also urged B.C.’s post-secondary ministry in September to continue with improvements on campuses, including a minimum number of staff trained in first aid, a minimum number of AEDs for cardiac arrests, and new protocols for campus security, who often arrive at emergencies before first responders.
“Although we are grateful for the efforts of the post-secondary overdose response committee, we believe the post-secondary ministry has a long way to go to make B.C. campuses safer,” said McIntyre.
“We must not have a repeat scenario where a campus first aid responder does not understand that a blue, unconscious teenager simply needs basic CPR.”
Since Sidney’s death, the Health Ministry started a pilot project to give naloxone nasal spray to “high-needs groups in priority locations,” which includes harm-reduction operations, First Nations sites, and pharmacies in about 150 smaller communities, the Health Ministry said in an email.
The people in these locations who can access the nasal spray include someone who can’t use a syringe, perhaps because of a disability or injury; harm reduction workers in cold climates, where bulky winter clothing can slow the use of a needle; and young people who are likely less comfortable with administering a needle.
At-risk drug users also fall into this targeted group, especially Indigenous people who have been disproportionately impacted by the crisis.
The ministry said it will distribute 50,000 nasal doses as part of the pilot project, which includes the 1,600 that went to post-secondary campuses and another 8,400 that will be distributed in early 2025, although no further details were provided.
McIntyre said she hopes the spray naloxone will soon be readily available to everyone in B.C., where more than 15,000 people have overdosed since the province declared a public health emergency in 2016.
“We continue to have the highest death rate from toxic drugs in the country, yet we continue to lag behind many provinces in providing easy-to-use nasal naloxone,” she said.
— Lori Culbert
Man whose hand was severed among victims of several stranger attacks in Vancouver
A suspect charged in two attacks in downtown Vancouver in September remains in custody as his case goes through the court system.
Brendan Colin McBride, 34, was expected in provincial court on Dec. 27 to face aggravated assault and second-degree murder charges.
Francis David Laporte, 70, was killed outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and a 56-year-old man was attacked and his hand cut off near Richards and Dunsmuir streets shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 4. The man whose hand was severed was taken to hospital, where he had surgery to reattach his limb. His name wasn’t released by police.
McBride, 34, of White Rock was arrested hours later on Habitat Island near False Creek in Olympic Village after police received reports of a man behaving erratically.
McBride didn’t know the victims.
The case was one of several high-profile incidents of stranger attacks. The term has entered the lexicon in recent years as these attacks have become more frequent.
Since the September incidents, there have been similar cases in downtown Vancouver.
Earlier this month, police released a video showing a suspect attacking a 28-year-old man on the sidewalk on West Georgia Street. Five days after the assault, Zachary Tyrell Shettell was arrested and charged with two other stranger attacks downtown.
Also in December, one person was stabbed and another injured in the area of the Vancouver Public Library by a man holding a knife. The man was fatally shot by police at a 7-11 store.
In 2022, Vancouver police said mental health was a contributing factor in nearly a third of stranger attacks in the city.
— Cheryl Chan
B.C. court overruled will that gave one daughter $17,500 while sisters got $340,000 each
When Tat Kuan Cheong died three years ago, he left $17,500 to his eldest daughter, Celina Kan, and more than $340,000 each to his younger daughters, Ina and Sophia Cheong.
Kan, who was raised by an aunt and uncle and whom her father referred to as a niece, won a legal fight in September 2024 to change her father’s will and received an equal share of his estate.
A judge has the discretion to vary a will based on moral norms to ensure the deceased reasonably fulfilled obligations based on “contemporary community standards,” Justice Lisa Warren wrote in ruling for Kan.
Unless a strong reason is given in the will for an unequal division, adult children should share equally in a parent’s estate, Warren wrote.
A spouse or child who feels unfairly treated can ask for a variance to alter disinheritance or unfair distribution, according to the B.C. Wills, Estates and Succession Act.
Judges have leeway to grant the variance but they must consider the wishes of the deceased, known as testamentary autonomy. Warren said she was mindful of interfering with Tat Kuan’s wishes but noted he “made the will without the benefit of legal advice about his moral obligation” to Kan.
Judges in such cases are guided by a precedent set in the Supreme Court of Canada in 1994, Tataryn v. Tataryn Estate, in which a wife won the right to vary her husband’s will after he left one of his two sons out of the will.
— Susan Lazaruk
B.C. files more court cases to have accused explain source of their wealth
In response to the province’s first use of a new law that demanded a B.C. man explain where $1 million came from to buy a Salt Spring Island property, Skye Lee argued the law violated his constitutional rights.
Lee was named by the B.C. government in the first action filed in B.C. Supreme Court in 2023 as part of a case to have the home forfeited as proceeds of crime.
In a response filed in court on Feb. 29, Lee denied all wrongdoing and said he is not the spouse of Davenport, has no proprietary interest in the house and the property is not the proceeds of unlawful activity. He said he has no knowledge of nor participated in stock fraud.
There has been no further action on the file since Lee filed his response.
— Gordon Hoekstra
China’s downturn still hurting Vancouver’s high-end condo market
This signs of distress in Metro Vancouver’s condo market, with a glut of pricey units being offered at discounts — and China’s housing bust is one reason behind the downturn.
China’s massive housing market, which is especially connected to that of the U.S., Australia and Canada, has been bursting after an incredible bubble that reached into foreign markets.
Canadian condo specialist Jordan Scrinko estimated that, at the peak of Chinese overseas buying,, with a similar figure for Toronto.
Vancouver realtor David Hutchinson confirmed this month that the local condo market remains soft as China’s government increasingly makes it hard for citizens to get their money out the country.
And B.C.’s foreign buyers and speculation taxes are also having a modest effect, he said.
One revealing housing market barometer, Hutchinson said, is the cost of condos in the priciest neighbourhoods of Metro: Prices have been flat for five years.
In West Vancouver in early 2019 a typical condo cost $1,046 per square foot. By November, 2024, the price had actually fallen slightly to $1,012 per square foot.
A similar pattern has occurred on the west side of Vancouver, where more than five years ago condos were being bought for $1,089 per square foot. Despite the passage of time that figure has increased only slightly, to $1,108 per square foot.
“When China sneezes,” Hutchinson said, “there is no doubt Vancouver real estate catches a cold.”
— Douglas Todd
London Drugs cyberattack was one of several in B.C. this spring
On April 28, one of B.C.’s favourite retailers, London Drugs, was hit by a cyberattack that forced the company to shutter all 79 of its stores across Western Canada.
The stores slowly got back up and running as the company brought in a team of IT consultants to determine whether any customer or employee information was stolen. It said about a week later that there was no evidence that was the case.
It was one of several cyberattacks that hit B.C. this year. The provincial government said its network was hacked on April 10 and again on April 29 and May 6.
Despite the similar timing, Premier David Eby later said it was unrelated to the London Drugs incident and one that hit the First Nations Health Authority, which was discovered on May 13.
The premier blamed the government breach on a state or state-sponsored actor and said it wasn’t a ransomware attack — meaning no one asked for money to keep the leaked data private — and that no sensitive data was compromised.
Both the London Drugs and the health authority hacks were ransomware attacks, however. The data thieves behind the London Drugs breach demanded $25 million not to release sensitive customer information.
B.C. cyberthreat analyst Brett Callow said it’s unclear what became of the ransom demands and whether London Drugs or the health authority agreed to any payments. London Drugs wouldn’t comment when asked for an update about the attack.
Leaked data from the First Nations authority was later released on the dark web, including some corporate credit card information and employee tax records.
— Joe Ruttle
Kuwaiti billionaire’s exit from small B.C. town leaves pot farm and hotel in local hands
In 2024, Postmedia News reported that a troubled cannabis company founded by Kuwaiti billionaire Bassam Alghanim had sold its assets in the small West Boundary community of Midway.
BZAM Ltd., which was granted creditor protection by an Ontario court in February, had bought a farm on the Kettle River west of Midway in 2019 and set about turning it into a cannabis cultivation operation. The company also bought the town’s heritage hotel for worker housing.
Alghanim, the Los Angeles consul for the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, inherited a fortune from his father’s Kuwaiti-based industrial group and is a former chairman of the Gulf Bank of Kuwait.
Despite his wealth, BZAM ran into financial trouble due to “competition and fragmentation of the Canadian cannabis industry, as well as financial underperformance and pressures from taxes owing.”
This led to the sale of the pot facility to Christina Lake Cannabis Ltd. and the hotel to Abbotsford businesswoman Carissa Boynton.
In summer 2024 the B.C. company grew and harvested its first cannabis crop from the Midway facility. In December, the company said the final tally of the harvest was still in progress and that information would be released in the new year.
Meanwhile, Bonyton says the Hotel Midway will be open for business in summer 2025, and there are plans to reopen the bar and to operate a café in the building.
— David Carrigg
Anti-drone companies, TikTok ordered to cease operations over national security concerns
Three companies with B.C.-based offices have been ordered to shut down operations over national security concerns.
On May 24, the federal government ordered the dissolution of two Burnaby-based anti drone companies, Bluvec Technologies Inc. and Pegauni Technologies Inc.
Both companies were founded in 2018 by Junfeng (Jack) Jia, who came to Canada from China in 2007.
It’s unclear if Bluvec has shut down operations. It’s still listed as an active company, although its phone number has been deactivated. Pegauni, on the other hand, was dissolved in October, about five months after the federal order.
On Nov. 6, the Canadian government ordered TikTok Technology Canada Inc. to shut down its business operations in Canada due to national security concerns linked to the app and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd.
The app will still be available for use by Canadians, but the video-sharing app’s offices in Vancouver and Toronto have been ordered to close.
On Dec. 5, TikTok filed an application for a judicial review with the Federal Court seeking to set aside the order, arguing Industry Ministry Francois-Philippe Champagne’s decision was “unreasonable” and that the national security review was “procedurally unfair.”
The government didn’t elaborate its reasons for the three decisions, citing confidentiality provisions in the Investment Canada Act. Champagne’s office said the decisions were “based on facts and evidence, and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners.”
The orders were made public in an effort to increase the transparency of the national security review process, said the government.
In 2023-24, the government conducted extended security reviews of 26 companies, down from a high of 32 in 2022-23.
— Cheryl Chan
Last year’s snowfall was so bleak that ski hills closed. Will it be better this year?
Warm weather records were shattered in many parts of Canada last winter, including in B.C.
A report from the Weather Network said the average temperature from December 2023 to February, across all of Canada, was 5.2 C above the 1961 to 1990 average.
The result? For many parts of B.C. the ski and snowboard season was a bust.
It was so bad that the opening of the North Shore Mountains was delayed, and they were closed on several occasions because of washouts and rock-exposed slopes. Photographs showed dirt patches on the lower runs at Whistler Blackcomb and, at the end of December, which is typically the busiest season for resorts, fewer than half of the resort’s trails were open.
The World Meteorological Organization blamed a powerful El Niño effect combined with human-induced climate change for the record temperatures.
— Tiffany Crawford
10 per cent drop in overall number of short-term rental listings
There has been about a 10 per cent drop in the overall number of short-term rental listings across the province seven months after the B.C. government introduced new rules restricting these to principal residences in over 65 communities.
This ballpark estimate by the province is based on the number of homes that were short-term rentals even though they weren’t a principal residence, a secondary suite or a laneway house.
The drop is in step with anecdotes that Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Ravi Kahlon is hearing. A family in Oliver told him, for example, that their neighbour used to run “revolving hotel rooms” in a home that is now rented to long-term tenants. The province’s goal with these new rules is to increase the supply of long-term rental units and to lower rents in the market.
An enforcement team of six staff has worked through about 1,500 non-compliance reports made to the province by municipalities and individuals. Some offenders didn’t know that ads for short-term rental listings need to now have business licences issued by municipalities. Others flouted rules and were caught, said Kahlon.
He said he is encouraged by recent figures showing that rents are falling in Metro Vancouver.
The next phase in 2025 will be the launch of a provincial registry. This will be one central system where residents who want to rent out their short-term rental properties will register their licensing information, which can be shared with the province’s Finance Ministry, which will make it easier to investigate principal residency status.
— Joanne Lee-Young
Recovery of long-lost gold from sunken ship to commence in 2025
On a cold November morning in 1875, the paddlewheeler SS Pacific left Esquimalt in poor weather. Many of the passengers were gold miners taking their treasure back to San Francisco before the winter set in. It also held a Wells Fargo safe full of gold bullion.
By the end of that day, the ship rested on the bottom of the ocean southwest of Cape Flattery at the end of the Olympic Peninsula, after striking another vessel. There were only two survivors of the estimated 275 people on board.
A historical paper written about the sinking states the ship was carrying “prominent Victorians, wealthy businessmen, numerous gold miners with pokes full of Cassiar gold, an equestrian troupe and 41 Chinese labourers.”
The Pacific also held around 4,000 ounces of gold bullion that today would be worth close to $15 million.
In November 2022, it was revealed in court documents that the wreck had been located and salvage rights granted to a Washington company called Rockfish. The only catch was that anyone claiming to own the gold had a right to it if they could prove ownership.
In 2024, Postmedia reported there had been no takers.
According to the company, the debris field suggests a boiler explosion caused significant damage as the vessel sank.
Rockfish is currently building customized equipment tailored to the wreck site, situated at a depth of around 1,500 feet (450 metres). By comparison, the Titanic wreck sits at a depth of 12,500 feet (3.8 kms).
“The company is planning an on-site equipment test in early summer (2025) and expects to recover artifacts from the debris field in late summer and early fall. Excavation of the main wreck is planned for the summer of 2026,” said Rockfish spokesperson Jeff Hummel.
— David Carrigg