News for Youse: Storm passes, development timelines amended, and Canadians imprisoned in Egypt

Worst of storm passes  The Lower Mainland and B.C.’s southwest coast was hit by powerful storm over the weekend. Winds were as strong as 100 kilometres an hour and at one point as many as 30,000 residents were without electricity. According to Environment Canada forecasts, the worst of the storm is over.

Council amends development timelines  Late Friday (September 27), Vancouver city council approved a motion amending a staff report's recommendations regarding the Grandview-Woodland, Marpole, and the Downtown Eastside area plans. The motion amends timelines for those neighbourhoods’ development plans and came three days after a rally by angry residents at City Hall. You can read more about this story here.

Prohibition opponents pushed out of SkyTrain stations  Sensible B.C.’S top spokesperson has accused TransLink and Transit Police of “harassing” canvassers collecting signatures for a petition to decriminalize marijuana in British Columbia. Dana Larsen detailed three instances when Sensible B.C. canvassers were removed from TransLink property. A Transit Police spokesperson said that going forward, Sensible B.C. will be allowed to campaign on TransLink property without interference.

Surrey six trial begins today  Three men accused of killing the so-called “Surrey six” in October 2007 is scheduled to begin today (September 30). Cody Haevischer, Matthew Johnston, and Michael Le will appear in B.C. Supreme Court facing charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

B.C. aboriginals take Northern Gateway to the UN  Permits for geotechnical drilling and tree removal operations issued by the provincial government in relation to the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline could soon be reviewed by the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. A group of B.C. aboriginals has requested that the UN envoy look into the matter when they visit Canada from October 7 to 15.

Treeplanters’ hearing begins  Today the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal will begin a hearing for 50 African migrants who claim they faced conditions “so bad they are akin to slavery” while working as tree planters in a remote region of B.C. The migrants were employed by Surrey-based Khaira Enterprises during the time of the alleged abuses.

Toronto to host the NBA all-star game  NBA league commissioner Adam Silver revealed this morning that Toronto will host the 2016 all-star game. It will be Toronto’s first time hosting the event and the first time the NBA all-star game will be held outside the United States.

Canadians imprisoned in Egypt  The New York Times has published a letter written by two Canadians who have been held in an Egyptian prison for more than six weeks now. Dr. Tarek Loubani and John Greyson describe beatings and deplorable conditions. Neither man has been charged with any crime.

U.S. government risks shutdown  Republicans once again have the United States government on the edge of a shutdown that would leave more than 800,000 employees on leave without pay and badly damage the country’s economy. The conservative lawmakers are demanding that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was passed in 2010 be stripped of funding.

Dozens killed in Iraq  As many as 47 people have been killed in car bombing in Baghdad. According to the United Nations, more than 5,000 people have died in such attacks since the beginning of 2013.

Goodbye Breaking Bad  The series finale of Breaking Bad that aired last night is receiving mixed but mostly positive reviews. Over the course of its five seasons, the show that chronicles the trials and tribulations of a high school teacher turned drug kingpin became one of the most-watched programs in television history.