Vancouver rundown for Thursday, February 5th,
2026. Former anti -gang cop Paul Dadwal will
lead BC's community panel on extortions. The
move comes following the provincial government's
promise to crack down on South Asian extortion
violence in Surrey and other communities. Dadwal
is recently retired from the RCMP and now works
as a private security consultant. He was a key
figure in the Surrey 6 investigation and trial.
Meanwhile, Premier David Eby says extortionists
have no business shooting at homes and will be
held accountable regardless of their personal
circumstances. He says those involved in extortions
will be deported or arrested, charged and jailed.
He says the provincial government will work with
Ottawa to make sure those brought in under the
temporary foreign worker program are not recruited
into organized crime. or extortion violence.
Other news, homicide investigators are now looking
into the suspicious disappearance of a 45 -year
-old Burnaby man. IHIT thinks Masoud Masoudi's
case is not random. It's checking into possible
links to Masoudi's activism in relation to current
events in Iran. The investigation started on
Monday after Burnaby RCMP got calls from neighbors
concerned about Masoudi's disappearance. Firefighters
in West Vancouver have rescued a dog from a ledge
at Lighthouse Park. West Van firefighters used
ropes to reach a two -year -old black lab who
slipped over a cliff after having a yelling match
with a sea lion. Pet owners are being told to
be extra careful on steep trails following recent
heavy rain. Fog Thursday morning but otherwise
sunny. A mix of sun and cloud for Friday. Showers
on Saturday. For all the details on these local
Vancouver area stories along with those links