WEBVTT

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Vancouver rundown for Wednesday, February 18,

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2026. Increased taxes, cuts to the public sector,

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and more debt. It's all part of the EB government's

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provincial budget. This year's 2026 budget does

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include new funding for core services in education

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and health care, but at the expense of many other

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programs. Thousands of public service jobs will

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be cut. At $9 .6 billion, the budget is also

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down a bit from the last quarterly forecast of

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$11 .2 billion. The Greater Vancouver Board of

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Trade is giving this year's budget a D. Other

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news, one person has died in a head -on crash

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on Marine Way in Burnaby. RCMP say it happened

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at around 11 p .m. Monday when two cars collided

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near Roseberry Avenue. Several other victims

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were rushed to hospital with serious injuries.

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A man has been sentenced to life in prison for

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killing his girlfriend in the parkade of Burnaby's

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Metrotown Mall. Melissa Blimke, who was 25, of

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North Vancouver, was stabbed to death in December

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of 2021. 35 -year -old Everton Downey will not

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be eligible for parole for 12 years. Animal cruelty

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charges will be recommended by the BCSBCA. after

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it seized 17 cats from a home in an undisclosed

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Fraser Valley community. Protection officers

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found 17 cats in dog crates. It's believed they

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were abandoned. A dead puppy was also found in

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a crate in the garage. There was no food or water.

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The animals were covered in urine and feces.

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The SPCA describes it as one of its worst discoveries.

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The forecast calling for a mix of sun and cloud

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for Wednesday with a chance of showers mixed

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with wet snow at some higher elevations. Sunshine

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for Thursday, a mix of sun and cloud for Friday.

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For all the details on these local Vancouver

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area stories, along with those links, go to VancouverRundown

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.substack .com.