Afternoon News Update for May 13 2020

NANAIMO—There has been another death on the water, this time off Hornby Island. Hornby Island Fire Rescue says it was called out yesterday evening to tend to a patient with hypothermia as the result of an overturned boat. While en route more information came in that there was a second patient, possibly deceased. Rescue crews were dispatched and found the man at Norris Rock, but he was unresponsive and rescuers were unable to revive him. The BC Coroner's service confirms it is investigating the death of a man in his 70s. Hornby's Fire Chief, Doug Chinnery says the deceased man was not wearing a life jacket when his boat overturned, and he was unable to stay afloat. His friend was able to drag him to Norris Rock, then righted the capsized boat and rowed to Hornby to get help. This death follows one on Sunday night at North Saanich Marina. A man in his 50s died and two others were taken to hospital after a fire onboard the man's boat spread to the fuel dock.

📷 Horgan presents on new programs to support cleanup of orphan oil and gas wells in BC / via Province of British Columbia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

As more people are expected to head on to the water or into the backcountry this weekend, search and rescue groups are sounding the alarm. The organization "BC Adventure Smart says BC recorded a 35 per cent spike in search and rescue incidents during the first week of May, compared to the same week last year. The ongoing pandemic has added to concerns among search and rescue groups who face even more risks from COVID-19. "BC Adventure Smart" is hosting a seminar on Google Hangouts tonight on how to stay safe and survive when venturing into nature. It starts at 7 p.m. For more information check the BC Adventure Smart Facebook page.

British Columbia will begin the process of cleaning up 2200 orphaned or dormant oil and gas sites at the end of this month, thanks to a grant from the federal government. The Premier says BC has received $120 million dollars from Ottawa for the projects, that will employ 1200 workers. John Horgan says indigenous communities, local governments and landowners will be able to nominate dormant, orphan and legacy sites for priority consideration for decommissioning, reclamation or restoration.

We will bring you the latest COVID-19 numbers in our next news update at 6 o'clock.

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Lisa Cordasco

Senior Reporter and News Director — Lisa is responsible for creating the station's first morning news current affairs show on CHLY. She is also deeply involved in training and mentoring student and citizen journalists who volunteer their time at the station. Before joining CHLY, Lisa spent 35 years in various roles at CBC Radio, from host to reporter. Her passion for journalism and radio has led her to Nanaimo, where she intends to provide CHLY listeners with news they can use, in an alternative radio environment. Her other not-so-secret passion is costuming for any occasion.

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