Evening News Update for April 30, 2020

📷 Canadian Forces Cyclone Helicopter / via Dennis Jarvis Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

NANAIMO—COVID-19 has killed two more people in British Columbia over the past 24 hours, totalling 111. One person was in long-term care in the Fraser Valley, and the other, in hospital in Vancouver. There are no new cases of the virus in the Island Health region, meaning our count stands at 120. However, there are 25 new cases province-wide, with close to half at the federal medium-security prison in Mission. The total number of cases in BC is 2012, but more than half of those infected have now recovered.

The city of Nanaimo has agreed to provide 35 emergency shelter beds for the homeless in its Community Services Building on Prideaux St. But the new Emergency Response Centre will not be available until June the 1st. The agreement with BC Housing means some tenants currently using the building will be forced to leave to make shelter space available. The 7-10 Club, that provides free meals and Options for Sexual Health will remain on site. A yet-to-be-named non-profit group will provide 24/7 management of the space. It is unclear whether those infected with COVID-19 will be housed there. Currently, Nanaimo has 13 shelter spaces for women fleeing violent situations during the pandemic.

A Canadian Armed Forces pilot from Nanaimo is among the missing in a helicopter accident off the coast of Greece. Captain Kevin Hagan was one of six crew members onboard a Cyclone helicopter, which was part of a NATO group that was conducting training exercises in the Ionian Sea on Wednesday evening. The helicopter was returning to HMCS Fredericton when it lost contact and crashed. The body of another crew member, Sub-Lieutenant Abbigail Cowbrough of Toronto, has been recovered. The helicopter's flight and voice recorders have also been recovered. Ships from Italy, Greece and Turkey along with US aircraft are assisting with what the military is calling "the rescue mission."

There will be no tubing on the Cowichan River near Lake Cowichan this summer. The town of Lake Cowichan has told The Tube Shack, it will not be allowed to operate its tube rental company...not because it can't maintain safe distancing, but because it will attract too many people to Saywell Park. The town also plans to tape off entry points to the river and enact patrols to prevent anyone from tubing. Two area music festivals have also cancelled this year's gatherings. The Sunfest Country Music Festival and the Laketown Shakedown say they could not meet COVID-19 safety requirements. Meanwhile, the Premier says he will present BC's plans to relax some COVID-19 restrictions next week.

Featured

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.

Have a tip? Email: news@chly.ca Find us on social media at Twitter: @lisacordasco / @chly1017FM

Funded by Sustaining Donors and the Community Radio Fund of Canada and Heritage Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative. Sustain CHLY’s News Department for many years to come by signing up for a monthly Sustaining Donation.