1. VIDEO: White Rock pier destroyed by storm, stranded man rescued
Dec. 20 was a dramatic day in White Rock this year, when a storm with gusts of up to 100 km/h – described by BC Hydro as “one of the most severe storms BC Hydro has experienced in years” – dealt the waterfront’s 104-year-old pier a vicious beating, splitting it in half.
One person was stranded on the far end of the pier after it broke apart but he was rescued via a search-and-rescue helicopter after being stranded for roughly an hour and a half.
2. Man shot dead in Cloverdale ID’d as hockey coach and father of two
Paul Bennett, 47, was shot dead in Cloverdale on June 23. He was a nurse, and a father of two who coached minor hockey in the area.
Police later stated that it’s believed his murder was a case of mistaken identity, and that he was not involved in crime.
3. Surrey’s Two EE’s Farm market to close after 58 years
It was with with sadness and “mixed emotions” that the family-run Two EE’s Farm market in Fleetwood closed its doors this fall, after near six decades. The family behind the business sold the property to the City of Surrey this past summer.
4. Mayoral results from across B.C.
There were huge shake-ups at city council tables around the Lower Mainland this fall, following the Oct. 20 election, and locals had their eyes on our website to see who would end up sitting in mayors’ chairs throughout the province. In all, 16 Metro Vancouver cities saw new mayors elected this year.
5. OUR VIEW: Surrey’s Vaisakhi cleanup puts Vancouver’s pot partiers to shame
We gave kudos to organizers of the city’s annual Vaisakhi parade for their clean-up efforts, after word of a big bill for clean-up after Vancouver’s 4/20 events. They say half a million people hit the streets in Newton for the Vaisakhi parade in 2018, but to the celebrants’ credit, within hours after the parade all that garbage was gone, and all that remained on 128th Street to attest to it having hosted that epic Vaisakhi event was dusty pavement where so many feet had trod.
6. Surrey RCMP search for missing 15-year-old boy
A lot of people go missing in Surrey each year, but the disappearance of a 15-year-old boy caught the attention of many this year. Sam Amato, police say, went missing in the 9200-block of 125th Street in Surrey on July 27. Thankfully, he was found safe and sound.
7. EXCLUSIVE: Surrey MP Randeep Sarai speaks out for the first time since Atwal controversy
Local MP Randeep Sarai made international headlines after a Sikh extremist found guilty of trying to assassinate an Indian cabinet minister in 1986 was invited to a reception with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in India. His request for an invite went through Sarai’s constituency office in Surrey.
8. Federal Green party leader Elizabeth May engaged to B.C. man
Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, became engaged to a man from B.C. this year. The MP for the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands – who describes herself as a hard-working single mom – will be getting married on April 22, 2019 to Ashcroft, B.C. resident John Kidder.
9. Delta baseball player on life support in hospital, school district says
A skilled young baseball player died in hospital last January after suffering a serious head injury, and his parents are left wondering how it all happened. Tsawwassen resident Kyle Losse, who had recently celebrated his 14th birthday, played for the Delta Tigers.
While his step-mom Niki Losse said she found their son lying on the floor with a vape pen beside him, a coroner later determined he died of a stroke, not from vaping.
10. B.C. tickets win big in Lotto Max draw
Who doesn’t want to win the lottery? Perhaps that’s why so many people clicked on this story this year, that revealed some big wins in this province.
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