People experiencing homelessness in the Oceanside region can now find a safe and warm place to sleep this winter as BC Housing and community groups open new shelter beds in the region.

Effective at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, all open fires will again be permitted throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction.

The BC Wildfire Service plans to conduct two prescribed burns in the Maple Bay and Metchosin areas of Vancouver Island to reduce wildfire risks, manage flammable vegetation on the landscape and help restore Garry oak ecosystems.

The B.C. government has allocated another $324,571 in Community Resiliency Investment program grants to seven local governments and First Nations communities in the Coastal Fire Centre to help support wildfire risk reduction projects.

Effective at noon Pacific time on Thursday, May 30, 2019, Category 2 open burns will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre's jurisdiction to reduce wildfire risks and protect public safety.

Rabbit owners in the mid-Island area are being advised to take precautions with their pet rabbits after the death of four feral rabbits in Parksville from a highly infectious virus.

The BC Wildfire Service, in collaboration with its partners in the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, has decided to discontinue exempting the “fog zone” when it implements open fire prohibitions on Vancouver Island.

Effective at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, all open burning will once again be allowed throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction.

As a result of work by firefighting crews and recent rainfall, a series of active wildfires on northern Vancouver Island are now considered to be under control.