'Comfort kills dreams': Family says soldier killed in base fire was living his dream
The mother of one of the four Canadian soldiers killed in a fire at a military base in Alberta says his lifelong goal was to join the Forces and wear his uniform with pride.
Patricia Farrell says her 23-year-old son Pte. Shaun Farrell overcame any obstacle that was put in his way.
His family moved to Prince Albert, Sask., from South Africa when he was a teen.
Farrell was diagnosed with dyslexia and Asperger's syndrome, but his mother says he consistently refused to let labels or low expectations define him.
Military officials have said a grass fire broke out Saturday on a grenade range at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, southeast of Edmonton, in a permanent danger area, which prevented firefighters from putting it out early on.
The fire was being monitored when, in the afternoon, strong winds quickly carried flames to an area where roughly 84 soldiers were training, killing four and injuring dozens more.
Officials say 27 remain in hospital, including 13 in critical condition.
Farrell’s mother told reporters Thursday that her son was loving, and she has received beautiful messages from "his fellow brothers in the military."
"They said that Shaun was their partner … and he never left any of them behind," Patricia Farrell said. "He was always there supporting them and encouraging."
The other soldiers killed in the fire were: Pte. Aidan Goulding, 23, of North Vancouver; Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, of Langley, B.C.; and Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, of Edmonton.
She said she remembers her son when he was five years old saying, "When I grow up, I’m going to be an army man."
His personal motto was “comfort kills dreams,” the family said, adding he had the phrase tattooed on his side.
"He knew it wasn’t always comfortable for him as a person for him to achieve his dreams," she said.
"He had to get out of his comfort zone, struggling with his personal disabilities."
Patricia Farrell said the support pouring in from people in Prince Albert and across the country has been "overwhelming."
The family now is simply trying to process the loss, she said.
"I’m just wondering what my future is going to be like without him in our lives and without him being around."
A family spokesperson says funeral arrangements are being finalized and his body will be brought back to Saskatchewan by week's end.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
— By Daniela Germano in Edmonton
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Pair from Calgary attacked after Bruno Mars concert in Vancouver
Two people have been attacked after leaving a Bruno Mars show at BC Place Stadium, in the second violent incident after a major concert in Vancouver this year.
Vancouver police say the pair from Calgary were attacked near the Gastown neighbourhood at about 11 p.m. Wednesday as they walked from the concert.
Police say the male victim was repeatedly hit with a sharp object that may have been glass, cutting his left forearm, while the female victim was pushed into a light pole.
Officers arrested a 34-year-old man who had two outstanding warrants, and he has been charged with assault, assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.
The male victim was treated at the scene by paramedics while police say the suspect is in custody awaiting a bail hearing.
The attack comes after an AC/DC fan was attacked and seriously injured after the band's concert at BC Place on Aug. 13, when he was punched in the face from behind, causing him to fall and strike his head on the pavement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
B.C. election at a glance: NDP talks nursing ratios, Conservatives tout Surrey plan
The British Columbia election campaign is in its closing stages, with advance voting wrapping up ahead of final voting day on Saturday.
Here are some of the latest developments on the campaign trail.
ADVANCE VOTING DROPS SHARPLY
Six days of advance voting have ended, with Elections BC data showing numbers are down more than 11 per cent compared to 2024, bucking a two-decade upward trend.
There were 891,348 advance votes cast from Friday to Wednesday, representing about 24 per cent of all registered voters.
That compares to more than one million advance votes cast in 2024, when numbers spiked 49 per cent over the previous election.
This year's advance voting period overlapped with the municipal election that had its final voting day last Saturday.
EBY AND DOERKSON FOCUS ON SURREY
Interim B.C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson has unveiled what he calls the "Surrey success plan" for B.C.'s second-largest city.
Both Doerkson and NDP leader Eby have been concentrating on vote-rich Surrey in the final week of the campaign.
Doerkson says his party's plan has three pillars, health care, transit and transportation.
Both parties have pledged new hospitals and to extend the SkyTrain to Surrey's Newton neighbourhood, but differ on how to handle traffic problems, with the Conservatoves vowing to scrap an upgrade of the Massey tunnel in favour of a 10-lane bridge.
Doerkson is scheduled to hold a rally in the city that has 10 ridings later Thursday, while Eby was in Surrey on Wednesday and held a rally near city hall that drew hundreds of supporters.
The NDP leader, campaigning in Vancouver on Thursday, called Surrey "a vitally important city in the province."
NDP VOWS TO PUT NURSE-PATIENT RATIOS INTO LAW
Eby says the NDP would put minimum nurse-to-patient ratios into law.
He says in a campaign stop outside Vancouver General Hospital, where he was surrounded by nurses and other health care workers that establishing the ratios is "technical work" and they will vary depending on what type of care is being provided.
Eby says that work is already underway, and putting the ratios into legislation will ensure "nurses are not diverted to other purposes."
The NDP says in a statement that Eby has committed to adding 1,000 training places for nurses, nurse practitioners, allied health workers and care aides.
GREENS ROLL OUT RED CARPET FOR THE ARTS
The BC Greens have announced the party's plan to support the arts, from the movie industry to local performing spaces.
Leader Emily Lowan says the party would make it easier to film, perform and create in B.C.
She says underinvestment in the arts and the "cost-of-living crisis" have meant the closure of community arts spaces and put "downward pressure" on artists who make the province vibrant.
The party says it will make B.C. the easiest place in North America for film permitting, bring in simpler zoning and lower fees for smaller venues booking local artists, and increase the BC Arts Council budget by more than 50 per cent to $65 million.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
By Canadian Press Staff | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.