Discover Narcity
Get the latest and greatest stories every day in your inbox.
Video of contact with possibly rabid skunk in B.C. prompts health authority warning
Video of B.C. skunk contact prompts rabies warning
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Facebook, Vancouver Kick (Mandatory Credit)
Vancouver Coastal Health is warning anyone in the city's downtown who has had contact with a possibly rabid skunk to get a medical assessment immediately after a video emerged on social media.
The video posted on Facebook on Oct. 10 shows a skunk struggling to cross a Vancouver street, attracting a number of bystanders before a man picked up the animal using a sweater and moved it onto the sidewalk.
On Wednesday, Vancouver Coastal Health reported a skunk captured in the city's downtown has tested positive for rabies, but it is unclear if it's the same animal shown in the Facebook video.
The health authority says a small number of people were bitten by the skunk and have been assessed, as well as receiving rabies vaccinations and immunoglobulin as a precaution.
It also says that it is aware of videos capturing other exposures, and anyone in the West End and Stanley Park areas who have had contact with a skunk between Sept. 22 and Oct. 17 should contact Vancouver Coastal Health immediately.
The rabies virus is found in the saliva of infected animals and can be transmitted through bites or scratches, and an infection affects the brain and nervous system leading to possible death.
The health authority says the virus is not transmitted through other types of exposures such as the spray, urine or feces of an infected skunk.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less
Singapore firm set to buy shut Yukon mine for $140M, promises $1.4B in investment
Singapore-based company set to buy shut Yukon mine
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
A Singapore-based mining company has entered an agreement to acquire the beleaguered Eagle Gold mine in the Yukon for $140 million, more than two years after it was shut down following a massive collapse, with plans to invest a further $1.4 billion in operations and other costs.
A statement from Boroo Pte. says that if the deal is approved by the court, it would come with planned capital investment of about $800 million between 2027 and 2029 for environmental rehabilitation, water treatment infrastructure, geotechnical stabilization, and "phased restart activities."
The company says it would also spend more than $600 million over the initial life of the mine "to support and extend mining operations."
The 2024 failure at Eagle Gold's heap-leach facility released about two-million tonnes of cyanide-laced ore and water into the environment, leading to control of the mine being taken over by a court-appointed receiver.
Boroo says that since it entered an exclusivity agreement in April to potentially buy the site it has deployed "substantial technical, environmental, and financial resources" and come up with its own plan aimed at "stabilizing the site, completing environmental remediation activities and restarting the mine."
The Yukon government is expected to hold a news conference and Boroo's statement says the plan is to ask a judge approve the proposed transaction this December.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less
Some government websites still down in response to security risk
Some federal sites still down after security risk
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
Some federal government websites are still out of commission as Ottawa takes precautions against a global security risk.
Governments and corporations worked throughout the night on urgent security updates after the AI-assisted discovery of vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language vital to 70 per cent of websites globally.
The office of the federal government's chief information officer says security updates are being applied and some government websites may be temporarily unavailable or experience service disruptions while the measures are being implemented.
The office says work is underway to restore access as quickly and securely as possible.
There is no indication that any federal systems have been compromised, the office says.
Artificial intelligence agents helped uncover the vulnerabilities and OpenAI says it has led a coalition of researchers, security providers and others to address vulnerabilities in PHP over the past two months.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
— With files from The Associated Press
By Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less
Des commentaires haineux et antisémites inquiètent la communauté juive au Québec
Suites aux rassemblements illégaux observés auprès de la communauté hassidique d'Outremont durant le dernier week-end, le Centre consultatif des relations juives et israéliennes-Québec (CIJA) a condamné plusieurs commentaires antisémites sur les réseaux sociaux.
L'organisation a d'ailleurs publié un avis sur Twitter visant à sensibiliser les gens à ce sujet et dénoncer.
La sélection de l'éditeur : Ce que tu dois savoir si tu veux déneiger ton auto ou ta cour pendant le couvre-feu
CIJA-Québec
Le CIJA a également réaffirmé que la communauté doit se conformer aux directives de la santé publique, condamnant les contrevenants.
« Bien que nous comprenions et partagions la frustration que cette histoire a suscitée, nous sommes également profondément préoccupés par la façon dont cela est exprimé sur les médias sociaux », indique le CIJA.
L'organisation, qui agit comme porte-voix de la communauté juive dans la province, se dit inquiète :
« De nombreux exemples inquiétants montrent que dans certains cas la colère de certains s’est exprimé de manière antisémite et haineuse. »
Ces commentaires sont d'ailleurs signalés auprès de Facebook et même au Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), dans certains cas, mentionne le CIJA.
Photo de couverture utilisée à titre indicatif seulement