Each week at Global BC, we highlight our stories to bring a bright spot to your Friday and into the weekend.
Here are the five stories we want to share:
B.C. Olympic racewalker back as coach and competitor
B.C. racewalker Evan Dunfee is back at the Olympics, not only to compete individually but also to pair up with a young athlete he’s been coaching at UBC for a new event.
Dunfee and Olivia Lundman are about to team up on the world’s biggest stage for the Olympic debut of the marathon racewalk mixed relay.
“It’s certainly a unique position to be in. I’ll be one of the very few athletes at the games in that position,” Dunfee told Global’s This is BC.
“He has been in my shoes and walked this path before me,” added Lundman.
Dunfee is now in his third Olympics and won a bronze medal in Tokyo.
The 2024 summer games began Friday.
Requirements simplified for bringing dogs into U.S. from rabies-free, low-risk countries
Good news for Canadians travelling into the U.S. with dogs.
The rules for Canadians wanting to travel with their dogs across the border to the United States starting on Aug. 1 will now be easier than from some other countries.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dogs that have spent the prior six months only in dog rabies-free or low-risk rabies countries, such as Canada, will now be able to enter with a CDC import form online submission receipt as acceptable documentation.
This form can be filled out on the day of travel and the receipt can be shown to airlines and border officials as a printed copy or by phone. The receipt will be good for travel into the U.S. for six months from the date of issuance, including multiple entries. All dogs entering the United States must have a microchip and be over six months of age.
Quick-thinking bus driver puts out fire at East Hastings cheese shop
The owner of an East Vancouver cheese shop says he’s grateful for a quick-thinking bus driver for putting out a fire outside his shop.
The fire was spotted at around 2 a.m. Tuesday outside Les Amis du Fromage on East Hastings Street near Hawkes Avenue.
A security guard was on scene within five minutes, and joined by a bus driver who jumped off his bus with a fire extinguisher.
Self-driving pods to offer mobility autonomy at Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is teaming up with a B.C. company to unveil a pilot program it says is the future of getting around an airport.
YVR is partnering with A&K Robotics, which is a company founded by three University of British Columbia graduates, to introduce new, self-driving pods to help people with mobility issues.
The rider uses a touchscreen to tell the pod where they want to go and the pod uses AI and multiple sensors to navigate busy spaces.
British Columbia ends COVID-19 public health emergency
Four years after it was implemented, the COVID-19 public health emergency in B.C. has finally been lifted.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry also moved to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for heatlh-care workers.
However, the province is making it mandatory for health-care workers to disclose their immunization status, including COVID-19, influenza and measles vaccines.
Collecting these records will allow health-care administrators to make staffing decisions in the event of an exposure, outbreak, or future pandemic.