Looking back at Global B.C.’s top 10 stories of 2023

Looking back at B.C.’s top 10 stories of 2023

As the year comes to a close, it is a common time to reflect and look back on the busy year. Looking back at the top 10 stories for Global BC, it was a myriad of different topics, showing the diversity of our readers across the province, and their interests.

Global BC had dozens of stories captivate hundreds of thousands of readers throughout the year.

Here is a look at the top 10 from 2023.

Thousands line streets as procession honours B.C. RCMP officer killed in the line of duty

Tens of thousands of first responders and British Columbians lined a procession route along Highway 1 on Sept. 26, 2023, to honour fallen RCMP officer Const. Rick O’Brien.

O’Brien was fatally shot in Coquitlam on Sept. 22, while executing a search warrant at an apartment building related to a drug investigation.

The fallen RCMP member was driven in a hearse from Abbotsford Hospital to a nearby funeral home. It was accompanied by two police motorcycles and numerous marked and unmarked police vehicles with their lights flashing.

First responders and residents stood somberly on overpasses as the procession passed underneath them.

The 51-year-old, who was with the Ridge Meadows RCMP detachment, left behind a wife and children.

Nicole Longacre-O’Brien, Rick’s wife and now widow, wrote a letter that was read at a regimental funeral.

“And here I am instead, sending you off to a different kind of paradise — one that I was never prepared for,” Longacre-O’Brien wrote.

“How do I ever imagine life without you? When our whole life was planned around being together and watching the kids grow up.”

Longacre-O’Brien’s goodbye recalled how the couple had fit a “lifetime of adventures” into their 11 years.

“My very favourite thing about you is loving you and the way you love me back, the love we shared will be the one thing I will cherish the most, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love, a storybook love, a love that we both never knew existed,” she wrote.

“You came into my life when I least expected it. I remember seeing you for the first time. It was those beautiful kind eyes and smile. It didn’t take long to learn what kind of amazing human you were on top of it all.”

A 25-year-old Coquitlam man, Nicholas Bellemare, has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder with a firearm in connection with O’Brien’s death.

Two other officers were injured and the suspect was shot in the incident, police said.

— with files from Amy Judd and Simon Little

Nearly 200 homes destroyed in West Kelowna, B.C. wildfire

Nearly 200 homes were either destroyed or damaged in West Kelowna in late August due to the McDougall Creek wildfire.

West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund called the fight on Aug. 18 “gut-wrenching” and the most demanding night of his and his firefighter’s careers.

“We fought hard last night to protect our community. Somebody described it to me, in the heat of the battle,  like 100 years of firefighting all at once in one night,” he said on Aug. 19. “I really think that it was true.”

The fire is deemed to be one of the worst in Okanagan history, as extremely dry and windy conditions led to a wall of flames, which hundreds of bystanders watched on the banks of Kelowna descend and engulf homes.

“I will never, ever forget being in the most affected neighbourhoods, 4 a.m., fire all around us, and watching the men and women who had come together to fight this fire, digging in and not letting go and what that meant for that neighbourhood but also what it meant for our community,” Brolund said later in September.

Nobody died or was even seriously injured in the fire and that is shocking to Brolund, who said he doesn’t know how they didn’t lose people.

Tammy Thomas and her husband Will shared their story with Globa News after the McDougall Creek wildfire swept through the area off Bear Creek Road and destroyed their home.

“We came up as soon as daybreak,” Thomas said. “We left downtown around 5:30 a.m., just because you can’t sleep.  I didn’t sleep at all. I was pretty much just thinking about what you might see.”

Thomas’ home had burned to the ground along with her husband’s truck.

“You can try and prepare yourself, but once you finally see it and you kind of digest it and you go, wow, it’s such a devastation, there’s so much gone,” she said.

The McDougall Creek Wildfire even jumped the lake, which Brolund said is extremely rare.

— with files from Kathy Michaels

B.C. woman killed in Mexico in suspected ‘femicide’

A 23-year-old B.C. woman was killed in Mexico in a suspected case of ‘femicide.’

Kiara Agnew, of Dawson Creek, B.C., was identified by family members in March, after reports of a Canadian woman being killed and a Canadian man being detained in the incident.

Agnew’s family members told Global News she was with her boyfriend on what was supposed to be a dream trip to Mexico when the Mayan Riviera vacation turned into a nightmare just days shy of her 24th birthday.

“She didn’t want to lose her life at 23,” Agnew’s aunt Katlyn Levesque told Global News from New Brunswick Saturday.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s real yet, I don’t want it to be real. I’ve never wanted something to be more false in my entire life.”

Levesque, who said Agnew grew up in New Brunswick before moving to Dawson Creek as a teen, said she last spoke with her niece over Snapchat on March 2, the day before her death.

Agnew and her boyfriend had arrived earlier that day in Playa del Carmen, where Levesque said they planned to go sailing, go snorkelling, and visit the Mayan Ruins.

“It’s not something that I would ever want anyone to ever have to go through,” Levesque said.

“She had so much life left to live and it’s not fair that that was robbed from her.”

In a tweet, the Mexican Secretariat of Public Security said Solidarity SSPyT police officers “insured a person of foreign origin for the possible crime of femicide, after a lifeless woman was found with possible marks of violence in a hotel located in the Xcalacoco neighbourhood.”

Femicide, defined as the killing of a woman for reasons of gender, was added to Mexico’s federal criminal code in 2010, amid a dramatic rise in violence against women.

Global Affairs Canada confirmed it was aware of the death of a Canadian citizen and the detention of another Canadian citizen in Mexico.

A fundraiser was created to help bring Agnew’s body back to Dawson Creek, after her death. It reached its goal of $20,000 and, in an update, the fundraiser organizer said she was returned home and had a beautiful celebration of life.

“You will never know how truly touched our family is by the support each of you have given us,” Tanya Roberts said in the fundraiser update.

“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

— with files from Kristen Robinson

Deb Hope, former Global BC anchor and reporter, passes away

For two generations, Deb Hope was the face of Global BC as an anchor and reporter. She died at age 67 on May 15.

She read the news at noon, 5 p.m., and, eventually, BCTV’s top-rated flagship 6 p.m. broadcast, usually alongside Tony Parsons.

Hope retired in 2014, and was then diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which eventually led to her living in a nursing home.

Former meteorologist and colleague, Wayne Cox, told Global News it was a “sad day” for the Global and BCTV families.

“Deb was such a professional,” he said. “She was probably the hardest-working person in the entire newsroom when I worked with her. Also, when I worked with her, it was the laugh, and the smile, and those eyes of hers. She was a remarkable person.”

Cox said Tony Parsons once said that Hope was the best audience anyone could ever have as she did not hide her emotions.

When Hope joined Global in 1981, the station wasn’t even called Global BC, it was still known as BCTV.

Born in Trail, she left when she was 18 to attend the University of British Columbia, and it was there she got her first taste of journalism.

She graduated with a bachelor of arts degree, majoring in French, then moved to Carleton University in Ottawa where she received a bachelor’s degree in journalism with honours.

There, she began working for The Canadian Press wire service as a junior reporter but longed to return to her home province.

Her first job back in B.C. was with the now-defunct United Press Canada news agency, and after three years, she joined BCTV where she became a common face in living rooms around B.C.

Aside from her tireless work to bring news to people around the province, for more than 30 years, Hope was known for so much more.

She has represented Global and worked with countless charities, including projects for the Courage To Come Back Awards, Make-A-Wish Foundation, United Way, Canuck Place, the Down Syndrome Research Foundation, St. Paul’s Hospital, the Variety Telethon, BC Children’s Hospital, and the AIDS Walk for Life. And that’s just to name a few.

Donations in Hope’s honour can be made to the Alzheimer Society of B.C.

— with files from Amy Judd

Air Canada customer battles airline after AirTag tracks missing bag stuck over 8,000 km away

An Air Canada customer was left angry and frustrated by the lack of effort by the airline to retrieve his lost luggage after he tracked it down using an Apple AirTag.

“You feel helpless like there is nothing you can do,” Paul Kliffer said.

After hearing numerous reports of airlines losing luggage, Kliffer and his wife invested in an Apple AirTag – a wireless tracking device.

The technology was put to the test this past November when the Victoria, B.C. couple returned home from Mexico City. When they landed in Vancouver before departing to Victoria, Kliffer’s wife checked their AirTag on their phone.

“It said our bag was 4,000 kilometres away, which didn’t sound good,“ Kliffer said.

The couple discovered the luggage was still sitting at Mexico City International Airport.

Kliffer said he contacted an Air Canada agent and opened a claim right away. He said he was told by an agent he would have his bag returned home shortly.

“My bag never arrived,” he said. “Over the next three days, I went back out to Victoria and they again reiterated there was nothing they could do except send a note to Mexico City.”

However, two weeks later, Kliffer’s situation went from bad to worse.

The location of the AirTag indicated their luggage was at the international airport in Madrid, Spain.

Kliffer continued to reach out to Air Canada with no results.

Consumer Matters reached out to Air Canada on Kliffer’s behalf. Air Canada expressed regret in a written statement.

“We fully realize how inconvenient it is when baggage is delayed and our goal is to always have bags travel and arrive with the passenger,” an Air Canada spokesperson said.

“In this case, this regrettably did not occur and, given the time that has now passed without success recovering the baggage, we have advised the customer we are moving to compensation. The claim is currently being processed and we will be following up directly with the customer.”

Consumer Matters also provided Air Canada with a screenshot from Kliffer’s AirTag showing his bag sitting in Madrid, Spain, and asked the airline why it wasn’t trying to find Kliffer’s bag, but the company did not provide a response.

The Kliffers eventually got their luggage back after 45 days.

— With files from Anne Drewa

B.C. teaching assistant fired over her OnlyFans account

A B.C. woman who worked as a teaching assistant in Coquitlam was fired for having an OnlyFans account.

Kristen MacDonald told Global News she was careful to have a separation from her OnlyFans persona, Ava James, and her work in education.

She said as a single mother, the income from the account supplements her income as a teaching assistant, which she said is not enough to support her and her child.

MacDonald received a cease and desist order from the Coquitlam School District in May, which said her OnlyFans posts violated the collective agreement she signed.

“There was still a part of me that was hopeful that possibly, you know, they would have a, I guess, a change of heart,” she said. “But I certainly felt like the narrative from the beginning of the investigation was that I would be terminated.”

Global News obtained a copy of the school district’s termination letter, in which an assistant superintendent said MacDonald’s “misconduct in this matter is egregious.”

He listed six reasons for her dismissal, including the alleged posting of material on public social media accounts that “involves the sexualization of the school environment.”

The letter also states that MacDonald was asked to maintain confidentiality and not discuss the matter with anyone other than her union representative and she chose not to do that by speaking with the media.

“As an employee of the District, you are required to comply with the District’s policies and procedures,” the letter states. “These policies and procedures were readily available to you throughout your employment, were brought to your attention at the commencement of your employment, and you were regularly reminded of your need to comply with the District’s policies and procedures through communications from the District during your employment.

“Employees must remember they are role models within the community and must not engage in off-duty activities, including online and social media activity, which place them in a conflict of interest whether actual or perceived or which may negatively affect the District’s operations, reputation or work environment.”

MacDonald knew that speaking out about her case was breaking confidentiality but she wanted to see the stigma around sex work be broken down and said her case could be an opportunity moving forward.

“People gotta live, they got to make money,” she said. “So I would say to the school district, you know, you don’t want me doing OnlyFans, then pay me a livable wage.”

— with files from Amy Judd

Remains of B.C. woman missing for 12 years found on rural Vanderhoof property

The remains of a B.C. woman, who had been missing for 12 years, were found on a rural Vanderhoof, B.C., property in late May.

Madison (Maddy) Scott was reported missing on May 29, 2011. She was 20 years old when she went missing.

She had been at Hogsback Lake, celebrating a friend’s birthday, police said.

The BC Coroner’s Service confirmed it was Scott’s body found at the rural property.

The B.C. RCMP Major Crime unit is leading the investigation, with support from Vanderhoof RCMP. No charges have been laid in the case to date.

The family of Madison Scott released a statement a few days after her remains were found.

“Since May 28, 2011, we have been focused (on finding) Maddy,” the family said through the B.C. RCMP. “While there is some relief that Maddy has been found, we are left with many questions that now have us motivated to find answers to truly bring Maddy home.

“The emotions that we have experienced since Sunday cannot be summarized. However, we are once again astonished at the outpour of support that we have received from family, friends and our communities. This support has been unwavering since day 1, which we are forever grateful, and truly believe that it is the reason that Maddy has been found.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call the B.C. RCMP’s tip line at 778 290-5291 or 1-877-543-4822.

Canadian woman missing in Iran and her family believes she’s been detained

A B.C. father made a tearful plea to the media and public to help find his missing daughter, whom he believes is being detained in an Iranian prison, in early March.

Amir Bahraminia said his 35-year-old daughter, Behnoush, disappeared in Tehran along with her partner Mathew Safari, also known as Majid, nearly a year and a half ago. They are both still missing.

“She is in trouble,” Bahraminia told Global News, “I know she is in Iran. I haven’t heard her voice and I haven’t seen her.”

The couple left B.C. for Tehran in November 2021. Behnoush’s parents said the pair planned to travel to the Persian Gulf Island of Kish. The family was in constant contact with Behnoush and had a close relationship, but since landing in Tehran on Nov. 6, 2021, the family in Canada has heard nothing from them.

There’s no record of Behnoush’s arrest or any charges, but the family said two sources in Iran, who they can’t identify for safety reasons, allege the regime is holding her in prison, on “super threats to national security.”

Her family said Behnoush, a Canadian-Iranian who lived in Metro Vancouver, was not a political person. She was a manager at a spa in West Vancouver.

Safari, also Canadian-Iranian from Port Moody, had allegedly planned to buy an apartment on Kish Island.

Global News reached out to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly’s office, which referred the question to officials at Global Affairs Canada, who said they are aware and are gathering further information to provide consular assistance.

The family notified Global Affairs Canada of their daughter’s mysterious disappearance last year. In recorded phone conversations, Global Affairs confirms the contact occurred and also confirms it didn’t act after being made aware of Behnoush’s disappearance. When a family representative asked why Global Affairs said it was waiting for a call back that never happened. A policy, the family, says makes no sense.

“Behnoush is a Canadian citizen and the Government of Canada should follow my daughter’s case,” Bahraminia said, in Farsi.

The last message the family received from Behnoush was a text she sent her brother Mohammed on Nov. 5, 2021. She wrote “I’m not n Turkey” with a photo of what her mother, Parvin Jalilian, says is the hotel the couple stayed at during their layover in Istanbul, Turkiye.

Behnoush’s boarding pass showed her on Turkish Airlines (TA) Flight 76 from Vancouver to Istanbul on Nov. 4, 2021 landing in Tehran on TA Flight 872 on Nov. 6 of that year.

The Imam Khomeini Airport Police Authority provided a document to relatives of the Bahraminia family in Iran saying Behnoush was seen at the airport in Tehran on Nov. 9, 2021.

It’s unclear what happened between Nov. 6 and 9 at the airport.

— with files from Negar Mojtahedi

‘She’s healthy, she’s happy’: Missing teen survives more than 50 hours in B.C. park

A 16-year-old girl went missing for more than two days in Golden Ears Park in Maple Ridge, B.C., in late June.

Esther Wang went missing after she said she was separated from her group.

Ridge Meadows RCMP, along with search crews, confirmed to Global News the teenager walked out of the woods, safely reuniting with her family, after missing for 54 hours.

The search for the girl was massive with 16 search and rescue teams called in.

“She’s healthy, happy and with her family,” Supt. Wendy Mehat with Ridge Meadows RCMP told the media the day after she was found.

“That’s the best possible outcome.”

Mehat said she walked out of the East Canyon Trail — the same trail on which she went missing.

Police added that Wang was very fatigued but thankfully unharmed, other than some mosquito bites.

Some charges stayed against Vancouver escort

The trial of a Vancouver escort had barely begun before the Crown announced a surprising move in late October.

On the opening day of Jessica Kane‘s trial, Crown counsel advised the court that serious charges against the escort had been stayed.

No reason for the stay of proceedings was given.

Kane was charged earlier in the year with administering an overpowering drug and robbery. The Vancouver charges were laid while the escort was out on $50,000 bail in connection with a case in Surrey.

The Vancouver allegations stated that a man rented a unit on Howe Street in January where he met a female escort he found on LeoList. A police search warrant and corresponding documents alleged the man was rendered unconscious and woken up by Airbnb cleaning staff the next day.

Court documents further alleged that Vancouver police tracked Kane to an apartment on Davie Street where they seized multiple items including $14,000.

Kane’s lawyers did not respond to Global News’ request for comment.

Lawyer Ravi Hira, who is not affiliated with the case, explained that Crown has the right to stay charges at any point in time before a verdict is delivered.

“In order for the Crown to charge, the Crown must be satisfied that there is a substantial likelihood of conviction and that it’s in the public interest to proceed,” Hira said.

“Typically, the Crown reassesses cases throughout the course of the case, and if the Crown concludes that the chargeable standard is no longer met, the Crown may enter a stay of proceedings.”

While the Vancouver case is now over, Kane remains in custody on the Surrey file where she’s facing 20 charges dating back to 2021 including administering a stupefying drug, robbery and extortion.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Global News has learned the most serious charge of manslaughter in connection with the death of Dustin Lefebvre has also been stayed.

The BC Prosecution Service did not state why that charge was stayed, only that “the charge assessment standard for” (manslaughter) “was no longer met.”

Kane’s trial on the remaining Surrey charges is scheduled to begin in April next year.

— With files from Amy Judd and Rumina Daya