Canada

RCMP in North Vancouver B.C. are removing the yellow stripes from their RCMP uniform in protest of being without a contract, and to encourage members to form a union, says RCMP Cpl. Bryan Mulrooney.

Mulrooney encourages members to either rip the yellow stripes out at the seam of their pants or wear navy blue cargo pants despite a sudden announcement late yesterday that pay will be raised for officers for the first time in two years.

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Researchers are hoping the exhaled breath of killer whales living off the coast of British Columbia can provide some insight into the endangered animals' health.

Post-mortem examinations of southern resident killer whales have found that a number of the animals had signs of pneumonia and scientists wanted to find out what organisms might be responsible, said Stephen Raverty, an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia.

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Allergy sufferers in B.C. will need to brace themselves for tree pollens like oak, birch and pine to start peaking in the next week, according to a Canadian laboratory that tracks airborne allergens by the day.

The province's unusually cold winter and spring have delayed the start of allergy season by more than six weeks, but it is coming. It stands in stark contrast to 2016, when the mild winter led to the allergy season beginning a month early. 

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Peter Anthony Kampos, 38, has been charged with attempted murder after a bizarre string of shootings across British Columbia, which started last Friday.

Kampos, believed to be from Ontario, appeared in a provincial court room in Chilliwack Wednesday morning.

The incidents began Friday afternoon, with reports of gunfire aimed at commercial trucks on the highway. RCMP received 22 reports of shooting, ranging from around Kitimat, along Highway 16 toward Prince George and along Highway 97 as far as 100 Mile House.

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Vancouver, Canada - Licensed Zumba instructor and Fitness 604 owner Maria Lopez danced, and still is dancing, towards her dreams.

After being a stay-at-home mom for almost two years, Maria was struggling to go back to the workforce in 2012. A friend invited her to attend a Zumba class. She had no idea what Zumba was, but she went and completely fell in love with it. She registered to become a Licensed Zumba instructor and got the certification on her birthday. 

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