Greg Waldock Staff Writer ecember 2016 saw some of the heaviest snowfall in Vancouver in recent years, and the effects were brutal. Bridges closed, transit was blocked, hills were impassible, and sidewalks were completely iced over. Classes were cancelled, exams were postponed, and buses slid down the hills of New Westminster. The city’s inability to spread salt on roads across Metro Vancouver led some to drastic measures, from plundering sand from beaches to raiding city-owned salt in storage. All this ice has been a ‘eee my caused by an unusually high amount of snowfall and preserved by one of Vancouver's longest cold snaps in decades. After a month of a cold that kept the snow around for weeks, the CBC compared findings from current and old Environment Canada data to see how the winter of 2016-17 fits in with Vancouver's normally mild weather. They found that December the longest cold snap since 1990-91, as the whole month since December 5 was cold weather with little variation. “We've also defined a ‘cold day’ as when the average temperature is under five degrees Celsius,” said the CBC. The cold snap, in both 1990 and 2016, Icy winter in Vancouver > Longest cold snap in decades an outlier, not a trend as te Niki herd eg S n aaa lll Sage allowed for the precipitation from one or two snowfalls to linger the whole month. Despite this, the CBC’s research found that 2016 was just an outlier, and that global warming has had a severe impact on the climate of the Lower Mainland. According to Environment Canada’s data, “prior to the 1990s, cold snaps that lasted longer than a month were relatively common, occurring once or twice a decade.” The hard, icy winters of old are increasingly rare, meaning that last December and the next few months may be the coldest winter for the next several decades. The damage that climate VPD officer charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation > Once acclaimed for catching predators, now accused as one Mercedes Deutscher News Editor D etective Constable James Fisher of the Vancouver Police Department has been charged with the sexual assault and sexual harassment of two women, one of whom was a minor. According to the Globe and Mail, Fisher received six charges overall— three charges of sexual exploitation, one count of breach of trust by sexually touching a witness in a criminal prosecution, one count of sexual assault, and one count of obstructing justice. Fisher, who has been involved with the VPD for 29 years, was arrested and charged on December 28, with the Vancouver Police Department announcing the arrest and suspending Fisher on December 29, 2016. Allegedly, the assaults occurred in August and October 2015. Chief Constable Adam Palmer began an internal investigation in March 2016, after another police officer came to Palmer with concerns. The investigation was also assisted by the RCMP. “Tt’s just a very unfortunate set of circumstances and a difficult thing for me to come here and stand before you today and talk about this, but, that said, when we heard about it we got onto this quickly and did the right thing,” Palmer said during a press conference on December 29, 2016, the Globe and Mail reported. Fisher remained working with the VPD during his investigation. “Tt was necessary to keep him on active duty while the investigation unfolded, while we gathered evidence,” Palmer said. “We had safety plans in place to ensure that nobody was in any danger whatsoever.” Fisher was released on bail on December 29, 2016, under the condition that he not contact the alleged victims or other agencies (identities Det. Const. James Fisher via CBC Image by Analyn Cuarto change has done to the ecosystem of British Columbia extends beyond poor skiing seasons: This may be the first time in years that the pine beetles invading the forests of the interior are being culled by the weather. Such a change from the new norm explains Vancouver’s lack of preparedness for the ice and snow. Despite the bitter cold of late 2016 and early 2017, the increasingly mild climate of the Lower Mainland shows no sign of an overall cooling. If current trends continue in the coming decade, the Lower Mainland may remain just as unprepared when the next unending cold snap hits the next time around. protected by a publication ban). “Tt is rare for a VPD officer to be charged with offences such as these,” CBC reported Palmer saying during the press conference. “There is no information to suggest that another officer was involved.” Allegations of Fisher being detected by Creep Catchers, an online group dedicated to catching predators, have been rampant. Palmer has denied that the group was involved in the case. No other officers have been suspected in the case, but the VPD is uncertain if there are more victims involved and are urging those with more information to come forward. Ironically, Fisher’s accusations comes only a year and a half after a task force that he was part of helped to uncover a ring of sex trafficked teenagers operated by Reza Moazami in 2015. Fisher’s next court appearance will take place on January 24. Due to the unique nature of Fisher’s involvement in the VPD and, subsequently, Vancouver’s Provincial Courts, Fisher’s trial will be handled in the Surrey Provincial Courts, away from prosecutors and judges that Fisher has been involved with.