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Bucars RV Centre general manager Jeff Redmond with new recreational vehicles on his lot in Balzac, Alta. on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. With gasoline prices hitting all-time highs, Redmond says he’s planning to stay closer to home when RV camping this summer. But he adds recreational vehicles are still one of the most affordable ways to travel as a couple or with a family once other costs are factored in. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Todd Korol

‘Still going’: Some RVers say high gasoline prices could keep them closer to home

Some RVers plan longer stays at their destination to make costs worthwhile

A technician stands at the entrance to a Huawei 5G data server centre at the Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital in Guangzhou, in southern China’s Guangdong province on Sept. 26, 2021. Senior government officials say the Liberals have decided to ban Chinese the vendor Huawei Technologies from Canada’s long-awaited blueprint for next-generation mobile networks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ng Han Guan

Canada banning China’s Huawei Technologies, ZTE from 5G telecom networks

Providers who already have this equipment installed will be required to cease its use and remove it

Spectra Energy natural gas processing plant near Fort Nelson B.C. (Spectra Energy photo)

B.C. to phase out oil and gas drilling credits, raise provincial revenue

New system aims to cut emissions, restore environment

A woman walks past the logo for Google at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Nov. 5, 2018. Google says its Russian subsidiary is planning to file for bankruptcy because it can’t pay staff and suppliers. Russian state media reported Wednesday, May 18, 2022 that the U.S. tech company’s Russian subsidiary submitted notice of its intention to declare bankruptcy to a national registry. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Google’s Russian business plans to file for bankruptcy

Subsidiary can’t pay staff and suppliers

A woman walks past the logo for Google at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Nov. 5, 2018. Google says its Russian subsidiary is planning to file for bankruptcy because it can’t pay staff and suppliers. Russian state media reported Wednesday, May 18, 2022 that the U.S. tech company’s Russian subsidiary submitted notice of its intention to declare bankruptcy to a national registry. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
Debbie Simmonds outside the exp Realty office on Willow Street in Chemainus. (File photo by Don Bodger)

Island realtor urges those needing to sell their houses to act fast

Market conditions changing rapidly with interest rate hikes

Debbie Simmonds outside the exp Realty office on Willow Street in Chemainus. (File photo by Don Bodger)
A treehouse-style home in East Sooke has been selected as the top new host in Canada by Airbnb.

Vancouver Island treetop retreat tops Airbnb list of Canada’s best new hosts

East Sooke treehouse vacation property earns accolades for a desirable destination

A treehouse-style home in East Sooke has been selected as the top new host in Canada by Airbnb.
FILE - This June 25, 2019, photo shows the sign outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Pittsburgh. McDonald’s said higher U.S. menu prices and easing COVID restrictions elsewhere helped offset troubled markets like China and Russia in the first quarter. The Chicago-based burger giant said Thursday, April 28, 2022 its revenue rose 11% to $5.66 billion in the January-March period. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

De-Arching: McDonald’s to sell Russia business, exit country

Buyer sought who will employ chain’s 62,000 workers in nation

FILE - This June 25, 2019, photo shows the sign outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Pittsburgh. McDonald’s said higher U.S. menu prices and easing COVID restrictions elsewhere helped offset troubled markets like China and Russia in the first quarter. The Chicago-based burger giant said Thursday, April 28, 2022 its revenue rose 11% to $5.66 billion in the January-March period. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Houses for sale in a new subdivision in Airdrie, Alta., Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. The Canadian Real Estate Association says the pace of home sales fell in April as mortgage rates moved higher. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CREA reports home sales down in April as mortgage rates rise

Number of homes sold dropped by 25.7 per cent to 54,894 last month from 73,907 in April 2021

Houses for sale in a new subdivision in Airdrie, Alta., Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. The Canadian Real Estate Association says the pace of home sales fell in April as mortgage rates moved higher. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Vancouver Island MusicFest is putting the call out for food vendors for the July 8-10 festival. ADOBE STOCK IMAGE

Vancouver Island MusicFest putting out the call for food vendors

Vancouver Island MusicFest executive producer Doug Cox is dealing with an unexpected…

Vancouver Island MusicFest is putting the call out for food vendors for the July 8-10 festival. ADOBE STOCK IMAGE
Peter Ducommun, owner of Canada’s oldest skateboarding store, recently opened a new location in Qualicum Beach. (Kevin Forsyth photo)

Owner of Canada’s oldest skateboard shop sets up shop in one of Canada’s oldest towns

‘PD’ aims to stage vintage skateboard and bike exhibitions in Qualicum Beach

Peter Ducommun, owner of Canada’s oldest skateboarding store, recently opened a new location in Qualicum Beach. (Kevin Forsyth photo)
A sign displays the price of a litre of regular grade gasoline at an Esso gas station in Vancouver, on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

How to get better mileage, save on your next tank as gas prices rise

Daily average retail price for gas across Canada hit an all-time high of $197.4 per litre Tuesday

A sign displays the price of a litre of regular grade gasoline at an Esso gas station in Vancouver, on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
An electric vehicle charging at the University of Victoria. (Courtesy of Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions)

Buying an EV in B.C. isn’t easy these days, but more supply expected by 2026

B.C. Hydro report found 34 per cent of buyers hesitant to pick EVs due to lack of supply

An electric vehicle charging at the University of Victoria. (Courtesy of Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions)
Avian flu has been detected in the Comox Valley. (Black Press file)

Vancouver Island egg producer taking measures against avian flu

Cat and Crow Farm owners warned of H5N1 in the area

Avian flu has been detected in the Comox Valley. (Black Press file)
Victoria’s Sprott Shaw College is hosting open houses at their Bastion Square campus for medical office and health unit administration programs every Friday this month. (Courtesy of Sprott Shaw College)

Recruits needed to fill Vancouver Island’s medical office assistant gaps

Victoria’s Sprott-Shaw college recruiting for in-demand medical admin programs

Victoria’s Sprott Shaw College is hosting open houses at their Bastion Square campus for medical office and health unit administration programs every Friday this month. (Courtesy of Sprott Shaw College)
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez speaks during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Advisory panel calls for Liberals’ online hate law to cover Airbnb, video games

Some suggest bringing private online conversations ‘under the scope of the legislative framework’

Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez speaks during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Long-time treasure hunter Werner Streicek shows off a bit of gold he discovered. He and his daughters are set to begin their first full season of mining in the Cariboo region starting this summer. (Adam Louis/Observer)

Harrison Hot Springs treasure hunter eyes gold in the Cariboo region

Werner Streicek will rely on decades of mining experience to create legacy for family

Long-time treasure hunter Werner Streicek shows off a bit of gold he discovered. He and his daughters are set to begin their first full season of mining in the Cariboo region starting this summer. (Adam Louis/Observer)
FILE - Elon Musk attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” exhibition on Monday, May 2, 2022, in New York. Elon Musk, who’s offering to buy Twitter, has given his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the bloc’s single market chief. In a video tweeted late Monday, May 9 by EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, Musk said the two had a “great discussion” and he agrees with the bloc’s online regulations. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, file)

Running Twitter may be much harder than Elon Musk thinks

On Tuesday, Elon Musk said he would reverse Twitter’s ban of former…

FILE - Elon Musk attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” exhibition on Monday, May 2, 2022, in New York. Elon Musk, who’s offering to buy Twitter, has given his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the bloc’s single market chief. In a video tweeted late Monday, May 9 by EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, Musk said the two had a “great discussion” and he agrees with the bloc’s online regulations. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, file)
A construction sign on a fence surrounding an excavation indicates the danger is Covid-19 as a construction worker walks past. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Businesses call on WorkSafeBC to rebate $2.9 billion in surplus funds

B.C. is one of three provinces that does not have a rebate policy

A construction sign on a fence surrounding an excavation indicates the danger is Covid-19 as a construction worker walks past. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Williams Lake First Nation councillor Chris Wycotte, left, Chief Willie Sellars and councillor Shae Chelsea outside WLFN’s new farm-to-gate cannabis facility during its grand opening Friday, May 6. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo- Williams Lake Tribune)

B.C. First Nation opens province’s first farm-to-gate cannabis operation

Sugar Cane Cannabis in Williams Lake also first such operation on First Nations land in Canada

Williams Lake First Nation councillor Chris Wycotte, left, Chief Willie Sellars and councillor Shae Chelsea outside WLFN’s new farm-to-gate cannabis facility during its grand opening Friday, May 6. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo- Williams Lake Tribune)
A woman holds two cellphones in this photo illustration in Chelsea, Que., Monday March 29, 2021. The proposed $26-billion merger between two of Canada’s telecom titans has hit a new regulatory hurdle after the Commissioner of Competition has indicated it intends to block the deal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Rogers, Shaw vow to fight competition commissioner’s effort to block merger

Both companies say they plan to press ahead with the deal

A woman holds two cellphones in this photo illustration in Chelsea, Que., Monday March 29, 2021. The proposed $26-billion merger between two of Canada’s telecom titans has hit a new regulatory hurdle after the Commissioner of Competition has indicated it intends to block the deal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld