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BC Briefs

More rioters step forward

More rioters step forward

Thirty-four people have now turned themselves in to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in connection with their roles in the June 15 Stanley Cup riot.

The 50-member Integrated Riot Investigation Team continues to pore over thousands of photos and videos – sometimes working frame-by-frame to capture the clearest image of a face or an identifying article of clothing. And they’re now encouraging more photos, tips and information about riot suspects to be sent to a new email address: riot@vpd.ca. More than 600 GB of data is being reviewed, including 15,000 images and more than 3,000 video files equating to more than 1,200 hours of video.

Those who’ve turned themselves in have not yet been charged. About 100 people arrested the night of the riot were previously charged. ICBC had offered to let police to use its driver licence photo database and facial recognition software to detect matches with photos of riot suspects – to the alarm of privacy watchdogs. But ICBC officials said the VPD has so far made no such request.

 

Guilty plea in eHealth corruption

An ex-provincial bureaucrat who led B.C.’s troubled eHealth program has pleaded guilty to one charge of breach of trust.

Ron Danderfer, a former assistant deputy minister of health, faces a sentencing hearing July 14 for accepting benefits beyond what is permitted by government policy.

Three other charges of breach of trust and fraud against him are being dropped.

The eHealth initiative aimed to digitize and share health records across the province. But it toppled into scandal when criminal charges were laid based on allegations a health technology contractor who wanted Danderfer to approve contracts for his firm offered him various income and benefits, as well as employment or trips for family.