Sellers targeted B.C. minors via Snapchat to sell nicotine and THC vaping products, police say
Sellers targeted B.C. minors via Snapchat to sell nicotine and THC vaping products, police say
Police on Vancouver Island have busted a vaping operation where nicotine- and THC-filled e-cigarettes were sold to youth at middle and high schools.
On Wednesday, Saanich police officers showed media a vape pen with a large dose of THC – the chemical that produces a marijuana high – seized as part of an investigation into a clandestine ring selling such products.
Const. Rob Winter, of the Saanich Police Department's Street Crime Unit, says some of the items seized contain "very high amounts" of THC – up to 98 per cent.
Officers began investigating after receiving a tip last November that adults were selling vape products to minors in public places.
Const. Markus Anastasiades said over the next several months, police observed people attending schools in Saanich and Greater Victoria.
Anastasiades added they were "selling vape products to minors on school grounds, in the parking lots at malls and in public spaces such as parks."
On Friday, police raided a business and seized more than $100,000 worth of goods. Among the items seized were vape products with flavours seemingly targeting young people, according to officers.
Anastasiades said it was concerning.
"These are banned substances," he said. "We can think of them much like tobacco products, if people were selling cigarettes, tobacco to youth at schools."
He added the sellers would contact kids primarily on the social media platform Snapchat, then bring vape pens and liquids to meet-up spots at schools and malls, disguising the products in food delivery bags or plastic containers. The sellers even had point-of-sale machines so kids could tap and go.
Stores can't sell to those under age 18, but it's unclear if any law was broken.
"This is a federal statute, not a criminal code offense," Anastasiades explained. "So there's agencies, external federal agencies that will be looking at this file that we've already consulted with."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside.'
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
Although bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Canada, experts say there’s a significant lack of awareness surrounding whom it affects the most — statistically, men — and that the most common risk factor is smoking.
Canada will soon require health warnings to be printed directly on individual cigarettes, making it the first country to implement this kind of measure aimed at reducing tobacco usage.
More than three years after COVID was declared a global pandemic, a new study is looking at how the international health crisis has changed the lifestyle habits of Canadians.
A year after arguing Nigeria's ruling party is responsible for terrorist acts, the Trudeau government has sent a cabinet minister to celebrate the swearing-in of its new president.
The Canadian economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year and likely expanded again in April, fuelling speculation that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates again.
Statistics Canada says fewer fresh fruits and vegetables were available to Canadians in 2022, due to factors such as ongoing supply chain issues, labour shortages and price increases.
The northern Vancouver Island village of Sayward remains on edge Wednesday as a wildfire continues to burn out of control just five kilometres west of the community.
The B.C. government will set housing targets for 10 major communities on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland in an effort to combat the province's housing shortage.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
A man who slammed an Edmonton mother to the ground and strangled her outside of a downtown daycare in 2021 has had his nine-year prison sentence reduced to four years.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Brad Treliving to be the team's new general manager. The team made the announcement Wednesday, less than two weeks after firing Kyle Dubas.
Last year, Quebec’s Bill 96 became law, which brought sweeping changes to the Charter of the French language. Sections of the new law will come into effect on June 1, the one-year anniversary of the bill receiving royal assent.
Some communities in Quebec are expected to get record-high temperatures and Environment Canada has issued several weather warnings and watches for heat. Dr. Christopher Labos spoke to CTV News anchor Mutsumi Takahashi about heat and sunstroke and tips for preventing serious consequences in the sun.
When asked to clarify his position on the involvement of private enterprise in the construction of dams, Premier François Legault said on Wednesday that his government 'has nothing against the private sector.' He was responding to Quebec Solidaire (QS)'s demand for transparency, after Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon had expressed an openness to the construction of hydroelectric facilities by private enterprise.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
Huntsville OPP has charged a third girl in connection to an alleged assault captured on video at a local high school and shared on social media earlier this month.
Forest fires in northern Ontario are on the rise, with the largest in the region shutting down a critical highway for the people of Hornepayne for a bit and bringing the community to the brink of evacuation.
A Toronto woman says she was shamed for the size of her order at a sushi restaurant north of the city in a scathing review posted to social media that’s been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
A 72-year-old from Kitchener has been charged with careless driving after a vehicle careened off Highland Road West and smashed through the backyards of three homes on Ralgreen Crescent in Kitchener Tuesday afternoon.
