British Columbia is recording a record-warm, snowless winter, and restrictions on the press during the clearing of a homeless encampment have been ruled unlawful.
Could Vancouver face a snowless winter for the first time in 43 years?
This winter in Vancouver is setting climate records — and not the kind winter-sport fans want. The city, known for its mild but usually snowy climate, is entering February without a single officially recorded snowfall at sea level. If the trend holds, this will be the first such winter since the 1982–1983 season — 43 years ago.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Ken Dosanjh, although winter is not over yet, there is no hint of snow at sea level in the near-term forecast. The anomaly is being driven by an “unseasonably warm air mass,” which has already broken daily temperature records across British Columbia. For example, Sandspit and Bella Bella exceeded previous daily highs set in 1954 and 1998, respectively. As noted in the CBC piece, even early-January reports of wet snow failed to stick — not a single flake reached the ground or accumulated at the Vancouver International Airport weather station, the city’s official reference point.
The situation is worsened by a series of atmospheric rivers — long, narrow plumes of very moist air that act like moisture conveyors over the ocean. This year they have brought not only rain but also warmth to the region, substantially raising the freezing level. That means the temperature at which precipitation falls as snow is now much higher in the mountains, so any snow that might fall simply melts. Dosanjh says he doesn’t see “a single glimmer” of snow at sea level for at least the next nine days, leaving only a faint chance in mid- to late February. The effects of this snowless, warm winter are already being felt. North Shore ski hills such as Grouse Mountain — which was +12°C on Wednesday — look bleak: of more than 30 runs, only seven were open. Conversely, regional parks are benefiting: the popular Grouse Grind hiking trail, normally closed until April, was opened early because of the “favourable weather.”
However, the picture across the region is not uniform. While snowpack on the South Coast of British Columbia is about 78% of average, on Vancouver Island that figure drops to a worrying 49%. A snowfall warning was even issued for the Malahat Highway on the island in early January. But the bigger worry now is not snow but water. The province’s river forecast centre issued a flood warning for the North Coast. Up to 250 millimetres of rain combined with runoff from melting mountain snow could wash out roads and raise river levels in areas such as Prince Rupert, Kitimat and Terrace. Environment Canada also issued a heavy-rain warning for the area and urged drivers to be cautious.
So a potentially record snowless winter in Vancouver is more than a quirky weather fact — it’s a vivid symptom of broader climate shifts. It directly impacts tourism and winter sports, creates paradoxical spring flood risks from the combination of rain and mountain snowmelt, and prompts reflection on long-term changes in weather patterns along Canada’s west coast.
Heat records in British Columbia: century-old temperature highs broken in mid-winter
In early February, British Columbia is experiencing anomalously warm conditions that have produced new temperature records in several communities. Notably, two of those records, held for nearly a century, were not just narrowly broken but exceeded by a significant margin, raising questions about longer-term climate trends.
According to daily summaries from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), as of the evening of Feb. 4, 2026, fifteen locations in British Columbia had either tied or set new all-time high temperatures for the date. While Vancouver has had a mild month, the real surprises occurred in Bella Bella and at Tatlayoko Lake. In Bella Bella — home to the largest Indigenous community on the province’s west coast — the mercury climbed to 19.5°C. That is a full 3.1°C above the previous record of 16.4°C, which had stood since Feb. 4, 1930 — 96 years. As Daily Hive Vancouver reports, a record difference of more than three degrees is substantial. At Tatlayoko Lake, in the province’s central region, a 1930 record was also broken: the temperature reached 18.1°C, surpassing the previous high of 17.8°C.
Beyond those two locations, record values for Feb. 4 were observed in West Vancouver (15.6°C), Cranbrook (11.7°C), Powell River (15.2°C), Qualicum Beach (14.5°C), Hope (12.1°C) and Dawson Creek (11.1°C). Many of those earlier records date back several decades, underscoring the unusual nature of the current anomaly. For context: Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is the federal agency responsible for environmental protection and climate monitoring, and its data are considered official. The fact that records from 1930 fell simultaneously in multiple places could point to broader climatic shifts rather than isolated weather fluctuations.
The key insight is not only that maximum temperatures were exceeded, but the magnitude of some of those exceedances, as in Bella Bella. Such jumps can have serious consequences for local ecosystems, especially in winter when many processes are dormant. Unseasonable warmth can trigger premature snowmelt, affecting spring water resources, or disrupt the life cycles of plants and animals. For the Vancouver metro area, the near-term forecast calls for only a brief break in the rain, a reminder that winter weather in the region remains variable. Nevertheless, these records are a stark reminder of changing climate patterns and may be part of a longer warming trend in the region.
Right to the truth: British Columbia’s human rights commissioner rules press restrictions during homeless-encampment clearing unlawful
A serious conflict at the intersection of human rights, press freedom and police powers is unfolding in British Columbia. In an official report, Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender found that actions by the Vancouver Police Department that restricted journalists’ access during the clearing of a large homeless encampment in 2023 were “unlawful.” The finding, detailed in a report on CityNews Vancouver, calls into question the balance between public safety and the fundamental principle of government transparency.
The investigation found that during the operation on April 5 and 6, 2023 — when police and city workers dismantled tents and removed the belongings of people experiencing homelessness from East Side streets — access for the press was significantly restricted. Commissioner Govender concluded that authorities “failed to strike a proper balance” between safety and press freedom, undermining transparency. A key legal point in the report is the finding that the Vancouver Police did not have statutory authority (i.e., direct legal authorization in legislation) nor common-law authority (authority under precedent) to create such a zone. Moreover, the established practice was found not to meet human-rights standards.
In response to the allegations, Vancouver Police spokesperson Sergeant Steve Addison said the department disagrees with the characterization that the press was “banned or excluded.” He said police made “significant efforts” to provide journalists access, including sending notices to editors inviting them to contact the department for accreditation. “The truth is we wanted the press on scene,” Addison said, stressing the desire for accurate coverage. Commissioner Govender rebuts that argument, calling the police approach “overly formalistic.” She notes the problem is not the terminology used — whether “closed zone,” “buffer zone” or “access control zone” — but the practical effect and impact on press freedom. Any restriction on access to public space, in her view, amounts effectively to an “exclusion zone.”
The encampment clearing on Hastings Street was initiated by city officials led by Mayor Ken Sim, who cited acute fire risk and a rise in crime associated with the tent city. Despite those claims of necessary public-safety measures, the lack of independent journalistic oversight during a process that involved the destruction of people’s personal belongings raised serious questions about accountability and the protection of vulnerable individuals’ rights.
The report includes six concrete recommendations aimed at preventing similar situations in the future. Key proposals include requiring all police departments in the province to immediately stop excluding or restricting the press around their actions without a court order or without a “real and substantial threat” to public safety. Commissioner Govender also recommends enshrining this requirement in provincial legislation. Other suggestions include funding human-rights training for police officers and amending the Police Act to make compliance with recommendations from the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner mandatory.
This case goes beyond a single incident; it touches on the foundations of democratic society. Press freedom — which allows citizens to receive independent information about government actions, especially where the rights of marginalized groups are concerned — is a cornerstone. Restricting that freedom in the name of security, without clear legal basis and proportionate measures, sets a dangerous precedent. If implemented, the commissioner’s recommendations could be an important step toward strengthening legal frameworks that ensure transparency and accountability of law enforcement in British Columbia and potentially across Canada.
