Tougher fines and more enforcement for partiers during COVID-19

New in this update:Tougher fines and more enforcement to control party makers are coming this week. BC's Minister of Health says it's an effort to try to stop COVID-19 infections from continuing to spike among people under the age of forty. At the same time, Adrian Dix acknowledges what some have called "pandemic fatigue." During Monday's COVID-19 update, the Minister said the key to getting through this pandemic is not shaming or punishment, but compliance.A downtown mural is drawing fire from some Nanaimo residents who say it's pornographic and glorifies drug use. The mural is on the retaining wall of the parking lot at 95 Cavan St. It depicts a cartoonish creature, lying in a mushroom field, who is smoking a pipe through its belly and is holding a staff that's spewing rainbow colours. It's one of three murals by local artists, commissioned by the city as part of the first Hub City Walls festival. The city's manager of Culture and Events says there has been a handful of negative emails about the mural. Julie Bevan says that's not surprising.Dozens of small fires continue to burn on Vancouver Island, the result of lightning strikes on Sunday night. BC's Wildfire Service says most are under 2 hectares and crews are on the ground at the hot spots. A helicopter was deployed to Mount Benson yesterday, to drop fire retardant on a fire that is about half a hectare in size. Crews expect the rain that is forecast later this week will help put the fires out completely.