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Good morning, British Columbia. Welcome to your edition of Sunrise.

RELIGION

(Alessandra Tarantino / AP)

Vancouver archbishop 'surprised, frankly' by choice of American as pope

Vancouver’s Catholic archbishop admitted he was highly surprised by the choice of an American as pope.

Like many others, Archbishop Michael Miller said, he had been thinking the next pope would come from the list of five other cardinals who had been widely named as a likely successor to Pope Francis, including one from the Philippines.

“It was certainly a surprise, frankly, to me. It’s amazing really,” said Miller. “It’s really a wonderful testimony that the men in charge of the electors went beyond the sort of political considerations of American superpower status, simply to find the best man available, who, in a sense, happened to be an American.”

Cardinal Robert Prevost, born in Chicago, was elected the 267th pope on Thursday and took the name Pope Leo XIV. He is the first North American to be chosen as pope. He is also only the second pope who is not from Europe. Francis was from Argentina.

A longtime missionary in Peru, the 69-year-old pope has both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship.

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LAPU LAPU FESTIVAL

(Chad Hipolito / CP)

Vaughn Palmer: B.C. premier walks into opposition trap over comments about festival killings

VICTORIA — The Conservatives sprang a trap on the New Democrats on Thursday over Premier David Eby’s defiance of the legislature rule that members don’t comment on matters before the courts or under police investigation.

Eby had denounced the man accused in the Lapu Lapu rampage as a “murderer” and told the house “I hope he spends the rest of his goddamn life in jail.”

Would NDP Attorney General Niki Sharma likewise denounce a man who was appearing in court in Penticton that day on charges of assault, mischief, endangering life and flight from police? asked Conservative MLA Steve Kooner.

No, of course, she wouldn’t. Eby has been sharply criticized for crossing the line with his comments, as she was well aware.

The Law Society said the premier had threatened the rule of law.

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IN BRIEF

• The City of Surrey says it filed a civil lawsuit against a former employee, looking to recover $2.5 million worth of what it called irregular transactions. A statement from city manager Rob Costanzo Thursday says the lawsuit was filed last year after staff identified problems dating back to 2017 involving dormant development-deposit accounts. Costanzo says staff first spotted irregularities in early 2024 and the city conducted an internal review, engaged external forensic accounting specialists, and reported the situation to the RCMP.

• A grey whale among a population that is listed as a special concern in Canada has washed ashore on a Vancouver Island beach. The whale came ashore Wednesday on Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve near Tofino. Parks Canada is warning visitors to the popular beach to not touch the whale and to keep dogs on a leash.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Canada is a 'priority,' U.S. ambassador says, citing U.K. trade announcement as 'template'

• What did Mélanie Joly mean when she called Canada 'the most European of all non-European countries'?

• 'It's done': Trump's 51st state comments are 'behind us,' says U.S. ambassador to Canada

• New U.S. bill would benefit Canadian snowbirds, allowing them to stay there longer

• Florida library claps back at Toronto's after being trolled over Leafs hockey win

• 'Fairness for all citizens': Newfoundland echoes Danielle Smith's call to fix equalization

• Trump boasts of 'great' trade deal with U.K. but key issues unresolved, global uncertainty remains

• Expert in B.C. says India-Pakistan tension at highest point since 1999

• Robert Prevost, first American-born pope in history of the Catholic Church, will take the name Leo XIV

• 80 years ago World War II in Europe was over. Celebrating V-E Day is now tinged with some dread

WORD FOR WORD

(My Grandfather's Cat)

“I believe wholeheartedly that there is a home for every animal. We just have to find them.”

— Angela Rafuse, who launched My Grandfather’s Cat (MGC) in 2021. The charity is helping a Coquitlam woman who was recently diagnosed with ALS and has her own health and well-being to worry about. One thing she doesn’t want to fret over: What to do with her beloved dog and two cats once she can no longer care for them herself. She reached out to the Nova Scotia-based charity at the end of March when she realized she might soon have to find a new caretaker for her cats Tulip and Aster and their canine companion Daisy.

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OPINION

Douglas Todd: Lululemon founder Chip Wilson the wrong target for those wanting extra taxes on mansions

He’s the man a lot of Canadians like to hate — their favourite political punching bag.

He owns the most expensive house in British Columbia. He created an international company that’s led the way on trendy athletic wear. And he has many in-your-face opinions.

The website of billionaire Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon, proclaims he is “right of Attila the Hun economically, left of Greenpeace environmentally.” Anti-capitalists frequently deface his Vancouver mansion with graffiti. Even B.C. Premier David Eby takes shots at him.

One suspects Wilson, 70, doesn’t overly sweat the attacks. Still, it’s possible to make an argument the longtime B.C. resident is not exactly the best target for tax-the-rich ideology.

One reason is that Wilson is a rare example of a Canadian business innovator who has created a tremendous number of jobs for Canadians and others.

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SUMMER FESTIVALS

(Jim Wells)

Here are the 25 best B.C. summer festivals of 2025

British Columbians love summer arts and cultural festivals. While other parts of the Canada might take in winter soirees, B.C. prefers to party in the heat. From May to mid-September, there is rarely a weekend that isn’t hosting some major event.

The post-COVID landscape has seen long-standing gatherings such as the popular Vancouver Island MusicFest and Vancouver Mural Festival shutter. Arts organizations across the province requested that the emergency fairs, festivals and events fund be renewed, but the reality of current economic challenges and the Trump tariffs make it unlikely that such funding will remain available.

It’s a good time to get out and support your local festival. With this in mind, we’ve rounded up the 25 B.C. festivals that stand out for summer 2025.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

60 Across. Onetime iPod model

MORE GAMES

Sudoku

KenKen

Universal crossword