Kim Bolan
@kbolan
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Vancouver Sun crime reporter. Langara journalism instructor, author [email protected] 604-219-5740 WhatsApp Now on Bluesky @kimbolan.bsky.social
Vancouver, BC
Joined November 2008
The first in my series about the international reach of BC gangs/criminal organizations. No paywall on the stories. Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor’s Journalism Fellowship, I was able to visit 6 countries to do research/interviews.
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Canadian journalist Tara Singh Hayer was assassinated 26 years ago today. To date, no one has been charged though gangsters allegedly hired by the Babbar Khalsa terrorist group were identified as suspects. Hayer had agreed to be an Air India witness.
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Coming soon - a new news site - OWN - Old Women’s News - to employ all the talented women journalists pushed out at the height of their careers.
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Before I started the @VancouverSun 40 years ago today, all my jobs had been for less than a year! I never imagined I'd still be here 4 decades later! But I love being a reporter and writing about important issues in my city and province. #localnewsmatters.
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Good news - the two 12-year-olds who were missing in Richmond have been found safe.
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Wow, a Hells Angel just drove by me and said "F--k you, you f--king ugly c-unt." Honestly he wasn't a looker himself.
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SCOOP from me and @loriculbert - B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton savagely attacked in prison, clinging to life via @VancouverSun.
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I started @VancouverSun on this day 35 years ago! I'm celebrating on vacation in Europe and feel conflicted about NOT being in Vancouver for the end of #bacontrial It has been a fun ride despite all the changes in our industry and at our paper. #bestjobever #journalismmatters
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So weird. Apparently @bcferries has some issue with me! I hope everyone has a great Christmas!
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A Surrey businessman is facing both criminal charges and the potential loss of his house after a Burnaby RCMP investigation into stolen catalytic converters.
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Shocking news out of Surrey - Ripudaman Singh Malik, the man acquitted in the 1985 Air India bombing, appears to have been shot to death at his office this morning. Burning car found nearby. Story to come. .
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Woken up at 3:02 am by caller from blocked # - "I just wanted to wake you up Kim." .Me: "Who is this?" .He: "Stop writing about us.".Me: "Don't you need to tell me who you are then?".A pause, then: "Just wanted to wake you up" and a hang up.
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Someone who called me tonight about possible fatal shooting said I should retire because I had actually gone to bed before hearing anything!! Isn't it OK to take a night off! How can I predict in advance when something terrible will happen?.
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Who would be interested in reading a local media site focusing on court and crime news, both breaking and investigative? Asking for a friend. .
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Cartel-linked gang busted in Surrey. At the RCMP’s show and tell now
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So weird to see the story of BC cocaine smuggler Ryan Wedding now international in scope - 15 years after I first reported on his links to organized crime. #Sinaloacartel
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@JazzTheJourno Hi Jasveer - I am a crime reporter for the Vancouver Sun so cover crime in Metro Vancouver/BC and not in Montreal. I have covered the gang conflict since 2007 - it has involved people across BC and of all ethnicities/socio-economic backgrounds over the last 15 years.
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More targeting of journalists out doing a job. People obviously don't have to agree with all news stories/journalists, but singling people out, stirring the pot, encouraging hostility towards us and in some cases preventing those in the field from working is NOT acceptable.
How I was greeted today for simply doing my job. Stay safe journos. Let’s continue to do our work! #yyj @GlobalBC @shakyblurryblue
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To all those who send me emails containing the words "good riddance" in response to fatal shootings, please stop. Families, friends, witnesses are all impacted by gang/gun violence. No one deserves to die like this, regardless of how they live.
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First in person 10k run since Turkey Trot 2019. Very fun till hamstring blew up at 8k but still managed to limp across the finish line for this cool medal!! #eastside10k
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My weekend feature for anyone who wants to know more about how hits are being done: full disclosure, the licence plate from my car stolen in July 2017 was found at the farm referenced in this the story.
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B.C. RCMP take down largest-ever fentanyl and meth 'super lab' - 1 charged, investigation on-going
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1) OK went to walk the dog without my phone and came home to this disturbing voicemail: "fucking journalist, you fucking fat donut eating brainwashed cunt. You can't even construct a fucking sentence. You stupid douchebag. Where are your fucking sources from tiktok. .
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I'm on a day off, but found these suspect names for the people charged in the Hardeep Nijjar murder: Karan BRAR, Kamalpreet SINGH and Karanpreet SINGH.
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Frustrating that my @LangaraJSchool students had to each pay $10 in class today to file #FOIs to the BC govt for their investigative reporting projects. How about a student exemption @jjhorgan?.
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Only in BC: Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum charged with public mischief after he claimed his foot was run over by a pro-RCMP campaigner in Sept. His first appearance scheduled for Jan. 25/22.
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Six weeks on the road. Six countries with links to Canadian organized crime. Back with my first case of Covid, but madly writing stories now. Stay tuned and happy 2024!.
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Thanks @cjffjc for this huge and unexpected honour!.
Pleased to announce @kbolan, crime reporter with @VancouverSun, is the CJF Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, in recognition of her fearless commitment to truth in the face of threats and intimidation. #cdnmedia #journalism
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I was first to report the night of the murder that CSIS had warned Hardeep Nijjar about threats to his life.
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Amazing what you find in boxes full of paper when hunting for tax receipts.
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Temple president Hardeep Nijjar, gunned down Sunday night, was warned about threats just days ago, his lawyer told me. via @VancouverSun.
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And FYI, I plan to block anyone who puts out an unconfirmed or inaccurate victim's name in response to one of my tweets. Things are tense enough out there without incorrect information circulating.
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And just to stress again, I am NOT covering the pandemic or the protests. I know colleagues like @PennyDaflos and @keithbaldrey have had to put up with crap like this for almost 2 years.
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Excited to get working on this project come fall! Thanks to @LGJanetAustin and the BC Journalism Fellowship for the support to do in depth investigative journalism!.
Through the Lieutenant Governor's BC Journalism Fellowship, @kbolan has been awarded funds to produce a series of articles on the increasing international tentacles of BC gangs and organized crime groups. Learn more about the Fellowship:
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Thanks to everyone who supports newspapers and journalists! We work hard for you, despite decimation of our staff/resources.
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Who owns the B.C. properties linked to Canada's largest synthetic drug lab? via @VancouverSun.
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We need more Gurdeep and less of all the other terrible things happening out there.
Last evening I was practicing my dance at Alaska Highway. A woman from local Indigenous community saw me and asked if she could join to dance bhangra with me. Dance brings people together, dissolves power-dynamics and creates harmonious cross-cultural friendships.
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Back from Thailand and back to work next week, but at least I got to swim with Michael, who is 4.
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The 2 men who murdered Ripudman Singh Malik in July 2022 pleaded guilty to second-degree murder today, before one of them attacked the other in a New West courtroom. Stay-tuned for my story. .
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Went out to buy an actual newspaper today (old-school print reporter habit) & starting talking to the store worker who read this online yesterday and had lots of opinions. It hit me how much people actually like long-form/investigative stories, yet journalism cuts keep coming.
EXCLUSIVE: my deep dive into the murder in Thailand of former BC gangster Jimi Sandhu. I learned of a third suspect linked to the Wolf Pack, found out Sandhu had just been banned from Malaysia and followed the suspects tracks across Phuket.
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Letter sent to Sun newsroom on Dec 23, 1997 issuing a death threat against me and Tara Singh Hayer for writing about Ripudaman Malik. Hayer was shot to death 11 months later. No charges laid.
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I took these photos in October of unsecured barrels of chemicals outside Bobby Shah's Port Coquitlam business.
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EXCLUSIVE: my deep dive into the murder in Thailand of former BC gangster Jimi Sandhu. I learned of a third suspect linked to the Wolf Pack, found out Sandhu had just been banned from Malaysia and followed the suspects tracks across Phuket.
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Happy New Year! I did my own polar bear swim at Kits Point! A little cold.
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We were all in the newsroom working hard today to tell stories we hope our community cares about. None of us had anything to do with this. If I knew this was being published, I would have said something. And my co-workers would have done so too.
The Vancouver Sun/Province newsroom is one of inclusion & diversity of opinion. It does not tolerate hate, bigotry or small mindedness. I do not endorse any thinking or writing that does. Nor do our reporters/columnists. It was a trashy piece. I’m embarrassed. But it’s not us.
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Update: I had a great night's sleep with no further calls! Thanks everyone for your support over this harassment! I shared it here to out some of the tactics people use to intimidate reporters. Have a great weekend!.
Gentleman caller: Day 2.This time the call came at 2:11 am .He: This is your wake up call Kim.Me: I’m recording this and contacting the police .He: hangs up.
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OK - one month into 3-month leave to write a book and finally getting into it! (First I had to paint my office, get/assemble new shelves and just generally procrastinate like a pro!).
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Feds deploy new x-ray machine to help with car thefts in Toronto. Maybe it's time to reinstate police at Canadian ports? We haven't had ports police in Canada since 1997.
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Cleaning out the Vancouver Sun desk today - found Bal Buttar murder confession tapes, Jamie Bacon photos sent to me by his friend and stacks and stacks of files. Sigh….
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Police confirming Langley shooting suspect is dead and at least two others were killed in the early morning rampage targeting people who are homeless. Others with injuries taken to hospital.
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Part 2 of my series on the international links of BC gangsters - once the owner of an Abbotsford restaurant - Khamla Wong is now allegedly operating at the highest level
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Almost to the hour 25 years ago, newspaper publisher Tara Singh Hayer was shot to death in the garage of his Guildford home. Hayer, a wheelchair user after an earlier assassination attempt, had just arrived home from his office. No charges still after 1/4 of a century.
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Such sad news. Condolences to his family. Former B.C. Premier John Horgan dead at 65 | Vancouver Sun
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Retweeting my weekend feature again because I like it and everything else today is shitty.
Exclusive: Crime reporter @kbolan travelled to Thailand to uncover new details about the assassination of UN gangster Jimi Sandhu. Read her story that retraces the steps of the two men accused in the attack and the international team who tracked them:
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One last weekend tweet from dog walk because this is just too good…
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Seizures like this 1.2 tonnes of meth at the Port of Vancouver are the reason I got a fellowship to research this issue last year. It's still happening: "Brazilian meth intercepted at Port of Vancouver, bound for Australia" via @VancouverSun.
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BC's top cop Asst. Commissioner Dwayne McDonald says it only took RCMP 36 minutes after the fatal Whistler shooting to arrest suspects Tanvir Khakh and Gursimran Sahota.
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So many people leaving X this week. I totally get it but still use it to circulate news stories. But reported a terrible indisputably racist comment and just got my answer:
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The vitriol directed at journalists is unacceptable.
A news cameraman showed up and was immediately swarmed by protestors yelling “lies.” Police intervened quickly. (In Vancouver). (They had no idea I was a journalist, I’m just using my phone. They ran up to the cameraman as soon as they saw the equipment)
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Not talking to anyone specifically - but announcing layoffs without giving any info to people possibly impacted for another week or more is really cruel, unfair, stressful….
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I'm returning to my normal reporter's life today after two months of prep and international travel, a month of writing and three weeks of shameless self-promotion of my 5-part series Lethal Exports (which you can still read here: .
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When your head is always in gangland - minister's rep just told me he got "clipped" and I thought he meant murdered. In fact, clipped is a media interview. sigh.
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14 months after Bobby Shah was sanctioned by the US for allegedly selling precursor chemicals to organized crime, police here have raided both his house in business. My latest:
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More evidence of Canada's increasing role as an illicit drug exporter. My latest story with @zakvescera of the @IJFMedia via @VancouverSun.
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End of an era in Nanaimo - this former Hells Angels clubhouse - now owned by the BC government - is expected to be demolished next week.
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This is the saddest news. Shinder Kirk was a wonderful person and one of the best media officers I ever met. Condolences to his family/former colleagues.
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PS - I apologize for the language but wanted to give it to you verbatim.
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One man killed, another gets hand cut off in violent, unprovoked stranger attacks in downtown Vancouver via @SusanLazaruk @cherylchan.
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A lot of media outlets are asking me to go on today to comment about the terrible racist editorial published by The Vancouver Sun (for which an apology has been issued) But today I am in Victoria celebrating my wonderful Irish immigrant mom's 88th birthday! #celebratediversity.
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The Hells Angels and their associates have been linked to dozens of serious crimes here in BC in recent years including murder. The police/government have called them a criminal organization. That’s why we’re covering this.
@kbolan This is one the lamest things I've seen a reporter do just sit and give play by play of a party with some Motorcycle enthusiasts. grow up Kim go have a swim.
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Double shooting in Langley tonight. I’m at 208th/80th. High-profile BK member hit, sources say. Rushed to hospital.
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While the fact "Breaking Bad" Mexican meth ingredients were found in this super lab, for the 1st time, we should remember that Mexican cartels have been operating in Canada with local gangs for more than a decade. Here's part of my Dec. 2014 series:
B.C. RCMP take down largest-ever fentanyl and meth 'super lab' - 1 charged, investigation on-going
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@connorharding3 Organize crime doesn’t like scrutiny. I try to give it that scrutiny. Sometimes it’s doing something as simple as tweeting about a live event. Sometimes it’s doing deeper investigations into their activities in the province. I do both. Best to Unfollow me if you don’t like it.
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Such a tragic story. My condolences to the officer killed, her family and her colleagues. via @VancouverSun.
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LONG READ: I looked into why so few people ordering hits get charged in BC via @VancouverSun.
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On #WorldPressFreedomDay I am thinking about colleagues around the world facing jail or violence for doing their jobs. And even in Canada we have obstacIes to press freedom - media cuts, government secrecy and online harassment - particularly of women journalists.
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Gentleman caller: Day 2.This time the call came at 2:11 am .He: This is your wake up call Kim.Me: I’m recording this and contacting the police .He: hangs up.
Woken up at 3:02 am by caller from blocked # - "I just wanted to wake you up Kim." .Me: "Who is this?" .He: "Stop writing about us.".Me: "Don't you need to tell me who you are then?".A pause, then: "Just wanted to wake you up" and a hang up.
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Thinking of all the families of his victims today as well as those of other missing and murdered women who are still awaiting answers and justice.
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And to all of you who trashed my tweets condemning vitriol directed at journalists, please talk a look at the tone of your comments. You kind of proved my point.
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Hayer is believed to be the only journalist killed in Canada for what he reported - which was damning evidence against Air India bombing suspects. It seems like his family will never get justice. In the year before his murder, I shared several death threats with Hayer.
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Coquitlam RCMP says a crime spree started at a car dealership near Lougheed/Dominion in Poco about 3:40 pm where armed suspects stole a car, exchanged gunfire with police, crashed on Hwy 1.
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Just a reminder that there’s no paywall on these stories. And that some funding for my travel came from the Lieutenant Governor’s Journalism Fellowship.
Part 3 in my series - some of the meth exported by Canadian criminal organizations is having a devastating impact on Fiji where I met users, activists and police. Lethal Exports: How B.C. gangsters are ruining a tropical paradise | Vancouver Sun
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Last summer I looked at how hitmen in BC often plead to lesser charges for lower sentences without disclosing who hired or paid them. That’s what happened again Monday with the killers of Ripudaman Malik. Here’s the July story.
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I'm starting a regular series on unsolved BC murders -this is the first story about the tragic murder of Bikram Randhawa - who was mistaken for someone involved in the gang conflict #gangviolence via @VancouverSun.
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My five-part series about the international links of Canadian criminal organizations is done, but the links are not: A BC Hells Angel was just indicted in the US with an Iranian drug lord linked to this Dubai murder by 2 BC Brothers Keepers:
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Wow, 15 years since Eileen Mohan lost her innocent son Chris in the #SurreySix murders and the case is still before the courts. This terrible case is part of the gang book I'm working on. #gangviolence #bcjustice.
Today Oct 19 15 yrs ago my beautiful son’s innocent life was stolen so horrifically. My Christopher loved life and we loved each other so very much. Oh how I miss him and miss hear him call me “mom”
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