GETTING GIFT OF LIFE: Tsawwassen boy is proof that organ donation works, 3 PROMISING FUTURE: SDSS rugby program features outstanding junior team, 18
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016
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Both prosecution and defense believe accused not criminally responsible JESSICA KERR
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A hearing got underway yesterday morning in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster to determine if the accused in a fatal 2013 stabbing at the Tsawwassen First Nation should be held criminally responsible for his actions. The prosecutor told the court the Crown agrees that a finding of not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder is the correct ruling in the case. The accused, who was 17 at the time of the incident and cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has admitted to the attack that left one teen dead and another critically injured.
The defense called a forensic psychiatrist and expert on the mental state of individuals at the time a crime is committed. The psychiatrist interviewed the youth on five occasions last fall and concluded the stabbing was a result of paranoid delusions, a symptom of the accused’s schizophrenia. Police were called to a residence on Tsawwassen Drive at around 10 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2013. Upon arrival, officers discovered two teenaged girls suffering from stab wounds. The 16-year-old victim succumbed to her injuries while the 15-year-old survived. The suspect was taken into custody the next morning. The accused and the victims were known to each other.
Council approves 3.5% tax hike SANDOR GYARMATI
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PHOTO BY GORD GOBLE
OWL president Karen Wheatley releases a bald eagle last Saturday during the organization’s annual open house in East Ladner. See more photos at www.delta-optimist.com.
Delta council unanimously gave final approval Monday to a 3.5 per cent property tax hike for 2016. It means the average singlefamily residence assessed at $645,000 will see an increase of approximately $75 on the Delta portion of their property tax bill. The increase this year is broken down to one per cent to maintain government services, 0.5 per cent for additional police
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officers and civilians. 0.5 per cent for a life cycle replacement reserve for Delta’s five synthetic turf fields and 1.5 per cent toward a new emergency services fire hall and training centre at Boundary Bay Airport. Construction of the fire hall is scheduled to begin next year, but Delta is still looking for senior government funding to help pay for the $8 million project. On Monday council also approved awarding a $633,000 contract for architectural services for the project.
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