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DE K A M L O O P S
1988
2013
TUESDAY
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 X Volume 26 No. 7
KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK
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THIS WEEK
Kamloops Raiders women win provincial championship Page A19 Thompson River Publications Partnership Ltd.
Manslaughter charge in connection to St. Paul house fire By Dale Bass STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
David Peter Gordon has been charged with manslaughter in the death of Cheryl William. The charge is in addition to arson charges related to a fire at a house at 927 St. Paul St. last month. Gordon, 32, appeared by videoconference in provincial court on Monday, May 6, to speak to the charges, but his lawyer, Chris Thompson, was not able to be there and the matter was adjourned to Thursday, May 9. William, 44, a cook at the Sk’elep School of Excellence, was found unconscious in the rear suite of the house just after 2 a.m. on April 25, when firefighters arrived to douse the fire. William was taken to Royal Inland Hospital in serious condition and was removed from life support on Monday, April 29. School principal Garry Gottfriedson said William’s smile was what most everyone spoke of when they met her. “She was an awesome woman, hard-working,” he said. “In the last five years she missed one day of work. She was very dedicated and will be missed for sure.” Police have said Gordon was a resident of the building, which had been divided into three suites. Two others in the house at the time of the blaze escaped unharmed. Gordon was arrested shortly after the fire was reported. Kamloops RCMP have said William and Gordon were not associated, although it is likely they had met in the past. Direct damage was limited to the suite although some of the roof was also scorched. The two other units had smoke and water damage.
GUILTY PLEA IN CELL SCANDAL The civilian jail guard charged with breach of public trust in connection with the Kamloops RCMP jail-cell sex scandal has pleaded guilty. David Tompkins entered his plea on Monday, May 6. Turn to page A7 for the story.
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SEND IN THE CLOWNS Members of Steamed Greens were out in force at the 38th annual Walk for Peace, Environment and Social Justice, which took place in downtown Kamloops on Saturday, May 4. The Steamed Greens are vocal opponents of the proposed Ajax copper and gold mine and made a point of calling on all election candidates to stop sitting on the fence on the issue Go online to kamloopsthisweek.com to view more photos from the walk. George Wycherley/KTW
Councillors make less than their peers By Andrea Klassen STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
As Kamloops councillors decide whether to re-open the debate on their pay for the first time in more than a decade, a quick survey by KTW shows the city’s elected officials are making less than their counterparts in similar-sized communities. Looking only at base pay rates for 2013 — which do not include expense accounts or salaries collected for sitting on boards such as the Thompson-Nicola Regional District — Kamloops’ council pay of just under $25,000 is at least $6,000 lower than what other councillors in municipalities of comparable size are making. In Prince George, councillors will make about $31,500 this year, after agreeing to a $7,000 raise in 2011. The pay hike came after a four-person
committee found city councillors were making less than the provincial average in relation to the mayor’s salary. According to a report prepared for council at the time, the average salary for a councillor outside of the Lower Mainland was $30,000. In Nanimo, councillors make $32,400. In Chiliwack, it’s just under $31,800. In Kelowna, where councillors SALARY SUFFICIENT A8 agreed in 2011 not to take a cost-of-living increase until 2014, the annual salary is $31,310. Looking at communities of a similar size one province over, the council wage gap remains. In Lethbridge (population 89,000), councillors make $32,200. In Red Deer (population 90,000), they make $53,160. Mayor Peter Milobar’s salary of $74,400 is
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also lower than that of his mayoral colleagues. Prince George leads the pack, with a mayoral salary of more than $94,500, while mayors in Kelowna and Chiliwack make more than $89,000. Nanimo’s mayor makes $87,500. Kamloops Coun. Nancy Bepple is set to bring forward a motion today (May 7), asking staff to prepare a report comparing Kamloops’ council salaries to others around the province, with an eye to increasing the city’s base wage for elected officials. In an interview with KTW last week, Bepple said the demands of sitting on council have increased and compensation should, as well. Unlike many B.C. communities, which revisit council and mayoral wages every three years or so, Kamloops councillors receive a yearly increase based on the Vancouver consumer-price index.
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