THURSDAY
K A M L O O P S
THIS WEEK
Thursday, March 6, 2013 X Volume 27 No. 26 www.kamloopsthisweek.com X 30 cents at Newsstands
TOBIANO LANDS SOLD By Cam Fortems STAFF REPORTER
cam@kamloopsthisweek.com
Thompson Rivers University assistant professor Andrew Park (left) and research assistant Alex Touchet. Dave Eagles/KTW
the virtual reality of
environmental criminology The Boston Marathon bombing is being re-created at Thompson Rivers University in a computer lab. The technology being applied comes from all the software tricks used to create games, but the goal is deadly serious — to learn from what happened and how, in a similar situation, security forces might be better able to rescue victims. It’s all part of to train in a virtual BY DALE BASS • STAFF REPORTER • DALE@KAMLOOPSTHISWEEK.COM the work done by setting. Andrew Park, an Park’s journey to assistant professor in the computer-sciences department this point began as a student at Simon Fraser University, at TRU, and others working with him. where he began to work with Paul and Patricia The project is being done for the Canadian Network Brantingham and their Institute for Canadian Urban for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society Research Studies. (CNRTSS), an organization supported by several univerPark was intrigued with their work on environmental sities, and government agencies such as Public Safety criminology and saw a way to use his computing skills to Canada, the RCMP and CSIS. create virtual environments that, when people interacted In its description for CNRTSS, Park noted the work is with them, would provide data on the types of scenarios designed to help position public safety against potential we encounter in everyday life that can cause fear or other threats by identifying existing gaps, defining priorities behaviours. and focusing on developing approaches to address the Park chose the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver as threats. his first environment. The goal is to develop a model in which a crowd of “I went there many times and I didn’t really know the more than 20,000 people with specific behaviours can be seriousness of those streets,” he said. created and then used by police and other security forces X See KAMLOOPS A4
Development lands at Tobiano have been purchased by a local developer-builder group from former mortgage holder BMO. Quentin Granger, receiver-manager at Tobiano, told a Kamloops Chamber of Commerce meeting at the resort Wednesday, March 5, about the transaction at the Kamloops Lake property. BMO, which held mortgages on the resort developed by Pagebrook Inc., forced the property into receivership in 2011, citing non-payment on about $25-million worth of loans. The Business Development Bank (BDB) of Canada also held a separate mortgage on the golf course worth about $5 million. While Crown-owned BDB sold its interest in the golf course last year to a private group, BMO continued to operate the development lands, utilities and agricultural land through receiver Bowra Group. But, Granger revealed to the meeting that BMO is no longer involved. He declined to name the new investors, but said they are experienced developerbuilders who will reveal themselves at a marketing event later this year that may include rebranding of the project. He said Bowra Group sold only one lot at Tobiano in 2013. Although the deal is completed, Granger said there are uncontested legal matters outstanding that will be dealt with in B.C. Supreme Court, which oversaw the receivership.
PARTY AT THE PATCH KTW’s Jessica Wallace visits the legendary Brier Patch. If you go — and you should — turn to page B1 to see what awaits you.