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Merritt’s Roger Sloan on his way to PGA Tour Page A14
TUESDAY
Tuesday, July 8, 2014 ◆ Volume 27 No. 79
THIS WEEK
No Superman logo in memory of boy who was starved to death Page A13 Thompson River Publications Limited Partnership
For his 35th driving offence, a $1,000 fine
SLITHERING INTO SUMMER B.C. Wildlife Park staff member Kara Coldwell introduces kids — and brave parents — to a gopher snake during the park’s Summer Encounters program on Saturday, July 5. This month is full of animal encounters, from daily (except for Tuesdays) bird of prey flight shows at 11 a.m. to snake feedings every Saturday at 3:30 p.m. This week at the park also features various themes, with animals in motion (today, July 8), nocturnal animals (July 9), beastly feasts (July 10) and life on a farm (July 11). To see more fascinating photos from the weekend at the park, go online to kamloopsthisweek. com. Allen Douglas/KTW
By Tim Petruk
STAFF REPORTER
tim@kamloopsthisweek.com
A Kamloops man with more than two-dozen driving convictions has narrowly avoided a jail sentence after accepting a last-minute plea bargain. “From my perspective, and likely the public’s perspective, this arrangement is almost too good to be true,” said Kamloops provincial court Judge Chris Cleaveley. “You’re just on the cusp of going to jail for a long time.” James Ridge was slated to stand trial in Kamloops provincial court on Friday, July 4. Instead, he pleaded guilty to one count of driving while prohibited. Crown and defence agreed to a sentence of a two-year driving ban and a $1,000 fine. Court heard the 42-year-old was busted by police on Sept. 12, 2013, while parking outside the Chances gambling and entertainment centre in North Kamloops. He was behind the wheel of a pickup truck despite being a prohibited driver. Ridge has a lengthy history of driving offences, including 10 prior convictions for driving while prohibited, eight prior convictions for driving without a licence and seven prior convictions for impaired driving. In addition, he has received nine 24-hour roadside prohibitions. Cleaveley gave Ridge three months to pay his fine and warned him further driving offences will result in jail time.
Steel firm behind ISC closing up shop By Cam Fortems STAFF REPORTER
cam@kamloopsthisweek.com
A company with its roots in a firm that constructed many of the city’s largest buildings over three decades will fasten its last bolt next month. M3 Steel & Fabrication Ltd. is completing a handful of contracts and will wind up operations at the end of August. Its assets and buildings in the Mount Paul Industrial Park are listed for sale. Among its projects in Kamloops are Riverside Coliseum (now called Interior Savings Centre), the downtown CP Rail pedestrian bridge, Overlanders Bridge bike path, Lansdowne Shopping Centre and Summit Shopping Centre. The company also did steel fabrication for Prospera Place in Kelowna, at other arenas in
B.C., as well as at mines in Western Canada. Operations manager Vance Smelland said the company — which purchased assets from similarly named M3 Steel (Kamloops) Ltd. in late 2011 — is suffering from a lack of projects. It was reformed by State Group Inc., a large multi-trade contractor based in Toronto that operates across North America. “Locally, there’s commercial work to quote, but there’s more fabricators than steel to fabricate,” Smelland said. “The mining downturn is so huge, there’s nothing that way. Everyone is talking LNG (liquified natural gas), but there’s nothing really going on right now.” About 14 people will lose employment when the company closes. Smelland said they will be able to find work at smaller fabricating companies in the Kamloops area, but noted some may have to move to other
cities for work. The original firm, M3 Steel (Kamloops) Ltd., was started by Ben Mesluk and Wayne Martin in Kamloops. It employed about 40 people working two shifts in its heyday. Mesluk died in 2010. That company remains in both bankruptcy and receivership proceedings. It was officially signed into bankruptcy in April 2013, a process started in 2011 by major creditor Bank of Montreal. Its unsecured creditors are not expected to receive any monies owing. The company is also involved in an outstanding lawsuit with Preferred Steel Construction, which is owed more than $300,000 from subcontract work done on College of New Caledonia in the Central Interior in 2010. Preferred is arguing it should be placed ahead of secured creditors.
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