KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK TUESDAY
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MARCH 10, 2015 | Volume 28 No. 30
WEATHER Sun/clouds High 15 C Low 7 C
SUN PEAKS SNOW REPORT Mid-mountain: 123 cm Alpine: 157 cm Snow phone: 250-578-7232
FOR THE BIRDS Beattie kids learn to build
STORMING TO O CONFERENCE E CHAMPIONSHIP P Kamloops’ junior B club eliminates 100 Mile House
B2-B3
A14
Kamloops mayoral candidate charged with assault CROWN ALLEGES PEPPERSPRAY USE; PIERRE FILISETTI SAYS HE WAS DEFENDING FAMILY IN ALTERCATION CAM FORTEMS STAFF REPORTER cam@kamloopsthisweek.com
A mayoral candidate in November’s civic election said he was defending his family during an altercation with a stranger that resulted in a criminal charge against him. Pierre Filisetti, a runner-up to current Mayor Peter Milobar, is charged with assault with a weapon stemming from an incident on Jan. 17. Court documents allege Filisetti used pepper spray on Brandon Burke. Filisetti, who owns a local landscaping company, was scheduled to make a first appearance
in provincial court yesterday (March 9). In an interview with KTW, Filisetti said he was acting in self-defence after being awakened in the middle of the night by noises in the breezeway of the downtown building in which his family lives. He said he does not know Burke, but added there have been problems in the Nicola Avenue building from noisy tenants. “I was defending myself at 2 a.m. . . . I was frightened. I’m dealing with one person with perhaps not the best of intentions,” Filisetti said. “You have to defend yourself.” Burke was contacted by KTW via social-media
accounts, but did not reply by press deadline. Filisetti said he believed the person outside his door was reaching for a weapon during the altercation. He is next scheduled to appear in court in early April. Filisetti is represented by defence lawyer Jeremy Jensen. In the November election, Filisetti picked up nearly 3,000 votes in the mayoral campaign, finishing behind the re-elected Peter Milobar and ahead of Ben James and Dallas Paisley. Filisetti is a frequent newspaper letter writer and posts comments regularly on local news forums, where he appears under his own name.
PIERRE FILISETTI
BETTING ON EXTRA PAYER
HAT TRICK AT THE GAME
ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW
Nine-year-old Jeremy McInnis does some hat spinning during Country Night at a recent Kamloops Blazers’ game. The WHL club is in the playoff race and hosts Prince George tomorrow night (March 11) at ISC. Faceoff is at 7 p.m.
Gateway Casinos may not have to pay the full cost of road upgrades near its new Aberdeen casino. At its meeting today (March 10), Kamloops city council will look at the possibility of charging Northland Properties some of the $3.6 million required to add a traffic circle at Hugh Allan Drive and Versatile Drive and to widen Hugh Allan Drive to add another lane of eastbound traffic. The upgrades are intended to improve traffic flows when Gateway opens its expanded Cascades Casino at 1555 Versatile Dr. this summer. But, city staff say the improvements will also greatly benefit Northland, which plans to build a 213-bedroom hotel at 1775 Versatile Dr. and 1670 Hugh Allan Dr. Northland owns and operates the Sandman chain of hotels, along with the Denny’s, Moxies and Shark Club restaurant chains. Development services staff are recommending Northland be charged a “latecomer” fee of $1.2 million, 35 per
cent of the project’s total cost. According to a staff report, the new roundabout will allow for an increase in traffic on Hugh Allan and Versatile that is 35 per cent greater than what Gateway’s casino is expected to add to the roads. Under the terms of a latecomer charge, a property owner who benefits from upgrades funded by another development would have to pay for a portion of the works if they develop their property within the next 15 years. • Meanwhile, Gateway Casinos is hosting a public information session with the City of Kamloops tomorrow (March 11) to give the public a look at the series of traffic upgrades Gateway spokeswoman Tanya Gabara said following the public meeting, which runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at 1550 Versatile Dr., the company hopes to begin work on the roadway in early spring. The casino and roadworks are expected to be completed this summer.
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