Prince George Citizen July 12, 2019

City’s first cannabis store opens

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

There’s a new shop in Prince George, and people are already loving the joint.

The first legal cannabis purchased from a retail shop in this city’s history occurred at a few minutes past 9 a.m. on Thursday.

There was a lineup halfway down the block when the doors of Grasshopper Retail Inc. opened up, and more people added onto the long snake as fast as customers exited with their historic purchases.

The first people in line at Grasshopper were Melissa Eastman and Darrel Brisson who drove more than an hour to be there.

“We don’t have many options in Mackenzie, just the mail,” said Eastman. She and Brisson came out smiling with a large brown pa-

per bag loaded with the products they settled on and some extra retail items as well.

They were not the first to arrive and get into the morning queue, however. Samantha Wilson and her mother Shannon were the there at 7:30 a.m. but didn’t leave the parking lot until closer to opening.

“We wanted to be in the line, but not start the line,” Samantha said. “My mom has a cast on her foot so I didn’t want her to have to stand for a long time. We usually load up in Chilliwack, so it’s easier now that Grasshopper is here. I’ve been waiting anxiously for this to open.”

Not as anxiously as Sue Katarynych, who has mobility challenges and chronic pain.

“I had to stop seeing a doctor for 12 years because he wanted me to

stop smoking pot and force me to use opioides,” she said.

“I’ve had to be illegal for 40 years. It was always for pain relief. It was a stupid law in the first place. I was in a wheelchair when I started using it, and it got me back on my feet again.”

Ruth Johnny is a longtime cannabis socializer. She has been to two grand openings in less than a year.

The first one was in Moncton, and now Grasshopper in Prince George. She puzzled over why it took B.C. so much longer to get things underway, but she was happy to be in line Thursday morning on George Street.

“Finally, I don’t have to sneak around anymore,” she said.

“I’ve been smoking it since the 1970s. I tried drinking alcohol instead, but I just didn’t like that as

much. I far prefer this. We in our 60s never thought we would ever have this freedom.”

Many in the lineup were still concerned about laws that overreach and regulations that make a simple thing into a difficulty, but at least the click of the Grasshopper lock at 9 a.m. was a sign of progress. From inside the store the lineup could hear the staff do a preliminary cheer just before swinging open the doors, and the 30-or-so people outside gave them a round of applause when the first customers stepped over the threshold. The crowd had to be rationed into the store when it reached legal capacity, the lineup growing longer just as fast as the people were taken in, a new customer in as a finished customer went out.

The line was about 40 people

outside by 9:15, plus the first wave of customers inside.

Johnny was the first one to complete the purchase and exit, shaking her little bag excitedly, saying “now I’m going home with my goodies.”

Shortly behind her was Graham Ash who proudly displayed his freshly purchased Aurora MK Ultra Indica jar. It was the kind he liked because it didn’t have drowsiness as a side-effect.

“I thought the store was quaint. I liked it,” he said. “It was simple, quick to browse, a very nice shopping experience.”

The store hours are 9-11 a.m. from Thursday to Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Sunday to Wednesday.

Two pieces of ID are required to enter, and only those 19-plus are allowed.

Crown makes case for double-murder verdict

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

Delivering her closing submissions on Thursday, a Crown prosecutor argued Perry Andrew Charlie was a full participant in a drug-related killing of two men – from planning the attack to carrying out the shooting.

Charlie faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of David Laurin Franks of Prince George and Thomas Burt Reed of Burns Lake and a count of attempted murder with a firearm in relation to Bradley William Knight, the sole survivor of the Jan. 25, 2017 targeted shooting. Co-accused Seaver Tye Miller and Joshua Steven West have each pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree mur-

der and Aaron Ryan Moore to two counts of criminal negligence causing death and await sentencing.

Over the course of about 2 1/2 hours, Crown prosecutor Marie-Louise Ahrens set out the reasons why she submits that B.C. Supreme Court Justice Marguerite Church should find Charlie guilty as charged.

Crown is theorizing that Franks had offended someone in the local drug culture and was lured to a pullout on Foothills Boulevard near North Nechako Road on the pretext of selling some cocaine to a known customer but with the intent that he be killed. Unfortunately for Reed, he had offered to drive Franks to the spot in his car, a Chevrolet Malibu, Knight was along for the ride, as was Reed’s dog, Molly, who was also killed in the hail of gunfire.

Knight, who had been sitting in the back seat, survived the attack by diving to the floor.

He called 911 once the shooters had left the area, the court has heard. He testified that the attackers had arrived at the spot in a van and much of the testimony heard during the trial centred on whether Charlie was in the vehicle. Footprints found in the snow were consistent with the tread on the shoes Charlie was wearing at the time of his arrest, Ahrens contended.

She also noted testimony from the van’s driver, Thomas Lee, who testified he had driven Miller and Charlie around in the past for money, and pointed to text messages she argued verified Lee’s account.

While he was testifying Lee, more than once and without prompting, referred to

Charlie as “Unique,” a nickname that also appears on the banner of his Facebook page, in drawings found in his home and in the form of a tattoo on one of his forearms, she added.

Ahrens pointed to the seizure of three shotguns found in Miller’s home and testimony from Lee’s friend, Steven Ray, who had joined Lee for the ride. Ray testified that four others were in the van by the time they were at the scene and that Moore stayed in the van while the three others got out after covering their faces with balaclavas and hankerchiefs.

Moore was the only one Ray knew by name, and Ahrens invited Church to find by process of elimination that Charlie was one of the three who got out, with guns in hand.

— see ‘THE SHOOTERS, page 3

Darrel Brisson and Melissa Eastman were first in line at the opening of Grasshopper Retail Inc., the first private cannabis store in Prince George.

Minister visits Cheslatta Campout

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

The annual Cheslatta Campout is underway and this year the provincial Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation was one of the visitors.

Each year the Cheslatta Carrier Nation hosts this call to the dispersed membership to come home and celebrate with family and friends back on home territory.

This year, there was something extra to celebrate, so minister Scott Fraser came as well.

Chief Corrina Leween personally welcomed him and expressed appreciation for his part in reaching a settlement agreement earlier this year between the Cheslatta people and the provincial government.

“The agreement includes a monetary payment for Cheslatta lands lost to flooding in 1952 when the Nechako Reservoir was created to generate electricity to power the Alcan aluminum smelter in Kitimat,” said Leween. “Cheslatta families from seven villages were forced out of their homes which were later burned to make way for the reservoir.”

Cheslatta members voted unanimously in March to accept the monetary settlement which will be managed by the Cheslatta Community Trust. The financial terms of the settlement agreement will remain confidential while negotiations on a lands package continue.

The week-long campout event is based on the shores of Cheslatta Lake, as it has since 1991.

It is a part of the First Nation’s territory called Scilchola (colonial name: Indian Reserve No. 7) at the headwaters of the Nechako River.

“On behalf of all Cheslatta members, I want to thank you Mr. Minister and your government for supporting the negotiations which resulted in the settlement agreement

earlier this spring.

that we signed in late March,” Leween told Fraser. “The negotiations were not always easy and required great dedication by negotiating team members on both sides but we reached a mutually acceptable deal for a financial settlement and we continue to work towards a settlement for lands lost

to the flooding in 1952. This is an important step forward for all Cheslatta members.

“It signifies a willingness on the part of government to right past wrongs. It is a clear signal that your government is serious about adopting the principles outlined in the United Nations Declaration On The

Rights Of Indigenous Peoples or UNDRIP as it is commonly called. With this settlement agreement, the Cheslatta Carrier Nation can move forward to implement our Comprehensive Community Plan and continue to build a better life for our members and our nation.”

Summerfest happening Sunday

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff

Summerfest heats up the downtown on Sunday.

The annual extravaganza of family fun happens from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Canada Games Plaza.

“Come together in the heart of our city for fun, festivities, fabulous food and fantastic entertainment for the whole family,” said Colleen Van Mook, executive director of Downtown Prince George, the main organizing agency for the event.

Leading the list of attractions is the ever-popular Canadian Western Bank Taste Pavilion, where local restaurants and food providers gather in a tight cluster of mouth-watering specials. Smallsized samples and unique eventonly dishes abound.

“Taste tickets are $1 each and food items range from $2 to $5,” said Van Mook. “Here’s your chance to get the best of Prince George’s food scene with 22 restaurants and four food trucks all in one place.”

If you buy your food pavilion tickets in advance (get them at Canadian Western Bank or at Tourism Prince George), you are entered to win flights to Victoria or Vancouver courtesy of Pacific Coastal Airlines.

“With so many delectable choices, you must be sure to bring

your biggest appetite,” said Van Mook.

Another major gathering point at the event is the TD Mainstage where a slate of family-friendly performers will entertain the crowds. This year’s lineup includes Good Juju, Steel Wheels Blues Band, Barefoot Fridays, Studio 720 and The Sunset Strip. Also on the marquee is a sneak peak of Judy Russell Presents Disney’s Beauty & The Beast.

At Exhibitor Alley, you’ll find, said Van Mook, “your chance to stroll and shop to your delight amongst a huge array of exhibitors along Seventh Avenue. With over 50 exhibitor booths, you will discover a myriad of products on display, items for sale and information for your enjoyment. It is an amazing opportunity to celebrate the talents of artists and entrepreneurs all in one place.”

There is also the Kidz Zone where hands-on activities will keep the youngest community members busy and smiling: ride the mini-train, meet some critters at the petting zoo, marvel at the The Home Hardware Butterfly House, go on a Big Dig, enjoy the Hockey Circus Show, and enjoy the affable entertainment of Clinton W. Gray.

There really is something for everyone, and it’s all downtown this Sunday.

Cheslatta Carrier Nation chief Corrina Leween and B.C. minister of Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation Scott Fraser celebrated the annual Cheslatta Campout with a shared copy of the Cheslatta Settlement Agreement the two sides ratified

Around town

ABOVE: Cooper Bond, 7, works on a painting during a class at Studio 2880 on Wednesday. Artist Carla Joseph was facilitating the class for the eight children. Prince George and District Community Arts Council is offering summer art classes at Studio 2880 every Wednesday through the summer.

RIGHT: Daniel Mulhall, right, heritage project assistant with the public library, leads a downtown walking tour on Tuesday. The tours are at 11 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday and leave from the Bob Harkins branch of the Prince George Public Library. The two-kilometre walking tour takes about an hour to complete.

BELOW LEFT: Matthew Cimone, a space interpreter with H.R. McMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, shows a model of the Saturn 5 rocket which took the first astronauts to the moon at the Prince George Public Library Nechako Branch on Wednesday afternoon. The 50th anniversary of the first landing on the moon is July 20.

BELOW RIGHT: Cree artist Carla Joseph paints a frog at the tourism office on First Avenue on Thursday morning. An ‘Artnership’ between the tourism office and Community Arts Council will see a different artist displaying their work every Thursday for the next four weeks.

Foodie Fridays returns to city hall this summer

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

Foodie Fridays are back. The city has built up its appetite for the summer culinary event each week, where some of the best food vendors in Prince George come together to enliven lunchtime.

“The City of Prince George is again inviting food trucks, sidewalk vendors, and hungry residents to come downtown for Foodie Fridays,” said city hall spokesman Michael Kellett. “The award-winning and popular program, which allows licensed

sidewalk and mobile vendors to sell their prepared food on Fridays during the summer, will be held once again at Canada Games Plaza in front of the Prince George Conference & Civic Centre.”

Foodie Fridays will be held each Friday from July 19 to Sept. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Last year, there were more than 5,000 visits to the event, which will again feature live music through the lunch hour.

“The idea was first brought to the attention of City staff by local businesses wishing to add a new dimension to the City’s down-

town to complement our already fantastic restaurants and cafés,” said Jen Rubadeau, civic events coordinator. “Foodie Fridays helps to make use of our fantastic downtown outdoor venues, and give the thousands of people who work in the area, as well as residents and tourists, a pleasant, social, outdoor place to go for a casual lunch.”

Rubadeau encouraged any food truck operators, restaurant operators, or licensed food vendors who are interested in participating in Foodie Fridays to contact her at 250-614-7880 or jen.rubadeau@ princegeorge.ca

‘The shooters shot at the whole Malibu car, hitting every living thing inside, even the dog’

— from page 1

Forensic evidence gleaned from shells found at the scene determined that a handful were fired from each of the weapons, Ahrens submitted.

“It’s pretty obvious that this was not precision firing,” Ahrens said at one point while referring to a photograph from the crime scene. “The shooters shot at the whole Malibu car, hitting every living thing inside, even the dog.”

She described Miller as the corporal and the other three as the foot soldiers recruited to carry out the job. As to Moore, Ahrens said it only made sense that one of the four stay in the van to keep an eye on the driver. Ahrens also pointed out an apparent effort by the four to avoid security cameras as they drove around

the city prior to the attack. At one point, the van stopped at a gas station where Ray, and not one of the others, got out to fill up a gerry can as part of a then-aborted idea of burning down a house.

The court had heard that Franks had offered to let Miller show up at his house to purchase about $260 worth of cocaine, yet he was convinced to go to a semi-isolated location to make the sale, Ahrens said.

“Whoever heard of a simple drug deal for a small amount of being so hedged about with precautions?” Ahrens said, and added the choice of hiring someone to drive them when they had access to vehicles at their homes “suggests an unusual desire for anonymity.”

Defence counsel Jason LeBlond will give final submissions on behalf of the accused on Friday.

A woman carries a plastic bag at a market in Montreal. British Columbia’s top court has quashed a bylaw prohibiting single-use plastic bags in Victoria, saying the city failed to get the approval of the province’s environment minister.

Victoria should have sought provincial approval before plastic bag ban: court

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s top court has quashed a bylaw prohibiting single-use plastic bags in Victoria, saying the city failed to get the approval of the province’s environment minister.

The B.C. Court of Appeal said in its written ruling Thursday that the bylaw is intended to regulate businesses from providing plastic checkout bags but its aim was to protect the environment, and the effects of the bylaw are felt by businesses.

The Canadian Plastic Bag Association, which represents manufacturers and distributors of plastic bags, fought the bylaw, arguing municipalities in B.C. don’t have the authority to regulate the environment or the right to block a product and financially impact manufacturers.

Under the bylaw, which went into effect a year ago, businesses are prohibited from offering or selling plastic bags to consumers and must charge at least 15 cents for paper bags and at least $1 for reusable bags.

In an earlier decision, a B.C. Supreme Court judge upheld the bylaw, ruling that cities have the power to regulate business transactions as part of their responsibility to manage waste.

The Appeal Court ruling said the environment minister’s approval will “now presumably be sought” by the city, which passed a bylaw with “reasonable” intentions involving environmental issues that concern British Columbians.

“One can understand that the province might wish to have the right to approve, or withhold approval of, municipal bylaws relating to environmental protection in order to ensure that a patchwork of different municipal laws does

not hamper provincial environmental programs,” Justice Mary Newbury said in the ruling.

Montreal also banned plastic bags last July while other cities, including Vancouver and Halifax, have been mulling similar bylaws.

The Township of Esquimalt, near Victoria, has also committed to a ban on single-use plastic bags but said Thursday in a statement it will consider its next steps in keeping with the ruling.

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said the city will review its options as it continues efforts to phase out single-use items and eliminate unnecessary waste.

“The court decision doesn’t undermine the soundness of the bylaw itself, it only deals with the process required for its adoption,” Helps said in a statement, adding the bylaw was developed after extensive input over two years from businesses and the community.

“Victorians care deeply about

this issue and they told us that single-use plastic bags do not align with their values.

“Businesses and residents have embraced the transition to reusable bags. It’s been a tremendous success,” she said.

“We are inspired by other municipalities’ efforts to phase out single-use checkout bags and plastic waste and we must work together to take this issue forward to provincial and national leaders to develop common, high and shared standards. This issue affects us all locally, regionally and globally.”

More than 17 million plastic bags that would have “choked the landfill for hundreds of years” have been eliminated from the community and nearby beaches, the city said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Plastic Bag Association was not immediately available for comment.

B.C. flood affects about 120 properties

The Canadian Press

WILLIAMS LAKE — The Cariboo Regional District says about 120 properties may have been affected by flooding along the Chilcotin River and its tributaries in British Columbia’s southern Interior.

District officials conducted a flyover of the huge region southwest of Williams Lake on Wednesday in order to determine the extent of flooding that occurred when

more than 100 millimetres of rain swamped the area between July 5 and July 9.

Emergency officials say the flooded areas cover hundreds of kilomtres, but the hardest hit regions include Big Creek, Nemaiah Valley and the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation.

They said damage to the 120 properties will vary and efforts are underway to determine how long it will take to repair washed

out roads and bridges, while 20 ranchers have already reported submerged hay fields and damaged outbuildings.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre is maintaining a flood warning along the Chilcotin River southwest of Williams Lake, but its latest post says water levels have peaked at the one-in-200-year flood level.

Most of the river’s tributaries remain at flood stage, although the warning has been reduced to

Overdose deaths down in B.C.

VICTORIA (CP) — The latest update for illicit drug deaths in British Columbia shows a downward trend for the first five months of this year.

The BC Coroners Service said 84 people died in May, compared with 116 the year before. Overall, 462 illicit drug toxicity deaths have been recorded so far this year, down 30 per cent from the same period in 2018. The coroner said two-thirds of those who died are people aged between 30 and 59, and males account for almost four of five of the deaths.

The powerful opioid carfentanil, a drug experts say is 100 times stronger than fentanyl, was found in one-quarter of the fentanyl-detected deaths.

The coroner said no deaths have been reported at supervised consumption or overdose prevention sites in the province.

Transgender B.C. resident facing extradition can’t appeal to high court

OTTAWA (CP) — A Canadian who is fighting extradition to Washington state to face a murder charge has been denied permission to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. The court rejected the application of transgender inmate Kevin Patterson, who identifies as female and uses the first name of Rachel. As is usual in leave to appeal applications, the high court did not include reasons for its decision.

Patterson is charged in Washington state with the 2014 bludgeoning death of her roommate, and B.C. Appeal Court documents show she fled to Abbotsford, but was quickly arrested and has remained in custody.

She opposed the extradition on several grounds, including that she wasn’t given U.S. diplomatic assurances of protection from harm potentially suffered by transgender prisoners in either male or female prisons.

A B.C. Appeal Court panel ruled last December that Canada isn’t required to seek assurances about precisely how American authorities implement protection policies for transgender or other inmates.

a high streamflow advisory for the Chilko River and Big Creek. Water levels throughout the river system are forecast to continue receding slowly into the weekend. Residents stranded by severed roads or bridges will be supported with food and water as required, the regional district says.

It urges affected residents to contact its emergency operations centre to discuss specific assistance.

Bantleman returns to Canada after years in prison, family says

The Canadian Press

The family of Neil Bantleman, a Canadian teacher jailed for years in Indonesia on disputed sexual assault charges, says the man is back in Canada.

Bantleman’s brother, Guy Bantleman, did not immediately provide details of his sibling’s release or exact location.

Neil Bantleman and an Indonesian teaching assistant were arrested in July 2014 while working at a prestigious international school in Jakarta.

Speculation tax funnels $115M into affordable housing

VICTORIA (CP) — The British Columbia government said its new speculation and vacancy tax has pumped $115 million into a fund to create more affordable housing.

The tax was launched this year in several regions as part of a 30-point initiative to improve housing affordability and increase the availability of rental properties.

The Finance Ministry said in a news release that foreign owners, satellite families and those with vacant homes make up approximately 80 per cent of those assessed the tax.

Of the 12,029 affected owners, ministry information shows 4,585 are foreign owners, just over 1,500 are Canadians living outside the province and 2,410 are B.C. residents.

Over 3,200 so-called satellite families, or families that report most of their income outside of Canada, must also pay the tax applied at 0.5 per cent of assessed value this year, climbing to two per cent for foreign owners and satellite families next year. On average, the ministry said homes captured by the tax are 46 per cent more expensive than homes that were exempted in the taxable areas. Finance Minister Carole James said funds from the assessment will help tackle the province’s housing crisis.

“The speculation and vacancy tax was designed to make sure foreign owners, satellite families and people who use local services without paying income tax in B.C.

in this province,” James said.

Camille BAINS

The Canadian Press

National unity threatened, Kenney tells premiers

Stephanie TAYLOR, Bill GRAVELAND

The Canadian Press

SASKATOON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he still believes national unity is under threat despite two days of collaborative discussions with the country’s leaders.

Kenney said his province contributes billions of dollars to Canada’s economy but is blocked by some jurisdictions from developing its resources.

“The level of frustration and alienation that exists in Alberta right now towards Ottawa and the federation is, I believe, at its highest level, certainly in our country’s modern history,” Kenney said Thursday at the end of the annual premiers’ meeting in Saskatoon.

Kenney said he doesn’t think Albertans really want to separate –they just want fairness.

“Too often we seem to have partners in the federation, including in Ottawa, intent on pinning us down and blocking us in and impairing our ability to develop the resources that help to pay the bills.”

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who chaired the meeting, has said before that Ottawa’s energy policies – like Bill C-69, an overhaul of federal environmental assessments of major construction projects, and its carbon tax – are a threat to national unity.

Kenney spoke with Quebec Premier Francois Legault about moving oil by pipeline as part of a vision to create a west-east energy corridor.

While Legault said he’s open to moving liquefied natural gas by pipeline and hydro-electricity through Quebec, there’s no “social acceptability” in his province for an oil pipeline.

Legault added that he’s “not proud” Quebec accepts equalization payments, much of it funded from resource revenue in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

“My priority, my obsession, is to create wealth and make sure that after a certain period we don’t receive any more equalization payments,” he said.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said he believes there’s a way forward for Alberta and Saskatchewan to get their oil to market and finding a solution should be done quickly.

“The longer you ignore problems that are frustrating one province

over another, it creates disunity and it creates a problem that ultimately can magnify and lead into discord and lead to problems and that could be in the sense of our national unity,” Higgs said.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan, who is locked in disagreement over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project with Kenney and the federal government, said the premiers’ differences are not insurmountable.

“Certain things happen over the course of history that shock you. A man named Kawhi made me cheer for Toronto,” he said, referring to Toronto Raptors basketball star Kawhi Leonard.

The premiers did agree to press Ottawa to seek exemptions from Buy American rules in the United States, which have been largely blamed for this week’s announcement by Bombardier that it was laying off half its workforce in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The leaders also agreed to send letters to all federal leaders ahead of October’s election, asking them to state their plans on a range of issues including the economy, job training, climate change, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and protecting Arctic sovereignty.

“One question in this letter asks the federal leaders if they will commit to a goal of Canadian energy independence and outline how they will achieve that goal,” said Moe. “I think this would be an important step in building a stronger economy and advancing Canadian sovereignty and Canadian unity.”

Also at the meeting, northern premiers said they expect provinces to do their part when it comes to reducing greenhouse gases in Canada.

Falls leading cause for seniors hospitalized due to injury, report says

TORONTO — Falls appear to be the leading cause of injuries that land seniors in hospital, according to newly released data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information that has experts calling for more preventative education on the issue.

The data collected from participating hospitals across the country shows that of the roughly 138,000 people aged 65 and older who were hospitalized for injuries between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018, 81 per cent of them were hurt in a fall.

The CIHI said it chose to zero in on seniors to help educate the elderly about the injuries most likely to affect them.

“We do have an aging population, so we really wanted to focus on what’s happening to our seniors,” said Nicholas Gnidziejko, manager of clinical administrative databases operations at the non-profit.

Fifty-one per cent of people admitted to hospital during the period analyzed were 65 or older, he noted, adding that in many cases the injuries that brought those patients to hospital were preventable.

One falls prevention expert who looked at the data said falls are a particular problem for the elderly because they can lead to a litany of complications.

“Falls are the scourge of growing older,” said Geoff Fernie, a senior scientist and falls prevention officer at the University Health Network and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.

“If you get older and you get admitted to hospital, it doesn’t take long before you can’t get up. You don’t have the strength, you don’t have the muscle mass. You also become depressed and isolated and your gut stops working.”

The number of people injured or killed as a result of falls is likely underestimated because the falls themselves often aren’t reported,

Sailors suffered PTSD, asthma, depression following submarine fire

Michael MacDONALD

The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — The Canadian sailors who fought a deadly fire aboard the submarine HMCS Chicoutimi in 2004 suffered from significantly elevated levels of post-traumatic stress, depression and asthma in the first five years after the tragedy, a new study says.

However, no cases of cancer were reported during that time frame, the Royal Canadian Navy confirmed Thursday, adding that a longer-term study is needed.

The commander of the navy, Vice-Admiral Art McDonald, said it was unacceptable that the longawaited study was released five years later than expected.

“For this delay, for which I can offer no explanation... and for our failure to continue communicating routinely with the ex-crew during the intervening period, I have offered my unreserved apology,” McDonald told a news conference at Canadian Forces Base Halifax.

“We should have done better, and we will do better.”

The used British submarine, one of four purchased by the Canadian military in 1998, was on its maiden voyage to Canada on Oct. 5, 2004, when it caught fire in rough seas off the coast of Ireland.

Navy Lt. Chris Saunders later died from smoke inhalation and two other crew members were badly injured by toxic fumes.

“He and his family will forever remain in the thoughts of the Royal Canadian Navy,” McDonald said.

After the fire, virtually all of the crew spent an additional five days on the diesel-electric sub – working on equipment covered in grey soot – as it was towed to safety in Scotland.

Another group of military personnel, a 42-member contingent known as the care and custody team, provided security and maintenance for the charred submarine after it arrived in port in Scotland.

Their health during the first five years was compared with the sub’s crew and a control group made up of 152 healthy submariners.

Navy officials confirmed that one crew member died in 2016, but they declined to confirm the cause of death, citing privacy concerns.

Lt.-Cmdr. Brent Jones, a naval health protection expert, said he didn’t known how many crew members had been diagnosed with cancer since 2009.

The study found 60 per cent of the 56 sailors aboard the vessel when it caught fire were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress within five years.

That means they were 45 times more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD than the control group, none of whom reported a PTSD diagnosis. The rate of PTSD among the custody team was one per cent.

Col. Rakesh Jetly, the military’s senior psychiatrist, said it would be difficult to say anything conclusive about the PTSD numbers.

“The reality is, it’s a number,” he told the news conference.

“We don’t have a comparison group. It’s not like there’s seven similar sub fires within our NATO alliance that we can compare our rates to the other.”

However, Jetly said it was important to note that all of the submariners had been exposed to a deeply traumatizing event.

on people... The number 60 per cent? It wouldn’t be surprising if it was higher.”

The study found that between 2004 and 2009, 21 per cent of crew members reported suffering from asthma and 15 per cent were battling depression – rates well above what was found within the two other groups. The study also found the submariners required more sick leave, and the proportion of sailors released from the military for medical reasons – 12.5 per cent –was more than double the rate for the other groups. No cases of cancer were reported among the crew during that time period, even though the military has confirmed the sailors were exposed to a nasty chemical cocktail in the thick, black smoke that filled the vessel.

If you get older and you get admitted to hospital, it doesn’t take long before you can’t get up.

— Geoff Fernie

he said.

“It’s the pneumonia that they eventually die of, or the other complications,” he said.

There are a few key things seniors can do to prevent falls, Fernie said, and wearing shoes and boots with proper traction is chief among them. Be it icy winter or soggy spring, Canadians should check that their shoes still have functional treads.

“You wouldn’t drive around with bald tires,” he noted.

Seniors should also invest in a pair of running shoes to wear when they’re walking around the house, because wood floors and tile do not mix well with socks and stockings, he said. Seniors need to be careful to make sure they’re lifting their feet up when they walk as well, rather than shuffling around, which can lead to tripping or stumbling.

Another thing to add to the list of precautions is installing banisters on both sides of staircases in the home.

Seniors should also make an effort to use handrails in public, Fernie said, though he noted that those worried about germs may find the idea distasteful. To mitigate the ick factor, he suggested carrying around a little bottle of hand sanitizer to use periodically.

Additionally, the elderly ought to ensure that if they’re getting up on a ladder – be it to fix something in the house or to clear out the eavestrough – someone is there to keep them steady.

Fernie said keeping such tips in mind should help prevent nasty falls that can lead to hip fractures.

That’s why a longer-term study is so important, he said.

As well, military officials were unable to say how many crew members were still in the navy.

“Within seconds, in a high sea state, a complete blackout. You couldn’t see. A fire was there. There were casualties... It’s one of those events that imprints

In May 2005, a board of inquiry determined that as the sub’s conning tower was being repaired on the surface, a rogue wave pushed a torrent of seawater through two open hatches, partially flooding two compartments and causing an electrical short-circuit and fire.

AP FILE PHOTO

HMCS Chicoutimi comes up the River Clyde towards the British Naval Base at Faslane, Scotland, on Oct. 10, 2004, after a fire broke out on board on its maiden voyage under Canada colours.

KENNEY

Nicole THOMPSON

The Canadian Press

Food producers make it hard to avoid sugar

North Americans tend to associate our health problems with sin.

It’s hard to find a health story in the news that doesn’t blame greed and lack of willpower for our ongoing epidemics of obesity and diabetes as well as a recent upturn in the rate of heart disease.

But the problems stem more from a greedy food industry than from any weakness in consumers. Our supermarket shelves are filled with items made with cheap ingredients, especially sugar and corn syrup, whether people want it or not.

A fascinating new study out of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia showed that among 400,000 food reviews on Amazon.com, the primary complaint was that food was too sweet. People used terms like “syrupy, overwhelmingly or cloyingly sweet,” said behavioural geneticist Danielle Reed, who led the research. She and her colleagues used a machine-learning program to sort through the thousands of reviews covering 67,553 products.

The finding was a surprise; she had designed the study to add to her body of work on the way people vary in the perception of bitterness. Genetic differences make some people much more sensitive to bitter tastes than others, and this can affect whether we

love or hate vegetables such as broccoli and kale.

She was surprised, she said, that on Amazon reviews, consumers rarely complained about bitterness, or saltiness for that matter. They complained about sweetness. Manufacturers may think they are sweetening things to suit a common taste, in which case they are getting it wrong – but the market is full of oversweetened foods, so the manufacturers mostly don’t lose customers to better-tasting competitors.

Or the problem may be that manufacturers are trying to use the cheapest possible ingredients in a way that consumers will still tolerate.

Sugar is cheap, and corn syrup even cheaper. In his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, author Michael Pollan recounts the way the introduction of corn syrup in the late 20th century tempted manufacturers add as much as possible to many processed foods and to lure consumers with giant sodas and other supersized products that felt like

Canada is not the only country to legalize recreational marijuana. We now join company with South Africa, Georgia and Uruguay.

I do not have a personal issue with the legalization of marijuana; I think the police have been appropriately turning a blind eye to small amounts for personal consumption for years. It is as natural to this province as red cedar, the Pacific dogwood or the Steller’s jay.

The issue for employers is how to manage the interface of recreational drug use on the weekend or in the evening of a workday with fitness to perform in the workplace the next day. There are the competing rights of the freedom to consume a legal commodity on an employee’s own time and the obligation to show up for work fit and prepared to work efficiently and safely.

The federal government has set the Criminal Code driving limits for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at two nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml), with an increased sanction at five ng/ml. It is worth noting that these limits are from plasma tests and do not translate readily to urine or oral fluid swab tests. Employers are unlikely to be drawing blood to conduct testing in the foreseeable future. Instead, workplaces typically use urine tests, which reveal THC metabolites. In other words, urine tests reveal the aftermath of THC having been metabolized by the body. Typical thresholds in a drug and alcohol policy for urine analysis is 50 ng/ml for the initial

immunoassay test and 15 ng/ml for a laboratory analysis or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry test.

Oral fluid swab tests check for THC in the mouth. As with urine testing, there is a two-step process to a positive result: an initial threshold of four ng/ml, and then a final threshold of two ng/ml using more sophisticated testing methods. Like the thresholds with alcohol, these thresholds do not measure impairment but rather seek to measure whether someone is influenced by THC.

The advantage of oral fluid testing is that it will reveal recent use. The window of detection for occasional users is 12 hours, while chronic users show positive results up to 24 hours after consumption. While THC dissipates more slowly in oral fluid than it does in blood, it decreases rapidly in both following peak concentrations. Studies have indicated that THC concentration in blood can decrease by as much as 90 per cent in 90 minutes.

All of the above begs the question of what a safe level of THC is for an employee in a safety-sensitive workplace. The metabolization of THC for each individual is not as predictable as it is with alcohol. Cognitive and psychomotor impairment is a significant risk associated with marijuana use, and it appears to be related to THC ingested and

levels measured in blood or oral fluids. Timing and duration of impairment is variable but can last for a long time depending on many factors. Accordingly, there is arguably no safe level of THC for those working in a safetysensitive environment.

The RCMP has proclaimed a 28-day limit. Other first responders, including the West Vancouver Police Department and the military, have imposed a 24-hour ban on marijuana consumption prior to active service.

Impairment is a critical issue in a safety-sensitive environment because a minor performance flaw may result in serious injury or death. It is also important to note that, unlike with alcohol, self-assessment of impairment from THC is unreliable. Cognitive effects will persist after the more obvious euphoric or tranquil effects of THC have subsided.

Measuring impairment from THC is a vexing problem because there are many variables such as the quality of the product, method of consumption and individual tolerances. But given the importance of safety in the workplace, adjudicators and society generally need to recognize that while the measurement of whether someone is “influenced” may not be precise in every case, it is the only available tool to manage a significant safety risk. Let’s all be responsible and be safe.

Gregory J. Heywood is a founding partner at Roper Greyell, where he provides strategic and practical advice to employers on labour and employment issues in the workplace.

bargains but came with hidden costs. Later, the medical dogma that fat was deadly lead to an explosion of extremely sweet, low-fat products as well.

However we got here, it’s clear that the empty calories are contributing to epidemics of obesity in North America and elsewhere. The food police should rethink chastising consumers and turn their attention on the true culprits who are dishing it out.

Wide gap between Canada, U.S. on abortion

In May 2011, after voters in Canada delivered what Stephen Harper described in his election night speech as a “a strong, stable, national Conservative majority government,” there was plenty of speculation about changes to regulations related to moral issues.

At the time, longtime activists on both sides of the abortion debate paid close attention to what the Tories could and would do with a majority mandate. The absence of a well-defined law led to debates over funding, timing and even gender selection.

In the end, the Harper government did not address the matter, faintly irritating part of its base, but knowing full well that the country did not want to talk about the procedure. A nationwide survey I conducted in 2013 showed that 59 per cent of Canadians felt it was not necessary to have a new debate on abortion.

Eight years later, Canada has a new prime minister with a political base that is not keen on modifying the status quo. Justin Trudeau has talked about a “woman’s right to choose” in various speeches and venues, and even faced a controversy over a “pro-choice” requirement for the federal government’s Summer Jobs Program.

In the United States, the situation is different. The past few months have brought intense legislative activity, with six U.S. states passing laws to ban abortion if a fetal heartbeat is detected, and one more only allowing the procedure if the mother is at risk.

These regulatory changes, along with U.S. President Donald Trump’s appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, have raised the prospect that resolutions on abortion will once again reach the highest court, almost five decades after the crucial Roe vs. Wade decision.

With this in mind, Research Co. asked Canadians and Americans this month about abortion and found a significantly higher eagerness for action south of the 49th Parallel.

In Canada, almost half of respondents to the survey (46 per cent) said abortion should be legal under any circumstances – a proportion that jumps to 54 per cent in both Quebec and British Columbia. A similar proportion of Canadians (43 per cent) think the procedure should be legal only under certain circumstances, and just one in 20 (five per cent) would ban abortion altogether.

Conversely, only 28 per cent of Americans think abortion should be legal under any circumstances, 48 per cent would keep it legal

Mailing address: 505 Fourth Ave. Prince George, B.C. V2L 3H2 Office hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday

General switchboard: 250-562-2441 info@pgcitizen.ca

General news: news@pgcitizen.ca

Sports inquiries: 250-960-2764 sports@pgcitizen.ca

Classifieds advertising: 250-562-6666 cls@pgcitizen.ca

only under certain circumstances, and 19 per cent say the procedure should always be illegal – 14 points higher than Canada. More than half of Canadians (53 per cent, but six points lower than in 2013) continue to feel that there is no point in re-opening a debate about abortion in Canada right now – including 65 per cent of Liberal voters and 57 per cent of New Democratic Party (NDP) voters in 2011. Conversely, more than a third of Canadians (37 per cent, up seven points in six years) think a debate on abortion is long overdue and a new discussion is warranted. The proportion of Canadians who want to revisit the issue reaches 44 per cent among Conservative voters in the 2015 election, 44 per cent in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and 40 per cent in Alberta. In the United States, almost half of Americans (46 per cent, up 10 points since June 2012) believe a debate about abortion is long overdue, while two in five (39 per cent, down eight points) think there is no point in re-opening this discussion. The big gap here is not just political. A majority of U.S. men (53 per cent) are eager to discuss abortion, but only 40 per cent of U.S. women would join them. The surveys show that, as an issue that can motivate voters, abortion remains more contentious in the United States and, in a bizarre twist, with men. While the proportion of Canadians who feel a debate is justified is higher than it was in 2013, it is nowhere near the momentous growth observed south of the border, where the recent actions of state legislatures have given the issue a higher level of prominence.

Still, with a federal election looming in Canada, abortion could resurface in the campaign. The Conservatives can discuss the issue and hope for growth in the three Prairie provinces where they won 34 of 62 seats in 2015. Mario Canseco is president of Research Co. Results are based on online studies conducted from July 2 to July 5, 2019, among representative samples of 1,000 adults Canada and the United States. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian and U.S. census figures for age, gender and region in each country. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points for each country.

Shawn Cornell, director of advertising: 250-960-2757 scornell@pgcitizen.ca

Reader sales and services: 250-562-3301 rss@pgcitizen.ca Letters to the editor: letters@pgcitizen.ca

Website: www.pgcitizen.ca

Website feedback: digital@glaciermedia.ca

Member of the

A

— Faye Flam is a Bloomberg opinion columnist.

BY THE NUMBERS

MARIO CANSECO

AP FILE PHOTO

This is a nutrition label that lists high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient in a can of soda, in Philadelphia in 2015.

Canadian Apollo 11 surgeon readies for 50th anniversary

Victoria AHEARN

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Dr. William Carpentier has celebrated several milestone moon-landing anniversaries, but this year feels different, he says.

The Edmonton native, who grew up in Lake Cowichan, B.C., was the flight surgeon for the historical Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969 and appears in the Canadian special Make It To The Moon, airing Sunday on Discovery and Discovery Science.

While he’s attended gatherings for the 40th and 45th Apollo 11 anniversaries, the imminent 50th is “the big year,” he says.

“There’s nobody who’s going to be alive that’s a part of the Apollo program at 100 years – so this is the last hurrah, as it were,” Carpentier, 83, said this week in a phone interview.

“It’s an important milestone to remember – one of the greatest adventures of the 20th century.”

Golden Globe-nominated Canadian actor Stephan James narrates the two-hour Make It To The Moon, which re-airs on Discovery and premieres on CTV and Crave on the 50th anniversary of the landing on July 20.

The special features four teams who were contracted by NASA for the mission to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

Carpentier, who trained to became a pilot while in medical school at the University of British Columbia, joined NASA in 1965 as an aeromedical clinical investigator.

He was in his third year of his post-graduate residency in aviation medicine at Ohio State University at the time.

Carpentier became the flight surgeon for several Gemini and Apollo missions, overseeing the health and welfare of the astronauts and gathering pre- and postflight data.

His goal was to understand the human physiology changes from space flight and what could possibly be done to treat it or prevent it for future missions.

During the Gemini flights he even learned how to leap out of

a helicopter into the ocean in the event he would have to treat astronauts in such a manner.

When astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took humankind’s first steps on the lunar surface, Carpentier was aboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier in the Pacific, waiting to help retrieve the astronauts from the water via helicopter upon their return to Earth.

He was unable to watch the historic moment happen live on TV, but he heard the radio communication and later got to see the moment on film when he and the astronauts returned to Houston

post-quarantine three weeks later.

“It was incredible relief that it actually happened and that they did land successfully, they were able to egress successfully,” the Texas-based Carpentier recalled from his summer home in Pender Island.

“You can’t help but to be pleased, even overjoyed.”

Carpentier later got to travel with the Apollo 11 team on a celebratory world tour, which saw the astronauts meeting world leaders and royalty.

When the Apollo program ended, Carpentier trained in nuclear

White House fires NASA exec over moon mission

Christian DAVENPORT

The Washington Post

The sudden removal of William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s head of human exploration, late Wednesday is a clear sign that the White House is increasingly frustrated with the agency’s efforts to return humans to the surface of the moon by 2024.

The Trump administration is laser focused on that date, which would come during a second term of the Trump presidency, should he be re-elected. But despite the mandate, NASA has continued to struggle with delays and cost overruns that have threatened the program. And the ouster of one of the longest-serving stalwarts in the agency shows how far the White House is willing to go toward disrupting NASA and attempting to break through the bureaucracy that many think has stilted its exploration efforts for years.

In March, Vice President Mike Pence fired the first warning shot, announcing a new, expedited timeline for NASA’s moon landing plans. Instead of getting humans there by 2028, he said, its new charge would be within five years. He put NASA leaders on notice, saying that if they couldn’t complete the mission, they would be held accountable.

“In order to accomplish this, NASA must transform itself into a leaner, more accountable and more agile organization,” he said.

“If NASA is not currently capable of landing American astronauts on the moon in five years, we need to change the organization, not the mission.” Industry officials said Pence and others in the White House have become livid about the agency’s lack of progress, particularly of the massive rocket known as the Space Launch System, or SLS, that NASA has been developing for more than a decade but has yet to fly. White House officials expressed their dismay to NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine at a meeting within the last few weeks, according to a space industry official not authorized to speak publicly.

There had also been tension between Bridenstine and Gerstenmaier, officials said. Bridenstine repeatedly had said, for example, that he would not cut other programs within the agency to

fund the moon program, known as Artmeis. But Gerstenmaier contradicted him during an advisory council meeting, saying recently,

“We’re going to have to look for some efficiencies and make some internal cuts to the agency, and that’s where it’s going to be hard,” he said according to SpaceNews.

A NASA spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. The National Space Council declined to comment but an administration official said, “This was an internal NASA decision, and administrator Bridenstine’s statement speaks for itself.”

Spokespeople for NASA and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.

U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, the chair of the House Science, Space and Technology committee, blasted the decision to so abruptly remove someone with Gerstenmaier’s enormous institutional knowledge.

“The Trump administration’s illdefined crash program to land as-

tronauts on the Moon in 2024 was going to be challenging enough to achieve under the best of circumstances,” she said. “Removing experienced engineering leadership from that effort and the rest of the nation’s human spaceflight programs at such a crucial point in time seems misguided at best.” Gerstenmaier first came to NASA in 1977, and his career spanned working on the space shuttle program and the International Space Station. More recently, he oversaw the agency’s Commercial Crew program, the development of a new generation of spacecraft being built by SpaceX and Boeing that would carry the first NASA astronauts to space from American soil since the space shuttle retired in 2011. He also led NASA’s Artemis program to get humans back to the moon.

Ken Bowersox, a former astronaut, who had served as the deputy associate administrator for the human exploration office, will take over in an acting capacity.

medicine and worked in the Scott and White Clinic in Texas for 30 years. He was also a consultant on NASA research projects during the Space Shuttle program. These days, Carpentier is determined to collect and collate all of the biomedical data documented during the first decade of manned space flight for the Mercury, Gemini and the Apollo programs.

Such information has never been integrated and combined, Carpentier said, noting he wants to create a database for future researchers and scientists.

As for NASA’s future relationship with the moon, Carpentier can’t predict.

“From what I understand there is a preliminary plan of returning to the moon within the next five to 10 years, and maybe setting up a moon base as sort of a working laboratory to understand living for longer periods of time in foreign environments, to prepare to go to Mars,” he said.

“So I think the next big exploratory adventure is going to be of course going to Mars. But unfortunately that will not be in my lifetime.”

Col. Buzz Aldrin, former Apollo 11 lunar module pilot, waves as he enters a NASA Mobile Quarantine Facility with former NASA flight crew surgeon Dr. William Carpentier in 2009. Carpentier, the Canadian flight surgeon for the Apollo 11 mission, said the 50th anniversary of the landing is the big one.

Judge approves new Weinstein legal team led by #MeToo critic

Michael R. SISAK, Ali SWENSON

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — A judge gave Harvey Weinstein the green light Thursday to shake up his defence team yet again – this time a mere two months before the disgraced movie mogul whose case inspired the #MeToo movement is due to stand trial in New York on sexual assault charges.

One lawyer had already bolted amid public backlash.

Now Jose Baez, known for representing high-profile clients such as Casey Anthony, is out after saying he and Weinstein just can’t get along. Donna Rotunno, a #MeToo critic specializing in defending men accused of sexual misconduct, and Damon Cheronis are in.

Judge James Burke approved the swap after questioning Weinstein to ensure it was what he wanted and getting the new lawyers to promise they won’t seek to delay the trial from its scheduled Sept. 9 start.

Baez signalled last month that he wanted to leave the case, telling Burke in a letter that Weinstein had tarnished their relationship by communicating only through other lawyers and by failing to abide by a fee agreement.

Weinstein engaged in behaviour that made representing him “unreasonably difficult to carry out effectively” and insisted on taking actions “with which I have fundamental disagreements,” Baez wrote.

Bounding out of the courtroom Thursday after getting sprung from the case, Baez said: “I feel like I won the lottery. Just kidding.”

Rotunno has espoused a philosophy that the #MeToo movement, spurred by revelations about Weinstein’s alleged behaviour, is

overblown and that women are

“responsible for the choices they make.”

“I chose to represent Harvey Weinstein because I think these are the types of cases that lawyers that do what I do live for,” Rotunno said outside the courthouse after the hearing.

“It gives us an opportunity to have a forum to speak what we believe, and I believe that the facts and evidence in this case are actually very favourable to Mr. Weinstein.”

Gloria Allred, who represents

one of the accusers in the criminal case, offered a different perspective, saying: “I agree that women are responsible for their own choices, but when will Mr. Weinstein be held responsible for his?” Rotunno and Cheronis practice in Chicago. They join three New York City lawyers: Arthur Aidala, whose clients have included rapper 50 Cent and former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz; Diana Fabi Samson; and Barry Kamins, who as a judge oversaw New York City’s criminal courts.

The lawyers and prosecutors said they’ll work out a schedule for exchanging witness lists and for prosecutors to turn over evidence, such as emails from Weinstein’s movie studio that pertain to potential witnesses.

Baez is the latest defection from what was once seen as a modern version of O.J. Simpson’s “dream team” of attorneys. Harvard law professor Ronald Sullivan left in May amid backlash about his involvement. Sullivan’s involvement in the case drew protests from some stu-

dents and faculty members on the Cambridge, Mass., campus. Buildings were defaced with graffiti that included the slogans Down w Sullivan!, Your Silence is Violence and Whose Side Are You On?

Thursday’s hearing on the lawyer switch played out in open court, but two conversations among the judge and lawyers happened in secrecy.

After approving Baez’s request to withdraw from the case, Burke called him to the bench for a oneon-one chat that lasted about five minutes with no court reporter to transcribe the conversation.

Later, he called all the lawyers to the bench for a 10-minute discussion of how they’ll proceed when it comes time for jury selection.

Again, there was no court reporter to make a record of the conversation.

Aidala appeared perturbed by what he called the judge’s “extended private conversation” with Baez.

He asked whether he could also approach the bench, but Burke waved him off.

Weinstein, 67, is charged with raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006. He denies the allegations, has pleaded not guilty and is free on $1 million bail.

Baez and Sullivan started representing Weinstein in January, when the former movie producer overhauled his legal team for the first time.

That happened after his original lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, lost a hard-fought bid to get the case thrown out.

Pamela Robillard Mackey, who represented Kobe Bryant in his 2003 Colorado sexual assault case, and ex-Manhattan prosecutor Duncan Levin were also hired in January and have since left.

Finland hosts heavy metal knitting championship

JOENSUU, Finland — Armed with needles and a yarn of wool, teams of avid knitters danced Thursday to the deafening sounds of drums beating and guitars slashing at the first-ever Heavy Metal Knitting World Championship in eastern Finland. With stage names such as Woolfumes, Bunny Bandit and 9 Inch Needles, the participants shared a simple goal: to showcase their knitting skills while dancing to heavy metal music in the most outlandish way possible.

“It’s ridiculous but it’s so much fun,” said Heather McLaren, an engineering PhD student who travelled from Scotland for a shot at the “world title.”

“When I saw there was a combination of heavy metal and knitting, I thought ‘that’s my niche.’”

The competition took place in a packed square in the small town of Joensuu close to the Russian border.

An eclectic group of around 200 people watched the performances, from families with young children and elderly to the less conspicuous heavy metal fans donning leather-jackets and swirling their long hair to the fast-paced rhythm of the music.

A niche musical genre in many countries, heavy metal is more mainstream in Finland, with several bands household names frequently played on the radio.

Its popularity grew further in 2006 when the Finnish band Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest dressed as monsters.

Today, Finland has the highest number of

AP PHOTO BY DAVID KEYTON

The Japanese team Giga Body Metal perform in the Heavy Metal Knitting world champions with a show featuring crazy sumo wrestlers and team leader Manabu Kaneko dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono knitting on Thursday in Joensuu, Finland.

heavy metal bands per capita in the world with over 50 bands per 100,000 people.

Even former U.S. President Barack Obama commented on this rich tradition while welcoming his Finnish counterpart to the White House in 2016.

“In Finland it’s very dark in the wintertime, so maybe it’s in our roots. We’re a bit melancholic, like the rhythm,” said Mark Pyykkonen, one of three people judging the competition. While combining heavy metal music

with knitting might not seem an obvious match, the organizers say it’s similar to other unusual events in Finland, such as world championships in air guitar, swamp soccer, and wife carrying – Finnish ways of goofing around and making the most of the long summer nights in these northern latitudes.

“We have such dark and long winters,” said Mari Karjalainen, one of the founders of the event.

“This really gives us lots of time to plan for our short summers and come up with silly ideas.”

Thursday’s competition saw participants from nine countries, including the United States, Japan, and Russia, put on inspired performances full of theatrics, passion and drama and the jury struggled to agree upon a winner.

Finally, it was a Japanese performance by the five-person Giga Body Metal team that clinched the title with a show featuring crazy sumo wrestlers and a man dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono.

“It’s a great release,” said Elise Schut, a 35-year-old nurse from Michigan who performed with her 71-year-old mother and 64-year-old family friend, Beth Everson, who added that “knitting is such a meditative activity but now it’s energetic and heart pumping.”

After the success and fun of this first championship, the organizers announced they would repeat it next summer, adding Heavy Metal Knitting to the already long list of weird and yet hilarious Finland summer gatherings.

AP PHOTO BY RICHARD DREW

Harvey Weinstein, left, arrives at court for a hearing related to his sexual assault case on Thursday in New York.

David KEYTON The Associated Press

Sports

Kozlowski, Bailey tuning up for college golf

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

Natasha Kozlowski had been on a roll.

After two wins in two tries this season golfing on the Maple Leaf Junior Tour and a solid fourthplace result in the Prince George Golf and Curling Club’s Junior Simon Fraser Open, the 17-yearold thought she could keep up her hot streak when she entered the four-round B.C. Junior Girls Championship last weekend in Nanoose Bay.

But her putting game let her down and she had to settle for a 15th-place finish out of 33. Kozlowski started off with an opening-round 78, then went 8484-84 for a 330 total (46 over par on the par-71 course). She ended up 32 strokes off the winning pace set by Angela Zhang of Vancouver.

“I’m struggling with my game right now, I can’t get anything going,” said Kozlowski

“I just can’t make putts. That’s been going on a couple weeks now. The course was set up really tough. It was really narrow and the pin placements were tough because they had the boys and girls golf provincials at the same course and they had to set it up tough for the boys, too.”

Kozlowski was at her best in the first round when she carded backto-back birdies on Holes 6 and 7. She was driving home Thursday from Nanaimo, where she missed the cut at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship. She shot a nine-over 81 on a sunny Tuesday and in a driving wind and rainstorm shot 84 on Wednesday and missed the cut for the final two rounds by five strokes.

“It’s kind of a bummer when the weather’s not good but I don’t think it affected me too much,” said Kozlowski, who hopes to defend her Ladies Simon Fraser Open title at PGGCC Aug. 10-11.

“I felt OK. I don’t really get nervous about stuff. I just try to play well, and I didn’t, but that’s OK.”

Kozlowski recorded her first career MLJT win in late April in Chilliwack and duplicated the feat May 20 in Banff, Alta., where she won the junior girls title on the famous Fairmont Banff Springs course. She plans to rejoin the junior

tour in Vernon on the Predator Ridge course next weekend.

Then on July 26-28 she’ll travel to Lethbridge, Alta., for the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, her second time to qualify for the national event. At least one change is in the cards for Kozlowski between now and then.

“I will be trying new putters,” she said.

Cody Bailey of Prince George competed in the 114-golfer B.C. Junior Boys Championship and finished in a two-way tie for 21st.

The 18-year-old shot 75-72-79-77 for a 303 total (+19 for the tournament). Brycen Ko of Richmond won the title, shooting one-under after four rounds, 20 fewer strokes

than Bailey.

“It wasn’t the best weekend for me,” Bailey said.

“I started out pretty well and went three-over, one-over to start the tournament and I was tied for fifth, and then the weekend came along after the cut and then I think I was trying too hard to get back into contention.

“I ended up having a little blowup and didn’t play the weekend very well.”

On the last hole of the tournament at Fairwinds Golf Club Sunday, Bailey was in 12th place at 13-over, needing a birdie to lock up a top-12 finish. But he ended up taking a nine which dropped him into 21st.

“I hit a driver on the hole – the rest of the week I was hitting threeiron – and I hit into the fairway bunker on the left, which was better than right because there was water down the right,” Bailey said.

“The hole got super-narrow after the fairway bunker and I blasted it into the (out of bounds) and I had to (take a penalty) drop.”

Bailey would have played in the B.C. Men’s Amateur Championship this week in Pemberton but was attending a family funeral service in Falkland. He’s entered in next week’s Aberdeen Glen Open, a three-round men’s tournament which starts next Friday. For Bailey, it will be his first crack at the Aberdeen Glen event and he’s

looking forward to the test, knowing his former coaches, Blair Scott and, maybe, Shawn Lees, will enter it as well.

“They definitely have a good field, there’s a couple of players coming up that I’ve played with or against in other tournaments that play university golf already,” said Bailey.

“One of them, Wyatt Brook (of Williams Lake) is going to be my teammate next year at University of Fraser Valley.

“I’m going to be practicing a lot and hopefully I’ll put on a good showing. I really like that course, it’s very scoreable for me. It reminds me of my home course in Terrace. There’s elevation changes, it’s tight with lots of trees where you can lose balls. It’s just softer, and if you hit shots on the greens you’re going to get more spin.”

Bailey, the junior boys winner at the MLJT event in Chilliwack, wrapped up his third consecutive Junior Simon Fraser Open title on June 16. He also plans to be on his home course at PGGCC for the Men’s Simon Fraser Open, Aug. 17-18. He’ll also play a couple more junior tour events before school starts. Kozlowski and Bailey have worn the crown as the city’s top junior golfers for several years and they are about to make the jump to college golf this fall at the UFV in Abbotsford. Kozlowski, a College Heights graduate who turns 18 in August, plans to major in kinesiology, while Bailey wants to study criminology.

Both are looking forward to a 12-month golf season for the first time in their careers.

“We have four tournaments in the fall and there are some in the spring too – we can play all year,” said Kozlowski.

“School and golf, I’ll see how I like it.”

Bailey, a Prince George Secondary School grad, plans to attend Fraser Valley for two semesters and use that as a springboard to a U.S. college affiliated with an NCAA program.

“My plan is to stay there for one year and get some experience and transfer down into the States,” said Bailey.

“Down in Vancouver I’ll be able to just practice and play – better than four or five months up here.”

Blackburn, James go the distance in canoe race

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff

Sixty-seven-and-a-half kilometres of paddling in a canoe on the Nechako and Fraser rivers, even with the current working for them, was a four-hour grunt for Tom Blackburn and Harry James.

Try as they might, they couldn’t seem to leave Pat Turner and his paddling partner Kevin Taylor in their wake once they got into the rhythm of racing last Saturday in the Northern Hardware Prince George Canoe Race.

The two boats were within seconds of each other most of the race on the Alexander Mackenzie route from from Isle Pierre to Lheidli T’enneh Memorial park in downtown Prince George and that’s just the way it ended. Blackburn and James, competing in the Master 1 class, stopped the clock in four hours three minutes and 12 seconds to edge Turner and Taylor and their open men’s entry by just seven seconds to win the overall title. Greg Blackburn and Scott Decker weren’t far off the pace, finishing third overall in 4:03:29.

Maya Jacob and Nikki Kassel captured the women’s Alexander Mackenzie title. They clocked 4:12:16, the sixth-quickest overall time. Amanda Hallmark/Faye Hallet were

Devils

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE

Tom Blackburn and Harry James were the first to cross the finish line on the Fraser River on Saturday while participating in the Alexander Mackenzie class of the 2019 Northern Hardware Prince George Canoe Race.

the next all-women entry across the finish line in 5:15:40. Bob Vincent and Bill Briggs (4:12:13) and Richard Blok and Chris Lapointe (4:12:43) were the respective Masters 2 and Masters

3 class winners, finishing fifth and seventh overall. In the mixed gender category, Rebecca Pohlman and Chris Cupp were the pacesetters (4:13:03). They were about five

minutes faster than second-place Catherine Hagen and John Hagen (4:18:45) and third-place Sebastien Courville and Jennifer Courville (4:20:59). The 25-kilometre Simon Fraser class included five different categories – tandem canoe, solo canoe, solo kayak, standup paddleboard and voyageur canoe. Petar Georgyev and his son Damian were the quickest of the quick on the Fraser route, capturing the tandem canoe class in 1:37:08. Brian Chadwick and Dan McGaughey weren’t far off the pace (1:37:29) and Lynn and Blake Blok (1:39:52) also earned a spot on the medal podium. Luke Moran was the lone canoe soloist, finishing in 1:52:07, 13th overall. In the kayak class, Rod Croome (1:53:10), Bini Ball (2:05:11) and Angus Ball (2:12:49) rounded out the top three. Ian Chadwick braved the waters as the only standup paddleboarder and his time (1:49:56) ranked 11th overall. The voyageur class drew three entries and the Vancouver Ladies won the class in 1:39:31 to place third overall, followed by Graeme Moore and his gang of Caledonia Nordic Ski Club racers (1:39:40, fourth overall) and the Carrier Sekani Ladies (1:57:02).

dominated in semifinal play as they beat Bandits

Ted Clarke Citizen staff

The Westwood Pub Devils quest for a threepeat is still intact. They made sure of that Thursday night at Kin 1, defeating the pesky RPR Mechanical/ JR Construction Bandits 10-6 to win the best-of-three semifinal series 2-1. The Devils now advance to the best-offive league championship series against the Northland Nissan Assault, which starts Tuesday at Kin 1. The Devils are two-time defending Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association champions.

Four goals from Jake McIntosh and a twogoal, four-assist performance from PGSLA scoring champion Andrew Schwab did most of the damage for the Westwood boys.

Jackson Parish, with two goals and two assists, and Cole Paciejewski, who finished with three goals and an assist, led the Bandits’ cause. The Bandits, who won Game 2 10-7 last week to keep their season alive, scored first. Paciejewski collected his first goal of the series 1:43 into the game, but the lead was short-lived.

Goals from Kyler Boucher and McIntosh six minutes apart put the Devils ahead by the 12-minute mark and Westwood continued to find the net late in the period.

Danton Nicholson’s underhanded shot in tight made it 3-1 on a Devils’ power-play and McIntosh unleashed a screamer from the top of the circle in the final minute that found the net behind Dalen Etter.

Trailing by three, the Bandits didn’t get mad. They got even.

Drew Doig triggered their comeback 18 seconds into the second period with a low bouncer that got through the armour of goalie Patrick Bayliss. Then Parish was fed a perfect pass from Justin Parker while standing just off the post and he whipped it into the net.

The Bandits made it 4-4 just past the halfway point of the period, scoring seconds after Devils d-man Scotty Anderson was sent to the penalty box.

Paciejewski hooked up on a pretty threeway play with Parish and Patrick Griffiths. Westwood tested Etter with several quality shots before Anderson atoned for his transgression to set up the go-ahead goal.

The 52-year-old showed some hustle to force Griffiths to cough up the ball and fed a pass to Schwab. He dished the ball to David Lawrence, who filed it away into the net with less than five minutes left in the period. Twenty-four seconds later, on a fast-break entry, McIntosh showed his athleticism with a behind-the-back shot in over Etter’s shoulder. Schwab made it a 7-4 count with a shot through the legs in the final minute of the period.

Paciejewski cut the gap to 7-5 to complete the hat trick early in the third period but the McIntosh and Schwab continued the fireworks display to pad the lead to four. Shots were 49-42 in favour of the Devils.

Natasha Kozlowski keeps an eye on her approach shot on the fourth hole at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club during last year’s Junior Simon Fraser Open.

CannTrust’s Danish partner quarantines more pot

Armina LIGAYA

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — CannTrust

Holdings Inc.’s Danish partner has quarantined more medical pot products linked to illegal cultivation at the Canadian cannabis company’s greenhouse and warned of possible shortages in Denmark as a result.

Stenocare said Thursday that, contrary to the initial information it got from the licensed producer, it has now received documentation that shows that five batches of the Danish company’s inventory originated in growing rooms that did not have government approval.

“As a result of the new information, all products delivered from Stenocare relating to the batches in question will be put in quarantine, which means that they will be isolated and blocked from being sold until the Canadian health authorities, Health Canada and the Danish Medicines Agency have concluded in the matter,” the company said in a statement.

Stenocare, which caters to medical cannabis patients, added that “most, yet not all” of the CannTrust products in its inventory and that it has supplied to the Danish market since June 10 are linked to the unlicensed cannabis cultivation.

It was a reversal of Stenocare’s comments earlier this week when it said only one “very small” batch was connected to the unlicensed growing, which Health Canada continues to investigate.

CannTrust announced a joint venture with Stenocare that saw it receive a 25 per cent equity stake in the Danish company in March 2018 and made its first shipment of cannabis oil to Denmark in September 2018.

The Canadian cannabis company said Monday it had been

notified by Health Canada that the regulator had discovered unlicensed cultivation at its Ontario greenhouse between October 2018 and March 2019, before the five rooms received the appropriate licences in April 2019.

It said as a result, Health Canada put on hold roughly 5,200 kilograms of CannTrust products from that facility, and the licensed producer put a voluntary hold on an additional 7,500 kilograms of pot products which were also linked.

CannTrust’s chief executive Peter Aceto has said this represents the “majority” of its inventory and warned of potential shortages ahead, but noted the company continues to grow and sell cannabis products.

CannTrust was not immediately available to comment on Thursday. Peter Aceto said on Monday that “mistakes” were made but CannTrust is working to get back into compliance with Health Canada and is conducting a thor-

ough review to determine what transpired.

Stenocare said it was in close dialogue with the Danish Medicines Agency, which regulates medicinal products in the country, about the matter.

“The most likely consequences from this new situation is that there will be a temporary shortage of medical cannabis products to the Danish market,” the company said in a statement.

“This will have negative financial consequences to Stenocare irrespective of the fact that CannTrust is contractually committed to deliver fully licensed and approved products.”

CannTrust’s shares closed down 1.94 per cent to $4.04 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Thursday. That’s sharply down from its closing share price of $6.46 the previous Friday, before CannTrust disclosed Health Canada’s findings on Monday.

Stenocare’s wider quarantine

comes one day after authorities in Alberta and Ontario pulled or put on hold CannTrust’s products until Health Canada completes its investigation.

The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Authority on Wednesday said it was placing the affected lots of CannTrust’s products on hold as a precautionary measure. The decision impacts online product available through AlbertaCannabis.org and AGLC distribution.

“It is at the discretion of privately licensed Alberta retailers to work in consultation with CannTrust and Health Canada to determine whether they will continue to sell existing inventory, should they have affected products,” said Heather Holmen, an AGLC spokeswoman, in an emailed statement.

Earlier Wednesday, the Ontario Cannabis Store said it had removed certain CannTrust Products from its online store and distribution to physical outlets.

An essential summer read for business owners

Ilove to read.

Ever since I was a young boy, learning to read in the arms of my parents, I have enjoyed the written word.

I am amazed at how the crafted phrase can capture my imagination and open my mind to worlds and ideas I have never explored or considered. I read for pleasure, entertainment and learning. Recently I read Ernest Hemingway’s classic The Old Man and the Sea, and, while it’s short, it took me as long to

BUSINESS

COACH

read the book as it took the old man to bring in his fish.

In the year after I completed my MBA and I began business coaching. I read everything I could get my hands on related to the topic of business improvement. I estimated that I read more books in the six months after completing the course than I had during the two years it took me to obtain my masters.

Books such as the E Myth, Unstuck, Built to Last, Traction, Jump Start your Business Brain and Simon Sinek’s Start with Why just to name a few of my favourites. I even wrote my own book Profit Yourself Healthy because I saw a need for small business owners who were struggling with their businesses.

In the last year I have read books on changes in retailing, management, leadership, goal setting, sales and accountability and competing in the construction industry – as well as a few John Grisham novels.

Occasionally I come across a book that is exceptional and I want to share.

A few months ago, I read Jim Collin’s Good to Great for the first time and it made such an impression I had to write my weekly column on it.

This week I found something even better. Perhaps Jim Collin’s fans will disagree, however, Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism should be a summer read for every business leader. Not exactly a new book, it was written in 2014, but the ideas are timeless and have the potential to change your life. Most business leaders I know are often overwhelmed with opportunities, ideas and responsibilities. There are meetings, phone calls and an endless stream of emails and texts and interruptions that cause us to be ineffective.

We go home with business on our brain and become irritated with our family because they are vying for our attention. Many times we finish our day feeling discouraged, unproductive and disheartened.

This is where Essentialism, the Disciplined Pursuit of Less comes in.

Why are we trying to do so much?

Why do we say “Yes” to so many requests, opportunities and wishes of others that might be meaningful to them but are distractions from our true purposes and goals?

As McKeown states, the nonessentialist is always trying to please others, everything is important, is always reacting to what is

pressing, is taking on too much and achieving too little. The Nonessentialist often feels out of control and overwhelmed.

The essentialist on the other hand focuses on the things that really matter and says no to most opportunities except those that fit their specific criteria. They make important choices that allow them to do good work. They feel present, in control and get things done.

One might read those two descriptions and think that an Essentialist would be self-serving while a nonessentialist is more focused on trying to help others. Yet McKeown describes Ghandi, Mother Teresa, and Rosa Parks as essentialists because they had clarity on what they had to do and were successful in not getting sidetracked while fulfilling their goals.

How much more could you achieve in your business, with your family, and in your life, if you were focused on doing fewer things which distracted you from what is important?

Here are some examples of how this book has made a difference in my past week.

• It helped me realize what is important in my life and to become more focused on making a difference with my life.

• I developed and wrote down some criteria for making big decisions which will serve me in the future.

• I realized that there was a better way to deal with my challenging teens in a fashion that would get more results in the long run and reduce conflict in my family.

• It allowed me to determine if two coaching opportunities I was referred with last week are going to be good fits or if I should say no.

• It helped me spend the time to get this article written, avoid some distractions, and prioritize a busy day while completing the important things without becoming overwhelmed.

It’s true that I might have come to the same conclusions without reading the book, however Essentialism gave me more clarity to fulfill my life’s purpose one little decision at a time.

If you are looking to read one great business book this summer that will make a real difference for you, I encourage you to pick up Essentialism. Oh, and please tell me what business book has changed your life. I would love to hear about it.

Dave Fuller, MBA, is an award-winning business coach and the author of the book Profit Yourself Healthy. What is the best business book you have read lately? Email dave@ profityourselfhealthy.com.

Dow rose primarily on the White House killing its own rebate rule designed to ease costly medications for those on Medicare by letting them receive rebates that drug makers now pay to insurers and middlemen.

That helped United Health Group Inc., whose shares climbed 5.4 per cent and pushed the Dow up 227.88 points at 27,088.08. Other U.S. stock markets were relatively flat a day after responding positively to the Federal Reserve chairman’s confirmation that interest rates will likely be cut in a couple of weeks.

The S&P 500 index was up 6.84 points at 2,999.91, while the Nasdaq composite was down 6.49 points at 8,196.04. The S&P/TSX composite index lost 35.39 points at 16,527.90, with CannTrust Holdings Inc. continuing a string of declines since it disclosed some production was done in unlicensed growing rooms.

Eight of the 11 major sectors were lower led by health care which fell 2.9 per cent. The August gold contract was down US$5.80 at US$1,406.70 an ounce and the September copper contract was down 0.65 of a cent at US$2.69 a pound. The energy sector was down marginally as crude prices dropped.

The August crude contract was down 23 cents at US$60.23 per barrel and the August natural gas contract was down 2.8 cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU. Telecommunications, industrials and consumer discretionary were slightly higher on the day. Cogeco Inc. was the big winner, gaining 6.2 per cent following the release of its third-quarter results and comments from the CEO that there’s still room to introduce “reasonable” price increases despite competition from other technologies.

The Canadian dollar traded at an average of 76.51 cents US, up compared with Wednesday’s average of 76.38 cents US. The loonie rose as interest rates are moving along different paths in the two countries, said Chopra.

Expected cuts by the Fed are putting pressure on the U.S. dollar while stable rates by the Bank of Canada are strengthening the Canadian dollar.

DAVE FULLER

CP FILE PHOTO

Mature cannabis plants are photographed at the CannTrust Niagara Greenhouse Facility during the grand opening event in Fenwick, Ont., in 2018.

Adult & Youth Newspaper Carriers Needed in the Following areas:

• Hart Area • Driftwood Rd, Dawson Rd, Seton Cres, • Austin Rd.

• Lower College Heights O’Grady Rd and Park, Brock, Selkirk,

• Oxford, Simon Fraser Trent, Fairmont, Guelph, Gladstone,Hartford, Harvard, Imperial, Kingsley, Jean De Brebeuf Cres, Loyola, Latrobe, Leicester Pl, Princeton Cres, Prince Edward Cres, Newcastle, Melbourne, Loedel, Marine Pl, Hough Pl, Guerrier Pl, Sarah Pl, Lancaster, Lemoyne,

• • Upper College Heights • St Barbara, St Bernadette, Southridge, St Anne Ave, Bernard, St Clare St, St Gerald Pl, Creekside, Stillwater.

• • Full Time and Temporary Routes Available. Contact for Details 250-562-3301 or rss@pgcitizen.ca

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Established Franchise Photography Business Serving Northern B.C for over 35 years

Gross Revenues of $150.000 plus annually from seasonal work Lots of opportunity to expand the business. Transition support available to the right buyer

The Family of Nick Vitaliano will be holding a grave side service at the Prince George Memorial Cemetery on July 18th, 2019 at 3:00pm. Nick left us in March, and not a day goes by that we do not think of him. He will forever live on in our hearts! Please join us as we lay his ashes to rest.

MARIO AGLIANI passed away peacefully at his home in Prince George on June 24, 2019. Mario came to Canada as a child, and started working at age 12; never stopping until his retirement in 2002. He touched many lives, from Casazza, Italy to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Prince George, BC. Having lived life like a lion, he now joins the One Heavenly Shepherd; free of his earthly constraints. Psalms 23:4 “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.” Mario is interred at the Prince George Mausoleum which he affectionately referred to as his new rabbit hutch. There will be no service as per his request. If you wish, make a donation to the charity of your choice in remembrance of him. He will be forever in our hearts. Nick Vitaliano November 22, 1955 March 16, 2019

Manjit Kaur Minhas was born August 22nd, 1945 in India. She passed surrounded by her loved ones on July 9th, 2019 in Prince George, after a courageous medical battle. Manjit was predeceased by her father (Gurbax Singh Parmar) and mother (Pritam Kaur Parmar).

She is survived by her loving friends and family. Manjit was a very compassionate person and always smiling even when acknowledging those she didn’t know. She was extremely passionate towards both her faith and family. Manjit’s family would like to extend their gratitude to all the staff at the University Hospital of Northern BC, especially Dr. Saif, Dr. Iqbal, Dr. Carter and Dr. Jani, and the staff at the Hospice House Society. The memorial service will begin at 10 am on July 13th at the Lakewood Chapel (1055 Ospika Boulevard South) followed by a final Ardaas (prayer) and Langer (lunch) at the Sikh Temple (443 Kelly Street South).

Serious Enquiries Only Office 250-596-9199 Cell 250-981-1472

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Established Franchise Tax Preparation BusinessMackenzieservicing and McLeod Lake area for over 30 years.

Gross Revenues of $85,000 to $90,000

Annually and Potential to expand revenues in a growing economy.

Transition support available for the right buyer. Serious Inquires Only Office (250)997-9003 Home (250)997-5538 Cell (250)990-0152