Walking for HIV/AIDS awareness
Positive Living North, in partnership with the Prince George Nechako
were held at the park bandshell after the walk.
‘Failed operation’
Officer regrets shooting death
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
A key player in the police takedown of a man who had taken over a trapper’s cabin south of Valemount called the attempt a “failed operation,” when testifying at a coroner’s inquest Monday, because it ended in the subject’s death rather than a peaceful arrest.
The inquest is being held into the Sept. 17, 2014, shooting death of John Robert Buehler, 51. Daughter Shanna Buehler was also shot but survived. A sevenperson jury has been appointed to make recommendations to help prevent similar deaths in the future.
“It absolutely failed,” Staff Sgt. Dan Holt said. “We went in there to affect their arrest and we failed in our objectives. And
as a police officer, I’m going to tell you straight out that I made those decisions and I am accountable for those decisions and I consider that the young men who were in my charge at that time conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism. So if you want responsibility, it’s on these shoulders.”
Holt made the comments after providing his account of what transpired in the days and hours leading up to Buehler’s death. A member of the B.C. Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, and someone with a background in the military, Holt had been called in to help the North District RCMP’s emergency response team with the apprehension.
Buehler has been variously described as a violent, angry and paranoid man who came to
outcome, inquest hears
believe the day was looming when all evil would be wiped off the earth and had begun preparing for that time by stockpiling food and equipment, including firearms and ammunition at the cabin.
About three months before, Buehler and his daughter had parked their camper at a recreation area just outside Valemount, east of Prince George.
Police had been called in after he allegedly unleashed his German shepherd dogs on a pair of horse riders and, following a four-hour standoff, he was taken into custody while some guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized.
Buehler was later released on a recognizance and was supposed to appear in court on Sept. 7, 2014. But he was a no show and three days later, a Valemount man
found Buehler had taken over his cabin, located in an isolated area on the shore of Kinbasket Lake, and had refused to leave. Holt arrived on the scene on Sept. 14, 2014. He found a bridge along the forest service road leading to the cabin had been burnt out. That combined with what he knew of Buehler and of the terrain around the cabin, left him worried that Buehler was readying for a showdown. Holt said it also made him concerned for the public, particularly because hunting season had started. He noted that because the bridge had been destroyed, a hunting party had been temporarily stranded on the other side of the creek it had crossed. While they and their dogs were evacuated with the help of police, their vehicles remained stuck behind.
“I must say that both men were clearly shaken by what they had experienced,” Holt said.
On the afternoon of Sept. 17, 2014, Holt and six ERT members made their way towards the cabin. It took them two hours to cover about a kilometre as they picked their way through a morass of blown-down trees and thick brush. They got within a bit more than 200 metres of the cabin and had set up camp when, at about 7 p.m. and with the day having given away to night, they heard the dogs barking and the sound of all-terrain vehicles being driven away.
Police had wanted to apprehend the Buehlers while they were outside the cabin and unable to barricade themselves.
— See ‘HE IS UNSLINGING A RIFLE’ on page 3
Families devastated by northern murders
The Canadian Press
The father of an Australian man who was gunned down with his girlfriend while travelling on a remote British Columbia highway says the deaths are a tragic end to a love story between the inseparable couple.
Chief Insp. Stephen Fowler of the New South Wales Police Force said he spoke with his globe-trotting 23-year-old son Lucas Fowler within hours of his leaving on a road trip from northern B.C. with his 24-year-old American girlfriend Chynna Deese.
“Our son Lucas was having the time of his life travelling the world. He met a beautiful young lady and they teamed up, were a great pair and they fell in love,” Fowler told a news conference on Monday.
“We were overjoyed for Lucas. He came to Canada and he planned a trip in a van with Chynna,” Fowler said, adding his son had saved up his money after working in Sydney, Australia, so he could travel to B.C. and join the love of his life, he said of Deese,
who had arrived from her home in Charlotte, N.C. Fowler said the murders have devastated
two families and nothing in his job as a police officer had prepared him for the news he received about his son’s shooting death
on the Alaska Highway, where the couple’s bodies were found on July 15. He joined the RCMP in appealing for any information that could help the investigation.
“However little, please contact police,” Fowler said of the couple who were driving a 1986 blue Chevrolet van with Alberta licence plates.
RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet asked the public to take safety precautions and “remain vigilant” as the force investigates the couple’s homicides as well as the death of an unidentified man whose body was found four days later near the community of Dease Lake, about 470 kilometres away. Two kilometres from the body, a burnedout vehicle was found and two teenagers who had been travelling to Yukon in the truck remain missing. The cases have people in northern British Columbia on edge.
— See ‘POSSIBILITY THESE COULD BE LINKED’ on page 3
Rotary Club, hosted the annual HIV/AIDS walk on Saturday at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. Family activities
CP PHOTO
New South Wales police chief inspector Stephen Fowler pauses while speaking at a RCMP news conference in Surrey on Monday.
Press operator recognized for service
‘He is unslinging a rifle’
— from page 1
“So I saw the opportunity,” Holt said. In consultation with the incident commander stationed at a post outside the immediate area, it was decided that the members move forward and “I believe the term that was used was ‘seize the day.’”
Armed with bean bag guns and distraction devices, three of the ERT positioned themselves in the bush alongside a laneway leading towards the cabin. Holt and two others, meanwhile, went to the cabin itself where they came across five of the dogs tethered to the deck and one running loose.
“They were all going crazy,” Holt said and added they would not let him onto the cabin deck. The three police subsequently stationed themselves at a tarped area next to the
cabin when they were told via radio that the Buehlers had returned and, with their long guns out, were checking the bush alongside the laneway.
Holt said he saw the flashes and heard the bangs and pops of distraction devices and bean bag guns going off. But that failed to stop Buehler who continued to ride his ATV along the path and towards Holt and the two other police.
“He is crouched in the footrest, sort of half standing, and he is unslinging a rifle,” Holt said. Holt fired off a distraction device, which fired off two bangs and a flash.But Buehler kept going and leveled his rifle at Holt and the others. Fearing for his life, Holt fired off a round that hit Buehler but did not kill him.
Provincial court docket
From Prince George provincial court, July 15-19, 2019:
- Bruce William Timothy (born 1999) was sentenced to one year probation with a suspended sentenced for theft $5,000 or under and using a forged document, both committed in Courtenay.
- Thomas Jules Hibbert (born 1946) was sentenced to three years probation with a suspended sentence, issued a 10-year firearms prohibition and ordered to provide a DNA sample for sexual interference.
- Trent Varley (born 1998) was fined $1,000 plus a $150 victim surcharge for driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act.
- Matthew Douglas Sweder (born 1988) was sentenced to a 70-day conditional sentence order and one year probation for mischief $5,000 or under, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, assault with a weapon and assault. Sweder was in custody for two days prior to sentencing.
- Alexander William Alexie (born 1993) was sentenced to one year probation for breaching a recognizance. Alexie was in custody for 18 days prior to sentencing.
- Douglas William Donald Gibbs (born 1986) was sentenced to no additional jail time for two counts of breaching an undertaking or recognizance and issued a one-year $500 recognizance after an allegation of causing fear of injury or damage. Gibbs was in custody for 25 days prior to sentencing.
- Ryan Lane Parker (born 1989) was sentenced to one year probation for uttering threats and uttering threats to cause bodily harm. Lane was in custody for four days prior to sentencing.
- Kirby Thomas West (born 1975) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
- Jenna Louise Tardif (born 1994) was sentenced to one year probation with a suspended sentence for possessing stolen property over $5,000 and possessing a controlled substance.
Tardif was in custody for nine days following her arrest.
- Kane Anthony Crosfield (born 1990) was sentenced to one year probation and issued a two-year firearms prohibition for possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and to no additional time for breaching a recognizance or undertaking. Crosfield had been in custody for 123 days prior to sentencing and remains in custody on charges in Fort St. John.
- Barbara Andrea Kristoffersen (born 1963) was sentenced to one year probation for two counts of theft $5,000 or under, committed in Vanderhoof and Fort St. James and to no additional time for breaching probation, committed in Prince George. Kristoffersen was in custody for six days prior to sentencing.
- Brian Mark Averill (born 1968) was issued a six-month $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.
- Corina Lynn Beauchamp (born 1970) was sentenced to no further jail time for breaching probation. Beauchamp was in custody for five days prior to sentencing.
- William Joseph Holloway (born 1982) was sentenced to four days in jail and three years probation for two counts of breaching probation, committed in Fort St. John.
- Vincent Williams (born 1992) was sentenced to two years probation and issued a 10-year firearms prohibition for assaulting a peace officer, mischief $5,000 or under and two counts of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, all committed in Prince George, and breaching an undertaking or recognizance, committed in Logan Lake. Williams was in custody for 178 days prior to sentencing.
A second shot from a partner sent Buehler down but he was still moving and took aim from the ground. That was when the third officer opened fire. Buehler was hit six times with two of the bullets piercing his heart, the inquest has heard.
Following on his comment that it was a failed operation, both inquest counsel Chris Godwin and RCMP counsel Andrew Kemp asked Holt if there was anything he would have done differently. Holt did not give any specifics but expressed a measure of regret for the outcome.
“At the time and under the circumstances that were in front of me and what I had, I did what I considered appropriate and that I will have to live with for the rest of my life,” Holt said.
Smoke forces evacuation
Citizen staff
Prince George Fire Rescue was called to a report of a possible structure fire in the 1300 block of Sixth Avenue at about 7:15 Monday morning. From four halls, 19 firefighters attended to find the building already evacuated. Crews investigated and discovered light smoke and a pungent smell on the first three floors of the building.
After checking each floor, crews went into the eighth floor mechanical room to find a belt or bearing had malfunctioned and caused the smoke and smell.
The smoke was ventilated out of the building.
There were no injuries and there was no damage to the building.
‘Possibility these could be linked’
— from page 1
“With respect to public safety we share the concerns that are being raised, given the tragic and unusual nature of these two investigations that we have underway,” Shoihet said. “We would like to stress the importance of heightened vigilance and awareness for anybody travelling in and around the area. We encourage people to camp in known or established areas or locations.”
Travellers should inform their family about their plans and check in if plans change, she said.
“It’s unusual to have two major investigations undergoing of this nature in northern B.C. at the same time and so we recognize that there’s a possibility that these could be linked,” Shoihet said.
Police released a composite sketch of a man a witness saw speaking with the pair on the Alaska Highway, also known as Highway 97, on the evening of July 14.
Shoihet said the man was driving an older-model Jeep Cherokee with a black stripe on the hood and police would like him to contact them.
In the other case, the force also released a composite drawing of man who was found dead about two kilometres from a burned-out red and grey Dodge pickup truck with a sleeping camper, near Dease Lake.
Police also released a composite drawing of the dead man hoping for help in identifying him. He had a beard, a heavy build, and was between age 50 and 60 years old.
The two people who’d been driving the burned-out vehicle remain missing and police are appealing for the public’s help in finding them. They say 19-yearold Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky are from the Vancouver Island community of Port Alberni and have not been in contact with their families.
Al Wilson
Prince George Citizen.
Pre-election sparring heats up
The Canadian Press
Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre took aim at the Liberals Monday morning for bringing back former prime ministerial aide Gerald Butts to work on their election campaign.
An hour later, from the same dais in the national press building, Liberal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor accused Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer of spewing untrue statements on Canada’s new food guide.
With three months to go before the federal election and public opinion polls indicating the two are in a neck-and-neck fight for power, the Liberals and Conservatives are drawing clear battle lines: Liberals say they’re the party of science and the Tories are the party of pandering. Conservatives say they’re the party of honour while the Liberals are the party of self-interest.
Poilievre took the offensive
Monday.
Butts, a close longtime friend of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left his role as Trudeau’s principal secretary in February while categorically denying accusations that he pressured former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to assist Montreal-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin to be considered for an agreement akin to a plea bargain. The company faces criminal charges over its allegedly corrupt dealings in Libya in the 2000s.
“The fact is that this accusation exists,” Butts said in a public statement at the time. “It cannot and should not take one moment away from the vital work the prime minister and his office is doing for all Canadians.”
The SNC-Lavalin controversy
also led to the resignations of Wilson-Raybould and fellow senior minister Jane Philpott over Trudeau’s handling of the affair, plus the early retirement of Michael Wernick, Canada’s top public servant. Both WilsonRaybould and Philpott were eventually ejected from the Liberal caucus and both are running for re-election as Independents.
Butts and Trudeau have been friends since meeting in university in the 1990s and Trudeau has leaned on his counsel for much of his political career. Butts’ return tells Canadians a lot about Trudeau, Poilievre said Monday.
“The Lav-scam bully is in and the principled women who spoke truth to power are out,” he said.
Wilson-Raybould was punished for doing the right thing, Poilievre charged.
“Over a four-month period, now documented clearly, they pushed and pushed and pushed,” he said. “Jody Wilson-Raybould stood on principle and said no. And so, Trudeau and Butts fired her as attorney general. She spoke out and then they kicked her out of the caucus all together.”
Wilson-Raybould declined Monday to comment on Butts’ involvement in the Liberal campaign.
A Liberal party official confirmed Sunday that Butts will play a central role in the Liberals’ re-election effort but would give no more details.. Petitpas Taylor also did not expand on what his position will entail when she was asked about it on Monday.
“We are pleased to have Gerry working on our campaign,” she said. “He was an integral part of our team in 2015 and Gerry, as well as many other Canadians, will be helping us we move along in forming our campaign strategies for 2019.”
She tried to extend her commentary to say that opposition to
science and evidence is a troubling trend among Conservative politicians.
Last Wednesday, Tory Leader Scheer told an annual gathering of the Dairy Farmers of Canada in Saskatoon that the process to craft the new version of the Canada Food Guide, released in January, was “flawed” and it needs to reflect what “science tells us.”
“Absolutely, we are going to review that Canada Food Guide,” Scheer said, adding there was a “complete lack of consultation” on it. Health Canada disregarded evidence presented by producers such as the dairy farmers, he said. The food guide has received an overwhelmingly positive response, including from nutrition experts, Petitpas Taylor said Monday. Health Canada received more than 25,000 submissions during the consultation period, she said. She said her party will continue to base its policy decisions “on facts and science as opposed to what the other party chooses to do.”
Ontario Liberal MP Marco Mendicino, the parliamentary secretary to Infrastructure Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, said alongside Petitpas Taylor on Monday that it is a “good thing” for Butts to play a role in the campaign.
“We are focused on running a positive campaign,” he said, adding it is of no great surprise to those engaged in public life that Conservatives are “back to attacking the prime minister and his staff on a personal basis.”
“The reason for that is because they would rather be changing the channel and be talking about those issues rather than the importance and the significance of evidence and science and data.”
CP FILE PHOTO
Gerald Butts, senior political advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, during the federal Liberal national convention in Halifax in 2018.
PM’s residence remains in limbo
The Canadian Press
Nearly four years after Justin Trudeau opted not to move into the prime minister’s official residence over concerns about its crumbling state, the building remains vacant – except for staff who continue to use the kitchen to prepare meals for Trudeau and his family.
And it appears no decisions will be made on the future of the residence until well after the fall federal election.
The federal Conservatives accuse the Trudeau government of dithering over “critical” upgrades to the stately yet run-down home, and needlessly costing taxpayers more money in the process.
At the same time, none of the main federal party leaders appears willing to opine on whether the building should be torn down or renovated, or whether they would live in the residence if it were upgraded.
Asked by The Canadian Press their preferences for what to do with the building if elected – or re-elected – to office, the Liberals referred all questions to the National Capital Commission (NCC), which oversees dozens of properties in the capital region; the New Democrats did not provide a response and the Conservatives referred to the project as just one more Liberal blight under Justin Trudeau’s leadership.
“The renovation costs of 24 Sussex Drive are a failure that Justin Trudeau has been unable to fix in four years,” Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s spokesman, Daniel Schow, said in a statement.
“The NCC has estimated that it will cost nearly $100 million to renovate 24 Sussex and other official residences. This is an unacceptable situation, and unfortunately, taxpayers are being stuck with the bill.”
Scheer, if elected prime minister, would “look for innovative ways to break through the red tape and the overregulation that has created this debacle,” said Schow.
The Conservatives would not say, however, whether Scheer would elect to live at 24 Sussex should he become prime minister in the fall. Scheer currently resides in another building managed and maintained by the NCC; Stornoway, the Official Opposition
leader’s residence.
Prior to being defeated by the Liberals in 2015, former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper lived in 24 Sussex for a decade, but would not approve any spending on the building beyond necessary or emergency repairs.
Harper was warned by thenauditor general Sheila Fraser in a 2008 report that more than $10 million in repairs were needed just to make it safe to inhabit.
No one expects the NCC to decide the fate of the building until after the October election, said David Flemming with Heritage Ottawa, which wrote to the prime minister in March calling for the creation of a non-partisan committee to decide what to do with 24 Sussex.
Heritage Ottawa made clear in that letter that it prefers the building be renovated, not demolished.
“Please do not condemn this fine building to landfill,” the letter stated.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not responded to the letter, Flemming said.
In a report prepared in April last year, the NCC classified 24 Sussex as being in a “critical” state of disrepair.
The report assessed the building’s replacement value at $38.46 million. At the same time it determined the cost of maintaining the structure at nearly what it’s worth: $34.53 million. That figure did not include necessary upgrades to security and grounds maintenance, nor repairs to the nearby pool building, which the NCC described as “rotting.”
The home, built in 1868 by American-born lumber baron and member of Parliament Joseph Merrill, has suffered decades of neglect since it was expropriated by the government in 1943. It last underwent major renovations in 1951.
Its outdated wiring risks causing a fire, the drain pipes regularly clog, the exterior stonework is crumbling and the building is filled with asbestos, the NCC was told last year.
“The building systems at 24 Sussex have reached the point of
Vigil marks anniversary of Toronto shooting
The Canadian Press
Members of a community in the heart of Toronto marked a solemn milestone on Monday by holding a vigil to commemorate the first anniversary of a shooting that shattered the city’s Greektown neighbourhood.
One year ago, a gunman opened fire along Danforth Avenue, a bustling area that’s long been one of the city’s most popular nightlife destinations.
The gunman killed 18-year-old Reese Fallon and 10-year-old Julianna Kozis and injured 13 others before turning the gun on himself.
Ahead of the planned vigil, numerous public figures offered statements of support and remembrance.
“A year later, the healing continues for the families who lost loved ones, for the injured and for those who were traumatized by this terrible event,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a statement. “We will gather in their memory and in their honour, in gratitude for the service of our first responders and in solidarity with each other, determined to keep this a city where love always triumphs over hate each and every day.”
Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones paid tribute to Fallon, Kozis and their loved ones, while Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders focused on the city’s collective efforts to recover from the mass shooting.
“It is important that we mark this day together,” he said in a statement. “This incident is a reminder of our community’s resilience. A year ago, we responded with solidarity and strength, and it is solidarity and strength that we continue with today.”
Fraser rock slide blasting planned
The Canadian Press
CLINTON – Work crews around the site of a massive rock slide in the Fraser River will be blasting away a large overhanging rock in an effort to avoid future slides.
The rock slide has narrowed the river, creating a five-metre waterfall that is preventing many migrating salmon from getting through to spawning grounds.
The evening vigil was held at a parkette where Fallon was gunned down while out celebrating a birthday with a group of friends.
Church bells rang and the community held a moment of silence after honouring the victims.
Another tribute took place on Sunday at a nearby park where community members held a commemorative ceremony. Police have said the motive for the attack is not known, but the gunman, Faisal Hussain, had a long history of mental health issues.
imminent or actual failure,” said the report. Beyond renovations, it has been costing taxpayers nearly $228,000 annually, on average, just to operate and maintain the property, the NCC said.
Trudeau himself, who lived at 24 Sussex as a child when his father Pierre was prime minister, acknowledged in an early 2018 CBC interview that anyone agreeing to spend anything on the house risks the wrath of the electorate.
“No prime minister wants to spend a penny of taxpayer dollars on upkeeping that house,” Trudeau said.
To date, no options for dealing with 24 Sussex have been formally presented to the NCC, spokesman Jean Wolff said recently.
The kitchen in the house is still being used almost daily. When Trudeau and his family are in Ottawa, staff there prepare meals and deliver the food a few hundred metres down the road to a cottage behind Rideau Hall where Trudeau, his wife and kids have lived since shortly after being
elected.
Former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin has argued that 24 Sussex is a historical landmark that merits preservation. Kim Campbell, who was prime minister for four months in 1993, has suggested it be knocked down.
So has former prime minister Joe Clark’s wife, Maureen McTeer. She argued in 2015 the building lacks architectural value and should be bulldozed and replaced with a building that could show off Canada’s best architects and designers.
But her suggested timeline –making it a Canada 2017 project to mark the country’s 150th anniversary – passed by with no action taken.
The building is designated a heritage site in Ontario by the Federal Heritage Building Review Office.
But that designation wouldn’t prevent the federal government from demolishing the building, said Flemming. “They could tear it down,” he said.
A gardener works on the grounds at the Prime Minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Dr. in Ottawa in 2008.
What are our MLAs doing?
According to the B.C. legislature’s calendar for 2019, the house will sit for just 62 days this year. Throughout six whole months – December, January, and June through September – not a single meeting is scheduled. And during March and November, our MLAs will be present just eight days each month.
May was the busiest period, and even then the house met for just 14 days.
Regrettably, there is nothing exceptional about absenteeism on this scale. In 2018, the legislature sat for 67 days, and just 61 in 2017.
In effect, our representatives are present for the equivalent of a mere two months each year in the arena where they do the people’s business.
Some of this can be justified. MLAs are obliged to spend a reasonable amount of time in their ridings.
There are town hall meetings to attend, constituents to talk with and public events that demand their presence. There are also family obligations to take care of. But while conceding these necessities,
we also have to consider the damage that is done. The legislature is where the government is held responsible for its policies. This takes place through debates, examination of ministry budgets, scrutiny of proposed new legislation, and most important of all, question period. If ministers are not present to explain and justify their actions, those actions become, in effect, unaccountable.
To take just one example, there are 20 ministries in our provincial government, with combined expenditures of $58 billion. Yet the legislature devoted just 31 days to examining these expenditures, or roughly a day and a half per ministry. How can this possibly be adequate when such large sums are involved?
There are other consequences of prolonged absence. We are in the midst of an opioid crisis. Are the measures being taken to combat this threat adequate or not?
Who can say? Certainly the epidemic won’t shut down for the summer, as the house has done.
Then again, during the last provincial election, the government promised $10-aday day-care. Where is it? Only a handful of pilot projects have been announced so far.
Some cancer patients in Haida Gwaii face an eight-hour ferry ride to the mainland because the local clinic cannot find a pharmacy technician to mix the required drug cocktails.
In fairness, the shortage of technicians seems to be a nationwide problem, but again, what is the government doing to correct it?
And now, Speaker Darryl Plecas has announced that his chief of staff, Alan Mullen, has embarked on a cross-continent tour to collect “evidence” that the outgoing sergeant-at-arms, Gary Lenz, has committed undefined infractions.
Lenz has already been cleared by Beverley McLachlin, retired Supreme Court of Canada chief justice, who was engaged to review this allegation.
But Mullen is touring Canada and several U.S. states to conduct a “multi-jurisdictional forward-looking review… looking at security policies and procedures.” So we can learn from Alabama how our legislature should perform?
This is exactly the kind of extravagant nonsense that Plecas accused former clerk Craig James, of committing. And where is
YOUR LETTERS
Candle in the wind
Your letter from Dave Rempel, published July 4, made one true assertion and two dubious ones.
Yes, scientific theories are always open to revision. New discoveries often revise established theories.
Then he goes on to declare that “Certainly God is the creator...” Fact. No question allowed there. His third point is that historical climate extremes have been larger than today’s.
Yes, temperature extremes are recorded in the rocks but they have occurred over long periods of time, allowing for life to evolve and adjust. Oh,oh. There I go with the dreaded word “evolve.” Biblical claims are inviolate but science is not.
Why?
According to the writer, we must believe, without question, the word-for-word truth of such myths as that of a Garden of Eden, Noah’s ship of all species and other unlikely “facts.” I don’t buy that cargo. Humans seem to be hard-wired to reject the fact of our personal
deaths. Mainstream Western religions promise, or threaten, everlasting life of either pleasure or punishment.
This myth must have had some value in preserving the human species but that does not make it true.
As for me, I believe that when I die I will go to the same place as the flame when a candle is blown.
James Loughery Prince George
Closures predicted
The 2019 multiple sawmill closures in B.C.’s Interior did not come out of the blue.
Similar sawmill closures previously occurred on the coast, where 70 per cent of what existed in 1987 is now gone. Many in B.C.’s resource sector, like myself, saw this coming for decades.
Early symptoms were negative cumulative effects of large-scale clearcut logging on non-timber resource values.
To respond, the province has three forest policy options:
• Status quo, with diminishing returns and hoping short-
term outside market forces for commodity forest products will improve;
• Economic diversification out of forestry – former B.C. logging and mill towns on Vancouver Island are already doing this (old growth is an asset);
• Adaptation and diversification within forestry – first by managing for an ecologically sustainable forest, that is complex, resilient and self-renewing. This forest has the diversity, productivity, quality and value, within limits, to sustain us – economically, socially, and culturally.
A just transition for those negatively impacted by these adverse events will be part of every option.
The best decision makers have foresight and move towards quality and value in everything that is done.
A restorative economy will include First Nations reconciliation, application of new knowledge and skills, improved forest stewardship, planning and governance, economic restructuring and adaptation to climate change.
Ray Travers, RFP (Ret.) Victoria
LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. No attachments, please. They can also be faxed to 250-960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. Maximum length is 750 words and writers are limited to one submission every week. We will edit letters only to ensure clarity, good taste, for legal reasons, and occasionally for length. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes. Unsigned or handwritten letters will not be published. The Prince George Citizen is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Neil Godbout (ngodbout@pgcitizen. ca or 250-960-2759). If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.
the legislature? On holiday. No one suggests ministers are inactive when the house isn’t sitting. Neither are they silent. Bucket loads of media releases issue forth on a near-daily basis. But these announcements are largely self-congratulatory. It’s almost unheard of for a ministry to confess a screw-up, at least voluntarily. It takes the work of an informed Opposition to elicit that kind of admission, and for the equivalent of 10 months a year, those Opposition members are scattered to the four corners of the province.
It has long been a concern that legislatures are becoming ever less important – that too much power is vested in the premier’s office. But this trend accelerates when the house doesn’t even sit. Parliament met for 122 days last year, and the federal government has nothing like the range of program responsibilities that provinces do.
If our MPs can measure up to the task, there is no reason whatsoever that our MLAs can’t. As it is, they’re only halfway there. — Victoria Times-Colonist
Are you open-minded?
Do you think of yourself as open-minded? For a 2017 study, scientists asked 2,400 welleducated adults to consider arguments on politically controversial issues – same-sex marriage, gun control, marijuana legalization – that ran counter to their beliefs. Both liberals and conservatives, they found, were similarly adamant about avoiding contrary opinions. When it came to same-sex marriage, for example, two-thirds of those surveyed passed on a chance to pocket money if, in exchange, they took some time to just look at counterarguments, never mind seriously entertain them.
The lesson is clear enough: most of us are probably not as openminded as we think. That is unfortunate and something we can change. A hallmark of teams that make good predictions about the world around them is something psychologists call “active open mindedness.” People who exhibit this trait do something, alone or together, as a matter of routine that rarely occurs to most of us: they imagine their own views as hypotheses in need of testing. They aim not to bring people around to their perspective but to encourage others to help them disprove what they already believe. This is not instinctive behavior.
Most of us, armed with a Web browser, do not start most days by searching for why we are wrong.
As our divisive politics daily feed our tilt toward confirmation bias, it is worth asking if this instinct to think we know enough is hardening into a habit of poor judgment.
Consider that, in a study during the run-up to the Brexit vote, a small majority of both Remainers and Brexiters could correctly interpret made-up statistics about the efficacy of a rash-curing skin cream. But when the same voters were given similarly false data presented as if it indicated that immigration either increased or decreased crime, hordes of Brits suddenly became innumerate and misinterpreted statistics that disagreed with their beliefs.
A separate study by Yale professor Dan Kahan and colleagues found the same phenomenon in the United States when voters were given made-up data about skin cream and gun control.
But researchers such as Kahan and colleagues found a reason for hope, a personality trait counters biased judgment: they called it science curiosity.
Science curiosity is different from science knowledge. Sciencecurious folk always chose to look at new evidence, whether it aligned with their beliefs or not. Less science-curious adults became more resistant to contrary evidence and more politically polarized as they gained subject matter knowledge.
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
This should not be entirely surprising. University of Pennsylvania psychologist Philip Tetlock made a similar finding in a 20-year study that tested the ability of experts to make accurate predictions about geopolitical events. The results, in short, showed that the average expert in a given subject was also, on average, a horrific forecaster. Their areas of specialty, academic degrees and (for some) access to classified information made no difference. Some of the most specialized experts actually performed worse as they accumulated credentials. It seemed that the more vested they were in a worldview, the more easily they could always find information to fit it. There was, however, one subgroup of scholars that did markedly better: those who were not intellectually anchored to a narrow area of expertise. They did not hide from contrary and apparently contradictory views, but rather crossed disciplines and political boundaries to seek them out.
Tetlock gave the forecasters nicknames, borrowed from a well-known philosophy essay: the narrow-view hedgehogs, who “know one big thing” (and are terrible forecasters), and the broad-minded foxes, who “know many little things” (and make better predictions). The latter group’s hunt for information was a bit like a real fox’s hunt for prey: they roam freely, listen carefully and consume omnivorously.
Eventually, Tetlock and his collaborator, Barbara Mellers, assembled a team of foxy volunteers, drawn from the general public, to compete in a forecasting tournament. Their volunteers trounced a group of intelligence analysts who had access to classified information. As Tetlock observed of the best forecasters, it is not what they think but how they think. They argue differently; foxes frequently used the word “however” in assessing ideas, while hedgehogs tended toward “moreover.” Foxes also looked far beyond the bounds of the problem at hand for clues from other, similar situations.
Hedgehog experts have more than enough knowledge about the minutiae of an issue in their specialty to cherry-pick details to fit preconceived notions. More skillful forecasters depart from a problem to consider completely unrelated events with structural commonalities – the “outside view.” It is their breadth, not their depth, that scaffolds their skill. — David Epstein is the author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, from which this is adapted.
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
SHAWN CORNELL DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING
COLUMN DAVID EPSTEIN
Equifax fined for data breach
The Canadian Press
Equifax will pay up to US$700 million to settle with U.S. federal and state governments over a 2017 data breach that exposed the private information of nearly 150 million people, including thousands in Canada.
The settlement with the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, as well as 48 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, would provide up to US$425 million in monetary relief to consumers, a US$100 million civil money penalty, and other relief.
The breach was one of the largest ever to threaten private information. The consumer reporting agency, based in Atlanta, did not detect the attack for more than six weeks. The compromised data included Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, driver license numbers, credit card numbers and in some cases, data from passports.
“The consumer fund of up to US$425 million that we are announcing today reinforces our commitment to putting consumers first and safeguarding their data –and reflects the seriousness with which we take this matter,” said Equifax CEO Mark Begor.
Canada’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner concluded in April that the company fell short of their privacy obligations to Canadians, including poor security safeguards and holding information too long, but it did not level fines.
The privacy commissioner, which found that about 19,000 Canadians were affected by the breach, said the company entered into a compliance agreement and had taken steps to improve its security and accountability.
Equifax Inc. detected the attack on July 29, 2017 and contained it the following day.
However, Equifax Canada wasn’t notified of the breach until just before the U.S. parent company publicly disclosed it on Sept. 7, 2017.
The breach occurred after hack-
ers gained access to Equifax Inc.’s systems through a vulnerability the company had known about for more than two months, but had not fixed.
While Equifax Canada offered free credit monitoring to breach victims for at least four years, other protections didn’t match what was offered by the parent company, including credit freezes that restrict access to credit files.
The privacy commissioner also found that the transfer of information about Canadians to the U.S. without their knowledge was inconsistent with its obligations to obtain consent before disclosing personal information to third parties located in another country.
Equifax stock, which plunged 30 per cent in the days following the disclosure of the breach, have returned to levels where they traded before the incident.
Affected U.S. consumers may be
eligible to receive money by filing one or more claims for conditions including money spent purchasing credit monitoring or identity theft protection after the breach and the cost of freezing or unfreezing credit reports at any consumer reporting agency.
All impacted consumers in the U.S. would be eligible to receive at least 10 years of free credit-monitoring, at least seven years of free identity-restoration services, and, starting on Dec. 31 and extending seven years, all U.S. consumers may request up to six free copies of their Equifax credit report during any 12-month period.
If consumers choose not to enrol in the free credit monitoring product available through the settlement, they may seek up to $125 as a reimbursement for the cost of a credit-monitoring product of their choice.
Consumers must submit a claim
in order to receive free credit monitoring or cash reimbursements.
“Companies that profit from personal information have an extra responsibility to protect and secure that data,” said FTC Chairman Joe Simons. “Equifax failed to take basic steps that may have prevented the breach that affected approximately 147 million consumers. This settlement requires that the company take steps to improve its data security going forward, and will ensure that consumers harmed by this breach can receive help protecting themselves from identity theft and fraud.”
The company said earlier this year that it had set aside around US$700 million to cover anticipated settlements and fines.
The settlement must still be approved by the federal district court in the Northern District of Georgia.
SNC-Lavalin slashes profit forecast
The Canadian Press
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. has announced a sharp change in course and slashed its profit forecast for the third time this year as the company’s new CEO veers away from the construction- and oil-focused vision of his predecessor to concentrate on engineering.
The beleaguered firm said Monday it is quitting the competitive field of fixed-price contracts, which leave companies vulnerable to the cost overruns that large construction projects often generate. It will also combine its resources and infrastructure construction divisions into a separate business line “following continued poor performance,” SNC-Lavalin said in a release.
The company added that it is “exploring all options” for its resources segment - including selling off its flagging oil and gas business, which is taking on an additional $1.9 billion in impairment charges, SNC said.
SNC shares fell nearly seven per cent to $23.75 in midday trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Interim chief executive Ian Edwards, who replaced Neil Bruce last month, acknowledged what analysts have noted for months. “Lumpsum, turnkey projects have been the root cause of the company’s performance issues,” Edwards said in a statement.
SNC-Lavalin’s revised financial guidance for its second-quarter was “due in large part” to cost issues on so-called lump-sum, turnkey contracts, where one company takes on responsibility for the entire project, from engineering through procurement and construction, the company said.
“By exiting such contracting and splitting it off from what is otherwise a healthy and robust business, we are tackling the problem at the source,” Edwards said.
The Montreal-based firm now expects to lose between $150 million and $175 million before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in the latest quarter, with results slated for release Aug. 1. Quebec’s Caisse de depot, SNC’s largest investor at nearly 20 per cent, expressed worry over the company’s direction and said it “requires decisive and timely action” by the board. “The deterioration of SNC-Lavalin’s per-
CP PHOTO
SNC Lavalin interim CEO Ian Edwards speaks at the inauguration for the new Samuel de Champlain bridge in Montreal on June 28.
formance, as indicated in the company’s statement issued today, is a cause of growing concern for la Caisse,” it said Monday.
The company slashed its guidance for 2018 twice in three weeks earlier this year, more than halving its profit forecast and halting all bidding on future mining projects amidst a diplomatic feud between Canada and Saudi Arabia – a key source of oil and gas revenue – and delays on its Codelco mining project in Chile, which the state-owned copper company later cancelled at a cost of $350 million to SNC-Lavalin.
Neil Bruce, whose nearly four-year stint at the helm was marked by a 42 per cent plunge in share price and a political controversy tied to an ongoing corruption case, also bolstered the company backlog by more than $15 billion. He steered the company through its purchase
of engineering powerhouse WS Atkins in 2017, and increased its presence in the global oil and gas industry in 2014 with the $2.1-billion acquisition of U.K-based Kentz Corp. Ltd.
The company’s oil and gas segment took in the second-highest revenues of any division in 2018, raking in one-quarter of SNC’s $10.08 billion. But it gleaned just 3.8 per cent earnings before interest and taxes, the lowest percentage of its biggest four divisions. Mining and gas, meanwhile, lost $345.6 million last year.
SNC’s directional shift puts it closer to Quebec-based rival WSP Global Inc., a pureplay engineering design firm where nearly 90 per cent of revenues come from countries in Europe and North America. SNC-Lavalin, on the other hand, derived nearly one-quarter of its 2018 revenue from operations in the Middle East and Africa.
“In advance of what’s likely to be a pretty heavy week of economic and policy news, I think today markets are relatively flat,” said Craig Fehr, a Canadian investment strategist with Edward Jones.
“We get the trifecta, really, of fundamental drivers of the market this week,” he said. Later this week, the U.S. Department of Commerce will release an advance estimate of the gross domestic product for the second quarter and an annual update.
Fehr said it’s likely there will be notably slower growth in the second quarter, and that the figure will have implications for the Federal Reserve’s actions going forward. Additionally, the European Central Bank’s governing council is scheduled to have a monetary policy meeting in Frankfurt, said Fehr, and some companies considered to be bellwethers in the technology and industrial sectors are scheduled to report their earnings. That includes Facebook, Alphabet and Amazon.
“I think that those three overarching sets of data provide a lot of information for investors as to what the support looks like for the equity markets as we advance this year,” said Fehr.
He noted the world will also likely learn who will be the U.K.’s next prime minister this week, with Boris Johnson the expected victor over his competitor, Jeremy Hunt. The markets will then dissect what the new prime minister means for the future of Brexit negotiations, he said.
In currencies, the Canadian dollar traded for 76.32 cents US compared with an average of 76.51 cents US on Friday. The September crude contract gained 46 cents to US$56.22 per barrel and the August natural gas contract rose 6.1 cents to US$2.31
AP PHOTO
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra leaves a news conference after discussing the settlement reached with Equifax over a 2017 data breach, during a news in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday.
Brook turns the tide at Aberdeen Glen
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
Before he teed off on his final hole in the British Open Sunday in Northern Ireland, Shane Lowry was already getting his name engraved on the silver claret.
They could have done the same for Wyatt Brook near the end of his day on the course at Aberdeen Glen. By the 16th hole in Sunday’s third and final round he already had his first Aberdeen Glen Men’s Open title in the bag.
Heading into the final round with a fourshot lead over defending champion Adam Veenstra of Smithers, the 20-year-old from Chilliwack saved his best for last.
He shot seven-under 66, after opening with a 69 on Friday. Combined with his 67 on Saturday on the par 73 course, Brook finished at 17-under with a 202 total – the lowest ever in the 21-year history of the event.
“The first two days I got off to a rough start – the first two holes, are par five, par five and I was one-over after the first two,
but then after that it was really good the rest of the day,” Brook said. “Today was the second-ever bogie-free round for me, I had seven birdies and 11 pars out there. I didn’t have any three-putts this weekend and today was definitely one if the best iron days I’ve ever had.”
Aberdeen Glen is known for its thick-forested fairway roughs and Brook lost just one ball in three rounds. He had a four-stroke lead over Veenstra as they began the back nine and increased the gap to five strokes by the time they arrived at the 16th tee.
“Adam made a triple there (on No. 16) and I finished eight ahead of him, so after 16 I just had to finish strong,” said Brook, who had played the course just once before, two years ago. Veenstra, Brook’s former minor hockey teammate when they were growing up in Smithers, finished second. He blistered the course with a 65 on Friday, one off the course record, carding 65-69-76--210 to finish eight strokes behind Brook.
Brook finished 18th two weeks ago in the B.C. men’s amateur championship in Abbotsford. He’s heading into his third year as a business major and University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford. He moved from Smithers to Kamloops when he was 12 and was based there until 2017, when he relocated to Nanaimo.
Being able to play golf year-round the past two years has given his game a huge boost. He finished 10th as an individual in the Canadian University championship at the end of May and helped his team finish fourth. He also mustered a 25th-place finish at the Glencoe Club Men’s Open in Calgary.
For winning, Brook gets a trip to Las Vegas. He plans to use that after he turns 21 next year, when he’s old enough to take in all the shows.
Veenstra, 21, won his first Aberdeen Glen Men’s Open in 2014 as a 15-year-old and successfully defended the title the following year. He flirted with the nine-under course record last year as well.
“Last year I was eight-under coming into
17, same as this year, and I doubled 18 to shoot six-under and on Friday it was the same scenario,” said Veenstra. “I wanted to get to (nine-under) to get the course record and missed about a four-foot putt to get that.
“The first round I played really good, couldn’t miss it and thought I’d carry it to Round 2 and I struggled the first 15 holes but finished birdie, birdie, par to kind of scrape it around. I had five straight rounds in the 60s coming up to today and just kind of fell apart. It wasn’t really nerves, it’s just golf. You can’t always be perfect.” Last weekend at a qualifier for the U.S. men’s amateur in Tacoma, Wash., he shot 68-67 and finished fifth, needing a top-two finish to qualify. Veenstra attends Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., an NCAA Division 1 school, on a golf scholarship. Blair Scott of the Prince George Golf and Curling Club was third (71-74-75--220), tied with Joel Veenstra of Smithers, Adam’s 19-year-old brother (70-68-82--220).
Cougars sign prospects, hire therapist
Citizen staff
European import forward Filip Koffer and midget prospect Kyren Gronick have signed on the dotted line with the Prince George Cougars.
Koffer, an 18-year-old from Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, was the Cougars’ 10th overall pick a month ago in the CHL import draft. In 38 games last season for HC Dynamo Pardubice in the Czech under-19 league he collected 10 goals and 38 points and ended up fifth in team scoring. He also drew one assist in 12 games playing with adults on Czech Extraliga.
Koffer led the Czech under-18 team in scoring at the world championship in April with four goals and two assists in five games. He also played in the 2018 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and helped the Czechs win bronze at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
The Cougars selected fivefoot-10, 150-pound Gronick in the second-round, 26th overall, in the WHL bantam draft in May.
He’s a Regina native who played last season for Regina Aces in the Saskatchewan double-A bantam league.
As team captain, Gronick led his team in scoring with 27 goals and
53 points in 24 games.
“We’re thrilled to have both Kyren and Filip committed to the Cougars – it’s another significant step forward for our organization,” said Cougars’ head coach and general manager Mark Lamb.
“We expect Filip to have an immediate impact on our roster this season, and Kyren is another key piece to our young core of prospects who will be critically important to our future.”
In other Cougar news, the team has hired Mike Matthies as athletic therapist.
Matthies, who grew up in Prince George, practiced his profession as a student the past two seasons in
the WHL with the Victoria Royals, while earning an exercise and athletic therapy degree at Camosun College.
He also served four years as an equipment manager in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence and was with the women’s national team that won the 2019 world under-18 championship in Japan. He also worked with the B.C. women’s team at the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
“I’m very lucky to come into such a great organization and work for a team I grew up watching and cheering for,” said Matthies. “My experiences with the Royals and Hockey Canada’s Pro-
gram of Excellence has helped me prepare for this new challenge.” Cougars equipment manager Ramandeep “Chico” Dhanjal was selected for Team Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Medicine Hat, Alta., and Swift Current, Sask., Nov. 2-9. Dhanjal joined the Cougars in 2008 and has worked as the team’s trainer/equipment manager for 11 seasons. He’s now in Calgary working at the U-17 development camp, where Cougar prospects Tyler Brennan, Craig Armstrong and Hudson Thornton are auditioning for roster spots on the three Canadian teams for the tournament.
Brook
Aberdeen Glen Men’s Open.
Rota relishing return to home turf
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
Not sure what Lyn Hall is up to this morning but the unofficial ‘Mayor of P.G.’ plans on teeing off in the 12th Commonwealth Cup golf tournament at Aberdeen Glen.
Darcy Rota is known by that nickname among his buddies with the Vancouver Canucks alumni and a group of them will be among the 150 golfers taking part in the event to raise money for the United Way of Northern B.C.
“For me it’s a chance to come back to Prince George, which I’ve always considered my home,” said Rota. “When people ask where I was raised I always say Prince George. It’s always been very important to me and my family.”
Rota, 66, was born in Vancouver in 1953 but moved to Prince George when he was 11 and spent his formative years in the city until he left to play junior hockey in the Western Canada Junior Hockey League for the Edmonton Oil Kings, after a year of junior B with the Prince George Texaco Chiefs. He went right from junior to the Chicago Black Hawks, who drafted him 13th overall in 1973 and played 13 NHL seasons – six with the ‘Hawks, two with the Atlanta Flames and the last five with the Canucks.
Rota’s father Ralph Rota was a partner with Stan Wettlaufer in a car dealership in the city, and Darcy and his brother Brad still own commercial properties in P.G. with Wettlaufer’s son Bill. Ralph and his wife Joyce lived in Prince George until they moved to White Rock in 1984. Both have since passed away.
Darcy discovered his love for golf when he was 12, along with his brother Brad at Prince George
Golf and Curling Club, where their parents used to go often. He played golf throughout his hockey career and now as a member of Vancouver Golf Club his handicap rarely strays beyond two or three.
Rota had knee replacement surgery a year ago which kept him off the course for a few weeks but he’s back to his old sharp-shooting self again heading into today’s tournament, which was revived last year after a six-year hiatus.
“I’ve been up a couple times for it and our alumni always gets treated first class,” said Rota. “It’s completely sold out and there’s a lot of excitement about the event. Giving back is always important and it’s going to be a great couple days while our group’s there.
“This is special year to come back to Prince George. Fifty years ago the triple-A team I was on, the midget Kings, won the B.C. midget championship. That was the year the Coliseum was condemned (because the roof was deemed unsafe) and we were hosting, so we had to play the midget championship in Vanderhoof and we beat Trail for the championship.”
The Canuck Alumni Association is starting a new scholarship for the Cariboo region under Rota’s name – a $1,000 annual award handed out by Hockey BC to a deserving high school student, male or female, who also plays hockey. Similar scholarship programs will be established in four other regions of the province which
commemorate former Canucks, including Northwest (Dan Hamhuis), Vancouver Island (Willie Mitchell), Kootenays (Caesar Maniago) and the Okanagan (Doug Lidster).
Former Canuck defenceman Dennis Kearns is also entered in today’s tournament. Kearns loves golf but considers himself a recreational player, nowhere near as skilled on the course as Rota.
“I really like the game but I’m not good enough to ever get mad,” Kearns said. “I have fun. I know I’ll have the odd par and some disasters but it doesn’t upset me.
“Darcy’s a player, he’s very steady. He hits it out of the middle of the clubface. He’s a real nice player, unlike myself or Garry Mo-
nahan. The rest of us are plumbers compared to Darcy.”
Rota, Kearns and Monahan, along with Dennis Ververgaert, Ed Hatoum and Garry Monahan, are the former Canucks involved in the best-ball tournament, which begins at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start. Former BCTV sportscaster Bernie Pascall will emcee the tournament festivities.
Goalie Richard Brodeur, who backstopped the Canucks’ first run to the Stanley Cup final in 1982, was initially on the list of Commonwealth Cup golfers but was a late scratch. After he retired from hockey in 1989, Brodeur turned his full-time attentions to oil painting, focusing on outdoor hockey rink scenes. He sent an original painting with a hockey theme to Prince George, which will be auctioned today.
Kearns, a five-foot-eight, 182-pound native of Kingston, Ont., played 10 seasons with the Canucks, joining them in their second season in the NHL in 197172, but missed out on the Canucks’ big playoff run in ’82 when he lost his job on the blueline heading into that season. When asked what ended his career, Kearns responded:
“Harry Neale.
“He and I didn’t get along and the coach is the boss. I thought I could have played another few years but he didn’t, so that was it.
“That’s happened to a lot better players than me. In fairness to Harry Neale, the NHL at that time was looking for players who were big and strong and could fight and were physical to compete with the Philadelphia Flyers and I just wasn’t that type of player. My style probably would have fit better in today’s hockey than the ’70’s and ’80s. I tell people I wore glasses only for reading and fighting.”
Long time coming for WESCAR’s Mayert
Citizen staff
Sheldon Mayert could not recall the last time he was given the green light to put on a post-race smoke show at PGARA Speedway.
Once he knew for sure he had his first WESCAR victory of the season in Round 2 of the Cariboo Gold Rush as winner of the 100-lap main event, he didn’t hold back his enthusiasm, burning donuts on the wellworn asphalt of the three-eighths mile oval track as he made his way back to the pits. That home-track celebration was a long time coming for the 50-year-old, who had been waiting to let loose like that since he last won at PGARA, on May 24, 2008, the year he captured the WESCAR points championship.
“I’m just thrilled we had an awesome run, man it’s been years since we’ve (won) here, I can’t even remember the last time we had a podium here,” said Mayert. “We hung with the leaders and we were chasing behind (Grant Powers and Trevor Adelman) and just thought we could go faster and it worked.” After going two-wide for several laps in the outside lane with fellow Prince George driver Powers, Mayert grabbed the lead 61 laps into the eight-car race. He had just 12 laps left and a quarter-lap lead over the rest of the field when Darrell Horwath and Chris Babcock got into a spin with each other coming into Turn 4. That brought out the second caution flag of the race and with that Mayert’s healthy lead was cut to the minimum.
On the restart with just eight laps to go, Trevor Adelman, the Quesnel driver who won Gold Rush No. 1 Saturday night in Quesnel, was a fixture looming large in Mayert’s rearview mirror.
As the two leaders made their way into the homestretch for the final lap, Adelman ducked low and got the inside lane on May-
ert and as the two cars rounded Turn 1 they rubbed quarter-panels and Mayert took the worst of it, spinning out in a cloud of white smoke.
But the track officials decided Adelman caused the spin. Instead of seeing the checkered flag come out as he crossed the finish line, flagman Jamie Crawford pointed the black flag at Adelman which meant automatic banishment to the back of the pack and an eighth-place finish.
“We’d used up our car going around the guys outside, which absolutely surprised even me, I didn’t think we could have done that, but it was awesome and we went around (for the lead), “ said Mayert. “Then the caution came out and we just couldn’t get going again. I think it was Trevor that
got in the back of us in the last corner but I’m pretty sure if there had been more laps we wouldn’t have been able to hold him back. He just got under us coming out of (Turn 4) and he was going for it and I don’t know what happened, but around we went.”
Powers finished second and Babcock, the series leader from Fort. St. John was third. Powers, who got tagged in practice in Quesnel and was left with a seized wheel bearing and broken spindle which left him unable to start Saturday’s feature race, led Sunday’s 100-lapper from the start, until Mayert caught him.
“I thought we had a win there but we’ll take second, it’s our first year in WESCAR and I can’t thank my crew enough, this is
awesome,” said the 55-year-old Powers. “The whole race I was not coming off the bottom. I gave the guys plenty of room. If they wanted to go by me they had the whole outside.”
The track temperature was in the high20s C at race time and it got a lot hotter than that inside the cars. Powers was feeling it at the end.
“I was just cooking in there,” Powers said. “I started at 300 pounds and I’m probably down to 240.”
Adelman, who edged Kendall Thomas of Williams Lake for the feature win on Saturday, set the pace in qualifying at PGARA with a fast lap of 16.587 seconds. Adelman had to work his way from the back of the pack when he and Donny Kunka spun each other to produce the first caution in Lap 45.
Knowing his apparent win had slipped through his fingers, Adelman showed his disgust for the officials’ decision by kicking up a cloud of dust as ducked into the gravelcovered pit area. He obviously saw that final lap differently.
“As far as I’m concerned we won the race,” said Adelman. “We come off of (the fourth turn) for the last lap and I was underneath him going into one and he got himself loose and I ended up with the bad break of the deal.
“We took fast time in Quesnel and won the main event and we had fast time here today and we should have won. Sometimes breaks don’t go your way.”
In the Prince George Auto Racing Association series, Lyall McComber won the 20-lap Canadian Tire street stock main event to stay ahead in the points race. Other main event winners were: Nathan Linfitt, Chieftain Auto Parts mini stocks; Jeremy Floer, Canadian Brewhouse pro minis; Phil Hustad, Northern Outlaws; and Zain Johnson, Ron’s Towing hornets.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Sheldon Mayert poses with his new trophy Sunday at PGARA Speedway after winning the 100-lap WESCAR main event.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
Vancouver Canucks alumni, Commonwealth Cup organizers and sponsors, along with Mayor Lyn Hall raised a flag Monday to celebrate the event that goes today at Aberdeen Glen.
WONG, Violet December 27, 1923July 8, 2019
Violet, beloved mother of Edmond, passed away in North Vancouver on July 8, 2019. During her 95+ years she resided in various towns throughout B.C. and established a vast network of friends along the way. Her infectious personality, empathic warmth, depth of talent and creativity along with her pursuit of joy and connection remained the common thread throughout her lifetime. Unfortunately, Violet’s health issues the past couple years proved particularly challenging to the point where she finally decided, “it’s time”. Forever loved and missed by so many.
To honour Violet’s wishes, no funeral will be held. A contribution to Lions Gate Hospital, the B.C. Heart & Stroke Foundation or any other charity of your choice in Violet’s name would be appreciated. A Celebration of Life will take place from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm on August 24, 2019 in Cardinal Hall at the Lynn Valley Community Recreation Centre, 3590 Mountain Highway, North Vancouver, B.C.
For a more comprehensive coverage of Violet’s life and to view more photos of this remarkable woman you can access her obituary at www.korucremation.com/obituaries. You can email condolences and share memories of Violet at this website.
It is with deep sadness we announce the sudden passing of our beloved son, brother, and friend, Jerome Justin Pellerin, on July 14th 2019, at the age of 36 years old. Jerome is survived by his mother Lillian and step-father Ken Dueck; father Germaine Pellerin; sister Genevieve Pellerin Larrivée (John Larrivée); brother Brandon Pellerin; sister Sylvia Pellerin-Lima (Stephen Lima), and sister Leanne Bernard. Jerome was a current employee of Canfor and previous employers include The Keg, The Rockford, and Norweld.
In Jerome’s honour we are holding a Celebration of Life on Friday, July 26 at 6:00pm, and welcome all of those whose lives he touched. Please contact genevievepellerin@gmail.com for details. For those who wish, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Jerome’s name to the Prince George branches of the Canadian Mental Health Association or Humane Society.
TIDSBURY,LORI
December9,2018
Pleasejoinusinremembranceofoursparkling
HEDSTROM,DaraN.
April24,1978-July15,2019
Darawasadaughter,sister,mother,niece,aunt, cousin,grandmother,andfaithfulfriend.Shewillbe missedbyallwhoknewherlovingnature.Darais survivedbyherlifepartner,Rocky(Lynch);parents, RandyandMary;brother,Jeremy(Andrea);niece, Ashley;children,Savanna,Charlie,Kyla(Darrell), Kristi(Mike),andChey-Anne(Steve);12 grandchildren;numerousaunts;uncles;andcousins. Dara’slifewasshortbutfilledwithmuchloveand adventure.Music,camping,andhelpingpeoplewere herpassions.HerlifewillbecelebratedatNukko LakeHallinPrinceGeorgeonThursday,July25th, 2019at2:00pm. TherewillbeagatheringinFortNelsonforher friendsandfamilyinthecommunity,timeandplace tobeannounced.
STEADY F/T P/T HELP TO VACUUM WIPE & WASH CARS. APPLY
