Getting into the beat
Jen
visitors at the tourism office on First Avenue on Thursday morning. Pighin had over 14 drums on display, as part of an ‘Artnership’ between Tourism
Help prevent wildfires on the B.C. Day long weekend
Citizen staff
With increasing temperatures and drier conditions in many parts of the province, British Columbians are urged to do everything they can to prevent wildfires on the B.C. Day long weekend and in the weeks ahead.
While wildfire activity so far this year has been relatively normal, the month of August is typically the most active part of B.C.’s wildfire season.
Human-caused fires are completely preventable and unnecessarily divert crucial firefighting resources from naturally occurring wildfires.
From April 1 until noon on July 31, the BC Wildfire Service responded to 579 wildfires throughout B.C., 58 per cent of which were human-caused.
“BC Wildfire Service crews have been doing a great job attacking this year’s fires quickly and decisively, but it’s important that we don’t get complacent about wildfire risks,” said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
“I encourage everyone to enjoy the outdoors responsibly this weekend and ensure that their activities don’t trigger new fires.”
Campfires are currently allowed in all areas of the province that fall under the BC Wildfire Service’s jurisdiction.
Nonetheless, people are urged to practise responsible fire use by assessing their environment and keeping an ample supply of water nearby to fully extinguish any recreational fire they light.
Information about current open burning prohibitions is available on the BC Wildfire Service website at: www.gov.bc.ca/wildfirebans.
Local governments and other jurisdictional authorities (e.g. BC Parks) may also have their own burning restrictions or bylaws in place. It is important that people check with these local authorities before lighting any fire.
Campfire safety and fire precautions:
• Campfires must not be larger than 0.5 metres high or 0.5 metres wide.
Affordable housing project slated for First Avenue
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
• Maintain a fireguard around the campfire. This is a fuel-free area where all flammable materials (grass, leaves, kindling, etc.) have been removed right down to the soil.
• Never leave a campfire unattended.
• Have a shovel or at least eight litres of water available to properly extinguish your campfire.
• Make sure the ashes are cool to the touch before retiring for the night or leaving the area for any length of time.
Other precautions:
• Anyone riding an all-terrain vehicle or dirt bike on Crown land must have a spark arrestor installed on the vehicle. Check the condition of the muffler, regularly clear buildups of grass or other vegetation from hot spots, stay on dirt paths and avoid tall grass and weeds to help reduce wildfire risks.
• Smokers must dispose of cigarette butts and other smoking materials responsibly, ensuring those materials are completely extinguished.
The government’s conservation officers conduct regular patrols throughout British Columbia, while natural resource officers from the Compliance and Enforcement Branch work closely with BC Wildfire Service staff to investigate the cause of wildfires and any improper fire use when an open burning prohibition is in effect.
Anyone found in contravention of an open-burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, may be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, may be fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1-800-6635555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone. For up-to-date information on wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, call 1-888-3-FOREST or visit: www.bcwildfire.ca.
• Never light a campfire or keep it burning in windy conditions. Weather can change quickly and wind may carry embers to other combustible material.
A pair of affordable housing projects are in the works for the current home of a recreational vehicle dealership in the city, the provincial government said Thursday. Subject to rezoning, an environmental and geotechnical review, and project approval, the city will be purchasing the NR Motors site at 805 First Ave.
From there, BC Housing is to lead the construction over two phases of a building containing 50 units of supportive housing and one holding 50 units of rental homes for low-income people.
Rents for the units will work out to 30 per cent of the tenant’s gross household income.
Each building would include groundfloor healthcare space that would deliver services for both residents and the public.
“Experienced non-profit housing providers” would oversee the day-to-day management of both buildings and Northern Health, in partnership with other health service agencies, would oversee the spaces and provide primary care, harm reduction, mental health and substance-use services.
The proposal addresses recommendations in Northern Health’s 2017 downtown health-services plan and would be the first in Prince George to provide such a range of housing and services under one roof.
“This project is a great example of how we’re working with partners to make life better for people in Prince George,” Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said in a news release.
“People should be able to find affordable housing that works for them, close to the healthcare services they count on, and that’s what this project will deliver.”
According to NR Motors, the company has outgrown its current site and is planning to move to a different location.
How much the city will pay for the First Avenue property was not provided.
“The city will release the purchase price once all of the purchase conditions have been satisfied,” city spokesperson Mike Kellett said.
“When people have stable housing and access to supports when and where they need them, it benefits the entire community,” Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said in the release.
Lawsuit over flooding of Tabor Lake property dismissed
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
A B.C. Supreme Court Justice has dismissed a Tabor Lake couple’s claim that the provincial government is responsible for the damage their home has suffered from flooding.
Mervin and Elizabeth Sadowick had been seeking $75,000 to $100,000 in compensation.
At issue was whether, on balance, diversion of a nearby creek caused the trouble and in a decision issued this week, Justice Ron Tindale found otherwise.
According to testimony during a trial held in January, the Tabor Lake Cleanup
Society filled in a side channel of Skaret Creek in 1993 so that it flowed into a “north-flowing channel” before entering Tabor Lake. However, the work was unauthorized because the society failed to provide engineering plans prior to carrying out the project and late in the same year, a half-metre tall berm was put across the entrance to the diversion. But because the diversion was as much as four times higher than the berm, it proved ineffective and, by 1997, Skaret Creek began once more to flow through the north-flowing channel, and continues to do so.
— see ‘PEOPLE OFTEN, page 3
CITIZEN
Artist
Pghin drums with
Prince George and the Community Arts Council.
Pole position
Seven-year-old
Teacher suspended for showing ‘inappropriate’ films
Jeremy HAINSWORTH Glacier Media
A B.C. teacher was suspended for two days for showing students films about puppets drawing skulls, caressing kettles and dead stick figure children, a July 16 B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation document says.
James Douglas Thwaites was working as a teacher on call in the Nechako Lakes School District in January 2018 when he showed a Grade 7/8 class some “inappropriate short films.”
“One called Salad Fingers featured an animated character who says ‘the feeling of rust against my salad fingers is almost orgasmic’ followed by “I must caress your rusty kettle.”
The second film was called Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared which shows puppets drawing skulls, then trying to glue glitter on an anatomical heart, cutting a pie made of bloody meat and writing out the word death,” Commissioner Howard Kushner wrote.
“The third video was called the
ASDFmovie which depicts stick characters including one female stabbing each other in a fit of jealousy, and then a number of dead stick children.”
“Students reported finding these films weird, creepy and inappropriate,” Kushner wrote.
The decision said Thwaites discussed his divorce and the fact he was dating a woman from overseas as well as asking one student how his girlfriends were, saying, “Oh, you’re such a player.”
Thwaites resigned March 16, 2018, and two months later completed the Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries course through the Justice Institute of B.C. Kushner’s decision said Thwaites acknowledged he demonstrated poor judgment with students.
The suspension was made retroactive, as Thwaites is currently teaching in a remote community where students would be adversely affected by a current suspension.
Thwaites signed the document in Yekooche, 200 kilometres northwest of Prince George.
Sinclar sawmills shutting down for two weeks
Citizen staff
Sinclar Group Forest Products Ltd. is about to curtail output at four sawmills.
Lakeland Mills in Prince George, Nechako Lumber in Vanderhoof, and Apollo Forest Products in Fort St. James will be shut down for two weeks, effective Aug. 19., the company said.
“As a long-standing, family-run company, rooted and operating in North-Central B.C., the decision we’ve had to make today was not an easy one,” said Sinclar Group president Greg Stewart. “We’ve deferred the decision as long as possible, due to our commitment to our employees and communities.”
High log costs and challenging global market conditions were cited as reasons for the decision.
Across the three operations, production will be reduced by 25 million board feet.
The Premium Pellet operation will continue to run, as will the Prince George District Energy System.
Winton Homes and Cottages in Prince George was also unaffected.
“We are committed to the long-term sustainability of the company, and to continuing support for our employees and the communities we live and work in,” said Stewart.
“I am confident that we will emerge from this difficult period even stronger and more resilient.”
Sinclar Group Forest Products operates three primary mills (sawmills and planer mills) and two value-added mills in the Central Interior.
New plant manager named at PWB
Citizen staff
Pacific Western Brewing has a new plant manager.
Cindy Hartford will take over from Tom Leboe effective Sept. 1, the company said in a statement issued Thursday. Hartford started in PWB’s quality assurance department in 1996 and has been credited with developing new “ready to drink” products, namely vodka sodas and ciders. She also oversaw installation of a new Krones filler and pasturizer in 2018, which was completed on time and on budget.
“We are excited that Cindy will bring her expertise and keen attention to detail to her new role,” PWB CEO Taizan Komatsu said.
She will take over from Leboe,
who will retire after 50 years at PWB. Komatsu said his departure comes with “much emotion.”
“Tom’s dedication to PWB has made a difference that is hard to adequately measure. He will be missed,” Komatsu added.
Leboe started working at the brewery on Dec. 22, 1969, as part of the labour pool. Six owners later, on March 1, 1991, he became the plant manager, a position he held until his first “retirement” in August of 2012.
He continued as a special advisor to senior plant management until January 2018 when he was asked to return full time and resume his role as plant manager.
“We are grateful that Tom will be an integral part of the training process as Cindy transitions into her new position,” Komatsu said.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Francis MacMillan and her horse Pongo compete in the pole bending event at the Pineview Riding Arena on Sunday morning during the Timberline Gymkhana that was hosted by the Timberline Riders Gymkhana Club.
Soapbox racer
Manhunt shows lack of resources for missing women: advocates
Kelly Geraldine MALONE
The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG — Helicopters and a specialized military aircraft scoured from the air while armed police took to the ground over northern Manitoba in a hunt for two suspects of murders in British Columbia.
Some advocates say it’s a stark contrast to resources applied to searches for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
“It is a little bit eyebrow raising because of the different response,” says Sheila North, a former grand chief and advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women.
“The effort that they are going through to try and find them could trigger a lot of things for people who do their own searches.”
The massive manhunt has gripped the country since Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, and Kam McLeod, 19, were named last week as suspects in three killings. Vancouver researcher Leonard Dyck and Australian Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend
Chynna Deese were found dead last month in northern B.C.
In an email Thursday, RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Marie Damian said solving the cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is a priority for RCMP and officers investigate them on a daily basis.
The search in northern Manitoba involves a “potential imminent danger to Canadians at large,” she said. “To compare the resources being devoted to an isolated emergency, and those devoted to an ongoing issue, would be inappropriate.”
The RCMP said it’s too early to estimate the cost of the ongoing search. North said it’s important the suspects are caught because they could pose a serious risk to the public.
But she wonders where the same sense of urgency is when an Indigenous woman or girl can’t be found.
North recalls the case of Jennifer Catcheway in 2008. She was last seen in Portage la Prairie, Man. on the night of her 18th
‘People often have a poor understanding of building on alluvial fans’
— from page 1
The Sadowicks purchased the property from his parents in 2005 and that year and in 2006 and in 2007, the property and the home experienced flooding.
About two feet of water accumulated in the home’s basement in one instance and a trailer home was jacked up due to pooling. The house’s foundation is rotten and the basement has mould, the court heard.
In 2009, the Fraser-Fort George Regional District constructed three berms on the property in response to the Sadowicks’ concerns.
From 2008 to 2011, flooding occurred in the spring and autumn each year, according to testimony. Flooding continues to occur but the volume had been less and the Sadowicks have put numerous loads of gravel on the property and has installed a culvert to di-
vert water flow.
Tindale relied in particular on evidence from a hydrologist who testified on behalf of the government. He concluded the return of Skaret Creek to the north flowing channel was a result of natural action and noted the house was built on an alluvial fan or “triangularshaped deposit of water-transported material.”
“Eventually, alluvial fans cause trouble for homeowners, as people often have a poor understanding of building on alluvial fans,” Tindale said in summarizing the hydrologist’s testimony.
There was also evidence a beaver dam raised the level of Tabor Lake and produced flooding on the property, he noted.
The Sadowicks did not call any expert witnesses.
The full decision is posted with this story at www.pgcitizen.ca
Drive safe this long weekend
Citizen staff
Stick to the speed limit.
That’s the message from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia and police across the province as B.C.’s highways become busier than usual this long weekend.
On average, four people are killed and 630 people injured in 2,300 crashes across the province over the B.C. Day long weekend, according to ICBC numbers for 2014 to 2018. In the North Central region, 24 people were injured in 130 crashes region in 2018.
That’s why ICBC and police are urging drivers to slow down. When you slow down, you see more of the road and have more time to react. If you’re caught speeding, you
end up paying in a number of ways – from increased insurance premiums to fines and impoundment. Here are some further tips for a safe road trip:
• Plan your route and check road conditions at drivebc.ca before you leave.
• Don’t speed up as someone is trying to pass you.
• Be realistic about travel times. Long weekend travel can take longer due to congestion.
• Stay focused and avoid distractions that take your mind off driving and your eyes off the road.
• Distracted driving is one of the most common causes of crashes so remember to leave your phone alone.
• Keep a lookout for motorcycles – make a game of it.
birthday. When Wilfred and Bernice Catcheway notified police their daughter was missing, they were told she was probably out partying, North said.
For more than a decade, the Catcheways have conducted their own search of rivers, lakes, forests and nearby First Nations.
North says she’s also reminded of 51-yearold grandmother, Mildred Flett, who was last seen in Winnipeg in 2010. Her ex-husband has said it was difficult to get police to pay attention to her case.
Flett was from the Testaskweyak Cree Nation in Split Lake, Man., where missing person posters of her remain. Schmegelsky and McLeod were spotted in the same community before a vehicle they were travelling in was found in nearby Gillam, leading police to focus their search in that area.
North said there are more than 1,200 relatives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls watching as Mounties do everything they can to find the two murder suspects. They may also be wondering why they
couldn’t have received more help, she added.
“Families that do their own searches are feeling a little bit let down and not respected in the same way as these other families are,” she said.
Darlene Okemaysim-Sicotte has seen many families struggle to organize searches as the co-chair of Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik (Women Walking Together), a grassroots group that supports families of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Saskatchewan. Her cousin, Shelley Napope, 16, was murdered by serial killer John Martin Crawford in 1992.
Okemaysim-Sicotte says she supports efforts to find Schmegelsky and McLeod and that no life is worth more than another. But the manhunt for them has made it clear that there is the means, money and public support to conduct a large-scale search when needed, she says. Okemaysim-Sicotte hopes people will remember that the next time an Indigenous woman or girl is missing.
“The world is watching it, she says.
Cara Callahan, 11, tests out her soapbox derby car at College Heights Secondary School on Thursday. Callahan and her family built the racer for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Soapbox Car Derby on Saturday at the end of Victoria Street at Diefenbaker Park. Activities start at 11 a.m. and racing starts at 12 p.m. The event is free to watch.
Toilet etiquette signs aimed at international tourists
Colette DERWORIZ The Canadian Press
YOHO NATIONAL PARK — Some new signs are popping up in the Canadian Rockies to show international visitors how to properly use outhouses.
Staff at Lake O’Hara in British Columbia’s Yoho National Park installed toilet etiquette signs, which ask users to sit rather than stand on toilet seats, in bathroom facilities in June.
“We’ve noticed that some visitors who aren’t used to Western-style toilets – they may attempt to stand up on the seats when using the toilet,” said Jed Cochrane, an acting visitor experience manager in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay national parks.
“Because the toilet is not designed for that, it ultimately creates problems with cleanliness.”
Standing on a toilet, he said, can also lead to a broken seat or a broken seal at the bottom of the toilet because weight is higher up than it should be.
“And there’s always the risk of falling, which no one wants to do,” added Cochrane.
Some public toilets in Asian countries and the Middle East are pit latrines, which require users to squat over an open hole.
Signs that show people how to use seat toilets can also be found in other tourist locations, including the Swiss Alps and parts of the United Kingdom.
Cochrane said Canada’s mountain parks have started seeing an increase in international visitors over the past decade.
“We are seeing more and more people coming from countries all over the world,” he said. “In some places, we are just seeing more visitors that aren’t used to this style of toilet.”
Jia Wang, deputy director of the China Institute at the University of Alberta, said there are cultural differences in how toilets are used.
“It’s more of an Asia thing, but not just Asia,” she said. “A lot of other countries have this as well.”
Wang said seat toilets are becoming more common in homes in Asia, but squat toilets are still commonly used in public spaces.
“For a lot of people, their argument is: ‘I don’t find it sanitary to be sitting on the seat,”’ she said.
Still, Wang said there’s no excuse for standing on a toilet seat.
“By offering alternatives or seat covers, some tourists would be more comfortable using it,” she said.
“It’s not like most people don’t know what
to do with those toilets. It’s just that they are used to the other kind of toilets when they were growing up and, more likely, it’s because of the sanitary reasons.”
Wang noted that many airports and airplanes provide seat covers in consideration of international tourists.
Officials with Parks Canada said they are considering toilet etiquette signs in other busy locations, including Lake Louise in Alberta’s Banff National Park, and have started adding more signs with pictures
rather than words to better help tourists who can’t speak English or French. The signs, said Wang, are fine as long as they are coming from a good place.
“We don’t want to be seen as discriminating,” she said. “It’s more like for your information. “We don’t want to accidentally offend people just because of what we assume. We want to welcome tourists from all over the world – it doesn’t matter where. It’s good for our economy and it’s good for a lot of things here.”
Question facing court is whether accused shot B.C. cop, Crown says
Amy SMART The Canadian Press NEW WESTMINSTER — The police chief of Abbotsford said hearing details of Const. John Davidson’s final moments has been difficult but it brings some relief to know the trial of a man accused in his fatal shooting is nearing its end.
Oscar Arfmann has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the B.C. Supreme Court trial by judge alone.
Crown counsel presented a video Thursday with the sound of two gunshots ringing out as part of closing arguments.
“For me it was certainly very difficult to see that video and understand John’s last moments, but I also saw how heroic John was to go in there when he knew someone had just shot a gun and the public was in danger,” Chief Mike Serr said outside the court.
Davidson, 53, had been with the Abbotsford Police Department for 11 years when he died on Nov. 6, 2017.
Crown prosecutor Wendy Stephen told Justice Carol Ross that she must only agree that Arfmann was the man who shot and killed the officer in order to find him guilty. Davidson was responding to a report of a stolen vehicle when he was shot twice from
behind at close range by someone using a high-powered rifle. The first bullet struck the middle of his back and the second, the base of his skull, Stephen said.
It’s clear that Davidson was killed in the line of duty, a criteria for first-degree murder, and that the killing was intentional, she told the court.
“The only issue really in this case is the identification of Mr. Arfmann as Const. Davidson’s killer,” Stephen said.
Witness accounts, photos and video footage identify Arfmann as the man who killed Davidson, Stephen said.
As Stephen presented her final arguments Arfmann leaned back in his chair with crossed arms, folded a tissue and occasionally touched his face and shoulder-length grey hair.
He had been scheduled to testify in his own defence last week but his lawyer Martin Peters said Arfmann changed his mind and no defence was called.
Stephen pieced together a timeline Thursday of the events leading up to Davidson’s death.
The Crown alleges Arfmann took a Ford Mustang from a car dealership without paying for it two days before the shooting.
When employees of the dealership spot-
ted the car in a strip mall parking lot, two dealership managers parked a pickup to block it from leaving and reported it to police, Stephen said.
A man identified as Arfmann by the managers returned to the vehicle before police arrived and the managers confronted him. They told the man police were on the way, and one of the managers has testified he heard him respond, “I’ll show you what I have in store for police,” Stephen said.
The suspect then reached into the passenger side of the Mustang, pulled out a rifle, and shot toward them, Stephen told the court.
He drove away from the scene and the court watched dashcam video from a witness who followed him, and heard the witness tell the 911 dispatcher that the suspect was circling back toward the same parking lot. The Mustang arrived in the parking lot around the same time as Davidson, who was driving an unmarked pickup truck, Stephen said.
Footage shown in court and witness accounts describe the pickup pulling up to the Mustang, the driver’s side door of the truck opening, two shots ringing out and the Mustang driving away, Stephen said.
One witness testified that he heard the
first shot, then watched a man matching Arfmann’s description holding a long-barrel gun, pointing it toward Davidson on the ground and shooting again, Stephen said.
“A number of people made heroic efforts to help Const. Davidson, but to no avail,” Stephen said.
Only eight or nine minutes passed between Arfmann’s alleged confrontation with the dealership managers and his arrest, after officers rammed his car with their vehicle, Stephen said.
Stephen presented footage from a gas station and dashcams earlier in the day that showed a man with shoulder-length grey hair, wearing a black leather jacket, black cap and belt with a large buckle that she said is Arfmann.
The Crown brought out the clothing that Arfmann was wearing when he was arrested, including a black leather jacket and belt with large buckle.
Stephen said witnesses describe the man who shot Davidson as wearing the same clothing and to suggest it was someone else, “would be to speculate to the point of absurdity.”
Members of the police department have attended the trial alongside members of Davidson’s family.
Toads close road
The Canadian Press WHISTLER — Some very small creatures are forcing some big changes in a popular section of the Resort Municipality of Whistler as an annual migration begins to peak.
The municipality has closed the Lost Lake access road, a parking lot and the events lawn, and says other closures are possible as thousands of western toadlets make their trek from the lake into the surrounding forest. The dime-sized amphibians are native to British Columbia and listed as a species of special concern.
They breed in the lake where tadpoles mature, then spend most of their time in the forest, meaning as many as 40,000 of the tiny toads have to hop across beaches, trails, lawns and roads during the August migration.
The municipality says busy Lost Lake beach and the beach lawn are still open but could be closed
if high numbers of toads start hopping in that direction.
Other areas around the lake are still open but visitors are advised to look for “active migration zone” signs and watch where they ride or step because the toadlets are tough to see and can be easily crushed underfoot.
The creatures have been included in Whistler’s monitoring program since 2005 as the municipality focuses on species that offer insight into the health of area ecosystems.
The municipality says western toads are an important part of the Lost Lake environment because the tadpoles feed on residue in the lake, keeping the water clean.
“Monitoring the stages and development of the tadpoles throughout the summer enables (environmental technicians and volunteers) to proactively prepare for the migration and focus on public education,” the municipality says in a news release.
Interior view of an outhouse at the Lake O’Hara parking lot at Yoho National Park in the Rocky Mountains, in eastern British Columbia on July 28.
Western toads are seen near Whistler in this handout photo.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Victoria girl abducted by dad safe in Indonesia
VICTORIA (CP) — Police in Victoria are advising a British Columbia man who is travelling abroad to surrender to a Canadian embassy and return to this country to face charges linked to a child custody case.
Brent Erskine was charged with abduction and disobeying a court order on July 24 after allegedly leaving Canada with his four-year-old daughter earlier in the month.
The child’s mother, who is separated from Erskine, told investigators she didn’t give permission for the trip and reported her concerns on July 8 when he failed to return the child from what was to be a week-long visit to Vancouver.
Victoria Police say an investigation determined the father and daughter were in Jakarta, Indonesia, and efforts by the family and police convinced Erskine to leave the girl safe with her maternal grandparents. Detectives in Canada and abroad are now working to reunite her with her mother in Victoria. Police say Erskine has since travelled to Singapore where he intended to obtain a visa, but his current whereabouts are unknown.
Two B.C. ministries generate most complaints: report
VICTORIA (CP) — The British Columbia ombudsperson’s annual report says two government ministries generated more work for his office than any other.
Jay Chalke’s report says his staff handled more than 1,200 complaints or inquiries last year about the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Chalke says in a news release that he hopes the needs of people involved with those ministries will be met fairly and reasonably, given their acute situations. Unfortunately, he says, his office continues to see too many occasions where that it is not the case.
Chalke says intervention from his office remedied unfair treatment of vulnerable people, where benefits or services were denied. The office has oversight over more than 1,000 public sector organizations in B.C., and received 7,097 complaints and inquiries for the 2018 - 2019 year.
Southern B.C. facing wet summer
VANCOUVER (CP) — Environment Canada is warning southern British Columbia residents to prepare for pelting rain. It says an unseasonably strong front arriving from the Pacific will join with a warm, wet system coming up from the south and result in rainfall of up to 50 millimetres for the eastern parts of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Rainfall warnings are issued for those regions while special weather statements are posted for Howe Sound, inland and west Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver and Whistler. Environment Canada says it’s uncertain where the heaviest rain will occur.
50 kilos of meth seized
in Alberta
CALGARY (CP) — Alberta border officers say they have made their largest-ever seizure of methamphetamine at a crossing into Canada from Montana.
The Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP say a semi truck with an empty trailer was stopped at the Coutts crossing southeast of Lethbridge on Sunday evening. Officers uncovered 33 bags of meth weighing about 50 kilograms in the cab’s front seat concealed in a box and a duffel bag. That’s about 500,000 doses with a street value of $3 million. Asif Mir of Calgary has been charged with importing a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Cannabis possession pardon legislation now in force
Giuseppe VALIANTE The Canadian Press
MONTREAL — Canadians with criminal records for simple pot possession can now apply for a pardon free of cost and with no mandatory five-year waiting period – but they’ll have to finish their sentence first, federal Justice Minister David Lametti announced Thursday.
Lametti told reporters the government’s Bill C-93, adopted last June, has officially come into force. He said the law was the next logical step after the government legalized cannabis consumption across Canada last October.
Canadians with criminal records for possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana will no longer have to wait five years after completing their sentence to apply for a pardon, nor must they pay the usual $631 fee to apply.
But anyone still serving a sentence for simple pot possession will have to wait, Lametti said.
“To my understanding no one is actually sitting in jail as a result of a conviction for possession of cannabis,” he said. But some Canadians might still have community service obligations or other requirements connected to a conviction, he added.
“In that case we wouldn’t interfere in that
regard,” Lametti said. “Those people will have to finish their sentence.”
A pardon, or record suspension, means the criminal record in question is kept strictly separate from other records and that it may be disclosed only in certain circumstances.
A pardoned conviction will not appear on the Canadian Police Information Centre – or CPIC – database, which is used by United States border officials. But a pardon will not erase information about Canadians already in U.S.controlled databases, meaning people with criminal records for cannabis possession could still face travel problems.
“Any sovereign country has the right to control who goes into their country,” Lametti said.
“That is, in a sense, beyond our control.”
Due to non-standardized criminal recording systems across Canada, the federal government doesn’t have a precise number of Canadians who have convictions for simple pot possession. Lametti said an estimated 250,000 Canadians “have some kind of cannabis possession conviction.”
The minister said the new law is “particularly significant for many in minority communities - including black and Indigenous Canadians –
who have been disproportionately affected by the enforcement of previous cannabis laws.”
But a pardon is not an expungement, which involves having a conviction completely wiped off the books, and activists have criticized the law for not going far enough. They say a criminal record can be reinstated if it is not expunged.
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples said Thursday Lametti’s news was a “small step in the right direction.” National Chief Robert Bertrand said in a statement that the criminal records should be expunged.
“The issue of simple cannabis possession has had negative affects on Indigenous people in this country and has caused great harm to families and closed many opportunities for employment,” he said in a statement.
Lametti said the government is reserving expungement for people who were convicted in the past of offences that today would be considered a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, such as consensual sexual activity between same-sex partners.
Before legalization last Oct. 17, people convicted of simple possession could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Trudeau highlights climate policy during Arctic visit
Teresa WRIGHT The Canadian Press
IQALUIT, Nunavut — Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau injected a dose of electoral politics into an announcement Thursday in Canada’s Far North, taking aim at his Conservative rival while unveiling details on two marine protected areas.
Trudeau used the trip to showcase some of the most dramatic effects of climate change to promote the Liberal government’s record on climate action ahead of this fall’s federal election.
Later Thursday, he will also attend a nomination meeting for his party’s candidate in Nunavut.
Trudeau began the day by making an announcement about a now-finalized marine protected area near Arctic Bay – an Inuit hamlet on the northwest corner of Baffin Island – known as the Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area.
He also unveiled first steps to create a protected zone on the northwest coast of Ellesmere Island that will be known as the Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area.
Tuvaijuittuq means “the place where the ice never melts” but melting sea ice and increased shipping traffic have posed increased threats to many important local species, including sea birds, narwhals and bowhead whales.
Canada now has protection measures in place for almost 14 per cent of its marine and coastal areas that span more than 427,000 square kilometres –an area larger than Newfoundland and Labrador. The Liberals had targeted protecting 10 per cent of Canada’s marine and coastal areas by 2020.
Trudeau used the backdrop of shifting Arctic terrain and endangered sea life Thursday to cast himself and the Liberal party as best-placed to serve as stewards of the environment – already shaping up to be a key election issue – and as partners with Inuit in protecting the North.
“It’s not about photo-ops. It’s about actions,” Trudeau said in response to a reporter’s question.
“Those actions that we’ve taken as a government consistently throughout these four years demonstrate not just concrete deliverables for people in the North, but indeed demonstrate that at the heart of everything the government of Canada can and must do in the North needs to be respect and partnership with
the Inuit.”
Building the relationship has been the most important thing his government has done in the North to set a foundation for future work, Trudeau said.
He contrasted his approach to former prime minister Stephen Harper and to that of Andrew Scheer, adding the current Conservative leader didn’t use the word “Inuit” when he unveiled a policy vision last month.
“It tells you a lot about the future he would build if he were prime minister,” Trudeau said.
Last month, a political spat erupted over the Liberal plan to introduce a clean-fuel standard that would require cleaner-burning fuels as a way to reduce overall carbon emissions by 30 million tonnes a year.
Scheer accused the Liberals of plotting to levy a “secret fuel tax” on Canadians by enforcing a standard that would increase the cost of gasoline.
The Liberals wasted no time firing back, accusing Conservatives of hurling smears, while also calling the Tory environment policy “anti-climate action.”
Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said climate change has already had devastating impacts on local infrastructure in the territories - a trend projected to continue if emissions and global temperatures continue to rise.
A recent report by Canadian scientists warned that most Canadian Arctic marine regions would be free of sea ice for part of the summer by 2050 and that most small ice caps and ice shelves in the Canadian arctic will disappear by 2100, even if emission reduction measures are enacted.
That’s why Obed said he hopes political parties will not simply bicker about the merits of a carbon tax as they debate climate policy during the campaign, but rather look more broadly at the real-life, “drastic” effects of climate change on northern communities.
“Fixating on one or two pieces of a climate-action policy sometimes overshadows the larger picture,” Obed said.
Groups granted leave to appeal secularism law
MONTREAL (CP) — Quebec’s highest court agreed Thursday to hear an appeal on behalf of groups seeking to suspend the central parts of the province’s secularism law.
Catherine McKenzie, a lawyer for the applicants, said Quebec Court of Appeal Chief Justice Nicole Duval Hesler did not give a reason for granting leave to appeal in a ruling from the bench. McKenzie said it is rare for a judge to grant leave to appeal a lower court’s decision denying an injunction.
Quebec’s secularism law, known as Bill 21, prohibits some public sector workers, including teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols at work.
Cannabis plants are seen at a facility in Sainte-Eustache, Que.
Stepping up for the arts
What you see is all there is, Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman said in his book Thinking Fast And Slow to explain how people –and more importantly, their brains – process and make sense of the world.
That simple phrase explains so much, from how people who exclusively watch Fox News think the only man standing in the way of a migrant horde flooding into the United States is an obese New York developer to viewers who watch MSNBC are sure that same obese developer is a crook who has obstructed justice and ripped off taxpayers to further enrich himself during his presidency.
Closer to home, what you see is all there is serves as a great phrase for understanding the passion – both for and against – that greets any local government spending on the arts. For residents immersed in Prince George’s vibrant arts scene, government investment makes perfect sense because there are so many people doing so many great things to build community and enrich local culture, for kids and adults. For other residents, the ones who have never seen a
Judy Russell production, a Prince George Symphony Orchestra concert, a Theatre Northwest production or exhibits at the Two Rivers Art Gallery or the Community Arts Council, they question why city council should spend money on the arts for a small but noisy fan base when there are streets to pave, roads to clear of snow, parks to maintain and arenas and swimming pools to operate?
Of course, what you see is not all there is, so Kahneman’s phrase serves as a reminder of the shortcomings of our individual worldviews, as well as a challenge to seek out what we aren’t seeing, to gain a deeper, more accurate perspective.
Prince George’s arts community, like those everywhere, can be broadly described as lively and vibrant, engaged, welcoming and inconclusive.
Artists across the genres love to see their fellow artists succeed and they deeply appreciate the support – financial and verbal – of audiences. How exciting it must have been for the producers and cast of Beauty and the Beast to have seen a full house virtually every night during its run in the Playhouse last month.
The local arts community, like those everywhere, can also be a snobby clique
at times, fighting amongst themselves for audiences, sponsors and turf at other times. By and large, however, artists and the organizations backing them are enthusiastic promoters and collaborators.
Prince George’s artists are also a reflection of their community. They work hard, they take nothing for granted, they are constantly striving to prove their value and they are proud of their accomplishments.
These are not people standing at government offices and in front of politicians with their hands out, offering nothing in return. Many of them are savvy small business owners, as skilled at marketing and attracting customers as they are at their specific craft.
Hiring a consultant to develop a 10-year arts strategy for the downtown and asses turning the art council’s future downtown home into a cultural centre makes sense. Rather than ad hoc government spending, a plan to grow the arts (and by extension, its economic value) in a coordinated way is simply smart fiscal management.
As arts council executive director Sean Farrell made clear, nobody is asking for the huge $50-million multi-purpose arts facility proposed 10 years ago that would have housed not just a performing arts theatre
Canadians still struggle with tolerance
When Research Co. asked Canadians last month, 45 per cent of respondents thought people who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender diverse, queer, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2+) are “born this way,” while one in four (24 per cent) believe they are “making a choice.”
The “choice” reasoning is slightly more popular among men (27 per cent), Canadians aged 35 to 54 (28 per cent), Quebecers (27 per cent), Conservative voters in the 2015 federal election (33 per cent) and Canadians of East Asian descent (35 per cent).
Over time, the issue of legal recognition has no longer been problematic for most Canadians. Almost two thirds (64 per cent) believe same-sex couples should continue to be allowed to legally marry – a proportion that includes 72 per cent of women, 77 per cent of those living in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and 75 per cent of Liberal Party voters in the 2015 federal election. This leaves just over a third of Canadians who hold different feelings about same-sex marriage. While 15 per cent of respondents would be content to go back to the concept of civil unions that are not recognized as marriage, 10 per cent of Canadians believe there should not be any kind of legal recognition to these partnerships. Another 11 per cent of Canadians are undecided. The way these issues evolve is not confined to marriage licenses.
BY THE NUMBERS
MARIO CANSECO
Some school districts in Canada have relied on “SOGI-inclusive education,” (including School District 57 in Prince George) which raises awareness of and welcomes students of all sexual orientations, gender identities and family structures.
Only one in five Canadians (20 per cent) are opposed to SOGIinclusive education being used in their province, while more than three in five (62 per cent) are in favour of it. There are no enormous age differences on this issue, with support remaining fairly stable among millennials (64 per cent), generation X (62 per cent) and baby boomers (60 per cent).
As expected, Canadians who voted for the Liberals and the New Democratic Party (NDP) in the last federal election are more supportive of SOGI-inclusive education (70 per cent and 63 per cent respectively) than those who cast a ballot for Conservative candidates (53 per cent).
A matter that is decidedly more contentious is gay straight alliances (GSAs) and/or queer straight alliances (QSAs). These are peer support networks run by students and supported by school staff in order to promote a safe place for all students.
When asked if school districts should be compelled to inform parents if their child participates
in a GSA or QSA in school, there is a more uniform split. While 45 per cent of Canadians think parents should “definitely” or “probably” be informed about their child’s participation in a GSA or QSA, 37 per cent disagree and 18 per cent are not sure. On a regional basis, the numbers are interesting. There are three areas where the number of residents who believe parents should be informed is higher than those who opt for a “don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude: Quebec (49 per cent to 32 per cent), British Columbia (46 per cent to 35 per cent) and Ontario (43 per cent to 39 per cent). Atlantic Canadians are evenly split (40 per cent to 39 per cent).
On the Prairies, the numbers swing. There are more residents of Alberta (46 per cent) and Manitoba and Saskatchewan (54 per cent) who believe schools should not be compelled to advise parents of their child’s participation in GSAs or QSAs.
In Alberta, discussions about this topic grew louder after the NDP government passed Bill 24, which made it illegal for teachers to tell parents if their child joined a GSA or QSA. The new United Conservative Party government countered with Bill 8 in early July, which no longer provides legal protections for GSAs and QSAs in Alberta’s schools. Change takes time, awareness and education. Policy-makers should be smart enough to understand what most Canadians and many companies already know: the only “choice” at hand on LGBTQ2+ issues is one between prejudice and acceptance.
SHAWN CORNELL DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING
but included the arts council’s groups and even the public library.
“What we need to focus on, with our new facility and a downtown arts strategy is market development,” he said, sounding more like an economic development officer than the head of the local arts council. “Let’s create a marketplace, an economy for local arts and culture.”
The arts council’s move from its current rapidly deteriorating home on 15th Avenue to the old BMO building at Third And Quebec is not just an economic opportunity, but also a chance to grow the arts and enhance the downtown core.
When a performing arts centre is truly on the table (perhaps when the city is prepared to sell the valuable commercial land the Playhouse sits on at the corner of Highways 16 and 97 and/or when the school district decides to retire Vanier Hall at PGSS), there will be already be a plan in place as a starting point.
When it comes to both the arts and economic development in Prince George, it’s important to not only get past what we see is all there is but to also cast our vision into the future, to what we imagine and what could be.
— Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
Abuse wrong and misdirected
Lisa J. Helps would like you to know that she is not Lisa Helps. It says so right in her Twitter profile: “NOT the Victoria mayor.”
Of course, that doesn’t stop the online trolls from getting mixed up and hounding the Vancouver criminal lawyer by mistake. Social media is not known for its accuracy. Nor its gentility.
Lisa Jean Helps is, in fact, dismayed by the toxicity of many of the misdirected messages meant for her namesake the mayor –flaming bags of dog crap dumped on the wrong porch.
“Someone who has devoted eight years of her life to public service shouldn’t receive the tenor of personal attack that I sometimes see,” she says. Sometimes the misunderstandings are amusing. When a B.C. lawyers’ publication mistakenly reported that Lisa J. had been named to a public body, she tweeted clarification.
“I remind everyone: I am still not the Victoria mayor,” she wrote this week, “but I do congratulate her on her appointment to the B.C. Transit board. I can’t think of a better advocate for transit and I wish her great success.”
Account confusion is common in the Twitterverse. San Francisco’s Evan Solomon grew so tired of being mistaken for the Canadian TV host that he began answering questions. When asked: “Should lobbyists who pay for sex and who were charged with fraud be able to run for office?” he replied “According to Wikipedia, prostitution is not illegal in Canada. So why the hell not?”
An Englishwoman named Dee Ford got buried in hate after a Kansas Chiefs linebacker of the same name took an untimely penalty in an NFL playoff game. “It could be worse,” she told the BBC.
“At least I don’t share a name with a British politician right now.”
In June, Donald Trump took an online swing at U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe on Twitter, but connected instead with a 21-yearold Starbucks employee. That was just after he went after ABC News, but mistakenly tagged the Australian Broadcasting Corp., which replied with a picture of a koala bear (this was the same week Trump drove traffic to Victoria’s Prince of Whales whalewatching outfit while attempting to refer to Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales).
In January, the president attacked California teenager Jillian Turner instead of Fox News’ Gillian Turner. That last one shows names don’t even have to be iden-
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tical for misfires to be made: British IT worker Mark Horton felt the wrath of Chinese swimming fans after Australian Olympian Mack Horton accused silver medalist Sun Yang of doping in 2016. On the flip side, then-MP Jason Kenney – now the premier of Alberta – was bathed in glory after British cyclist Jason Kenny won gold at the same Games. “I assure you, nobody wants to see me in lycra,” Kenney posted. Some have fun with the muddles. John Lewis of Blacksburg, Va., often replies to those who think they’re writing to the British retail giant of the same name. (After a woman wrote “very disappointed @johnlewis to see single-use plastic straws in your Liverpool store,” he responded: “The only time I use straws are when I stick them on my teeth and pretend I’m a walrus.”) He even appeared in a Twitter commercial parodying the John Lewis television ads that have become a fixture of Christmas in Britain. Sometimes, being the wrong target pays off. In 2010, a 22-yearold Massachusetts woman who went by @TheAshes was baffled to be inundated by fans of the classic England-Australia cricket series of the same name. “I AM NOT A FREAKING CRICKET MATCH,” she posted, along with: “What the hell is a wicket?” Happily, Qantas flew her to Australia to find out, for free, after the mix-up turned her into an Internet celebrity. Corporations are keen to avoid online confusion. In 2004, Langford teen Mike Rowe found himself in a David-and-Goliath battle with Microsoft over his domain name mikerowesoft.com. The story made The New York Times before they settled amicably, with the high school student receiving an Xbox, games, an all-expenses trip to Microsoft’s Seattle-area HQ and promotion of his replacement website. Rowe gave the Canucks Place charity $7,000 that people had sent for his legal defence. As for Lisa Helps – the mayor, not the lawyer – she says she tries to ignore the nasty stuff. What really worries her is that as vicious personal online attacks rise, good people will decide it’s not worth seeking public office. Nobody should have to deal with that kind of abuse, whether it’s meant for them or not.
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JACK KNOX
CMT set for country music change
The Washington Post
When executives at Country Music Television earlier this year began watching the first cuts of Racing Wives, their new show about the spouses of NASCAR stars, something felt off. Producers had taken women with complexity and depth and reduced them to extensions of their husbands.
“It just seemed residual,” said Chris McCarthy, the president of MTV, VH1 and Logo who in the fall had CMT added to his portfolio. “Why isn’t the show about the women themselves?”
Though much of the season was already completed, McCarthy and his programming president Nina Diaz told producers to recut what they had and even shoot new footage.
“They wanted to highlight the strength of the women, to make the show more empowering by showing their individual aspirations,” said Racing Wives executive producer Jenny Daly. The series, which debuts today, now centres more on the inner lives of the women, which includes Ashley Busch, a world-class polo player and swimwear entrepreneur whose husband is NASCAR driver Kurt Busch. Producers also added a female driver, Amber Balcaen, who recently raced for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
While the network is not abandoning country’s core demographic, which tends to be whiter and more conservative than other musical genres, McCarthy and Diaz are attempting to nudge it in new directions – toward feminism and racial diversity and away from its historical white roots.
This is, after all, the summer of Old Town Road, when Lil Nas X, a 20-year-old gay African American, has dominated the charts with a country-rap smash. (On Monday the song landed at No. 1 for its 17th week on the Billboard chart, an all-time record.) A countrymusic network that crosses the genre’s traditional lines couldn’t be more timely, says McCarthy, who has helped turn around MTV with a slew of new programming. But achieving success with that strategy is easier said than done.
America remains enmeshed in a culture war, and country music often sits at its centre. Last month, the country host Blair Garner was prohibited by his employer, Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, from airing an interview he recorded with Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
Whether the genre’s traditional audience in the South and lower Midwest wants to follow New York executives known for MTV shows like Ex on the Beach remains to be seen. Feeling woke is one thing. Trying to move a base that eyes it skeptically is another.
“It’s nice to say that this is a good moment for change because of Old Town Road. But those are mainly hip-hop fans discovering country, not the other way around,” said Phil Gallo, senior editor at Hits, a music-business trade publication.
“I don’t know how far (the country audience) has really moved.”
At the heart of CMT’s shift is a question bedeviling much of Hollywood: how to deliver content for an under-served red-state audience while satisfying an impulse for progressivism.
The network has done well enough in recent years with shows including Guntucky, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,Redneck Island, and My Big Redneck Wedding.
But McCarthy and Diaz, given control of CMT in October after a Viacom executive shakeup, felt there was a way to update the network’s sensibility without losing viewers.
“CMT has always been distinctive and had its own voice; it appeals to different places and different demographics than
Aquaman star Momoa visits telescope protesters
The Associated Press
Aquaman star Jason Momoa on Wednesday visited Native Hawaiian protesters blocking the construction of a giant telescope on Hawaii’s tallest mountain.
The Native Hawaiian Hollywood actor wore green leaf lei around his neck and the crown of his head as he attended a ceremony at the protest site.
Honolulu television stations livestreamed dancers in jeans and windbreakers performing hula in chilly weather.
Momoa stooped low to present an offering wrapped in green ti leaves. He said he was honoured to be there, drawing cheers after saying, “We are not going anywhere.”
Protesters have blocked the road to the summit for 17 days.
Some Native Hawaiians believe Mauna Kea’s summit is sacred.
The summit also has the best conditions for astronomy in the Northern Hemisphere.
Staff from existing telescopes on the summit meanwhile travelled up the mountain in seven vehicles to secure their facilities as two storms approached.
Amazon stock part of Bezos divorce deal
The Associated Press
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his ex-wife MacKenzie Bezos have completed their divorce and are divvying up their stake in Amazon, leaving both with a piece of the online shopping giant worth billions.
In government filings late Wednesday, Amazon disclosed that Jeff Bezos’ stake in the company was cut to about 12 per cent from 16 per cent after completing his divorce and selling nearly $2 billion worth of stock.
His current stake is worth nearly $110 billion. He remains the company’s largest shareholder. MacKenzie Bezos now has a four per cent stake in Amazon worth more than $37 billion.
She announced in May that she planned to give away at least half her fortune to charity.
The divorce ends a 25-year marriage that played a pivotal role in the start of the e-commerce company.
The observatories negotiated access through law enforcement, said Jessica Dempsey, the deputy director of the East Asian Observatory.
Some staff moved telescope domes away from the direction of prevailing winds. Others disabled systems so they won’t get as damaged if there’s a prolonged power outage.
The National Weather Service has forecast that Hurricane Erick will pass south of Hawaii later this week.
Meteorologists said Tropical Storm Flossie will likely approach the Big Island from the east early next week.
Astronomers haven’t been able to view the skies with the existing telescopes for the past two weeks amid protests.
Dempsey said the observatories haven’t been able to resume viewing because they still must notify law enforcement if they need to take vehicles up to the summit.
“And so at the moment, it remains that we cannot get all of our staff up, as well as our contractors and vendors, that we need to get up on a daily basis in order to return to operational state,” she said.
other networks,” said Diaz, a veteran producer and executive who counts shows such as The Osbournes and Mob Wives among her credits. “But it’s always important to be reflecting the times and where we’re headed, not to get stuck in tropes and stereotypes.”
In addition to the retooled Racing Wives, Diaz and McCarthy have put into development Sweet Jesus, a baking competition show set in the south that showcases a variety of religious perspectives – well, a lot of Christian ones, anyway.
Dan Cesareo, the producing force behind Sweet Jesus, says the goal is to signal to parts of the audience they’re being considered without being exclusionary.
“We’re embracing all faiths, but it’s not a faith-based show,” he said. He added the series was inclu-
sive “by being about the best pie, cobbler and sticky bun.”
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, a making-the-squad program about the team’s iconic dancers, has enjoyed a long run of 13 seasons. But producers say the 14th will look a little different, thanks to the new CMT regime.
“There are still a lot of myths in country music, particularly about women, and they can become selffulfilling prophecies,” acknowledged Leslie Fram, CMT’s Nashville-based senior vice president of music and talent.
She checked off a few of them, including the longtime canard embraced by some country-radio programmers that playing consecutive songs by female artists was bad business. “But we think we can help address them with what we’re doing.”
AP PHOTO
Lil Nas X, left, and Billy Ray Cyrus arrive at the BET Awards on June 23 in Los Angeles.
Northern pharmacy? Canada cool to idea of sending cheaper drugs to the U.S.
The Washington Post
U.S. President Donald Trump drew the ire of Canadians during his campaign when he lambasted the country’s health care system – a point of national pride – as “slow” and “catastrophic.”
Now it appears there’s at least one aspect of the Canadian system that he admires. On Wednesday, his administration said it was weighing plans to allow for the legal importation of prescription drugs from Canada to help Americans coping with skyrocketing drug prices in the United States.
The response from Canadians? Sorry, but back off.
Pharmacists, patient groups, doctors and some lawmakers here worry that the large-scale importation of pharmaceuticals could deplete the drug supply for the country’s 37 million residents.
“This is going to exacerbate some of the drug shortages that we’re already seeing in Canada,” said Joelle Walker, the vice president of public affairs for the Canadian Pharmacists Association. “We aren’t equipped to deal with a country that is ten times our size.”
She said such measures could also increase the prices of drugs for Canadians.
Health Canada, the federal public health ministry, reports there are 1,846 current drug shortages and 65 anticipated shortages in the country. Causes include increased demand, shortages of ingredients and delays in shipping.
“The Canadian federal government needs to start developing a strategy to deal with this issue,” said Joel Lexchin, a professor of pharmaceutical policy at the University of Toronto and an emergency room doctor at Toronto General Hospital.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Thursday that Health Canada would continue to ensure that “Canadians have access to the medications they need at affordable prices.”
Trump’s “safe importation action plan” would allow state governments, pharmacies and drug manufacturers to submit proposals for importing prescription drugs from Canada for federal approval.
Importing medicine from Canada has long drawn opposition in the United States over concerns about unsafe and counterfeit drugs. But as drug prices in the United States have risen, the idea has gained support. States including Florida, Maine and Vermont have passed laws to allow the imports, subject to the approval of the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
The administration announcement Wednesday came days after Sen. Bernie Sanders traveled to Windsor, Ont., with a caravan of Type 1 diabetes patients to buy insulin at a fraction of the price at which it’s sold in the United States.
“How does it happen 10 minutes away from the American border in Michigan, people here are paying one tenth of the price for the vitally important drug they need to stay alive?” asked the Vermont independent, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president.
The answer, in part, is that
Canada has a system to control drug prices.
The country imports most of its prescription drugs from other countries. A federal body sets a price ceiling for each brand-name medicine to ensure that prices are not “excessive,” in part by looking at the prices for that drug in seven countries similar to Canada.
Provinces and territories run their own drug plans that vary by population and portion of cost covered.
The prices of generic drugs are not set by the federal body.
Lexchin said Canadians often end up paying more for them than Americans do.
Michael Law is a professor of health policy at the University of British Columbia.
“If the U.S. was going to import anything from Canada,” he said, “it should import some controls over the prices of prescription drugs.”
Lexchin called the Trump proposal a “sham,” and said multinational pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to play ball.
“If there is widespread export from Canada to the U.S., the companies may limit what they ship to Canada to cover what they estimate the Canadian market is,
and not send any extras that might be sent back to the U.S.,” he said.
Canadian critics of the Trump plan make a distinction between importing prescription drugs for personal use – crossing the border for insulin, for instance – and bulk imports.
“The kinds of caravans that Bernie Sanders or anyone else leads to Canada to buy drugs is not an issue,” Lexchin said. “What’s concerning for Canada is if U.S. states with large populations start to import drugs.”
Even before Wednesday’s announcement, the flurry of state legislation had some Canadians nervous.
“The Canadian medicine supply is not sufficient to support both Canadian and U.S. consumers,” the Canadian Medical Association and 14 other groups representing patients, health care professionals, pharmacists and hospitals wrote last week to Health Minster Ginette Petitpas Taylor. “The supply simply does not, and will not, exist within Canada to meet such demands.”
Sarah Dion-Marquis, a spokeswoman for Innovative Medicines Canada, said the drugmaker lobbying group would “welcome a public statement from the Canadian government confirming that it will take appropriate action to
help protect Canadian supplies in the event of a potential shortage.” Alexander Cohen, a communications adviser for Health Canada, said Canadian and U.S. officials have held “high-level conversations” in recent months about the state plans.
“Ensuring that Canadians have access to the medicines they need is one of our top priorities,” he said in a statement. He said Health Canada “will be working closely with health experts to better understand the implications for Canadians and will ensure there are no adverse effects on the supply or cost of prescription drugs in Canada.”
CP PHOTOS
Above, pharmaceuticals are seen in North Andover, Mass. in 2018. Right, Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons on June 17.
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Lank’s gem gives Knights get their revenge
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
Noah Lank is an imposing pitcher.
Just turned 15, he stands six-foot-two and packs 210 pounds onto a lean muscular frame, and as he proved to the Vancouver Expos in their opening game at the B.C. Minor Baseball bantam double-A championship Thursday at Nechako Field, the Prince George Jepson Petroleum Knights ace is quite capable of putting one over the fence.
Like he did in the fifth inning in what ended up a 7-3 victory for the Knights.
Lank’s solo shot that capped the Knights’ scoring was his reward after he stumped the Expos defensively in those first five innings, allowing just three hits and just one run in a 10-strikeout outing.
“In all my years of (rep team) ball I’ve never actually played at home, and just to have all the fans here and play well for the people put there is lots of fun, it definitely drives you more,” said Lank.
“I was a little bit nervous at the start but it felt way better after that first pitch. Both my curveball and my fastball were working well, I don’t throw anything else.
“People don’t expect much, being an up-north team, but we really got it done today.”
Lank, the MVP of last year’s B.C. Minor provincial championship, is not known for his long-ball power but got all of the pitch Julius Heck served him with two out in the fifth.
“I haven’t been (hitting home runs) the last couple years but I knew I had it in me,” Lank said. “Now I’ve put it together and fixed my swing and it feels a lot better.”
The Knights gave Lank a 4-0 lead to work with heading into the top of the second inning.
Heck got into some trouble right away when leadoff hitter Chase Martin stroked a single. Then with two runners on, Brenden Gaboury brought Martin home with a oneout double, followed by a hit from Parker McBurnie that scored Logan Dreher.
Thirteen-year-old second baseman Caleb Poitras then delivered a half-swing that went for two-run single and the Knights batted through the entire order before they were retired.
Heck started the second inning striking out Martin but walked the next batter he faced, Preston Weightman, and that set the stage for Dreher, who doubled in the fifth Knights run.
“The first inning was the difference, we were asleep that first inning and kind of woke up after that,” said Expos manager
Tom Griffiths. “We just weren’t ready to field the ball, that’s what we had problems with.
“We lack some hitting because we came through the wild card to get here. It was four games in two days there and we won three of them and we just pounded the ball all over the place. Today we just weren’t awake.”
The Expos got on the board in the fourth inning. Shortstop Miller Mulcahy led off the inning with a double and Silas Hussey’s base hit scored Mulcahy.
The Expos added two more in the seventh off Knights reliever Lucas Kelly but ran out of innings.
Lank was helped out of a jam a couple of times when catcher Gaboury let loose his cannon throwing arm to gun down Vancouver baserunners trying to steal.
“He’s awesome, he’s probably the best catcher in B.C., and to have him on the team is a big deal,” said Lank.
The Expos have eight first-year bantams on a 10-player roster and have just one
player (who is injured and did not make the trip) remaining from the team that overcame a 7-1 deficit and beat the Knights last year 9-8 in the provincial final. In that game, the Expos scored four runs in the seventh inning to overcome an 8-5 deficit, having trailed 7-1 at one point.
The Knights used that as added motivation Thursday, playing in what was the first home game of their rep team baseball careers.
“The boys are excited to play at home in front of their fans and they’re also excited to get some revenge against these guys, because they took us out last year at the provincials and it still stings a bit,” said Knights coach Doug Clark.
“It was nice to get that first win out of the way. They got on the bats right away and stayed on it. Noah always pitches well for us. We know we’re going to get a lot of strikes from him and then he came up and hit a big home run for us late in the game. The boys are fired up. They were all hitting line drives and playing good defence.”
Big Guy Lake fishing for success in Winnipeg
Ted CLARKE Citizen
Big Guy Lake, if it really existed, might be a nice place to cool off to get out of the heat this weekend in Winnipeg.
The thermometer is expected to climb well into the low-30s C all weekend and that hot sun will be beating down with no relief in sight for 58 fastball teams gathered for the Canadian Native Fastball Championships.
The Big Guy Lake Kings, a Prince George select team that hosted the event in 2015 at Spruce City Stadium, is one of the favourites to win the A-division men’s tournament, which has 21 teams entered.
The Kings are backed by veteran pitcher Norm Linton, who allowed just two runs Tuesday night to lead All-Star Construction to an 11-2 win over Falcon Contracting in the Spruce City Men’s Fastball League championship game.
All-Star scored 11 runs on 13 hits.
The Big Guy Lake roster spans two generations, and also includes veterans Randy Potskin, Chad Ghostkeeper, Evan Potskin, all of Prince George, as well as lefthanded pitcher Scott Leiph of Sooke and infielder Eli Jules of Chase.
That older group, without the out-of-town pickups, has played together at native tournaments for more than two decades and formed the core of the Prince George Lumber Kings/River Kings teams that, in a
long string of success that began in 1993, won eight national native titles (seven straight from 19992006) and seven North American indigenous crowns.
The younger Kings played together two years ago on the Prince George Lenny’s Selects squad which won the junior native championship in Edmonton.
That group includes locals Nicholas Potskin, Jerrett Potskin, Robbie Antoine, Jericho Prince, Brendan Hammell, Shelby Tom and John Alec, as well as pitcher Josh Anderson of Vancouver and Ethan Lans of Chase.
“We’ve got a young group but we have five old vets on the team,” said Kings manager Sheldon Bjorklund. “Eli Jules is from Chase but he played for Westbank the last few years and they’ve won championships. He’s probably won about 13 titles.”
The Kings play their first game in Winnipeg today at noon PT against the winner of a morning game between two Manitoba squads – Peguis Chefs and Sapataywak Jays.
“You think you’ve put a winner together but there’s lots of scenarios,” said Bjorklund.
“The trick is to stay on the A-side of the tournament as long as you can because if you get on that B-side you’ve got along ways back.
“Of the top 10 teams there, four of them will play each other in the first couple games.”
The Westbank Cardinals are the defending champions.
Lank will get his next start Saturday at noon against Ladner and Poitras knows his team will be in good hands with him on the mound.
“Noah, I don’t understand – the kid’s a beast,” said Poitras. “He throws hard. It’s crazy to watch him.”
The Knights return to the field at 9 a.m. today to face the Burnaby Braves, who opened with a 12-10 win over the Ladner Red Sox. The teams have not faced each other since the Knights beat them last year in the provincial semifinal. The Expos also face Burnaby in their next game today at 5:30 p.m.
Other opening-day scores were: North Langley 12 Layritz 5; Tri-City 14 Surrey 4; North Shore 4 Cloverdale 1; Cowichan Valley 10 Vancouver Vipers 7. Jace Hamm of the Cowichan Valley Mustangs outslugged Gaboury 10-4 in the final round of the home run derby Thursday night. Hamm and Gaboury each hit seven over the fence in the preliminary round.
Cats tap Sprague as scout
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
As general manager of the Cariboo Cougars and longtime former coach of the Prince George-based major midget hockey team, Trevor Sprague knows his team has a key role in developing players capable of making the jump to junior hockey.
As an overseeer of that pipeline of talent, Sprague now has a formal tie to one of the destinations his players strive to reach, the Prince George Cougars. Sprague, 41, had been hired as the Cougars’ northern B.C. and B.C. Hockey Major Midget League scout.
“(Cougars vice-president, business) Andy Beesley and I have been friends for 15 years and have always worked together and I know a lot of the local ownership,” said Sprague.
“For myself, I bleed the north and with Prince George Minor Hockey and all the associations within the north that fall under our umbrella, we want to develop some of the best hockey players in the country.”
This will be Sprague’s second time around as a Cougars’ scout. He was with the team in that capacity from 2014-16, joining the team after five years scouting for the Portland Winterhawks.
Under Sprague’s watch, the Cariboo Cougars have won three league championships and the 2015 Mac’s Midget World Invitational hockey tournament.
“At the end of the day we want guys who are committed to playing in the north, we don’t want players going south to do anything,” said Sprague. “We want guys to be proud of where they come from and they want to play in the north and play for what’s on the front of the jersey. Regardless of what that logo is, from the first-year bantam age group to the WHL, we want to make sure the players in
the north have a good place to develop.”
Cariboo Cougars head coach
Tyler Brough is a former Prince George Cougar forward and the minor midget team assistant coach is longtime former WHL Cougar goalie Ty Edmonds and that binds those two midget teams that much closer to the Prince George Cougars.
“Between Tyler and Ty and myself, they’ll know who the top guys are here in northern British Columbia. Hopefully they fit their model and their organization but at the end of the day when it comes to junior hockey there’s a lot of teams that like our players, too,” said Sprague. Cougars director of scouting Bob Simmonds have also added Leland Mack, Rob Rogers, Tim Mills and David Reekie to their scouting staff.
Mack will be their Pacific region scout. He’s currently head coach of the Burnaby Winter Club’s bantam prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He spent several years as a birddog for the Seattle Thunderbirds and served as an assistant coach for B.C.’s under-16 team in the 2019 WHL Cup.
Rogers will focus on B.C., having covered the province as a Spokane Chiefs’ scout. Mills will work for the Cats as their Okanagan scout. He worked for the Swift Current Broncos from 2013-19.
Reekie, a former WHL goaltender (2004-07) who played for the Regina Pats and Everett Silvertips, will have Regina and southern Saskatchewan as his territory.
They join a staff that includes senior traveling scout Ron Bonora, Lyle Feser (southern Alberta), Brett Jarvis (Saskatchewan and Manitoba) Kirk McCuspey (Manitoba), Cole Todd (Lower Mainland) and Rae Metz (Arizona and United States).
staff
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Prince George Jepson Petroleum Knights player Noah Lank hurls a pitch against the Vancouver Expos on Thursday at Nechako Field. It was the first game of the B.C. Minor Baseball Association U15 double-A championships for the hometown Knights.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
All-Star Construction player Norm Linton hurls a pitch against Falcon Contracting on Tuesday night at Spruce City Stadium during the Spruce City Men’s Fastball League’s championship final.
Guerrero homers power Jays past Orioles
Todd KARPOVICH
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — The Toronto Blue Jays have a young, dynamic team that could make a playoff run in the next couple of years.
They provided a glimpse of that potential against the Baltimore Orioles.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit two of his team’s five home runs to back a solid pitching performance by fellow rookie Trent Thornton and the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 11-2 Thursday night.
“That guy’s pretty good. He’s driving in runs,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said about Guerrero.
“They got a nice little core. They’re going to be fun players to watch here going forward, really athletic. They have a young core group of position players that are going to do damage.”
Randal Grichuk, Danny Jansen and Billy McKinney also had homered for the Blue Jays, who tied a season high with their fourth straight win. Guerrero’s homers included an impressive 450-foot shot off Dylan Tate in the eighth inning.
Toronto reinstated Thornton (4-7) from the 10-day injured list following a bout with elbow inflammation, and he allowed one run and five hits without a walk over six innings. His last two wins have come against the Orioles. Thornton threw six scoreless innings against them July 7.
“He wasn’t trying to strike people out tonight, just get people out, and he did a good job of it,” manager Charlie Montoyo said.
“He got a lot of ground balls.”
Trey Mancini hit his 25th home run, a solo shot in the eighth off
Toronto reliever Jason Adam, who was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo earlier in the day.
Guerrero gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead with a two-run shot in the third off Asher Wojciechowski (24). Guerrero is batting .416 (20 of 48) with five homers over his last 12 games.
The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half on two singles and a bunt. Thornton escaped with a pop out and double play. Toronto took a 3-0 lead on a two-out, RBI single by Bo Bichette.
“I wanted to stay ahead of the hitters and attack the strike zone,” Thornton said. “I felt I was able
to do that. Got out of a big jam in third inning and that was big momentum for me.”
Grichuk hit a solo homer in the fifth that ended the night for Wojciechowski, who was dealing with a hip injury.
The Orioles pulled within 4-1 later that inning on a fielder’s
choice by Jonathan Villar. “I just didn’t feel that great today,” Wojciechowski said. “The hip was a little sore. I’ve dealt with it in the past.” Jansen hit a three-run shot and Guerrero picked up his third RBI with a double off Jimmy Yacabonis in the sixth.
Canadian baseball team beats Colombia at Pan Am Games
The Canadian Press LIMA, Peru — Wes Darvill of Langley hit a grand slam in a six-run sixth inning and Canada moved a step closer to defending its Pan American Games baseball title with a 10-3 win over Colombia on Thursday.
The win gave Canada a 3-0 record in preliminary round-play. That means the Canadians will have a 1-0 headstart entering super round on Friday.
“We’re right where we want to be,” Canada manager Ernie Whitt said.
“Our ultimate goal is to win a gold medal and anything short of that I’d be disappointed.”
The top two teams in each group after the preliminary round advance to the super round, with teams carrying over their results against the other teams advanc-
ing. With Canada winning Group B and Colombia (2-1) finishing second, the Canadians carry a win into the next round.
The top two teams in Group A had yet to be determined.
Trailing 1-0 in the sixth, Canada caught a break as Toronto’s Connor Panas reached second base on a dropped pop-up by Colombia’s second baseman and came around to score the tying run two batters later when Tristan Pompey of Mississauga, Ont., bounced a single through the middle of the infield.
Canada then took the lead in the sixth when Tyson Gillies of Vancouver drew a walk with the bases loaded setting up Darvill’s grand slam that banged off the foul pole in left field.
“Wes’s home run was a big momentum shift that worked in our favour,” Whitt said.
“In these tournaments you have to execute, not make mistakes and then you have a chance to win.”
Jordan Lennerton, also of Langley, added a three-run homer in the eighth as Canada piled up 14 hits.
Scott Richmond of North Vancouver struck out five in picking up the win.
Canada beat the United States 7-6 in a wild gold-medal game at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.
Canada trailed by a run entering the bottom of the 10th, but scored the tying and winning runs on a botched pick-off attempt and a second throwing error.
Field hockey
Canada blanked the United States 4-0 in men’s action behind
a pair of goals from Vancouver’s Gordie Johnston. Mark Pearson of Tsawwassen and James Kirkpatrick of Vancouver also scored while David Carter, also of Vancouver, picked up the shutout.
Canada (2-0) next faces winless Peru with a chance to lock up top spot in Pool B.
Badminton
Michelle Li of Markham, Ont., advanced to the women’s final with a 2-0 (21-10, 21-5) win over Iris Wang of the United States. Toronto’s Brian Yang moved on to the men’s final with a win over Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon (retired).
Rachel Honderich of Toronto and Kristen Tsai of Surrey moved on to the women’s doubles final with a 2-0 (21-5, 21-8) win over a
team from Brazil. And Tsai and Nyl Yakura of Pickering, Ont., are through to the mixed doubles final after a 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) win over a pair from the United States. Honderich and Jason Ho-Shue of Markham, Ont., were in singles semifinal action later Thursday, Ho-Shue were in a men’s doubles semifinal, and Toronto’s Joshua Hurlburt-Yu and Josephine Wu of Edmonton were in a mixed doubles semifinal.
Surfing
Mathea Dempfle-Olin of Tofino, B.C., (12.03 points) defeated American Tiare Thompson (10.36) in the third round of the women’s longboard main draw. Catherine Bruhwiler of was eliminated in the second round of the women’s singles repechage.
AP PHOTO
Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. watches his solo home run off Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Dillon Tate during the eight inning of a game Thursday in Baltimore. The Blue Jays won 11-2.
Mystery surrounds hacking suspect
The Associated Press
The 33-year-old former Amazon software engineer accused of hacking CapitalOne made little attempt to hide her attack. In fact, she effectively publicized it.
It’s one of many riddles swirling around Paige Thompson, who goes by the online handle “erratic.” Well-known in Seattle’s hacker community, Thompson has lived a life of tumult, with frequent job changes, reported estrangement from family and self-described emotional problems and drug use.
FBI agents arrested Thompson Monday for allegedly obtaining personal information from more than 100 million Capital One credit applications, including roughly 140,000 Social Security numbers and 80,000 bank account numbers. There is no evidence the data was sold or distributed to others.
Thompson, in federal custody pending an Aug. 15 detention hearing, wasn’t reachable. Her public defender, Mohammad Hamoudi, did not return an emailed request for comment.
But her online behaviour suggested that she may have been preparing to get caught. More than six weeks before her Monday arrest, Thompson had discussed the Capital One hack online with friends in chats and in a group she created on the Slack messaging service. Those chats and the recollections of others offer a sketch of someone talented and troubled, grappling with what friends and her own posts indicate was an especially bumpy crossroads in her life.
Friends and associates described Thompson as a skilled programmer and software architect whose career and behaviour – oversharing in chat groups, frequent profanity, expressions of genderidentity distress and emotional ups and downs – mirror her online handle.
“She had a habit of openly struggling with her state of mind in public channels,” said Aife Dunne, an online friend. “It’s where her screen name comes from.”
Prior to working for Amazon, Thompson held six jobs, each for less than a year, at organizations such as ATG Stores,OnviaInc. and Zion Preparatory Academy. She
joined Amazon in 2015 to work at Amazon Web Services, a division that hosted the Capital One data she allegedly accessed illegally beginning in March.
When Thompson departed that job in 2016, she lost her apartment and moved into a group home. FBI agents who searched that house after her arrest detained the owner, a convicted felon, for illegal possession of firearms when they discovered roughly 20 guns, including assault rifles, on the property.
In a Wednesday court filing, federal authorities also accused Thompson of threatening to “shoot up” a California social media company. They did not offer details, citing a sealed police report.
Thompson forged friendships online and impressed many with her programming talent. But she also alienated people, particularly in Seattle’s hacking community. She dominated, sometimes monopolized chats on her favourite channel on Internet Relay Chat, a hacker mainstay, and in the Slack group she created. She was also active on Twitter; which suspended her account on Wednesday.
The Associated Press obtained access to the Slack group, which was deleted Tuesday, and to IRC messages dating back to February 2018.
Thompson openly discussed the hack with friends and associates on several of those channels beginning in mid-June. In April, she created the group “Seattle Warez Kiddies” on the site Meetup – the month after prosecutors say she began hacking Capital One. Friends told the AP they didn’t believe she had carried out the Capital One hack with malicious intent or for profit. These people said they believed the unemployed Thompson – destitute and, by her own account, grappling with serious depression – believed the hack could bring her attention, respect and a new job.
“I think she wanted to release all of this responsibly but she didn’t know how to do it,” said Aleyna Vaughan, 36, a friend who said she has texted with Thompson nearly every day for the past two years. While often endearing online, Thompson could also be alienating and even menacing. Members of Seattle’s “white hat” hacking
community said Thompson had sometimes bombarded them with automated emails.
Friends said Thompson was estranged from her mother, with whom she had moved from Arkansas as a child, and that her father had long been out of her life.
Sarah Stensberg said her husband, Kevin, met Thompson in a coding group for young people in the Seattle area and lived with her for a while. Thompson’s abusive behaviour eventually led the couple to cut off contact in 2011, she said. Prior to that, they sometimes took Thompson to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center for mental treatment.
“We’d get her into inpatient treatment, we’d visit her, and she’d seem to be doing well,”Stensberg said. “Then she’d go off the deep end. We couldn’t deal with it anymore.”
Thompson repeatedly stalked and harassed them, including multiple insulting and demeaning messages, until they moved in part to get away from her, Stensberg said. Then, she said, Thompson used geolocation tracking from online postings to find their new home.
SNC-Lavalin posts huge quarterly loss
The Canadian Press
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. delivered more harsh news to investors Thursday, cutting its quarterly dividend by 80 per cent as the troubled engineering giant grappled with a $2.12-billion net loss in its second quarter and a stock price that hit a new 14-year low.
The dividend drop to two cents per share from 10 cents per share came after a third straight quarter of losses and amid a major strategic shift under the company’s new CEO, whose predecessor left in June following the controversial handling of a highprofile court case that has embroiled the Trudeau government.
SNC-Lavalin’s share price fell more than nine per cent Thursday to close at $18.92, its lowest level since January 2005. Over the past year its market value has dropped by about two-thirds to $3.32 billion.
“This was a really tough and disappointing quarter,” interim chief executive Ian Edwards said on a conference call. “In recent quarters we have provided guidance on our financial results that we did not deliver. This is unacceptable.”
After slashing its profit forecast three times since January – the latest came abruptly last week, far below analysts’ expectations – Edwards on Thursday announced a new oversight manager who reports directly to him, a move intended to facilitate tying off SNC’s nearly two-dozen big fixed-price construction contracts over the next few years.
Last month, Edwards announced the company is quitting the field of so-called lumpsum turnkey projects – “the root cause of the company’s underperformance,” he said Thursday - and pivoting to a more stable
business model that revolves around engineering services, steering clear of the cost overruns absorbed by fixed-price bidders.
Edwards also reiterated his aim of “exploring all options” for SNC’s resources segment, including selling its flagging oil and gas business – which accounted for one quarter of overall company revenues last year, down from 44 per cent in 2016.
SNC-Lavalin remains saddled with a $4.6-billion backlog on fixed-price resource and infrastructure contracts, its “biggest stumbling block,” said analyst Maxim Sytchev of National Bank of Canada.
The two areas – which include oil and gas projects and mine construction in the Middle East as well as two rail projects in Canada – cost the firm about $307.7 million in the latest quarter due to higher expenses, the company said.
“Some are assuming that the company will need as much as $500 million to $1 billion to complete these projects given the lack of a clean track record on the part of SNC’s management,” Sytchev said in an investor note.
While revenue at SNC’s main segment –newly formed to handle a swath of engineering services – grew nearly 11 per cent, the unit’s earnings before interest and tax dropped nearly 20 per cent amid falling margins across all sub-divisions.
Nonetheless, SNC-Lavalin’s renewed focus on engineering and design is already bearing fruit. It won engineering, consultant and planning contracts in the United Arab Emirates and southern U.S. last month, which “show SNC continues to be successful in winning work outside of Canada,” analyst Frederic Bastien of Raymond James said in a research note.
A positive day on North American markets came to an abrupt end Thursday afternoon when one presidential tweet threatening more tariffs on Chinese imports sent stock markets and oil prices plunging. North American markets rose in early Thursday trading until U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose “a small additional tariff of 10 per cent tariffs on the remaining US$300 billion of goods and products from China” as of Sept. 1. Markets, especially in the United States, promptly tanked on heightened trade anxiety. The new tariffs are on top of 25 per cent tariffs on US$250 billion of Chinese imports. This comes after markets retreated Wednesday as investors were disappointed by the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut of 0.25 per cent.
But they picked up early the next day after PMI manufacturing data in July fell to its lowest level in nearly a decade, giving investors hope that the Fed would cut rates again in September.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 29.52 points at 16,377.04, after hitting an intraday high of 16,505.92. Health care was the worstperforming sector on the day, falling 3.08 per cent as shares of several cannabis producers fell, including Cronos Group Inc. which was off by 7.6 per cent and Aurora Cannabis Inc. dropped by 5.6 per cent.
The key energy sector was down 2.2 per cent with oil companies such as Husky Energy Inc. and Canadian Natural Resources falling as crude oil prices plunged 7.9 per cent.
The September crude contract was down US$4.63 at US$53.95 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was down 3.1 cents at US$2.20 per mmBTU. Materials was also higher as the spot price of gold rose by US$17. Nonetheless, the December gold contract was down $5.40 at US$1,432.40 an ounce and the September copper contract was down half a cent at US$2.66 a pound.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 280.85 points at 26,583.42. The S&P 500 index was down 26.82 points at 2,953.56,
AP PHOTO
Vehicles are parked Wednesday outside the home of Paige A. Thompson, who uses the online handle “erratic.”
Allen James Dumas
Died in Comox on July 29th, 2019. His civil engineering background had him measuring and recording his daily bike rides; he was exceedingly nimble at doing math in his head; and the printing in his journal entries was very small and neat-in a draftsperson’s kind-of-way. He was an inspiring teacher, and he challenged his many college students to think in novel ways. He was also a student of Nature-always learning the names of the plants and animals living in the wilderness where he played. His adventurous, lighthearted spirit rode white-water rapids; downhill skied and toured on snow; paddled the oceans; canoed major rivers; backpacked the wilderness; and introduced hacky sack to hundreds of people during his global travels. At home he crushed grapes and blackberries, and created gardens resplendent with flowers and vegetables. He was kind, humble, smart, and funny. Allen would never suggest what to do, but we all saw the quiet grace in his actions. And when we were faced with “sityee-ations” in our lives, we would ask ourselves, “What would Al do?” We are asking ourselves this question now. Those asking currently are: wife Shirley Dumas, sister Donna Millikin (John), many nieces and nephews and numerous international, national and local family and friends. Allen was predeceased by his parents, sister Diane Kosok (Dumas), brother Denny Dumas (Karen) and Denny’s son Kevin Dumas. As an aggressive cancer stormed through Allen’s healthy body, exceptional physicians comforted and guided. Much gratitude to Dr. Nancy MacPherson, Dr. Jonathon Reggler, Nurse Denise, The Cottage Medical Staff, and the Comox Valley Home Care Team. There will be no memorial service. However, donations to Comox Valley Habitat for Humanity, Plan International, or Doctors Without Borders would continue Allen’s support.
John Frederick Norman April 22, 1940July 28, 2019.
It is with sadness that our family shares the passing of John Norman. He had a full and happy life that began in Langley Prairie, BC and other areas of the Fraser Valley. While attending Langley High School he met his life’s partner, Ellen. Together they completed their university training and as young teachers headed to Prince George where they built their careers and a life with their three daughters. John was an active athlete, coach, volunteer, and fan in a wide variety of sports (Go Cougars Go!). He enjoyed tennis, basketball and baseball in his younger years and curling and golf later on. John began his career as a Physical Education teacher and later became a respected principal of many elementary schools around Prince George. He felt strongly about ensuring that what was best for kids was at the forefront of his teaching and he had great admiration for teachers that made a difference for students. John was passionate about building and contributing to the community. He was generous with his time in supporting his belief that a strong community needs a balance of sports, arts, culture, and learning. Over the years he volunteered for the arts, biathlon events, golf tournaments, fundraising for the Two Rivers Art Gallery, and archiving Prince George’s educational history. After retirement John embraced new challenges in his work for Elections BC. During his free time John was often found in the outdoors, he particularly enjoyed canoeing, fishing and spending time at the family cabin. Most of all, he loved having his family around him and will be remembered for his fondness of family dinners and strong values. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Ellen Norman; daughters: Heather (Ed) Tandy, Kathy (Paul) Norman, and Robin (Glenn) Norman; grandchildren: Megan (Dominik), Stephanie (Luke), James (Robin), and Erin (Ben); greatgrandchildren: Predo and George. He will be greatly missed by his sister, Mary Hochglaube. He also leaves behind many extended family members and friends. A celebration of his life will take place on Sunday, August 25th at 2pm at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club. In lieu of flowers, donations to Prince George Hospice Society, Nové Voce Choir, or the UNBC Nordic Sport Leadership Award would be appreciated. Links for these organizations can be found at: https://inmemoryofjohn.wixsite.com/2019
Arnold (Red) Horning June 11,1932 - March 4, 2019
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday August 10, 2019 at 4pm. 3035 Seton Cres (in Dads Garden). Please join us to share memories and a meal.
Dimitrios (Jimmy) Vardacostas
Prince George 02/19/1935 - 07/26/2019
Jimmy passed away peacefully among family at Simon Fraser Lodge on July 26, 2019. Jimmy was born in Avlonari, Greece on February 19, 1935 to Vasilis and Chrisavyi (Gounaris) Vardacostas. Jimmy is survived by his wife Kathy, children Bill, Christos (Michelle) and Vivian, brother Jean, grandchildren Emma, Ekaterina, Mia, and Ashan. Jimmy is predeceased by his sister Stavroula. The family would like to acknowledge and thank all the staff at Simon Fraser Lodge, for the excellent care given over the past year and a half. Service will be held at the Greek Orthodox Church (5th and Tabor) at 10:30 am on Saturday August 3rd Followed by a celebration of life gathering at the Bon Voyage (4366 Highway 16 West). In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Greek Orthodox Church
Gabrielle Gloria (LeBlanc) Hamelin
Born in Waterville Maine, USA March 21, 1923 On the morning of July 26, 2019 the gates of Heaven opened for Gabrielle Hamelin, 96 years old, of Prince George, B.C. She was predeceased by loving husband Joseph in 2009; parents Michel and Maria; three sisters and one brother. She leaves behind siblings, Gerard Leblanc, Yvonne (Louis Desrosier), Lucien Leblanc, and Mathias LeBlanc (Lorrie) and sister-in-law Betty (Norman Perry). Also left to cherish Mom’s memory are Her four daughters Irene (John Krause ), Cecile (Morrie Archibald), Annette (Robert Davey), and Denise (Perry Gill); Ten Grandchildren and Thirteen Great Grandchildren; and many more relatives and friends.
Visitation to be held on Saturday August 3, 2019 @ 1-1:45 p.m with Mass to follow immediately @ 2:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 1088 Gillette Street, Prince George, B.C. Arrangements entrusted to Grace Memorial Funeral Home and Crematorium Ltd. (Vanderhoof, B.C.) 96 years wasn’t enough time Mom. We will miss you, till we meet again, rest in peace. In lieu of flowers donation can be made to charity of your choice.
MAY YOU DANCE WITH DAD FOREVER MOM
James Bryan Adams 1944 — 2019 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bryan on the morning of July 25th. Bryan was born in Nipawin, Sask in1944 and resided in Prince George from 1947 until his passing. He was a quiet and gentle man with a tremendous sense of humor and a joke for everyone he met. Bryan loved music, but his greatest love was of family and his cabin at Cluculz Lake, sitting by the campfire. Bryan was a long-term member of the Loyal Order of the Moose, holding many positions and an expert pancake flipper at the Pancake breakfasts. He was also a member of Knox United Church. Bryan is survived by his two sisters, Ann Hoyer (Harvey) and Joan Crowe (George), two nephews, two nieces and their families all of Prince George. Also, his former wife, Lee of White Rock and her family who have remained close. Bryan leaves behind many close and dear friends. We will always be grateful to Darrel Williams and Tove Kemp for their dedication to Bryan. A thank you to all the residents at Midtowne Apts for all their kindness and friendship to Bryan. A special thanks to all Bryan’s doctors, nurses and home care staff. There will be no funeral as per Bryan’s request.
God looked down on your body, so tired from hanging on from a life that was overwhelming you and wanted back his son. So, he took away the air you breathe and gave you what was best A place to be at peace. A final place to rest. Rest in Peace, Bryan.
Gordon Alexander Dean, Oct. 4, 1951 - July 27, 2019.
Gord passed away after a brief illness in Port Coquitlam. He is survived by his sister, Cathy, Nephew, Niece, Uncle, Aunt and cousins. Predeceased by his parents John and Doris Dean. He was born in Trail, BC. Moved to Prince George in his teens and worked as a Bricklayer for several years before moving south to Hope. He was always a kind person who would give you the shirt off his back.
In the words of Bob Dylan (his favorite),
“ When you’re sad and when you’re lonely, and you haven’t got a friend
Just remember that death is not the end
And all that you’ve held sacred, falls down and does not mend
Just remember that death is not the end. “
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Thosecandidatesshortlisted willbecontacted. 6989GladstoneDrive PrinceGeorge,BCV2N3N7 koolcats@telus.net
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College Heights: Needed for Sept 1, 2019
O’Grady Rd and Park, Brock, Selkirk,
• Oxford, Cowart, Simon Fraser, Trent, Domano, Guelph, St Lawrence, Hartford, Harvard, Imperial, Jean De Brefeuf Cres, Loyola, Latrobe, Leicester Pl, Malaspina, Princeton, Newcastle, Prince Edward, Melbourne, Guerrier, Loedel, Sarah, Lancaster, Lemoyne, Leyden,St Anne, St Bernadette Pl, Southridge, Bernard Rd, St Clare, Creekside, Stillwater, Avison, Davis, Capella, Speca, Starlane, Bona Dea, Charella, Davis, Polaris, Starlane, Vega.
• • Needed for Aug 1, 2019
• • Moncton, Queens, Peidmont, Rochester, Renison, McMaster, Osgood, Marionopolis.
• Quinson Area
• Lyon, Moffat, Ogilvie, Patterson, Kelly, Hammond, Ruggles, Nicholson
Full Time and Temporary Routes Available. Contact for Details 250-562-3301 or rss@pgcitizen.ca
