Environmental review begins for petrochemical project
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
A preliminary project description is now on the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office website for a component of an ambitious petrochemical complex in Prince George.
The 143-page document was posted on Thursday and marks the formal beginning of the EAO’s review of West Coast Olefins Ltd.’s proposal to build an ethylene plant on a 120-hectare (300-acre) property in the BCR Industrial Site.
It’s one of three major components of a petrochemical complex proposed for Prince George, along with an ethylene derivatives plant and a natural gas recovery system.
According to the document, the ethylene plant would use feedstock from Enbridge’s West Coast natural gas pipeline primarily to produce about one million tonnes per year of polymer-grade ethylene.
In turn, most of that would go to the adjacent ethylene derivatives plant at the BCR to produce polyethylene – essentially plastic in pellet form – and possibly mono-ethylene glycol – used as antifreeze and heat transfer fluid – for export to Asia.
The polyethylene plant, in turn, would be “developed by others” at a different site, according to the project’s proponents. Like WCOL’s ethylene plant, the derivatives plant would also go through the province’s environmental assessment process.
Meanwhile, a subsidiary of WCOL would operate a natural gas recovery system, consisting of an extraction plant adjacent to the pipeline and connected to a separation
plant at the BCR,10 kilometres away.
The separation plant would produce ethane, propane, butane and condensate.
While the ethane would go to WCOL’s ethane plant, the propane and butane would be loaded into rail cars and sent to Prince Rupert or Kitimat for export to Asia.
The condensate, in turn, would be sent by rail to Alberta for sale into the condensate pool or could potentially be sold as feedstock to the Husky refinery in Prince George.
The natural gas recovery system would be subject to a review by the Oil and Gas Commission.
Proponents have said the projects are add up to $5.6 billion worth of construction and would employ about 1,000 people once completed.
According to the submission to the EAO, the ethylene plant would account for as much as $2.8 billion of that total, with the construction expected to span from the spring of 2021 to summer of 2023 and generate 2,000 to 3,000 jobs at its peak.
Once completed, it would employ 140 to 180 employees directly and 25 to 50 contract employees during commercial operation, and have an initial lifespan of about 25 years.
“In addition to this, the local community will experience multiple indirect benefits, such as support of local services and inclusion of local institutions for training purposes,” WCOL added in the submission.
On the environmental impact, WCOL says it is “committed to best-in-class environmental performance.”
— see ‘THESE ARE, page 3
Wolf cull could target up to 80 per cent in some areas
Randy SHORE Vancouver Sun
The provincial government is proposing a predator cull that would kill more than 80 per cent of the wolf population in parts of central British Columbia that are home to threatened caribou herds, according to correspondence from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
“The objective of this wolf reduction program is to reverse caribou population decline in the Tweedsmuir-Entiako, Hart Ranges, and Itcha-Ilgachuz herds,” says a memo signed by Darcy Peel, director of
the B.C. Caribou Recovery Program. “To reverse caribou population declines, high rates of wolf removal (>80 per cent) must be achieved.”
The Tweedsmuir-Entiako and Itcha-Ilgachuz herds are in the central part of the province, roughly east of Bella Coola and west of Quesnel, while the Hart Ranges herd is near the Alberta border, east of Prince George.
A parallel cull is also proposed for the Itcha-Ilgachuz herd area to “remove cougars that have likely begun to focus on caribou as a prey source.”
— see ‘THESE HERDS, page 3
FILE PHOTO FROM NORTHERN LIGHTS WILDLIFE WOLF CENTRE
A five-year program of wolf reduction has turned a 15 per cent a year decline in the population of the Central Group of the Southern Mountain Caribou into a 15 per cent a year increase, according a memo from the B.C. Caribou Recovery Program.
Prince George provincial court docket NEWS IN BRIEF
From Prince George provincial court, Sept. 9-12:
• Franz Otto Sameit (born 1962) was sentenced to three months probation and fined $1,500 plus a $225 victim surcharge for driving without a driver’s licence under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Brandon Wayne Lewis (born 1985) was sentenced to a 60-day conditional sentence order and 18 months probation and issued a 10-year firearms prohibition for assault, careless use or storage of a firearm and breaching an undertaking or recognizance.
• Kurtis Maurice Champagne (born 1988) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $1,000 for driving while impaired.
• Timothy Justin Williams (born 1986) was sentenced to one year probation with a suspended sentence and ordered to pay $75 restitution for assault and mischief $5,000 or under.
• Jade Allen Bennett (born 1988) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act and sentenced to one day in jail for failing to appear in court.
• Brent James Cornish (born 1976) was prohibited
from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Joseph Patrick Courtoreille (born 1990) was sentenced to nine days in jail and one year probation for theft $5,000 or under and to no further days in jail for a separate count of theft $5,000 or under. Courtoreille was in custody for 13 days prior to sentencing.
• James Donald Wood (born 1963) was sentenced to 311 days in jail for breaking and entering and committing an indictable offence and to 30 days in jail for possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and to 18 months probation on the counts. Wood was in custody for 34 days prior to sentencing.
• Ronald Dale Collin (born 1974) was sentenced to 224 days in jail and two years probation and ordered to pay a total $635.61 in restitution for possessing or using a stolen credit card, theft $5,000 and under and breaching a recognizance or undertaking. Collin was in custody for nine days prior to sentencing.
• Jake Toby Patrick (born 1994) was sentenced to 16 days in jail and 18 months probation for breaching an undertaking and two counts of theft $5,000 or under. Patrick was in custody for one day prior to sentencing.
Job fair today for BC Cannabis Store
A job fair will be held today to recruit prospective employees for its BC Cannabis Store at Pine Centre Mall, set to open later in winter. It’s set for the Courtyard by Marriott Prince George, 900 Brunswick St., from noon to 6 p.m. BCCS will be recruiting for between 10 to 16 positions, including a store manager, two assistant store managers, and full-time and part-time cannabis consultants. While recruiters will be collecting resumes at the event, all prospective candidates must submit their application via the LDB’s online portal at www.bcldb.com/about/careers to be considered. All employment opportunities for BCCS are posted at this site. — Citizen staff
Document shredding event on Saturday
The Prince George Crime Stoppers Society will be hosting a document shredding event this Saturday. It will be held at the CN Centre parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“This is a chance for members of the public to shred personal or important documents, helping to ensure they will not be a victim of identity theft,” organizers said. Shred-it Mobile Shredding Services will be on hand to dispose of documents. The service will be provided for a minimum $5 donation and is not meant for business owners. Barbecued hamburgers from Mr. Mikes will also be available by donation starting at 11 a.m. All proceeds will go towards supporting the Prince George Crime Stopper Society.
— Citizen staff
Red Cross recruiting volunteers in P.G.
The local branch of the Canadian Red Cross is hosting volunteer information tours tomorrow and Sept. 24 as more people are needed on the teams it takes to run the services the Red Cross offers to the residents of Prince George. Anyone interested in learning more about what services the Red Cross offers is invited to stop by the HELP Depot at 1399 Sixth Ave. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Program coordinators will be on hand to talk about the impact the programs offered at the Red Cross have on those in need, including the Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP) which is a loan centre for mobility aids and equipment needed for those who are recovering from surgery or illness. Volunteers who are able to work at the spur of the moment might take up the challenge of emergency management that sees volunteers helping those in need access shelter, food and clothing during disasters like a house fire, wildfires or floods. Anyone interesting in volunteering but unable to attend the tours can reach out for more information to VolunteerBCY@ RedCross.ca or call 1-250491-8443 Ext. 216, visit www. redcross.ca/volunteer or drop by the depot for an application.
— Citizen staff
Downtown Fallfest hosting local markets
The largest outdoor market of the year will be the centrepiece of the fledgling Downtown Fallfest this Saturday.
To run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., it will not only feature the Prince George Farmer’s Market at Third Avenue and Quebec Street, but the Wilson’s Square Farmer’s Market will also be back at the courthouse at Third Avenue and George Street. “Our vendors are excited to be able to join this celebration of fall and make sure you have a chance take advantage of the rich and bountiful harvest this season,” said Wilson Square Farmers’ Market president Lawrence Hewitt. “This is a great time to stock up on all the tasty ingredients from our local farmers.” Fallfest will also include a pancake breakfast, a pop-up market and entertainment. And there will be presentations on local food, canning, electric cars and conservation.
“We have had so much fun hosting our summer and winter festivals that we jumped at the opportunity to work with enthusiastic partners to plan an event for the fall in our downtown,” said Downtown Prince George executive director Colleen Van Mook. Fallfest will also coincide with the CrossRoads Street Festival on George Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Details are also online at www. downtownpg.com and on the organization’s Facebook page. — Citizen staff
Smile Cookie days
Firefighters quell blaze at landfill
Citizen staff
Firefighters found themselves battling a blaze that broke out in a heap of garbage at the Foothills landfill on Monday morning.
Called to the scene just after 6 a.m., it took about 4 1/2 hours to put the fire out.
“We had an excavator from the regional district to dig it out an pull it apart so we could get down to the scene because if you just put water on the top, it doesn’t penetrate,” Prince George Fire Rescue deputy chief Blake King said.
Complicating matters, firefighters had to haul the water in to fight the fire because there were no hydrants within reaching distance.
The crew left the scene by about 10:30 a.m. while landfill staff continued to keep
an eye out for any further signs of trouble.
King said calls to the landfill have been rare.
“We’ve had a few trips the compost section but into the landfill, not that often,” King said.
When they have broken out in the compost section, firefighters have had to be on the scene for much longer.
“We’ve been there all night trying to pull it apart,” King said. “It’s just a big mess.”
With the exception of the collection facility for used oil, the landfill remained open to the public throughout the event.
While no cause had been determined, the regional district reminded the public that hazardous, flammable or ignitable waste, including lithium batteries, are not permitted at the landfill.
Ombudsperson team touring area
Citizen staff
Prince George will be among the stops when representatives from the B.C. Ombudsperson’s office tour northeast B.C.
The office deals with complaints from the public of unfair treatment by the provincial government, local government, or another B.C. public sector organization.
The office’s mobile complaints team will be in this city on Sept. 30, followed by Mackenzie on Oct. 1, Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd on Oct. 2, Dawson Creek on Oct. 3 and Fort St. John on Oct. 4.
In the lead up, the office is currently scheduling in-person, confidential and free
appointments.
To make a booking, call 1-800-567-3247.
“Meeting with us face to face is a great way for you to raise your concerns about the fairness of government services you have received,” said Ombudsperson Jay Chalke. The office receives between 7,000 and 8,000 complaints a year.
“We hear a wide range of complaints from people experiencing lengthy delays getting service, individuals having trouble getting benefits they are entitled to or others who may feel decisions impacting them are unfair,” said Chalke. For more information visit www.bcombudsperson.ca.
‘These herds have reached a critical point’
— from page 1
A 30-day consultation with Indigenous communities and “targeted stakeholders” is underway.
A five-year program of wolf reduction has turned a 15 per cent a year decline in the population of the Central Group of the Southern Mountain Caribou into a 15 per cent a year increase, Peel writes.
A study of 18 caribou herds released earlier this year found that populations stabilized or increased in eight of 12 herds in areas where wolves were culled. Six herds that were not subject to predator removal continued to decline, according to the study led by Robert Serrouya, director of the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute’s Caribou Monitoring Unit.
The Central Group’s Klinse-Za herd posted the most dramatic recovery through a combination of predator reductions and maternal penning, in which pregnant caribou and calves are protected by fencing.
Serrouya found that predator management must be applied “intensively” to produce a positive result and that combining strategies such as culls, restoration and safe havens enhanced the effectiveness of recovery efforts.
Serrouya’s study identifies predators as a “proximate” cause of caribou decline, while ecosystem alteration is the “ultimate factor.”
“Habitat restoration is the long-term piece to this strategy,” Serrouya said in a interview. “But if we wait for the habitat to be restored and do nothing else, there won’t be any caribou to occupy it.”
Several herds in B.C. have already turned around because of this multipronged approach, he said.
B.C. is currently rolling out a $47-million caribou recovery plan.
“Wolf populations in these herds are far above the level that research tells us is needed to ensure caribou recovery,” the ministry wrote in response to questions from Postmedia.
“These herds have reached a critical point, with a combined total of only 801
A study of 18 caribou herds released earlier this year found that populations stabilized or increased in eight of 12 herds in areas where wolves were culled. Six herds that were not subject to predator removal continued to decline...
individual animals. All have had steep declines in recent years due to predation.”
The proposed cull was condemned as outdated thinking that ignores the real cause of the caribou decline by a one-time NDP candidate and former conservation officer.
Habitat loss to logging, mining, oil and gas development and roadbuilding is the real problem, said Bryce Casavant, now a conservation policy analyst with Pacific Wild.
“It’s not a scientific discovery to say that if we kill the predators, the caribou will do a little better,” he said.
“What’s really happening is that taxpayers are subsidizing inappropriate industrial operations by paying for the cull and the wolves are paying with their lives.”
The ministry memo advocates an adaptive management approach to conservation, combining predator management with other strategies and studying their effectiveness as they are applied.
Casavant argued that so-called “science on the go” is intended to support the government’s predator management strategy.
“The data shows that habitat loss is the largest agent of decline, not wolves,” he said.
‘These are very clean-burning fuels’
— from page 1
In answer to concerns about the impact on the city’s air quality, it says primary fuel will be ethylene plant offgas, that consists of mostly hydrogen and methane, and lean natural gas.
“These are very clean-burning fuels that emit no odour and negligible particulate matter,” WCOL says. “The Project will be designed with vapour recovery systems and fugitive emission monitoring systems to minimize fugitive emissions and odours.”
And while critics have maintained it should be located in an area north of the city designated for heavy industry, WCOL says the BCR site was chosen “to minimize the use of undisturbed land, thereby minimizing potential environmental impacts from the facility location.”
And it says the plant will be designed to “minimize impacts on the important fisheries of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers” with most of the water it will need being used for non-contact cooling water “to minimize the volumes required and minimize the risk of contamination by the petrochemical process.”
“The plant will be designed to treat and recycle process water streams wherever practical.
“Any water that is released into the river will be cooled in the cooling water circuit, treated and tested to ensure that it exceeds all regulatory standards.”
Next steps include a review by a technical working group and an opportunity for public comment, which has not yet started.
The EAO has 180 days to carry out the review although the period can be extended if there is a need for more information or the proponent asks for one. From there, WCOL’s application would be forwarded to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, who have 45 days to decide on whether an environmental assessment certificate should be issued and whether the certificate should come with conditions. They can also call for further study or assesssment.
The posting can be found through projects.eao.gov.bc.ca.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
Jeremy Gutierrez from the Victoria Street Tim Hortons decorates Smile Cookies on Monday morning. The cookies are being sold at all Tim Horton locations in Prince George until Sunday for a $1 a cookie, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to The Spirit of The North Healthcare Foundation.
May seeks to blow past political pack with platform roll out
Stephanie LEVITZ The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Green Leader Elizabeth
May pushed past the political pack Monday by introducing a wide-ranging set of new policy promises while her rivals were recycling or expanding on old ideas.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer reintroduced tax credits from the Harper government era, and Justin Trudeau pledged funds for more child-care spaces despite only days ago suggesting that was something provinces alone need to tackle.
May said politics-as-usual is leading the country down a path Canada simply cannot survive.
It is time for the kind of big ideas that Canada hasn’t seen since the 1950s, and ones that take into account climate change’s being the major crisis of our time, she said. “I believe that what Canadians really want is peace, order and green government,” May said in Toronto.
The Green platform, in addition to aggressive targets for emissions reductions and environmental measures such as a ban on hydraulic fracking, also pledges universal pharmacare, the elimination of tuition fees for post-secondary education, a closer relationship with Indigenous Peoples and the elimination of poverty via a guaranteed livable income.
The cost of it all will be released in the coming days, but the benefits will be worth the price, May promised.
“It is a good deal to save all of humanity in the next five years,” she said.
New Democrats sought to take some of the wind out of May’s sails by announcing they’d poached Eric Ferland, the former leader of the Green party in Quebec, as a candidate in the very same Montreal-area riding whose incumbent is Pierre Nantel - a former NDP MP running for re-election as a Green.
The Greens and the NDP have appeared locked in a battle for third place since well before the start of the campaign.
But both NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and May insisted Monday they’re not running against each other.
“Our focus is on replacing the Trudeau government,” said Singh, in Quebec.
May said while she thinks she’s best qualified to be prime minister, she also suggested she’s got her eye on a different prize: electing enough Green MPs to have a role in a potential minority government.
Under the Liberal-led minority government of Lester B. Pearson, Canadians got universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, even a national flag, May pointed out.
“This is, for me, a model of how Parliament should work but we have not had anything equally bold in more than 50 years,” she said.
“So here we are, saying it’s time.”
One of the places the Greens are hoping to elect a candidate is the Ontario riding of Guelph, which sent a Green to the Ontario
legislature in the last provincial election. May headed there after her platform launch on Monday. Trudeau was campaigning nearby, in the southwestern Ontario cities of Waterloo, London and Windsor.
It was in Waterloo that Trudeau promised $535 million per year to create more before- and after-school childcare spaces and cut fees for parents – a program that would require getting the provinces onside, a detail that didn’t stop him from demonizing the conservative governments running several of them.
and how to deliver them.
He reframed the issue Monday, arguing the funds were about families and blaming conservatives for promising help but cutting services.
Trudeau is wading into waters that earlier this month he said he would avoid: he told the Toronto Star that provinces were best placed to figure out what child-care services were needed in their jurisdictions
“I always think that’s a role for the federal government, to make sure that we are investing families and supporting them,” Trudeau said. Trudeau took questions from reporters for the first time since Friday. Conservatives had jumped on Trudeau’s apparent avoidance of the media by pointing out that their former leader, Stephen Harper, had been lambasted when he took only five questions a day in campaigns past.
But it was again Scheer who drew comparisons to Harper.
At an event in B.C., he promised to bring
back two tax credits that had been marquee policies under Harper’s Conservative government, measures that allowed Canadian families to claim credits for expenses related to their families’ fitness- or sportsrelated activities and for arts and educational expenses.
It was the latest reboot of a past Harper policy; last week, Scheer promised to bring back a tax credit for transit passes. All three had been axed by the Liberals.
“I can assure you that throughout the rest of this campaign we will be proposing new ideas to leave more money in the pockets of Canadians,” he said.
After a couple of days of campaigning in rival-held ridings, Scheer was off to the friendlier territory of Calgary later Monday, a stop sure to provide an energy boost to a tour dogged by questions about potentially controversial candidates.
Also receiving a boost of energy Monday was Maxime Bernier.
He’s been told his year-old People’s Party of Canada will be given a spot at the officially sanctioned leaders debates in October, after making the case his party does have a reasonable chance at winning multiple seats.
“That was the right decision,” Bernier said.
Iowa student killed in B.C. bus crash mourned
VICTORIA — One of two 18-yearold students who died when a tour bus crashed on Vancouver Island is being remembered by his former principal as a friend to everyone at the Iowa high school where he was a talented soccer player.
John Geerdes graduated from Iowa City High School this year before enrolling at the University of Victoria.
“He was very excited about studying at the university there,” school principal John Bacon said Monday.
Geerdes was killed when a charter bus carrying 45 students and two teaching assistants crashed on a gravel road between the communities of Port Alberni and Bamfield late Friday.
Bacon said he emailed parents and students on Saturday after learning about the crash and a crisis team will be at the school to provide counselling.
Geerdes has four siblings including a sister at the school of 1,600 students, who are mourning the loss of Geerdes, he said.
“It’s just a huge loss for a lot of people.”
Bacon said the school’s close-knit soccer team has also been hard hit by Geerdes’s death.
“They spent a couple of hours with their coach just sharing stories and I think that really helped those guys.”
The RCMP said an 18-year-old woman from Winnipeg was also killed in the crash, but neither the provincial coroner’s service nor the Mounties have released the names of the students.
More than a dozen students were injured in the crash on the remote road on their way to the Bamfield Marine Sci-
ence Centre.
University of Victoria spokeswoman Denise Helm said one student remained in hospital on Monday but she could not provide any details.
Students from several universities attend the marine science centre and students from the University of Victoria have been taking field trips there every fall for at least 18 years, she said.
Stella Peters of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation said she and her husband James Nookemus drove past the scene where she saw a bus down an embankment between 9 and 9:30 p.m. on the rainy night.
“(I saw) about 30, 35 kids standing on the side of the road, people frantic seeing the bus over the side,” James said. “The boys were trying to help some of the other students out of the bus. They were trying to get them up the bank. There was quite a drop, a steep embankment.”
The students wanted the couple to call
911 but there was no cellphone service in the area, Peters said.
“We had to keep driving just to try and get cell service and it was 20, 25 minutes later that we actually were able to get through. We were both on our cellphones and James finally got through to 911,” Peters said.
“You should be able to reach people on your cellphone out there.”
Peters said she’s thinking of all the students, and especially of the families whose children have died.
“Our hearts go out to their families.”
Robert Dennis, chief councillor for the Huu-ay-aht who arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after Peters and her husband, said he has called for a review of the emergency response protocol because of the lack of cell service.
“I’m worried and scared and you worry about anybody going on that road,” he said, adding high-frequency radios could be installed in vehicles so communication is received in Port Alberni and Bamfield.
“That’s why in our community we let each other know where we’re going because we know it could be hours before anybody passes you in another vehicle. Especially at night time.”
The crash remains under investigation, but police said Monday that alcohol has been ruled out as a contributing factor.
In a statement, the RCMP said the driver of a second vehicle who was in the area at the time of the crash remained at the scene.
Over the coming weeks, the Mounties said investigators will work to determine the cause of the crash, which includes analyzing more than 40 statements that were taken.
CP PHOTO
Federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attends the launch of her party’s election platform in Toronto on Monday. The Green Party of Canada says every policy in its platform is viewed through the lens of the climate crisis.
BERNIER
Camille BAINS The Canadian Press
Ortis arrest ‘unsettling,’ top Mountie says
Mike BLANCHFIELD
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — The Mounties are assessing and trying to mitigate the damage that might have been caused in light of the arrest of one of their senior intelligence officials, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said Monday.
In a statement, Lucki said last week’s arrest of 47-year-old Cameron Jay Ortis, who is charged under three sections of the Security of Information Act, has “shaken many people throughout the RCMP, particularly in federal policing.”
Ortis also faces two charges under the Criminal Code, including breach of trust, for allegedly trying to disclose classified information to a foreign entity or terrorist group.
“While these allegations, if proven true, are extremely unsettling, Canadians and our lawenforcement partners can trust that our priority continues to be the integrity of the investigations and the safety and security of the public we serve,” said Lucki.
She also confirmed that Ortis was director general of the RCMP’s National Intelligence Coordination Centre, after starting his career with the Mounties in 2007.
Ortis had access to domestic and international intelligence, including information coming from Canada’s allies, she said.
Ortis has also worked in the RCMP’S Operations Research and National Security Criminal Investigations branches, she said.
“By virtue of the positions he held, Mr. Ortis had access to information the Canadian intelligence community possessed. He also had access to intelligence coming from
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki sits for an interview in Ottawa. Lucki says the Mounties are assessing and trying to mitigate the possible damage that may have been caused in light of the arrest of one of its senior intelligence officials.
our allies both domestically and internationally. This level of access is appropriate given the positions he held,” Lucki said.
“This is an ongoing investigation and we are assessing the impacts of the alleged activities as information becomes available,” she added.
“We are aware of the potential risk to agency operations of our partners in Canada and abroad and we thank them for their continued collaboration. We assure you that mitigation strategies are being put in place as required.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had little to say Monday when asked about the impact on Canada’s counterparts in the Five Eyes, the intelligence group that also includes the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
“I think people will understand I can’t make any public comments on this, but I can assure you this is something that the responsible authorities are engaged with at the highest levels, including with our allies,” Trudeau said at a campaign stop in Waterloo, Ont.
Ortis studied the international
implications of the darker corners of the internet before joining the RCMP. He earned his PhD at the University of British Columbia in 2006, one year before joining the Mounties, and after seven years as a graduate student.
He published two essays that were co-written with one of the university’s leading experts on China and Asia, political-science professor Paul Evans.
A 2003 paper published in The Pacific Review appears to have been prophetic about the rise of cybercrime and the use of the
internet as a government surveillance tool.
It was part of a broader examination of how the internet was being used by bad actors, while acknowledging that it is also sometimes a force for good.
“The walk on the dark side does not lead to the conclusion that the internet is the enemy of those wishing to construct a more stable and peaceful regional order,” they wrote.
“What we are claiming is that the proponents of a more digitized form of community building need to be aware of the risks involved and the likelihood that national governments will be more concerned than ever with surveillance and control. For individuals, whatever their level of capacity, IT poses threats of information overload, eavesdropping and monitoring, and various forms of attack including viruses and worms.”
They also predicted that nongovernmental organizations and networks would face threats to their “infrastructure, confidentiality, mailing lists, electronic subscriptions and databases.”
In a statement to The Canadian Press, Evans described Ortis as the “exemplar of discretion” and said that nothing in Evans’s experience with him “would lead me to suspect he would be (in) any way involved in activities that would lead to such charges.”
Evans said he was a member of Ortis’s doctoral dissertation committee and worked with him on several projects. They also saw each other socially from time to time after Ortis started his RCMP job, but Evans said Ortis never discussed the details of his work.
The Mounties are promising a further update on the arrest at a news conference on Tuesday.
Are Conservatives conservative?
What governing vision does the Conservative Party of Canada offer Canadians this election?
This is a fundamental question that the party has not yet answered. In a recent column, pundit Andrew Coyne wrote: “Conservatism in Canada now amounts to, at best, opportunism. They are in favour of whatever is unassailably popular, opposed to whatever is indefensibly unpopular… just so long as no one asks them to take a risk, a stand, or a decision, to… explain how it differs from the left’s.”
The same cannot be said for the federal Liberals and NDP. The Liberals proudly wrap themselves around a heavily leftleaning economic and social agenda, while the NDP are trying to outflank the Liberals on the left.
Both parties unapologetically promote their fiscal vision for greater government economic intervention and their social vision for diversity, equity and overall social justice.
From running government deficits in normal times, legalizing marijuana and euthanasia, to, until recently, supporting policies that would further integrate China and Canada economically and socially, the Liberals seek to reshape our country.
What is the alternative to the left’s agenda for remaking Canada?
We can try to infer possible conservative policies by summarizing basic conservative values and then applying it to a few presentday government priorities.
Conservatism in general places importance on tradition and norms that provide stability for society over time. Their vision is not about going backwards, but rather to maintain conventions and practices that work.
It’s a view consistent with Aristotle’s be-
liefs that “… morality and politics – unlike natural science – lack special experts, and that in these areas, human experience over generations is the main source of knowledge,” according to academic Andy Hamilton, a philosophy professor at Durham University in the United Kingdom.
A conservative vision also adapts to changes reflecting societal needs – but it does not lead in those changes. In effect, a conservative approach does not use its people as test subjects in new social experiments.
A conservative will, however, look at the results elsewhere before making changes. Changes are made incrementally over time. Conservatives eschew activist-type policy. They acknowledge the positive contributions of historical leaders and do not judge historical events based on modern values.
On fiscal matters, conservatives take to heart conservative philosopher Edmund Burke’s thoughts on society’s social contract. Burke stated that society is a social contract among those living, dead and yet to be born. It is an inter-generational contract that places a responsibility on us, now, to provide the future generation an endowment for bettering themselves.
Burke also believed that free markets were the best way to provide for society. Interference, no matter how well-intended, would misallocate resources and create unintended consequences.
So how would a conservative governing framework – as in small-c conservative, not necessarily the Conservative Party of Canada – impact government policy?
Let’s look in brief at three examples: our foreign policy towards China, immigration policy and fiscal policy.
China
A true conservative policy would be meaningfully influenced by Australia’s
experiences dealing with China. The two countries entered into a free-trade agreement in 2015.
As Australia’s trade dependency with China grew, its ability to make independent strategic decisions were undermined by growing Chinese economic and political influence.
Thus, a Canadian conservative government, while seeing the need economically to engage the world’s second-largest economy, would do so in limited ways and on terms that would minimize the potential pressure China could exert on Canada’s future economic and political goals.
This would mean a halt to exploring formal trade deals and restricting Chinese direct investment in nationally sensitive industries. Canadian universities would introduce best practices in their academic exchanges in order to minimize illicit technology transfers.
Immigration
Conservative immigration policy would continue to encourage immigrants to Canada with skills that benefit our society.
But issues dealing with cultural differences and our ability to successfully integrate large numbers of culturally diverse migrants would be considered more circumspectly.
For instance, greater importance would be given to the impact of new immigrants settling disproportionately in Vancouver and Toronto, with the resultant growth in ethnic enclaves.
More importance would also be placed on prohibiting foreign governments and foreign political groups operating within immigrant communities.
Language requirements would be tightened, along with additional programs implemented, to encourage community integration.
Fiscal policy
Regarding fiscal policy, a conservative government would ostensibly be mindful of society’s responsibility to future generations. Therefore, government spending would be fiscally cautious and budgets would be balanced in all but special circumstances. Government spending and tax policies would focus on encouraging community engagement, individual responsibility and volunteerism as a way of building a stronger civil society.
Note the emphasis on community and individualism, as opposed to direct government intervention. For example, introducing tax measures to help people save for retirement would be prioritized, while expenditures intended to correct social injustices would be reallocated.
Generally speaking, policies that impede free markets, such as aggressive minimum wage rates or other significant redistribution schemes, would not be pursued.
The policies outlined are not necessarily the policies of Andrew Scheer’s Conservative Party – they are simply expressions of conservative values.
We can see however, that conservatism is much more than calling for lower taxes and not being Liberals. Conservative vision rejects social experimentation on the hope of making something better.
To Scheer and conservative politicians: embrace your political heritage and show Canadians you can lead with an agenda built on solid conservative principles. If you have a message to make Canada better, Canadians need to hear it now.
Jerome Gessaroli is an instructor in the school of business at the B.C. Institute of Technology and a visiting lecturer in the school of business at Simon Fraser University. This article first appeared in The Conversation.
YOUR LETTERS
Dodging taxes
I watched the first leaders debate and was taken back. During the debate, Andrew Scheer suggested that the Conservatives were good stewards of finances. He strongly suggested that only Conservatives could wisely handle Canadian taxation.
In 2006, Stephen Harper was elected prime minister. The government he inherited from Paul Martin had a surplus. In his first mandate, Harper reduced Business Income Taxes. He also said that these business tax reductions would have a trickle down effect in the economy. This just didn’t happen.
In his second mandate, he reduced personal taxes. The surplus he had in 2002 had disappeared in red ink. We also find in the first year of Justin Trudeau’s government that wealthy Canadians and foreign corporations have been using schemes to reduce their taxes. So this goes back to the Conservative government mandates. I find it strange that Conservatives kick up a stink over SNC-Lavalin and nothing on this evading of taxes. Liberals didn’t seem to care also. Makes one question if these two parties gain extra funds from these wealthy people and foreign corporations?
Stan New Prince George
LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. No attachments, please. They can also be faxed to 250-960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes.
Culture frames U.S. gun problem
In a recent U.S. mass shooting at a St. Louis high school’s football jamboree, eight-year-old Jurnee Thompson was shot and killed.
The child was described in the media as “an innocent bystander” and in a public statement the local police chief said “she had done nothing wrong.”
The almost acquiescent, world-weary “just another school shooting” thinking behind both of those extraordinarily insensitive statements is chilling. They reveal an increasingly anesthetized state of mind about the death by gun of an eight-year-old innocent child.
In other words, there’s nothing unusual about any of this anymore. Childhood innocence, at least in the United States, has been lost.
Coming to terms with “innocence lost,” some U.S. parents now equip kids with bulletproof backpacks to wear to school, readily available and advertised everywhere. Architects involved with U.S. school design now include considerations of when, not if, an active shooter will be on a school campus.
It’s important for teachers and students to have an impenetrable refuge when, not if, the school shooting is in progress, said Jim Childress, principal at Connecticut-based architectural firm Centerbrook Architects.
The deadliest school shooting to date was the December 2012 Sandy Hook massacre
in Newtown, Conn., in which a gunman killed 27 people (mostly children) at an elementary school with a semi-automatic rifle.
The killer was 20-year-old Adam Lanza, who used his mother’s legally obtained Bushmaster semiautomatic XM-15.
The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting of Feb. 18, 2018, resulted in the murders of 17 students and teachers.
This time the killer was Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old, recently-expelled student. He used a legally-purchased Smith & Wesson M&P semiautomatic rifle.
Between the Sandy Hook murders in 2012 and the Stoneman Douglas High School attack in 2018, there were 49 other elementary or high school shootings where the shooter was a student, the youngest being 12 years old and the oldest 18, according to Wikipedia.
Most of the weapons wielded by the students were carelessly stored handguns or shotguns brought from home.
The number of firearms available to American civilians is estimated at more
than 393 million, according to a 2018 Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey (SAS) report.
Compared with most other countries, the United States has the highest ownership and least restrictive gun ownership laws in the world, with 120 guns per 100 people, according to Axios. The U.S. also has highest per capita rate of firearms-related murders of all developed countries, according to the Washington Post.
In Canada, during the 2012-2018 period, there was only one student-involved K-12 school shooting. In 2016, a 17-year-old male suspect, who had used a shotgun brought from home, was apprehended and placed into custody.
In Canada, gun ownership sits at 34.7 per 100 persons but, according to a Canadian Press article by Joan Bryden. Gun control in Canada could wind up being a defining issue in the federal election, with spokespeople for the Liberal Party zeroing in on Andrew Scheer’s not-quite-forgotten leadership campaign platform, which was deleted from his website but had included pledges to “increase gun magazine capacity and cut red tape for gun purchases.”
In 2012, Maxime Bernier, a Quebec MP at the time, said MPs and gun-rights advocates celebrated together on Parliament Hill after the vote, against the advice of police chiefs, which ended the long-gun registry in this country.
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Predictably, political leaders in the U.S. are anxious to avoid the political consequences of applying the same kind of restrictions that have successfully reduced gun killings in other countries on the deeply embedded U.S. gun culture.
U.S. leaders opted instead to identify video games as the cause of student gun violence.
In Japan, about 60 per cent of the population play video games, but gun killings are rare in a country that heavily-restricts possessing, carrying, selling or buying handguns or rifles.
There were only six gun deaths in Japan in 2014, compared with more than 33,000 in the United States, according to GunPolicy.org.
Adam Lankford, a criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama, suggests that there is a link between school shootings and the American preoccupation with fame.
“There is a ‘fame at any cost’ mentality,” says Lankford, referring to the many mass killers who explicitly cite fame as their motivation.
“We know that a lot of public mass shooters, particularly when they’re young, have admitted that they really want to be famous, and that killing is how they’re going to do it,” Lankford said.
As U.S. gun rights activist Bob Barr said: “It’s not a gun-control problem; it’s a cultural-control problem.”
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Flyers’ first-rounder O’Brien spikes Spruce Kings
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
There are probably a thousand reasons the Philadelphia Flyers picked Jay O’Brien in the first round, 19th overall in the 2018 NHL draft. Saturday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena, with one big-league rush with the puck, O’Brien offered some overtime evidence to support the Flyers decision and it made the difference between winning or losing for the Prince George Spruce Kings.
The 19-year-old centre took off with the puck on the left wing side and burned past Kings forward Corey Cunningham, finishing with a backhand-forehand move and a shot that caught the inside of the post behind goalie Jack McGovern to lift the Vees to 3-2 win with 2:12 gone in overtime.
“That’s a big win for us,” said O’Brien, sporting a bandage over left his eye after getting cut when he went face-first into the glass in the first period.
“It was actually my first time playing 3-on-3 overtime. I tried to get the puck with speed and saw the defender was a little flatfooted and the ice was pretty chopped up so I tried to take it wide and jam it home and
lucky enough it went in for me.”
The 873 fans in attendance were treated to fast-paced battle between two of the better-skilled teams in the B.C. Hockey League in a September game that had playoff-like intensity.
O’Brien’s scintillating goal took away a point from a Kings team that dominated the puck most of the game and doubled the Vees in shots 33-18.
“They’re a good team, I’ll tell you that, they play hard, they play heavy, they don’t quit, that’s the best team we’ve played all year,” said O’Brien, a native of Hingham, Mass. “They kind of play like us, they’ve got some grit and skill and I like that. That was a good hockey game. We gutted it out and that’s all that matters.”
The Kings had three overtime shots and all three forced goalie Derek Krall to make great stops, especially his skate save to deny Fin Williams on a low shot along that hugged the ice.
McGovern, 17, was making his first BCHL start in goal since arriving in Prince George from St. Catharines Falcons of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
“Obviously the score is not what I wanted but it was a good game to get adjusted to
the speed,” said McGovern. “Hopefully the next games go better. (His Kings teammates) did really well on defence and kept the shots to a low number. It was nice that (head coach Alex Evin) trusted me to start this game.
“I have to make a couple more saves out there. It was a good play by (O’Brien) but I’ve got to get to the post at the end.”
The win improved Penticton’s record to 4-0-0-0, while the Kings are now 1-1-2-0. Kings assistant coach Jessie Leung had nothing but praise for his players after they came close to handing the Vees their first loss of the season.
“That’s probably the best game we’ve played to date and that’s a good sign,” said Leung. “Penticton’s been on a roll and I thought we played a great game. To us it’s knowing that belief that if we stick to our habits and our gameplan we can be successful against anybody in this league.”
Tied 2-2 to start the third period, Vees scoring leader Danny Weight broke the deadlock when he took a lead pass from Liam Malmquist and beat McGovern to the blocker side.
The Kings yanked their goalie to the bench for the extra skater with more than
UNBC, Cougars tie in Regina heat
Citizen staff
After losing 3-1 to the Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon on Saturday, the UNBC Timberwolves were hoping to beat the heat in Regina and score a Canada West women’s soccer victory over the University of Regina Cougars. Already off to their best start since they joined U Sports/CIS in 2012, the T-wolves were looking to add three more points in the standings but had to settle for just one when they tied the Cougars 1-1. T-wolves forward Paige Payne, a second-team conference all-star in 2018, put one in off her right foot to the back of the far post, her second goal of the season, which opened the scoring 42:47 into Sunday’s game, set up on a pass from Julia Babicz. A few minutes earlier, Babicz, a fifth-year veteran, had a shot defect off the goalpost.
Regina drew even in the 56th minute, a shot from Sydney Langen fooled goalie Brooke Molby and that’s the way it ended. “It was an exciting game,” said T-wolves head coach Neil Sedgwick. “In the second half we had
good chances but Regina is a solid team and they worked hard and we just couldn’t finish the second one.
“Paige had one (71 minutes in) that went under (Regina goalie Kylie Bolton’s) hands and just went wide for a corner. We had loads of the ball (possession) and did a lot of good things. It was incredibly hot, 28 degrees and hotter than that on the surface.”
Each team had six shots on goal.
The T-wolves (2-1-1) rank fifth in the Pacific Division, while Regina (1-2-1) sits fourth in the Prairie Division.
Saturday in Saskatoon, Kalli Cowles and Halle Krynowsky staked the Huskies to a 2-0 lead and Maya Gabruch capped the scoring in the 80th minute.
Prince George Youth Soccer product Hannah Emmond had the lone goal for UNBC, scoring after a free kick taken by Kenzie Chilcott. Huskies goalie Jadyn Steinhauer had trouble controlling the shot and Emmond finished with a highlight-reel bicycle kick for her first goal of the season.
Madi Doyle made four saves in net for the T-wolves, while Stein-
hauer was forced to make three stops in the game. Saskatchewan managed seven shots on goal and the T-wolves were held to three.
“It was a good weekend, developmentally,” said Sedgwick.
“Even though the score read 3-1, that was an even game and we were really able to play it. Whereas a year ago we got a result, (they overcame a deficit with two late goals to tie the Huskies 2-2) but it was a more difficult game to play in. They had a lot more of the ball and controlled more of the game. So that one (Sunday) showed growth for us.
“It would have been great to come away with a win this weekend, but that’ s OK. When you pick up a point and other teams don’t, that keeps pushing you to where you want to be at the end of the year.”
The UNBC men (3-3-1), who knocked off the previously undefeated Mount Royal Cougars 3-2 Friday at Masich Place Stadium, will travel to Edmonton to face the Alberta Golden Bears (1-4-1) next Saturday, then on Sunday will take on the MacEwan Griffins (now 1-3-2).
two minutes left and the gamble paid off when Chong Min Lee took a cross-ice pass from Nick Poisson and scored the equalizer with 1:44 left in the third period.
“That’s exactly the kind of game we needed, to be honest,’ said Vees head coach Fred Harbinson. “The last two games we had big scores, 7-3, 7-1, and this was a whole different game, not a lot of ice out there for there for either team and we found a way to win a tight game.
“The Spruce Kings play hard, they’re very structured, as usual, and that was a fun game to be part of tonight.”
The Kings, coming off a 6-1 victory over Victoria Friday night, looked sharp from the opening puck drop and were deserving of their 1-0 lead heading into the second period after outshooting the Vees 12-4 in the opening 20. Poisson got the Kings started with his first of the season at 15:40 of the first, blasting in a rebound from the right side after Nick Bochen let go a shot from the point. Their previous power play set the tone. They didn’t score but held the Vees in their own end the entire two minutes, forcing Krall to make a couple of saves.
— see ‘WE DID, page 10
Northern Capitals tune up for season-opener
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
The Northern Capitals female midget triple-A hockey team began its tournament season over the weekend in Calgary and came out of the four-day Firestarter event with an 0-2-2 record.
The Northern Capitals finished third in their pool and finished Saturday with a 2-2 tie with the Red Deer Chefs. Brette Kerley and Ocean Anderson were the Caps’ goalscorers. Tessa Sturgeon went the distance in goal.
The Caps started Thursday with a 5-3 loss to the Calgary Fire.
Kerley, Anderson and Nancy Moore all found the net. Cadence Petticlerc-Crosby made 15 saves and took the loss in goal while her team outshot the Fire 25-20. On Friday they tied the Notre Dame Hounds of Saskatchewan 1-1. Kerley knotted the score 11:59 into the third period. Stur-
geon blocked 21 pucks as her team outshot the Hounds 34-22.
The Capitals completed the round-robin Saturday morning with a 3-1 loss to the Prince Albert Northern Bears. Brooklyn Hutchings was their lone goalscorer. Petticlerc-Crosby made 20 saves as her team held a 37-23 edge in shots.
“We outshot the teams there, we had some good production from our forward lines, we just have to learn how to bury the puck,” said Capitals assistant coach Grace Barlow.
The Prince George-based Northern Capitals, under head coach Mario Desjardins and his assistants, Barlow and Lauren Smaha-Muir, will now have three weeks to prepare for their season-opening games in the B.C. Female Midget Hockey League at the league showcase in Surrey, Oct. 4-6. The Capitals’ first home game is set for Oct. 18 when they begin a three-game series against the Greater Vancouver Comets.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Prince George Spruce Kings forward Brett Pfoh cuts hard to the net while protecting the puck from the check of Penticton Vees defender Evan McIntyre on Saturday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
NHL players stay with current deal, labour peace to last to 2022
Stephen WHYNO The Associated Press
The National Hockey League will play its next three seasons without the threat of a work stoppage amid optimism that labour peace will stretch beyond 2022.
The NHL Players’ Association on Monday announced it would not opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement. Combined with the owners’ decision earlier this month not to trigger their opt-out clause, the current CBA remains in effect until September 2022 and the sides will continue working on an extension.
“While players have concerns with the current CBA, we agree with the league that working together to address those concerns is the preferred course of action instead of terminating the agreement following this season,” NHLPA executive director Don Fehr said. “We have been having discussions with the league about an extension of the CBA and expect that those talks will continue.”
Not terminating the CBA is a positive sign that negotiations are progressing toward an extension that could last until 2025 or 2026. That would be the longest period of
labour peace in hockey in decades.
“Ultimately, it’s nice there’s going to be labour peace now for the next three seasons,” Philadelphia Flyers player representative James van Riemsdyk said.
“That’s going to be good for everyone, and I’m sure fans are excited. I’m sure they
‘We did a lot of right things tonight’
— from page 9
The second period began ominously for Penticton when Vincent Nardone got caught for a four-minute high-sticking penalty.
But the Vees countered with a pair of shorthanded goals to take the lead. Colton Kalezic stripped the puck at the Kings’ blueline and rifled a high hard shot that fooled McGovern, then 1:28 later Jack Barnes took the puck into the zone on a 2-on-2 and let go a hard backhander that found the top corner past McGovern’s glove. The Kings tied it late in the period. Colton Cameron wristed a shot from the point that dropped out of Krall’s glove and Preston Brodziak got to the loose puck in the crease.
Bochen, who helped set up Lee’s goal, was limited by injury to only power-play duty, and the Kings were down to just four defencemen when Brendan Hill suffered a lower-body injury late in the first period after an end-zone collision with Vees forward David Silye.
That left it up to Cameron, Evan Orr, Nolan Barrett and 16-year-old Amran Bhabra to guard the blueline and they performed admirably. Weight’s goal was the only shot
CITIZEN SPORTS
they allowed in the third period.
“We did a lot of right things tonight, a couple bounces, a couple of posts, and if continue to clean it up in our d-zone we’ll be a great team moving forward,” said Orr, 18, a Michigan Tech recruit who joined the Kings last week after a tryout with Muskegon of the USHL.
“We played really well and that’s the key takeaway. Going to four (defencemen) we just had to keep things simple.”
LOOSE PUCKS: NHL families were well-represented in Saturday’s game. The Vees had five sons of former NHL’ers in the lineup, including Weight (son of Doug), Barnes (Stu), Lukas Sillinger (Mike), Jackson Niedermeyer (Scott) and Tristan Amonte (Tony), while the Spruce Kings had one Thomas Richter (Mike)… O’Brien is not the only NHL-drafted player on the Vees roster. Six-foot-six defenceman Cade Webber was the Carolina Hurricanes’ fourth-round choice in 2019, drafted 99th overall… The Kings play their next game Friday in Chilliwack, the team’s only threegame, three-day roadtrip of the season, with stops Saturday in Langley and Sunday in Coquitlam.
hate hearing about that stuff.”
Owners and players have been meeting since February and sessions increased in frequency in recent weeks. When the league also did not opt out of the CBA, Commissioner Gary Bettman cited momentum and the importance of labour peace overriding
any issues the owners might have. Bettman said Monday the league is pleased with the players’ decision and looked “forward to continuing to work with the NHLPA for the benefit of all stakeholders, especially our fans.”
Players made significant concessions in the last CBA, which was agreed to in 2013. Escrow payments, health care, Olympic participation and what qualifies as hockeyrelated revenue are things players have cited as some of their top concerns.
Vancouver Canucks player representative Bo Horvat said escrow is still the main topic players want to fix, and there seems to be general agreement across the union about that.
“Obviously it’s the greatest league to play in, but you want it to be fair and stuff like that,” Washington Capitals forward Chandler Stephenson said.
Players held two conference calls in recent days to discuss the situation after almost 50 met in person in Chicago on Sept. 4. Very little information has come out of the talks, which is considered a signal of a more united NHLPA and optimism that progress was being made.
Oil Kings stop Cougars in OT
Citizen staff
Jake Neighbours scored a power-play goal 36 seconds into overtime to defeat the Prince George Cougars 2-1 Saturday afternoon in WHL preseason action in Dawson Creek.
The Cougars were killing a high-sticking penalty to Fillip Koffer which carried over from the third period when Neighbours hooked up with teammates Wyatt McLeod and Riley Sawchuck on the scoring play which ended the game.
The goal was one of only two allowed on 39 shots Cougars goalie Taylor Gauthier faced. It was Gauthier’s only preseason test, having just returned from the Boston Bruins’ rookie camp.
Sawchuck opened the scoring in the first period on an Edmonton power play.
The Cougars goal came 19:03 into the
second period while they were on a power play. Jackson Leppard was awarded a penalty shot and made good on his chance for his first goal of the preseason. He outwaited Dylan Myskiw and slid the puck through the legs of the Edmonton goaltender.
Myskiw played the first two periods and stopped 28 of 29 shots, replaced for the third period by Sebastian Cossa, who made 12 saves. The Cougars outshot the Oil Kings 4139. Edmonton went undefeated through the exhibition season with a perfect 5-00-0 record. The Cougars (0-4-1-0) went winless. They’ll open their 26th season in Prince George next Friday at CN Centre when they take on the Vancouver Giants in the first of a two-game weekend set.
FEHR
BETTMAN
Weekend in photos
Roughly 120 walkers pose for a group photo, top, prior to taking to the trails at Otway Nordic Centre on Saturday morning while participating in the third annual Prince George
Multiple Myeloma March. Wesley Mitchell plays the drum while leading the march, second from bottom right. Athletes from the Prince George Special Olympics soccer team and players from the men’s and women’s UNBC Timberwolves soccer teams pose for a group photo, bottom, after playing a friendly match on Saturday afternoon, second from bottom left, at the Northern Sport Centre. Joshua Seymour, and his niece Justice Seymour, 17, above left, interact with the new Our Living Languages: First Peoples’
exhibit at The Exploration Place on Saturday evening. Roughly 350 people of all ages walked, ran, biked, or wheeled their way around the 5 km route while taking part in the 39th
annual Prince George Terry Fox Run on Sunday at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park, above right. MLA Shirley
and Jim
off the total
$40,206 this year) Terrion has raised for the Terry Fox Foundation since 1991. Blair Major lines up a shot, below right, while competing in an eight-ball match of the
Championship on Sunday morning at Black Diamond Bowl and Billiards.
CITIZEN PHOTOS BY JAMES DOYLE
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Terrion, below left, show
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Fewer trees, higher costs blamed for forestry downturn
Laura KANE The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — High log prices and dwindling timber supply are driving the crisis in British Columbia’s forestry industry that has devastated communities and kneecapped the provincial economy, observers say.
The markets today
TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index reached a record high to start the week Monday boosted by a nearly 10 per cent lift in the energy sector following a weekend attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. The S&P/TSX composite index rose 68.89 points to 16,751.31, topping its previous high of 16,682.42 set on Friday. The biggest gains came from the energy sector, which advanced 9.25 per cent.
“Everything is about oil today,” said Michael Currie, vice-president at TD Wealth. The focus on oil comes after a weekend attack on key Saudi Arabian oil facilities that resulted in the loss of about five per cent of the global oil supply, he said. The October crude contract surged by US$8.05 to US$62.90 per barrel. The rise in oil prices provided a lift to Canada’s dollar. The loonie traded for 75.48 cents US compared with an average of 75.43 cents US on Friday.
Companies have announced shutdowns or curtailments in more than two dozen mills in the province, putting hundreds out of work and slashing economic growth predictions. Advocates are calling for urgent government action to stem the bleeding.
“Something needs to change immediately or these small communities that don’t have other employers are going to wither and die,” said Marty Gibbons, president of United Steelworkers Local 1-417, based in Kamloops.
The local represents hundreds of forestry workers who have lost jobs in Interior communities including Merritt, Clearwater, Vavenby and Clinton.
The largest driving factor is the province’s complex stumpage system that results in high fees, he said.
“These are private businesses. If they can’t turn a profit, there’s no reason for them to run. Right now, it’s not the markets that are the issue. It’s the cost of the logs,” he said.
Stumpage is a fee businesses pay when they harvest timber from Crown land. The B.C. government calculates stumpage annually, so the system is less responsive than in Alberta, where monthly adjustments are made, Gibbons said.
The Forests Ministry said stumpage fees are based on market demand and the current rates reflect the scarcity of timber supply that has resulted from the mountain pine beetle outbreak and been exacerbated by several severe fire seasons.
Intervention in the stumpage system would
weaken the legal case in the appeals of the duties imposed by the United States on softwood lumber from Canada, the ministry said in a statement.
“It is well-known that any interference in B.C.’s market-based timber pricing system would lead to an increase in softwood lumber duties levied by the U.S.,” it said.
Most of B.C.’s forest land is publicly owned, so companies have long-term tenure rights and the government charges them stumpage to harvest trees. In contrast, most land in the U.S. is private and companies face costs associated with replanting.
“That’s what the stumpage fee is all about,” explained Ken Peacock, chief economist of the Business Council of B.C. “It tries to equate, if it was privately owned, what the cost would be to operate and manage and reforest the land.”
Peacock said the high cost of logs is the major cause of the industry’s decline in B.C. He also blamed the mountain pine beetle and recordbreaking 2017 and 2018 fire seasons for decimating supply.
The policies of Premier John Horgan’s government are also breeding uncertainty, Peacock argued.
The government is developing a caribou habitat protection plan that the industry expects will further restrict access to northern timber, he said, and it’s promised to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples without explaining how companies are meant to fulfil its requirement of “free, prior and informed consent” from First Nations.
The NDP government has also introduced Bill 22, which would control tenure transfers. Currently, a company that is scaling back or shutting down a mill can transfer its tenure to one that is operating, but the government
wants oversight over these transfers to protect the “public interest,” a term not defined in the legislation, Peacock said.
“The picture here in B.C. is we are a very high cost jurisdiction. It’s actually less costly to operate in Alberta and companies can make a profit milling lumber and producing two-by-fours in Alberta.”
On top of all that, market conditions in North America are softening, he noted.
Forestry is the No. 1 engine that drives B.C.’s economy with nearly $15 billion in annual exports, representing one-third of the province’s international merchandise exports and the largest segment by far, said Peacock.
While other sectors may employ more people or produce more GDP, Peacock believes forestry is the top driver of B.C.’s economy because it is the province’s leading export industry. He argues export industries are key to the economy because they access external markets and spread B.C. goods far and wide.
The Business Council of B.C. just trimmed its 2019 economic forecast in part because of the forestry downturn, from 2.2 to two per cent growth, he said. The B.C. government also just cut its forecast to 1.7 per cent, citing mill closures in part.
The Forests Ministry said the challenges the province is facing have been in the making for many years and the previous Liberal government ignored them and failed to help the sector and communities adapt.
“We have laid out a process... to bring together industry, First Nations, labour and communities to address the challenges and build a sustainable sector to protect jobs.”
Opposition Liberal forestry critic John Rustad has blamed the current government’s policies for “killing the industry” and resulting in more layoffs and closures.
CP FILE PHOTO
Softwood lumber is pictured at Tolko Industries in Heffley Creek, B.C., in 2018.
Seniors
Area athletes shine at 55+ B.C. Games
Citizen staff
The 55+ B.C. Games were held in Kelowna from Sept. 10 to 14, where more than 4,200 people gathered to participate in more than 30 different events. There were several local participants in track and field representing North Central, Zone 9, which includes all athletes who are 55 years and older from Williams Lake to Prince George.
All categories are set by age in five-year increments. The following results are from the 55+ B.C. Games website and not all times and distances were available as of press time.
Tom Ukonmaanaho from Prince George took three gold medals and two silvers during the competition before he had to bow out after sustaining a leg injury during his 200-metre race, which he still won.
He took gold in the men’s 70 - 74 100 metres, 400 metres with a time of 1:14.80 and 200 metres with a time of 30.96, along with silver in javelin with a distance of 29.92 and a silver in pole vault.
Joan Harris from Prince George took gold in the women’s 55-59 long jump and javelin, silver in the hammer throw, and bronze in shot put, weight throw and the throws pentathlon.
Brad Frenkel from Prince George took gold in the men’s 55-59 weight throw and hammer throw and silver in the discus with a throw of 30.24
Kelly Sharp from Prince George took gold in the men’s 65-69 1,500 metres with the time of 6:06.92 and placed fourth in the 10-kilometre road race with a time of 51:59 and silver in the 800 metres with a time of 2:52.58. Sharp also took fourth in the 5,000 metres with a time of 24:00.49.
Leo Rankin from Williams Lake took silver in the men’s 65-69 1,500 metres with the time of 6:17.68 and gold in the 10-kilometre road race with a time of 47:47 and gold in the 5,000 metres with a time of 22:17.59 and bronze in the 5,000 metre power walk.
Bryan Chubb from Big Lake Ranch took bronze in men’s 70-74 10-kilometre road race with a time of 50:35 and took gold in the 5000 metres with a time of 23:16.34.
Pat Harton from Williams Lake took bronze in men’s 75- 9 1,500 metres with a time of 6:31.90, bronze in the 5,000 metres with a time of 25:26.65, bronze in the 800 metres with a time of 3:05.84 and fourth in 10-kilometre road race with a time of 1:09:04. Jim Johnston took gold in the men’s 75-79 triple jump and pole vault, while earning silver in the pentathlon the long jump with a distance of 2.79 metres and javelin with a throw of 22.33.
Jim Dyer from Quesnel took gold in the men’s 75-79 weight throw and hammer throw, while getting silver in the discus with a throw of 24.19 and bronze in the shot put.
Cris MacDonald from Prince George took gold in women’s 75-79 400 metres with a time of 2:00.89, silver in hammer throw with a distance of 16.27 metres, 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres, as well as bronze in discus with a distance of 14.03 metres, weight throw with 6.11 metres.
Natasha Yungman from Prince Geroge took gold in the women’s 55-59 triple jump with a distance of 6.10 metres, silver in long
jump with a distance of 2.71, 400 metres with a time of 1:48.34, 1,500 metres and 5,000 metres in 28:16.95.
Arna Kristian from Prince George was very consistent in women’s 85-89 as she took silver in javelin, shot put, weight throw, hammer throw and the throws pentathlon.
Suzanne Sharp from Prince George took gold in the women’s 65-69 1,500 metre race walk and 5,000 metre power walk, silver in the 5,000 metres and bronze in the 10-kilometre road race.
Keith Taylor from Prince George took gold in the men’s 85-89 high jump.
Reverse mortgages booming in Canada
Bloomberg
Reverse mortgages are surging in Canada as more older people join the country’s debt bandwagon.
If you’re 55 or older, you can borrow as much as 55 per cent of the value of your home.
Principal and compound interest don’t have to be paid back until you sell the home or die.
To keep the loan in good standing, homeowners only need to pay property tax and insurance, and maintain the home in good repair.
“We’ve only been in this market for 18 months, but applications are jumping,” and have tripled over the past year, Andrew Moor, chief executive officer at Equitable Group Inc., said in an interview.
The company, which operates Equitable Bank, sees the reverse mortgage sector expanding by about 25 per cent a year.
“Canadians are getting older and there is an opportunity there.”
Outstanding balances on reverse mortgages have more than doubled in less than four years to $3.12 billion, excluding foreign currency amounts, according to June data from the country’s banking regulator. Although they represent less than one percentage point of the $1.2 trillion of residential mortgages issued by chartered banks, they’re growing at a much faster pace. Reverse mortgages rose 22 per cent in June from the same month a year earlier, versus 4.8 per cent for the total market.
The fact that these niche products are growing so quickly offers a glimpse into how some seniors are becoming part of Canada’s new debt reality.
After a decades-long housing boom, the nation has the highest household debt load
in the Group of Seven, one reason Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz may be reluctant to join the global monetary-policy easing trend.
More seniors are entering retirement with debt and the cost of rent has shot up in many cities, making downsizing difficult amid hot real estate markets.
Reverse mortgages offer a new source of income.
Canada’s big five banks have so far shied away from the product.
Only two lenders offer them in Canada.
HomeEquity Bank, whose reverse mortgage has been on the market for 30 years, dominates the space with $3.11 billion on its books.
Equitable Bank, a relatively new player, has $10.1 million.
Shares in parent Equitable Group have surged 75 per cent to a record this year.
Critics say reverse mortgages are a highcost solution that should only be used as a last resort.
“When they think of their cash flow, they’re not going to get kicked out of their house, but in reality, it really has the ability to erode the asset of the borrower,” Shawn Stillman, a broker at Mortgage Outlet, said by phone from Toronto.
Interest rates are typically much higher than those for conventional mortgages.
For example, HomeEquity Bank and Equitable Bank charge 5.74 per cent for a fiveyear fixed mortgage. Conventional five-year fixed mortgages are currently being offered online for as low as 2.4 per cent.
Atul Chandra, chief financial officer at
Don Stinson from Prince George took fourth place in the men’s 8084 hammer throw.
Barb Saunders from Prince George took bronze for women’s 80-84 400 metres.
Kathy Dyer from Quesnel took silver in the women’s 70-74 1,500 metre race walk and the 5,000 metre power walk.
LindaMeise from Prince George took bronze in the women’s 70-74 triple jump with a distance of 4.32. Christine Hinzmann from Prince George took silver medals in the women’s 55-59 discus, shot put, weight throw, and throws pentathlon and bronze in the
and hammer throw.
HomeEquity Bank, said the higher rates are justified because the lender doesn’t receive any payments over the course of the loan.
“Our time horizon for getting the cash is much longer, and generally the longer you wait for your cash to come back to you, the more you need to charge,” Chandra said in a telephone interview.
Executives at HomeEquity Bank and Equitable say they are focusing on educating people about reverse mortgages to avoid mistakes that were made in the U.S. during the housing crisis – including aggressive sales tactics. While delinquency rates on regular mortgages are still low for seniors, they were the highest among all age groups in the first quarter, at 0.36 per cent, according to data from the federal housing agency. The 65-plus demographic took over as the most delinquent group at the end of 2015.
For non-mortgage debt, delinquency rates in the 65-plus category have seen the biggest increases over the past several quarters, Equifax data show.
Reverse mortgages aren’t included in typical delinquency rate measures – borrowers can’t be late on payments because there are no payments – but they can be in default if they fail to pay taxes or insurance, or let the home fall into disrepair. However default rates for reverse mortgages have remained stable, even with the strong growth in volumes, said HomeEquity’s Chandra. According to a scenario provided by HomeEquity Bank, a borrower who took out a reverse mortgage of $150,000 at an interest rate of 5.74 per cent would owe $199,058 five years later. A home worth $750,000 when the reverse mortgage was taken out would be worth $869,456 five years later, assuming three per cent annual home price appreciation, meaning total equity would have grown by about $70,000.
javelin
HANDOUT PHOTO
Arna Kristian from Prince George poses with the five silver medals she won in the women’s 85-89 category at the B.C. 55+ Games.
BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO
A Toronto residential neighbourhood is seen in the summer of 2018.
Seniors Poverty report links wealth to life expectancy
The Washington Post
Poorer Americans are much less likely to survive into their 70s and 80s than rich Americans, a stark life-expectancy divide compounded by the nation’s growing disparities in wealth, according to a U.S. report.
Over three-quarters of the richest 50-somethings in 1991 were still alive 23 years later, in 2014, the report found.
But among the poorest 20 per cent of that cohort, the survival rate was less than 50 per cent, according to the analysis by the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional research agency.
The report finds that while average life expectancy increased over that period, it “has not increased uniformly across all income groups, and people who have lower incomes tend to have shorter lives than those with higher incomes.”
“Over time, the top fifth of the income distribution is really becoming a lot wealthier – and so much of the health and wealth gains in America are going toward the top,” said Harold Pollack, a
health-care expert at the University of Chicago who was not involved in the creation of the report.
“In these fundamental areas –life expectancy, health – there are these growing disparities that are really a failure of social policy.”
The GAO report was commissioned in 2016 by Sen. Bernie Sanders, who sits on the Senate Budget Committee, after he met with people from McDowell County, West Virginia, where the life expectancy is 64 years, according to the senator’s aides.
That is on par with Mongolia.
Fairfax County, Virginia, about 600 km away, has a life expectancy of 82 years.
Sanders said the report’s findings support his demands for dramatically redistributing wealth in the United States through a large expansion of federal programs and the social safety net.
“We are in a crisis never before seen in a rich, industrialized democracy... For three straight years, overall life expectancy in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world has been in decline,” the senator, a 2020 presidential candidate, said in a statement. “If
we do not urgently act to solve the economic distress of millions of Americans, a whole generation will be condemned to early death.”
One factor, according to the analysis, is the vast difference in retirement savings among older Americans.
In 2016, for instance, 89 per cent of the poorest quintile of older households (defined as those headed by someone 55 or older) had zero retirement savings to speak of.
Just 14 per cent of the richest quintile of older households were in a similar predicament, with over 50 per cent of that group possessing retirement savings of $500,000 or more.
The poorest 20 per cent of older households were also much less likely to own a home, vehicle or other asset compared with wealthier households, meaning many of them will rely exclusively on Social Security to support themselves in retirement.
In 2010 and 2013, the average older household in the bottom 20 per cent of the wealth distribution had a negative net worth, meaning their debts surpassed their assets at the end of their prime earning years.
Particularly concerning was the finding that “the home ownership rate for households in the bottom 20 per cent in 2016 (19 per cent) was significantly lower than the home ownership rate for households in the bottom 20 per cent in 2007 (28 per cent), the starting year for the most recent recession.”
That drop means those lowerincome households will have even fewer assets to draw on in retirement, an ominous consideration given the warnings of an impending recession.
H. Luke Schaefer, director of the Poverty Solutions program at the University of Michigan and co-author of a recent study on material hardships among seniors and children, said that “one of the
major takeaways is how incredibly important Social Security is in the retirement security of low- and moderate-income households.”
“If I had to say what program is most effective in providing a safety net in the U.S. today, Social Security is it,” he added. “This report adds more evidence to that conclusion, in my view.”
The report also confirms other studies tracking an increase in inequality among the wealthiest Americans, as the top one per cent continued to pull away from the richest 20 per cent.
The top one per cent increased its average wealth from $15 million in 1989 to $37 million in 2016.
The average income of the rest of the top 20 per cent increased from $1.6 million to $3 million, a significantly smaller increase.
The data analyzed in the report is primarily drawn from two long-running federal surveys: the Survey of Consumer Finances, administered by the Federal Reserve, and the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal survey of households headed by older Americans.
Academic researchers have long tracked the relationship between wealth and health, but the analysis of two highly regarded data sets by an independent research arm of the federal government amounts to a definitive look at the subject.
‘Record player’ line scratches Biden’s vinyl
Hugh HEWITT
Special To The Washington Post
Just to be sure I heard it correctly, I replayed former Vice President Joe Biden’s eye-popping gaffe from last Thursday night’s debate instructing poor parents to put the record player on to help their children learn.
“#Record player” was trending on Twitter by the time I took to the airwaves at 6 a.m. Friday, so my suspicion had already been confirmed: this was more than a gaffe that causes eye rolls.
It was one of those gaffes that underscores a candidate’s central weakness and continues to bleed away votes long after its utterance.
Recall Sen. John Kerry’s “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it,” or then-President Gerald Ford’s famous “there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe” from a 1976 debate.
Gaffes are like sharks.
Some are sand sharks that scare you. Others are Jaws-like beasts.
After Thursday night, Biden is going to need a bigger boat.
Because it will haunt Biden’s campaign, let’s be sure to get the question and answer down in full, for context’s sake.
Moderator Linsey Davis asked Biden, 76: “In a conversation about how to deal with segregation in schools back in 1975, you told a reporter, ‘I don’t feel responsible for the sins of my father and grandfather. I feel responsible for what the situation is today, for the sins of my own generation, and I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago.’”
“You said that some 40 years ago,” Davis continued. “But as you stand here tonight, what responsibility do you think that Americans need to take to repair the legacy of slavery in our country?”
Biden responded: “Well, they have to deal with the - look, there’s institutional segregation in this country. From the time I got involved, I started dealing with that. Redlining banks, making sure we are in a position where – look, you talk about education. I propose that what we take is those very poor schools, the Title I schools, triple the amount of money we spend from $15 to $45 billion a year. Give every single teacher a raise, the equal raise to getting out – the
$60,000 level.
“Number two, make sure that we bring in to help the teachers deal with the problems that come from home. The problems that come from home, we have one school psychologist for every 1,500 kids in America today. It’s crazy. The teachers are – I’m married to a teacher, my deceased wife is a teacher. They have every problem coming to them. Make sure that every single child does, in fact, have three-, fourand five-year-olds go to school. School. Not day care. School. We bring social workers in to homes and parents to help them deal with how to raise their children.
don’t – they don’t know quite what to do.
“It’s not that they don’t want to help. They
Play the radio, make sure the television –excuse me, make sure you have the record player on at night, the – the – make sure that kids hear words. A kid coming from a very poor school – a very poor background will hear 4 million words fewer spoken by the time they get there.”
So the moderator asked about America’s original sin – slavery – and Biden somehow got to turning on record players, which wasn’t an effort to coax the hipster vote away from Sen. Bernie Sanders, no matter how much the millennials love vinyl. It was an incoherent, rambling illumination of the key knock on Biden: he’s too old. Former housing and urban development
secretary Julián Castro, during the debate, and Sen. Cory Booker, afterward, made this argument, first indirectly, then directly, but they didn’t need to.
Biden indicted himself on the age question. If U.S. President Donald Trump abandons “Sleepy Joe” for “Record Player Joe Biden” on Twitter, the tattoo on Biden that is probably already permanent gets inked in bright colours.
Manhattan-Beltway media may scoff at the single-phrase branding, but every marketer knows it works and works and works.
“Record player” is like Gov. Chris Christie’s campaign-killing knockdown of Sen. Marco Rubio at a New Hampshire debate. “There it is. There it is,” declared Christie onstage. “The memorized 25-second speech. There it is, everybody.”
Rubio and his supporters gamely tried for days to argue that what Christie said didn’t matter. It did. It was over for the Florida Republican. A campaign-slashing branding of “robotic” stuck.
