Prince George Citizen September 26, 2019

Earth’s oceans in trouble, report

campaign.

UNBC launches 1,000 Ravens for Reconciliation campaign

Citizen staff

Nimble fingers are about to be put to work in the name of reconciliation.

UNBC launched a campaign Wednesday to have 1,000 origami ravens made this year to symbolize a university-wide wish for reconciliation.

It’s in partnership with UNBC’s First Nations Centre and will be centred at the Gathering Place where students, faculty and staff will have opportunity to make the creations. Once completed, they will be displayed prominently at the university.

“This is a tremendous opportu-

nity for our university community to engage in a meaningful handson activity that we hope will spark dialogue around the challenging topics addressed in the Truth and Reconciliation report,” said UNBC president Daniel Weeks.

“This is another step the university is taking towards reconciliation including campus Indigenization projects and engaging dialogue with local and regional communities.”

The raven is an important symbol of First Nations culture. It is considered a symbol of change or transformation, and sometimes the raven is considered a trickster because of its wily intelligence.

In turn, an ancient Japanese legend promises anyone who folds 1,000 origami cranes will be granted one wish.

As a mystical or holy creature, the crane is said to live for 1,000 years. In some stories, it is believed that the 1,000 origami cranes must be completed within a single year for the wish to be granted.

“The building of each raven is not an easy task, but the process of reconciliation is not easy either, knowing that the end result will be beautiful both in the wish and the ravens,” said Bev Best, UNBC manager of aboriginal student engagement.

Lockdown at jail yields differing stories

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

A provincial government spokesperson and a union official are providing differing accounts about a lockdown at Prince George Regional Correctional Centre on Sunday night.

B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General spokesperson Colin Hynes said the lockdown was imposed after a small group of inmates set off the internal alarms.

While the incident was brief, he said the lockdown lasted about four hours and firefighters were called in as a matter of protocol. He said one person sustained minor injuries but there were “no staff injuries.”

But Dean Purdy, chair of the B.C. Government and Services Employees’ Union correctional and sheriff services component, called the incident major and that the PGRCC’s tactical team was deployed to bring the inmates under control.

“I can’t get into too many of the details but a number of inmates had refused direction from our correctional officers and refused to return to their living unit and subsequently an incident occurred where there was some damage to part of the jail,” he said.

Purdy said the incident speaks to overcrowding and understaffing at the facility.

“I can tell you that the staff I’ve spoken to directly, that work on the front line, they’re very frustrated,” he said.

(A)n incident occurred where there was some damage to part of the jail.

— Dean Purdy

“They’re worried about this situation and others going forward.”

Staff are working “very large amounts of overtime” and time off due to illness is “way up,” he added.

Purdy said the PGRCC needs more officers but is having trouble finding them due to the stress of the job and comparatively higher pay in other fields of law enforcement.

He said “probably 60 per cent” of the inmates have mental health and substance abuse problems and despite the lack of capacity to deal with them, B.C.’s jails have become the default facilities for handling people with those issues.

Hynes said there were 249 inmates in the facility on that night. The facility had been built to handle 172 males and 21 females without sharing cells.

In a followup statement, B.C. Corrections said between August 2018 and 2019, 19 new staff were hired to work at PGRCC, three more will start training at the end of this month and five more are listed for the next class.

Drivers caught speeding in school zones

Citizen staff

Prince George RCMP says officers in its municipal traffic section issued 154 tickets for speeding in a school zone during the first two weeks classes were in session.

The most egregious was a driver clocked at 110 km/h. That led to a $483 fine and a seven-day impoundment.

As well, two commercial trucks were impounded by Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement for excessive speed – one of which was travelling at 101 km/h.

As of Sept. 4, the limit of 30 km/h for school zones was back in force and will remain in place for the next 10 months, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. RCMP and CVSE officers were not the only ones keeping an eye out for speeders. Citizens On Patrol volunteers observed 1,258 vehicles and found 423

motorists going over the posted limit. That amounts to one-third which COP program coordinator Mike Burt found concerning.

“Of more concern is that RCMP volunteers recorded multiple vehicles speeding excessively over the 30 km/h posted speed limit,” he said.

“Had officers been present, it may have led to more vehicles being impounded.”

Drivers not stopped by RCMP officers may receive a warning letter in the mail from the detachment’s community policing section, explaining the offence observed and potential penalty.

RCMP also issued 27 tickets for speeding in other stretches of the city, four for distracted driving, two for driving while impaired, two for failing to wear seatbelts and 26 for other violations. In all, three tickets for excessive speeding were issued and five vehicles were impounded.

Bev Best shows Carol Johnson how to fold a paper raven at UNBC on Wednesday. Students, staff, and faculty helped kick off the 1000 Ravens for Reconciliation

Ride-hailing drivers could be required to take training courses

Jeremy HAINSWORTH Glacier Media

In addition to criminal record checks for ride-hailing service drivers, the province will be able to order driver training where needed, Union of B.C. Municipalities annual conference delegates heard Tuesday.

“There are different needs in different parts of the province,” said Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure senior legislative director Jeremy Wood. “There is different training in different parts of the province.”

The news comes as the Passenger Transportation Board considers 44 applications for ride hailing services for five areas of the province.

Langley City Coun. Paul Albrecht said the coming of ridehailing by the end of the year means the opportunity to supplement existing transportation in urban areas and the ability to fill voids in more rural regions.

What will be different for municipalities is that they will no longer control chauffeur licences currently governing passengerdirected transportation. They will, however, have authority over issuing business licences, speed zone bylaws and over where drop-off, pickups and car-stopping areas may be.

Municipalities will also control inter-community business licences governing how services work between communities. And, delegates heard, when there are vary-

ing regimes, the more strict one will prevail. Municipalities will also be able to decide if vehicles can use bus lanes.

Criminal record checks for drivers will consider outstanding charges and convictions. Companies will be expected to do screening of checks.

Wood said a driver cannot have outstanding criminal charges or have convictions for any “egregious offences” such as sexual assault, homicide or attempted homicide at any time.

Drivers could also be prohibited for having four or more points on their licence or an administrative licence suspension or a roadside prohibition for something like driving while intoxicated in the past three years.

Drivers denied eligibility to drive by their company can appeal to the government but the onus would be on the driver to show their record would not affect their ability to drive,

Record checks would have to be carried in vehicles and be produced for police when requested.

Passenger Transportation Branch registrar and director Michelle Jaggi-Smith said companies will be required to submit data to the branch for analysis to determine future needs.

Such data could include drivers, vehicles used, trip metrics, start and end GPS coordinates, trip durations, distance travelled and total fare.

She said such data could also be used in other transportation and infrastructure planning.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Air quality, smoke alerts available through email

British Columbians can now sign up to receive air quality advisories and smoky skies advisories through their email, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy said Wednesday.

To subscribe, go to aqss.nrs. gov.bc.ca/subscription.html

Both types to alert the public about existing or potential poor air quality, while providing appropriate health advice and protective actions that can be taken.

Air quality advisories are issued for individual communities and usually result from local activities occurring within or near that community.

Examples of local pollutant sources include vehicle emissions, industrial emissions, residential wood burning and road dust.

Advisories are sent when measurements of an air pollutant in a community exceeds its short-term provincial air quality objective.

Smoky skies bulletins are specific to wildfire smoke, which can occur over large distances and change quickly. These bulletins are issued when areas of the province are being impacted or have reasonable potential to be impacted by wildfire smoke within 24 to 48 hours.

“Air quality can change very quickly during wildfire season in British Columbia,” said Sarah Henderson, senior environmental health scientist at the BC Centre for Disease Control.

“Wildfire smoke can affect anyone who breathes it, especially people with asthma or other respiratory conditions. Knowing when a smoky skies bulletin has been issued for your area can give you and your family more time to get ready.” — Citizen staff

UNBC, teaching assistants ratify labour contract

A collective agreement with teaching assistants has been ratified, University of Northern British Columbia confirmed Tuesday.

Negotiated with Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2278, a tentative deal was reached on September 13 after two months of talks. Members ratified on Sept. 17 and UNBC’s Board of Governors followed suit on Sept. 19.

“Bargaining provides an opportunity for both parties to exchange ideas, and I am pleased that both teams were committed to engaging in collegial discussion to reach an agreement that reflects the priorities of both parties,” said UNBC president Daniel Weeks. The deal lasts three years, ending June 30, 2022, and includes two-per-cent wage increases in each of those years, as well as fixed funding for training of new graduate teaching assistants; and complete gender neutrality in the contract language.

CUPE 2278 issued a similar statement on Friday.

— Citizen staff

WorkSafeBC fines local business

WorkSafeBC has levied a $5,000 fine against a Prince George business over improper handling of wood dust. According to a posting on the agency’s website, an inspection of Hyon Bedding Ltd. revealed “accumulations of wood dust on surfaces throughout the facility, including near ignition sources such as drive motors and electrical devices. “The firm failed to control and remove hazardous accumulations of combustible dust, a repeated and high-risk violation.” Hyon Bedding Ltd. sorts and bags sawmill wood shavings for secondary processing. The fine was issued on April 15.

Three local businesses reach carbon neutrality

Citizen staff

The efforts of three local businesses to become carbon neutral were celebrated on Wednesday.

Northern Lights Estate Winery, Prince George Driving for Life Academy and Timberline Footfitters have all achieved the milestone through the Prince George Chamber of Commerce’s Carbon Action Plan.

Launched in 2015, 46 businesses have signed on to reduce their carbon output if not become

carbon neutral.

UNBC students carry out analyses to measure where businesses stand and how they can reduce their carbon footprints.

CN Rail is the program’s primary funder.

“The funding partnership with CN, and program support from UNBC, has enabled the Prince George Chamber of Commerce to work with our member businesses in finding opportunities for them to become environmental champions – mitigating their carbon footprints and, in some instances, reducing their overall

operating expenses over the long term,” Chamber CEO Todd Corrigall said in a media release.

“These businesses and functions are leaders in our community, paving the way for additional businesses to come on-board with the program and see the returns and impacts it garners.”

With the aid of seedlings, the celebration was held at the Chamber of Commerce’s office. Three trees were recently planted at Duchess Community Park in the names of the three businesses.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Doug Bell of the Northern Lights Estate Winery poses with a group of seedlings ready to be planted. The winery has gone three consecutive years being carbon neutral.

Scheer, Trudeau spar over climate pledges; May offers cost breakdown

Mike BLANCHFIELD The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Andrew Scheer and Justin Trudeau fought Wednesday for the high ground on who was best suited to fight the ravages of climate change, a battle that exposed the wide valley in their approaches.

The Conservative leader re-announced a tax credit for homeowners who make energy-saving renovations, such as installing new windows or better furnaces. Scheer said his plan was not only the best way for Canada to meet its greenhouse gas reduction commitments, but would adhere to the core tenet of his campaign: putting more money into the pockets of hard-working Canadians.

The Liberal leader announced a series of measures to mitigate the threats posed by repeat flooding, including employmentinsurance benefits and a national plan to relocate at-risk homes from high waters. Trudeau reiterated his view that tackling climate change is the core political issue of the day – and that he is the only viable alternative for Canadian voters compared to Scheer.

Neither he nor Scheer could provide detailed analyses of how their plans would bring down greenhouse-gas emissions, or the related costs.

Green Leader Elizabeth May opened Wednesday’s campaigning by offering a detailed spending breakdown her party’s platform, pledging to balance the federal budget by 2024.

May proposed a series of new tax measures that she said would draw tens of billions into federal coffers. Among them was what she called a “very small tax on financial transactions” that she said would raise $18 billion by 2025.

May said the Greens would increase corporate taxes, close “capital gains loophole” that taxes investment income at lower rates than employment income, apply a wealth tax to Canadians with more than $20 million and eliminate fossil-fuel subsidies.

Scheer has also promised Canadians a balanced budget, but has yet to explain exactly how he would produce it. Trudeau says he is committed to investing in the future of the country, and has made no apologies for running deficits to do that.

Scheer pivoted his campaign to the environment on Wednesday, after Trudeau went on the attack a day earlier and attempted to brand him as a climate-change laggard.

Scheer said his 20 per cent refundable tax credit could be worth up to $3,800 annu-

ally, as he shot back at Trudeau’s promise from the previous day to achieve zero net carbon emissions in Canada by 2050.

“The other key part of that is helping make life more affordable for Canadians,”

Scheer said in Jonquiere, Que.

“And when Canadians can take advantage of this homes tax credit to make renovations in their home, their own lives will become more affordable as the cost of living is reduced, because their energy consumption will go down.”

Scheer said Trudeau isn’t on track to meet Canada’s greenhouse-gas reduction targets for 2030, so there’s no point in taking his plan for 2050 seriously.

He reiterated the new Conservative plan would give Canada the “best chance” to reach the 2030 targets, but his announcement carried no detailed analysis of how. The national target calls for a reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

“Canada is not the problem. We can shut down our entire economy here and within a matter of days, the production in China would replace everything that we produce here – all the emissions that we emit here.”

In Delta, B.C., Trudeau promised to

develop employment-insurance benefits for people struck by natural disasters such as floods, pledged to develop a national plan to relocate Canadians whose homes are at risk of repeat flooding, and promised interest-free loans to make homes more energy-efficient.

Major flooding struck New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec earlier this spring for the second time in three years.

Trudeau promised a national employment-insurance disaster-benefit program for people forced out of their jobs or their homes because of floods and forest fires.

“This will become a greater concern for many people. That’s why we want to give families more support,” said Trudeau.

“The Andrew Scheer Conservatives have the same do-nothing approach on the environment that Canadians remember from Stephen Harper, with a so-called plan that will do less and cost more.”

On Tuesday, Trudeau branded Scheer as backward and out of step on fighting climate change, linking him to Conservative politicians such as Doug Ford and Jason Kenney, the Ontario and Alberta premiers.

It was part of an attempt by Trudeau to reframe the election around the environ-

ment after last week’s revelations of his history dressing up in black- and brownface. He has linked himself to the rising protest of young people around the world that is gaining momentum through the bitter scolding of world leaders that teenaged climate activist Greta Thunberg levelled at the United Nations this week.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, also in British Columbia, promised a “new deal” for that province Wednesday.

He said an NDP government would take action and put forward funds to tackle money laundering and speculation in the housing market.

He said he would dedicate a unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to fight money laundering and create a national registry to prevent companies from hiding profits they make from real estate.

People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier also began a western tour Wednesday, his first extended trip of the campaign, with an appearance at the Surrey board of trade. Bernier was greeted by shouting protesters and delivered a speech focused on immigration. He said he was against “mass migration” but is not anti-immigrant.

— With files from Camille Bains in Surrey

Richest Canadians getting richer, paying less taxes

Andy BLATCHFORD

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — The incomes of Canada’s top one per cent grew at a faster pace than everyone else in 2017 – and, overall, they saw their taxes edge down, a new study says. Statistics Canada has found that in 2017, the average total income of all tax-filers rose 2.5 per cent to $48,400 compared to the previous year. The average income growth of the bottom half of tax filers increased 2.4 per cent to $17,200. But those in the top one per cent saw average income growth that year of 8.5 per cent to $477,700. And the biggest surge in income

growth was seen by those who made even more money.

Tax filers in Canada’s top 0.1 per cent, who made at least $740,300 in 2017, took home 17.2 per cent more income than in 2016. People in the top 0.01 per cent, who made $2.7 million or more, saw their incomes rise 27.2 per cent – making for the fourth-biggest annual increase in the last 35 years.

The explanation is likely related to efforts by the country’s highest earners to avoid paying even more taxes in 2016 when the federal government introduced a new top tax bracket, the report said.

The numbers for those in the top one per cent have been “relatively volatile” in recent years with aver-

age incomes of $486,100 in 2014, $545,500 in 2015 and $440,300 in 2016. Behind the data, the authors identified a 2016 drop in the amount of income generated from dividends, a change that coincided with the implementation the new tax bracket on earnings over $200,000.

“They may have taken dividends early to reduce their overall tax burden,” the study said.

The report’s release comes with the federal election campaign in full swing – and political pledges on taxes and helping regular folks with their finances have been prominent. In 2016, the Liberal government increased the tax rate on

income in the highest bracket. But the Statistics Canada report says that, even with the boost, taxes declined for those with the highest incomes because of reductions at the provincial level, especially in Quebec.

At the federal level, the report says, those in the top one per cent have been paying higher taxes since the government created a fifth tax bracket in 2016, which nudged the effective tax rate of people making the most money to 18.8 per cent from 18.4 per cent.

The overall effective tax rate, however, for those in the top one per cent declined to 30.9 per cent in 2017, down from 31.3 per cent the year before, the study says.

By comparison, all individual taxpayers, on average, saw an effective tax rate of 11.4 per cent in 2017, while families paid a rate of 12.2 per cent.

Families with kids, with incomes near the median, saw a lower federal rate because of a slight boost from enhanced tax-free child benefits, the report said. The effective tax rate in the study is calculated by tallying the taxes paid at the federal and provincial levels, as well as employee contributions to employment insurance and to the Canada and Quebec pension plans. The vast majority – 92.1 per cent – of the top one per cent in 2017 lived in Ontario, Alberta, Quebec or B.C.

B.C. man pleads guilty to killing tourist

The Canadian Press

CHILLIWACK — Homicide investigators say a man charged with first-degree murder of a Belgian tourist travelling through British Columbia has pleaded guilty to her slaying.

Sgt. Frank Jang says 28-year-old Sean McKenzie of Oliver has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder of Amelie Sakkalis. Police say he entered the plea during a court appearance Monday and his sentencing is expected on Nov. 19. Her cause of death has never been revealed, but police said last year that they believed Sakkalis was hitchhiking from the Penticton area toward Vancouver on the day she was killed.

Sakkalis had been backpacking across Canada and her body was found near Highway 1, north of Boston Bar, on Aug. 22, 2018.

Jang says the murder was a shock to the community and to the seasoned officers who investigated the case.

“A guilty plea speaks to the hard work and dedication of our investigators,” he says in the statement from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

Trinity Eco-Tours take tourists up close to an iceberg in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador on June 11. Canada’s federal party leaders weighed in today on how their parties would address climate change.

Risk rising for oceans, report finds

The Canadian Press

Damage to Earth’s oceans and glaciers from climate change is outpacing the ability of governments to protect them, a new report from an international scientific panel concludes.

The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says those changes are having direct impacts on human health –including in Canada.

“It doesn’t matter where you live in the world or where you live in Canada, the impacts of climate change are going to impact everyone,” said Sherilee Harper, an epidemiologist at the University of Alberta who was one of the lead authors.

The panel released its report, compiled by more than 100 authors worldwide from more than 7,000 papers, at a scientific gathering in Monaco on Wednesday. A companion to a recent paper on the effect of a warming climate on land, the document lays out what’s in store for oceans, glaciers and permafrost.

Oceans are rising faster and faster, becoming more acidic and warmer at a pace that has doubled since 1993. Oxygen is disappearing from their upper layers and currents that bring warm water north are weakening.

Glaciers, the source of rivers, are shrinking. Permafrost, which stores twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, is at record temperatures.

The changes are affecting people. For example, there have been outbreaks of vibrio poisoning, causing gastrointestinal illness, from shellfish living in warm water.

“We’re starting to see outbreaks of different vibrio species in places we did not see them before and that’s been attributed to ocean

warming,” Harper said.

Arctic communities will be directly affected.

“For both the Arctic and west of B.C., the report talks about how the decreased catch of fish and seafood will impact nutrition for the people who live there,” Harper said.

“We’ll see anywhere from a 20 to 30 per cent decrease in their nutrient intake because of those climate change impacts on fish distribution.”

By 2060 – within the lifetime of about half of Canadians now living – coastal floods off British Columbia and the Maritimes that used to occur once a century will

be annual events.

Water availability across Western Canada will be disrupted.

Crucial kelp forests and seagrass meadows that shelter thousands of species from fish to seals to seabirds off both east and west coasts are threatened.

“The decline of kelp forests is projected to continue in temperate regions due to warming, particularly under the projected intensification of marine heat waves, with high risk of local extinctions,” says the report.

And while animals in Arctic seas are expected to increase, that comes at the price of dramatic declines everywhere else.

The report gives short shrift to anyone continuing to doubt the impact of human-caused climate change.

“Global warming has led to widespread shrinking of... ice sheets and glaciers, reductions in snow cover, Arctic sea ice extent and thickness and increased permafrost temperature,” it says. All of those statements are rated “very high confidence,” which is as confident as the report’s careful language allows itself.

The report notes that while the globe is now locked in to decades of disruption from current greenhouse gas levels, almost all negative effects can be softened by

reduced emissions.

It ends with a plea for governments to co-operate and calls for “profound economic and institutional transformative change.” “Nations need to act,” Harper said.

“But there’s also ways that provinces can act and municipalities can act. If we’re going to have transformational change in governments, we need to do that from international to national to local.

“We have to act now. We need to start making those decisions today because the decisions we make today will have impacts centuries from now.”

A boat navigates at night next to large icebergs last month near the town of Kulusuk, in eastern Greenland.

Tell us your daily stories

With the last publication of our daily edition on Saturday as we transition to a free weekly newspaper next week, we’d like to hear from you.

Longtime staff here at The Citizen (that’s most of us, actually) have stories to tell –many of them utterly unfit for publication – but the newspaper has always been the place for your stories, not so much ours. We’re just the messengers, after all. So with that in mind, I’m hoping you would share with us – and the community – your stories and recollections about what having a daily newspaper in Prince George has meant to you.

It can be anything from fond recollections of delivering the paper with a child or grandchild on a cold, winter morning (or afternoon if the story dates back to when The Citizen was an afternoon newspaper)

to a story or photo that changed your life or has huge sentimental value.

Maybe you’d just like to tell us how much reading The Citizen each morning over a cup of coffee before heading out to start your day meant to you over the years.

Maybe you’d like to remind us about your favourite mistake or silly goof up we made from back in the day.

Just to get your memories flowing, here are two of my own memories since I joined The Citizen in November 1999:

• I had nearly forgotten my favourite headline that I ever got to write until I saw it on a bulletin board above the desk of Jeff Kozoris at the Prince George Public Library, when I had the pleasure of working with him every day for two years. A man had stumbled into a local convenience store late one night bleeding profusely because his hand had been amputated and he wouldn’t tell Prince George RCMP what had happened or who did it. The police issued a

press release stating the incident was targeted and gang related. The spokesperson included a cheeky comment assuring local residents that no one was going around collecting hands. With that in mind, I wrote the headline “Attack stumps police.” As if that wasn’t bad enough, reporter Ted Clarke piped up with this idea for a secondary headline – “Victim refuses to finger assailant.” Putting that on the top of the front page earned me a red-faced reprimand from a not-amused managing editor Dave Paulson but I’m told it was passed around the RCMP detachment to hearty laughter.

• I tested Dave’s patience with me as the night news editor regularly but he loved one bold move I made (although Colleen Sparrow – now the publisher but then the circulation manager – hates this story).

The day editors had run a long piece from The Associated Press on the entertainment page about The Simpsons having reached a significant TV history milestone that I

YOUR LETTERS

Legislative fix

In March of 1837, Lord John Russell passed a number of resolutions through the House of Commons that allowed, for a limited time, the Governor of Lower Canada to payout of public funds – without the consent of the assembly – the salaries and emoluments due to those on the “Civil List,” and thus allowed what had been for centuries impossible in England, which was to spend public money without the consent of those taxed for it.

The policy of requiring consent before appropriating public revenue continued under the British North America Act of 1867.

Legislatures in Canada were bound by Articles 53 and 54:

“Bills for appropriating any part of the public revenue, or for imposing any tax or impost, shall originate in the House of Commons” (53) and “It shall not be lawful for the House of Commons to adopt or pass any vote, resolution, address, or bill for the appropriation of any part of the public revenue, or of any tax or impost, to any purpose that has not been first recommended to that house by message of the Governor-General in the Session in which such vote, resolution, address, or bill is proposed” (54).

According to the late Mel Smith, a long-time constitutional advisor to successive B.C. governments, this policy disappeared in British Columbia in 1987:

“The time-honoured parliamentary principle of members having to obtain legislative approval for changes in their pay, perks and benefits survived in British Columbia until 1987, when with a wink and a nod from both sides of the House, they passed the Legislative Assembly Board of Internal Economy Act.

“This permits the Board, comprised of the Speaker, the house leaders and caucus chairmen, to

run roughshod over a number of provincial statutes and entrusts to itself the power to set the salaries, benefits, expenses, allowances and severance pay of all members of the legislature.

“This included the special benefits paid to the board members themselves, by virtue of the respective offices they hold.

“The Board meets in private, it does not make public its decisions, it need not even advise the legislature of its actions, and it has unlimited access to funding through an open-ended provision that allows it to draw directly from the consolidated revenue fund.”

The ex-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Beverly McLachlin, was asked to lead an investigation into the wrongdoings by the B.C. Legislature’s two top officials, with a report due May 3.

Her report should be made public.

Two months later, the B.C. government said it would implement accountability reforms at the legislature, but there wasn’t a commitment to review the Legislative Assembly Board of Internal Economy Act of 1987.

This was the legislation that allowed the abuse of public funds in the first place.

There should be a forensic audit or comprehensive review of all that has been allowed by the board, including the increase in the salaries, benefits, expenses, allowances and severance pay garnered by the members of the board as well as that received by all of the MLAs and staff, without a debate.

In order to achieve full accountability reforms, and restore the public trust sought by the government it is essential that all those that took advantage of the provisions of the Legislative Assembly Board of Internal Economy Act, whether they were members of

the board, or of the legislature. They must be made known by full public disclosure.

Also, the act must be repealed to comply with the protections of public funds as found in the BNA Act of 1867, articles 53 and 54.

If Clerk Craig James and Sergeant-at-Arms Gary Lenz are to be publicly vilified, all those who profited in any way from the provisions in the Legislative Assembly Board of Internal Economy Act should also be held to account.

Abe Bourdon Clinton

Bad behavior

Twenty years ago, there probably were behaviors that were not known to be racist at that time, that we would consider racist today.

My concern today is the commotion of the MPs when they were pounding on the table and hollering “let her speak” during the presentation of the budget report by Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

We could hardly hear what the finance minister was saying most of the time.

Thanks to The Citizen, which published the entire report in the newspaper the following day, we got the information.

Do we really want these MPs to be the ones running our government in the future? Such disrespect for their fellow MP and our citizens they are supposed to represent.

The citizens of Canada should be more concerned how the people running for prime minister plan to make our lives better in various ways and how they plan on paying for the changes they suggest. This would be of far more interest to the voters.

Carolyn Wedman Prince George

don’t remember. Suddenly the idea came to me to tease the story on the top of the front page with a picture of the show’s beloved characters standing around The Citizen’s masthead but remade to look just like the famous The Simpsons logo that emerges from the clouds at the start of each episode. Designer Grace Flack whipped up the remade logo and, for one day anyhow, we looked like we were Springfield’s daily newspaper.

So many to tell but I bet your stories are way better and I’d certainly like to read them and publish some of them on Saturday, our final edition as a daily newspaper. Please email them to me at ngodbout@ pgcitizen.ca

After that, you’ll find us every Thursday (you can already turn to us anytime you want online) where we look forward to making some new memories with you for years to come.

—

Editor-in-chief

Neil Godbout

Print matters more than ever

On Saturday, Prince George’s daily paper will pass away. Of course The Citizen will go on – by the grace of God and Godbout, I will go on with it. But there is no softening this latest blow to local media: the logistics and costs associated with publishing more than weekly can no longer be sustained. I respect that decision and cannot disagree with its logic, yet I still feel the need to mourn so grievous a loss for our community and the region.

Some time ago, a younger, slightly less handsome version of yours truly awoke with the dawn to deliver these pages you hold in your hands. It was my first job and I was terrible at it, as the residents of North Nechako and the lack of tips I received over Christmas, can attest.

But I am just old enough to remember a time when papers were a fact of life, the limits to their publication based on population, not dwindling revenues thanks to Google and Facebook monopolizing online ads while avoiding taxes. If a time traveller had told me my writing was destined for greatness in The Citizen, I might have agreed but that same wanderer would have earned a heavy Thursday edition to the head for suggesting print journalism was destined to die.

Yet here we are at the end of all things, or “late capitalism” as it is often called. Certainly we are still stumbling around in shock from this century’s awful start, with nothing really able to wake us from our stupor. But please note, the Citizen’s creators and consumers are in the midst of the largest paradigm shift since the mills were

amalgamated: first the smaller papers and then the bargain finder disappeared; now, the ink, pulp, and toil for local news or ads is all but finished.

Printed news and mass literacy are two of the few unquestionably good ideas humans have ever implemented. It bears repeating that digital devices aren’t left in truck stops, coffee shops and offices for fellow citizens to access the news. Another barrier to accessing facts, opinions, and the market, especially in our politicized age, is bound to create more of the same turmoil. Yet that is what we are allowing to happen as print journalism becomes more unviable. I can only suggest that what comes next be truly innovative, given the limitlessness of the internet’s space. Podcasts or video content ought to be available to subscribers. Perhaps a creative section for regular book reviews, local art and photography, even short fiction or poetry might be in order. Our community is worthy of published content in all these areas – if it can’t be justified in stand alone journals, let it exist together under one masthead at the local newspaper.

We were lucky to have a daily for so long, given our population, and I was proud to be in one of the few outside this country’s major centres. Those days are now behind us all. There will be no more “blood into ink” here at home – an unrequitable loss for which no words will suffice.

LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. No attachments, please. They can also be faxed to 250-960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. Maximum length is 750 words and writers are limited to one submission every week. We will edit letters only to ensure clarity, good taste, for legal reasons, and occasionally for length. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes. Unsigned or handwritten letters will not be published. The Prince George Citizen is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Neil Godbout (ngodbout@pgcitizen.ca or 250-960-2759). If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.

Could care less

I could care less about Justin Trudeau dressing up as Aladdin at a Arabian Nights party about 20 years ago.

All Canadians have better things to worry about, like people getting killed everyday, like what is happening in Iran and how it could affect us. I live in the north so I want the pipeline to go ahead. We need a source to heat our homes. So many other things to worry about in this election so do not make something that happened a long time ago when things were a lot different an election issue.

The man has apologized. What more so you want? Move on. No one is perfect.

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A

RIGHT OF CENTRE NATHAN GIEDE

Victoria taking plastic bag ban to Supreme Court

The Canadian Press

The City of Victoria will ask the Supreme Court of Canada to review a court decision that overturned its business bylaw banning single-use plastic bags. The B.C. Court of Appeal set aside the bylaw, saying the city needed to get approval from the provincial government to take such action.

The city says in a statement that after careful review it will be asking Canada’s highest court to clarify a local government’s power to regulate what it describes as unsustainable business practices that negatively impact the community.

Mayor Lisa Helps says the Appeal Court’s decision in July goes beyond the issue of plastic bags, striking at the heart of the

power of local governments to regulate businesses in line with community values.

The Canadian Plastic Bag Association, which represents the makers and distributors of plastic bags, fought the bylaw in court, arguing municipalities don’t have the authority to regulate the environment or the right to block a product from use.

Under the bylaw, businesses in Victoria

were prohibited from offering or selling plastic bags to consumers and had to charge a minimum of 15 cents for paper bags and $1 for reusable bags. The city’s statement says the appeal court ruling is contrary to a previous Supreme Court of Canada decision that said the making and implementation of laws are best achieved at the level of government closest to the citizens affected.

Paid to protect the planet

CEOs step up when bonuses tied to environmental goals

Emily CHASAN Bloomberg

The executives tasked with introducing Seventh Generation’s line of eco-friendly laundry detergents, dish soaps and cleaners to Southeast Asia faced a dilemma earlier this year.

If the Unilever NV unit proceeded with the planned product launch before enough recycled plastic could be found for packaging, it could undercut sustainability goals tied to 20 per cent of employee bonuses. Picking a non-recycled material could cost them all a chunk of money.

“If you don’t have access to recycled resins, then we just won’t launch,” Seventh Generation chief executiveofficer Joey Bergstein said the company decided at the time. His team eventually found suitable material from the region’s fledgling recycling infrastructure, and Seventh Generation hit store shelves there without lowering standards or bonuses.

The search paid off for Unilever, too, with the same supplies of recycled resins going into the packaging of the European consumer giant’s other brands in Southeast Asia.

Most large companies now set sustainability goals, but few impose consequences on employees who fail to meet them.

Around 500 corporations worldwide tie executive pay to environmental, social or governance goals, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Not all of these are related to climate impact-diversity and safety are more prevalent than environment targets among this group.

That’s beginning to change.

“It’s is coming up more and more, but five years ago this wasn’t part of the conversation,” said Seymour Burchman, a managing director at Semler Brossy, a consultant that advises on compensation plans.

With companies creating better data around environmental impact and risks, he said, the case for linking compensation gets stronger.

“The board can’t ignore it.”

The employers that most often link compensation to environmental impact aren’t crunchy consumer brands like Seventh Generation but gritty miners.

Extractive industries need to measure environmental impact to get licenses required to operate in local communities, and Burchman said that incentive pay has been an effective way for miners to improve these results.

Cameco Corp. links 40 per cent of annual bonuses to safety, environment and community measures.

Vale SA started linking emission reductions to annual bonuses in 2018.

Rio Tinto Plc said in April it was considering how to link greenhouse gas cuts to short-term incentive plans.

BHP Group – the world’s largest miner –said last week it will increase the amount of short-term incentives CEO Andrew Mackenzie has tied to carbon emissions reductions and climate metrics in 2020 from four per cent currently.

As more companies reckon with their carbon footprints and face pressure to embrace renewable energy, links between climate-related targets and compensation are spreading.

General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra had seven sustainability objectives last year, including reaching 200,000 electric vehicle sales in the U.S.

GM’s proxy statement denoted each one with a little green leaf, alongside other traditional financial goals for CEO pay like revenue, dividends and share repurchases.

There are other executives at the Detroit automaker with sustainability goals included in their compensation, although a GM spokeswoman didn’t say how far these targets extend down the line.

Climate goals for executive pay are more common in Europe, where companies like Novozymes A/S, the Copenhagen-based maker of industrial enzymes, gives each employee his or her own incentives for meeting financial, social and environmental targets.

Food and beverage maker Danone SA bases about 10 per cent of CEO Emmanuel Faber’s pay on meeting climate commitments and creating a sustainable supply chain.

Sustainability is increasingly creeping into traditional financial incentives for companies – and even their suppliers.

Walmart, for example, has pledged to cut a gigaton of greenhouse gases out of its business by 2030, extending all the way into its supply chain.

Earlier this year, in an effort to spur suppliers to do better, Walmart offered better financial terms to anyone who delivered on green goals.

Walmart specifically links diversity and culture to 15 per cent of executive incentive

Karla L. MILLER

pay and 10 per cent of pay for associates, but doesn’t break out environmental goals in its proxy.

In the credit markets, nearly $70 billion of green- and sustainability-linked loans were issued this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The loans let companies lower the cost of their debt if they meet specific sustainability targets.

At Seventh Generation, the entire workforce sees pay change along with companywide sustainability metrics.

That puts the unit on the far end of adoption, which makes sense for an environmentally-minded consumer brand.

“When you bake it into the incentive system people really feel compelled to go after it,” said Bergstein, the chief executive.

Meeting goals on packaging and greenhouse-gas reduction prompted the launch of an ultra concentrated laundry detergent in 2018.

The detergent weighs less, which the company claims will cut emissions from shipping by about 70 per cent.

Scientists working for Seventh Generation, however, have concluded that 92 per cent of the company’s greenhouse-gas footprint stems from people washing and drying

Special To The Washington Post

Q: I am an older woman working in a field among predominantly younger workers and would love insight on how to deal with frequent references to my age. I love what I do and have much to contribute, but the comments are starting to wear on me.

As an example, at a recent conference when I was about to make a presentation, a younger colleague twice made reference to the fact that I had my notes on 5 x 7 rather than 3 x 5 note cards, saying, “Guess that’s what you gotta do when you get old.”

This individual thought she was being funny and wanted to make sure everyone heard the “joke.” I said nothing, but it pushed all my self-doubt buttons, and I gave a substandard presentation.

I understand I could simply ignore such comments.

But what I’d love is a simple, honest, thoughtful response –not snarky or confrontational, because I don’t think that would stop future comments, but a way to educate the colleague on how inappropriate and harmful these “jokes” are.

clothes at home, something very difficult for executives to change.

Working with manufacturers to design washing machines that are more efficient didn’t seem like it would address that problem fast enough.

So the company took an unorthodox approach.

Seventh Generation set a target that 100 U.S. cities would need to pledge to shift to clean energy by 2030. If they didn’t, employees would lose out on incentive pay.

Bergstein will admit that it sounds crazy: “What kind of control do we have over 100 cities across America to make that kind of commitment?” he said. “But we looked at each other and said if we’re really serious about cleaning up the energy grid, then we’ve got to do something like this.”

Seventh Generation spent $1 million on lobbying efforts and worked with the Sierra Club and other groups to sway local officials. It worked – and its 160 employees got to keep their bonuses.

“It would have been a lot easier to take that $1 million and spend it elsewhere,” Bergstein said. “But it really keeps your feet to the fire.”

A: It’s always fun to fantasize about breezy comebacks (“Well, kiddo, I’d be happy to hand over my cards and let you present, but my notes are all in cursive”). But if you’re looking to make a point, you have several options of varying sharpness. Benefit of the doubt: “I’m sure you were just trying to make a joke, but that just came off as mean.” With a co-worker, you could add: “It also undermines me and, by extension, the employer we’re representing.”

Feigned bafflement: “Why would you say such a thing?”

Anyone who is capable of shame and truly means no harm will apologize on the spot. But you’re talking about someone who used her bizarrely specific eye for detail to draw attention to what she saw as a sign of weakness. This is not the behavior of a well-meaning professional secure in her own competence. In cases like that, go for blunt: “Please stop making those comments. They’re rude, they’re not funny, and they’re ageist.” And assuming you are at least 40, you could add: “And you should know my age is a protected status under federal law.”

People who wouldn’t dream of making snide remarks about someone’s race, sex or religion for fear of being sued may not realize that the Canadian Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of age.

Of course, you can ignore such comments. But as with racism, sexism and other -isms, it’s harder to ignore the disrespect behind them – or the very real bias older workers face. In a recent U.S. survey of adults older than age 45, 61 per cent said they have either seen or experienced age discrimination. Nine in 10 of those said they believe it is somewhat to extremely common.

Whether you say anything in the moment, document the incident afterward: what was said, when, by whom, and any witnesses who may have overheard. One stray remark is probably not something you can act on, but a documented pattern might be.

Even if you don’t have access to the offenders’ managers, many event organizers have rules of conduct prohibiting attendees from demeaning or harassing others. — Karla L. Miller offers weekly advice on workplace dramas and traumas.

BLOOMBERG PHOTO

General Motors chairman and CEO Mary Barra discusses their Chevrolet Bolt with AV Technology at their Orion assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan.

Twiggy takes Hyde for ride to BCRA title

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

If Judy Hyde had it her way, her horse Twiggy would be accepting the award as the B.C. Rodeo Association barrel racing season champion.

That’s because Twiggy did most of the leg work cutting the barrels fast enough over the past six months to give Hyde the third BCRA barrel racing title of her career.

Hyde and Twiggy won their first rodeo and they stayed in the lead until the end, claiming the title with a season total of $6,894.52, $33 more than second-place

Judy Dostal of Falkland ($6,861.60)

Hyde’s championship season is even more remarkable considering Twiggy, a 10-yearold quarterhorse whose registered name is Streakin’ Ta Paradise, did not finish the season. She got hurt at the Chilliwack Fall Fair rodeo Aug. 9-11 and was sidelined the rest of the season.

“She was out all of August and for our very big-money finals (which wrapped up Sept. 2 in Barriere) and it’s really something that she still wound up winning it for the year,” said Hyde.

“She missed quite a few rodeos (four of the 15) but she held in there. She had a very good lead because she usually placed at every one and was in the top.” Hyde had to lean on a younger horse and

an older retired veteran to get her through the end of the season. They didn’t place high enough to earn money but Twiggy’s substantial lead was enough to keep them on top of the standings.

“I held my breath while everyone was winning money at the finals,” Hyde said. Hyde said Twiggy recognized right away something wasn’t right when the injury flared up in Chilliwack, which prevented what could have been a career-ending injury.

“She just rotated her femur a little bit, which, if she had turned her normal way, probably would have blown her stifle (joint), but she took care of herself and didn’t turn her normal way,” said Hyde, an equine body worker trained in acupuncture and chiropracty.

“She saved herself and she’s totally fine now, but she wasn’t fine and I wasn’t going to take a chance on losing her, even though she was in the lead.”

Dena Millard of Vanderhoof finished fourth in the 2019 season standings, earning $4.516.45, just ahead of fifth-place Cherry Taylor of Vanderhoof ($4,501.11).

Kim Meise of Prince George ended up 10th ($2,597.71).

Hyde will be presented her champion’s saddle on Oct. 8 at the BCRA awards banquet in Barriere. Twiggy’s accomplishments in 2019 won’t go unrecognized. The horse she began training as a two-year-old addi-

Spruce Kings trade for forward, defenceman

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff

The Prince George Spruce Kings head into the weekend for B.C. Hockey League games at home against Trail and Alberni Valley with two new players on the roster.

Earlier this week the Kings made a deal with the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League to acquire defenceman Mason Waite in exchange for forward Mack Stewart.

Waite, a 19-year-old from Winnipeg, played 55 games last season for the Bobcats and produced five goals and 19 assists. He stated this season in the NAHL with the Jamestown Rebels.

“Mason is a mobile defenseman with good size who plays in all situations,” said Kings general manager Mike Hawes, in a team release. “He is dependable defensively while being able to contribute offensively.” Stewart, joined the Kings in the off-season. The 17-year-old winger from Austria, who now makes his home in Calgary, was held without a point in five games BCHL games.

The Kings also acquired forward Kolton Cousins in a trade from the Cowichan Valley Capitals which sent 20-year-old defenceman Nolan Barrett to Duncan.

Cousins, an 18-year-old who played minor hockey at Delta Hockey Academy, scored five goals and had six assists in 55 regular season games last year for the Capitals. The five-foot-seven, 181-pound Sechelt native also had a goal and four assists in 12 playoff games with the Caps.

“Kolton is very hardworking forward who will also contribute in both ends while adding a lot of spark to our lineup,” said Hawes. Barrett, a 20-year-old Merrimack College recruit for 2020-21, had 16 penalty minutes in seven games this season with the Spruce Kings.

Coming off a three-game trip last weekend that resulted in a win and two losses, the Spruce Kings (2-3-2, third in Mainland Division) will host the Trail Smoke Eaters (2-5-1) Friday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.

The Smokies will be bringing BCHL player-of-the-week Kent Johnson, who had five assists in a 5-1 win Friday over West Kelowna. Johnson, who turns 17 on Oct. 18, now has three goals and eight assists for 11 points, one point behind league scoring leaders Levi Glasman of the Powell River Kings) and Noah Wakeford of the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.

On Saturday, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs visit the Spruce Kings.

tion to the family has been chosen by Hyde’s peers for the horse of the year award.

“That’s my biggest (honour),” said Hyde. “This is a horse you raised and trained and brought on, and that’s voted on by the girls. That’s very special to me, that they think your horse is that good.”

Hyde has been competing in rodeos since 1985, having won the BCRA barrel racing title in 2010 and 2016. At 61, she’s showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, she’s getting better with age.

“Barrel racing keeps you young,” she said.

“Most people who do ride keep themselves in good shape. I don’t go to the gym, I don’t have time to go the gym.”

“I’m not running, I’m riding the horse, and that’s very physical and a lot of activity. But by your 40s, 50s and on, you’ve figured out horses and you can train them a lot better. Your mind is a lot calmer, you’ve raised your kids and that’s actually the best time to go. You’re more focused on what you’re doing instead of your family.”

Hyde’s husband Karl is a team roper and Judy takes part in that event in the winter. Karl also serves as a rodeo judge which kept him out of many of the rodeos on the BCRA circuit. Their two daughters, Megan Keith of Clyde, Alta., and Caitlin Gulbranson of Vanderhoof also compete in barrel racing events, as do their daughters.

The season started in April and Hyde was

on the road with her truck and horse trailer virtually ever weekend throughout the summer traveling to rodeos and her sponsor, Bob Mero of Parallel Welding in Quesnel, helped pay some of the fuel bills. She and Twiggy are done for the year as far as rodeos are concerned but they will continue to work out regularly indoors with her horses at the Agriplex at Exhibition Park through the cold-winter months.

“I’m very serious about their fitness and they usually don’t get hurt because I’m serious but you can’t guarantee you’ll have the best ground all the time and things can happen,” Hyde said.

Two Prince George cowboys cracked the top-four in the BCRA bareback standings. Jared Marshall finished third, earning $4,093.59, while Chase McClary was fourth ($992.87).

In peewee barrel racing, Nevada Jones placed sixth overall ($298.24) and Ainslee Meise was 11th ($101.96). Fallon Jones ended up fifth in junior barrel racing ($1,636.80) and was 24th in the ladies standings ($86.63).

Cherry won the ladies all-around title (46,956.31); tie-down roping/team roping heeler champion Steve Lloyd of Quesnel was second in the men’s all-around standings ($15,638.46); while junior breakaway champ Riley Beier of Vanderhoof captured the junior all-around title.

Paciejewski, Scotland bounced from world lacrosse tournament

Citizen staff

Cole Paciejewski and Team Scotland have been eliminated from the world indoor lacrosse championship in Langley after losing a playoff game Wednesday morning 29-5 to Australia.

The Australians built a 22-5 lead in the first two quarters and shut out Scotland the rest of the game. Paciejewski was held to one goal as his team was outshot 6025 in the game.

On Tuesday, in a 12-10 playoff win over Scotland the 26-yearold from Prince George picked up a goal and two assists Tuesday to help the Scots to their second win of the tournament. Leif Paulson, the other Prince George connection in the 20team tournament, will try to help Sweden (2-3) secure a higher position in the placement standings tonight when they take on Germany (4-0) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Paulson, 31, had three assists in Sweden’s 12-11 win Tuesday in a placement-round playoff over Switzerland. In the championship pool, Canada (4-0) awaits the winner of today’s 5 p.m. game between Israel and England and will play that game Thursday at 8 p.m. Iroquois Nationals (3-1) will be back on the floor Thursday at 5 p.m. to meet the winner of today’s (8 p.m.) Czech RepublicU.S.A. playoff. More information is available on the tournament website www.wilc2019.ca.

Montreal beats Toronto FC to win Canadian Championship

Gregory STRONG The Canadian Press

TORONTO — A win, loss and draw added up to victory for the Montreal Impact on Wednesday night.

Montreal beat Toronto FC 3-1 on penalty kicks at BMO Field to win the Canadian Championship. Toronto’s Tsubasa Endoh scored in the 70th minute to give the home side a 1-0 win in the return leg that left the two-game aggregate final tied at one.

The Impact posted a 1-0 win in the opener of the home-and-away series last week on an Ignacio Piatti goal. He nearly gave Montreal the win late in the second half but his shot hit the crossbar.

Montreal carried its late momentum into the penalty-kicks, scoring on all three opportunities.

“We became stronger and our stronger and our confidence grew,” said Impact coach Wilmer

Cabrera. Rudy Camacho, Bojan and Daniel Lovitz converted from the spot for Montreal.

Alejandro Pozuelo scored on Toronto’s first attempt but Jozy Altidore hit the crossbar and Patrick Mullins had his shot saved by goalkeeper Clement Diop.

Jonathan Osorio hit the post with Toronto’s fourth attempt to seal the result.

The Impact earned a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League with the victory. It was the fourth time that Montreal has won the Voyageurs Cup and its first domestic title since 2014.

Toronto was looking for its eighth Canadian Championship overall and fourth in a row.

“We still created some really good opportunities and had some good moments,” said Toronto coach Greg Vanney. “But these games come down to execution.”

RONA MCDONALD HANDOUT PHOTO

Judy Hyde cuts around a barrel at the 2017 B.C. Rodeo Association finals in Williams Lake. Hyde and her horse Twiggy won the BCRA championship this year in Barriere, the third BCRA title of Hyde’s rodeo career.

Tellez homers twice as Blue Jays top Orioles

Melissa COUTO

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Jacob Waguespack didn’t have his best stuff Wednesday night. It didn’t matter.

Waguespack pitched six scoreless innings, putting up a muchneeded quality start after back-toback days of strenuous work from the Toronto bullpen, and the Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2.

“I’m pleased that I could go get outs and still give our team a chance to win – that was my goal going in,” said the rookie righthander, who threw at least six shutout innings for the third time this season.

“Our bullpen has been taxed and exhausted over the last couple days so I really wanted to go out and give our team a chance to win and save our bullpen.”

Manager Charlie Montoyo had used 10 pitchers in Monday’s 15-inning game and eight Tuesday after scheduled starter Anthony Kay was scratched late due to back pain.

Waguespack (5-5) was efficient in his six innings Wednesday night, scattering just four hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts. He threw 78 pitches, 45 for strikes.

“It was a gutsy performance because he didn’t have good stuff,” Montoyo said of his starter.

“He was throwing 89, 88, but his secondary stuff was good so that’s how he found a way to go six innings, which is what we needed.

“He was outstanding.”

Rowdy Tellez provided most of Toronto’s offence with homers in back-to-back plate appearances to reach 21 on the season.

Tellez hit his 20th in the fourth inning off Baltimore starter Gabriel Ynoa (1-10) to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead, then went deep again off reliever Paul Fry in the sixth for his third career multi-

homer game.

“It’s pretty special, one of those things people dream of and work hard to do,” Tellez said of reaching the 20-homer mark in a season.

“But I couldn’t be more grateful to be in the position I am with

the organization I’m with and just everybody’s that’s got me to this point.”

Montoyo said Tellez had promised a young boy who had visited the Toronto clubhouse earlier in the day that he would hit a home

run for him.

“I’m not going to compare Rowdy to Babe Ruth but he promised a kid that he was going to hit a home run and he hit two. That was pretty cool,” Montoyo said. “The kid had heart problems before and

he was in the clubhouse today.”

The boy got a tour of the clubhouse from Tellez and played catch and stretched on the field with the rest of the team before the game.

Tellez recalled his promise a bit differently than Montoyo did, though.

“I promised him three and I failed,” Tellez deadpanned. “But it was a special moment for us.”

Billy McKinney also homered Wednesday, putting Toronto (64-94) up 1-0 in the first inning on the second pitch he saw from Baltimore starter Gabriel Ynoa (1-9).

The Orioles (52-107) scored twice in the eighth inning to cut Toronto’s lead to 3-2. Rio Ruiz earned an RBI on a bases-loaded groundout off Canadian reliever Jordan Romano. And Wilmer Font, Romano’s replacement, walked in a run before getting a deep fly out from Chris Davis to end the inning.

Ken Giles struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth for his 22nd save.

Cavan Biggio walked in the third inning to extend his on-base streak to 26 games, one off Russ Adams’ rookie record from 2005. Tellez became the fourth rookie in franchise history with a 20home run season, joining Eric Hinske (24 in 2002), J.P. Arencibia (23 in 2011) and Fred McGriff (20 in 1987).

NOTES: Toronto recalled righthander Yennsy Diaz and selected the contract of right-hander Ryan Dull before the game in an effort to shore up its depleted bullpen. Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (appendectomy) was placed on the 60-day injured list to make him for Dull on the roster. ... Attendance was 13,853. ... The Blue Jays won the season series versus Baltimore 11-8. ... Toronto has the day off Thursday before hosting Tampa Bay from Friday through Sunday in their final series of the season.

Olympic champion Silva loses Pan Am gold for doping

Mauricio SAVARESE The Associated Press

SAO PAULO — Olympic judo champion

Rafaela Silva of Brazil was stripped of her Pan American Games gold medal on Wednesday after failing a doping test.

Silva was the winner of the title of the 57-kilogram category in Lima, the same category in which she triumphed at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. She can still appeal the decision.

Organizers of the Pan Am Games said in a statement that Silva and six other athletes had failed their doping tests during the competition in August.

“We have concluded the process for seven cases which resulted in the athletes being disqualified from the Games as well as their medals and performances forfeited and removed,” organizers said.

“The results management process has been lengthy as we have ensured that the athletes’ rights have been fully respected, especially in relation to confidentiality.”

The 27-year-old Silva announced last week that she tested positive for fenoterol, a drug used to treat asthma.

The judoka blamed her frequent contact with a 7-month-old baby that suffers from

asthma for the doping result.

The Brazilian is one of the favourites to win gold in judo at the Tokyo Olympics next year.

Dominican baseball players Audry Joel Perez and Osvaldo Manuel Abreu; Brazilian cyclist Kacio Fonseca da Silva; Peruvian handball player Brian Cesar Paredes Vergara; Puerto Rican bowler Jean Francisco Perez Faure; and Colombian basketball player Narlyn Tathiana Mosquera Cordoba also failed their tests.

Organizers said the doping positives of the Brazilian cyclist and of the Puerto Rican bowler also made their teams lose a bronze and a gold medal, respectively.

The statement of Pan Am Games organizers said hearings for five cases have been scheduled for Oct. 3 and 4, while the results of three cases are yet to be determined following analyses of B samples.

The organizers have not clarified which is the case for the Brazilian Olympic champion Silva.

One of the doping cases at the Pan Am Games has already concluded, with the athlete that failed the test appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), organizers said.

Toronto Blue Jays’ Rowdy Tellez crosses home plate after hitting a home run against the Baltimore Orioles during a game in Toronto on Wednesday.

AP FILE PHOTO

Rafaela Silva of Brazil, left, fights for the gold medal against Ana Rosa of Dominican Republic in women’s judo 57 kg at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

MONEY IN BRIEF

Currencies

OTTAWA (CP) — These are indicative wholesale rates for foreign currency provided by the Bank of Canada on Wednesday. Quotations in Canadian funds. Australia dollar 0.896

Tidbits from RBC Economics

We were being transferred from Prince Rupert to Cranbrook, (the armpit of B.C. to the left toe) which required a stopover in Vancouver.

My first bank posting to my second meant a momentary a luxury for us, staying in a hotel on the company dime. But by the time we gave up possession of our home in Prince Rupert, all three of our little girls were flat on the floor, covered in red spots, and ragdoll sick.

“Hey, you said your kids have the chickenpox, right? And still infectious? Perfect! When you’re in town, we will come over to the hotel and let them play together.”

members with seven expecting one more cut this year, five looking for no change, and five thinking a rate hike would be appropriate by year end. Lack of unity might explain why the policy statement was little changed, simply reiterating that the Fed will “act as appropriate to sustain the expansion.”

and consumer confidence levels remain around cycle-highs.

0.001106

The markets today

TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index fell for a third-straight day Wednesday while U.S. markets rebounded as impeachment concerns took a back seat to possible progress on the trade war between the U.S. and China.

The S&P/TSX composite index was hurt by lower crude and gold prices and closed down 14.04 points at 16,784.29 after hitting an intraday low of 16,725.79. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 162.94 points at 26,970.71. The S&P 500 index was up 18.27 points at 2,984.87, while the Nasdaq composite was up 83.76 points at 8,077.38.

The turnaround came after U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that a trade deal with China could come sooner “than you think” as the two sides return to negotiations next month. China took conciliatory action by saying it was prepared to ramp up pork purchases.

The trade comments came a day after North American stock markets fell on the U.S. House speaker saying a formal impeachment inquiry would begin over Trump seeking the Ukraine president’s help in his re-election bid by asking him to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son.

Political issues such as trade and impeachment have created volatility, said Candice Bangsund, portfolio manager for Fiera Capital. “Yesterday was where we saw the largest impact, the biggest declines since July in the S&P 500, but it’s definitely taking a back seat to some signs of progress on the trade front.”

It sounded crazy when our friends wanted to meet up at a Vancouver hotel to rub up against our infectious critters, but it was considered an inoculation of sorts. Get them exposed to the virus as young children, or even babies, and the symptoms of the outbreak are relatively mild. Then their immunity would be established, and their children better off for it thereafter.

This memory came to mind today when I was reading an RBC economic report on the U.S. Fed’s decision to extend its loosening trend on interest for the next while. They are trying to keep the economy form catching a cold, but the nagging fear is whether they’re just cooking up a batch of pneumonia. Let’s hope not.

This week we get a few tidbits from RBC Economics, looking at what sort of market the summer gave us.

Fed cuts rates again

Last week’s rate cut was widely expected as the Fed continued its “mid-cycle” policy adjustment (i.e. more than one cut, but not an extended easing cycle).

The key question is how much further that adjustment, framed as insurance against risks from trade tensions and slowing global growth, will go. The middle-ish point of fed-head opinions suggest of no further cuts (or hikes) through the end of next year. But that masks significant divergence among committee

Our forecast assumes the Fed will lower rates once more this year. A total of 75 basis points of cuts would be consistent with mid-cycle easing in 1995 and 1998. Whether the Fed makes that additional move will depend on how the balance of risks around the economic outlook evolves into year end. Geopolitical risk has gone both ways recently, with the U.S. and China restarting trade talks but tensions in the Middle East rising and Brexit no closer to being resolved.

Domestically, more reports like yesterday’s IP numbers (manufacturing +0.5 per cent in August) would help alleviate concerns about the health of the U.S. industrial sector, with the key worry being that weakness there spills over into the broader economy. More clarity on these issues would help the divided Fed reach a consensus.

Canadian retail sales still soft in July

The headline sales increase in July was the first in three months and, excluding price impacts, volume sales were unchanged, both from a month earlier and from year ago levels. Flat volume sales from a year ago compare with, ostensibly, strong growth in household purchasing power over the last year. Employment was up two per cent from a year ago in July, wage growth was well-above the rate of inflation, and external trade risks have pushed interest rates sharply lower. All of that should be boosting household purchasing power,

And, indeed, the broader household spending backdrop arguably still has looked a little better recently. Overall consumer spending growth outperformed the retail sale numbers over the first half of this year. E-commerce sales, not all of which are included in the headline retail sales number, were up 32.8 per cent in July. And housing markets have firmed with home resales increasingly appearing to have passed their near-term bottom in the spring. We expect household spending will continue to grow at a respectable, if unspectacular, pace over the second half of this year. And that will probably be needed given still elevated uncertainties about the potential for international trade disruptions to spill over into slower Canadian manufacturing sales activity.

Canadian inflation continues to tread water

Headline inflation crept lower over the last three months as consumers got a break on gasoline prices over the summer. Meanwhile, underlying inflation continues to hum along at two per cent, making the Bank of Canada the envy of its global peers. With the Fed set to lower borrowing costs again today (and potentially leave the door open to another cut) the Bank of Canada might just end the year with the highest policy rate in the G7. Inflation would be a key reason for that. For consumers, the combination of steady inflation and accelerating wage growth is good news. Of course, other pressures like housing affordability aren’t captured well in the CPI, so not all households will be feeling an increase in purchasing power.

Mark Ryan is an investment advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (Member–Canadian Investor Protection Fund), and these are Ryan’s views, and not those of RBC Dominion Securities. This article is for information purposes only. Please consult with a professional advisor before taking any action based on information in this article. See his website at: http://dir. rbcinvestments.com/mark.ryan. IT’S

Log truck convoy drives home message about state of B.C. forest industry

The Canadian Press

MERRITT — A convoy of as many as 200 logging trucks arrived in Vancouver late Wednesday as owners and drivers highlight the effects from dozens of mill closures and thousands of layoffs in B.C.’s forest industry.

The convoy began in Merritt, nearly 300 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.

It was escorted by police to downtown Vancouver where local and provincial politicians are gathered for the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention. Merritt business owners and log haulers Howard McKimmon and Frank Etchart organized the convoy and say participants have come from all parts of the province. McKimmon said they have lost work because sawmill closures mean

they are no longer needed to carry logs to the mills. He says the effect of the forest industry downturn is widespread, disrupting businesses from barbers to grocery stores and everything in between.

“Forest-based communities depend on forestry jobs,” McKimmon says. He says small-town B.C. is dying and he’s calling for changes to the stumpage system to revive the industry.

ISLA MARY ADRA STRETCH

September 7, 1928September 19, 2019

With sad and heavy hearts we must announce the passing of our Mom and Grandma, Isla Mary (ADRA) Stretch. Our precious Mom and Grandma passed away on September 19, 2019. She was predeceased by husband Norman (Bud) and is survived by daughter Maxine Thiel and sons Murray (Liisa) Stretch and Ron (Maureen) Stretch along with grandchildren Darren (Lori) Thiel, Colin (Brandee) Stretch and Kimberly (Tasha) Stretch. Mom had an easy smile and a very kind heart. She had a soft spot for animals especially her cats... Tommy and Girly. Mom was a longtime employee of BC Tel and retired in 1987 after a lengthy service. She enjoyed the friendship of the “BC Tel Girls” for lunches and parties for many years. Mom also loved to be outdoors and fishing which she was very good at. A special thank you to Dr. Hillhouse and all the staff at Simon Fraser Lodge for the loving care Mom received. A memorial service will be held on Saturday September 28th at 2:00 pm at Coast Inn of the North 770 Brunswick Street. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Prince George Humane Society.

Jack Michael Meda Nov 17, 1945 to Sept 22, 2019

Born in New Westminister on Nov 17, 1945 the 8th in a family of 10 children. Jack is survived by his loving family, wife Carol, daughters Jody Matters (Trevor) PG, Bobbie Meda PG. Grandchildren Lauren, Kelly, Erin, Rylan Matters PG, and Dalton & Jordan Cote AB. Survived by his siblings Olga Englot (Merritt), Joan Heighton (Armstrong), Bill (Seattle), Jim (Smithers), Pat Goertzen (Marvin) PG, Iris Richards (Kamloops) and numerous nieces and nephews. Predeceased by son Todd, parents Mike & Mary, brothers Stan & Dan, sister Ruby. Jack was well known in th logging and mining industries. In his younger years he was an amateur heavy weight boxer, winning many championships. He held the Canadian heavy weight title from 1967-1972, travelling to many countries fulfilling this ambition. Fond of hunting and fishing, and his dogs. His fun loving nature will be missed. Service to be announced later. Donations to charity of your choice.

Diane Eugene Both May 18, 1955 to Sept 22, 2019

Diane passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family by her side, at Vancouver General Hospital. Diane was a loving wife. Survived by her partner Patrick Pinko, sister Patricia Bell (Lonnie), Brother Allan Both (Marilyn). Niece Kim McIntosh, nephews Dean Bell, Shayne Bell, and many other nieces and nephews, brother in law Tom Pinko. Her beloved dogs Button and Mandy. She will be greatly missed. No service by request.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

NADALIN PENS ANOTHER BOOK FOR THE AGES

People of Prince George, The Foundation of Our Community Volume II, written by The Citizen’s Seniors’ Scene columnist Kathy Nadalin, is now proudly sitting on the shelves of Books & Co.

The book release and signing is set for Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The process of writing her weekly newspaper columns (that are also online at the Citizen website) are a labour of love for Nadalin, who’s been writing for the last seven years.

There are 120 personal histories in this book and who she looks for are those who are older than 70 and have been living in Prince George for about 40 years.

She is an extraordinary volunteer who knows how important it is to write the personal history of the pioneers who built Prince George from the ground up.

When Nadalin visits the person she’s going to write about she makes notes and then writes up the story and submits it to the person for approval before it ever gets published.

“It’s their story, not mine and I want them to be happy with it when it comes out in the paper,” Nadalin said. “A lot of people say they don’t have a story but everybody has a story to tell.”

She continues her volunteerism by creating and publishing the books that are a collection of her columns so members of the Prince George community, friends, family members and those featured in the stories can have a permanent keepsake of their very own.

Nadalin couldn’t prepare the columns for publishing on her own because she doesn’t have the computer savvy to do it so this year she turned to her son, Scott Pauley, for help and then she turned to his best friend, Jeff Bonnell, who she considers another son, for more help.

Everything was done over the phone and through cyberspace, she said, because her boys are in Olympia, Washington. That’s how the book ultimately came together so it could be sent to the publisher for printing.

“And, of course, I can’t thank them enough for all their help,” she said.

Looking at the cover of the book, Prince

George residents will recognize the public artwork called Commotion that is located at 20th Avenue and Victoria Street. It was created by Roman Muntener. Nadalin put the photo on the cover as a way to thank Muntener as he volunteered his time to prepare the columns for the first volume of the People of Prince George book.

“I just wanted to honour Roman Muntener for all his design and layout work, which was donated,” Nadalin said.

Nadalin has designated three copies as keepsakes and she’s asking everyone who is in the book or family members of those who are in the book and have died since to sign their page.

One book will go to the Prince George

Community Foundation, one that will go into the City of Prince George’s next time capsule and one she will keep as a treasured keepsake for herself.

All proceeds from the book sales are going to the Prince George Community Foundation.

“It’s all about the people that are in the book and that’s why I do this,” she said.

Because Nadalin is known for writing the columns about the senior members of the community she has been asked many times to use the information in the column to do the eulogies of those who have passed away.

“It’s such an honour and some of the keepsakes that are on display at the memo-

rial services have included the book or a copy of the column that had been printed in the newspaper,” she said.

“When I see that it really gets my heart. I get so many hugs from sons and daughters because they are so thankful that someone did this for their parents. When I’m out in public people always come up to me and thank me for writing the history of the Prince George people. I want to thank the Citizen for providing another platform for seniors. It’s so very rewarding to be writing these stories. I highly respect every person I have written about and they have all become friends of mine. They are the people who have made Prince George what it is today and I am proud to tell their stories.”

CHRISTINE HINZMANN 97/16 staff

97/16 photo by Brent Braaten Seniors’ Scene columnist Kathy Nadalin will host a book release and signing on Saturday at Books & Co. for the second edition of People of Prince George, The Foundation of Our Community, which is now on sale.

GET OVER THE MOMMY DREAM

Before I became a mother, like most people I’m sure, I had this idea of what type of mother I would be: this picture in my head of the things I might do, or not do, and how I would interact with my child

I don’t mean a vague notion of being a good mother, but rather a more specific future version of myself

Maybe you have or have had these dreams too. Perhaps you imagined yourself as the type of mom who lost all the baby weight with ease, attended Mommy and Me yoga classes every week and jogged with your baby in an all-terrain stroller through town every day.

Or maybe you thought you’d be a crafty mom, baking homemade muffins and splattering paint across canvases with your kids in the backyard.

Or were you a high-powered business woman, in a suit and on the phone, but also pumping breast milk for your baby during a conference call? Or the super fashionable mom who looks like she stepped out of the pages of a magazine, your kids all in coordinating outfits, pushing your high- tech stroller holding your Starbucks coffee and shopping at the hippest boutiques?

I thought I was going to be one of those crunchy granola moms who breastfed everywhere, wore her baby in wrap, cloth diapered, and gave her kids

ALANA OIKONEN

healthy snacks like fruit and vegetables. I also thought I would be hiking with my kids all the time, even if I had to carry them on my back.

This dream version of myself as a mom was just that: a dream. And a stereotype-filled dream at that. It was simplistic, two-dimensional at best, and frankly, limiting.

To say my dream didn’t come true would be accurate, but also not completely true.

I did breastfeed my children – not always as I had envisioned, but both my daughters received breast milk for at least a year or more. I did carry my babies, not always in a wrap, in fact more often in a semi-structured baby carrier, but not as frequently as I had intended to. I did cloth diaper but not during the newborn stage and not when we went on vacations. I did hike with my babies on my back but discovered it was exhausting and difficult and my postpartum depression left me unmotivated and overwhelmed about going out with

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Ihave been having stress dreams about defending my thesis.

In some, my committee takes a break from their deliberations to congratulate me on being amazing and writing a groundbreaking thesis. In others, I am being questioned by my committee and all I can do is stammer answers and wipe off upper-lip sweat. Both dreams feel true.

I often wonder if other people think the same way that I do about their creative or academic work. I alternate between thinking that I’m brilliant and thinking that I’m a hack. At various times, both of these thoughts also feel true.

When I was doing my undergraduate degree in Victoria, years ago, I was introduced to the concept of the imposter syndrome. First identified by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Ament Imes in their 1978 paper, “The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention,” the syndrome describes a trait seen most often, but not exclusively, in high-achieving women, particularly in academia.

One of my professors at the time had suggested I read up on the syndrome after I had broken down in her office during her office hours. I remember that she described it to me as feeling like you were a fraud and not at all smart and feeling like people were going to find out that you were actually stupid. I was confused. I said, “I thought that everyone felt like this.”

In my experience, most of my friends all felt this way – that at any minute, someone would drag them out of the lecture hall, announcing to the class that they didn’t belong there. We used to joke about feeling like that.

my children.

Motherhood, as it turns out, is so much more complicated than the idea of being a mother I had in my head.

Before you have children, you think you can make so many choices ahead of time: bottle or breast, stroller or carrier, soother or no soother, organic, homemade food, or store bought baby food, and the list goes on and on. And we encourage women and all parents-to-be to make these choices as a society.

People will ask you what you plan to do: are you going to have them sleep in the same room as you? Are you going to stay at home or go back to work? Are you going to let them watch TV? Are you going to cloth diaper or use disposables?

What I have found as a mother is that sometimes all that planning I did in advance didn’t really matter. All the reasons for my choices, and the reasons I thought they were the best choices, didn’t matter when I was faced with a screaming, unhappy baby who needed the opposite of what I had planned, or at the very least needed me to attempt an alternative.

Now I understand how many things you will try and how many things you will do as a parent that you never thought you would. I know that we will all yell and lose our tempers at some

HOME AGAIN

MEGAN KUKLIS

My professor looked at me, a bit sadly, and said, “Men don’t feel that way.”

It threw me for a loop and I brought the conversation back to my friends and we threw the idea around us for a while. In retrospect, I think that I accepted the notion that women have the imposter syndrome and men don’t, too easily. Life is never that black and white and people are never entirely one way or another. I have known both men and women who knew in their core that they were amazing and I have known men and women who could not believe that they had talent or worth regardless of what they have been able to accomplish or create.

As I am heading into what will likely be the most challenging presentation of my academic career, I hope that I can be sufficiently prepared to do myself, my supervisor and my family proud. It will be hard but, I think, worth it, in the end. Getting a diploma or degree is not the height of achievement in a person’s life but it does represent a lot of work to get the piece of paper to frame and hang on the wall. It is an important event to cap off a period of study.

My thoughts are with other students who are just starting off at college or university and are still filled with the excitement of starting off in a new adventure and I wish them all well on their academic journey. I will see you all on the other side – hopefully with my dignity still intact.

point. I know that we will all be completely embarrassed by our children throwing a tantrum in a public place as we deal with it as best we can. I know that almost every parent had a lofty version of the parent they would be in their mind pre-children, just as I did, and I also recognize that we are all coping with the reality that we are not that parent we expected to be and that sometimes we feel incredibly guilty about our “failure.”

I don’t think it’s a failure at all.

We are simply adapting and changing as parents to meet the needs of our children. Needs that we could not ever have predicted before we met our children. Needs that change over time. Needs that change from child to child.

So give yourself a break from the guilt, if you, like me still feel swamped in it from time to time.

We may never be that picture perfect mom we thought we would be, but then she was never a real person anyway. And she certainly wasn’t taking care of a real baby.

But you are.

Every day you are out there solving the problems that parenthood throws your way and you are doing an incredible job.

THE FIRE STILL BURNS – FRIENDLY TRACK

CHRISTINE HINZMANN 97/16 staff

It all started 69 years ago.

Arna Kristian from Prince George is now 85 years old and came up against Myrtle Acton, 86, from Sooke one more time during a track and field event literally held for the ages. They met during the 55+ B.C. Games in Kelowna from Sept. 10 to 14 to test their track and field skills during the individual throwing events as well as the throws pentathlon where competitors throw all five implements in less than five hours as a test of skill and endurance.

The friendly rivalry between Arna and Myrtle started in high school when each came from their Saskatchewan school to the county competition in Saskatoon.

Back in the day nobody could beat me, Arna recalled. She was a sprinter with feet that flew, could long jump like nobody’s business and threw the javelin to set records. Myrtle wasn’t far behind.

“After that we went our separate ways, got married, had kids and then I started back in 1994,” Myrtle said. Arna came along a bit later.

“I started in 2002,” Arna said.

“I went to Tom Masich (Prince George coach for senior competitors) and told him I’d like to do it but I haven’t tried it for 100 years. I went out there and I entered four events and I got two gold, a silver and a bronze in my first year and there was a lot of people there.”

Myrtle’s favourite is the hammer

throw. She used to do the five and 10 km walks and the race walks and this year she participated in the 1500 metre power walk for the first time.

Hammer is Arna’s favourite, too.

Fierece competitors. Strong friends. The years haven’t changed them much.

“We’re very competitive but we’re also very supportive,” Myrtle said.

Back in the day nobody could beat me, Arna recalled. She was a sprinter with feet that flew, could long jump like nobody’s business and threw the javelin to set records. Myrtle wasn’t far behind.

As with all athletes they do their best while in the throwing circle - it’s all business out there – but when they walk out of the back of the circle and join their fellow competitors each athlete is greeted with cheers and applause for their efforts, even a hug or two and then there’s words of advice offered for a better throw next time.

“There’s no animosity,” Myrtle said.

“Not even a thought,” Arna added.

During the Kelowns competition, the ladies gathered around the cage to

compete in the weight throw and after Myrtle was done her record-breaking throw, Arna threw her arms around Myrtle and called her a silly girl for worrying about not achieving her goal of breaking the record. Arna was ecstatic for her friend.

Arna is small in stature but fierce in determination. She mows her lawn in the summer and shovels snow in the winter. It’s part of her training and she knows it’s important to keep active.

And when the track and field practices started in June, Arna was the first one there, attending three times a week with conviction and tenacity, always striving

“Keep active and don’t stop,” Myrtle said.

“Regardless of whether you get a medal or don’t just keep going. It’s the camaraderie that keeps you coming back.”

to improve her throws. Thanks to her experience, she can eyeball the 15 metre mark within six inches

97/16 staff photos

Above: Myrtle Acton competes in the javelin during the 55+ Games in Kelowna. Below: Arna Kristian competes in the javelin during the 55+ Games in Kelowna.

RIVALRY SEVEN DECADES OLD

Games 3: Arna Kristian and Myrtle Acton talk after Myrtle’s javelin throw during the 55+ Games in Kelowna. outside the throwing circle for hammer and discus at Masich Place Stadium. The secret to Arna and Myrtle’s success?

“Keep active and don’t stop,” Myrtle said. “Regardless of whether you get a medal or don’t just keep going. It’s the camaraderie that keeps you coming back.”

Myrtle holds the national record in

hammer throw, weight throw, outdoor shot put, and discus and just a few days ago she broke her own records for hammer throw, weight throw and discus.

The only record that escapes her is one for javelin.

“It’s my worst throw,” Myrtle said. “I just don’t have the technique.”

Leaving the games in Kelowna, she took a brand new Canadian record with

her. She excelled during the throws pentathlon. The previous record was 4030 points held by Vancouver’s Olga Kotelko since 2004 and Myrtle racked up a healthy 4279 points to beat the record quite convincingly 15 years later. How big a deal is that? Before she died in 2014 at age 95, Kotelko was world famous for her athletic feats in her 90s and was the subject of the book

What Makes Olga Run?

Throughout the year, Myrtle does aquafit three times a week and walks three times a week.

“When I get back home I’m going to be thanking my physician for my hip replacement that I got a year ago January,” Myrtle said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without that new hip.”

HOMETOWN STAR TO HELP KICK

OFF NEW PGSO SEASON

CHRISTINE HINZMANN 97/16 staff

To start off the regular season at the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, the non-profit organization decided to showcase musicians who got their start in Prince George.

David Louie began playing piano at the age of five under Loretta Zral’s instruction before continuing his studies with Linda Stobbe.

Louie will be returning to Prince George after a seven-year hiatus to perform with the symphony during the David Louie Plays Mozart concert presented at Vanier Hall on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Louie said he has fond memories of taking to the stage at Vanier Hall, which as a child he considered immense.

“It’s going to be exciting to go back because as I understand the concerts are at Vanier Hall still,” Louie said. “To walk up on that stage and play the big black piano, which I think was new when I was a child and now it’s still the same piano I believe so there’s going to be a lot of nostalgia, to be sure.”

He participated in many music festivals at the venue as a child and first performed with the orchestra there when he was 13 years old.

Louie is now a faculty member of the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto where he is the piano department coordinator. He’s been there for the last 20 years.

The major piece Louie will perform in the Mozart concerto No. 23.

“Mozart was one of the first virtuosos on the piano and he really revolutionized the place of the piano with the orchestra,” Louie said. “He established the concerto as we know it today. He had the idea of a keyboard soloist and placed the piano as the spotlight, the showcase.”

Mozart wrote the concertos for himself to perform.

“And he’s probably the first real successful freelance musician because back in the day most famous musicians had patronage,” Louie said.

Mozart would book the hall and perform concerts entirely of his own music and these piano concertos played an important role because he was the keyboard virtuoso, Louie said.

“Back in the day everybody wanted to hear something new,” he added. “It’s like going to the movies today. We go out and see a new movie, with some exceptions, of course. So Mozart’s concerts were big events held once or twice a year and he made money off selling the tickets. People came to hear him play because

that was what they did then and they would hear things at the keyboard that they had never heard before.”

The historical perspective is always interesting, Louie said.

“These are spectacular pieces of music and when he wrote this particular piece he wrote a letter to his father saying now he’d written something really good so even he understood that there was something quite special about this piece,” Louie said about concerto No. 23. “I’m just really excited to come back to Prince

George. I’m looking forward to visiting places I remember from my childhood and seeing if they’ve changed or if they’ve stayed the same.”

Conductor Michael Hall will present a talk from 6:40 to 7 p.m. before the performance begins Saturday to offer some perspective on David Louie Plays Mozart. Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischutz and Ludvig Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, which is very familiar to most people will also be presented during the concert. Tickets are at www.pgso.com

THE EBBS, TRUNDLED TO PLAY OTWAY

A Prince George-based folk band and a Canmore-based singer-songwriter duo have joined forces and will be touring northwest B.C.

As part of their Northern Roadshow tour, William Kuklis, Ellen Braun, Finn ScottNeff, and Joe Shea, along with special

guest Amy Blanding, will be performing on Thurs., Oct. 3 at the Otway Nordic Centre, 7 p.m. start.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door and can be purchased online at trundledmusic.com

Kuklis, Scott-Neff and Shea make up The Ebbs, based in Prince George, while Shea also makes up half of the duo Trundled,

out of Canmore.

The show promises to be an “evening of powerful, persuasive, and entertaining music that will have the audience enthralled at one point and on their feet dancing at another.”

Combined, the four have over 60 years of performance experience between them.

“They will combine their artful song-

writing and powerful vocal harmonies in various combinations between them, and using a wide range of instruments, create a new and inescapable sound,” according to promotional material.

They will also be making stops in Smithers, Terrace and Prince Rupert in the days that follow. For more information, email williamkuklis@gmail.com

ABOUT US

• Colleen Sparrow, publisher and GM

• Neil Godbout, editor-in-chief

• Shawn Cornell, director of advertising

• Call us at: 250-562-2441

or 250-562-3301

• Find us at: 505 Fourth Avenue, Prince George, B.C. V2L 3H2

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• Visit https://bit.ly/2S9W4zW to find the location nearest you to pick up extra copies of 97/16.

Handout photo David Louie returns to Prince George for the first time in seven years to play Mozart with the PGSO.

Thank You!

Auction Sponsors 2019 Alumni

Tyler Brough

individuals and organizations!

Cougars Alumni Cheque Presentation

Jim Meier, Second Board Vice President, Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation; Judy Neiser, CEO,

Si Transken, centre, leads an art journal class at Art Monkeys Community Arts Council summer art classes at Studio 2880 in July.

STUDIO 2880 HOSTING CREATIVE HUB-BUB

Art Monkeys will unite during a Creative Hub-Bub on Friday, a Pro-D day event at Studio 2880 presented by the

Prince George & District Community Arts Council.

Children between six and 11 years old are invited to start off a day of artistic

fun by spending an hour doing a live radio show with CFIS 93.1FM, the community radio station.

Everyone knows that kids can be quite candid.

“Hopefully parents will be at their work listening to their darling, lovely children on the radio,” Sean Farrell, executive director of the arts council, said.

The Community Arts Council is developing a new concept as they move into the downtown facility most likely in 2021.

“We’re looking for the new facility to be a creative hub for the community,” Farrell said. “Understanding that we’ve always had that concept here at Studio 2880, with a whole collective of arts and cultural groups working side by side, so we thought how neat would it be to let kids start experiencing what a whole creative hub setting should be. So we’ve collected some of our guilds and tenants here at Studio 2880 and everyone is pitching in to provide a super neat day for the kids.”

After the on-air experience, the children will then have an opportunity to paint with artist-in-residence Donna Morrison, then during their lunch time they can play with Lego and then they get to make some fibre arts and play with clay with Joanne Mikkelsen.

Farrell said they are working on their

feasibility study for the new downtown building, located where the downtown farmers’ market is held at 1310 Third Ave.

“So the new creative hub will have lots more than we even have here at Studio 2880,” Farrell said. “Ideally there will be glass blowing, metal works and different kinds of art therapy rooms and music studios and I think if we see the interest in the success from this kind of creative hub experience during Pro-D days it helps us understand that yes, we are going in the right direction with the new facility.”

The City of Prince George and the Community Arts Council are putting together a Downtown Art Strategy project, which is a 10-year plan in which to develop and enhance arts and culture in the downtown core, Farrell added.

The arts council’s move into downtown is part of that project.

The Creative Hub-Bubs are $60 per child and are also accessible events since the community arts council held a 6x6 artwork sale in the summer, with all proceeds going into a fund so that if an economically marginalized child wants to attend a Hub-Bub there would be no financial barrier for them. To access one of these 20 subsidized spots available throughout the year, call the arts council office at 250-563-2880.

CHRISTINE HINZMANN

97/16 staff

CITIZEN

MENNONITE FALL FAIR RUNS SATURDAY

Orchard fresh apples, farmer sausage and a hearty bowl of borscht can once again be found at the Mennonite Fall Fair held Saturday at the Westwood Mennonite Brethren Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be children’s activities going on and home baking for purchase as well as the gala apples from the Okanagan, freshly-pressed apple cider, farmer sausage from Manitoba to take home, and garden fresh produce donated from all around Prince George. Also for purchase will be organic fair trade coffee from Level Ground.

For lunch that’s available all day, people can have a bowl of borscht, farmer sausage on a bun, a choice of pie and a beverage for the full meal deal or mix and match.

“We raise money for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and they do humanitarian work in the Third World,” Diane Fairservice, one of the organizers of the fall fair, said. “Most often those projects are sustainability projects. Most of the projects offer families seeds or animals to be able to help themselves, feed themselves and grow. You know it’s the old ‘teach a man to fish.’ Families can be given goats or chickens so they can feed themselves and then sell some to get things they need.”

One of the projects that will benefit from the fundraising efforts at the fall fair is called Shanti Nepal which works with those in poor and marginalized communities who need primary health care for the family, including women pre- and post- natal and their infants. Other aspects of the project includes income generation through training on how to create irriga-

tion systems, food preservation and storage. Canada Foodgrains Bank will match the funds raised during the fall fair. At the fair this year, Lynn Warkentin from Terrace will be doing a quilting demonstration. She creates a few quilts a year

she donates to those in need and she’ll be showing people what to do to contribute to a quilting project.

MCC also has a project where they send relief kits to those in refugee camps or those in need. Some kits are geared for

infants and others are school kits for older children. There will be a display at the fair to showcase what is required to make up a kit at the main warehouse in Abbotsford from where they’re shipped out and people can donate cash to the cause.

97/16 photo by Brent Braaten Diane Fairservice from Westwood Mennonite Brethren Church shows some of the baked goods that will be available at their Fall Fair.

97/16 STAFF

SHATTERED DREAMS REVEAL NEW PATHS

We all face disappointments and challenges in life. We don’t get picked for a team, we don’t get a promotion, we are turned down by a potential lover or we see a dream come to an end.

What is important in life is not what happens to us however, it is how we respond. Great people are not people without problems, they are people who respond effectively to their problems. To illustrate this point, I like to show my students two examples from the world of football. The first is from the 2004 cult classic film Napoleon Dynamite. Napoleon’s Uncle Rico brags about his abilities as a quarterback during his high school years and whines about how his life could have been different, had he only been given a chance. His team would have won a state championship, he’d have become a professional, he’d be making millions of dollars and he’d have a soulmate. Instead, he lives the lonely life of a drifter, all because of a decision his high school

LESSONS IN LEARNING

GERRY CHIDIAC

football coach made many years ago.

To contrast this, we watch a short video of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, posted from a luxury high-rise in Vancouver. He talks about how he was cut by the Calgary Stampeders in 1995, two days after his CFL debut against the B.C. Lions. His football dream was shattered and he was left with only $7 in his pocket.

Though he was devastatingly disappointed, Johnson did something that Uncle Rico did not do. He decided to focus his life on what he could control. He chose a different career and the rest, as they say, is history.

He asked his father, a professional wrestler, to teach him the business, and he eventually became one of the most

successful wrestlers of all time. This led to a long movie career and an income that surpasses anything he could have earned playing football.

Johnson points out that often times in life, the best things that happens to us is that a dream does not come true.

How many times do we come to realize that the girl or boy we are smitten with turns out to be a disaster? The job we just had to get is for a company which is facing a crisis? A few months after our disappointment, we find the person of our dreams or a job we love that pays so much more. This is one of the mysteries of the universe and something which seems to happen time and again.

The key is to move through the apparent failure and remain true to who we are. It hurts to be rejected or see a dream come to an end, but it doesn’t impact our ability to live with integrity. It doesn’t stop us from developing our talents, being kind, choosing a positive attitude, or simply being the best that we can be.

It is strange how events seem to steer us away from what we think we want and direct us to where we really need to be, but such is life.

It is impossible to say why Uncle Rico’s ended up living such an unfulfilling existence. He is, after all, only a fictional character.

We do know, however, what happened to Dwayne Johnson, and to every person who rises from the ashes to achieve greatness. We know our own stories as well, and those of us who have been around longer likely have several examples which attest to this principle of success.

Regardless of what happens around us, we need only hold true to what we know in our hearts is right. As the great mystic, Julian of Norwich said, “All will be well.” — Gerry Chidiac is a champion for social enlightenment, inspiring others to find their greatness in making the world a better place. For more of his writings, go to www.gerrychidiac.com.

LET HUMAN NATURE GUIDE YOUR VOTE

What is the purpose of government? How do we choose our leaders, those we elect to represent us?

The purpose is easy: the purpose of government is, generally, to manage the affairs of the nation. We elect people, they hire people, and together with their collective expertise and public representa-

tion, they make decisions on our behalf, and manage the affairs of the nation. Governing is different than raising children and caring for our elders, but not so much different in the sense that people are the same, human nature is the same. Government is, by its very nature, dealing with people and these people are individ-

THINKING ALOUD TRUDY KLASSEN

uals. Government has no magic wand that mes people want to do the right thing, the best thing, or the thing that benefits everyone. At a most basic level, the best government can do is ensure that there is that there is rule of law, that the law applies equally to everyone, that people have recourse when the law is disobeyed.

At the next level, we can try to influence the type of decisions people make by penalizing or rewarding, depending on what the collective “we” think is of value.

So how do we decide who to vote for?

Since governing is essentially problem solving and guidance, I would recommend taking a look at how things are working in your own life and allow that to inform how you vote.

Consider how you deal with your own problems and opportunities. Your family’s, your community’s. Think of what has worked to solve problems. Think of what has inspired people to create opportunity for themselves. Considering these things gives you a good idea of human nature. Then think of those problems that have been solved and how. That gives you another aspect of human nature.

Human nature should inform your vote. We are better at making change in the areas we are interested in, in our own timing. Those intimately involved in a situa-

tion must be able to see for themselves the benefits of change or solving problems. Everyone has stories of someone who has spent significant resources, time and money, to help someone out of a bad situation, only to find their efforts useless. Then, maybe years later, the person finds a reason to change, and giving them a slight hand-up is all they need and they are off, solving problems that we, as an outsider, had ideas for, but could not make happen. When this happens, we who tried to help previously are sometimes a bit stunned, because all our previous efforts didn’t help, and suddenly, “poof” change happened.

In my experience, problems are best solved when the people involved take an active part in finding the solution and then are the ones with power to implement the solutions. People are usually inspired to either act in their own best interest or in the best interest of someone they love and care for. Most likely, you will see that top-down, forced solutions, are not often the most effective. Does that help? If you are a decided voter, maybe that helps you to answer, or ask questions, of your friends or colleagues.

The old adage that politics should never be discussed in polite company should go the way of the idea of “polite company.” The only people who benefit from the silence are those who don’t want to explain themselves.

Let’s change that.

Let’s talk politics, let’s ask and listen, respectfully.

THURSDAY,

AROUND TOWN

Red Green

Thursday at 7 p.m. at Vanier Hall Red Green will showcase his bumbling but pleasantly practical TV fix-it personality, the clown prince of duct tape, the sage of the man-shed. This Canadian comedy icon is coming to Prince George on his Red Green - This Could Be It Tour. Get tickets at ticketsnorth.ca.

Tapestry Singers

Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. for junior Tapestry Singers choir students in the community are invited to attend Everybody Welcome rehearsals at Trinity Downtown, 1448 Fifth Ave., where students in Grades 4 to 7 can see if the choir is the right fit for them. For information visit http:// tapestrysingersd57.weebly.com/ or email carolynduerksen@hotmail.com.

PWB Comedy Festival

Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. at the Sonar Comedy Club, 1466 Third Ave., a comedy festival will feature Craig Campbell, star of Snowed In Comedy, JFL, CBC and BBC programs and Sean Collins, best male stand up nominee for the Canadian Comedy Awards, Just for Laughs Gala, Comedy Now Special, CBC Comics, BBC Comedy Roadshow , 5 Comedy Store TV shows. Ticket are $20 each and on sale at www.eventbrite.ca.

14th World Religions Conference PG

Saturday from 3 to 5:15 p.m. at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4180 Fifth Ave., 14th World Religions Conference moderated by IMSS vice president Dr. Yasar Ahmad will feature speakers from eight different faiths. Free admission and free East Indian dinner.

Contact: 1-877-767-1965 | indo.bc@ ahmadiyya.ca |

Barn Dance

Saturday from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Hart Community Centre, 4900 Austin Rd W., is hosting a country dance featuring Rhythm & Sound DJ and Rick Stavely and band. Food and shuttle ride home within city limits included. Tickets are $25 and available at the centre and Northern Automotive (cash only) . This is a 19+ event. Contact: 250-962-6260 or visit www.hccpg.ca.

Gourmet Gala and Dream Auction

Saturday from 5:30 to 11 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott, 900 Brunswick St., the Prince George Rotary is proud to present the Gourmet Gala. This premiere event will be supporting local Rotary programs including this year’s focus towards youth and students and Rotary is inclusive so adults will get the benefit too. It’s a roam-

ing dinner style so patrons get what they want then join friends at the table. There is no limit to the amount of stations visited and there are food and drink pairings. Follow Prince George Gourmet Gala on Facebook for updates and tickets.

Mennonite Fall Festival

Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Westwood Mennonite Brethren Church, 2658 Ospika Blvd. S., the annual festival features farmer sausage on a bun, fresh made borscht, dessert and a beverage will be available all day. Take home fresh produce and home baking. Enjoy a glass of freshly pressed apple juice. Pick up perogies from Abbotsford and farmer sausage from Manitoba. Funds raised at this event will help support Mennonite Central Committee and their partner organization, Shanti Nepal, to provide prenatal nutrition education, agriculture training and income generation programs in clean water and food sustainability projects in Central Nepal.

Contact: kristaclaus@gmail.com

Scavenger Saturday

Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Huble Homestead Historic Site, 15,000 Mitchell Rd., Scavenger Saturday takes place in the great outdoors. Get a group of friends together or get in some family bonding time by taking on this self-guided activity where guests get to explore the homestead while the leaves change colour. Organizers

offer a challenge to complete a number of tasks for fun and prizes. There’s a concession for purchase and the general store will be open. The site is dog friendly and admission is by suggested donation of $10 per family. Contact: 2505647033 | programs@hublehomestead.ca

Stand Up for Charity

Saturday at the Kinsmen Community Complex, 777 Kinsmen Place, the Kinsmen Club of Prince George presents Stand Up for Charity starring comedian Glenn Wool, and several local comics. This is a fundraiser in support of Spinal Cord Injury BC. Doors open at 6 p.m., dinner is at 7 p.m., show is at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Lheidli Dakelh Language Circles

Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Omineca Arts Centre, 369 Victoria St., the language circles are to honour those who have come before us, those who walk with us now and those who will carry on for us in the future. The Dakelh ways of knowing and being are embedded in the language. To have the opportunity to learn the language is an honour as there is a near extinction of the Lheidli dialect. These language circles will breathe new life into it and foster pride among the Dakelh nations. Everyone is welcome to join any time. Contact: info@ ominecaartscentre.com

Danger!

Don’t let their gentle appearance fool you. The hippopotamus is considered the world’s deadliest large land mammal. These giants kill an estimated 500 people per year in Africa.

Hippos are found in these regions of Africa.

Help me nd some grass to munch!

Hippos leave the water at night to look for food. They like to eat grasses –lots of grass. They eat 80 lbs (35 kg) of vegetation each night.

How Hippos Keep Their Cool

To stay cool in the African heat, hippos spend most of their day in rivers and lakes. Their eyes, nose and ears are located on the top of their head, which means they can see and breathe while the rest of

The Hippo Code

Use the code to discover some facts about hippos.

What does the word hippopotamus mean?

What is a baby hippo called? Q: A:

What is a female hippo called?

What is a male hippo called?

How many hippos can you nd on this page?

How many di erences can you nd between these two hippos?

Open Wide!

Hippos have a huge mouth, measuring up to 4 ft (1.2 m) when opened wide!

Are hippos slow? Quite the opposite! Even though their legs are short, and their bodies are large and heavy, a hippo can run fast! Hippos have been clocked running at speeds of 19 to 25 mph (30-40 km/h).

Hippos have a pair of huge incisors in each jaw. The large, curved lower canine teeth are like tusks as they grow throughout a hippo’s life. They can reach a length of 1 foot 8 inches (50 cm)! These teeth are used for combat, not eating. When a hippo yawns, it’s not tired but it is a sign of a threat.

Sweaty, Sweaty Hippos?

Hippos have an oily red liquid that oozes out of their skin. It isn’t sweat. Sweat evaporates and cools a body. This liquid looks red in sunlight and it stays on the skin and protects it from drying out – and acts as a sunblock, too!

When early European explorers rst noticed this reddish liquid on the hippos they observed, they gave it a name.

Circle every other letter to see what they called it.

Opposites

Look through the newspaper to find words that are opposites. For example: large and small wet and dry

Find the words in the puzzle. How many of them can you find on this page?

riddles.

© 2019 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 35, No. 42

TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH A TWIST

THE WASHINGTON POST

TURKEY MEATBALLS AND GRATED FRESH TOMATO SAUCE WITH HARISSA

4 servings

Serve it in bowls with crusty bread or pita alongside, or over a bed of couscous or fresh arugula leaves.

Cooked meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Harissa can be purchased at many grocery stores, Middle Eastern markets and online.

Ingredients

4 pounds ripe, fresh tomatoes

1/2 small onion

1/3 cup quick-cooking oats

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

2 medium cloves garlic (1 clove finely minced and 1 clove thinly sliced)

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound (90 to 94%) lean ground turkey (or a mix of light and dark meat)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons harissa, or more as needed

Slices of crusty bread or cooked couscous, for serving

Steps

Slice the tomatoes in half crosswise and gently squeeze the seeds into a bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the liquid from the bowl of seeds and discard the rest. Grate the tomatoes on the coarse side of a box grater set over a bowl, pressing the cut side of the tomato against the grates. Discard the skins.

Use the same box grater to grate the onion into another medium bowl until you have about 2 tablespoons worth. (Keep the remaining onion for another use.)

Place the oats and the reserved tomato liquid into the bowl, stir and let sit until the liquid is absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Add the turkey and mix with your hands to combine but avoid overmixing.

Form the turkey mixture into 12 balls, wetting your hands with cold water if they become sticky as you work. If the meatballs seem loose, refrigerate them for 30 minutes to firm them up.

In a large deep skillet over mediumhigh heat, warm 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the meatballs and cook, turning them two to three times, until browned all over and nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Stir the remaining tablespoon of oil, the harissa, the sliced garlic and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper into the bowl of tomatoes, then pour the tomatoes into the skillet with the meatballs. Turn the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a boil, then cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has somewhat thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add additional harissa, if desired.

Divide the meatballs and sauce across 4 bowls, garnish with the remaining parsley, and serve with crusty bread or over couscous.

EVER-POPULAR CIVIC RETAINS ITS LUSTRE

When Canadians look to buy a new car in 2019, more often than not they will pick a Honda Civic, the country’s best-selling passenger car for 21 consecutive years.

In a time when SUVs seem to be all everybody wants to talk about and the car market is in a steady decline, the Civic keeps getting stronger, easily outselling its competitors, such as the Toyota Corolla and the Hyundai Elantra.

Other manufacturers, such as Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, have given up the fight entirely, discontinuing small four-door sedans and hatchbacks from their lineups.

What is it about the car that makes it so popular?

I recently got an opportunity to spend a week behind the wheel of a 2019 Honda Civic Coupe.

When the first subcompact Civic rolled into dealerships in 1972, buyers could get one with a trunk or hatchback.

It has grown, in more ways than one, in the ensuing years. It is now in its 10th generation, which debuted as a 2016 model.

There is no two-door hatchback any more. The lineup now includes a coupe, a sedan and a four-door hatchback. Honda satisfies the need for speed in some consumers with the Coupe Si, Sedan Si and the high-performance

Type R.

If those aren’t enough to choose from, the Coupe can be ordered in three trim levels — LX, Sport and Touring. In the lower two trims, one can order a manual or automatic transmission. The Touring only comes with the automatic (the Si is only available with a manual).

My tester was equipped with the automatic — unfortunately.

When you lay eyes on the Civic Coupe, your pulse quickens. There are several reasons why you might be excited. You might be single, have gotten a good-paying job and the Civic will be your first fun (but reliable) car.

Or you might be of a certain age, with

your parenting days finally over. The back seats aren’t as important as the freedom to have fun once again.

While there are other two-door coupes in the market, most are sports cars, more powerful — and more expensive. The Civic Coupe stands alone as the only one offering fun and performance on a modest budget.

Once you have decided on the Civic Coupe, the first question is how much fun you want. The LX and Sport give you a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. The Touring ups the ante, with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four boasting 174

hp and 162 lb.-ft. of torque.

The 2.0-litre doesn’t set the world on fire compared with others in the field, but it doesn’t embarrass, either. Power is more than adequate for merging on the highway and overtaking when needed.

What the Civic lacks in zero-to-100 km/h times, it makes up in fuel efficiency. Even equipped with an automatic, my Sport still boasted a fuel consumption rate of 8.3 litres/ 100 km in the city and 6.6 on the highway.

The Achilles heel, in my opinion, is the continuously variable transmission. I have driven numerous Civics, and they have all been fun to drive. Some have also been equipped with regular automatics with gears. Honda’s CVT, with its belt and pulley system, just isn’t as responsive when acceleration at low speeds is called for.

(Toyota has addressed this problem with introducing a launch gear, acting like first gear, to power the new Corolla from a standing start. Once the vehicle has built up speed, it then reverts back to the CVT.)

Otherwise, the Civic is a very engaging car to drive, with a suspension and ride that soak up the bumps and inspire driver confidence.

Although it is equipped with humble McPherson struts, you won’t care as you will take those back-road twisties with ease (and flair, maybe).

The Civic cabin is surely the benchmark for the segment. The whole interior is covered in quality materials, and the ergonomics of all the disparate elements is spot on.

The front seats were comfortable and supportive, although some with an ample girth may find the side bolsters intrusive.

The coupe body means that rear headroom is compromised. I had a six-foot, two-inch passenger for a short trip, and he had to slouch the entire time.

For 2019, Honda’s infotainment system has finally returned to a rotary knob for the radio (its previous slider was terrible).

A driver safety suite includes a collision-mitigation braking system, forward collision warning and Honda’s LaneWatch (a camera located on the outside mirror that comes on when you indicate you are changing lanes).

If I was choosing for myself, I would most likely chose the Civic Si, with 205 hp and 192 lb.-ft. of torque as my ride. But if you are just looking for a reliable, good-looking and fun ride that won’t break your bank, the Civic Coupe Sport is as good as it gets.

PEDRO ARRIAS Victoria Times Colonist