Prince George Citizen April 16, 2019

Pipeline blockaders no longer face contempt proceedings

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

The B.C. Prosecution Service has decided against pursuing criminal contempt charges against the 14 people arrested in January at a blockade against the Coastal GasLink pipeline project.

Month added to caribou consultations

Dawson Creek Mirror

Premier John Horgan was in Dawson Creek Monday to announce that the province is extending the public engagement process to May 31, and that he is appointing Dawson Creek city councillor and former MLA Blair Lekstrom as a community liaison.

“He will give us an opportunity in Victoria to look at the feedback from the community in a more focused manner,” Horgan said of Lekstrom’s appointment.

This is clearly an issue that has enraged some people and has inflamed passions... — Premier John Horgan

In a statement read out Monday during a hearing before B.C. Supreme Court Justice Marguerite Church, BCPS Crown counsel Trevor Shaw said that after a review of the evidence, the BCPS is “not satisfied that there is the necessary evidentiary basis for a substantial likelihood of conviction.” At issue was whether those who occupied the blockade, located near the Morice River Bridge south of Houston, had knowledge of an injunction against their action when RCMP made the arrests.

A requirement that a notice of the injunction be posted at the Morice River Bridge was waived on Jan. 4 and three days later, RCMP moved in to break up a blockade at a spot further north on the Morice River Forest Service Road.

“The events on Jan. 7, 2019, were dynamic and did not include various steps or actions related to notice that might have arisen in a different context,” Shaw said.

“This is simply the nature of what happened that day.”

Following Shaw’s statement, CGL lawyer Kerry Kaukinen said the company will not pursue civil contempt proceedings against the

14, noting the standard of proof is the same as in a criminal proceeding.

In accepting the submissions, Church said that all those arrested are now aware of the injunction and should they breach the order in the future, “the position of this court might be quite different.”

About 25 people attended the hearing, many wearing T-shirts and hoodies with “Wet’suwet’en Strong,” #notrespass” and a picture of a grizzly in native motif, representing one of the houses within the First Nation’s traditional governance structure, emblazoned on the front.

Celebratory drumming was performed outside the courthouse following the outcome.

— see ‘I FELT, page 3

“This is clearly an issue that has enraged some people and has inflamed passions, and I can’t feel that in real time on the ground because of my responsibilities in Victoria. Blair can do that.”

He noted the petition presented in Victoria by MLA Mike Bernier and the Concerned Citizens for Caribou Recovery drew his attention.

“I regret that we didn’t start that consultation earlier, I regret that we didn’t put more information out to the public, but we are where we are,” he said.

“We decided to add additional time to the consultation, because it was clear to the public that the public wasn’t satisfied with the information they were getting,” Horgan explained.

“At these public meetings where often you’d like to have an elected representative, we

were sending public officials who were in some instances not able to answer the questions that the public were bringing up, because they weren’t connected to this specific issue at play.” Lekstrom reports directly to the premier.

“We’re all in this together, we all want to ensure we try and look after the caribou, and at the same time maintaining the quality of life we have here for the people looking after their families, their jobs. I’m confident that we can do that together,” he said.

Lekstrom noted the premier had reached out to him to discuss the topic.

“This is what our region asked for, they asked to be engaged, to have the opportunity to put our input to how we think we can do this together with our First Nations neighbours,” Lekstrom explained.

— see ‘THIS IS, page 3

This map shows the proposed route of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Bear-proof garbage cans rolling out

Debbie Simpson delivers one of the 300 bear-resistant residential garbage carts to homes on Ingala Drive. The Hart Highlands and Croft neighbourhoods are part of a pilot project to help deter bears from trying to access garbage contained in residential bins. The carts are very difficult for bears to open, but are easy for residents to unlock with one hand and will open when tipped upside down by a garbage truck.

Prince George provincial court docket

From Prince George provincial court, April 8-12, 2019:

• Daniel Richard Rainer Lippmann (born 1983) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.

• Trenal Marion Alexis (born 1998) was sentenced to zero days in jail for breaching probation. Trenal was in custody for four days prior to sentencing.

• Leonard John Joseph Jr. (born 1981) was sentenced to 10 days in jail for causing a disturbance. Joseph Jr. was in custody for 12 days prior to sentencing.

• Lance Jubal Stevens (born 1974) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $1,000 plus a $150 victim surcharge for driving while impaired.

• Kenneth Michael Wipfli (born 1981) was sentenced to 27 days in jail for two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of breaching probation.

• Manjeet Singh Bhatti (born 1975) was sentence to zero days for failing to appear in court, committed in Prince George, and breaching a recognizance or undertaking, committed in Dawson Creek. Bhatti was in custody for 77 days prior to sentencing.

• Natasha Arlene Borisoff (born 1987) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $700 plus a $105 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.

• Robert Samuel Bruce (born 1983) was sentenced to 42 days in jail, served on an intermittent basis, prohibited from driving for three years and fined $2,000, for two counts of driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.

• David George Gerow (born 1984) was sentenced to 18 months probation, issued a five-year firearms prohibition and ordered to provide a DNA sample for assault causing bodily harm. Gerow was in custody for 180 days prior to sentencing.

• Donovan Kayle Graham (born 1998) was sentenced to 14 days in jail and one year probation for possessing a break-in instrument and to seven days in jail for breaching probation. Graham was in custody for 15 days prior to sentencing.

• Rodney John Hunter (born 1961) was issued a one year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.

• Dennis Wayne Liddle (born 1987) was sentenced to 75 days in jail and one year probation and ordered to provide a DNA sample for assault and willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

• Randy William Derrick McAdams (born 1990) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.

• Bradley David Toth (born 1967) was pro-

hibited from driving for one year and fined $1,000 for driving while impaired.

• Mathew James Hardie (born 1985) was issued a one year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.

• Dale Andrew Dowswell (born 1971) was ordered to serve the remainder of his conditional sentence in custody. On March 5, he was sentenced to a 30-day conditional sentence order and 14 months probation for being unlawfully in a dwelling house.

• Jessie Scott Ferris (born 1992) was sentenced to time served and three years probation for committing an indecent act in public place and breaching probation. Ferris was in custody for 66 days prior to sentencing.

• Shawn Abel Arsenault (born 1998) was sentenced to 48 days in jail and 18 months probation and ordered to provide a DNA sample for breaking and entering and committing an indictable offence, to 30 days in jail for theft $5,000 or under and to 14 days in jail for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, all committed in Mackenzie. Arsenault was in custody for 48 days prior to sentencing.

• Christopher James Edward Blackier (born 1982) was sentenced to a 30-day conditional sentence order and 18 months probation and ordered to provide a DNA sample for assault.

• Orlando James Egnell (born 1988) was

sentenced to 15 days in jail for assault, committed in Kwadacha, to 10 days in jail for theft $5,000 or under and to one day in jail for breaching an undertaking or recognizance, both committed in Prince George. Egnell was also sentenced to one year probation on the Prince George counts and was in custody for 12 days prior to sentencing.

• Shannon Lee Haskell (born 1980) was ordered on April 12 to serve the remainder of her sentence order in jail. On Feb. 11, she was sentenced to a 60-day conditional sentence order and 18 months probation for uttering threats, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and breaching an undertaking or recognizance.

• Tristan Alan Olson (born 1997) was sentenced to 30 days in jail for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and breaching probation, committed in Prince George, and to 18 days in jail and one year probation for breaching probation, committed in Quesnel. Olson was in custody for eight days prior to sentencing.

• Christian Ronald Schwab (born 1994) was sentenced to one year probation with a suspended sentence for possessing or using a stolen credit card, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, mischief $5,000 or under, theft $5,000 or under and two counts of breaching an undertaking. Schwab was in custody for 16 days prior to sentencing.

Active case of TB reported at college

Citizen staff

An active case of pulmonary tuberculosis has been confirmed at the College of New Caledonia, Northern Health said Monday.

Northern Health is following up with all those who may be at risk to ensure they are assessed. Follow up through contact tracing has already begun.

“The risk is low for spread of TB to anyone other than close contacts of the index case,” said Dr. Andrew Gray, Northern Health medical health officer. “TB is an infectious disease that generally only spreads to persons in close contact with an infected person over a long period of time and is not easily spread to others.”

Tuberculosis is spread through the air. Sharing clothing, dishes or drinks does not spread the disease.

People who may be at risk are being contacted directly and are being urged to have a TB test. Arrangements are being made to ensure testing is available to all those affected.

It can take eight to 12 weeks for the TB test to go from negative to positive in those who have been exposed. Even if someone is infected, their risk of developing

TB is an infectious disease that generally only spreads to persons in close contact with an infected person over a long period of time and is not easily spread to others.

— Dr. Andrew Gray, Northern Health medical health officer

active disease is small and can be prevented with a course of medication which is available for free for anyone who needs it.

The individual with TB is currently receiving medical attention and is on appropriate medications for this highly treatable illness.

Some symptoms of TB may include prolonged cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, fever or night sweats.

‘This is not about politics’

— from page 1

“It’s not us and them, we’re going to work towards finding a solution. This is not about politics, this transcends any political party. We have families, jobs that could be on the line,” the former BC Liberal MLA said. “I believe we can establish the looking after our caribou, working with our First Nations communities, and still maintain the jobs and the industry in this area. That’s going to be my goal.”

Horgan also spent the day meeting with Peace River Regional District board members, and Chief Roland Willson from the West Moberly First Nations and Chief Ken Cameron from the Saulteau First Nations. (Horgan noted that during the process, the chiefs had signed non-disclosure agreements

and were “impaired in their ability to talk to the public.”)

Chetwynd Mayor Allen Courtoreille, who had expressed his displeasure with previous cancelled meetings with the government in the Chetwynd consultation, noted he was pleased with the announcement.

“I think it’s positive that we have the leader of our province come to see it when it’s not an NDP riding,” he said. “I feel it’s positive, moving in a direction where we can see some light at the end of the tunnel, I see it as a positive move.

“I see it as moving forward and getting information out there. Information is the key right now, so if we have more information, then the local public have more information, we should be moving in the right direction.”

‘I felt a huge injustice’

— from page 1

Molly Wickham, one of the 14 arrested, called it a victory.

“I felt like there was a little bit of justice today in this whole struggle,” said Wickham, whose traditional name is Sleydo. “I felt a huge injustice when we were arrested and taken off the territory. I felt that because we were doing the right thing, we were following our own laws, we weren’t doing anything that should have resulted in us being arrested.”

In a statement, Coastal GasLink president David Pfeiffer said the company remains committed to “respectful and meaningful dialogue, focused on listening to all concerns and resolving issues as best we can in a peaceful and constructive manner.”

If built, the 670-kilometre

$6.2-billion pipeline would deliver natural gas to the $40-billion LNG Canada project near Kitimat from a station at Groundbirch west of Dawson Creek.

The company has reached a series of benefit agreements with 20 elected bands along the project route including those of the Wet’suwet’en, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.

However, the Wet’suwet’en hereditary clan chiefs are strongly

opposed, saying they did not give permission for it to be built.

They also say the elected bands’ authority ends at the borders of their respective reserves while they have authority over the Wet’suwet’en’s entire traditional territory.

Still at issue is whether to make the injunction permanent. As it stands, the injunction is to last until May 31 to give CGL time to complete pre-construction work in the area in dispute.

As well, a challenge is now being heard by the National Energy Board over the jurisdiction of the B.C. provincial regulator of the pipeline.

Smithers resident Mike Sawyer argues that because TransCanada Corp., which owns CGL, will operate the pipeline and the connected Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. system together, they form a single pipeline that crosses the AlbertaB.C. boundary and therefore must be regulated by the federal government.

TransCanada’s response is that the purpose of Coastal GasLink is to move natural gas entirely within the province and therefore provincial approvals are appropriate. — with files from Canadian Press

Trinket or treasure?

New Gold-Blackwater mine gets federal OK

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff

fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

An area gold mine just got the green light.

The federal government has given the green light to the New Gold-Blackwater project near Prince George.

The proposed gold mine has been advancing for several years towards startup, and one of the most important hurdles in the process was passing the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s exhaustive checklist.

“The Government of Canada is protecting the environment and growing the economy,” said Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on Monday afternoon when the announcement was made. “By evaluating this project based on science and Indigenous knowledge, and putting in place legally binding measures that will protect the environment, we are helping create economic growth

and nearly 2,000 jobs for the community.”

The mine is located 110 km south of Vanderhoof and 160 km southwest of Prince George at Mount Davidson.

A company statement affirmed that the news out of Ottawa meant the project “can proceed following a thorough and sciencebased environmental assessment process concluding that the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects when mitigation measures are taken into account.”

The official Minister’s Decision Statement establishes 172 conditions the New Gold company must fulfill throughout the life of the project.

These conditions will reduce or eliminate the potential effects on the environment and include measures to protect wetlands, fish and fish habitat, migratory birds, the current use of lands and resources by Indigenous peoples, physical and cultural heritage

and structures, and wildlife and species at risk.

“The project consists of the construction, operation and closure of an open-pit gold and silver mine,” said the minister’s statement (some zinc is also in the mineral profile of the mountain).

“The proposed $1.8 billion project could create up to 1,500 jobs during construction and 495 ongoing jobs during operations over the life of the project, according to figures provided by the proponent.”

“This positive decision marks the conclusion of the project’s federal environmental assessment, a very significant milestone for the project,” said a company statement.

“New Gold is awaiting a decision from the Province of British Columbia regarding the provincial environmental assessment. We want to thank everyone for their continued support of the project during this phase of the environmental assessment.”

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE

Appraiser Ted Pappas uses a loupe to examine an English trinket box on Sunday morning at The Exploration Place during Huble Homestead’s biennial Antiques Appraisals fundraiser.

RCMP dog team catches suspects

Citizen staff

Two suspected car thieves thought they could dodge police by hiding in a wooded area south of the city Friday morning.

They didn’t count on RCMP service dog Jak being on their case.

He hounded the two culprits, who had reportedly stolen a 2003 Ford F-350 pickup truck from a residence on Piedmont Crescent at about 4:15 a.m. Friday, finding them both after tracking through about two kilometres of bush.

A 27-year-old male and 19-year-old woman, both from Prince George, were taken into custody. They had been traveling on Highway 97 between Prince George and Hixon when the RCMP spotted them. Before an attempt was made to stop the vehicle, it turned onto Carver Road, went through a ditch and got stuck in a field, prompting the suspects to flee on foot.

Three dog teams were called to the scene and Jak eventually earned the collar. The woman suffered minor bite wounds and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Police found a loaded shotgun, an improvised explosive device and other weapons near the male suspect. The bomb was later destroyed by B.C. RCMP’s explosive disposal section.

Brent Jameson Morgan, 27, remained in custody as of Monday on charges of making or possessing explosives, possessing stolen property over $5,000 and three firearms-related counts.

The woman was released.

Lieutenant governor tour

Acting mayor Kyle Sampson, Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin and Lisa Connor of The Exploration Place tour Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park on Saturday afternoon as part of the lieutenant governor’s visit to Prince George.

Students raising funds for cancer patient

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

Some local children are stepping up to support one of their own.

James Torraville is a well known name in Prince George for his past two bouts of cancer.

But he is known best of all at Ecole Heather Park Elementary School where he is now involved in his third occurrence of the disease, all before he is done Grade 4.

The children at Heart To Hart, the school’s in-house preschool and afterschool programs, knew they had some money saved up for their own socializing.

When word got around that Torraville was once again at B.C. Children’s Hospital, the kids opted to donate it to his family, but they didn’t stop there. Money was raised among the families in the program, and then they went to the P.G. Recycling & Return-It Centre and set up a Heart To Hart account into which the public can donate their bottle money.

All of it is going to their young friend.

“He’s just an amazing little boy and every time I see him in the hallway, he pumps the brakes to make sure I know he sees me, he gives me a wave and a smile and sometimes I even get a hug. This is just heartbreaking that this is round three for him,” said Jenna Weldon, one of the supervisors at Heart To

Man reported missing

Citizen staff

Prince George RCMP are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing man.

Marlon Hugh Arscott, 59, is described as Caucasian, about five-foot-11 and 270 pounds with brown eyes, white hair and beard. He also has some missing fingers and may be wearing a blue sweater, grey T-shirt and blue jeans.

In

Arscott is known to hitchhike long distances. He has previously travelled to Fort St. James, Van-

couver and the Yukon Territory. He also has health issues and is currently not taking his medication.

“If located, please do not approach, call police immediately,” RCMP said.

Anyone with information on where Arscott may be is asked to call the RCMP at 250-561-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 or online at www. pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca (English only). You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers.

Hart.

“The ball started rolling, and it’s getting bigger than we thought.”

For those who want to help in a direct donation way, a GoFundMe page is also in place.

“James is a Grade 4 student at Heather Park Elementary in Prince George, B.C.,” reads the GoFundMe introduction.

“James is battling cancer for the third time in his short life. He is currently at Children’s Hospital in Vancouver and has been since December 2018 receiving cancer treatment. The expenses of James’s battle are overwhelming for his family.”

His schoolmates have also been selling wrist bands to raise additional money.

ARSCOTT

Blumer hosting PG Chef’s Challenge Dinner

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff

fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

For the last four months or so, Bob Blumer has been working on his latest cookbook. He’ll be working on it in the airport on his way to Prince George. He’ll be working on it at the hotel while he’s here. But when the pans get hot at the PG Chef’s Challenge Dinner, he will be focused on the food.

Blumer has made a custom out of judging this city’s best culinary competitions and he is getting to know the people involved, and their restaurants. One of the reasons the celebrity writer of cookbooks and host of hit food shows is so eager to wing back up to P.G. from his home in L.A. is the quality.

“I have to say, the quality of food in Prince George is amazing,” he said. “I mean, all of them: Ryan (Cyre of White Goose Bistro) for fine dining, Jagdish (Gill from Karahi King) for Indian, all of them. I’d be happy finding their meals here in Los Angeles.”

Joining these two local kitchen masters in the challenge are Brian Quarmby of Birch & Boar Butchery, Kelly MacKenzie from Cimo Mediterranean Grill, and Jim Demarce from The Twisted Cork. Each chef will present their original dish as a course for the meal which will be concluded with an original dessert from none other than Blumer himself.

Throughout the evening, Bob will be interviewing the chefs as their dish is served and the winner will be decided by votes from the audience and a panel of guest judges.

All of this is in aid of the Prince George Hospice Society. Again, Blumer is happy to help a worthy cause in Prince George, as he does with so many charities. He has a public platform, he said, and feels it important to use that to affect positive change.

To that end, he is heavily involved in organizations like Second Harvest, No Kid Hungry, and Love Food Hate Waste. Food security is a common theme in that philanthropy, and food rescue in particular. This is a waste reduction philosophy that for Blumer stems back to his beginnings in show business when he wasn’t on television or smiling out from bookstore shelves. He was a manager of music acts. In those days, he and the musicians he represented were often gone for long tours in strange places, and often the money was tight for long patches of time. Blumer, in survivalist mode, made every food dollar stretch like the skin of a drum.

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Chef Bob Blumer hosted the Iron Ore Chef challenge in Prince George in 2015. Blumer will be back to host the PG Chef’s Challenge Dinner on Wednesday.

He became frugal, creative and healthconscious about every morsel.

“I have found my niche in this conversation in coming up with creative ways to use all these foods that we often end up throwing out and wasting,” he said.

“I get a lot of pleasure out of trying to inspire people to use their food and their leftovers and their soon-to-be-composted things in creative ways.”

His food rescue motives are illustrated by a recent IdeaCity speech he gave (the annual bright ideas symposium created and hosted by Moses Znaimer) in Toronto. He used the bits and dregs of the common kitchen (the nearly empty packages and nearly expired jars) to make a delicious pizza. It was a modern take on the Stone Soup fable, and it made splendid use out of food in our own kitchens we were about to waste.

“You’re not going to save the world rescuing this little red bell pepper, but how you do the little things is how you do everything,” Blumer said in the speech. If we curtail the waste in our own homes, and then demand the same of our grocery stores and farmers, it puts more food into our own mouths, allowing for better distribution of the food we therefore don’t need to use in its place, and even more important than that is not wasting the energy, the greenhouse gases, the transportation and packaging resources, etc. that go down the drain when good food gets discarded instead of eaten as intended.

Making amazing food in unorthodox ways is the topic of his next book. He’s aiming it at an international release date within a matter of months, so he has his creativity levels on rolling boil.

“It is really about how to cook anything but in a rogue way as opposed to how you’d cook if you had been taught by Thomas Keller (acclaimed chef) or someone from the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). It’s from my 30 years of travelling around the world, entering competitions, hosting shows, working with chefs, working with winemakers, watching a lot of street-food vendors make what they make, all distilled down into a book… tricks, tips, hacks, all my learning.”

Blumer also has his name on two new television projects being pitched to undisclosed networks.

“I’m at a point now where I’d like it to happen, but if it doesn’t happen I still feel very fortunate to have made shows for 12 years in a row and I have lots of other things I’m working on,” he said.

To taste his dessert and sumptuously dine on the feature dishes of PG’s best chefs, all vying for the title and talking with Blumer live at the creation station, book your seat at the table for PG’s Chef Challenge Dinner on Wednesday night at the Black Clover Banquet Hall. Tickets are $100 with proceeds to the Hospice Society. Seating is limited so email your wish to attend as soon as possible: dyanne@unltd.me.

NEWS IN BRIEF

RCMP Victim Services looking for volunteers

An information night will be held Wednesday for those interested in becoming a Prince George RCMP Victim Services volunteer.

Volunteers provide support to survivors of crime and other tragedy both at the scene and as cases wind through the justice system.

“We have an amazing, close knit and dedicated team of volunteers but we are a busy unit and need to make sure we have enough people to respond to the needs of our community,” said coordinator Krista Levar. “Volunteers who are accepted into the program are provided with extensive training and a volunteer experience unlike any other.”

The information session will include a chance to meet with current volunteers, interact with the therapy dogs, take a look at the Victim Services work environment and learn a bit more about the program. The session will be held at the Prince George RCMP detachment, 455 Victoria St., 7:30 p.m. start. Those interested are asked to come early and bring government issued photo ID. — Citizen staff

Home badly damaged in fire

A Hart-area home suffered extensive damage in an early-morning fire on Monday.

A total of 15 firefighters from three halls were called to the 4400 block of Weisbrod Road at 12:02 a.m. They found a fire coming out of the roof and were able to knock the fire down but damage is estimated at $250,000.

The home’s two occupants were evacuated and unharmed.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

3MT competition set for WIDC

Gene and cell therapies for diabetes. Helping bears one simulation at a time. Effects of gender stereotypes on women’s competence and participation in physical activity. Facilitators to military mental health services. Those are some of the topics that will be presented at the 3MT Three Minute Thesis western regional competition on Wednesday at the Wood Innovation and Design Centre, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Eighteen graduate students from universities across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will have three minutes to present their research and its impact to a panel of non-specialist judges and peers. Jennifer Coburn, a graduate student in gender studies, will represent UNBC with her topic: The “Girl Push-Up:” The Effects of Gender Stereotypes on Women’s Competence and Participation in Physical Activity. The winner will advance to the national competition on June 3.

Everybody loses tonight in Alberta

In the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, many Canadian political observers warned about how Donald Trump’s apocalyptic campaigning, where voting was depicted as a choice between the evil hordes and the only man great enough to fix America’s problems, could migrate north of the 49th parallel.

Sadly, that warning has come to pass.

The Alberta provincial election, which comes to a merciful end today, has been portrayed by both Rachel Notley’s NDP and Jason Kenney’s United Conservatives as an end of days vote, filled with dire predictions of catastrophe should the other side win.

This was precisely Trump’s path to the White House in 2016.

Democrats in general and Hillary Clinton in particular were portrayed as criminals stealing money, abandoning U.S. citizens in and out of uniform to their deaths in foreign countries, raping and murdering children in the basements of pizza joints, slaughtering unborn babies, importing Mexican rapists and so on.

Clinton, for the most part, didn’t engage, not because she didn’t want to or felt bound

by tradition or morality to avoid making a nasty campaign even worse, but because she mistakenly believed she didn’t need to in order to win.

Looking back, some would argue that if Clinton had spent the last week calling Trump a racist, nonreligious, serial adulterer, woman-abusing idiot unfit to lead his own family business, never mind the United States of America, she might have won. And just like that, the ends justify the means and the lunatics on both sides of the political spectrum are justified in demonizing their opponents because it pays off at the ballot box, no matter the cost to civil society, truth, fairness and other important ideals.

on the incredible harm the other will cause should their filthy hands hold the levers of power. “I’m better than her/him because she/he is/will destroy Alberta,” is their common theme.

This isn’t the polictics of a modern democracy, ancohored by the rule of law and engaged citizens. This is social media namecalling replacing debate. This is road rage replacing leadership.

All Notley and Kenney have succeeded in doing is turning Albertans against one another. Their campaigns were not based on what they can do to help Albertans but

In an election where Albertans really needed some serious, thoughtful debate about their path forward as a province, the two politicians who would lead them chose instead to betray them.

Notley’s campaign has tarred Kenney and his supporters as backward hatemongers, so a vote for Kenney is a vote for intolerance.

Kenney’s campaign has tarred Notley and her supporters as politically correct oppressors of thought and expression, so a vote for Notley is a vote for intolerance.

This isn’t the politics of a modern democracy, anchored by the rule of law and engaged citizens.

YOUR LETTERS

Close down what?

To Lee Sexsmith, I read your April 11 letter and appreciate some of the points you made concerning the caribou, but I’m lost on two specific items.

The first item is that you mention several times, that the government wants to close down parts of the province.

Excuse me if I am being remiss, but close down what?

If you’re referring to snowmobiling or ATV use, then it would be advantageous to know this while reading the letter.

The second point is I appreciate your love of sledding, if that is what this is about, and I appreciate that you have a right to do this.

But there is a problem with part of your statement, when you go on to say that this activity has not had an impact on the caribou.

Wildlife habitats throughout British Columbia, Canada and the rest of the world for that matter, have been severely impacted by highways, railroads, cities, industrial projects, resource extraction, hydro lines, human-caused fires, recreational activities, and yes,

the use of all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and the trails that they require.

To deny this is silly and in the same vein as denying climate change.

There are, of course, a multitude of factors involved with regards to the caribou issue and maybe the use of ATVs is only a small part, but it is still a contributing factor.

Forest fires in the province over the last two years have hit heights never seen, and contributing factors like climate change and the excessive dryness, as well as the agricultural model used in modern forestry practices, are prevalent as causes.

ATVs however are also a cause, so much so that their use has been restricted at times and that the use of spark arrestors is mandatory; despite these safeguards, there will be more fires caused by ATVs and their riders.

It seems to me that a temporary, provincewide ban would incite the same denial by riders, who feel as though their right to blast down a trail is more important than the forests.

Rather selfish if you think about it.

I’m not trying to criticize you because your opinion matters.

I was not at the meeting and if I’m off-base in terms of what it was you were saying in your letter, I apologize. For the sake of the readership that wasn’t there, clarification of “closing down” would have been appreciated.

Mike Maslen

Prince George

Boycott gas stations

So we can all complain about the gas prices and we will.

So what if we all only buy gas at Costco, the main reason our prices have stayed low, and accept the long lineups and do not buy anything from gas stations – gas, cigarettes, coffee, pop, whatever.

Pay a little more for some things yes but boycott the gas station see if it helps. The price per barrel of oil has not risen drastically so these new gas prices are not justified. Either do this or don’t complain.

It’s worth a try.

Roland Hill Prince George

LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. No attachments, please. They can also be faxed to 250-960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. 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.

SHAWN CORNELL DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

This is social media namecalling replacing debate. This is road rage replacing leadership. This is all-caps outrage replacing governance.

Worst of all, this insidious political virus looks like it will spread from Alberta. Andrew Scheer and Justin Trudeau are already giving Canadians a taste of what this fall’s election will be like.

And how will John Horgan and Andrew Wilkinson conduct themselves in the next provincial election, whether it happens this spring or two springs from now?

If this is how citizens expect our elected leaders to behave, then we surely will receive the governments we deserve. If we want our elected leaders to be better, we must demand better.

Rather than supporting those who simply reflect our petty insecurities and childish fury back at us, we should seek representatives with the courage and vision to imagine solutions to problems beyond blaming someone else.

There will be no winner tonight in Alberta and that is a tragedy for the province and for the country.

— Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout

The concept of other

When I started at UNBC in the mid-1990s, I had a conversation with one of my colleagues in psychology about the concept of other. What defines other? And how?

I repeated this conversation with colleagues in history, English and a few other disciplines. At the time, I was learning about a concept to which I hadn’t given a lot of thought. It has stayed in my mind since those early days but rarely rises to the foreground.

Recently, biologists have begun to ask questions about other from a physical context. Roughly half the cells in a human’s body are other species – bacteria, viruses, and such. It can be and has been argued we really are symbiotic creatures. The part we call me or I represents only about 50 per cent of ourselves.

Heady stuff. But it does bring to the fore the question of how do we define ourselves as people. This was reinforced for me recently as I was reading Behave by Robert Sapolsky. It is a book about the biology of our minds at its best and worst.

He has a whole chapter devoted to the concept of us and them. We call people of our tribe us. This can include family, relatives, friends, workmates, and even casual acquaintances. It can also include people of the same politic persuasion or moral values or religious beliefs. In the latter case, some pundits are prone to lopping all Christians in one category and all Muslims in another.

Indeed, the president of the United States seems to be of the belief all Muslims are the same, regardless. They are all them and not us. Similarly, many politicians south of the border speak of the United States as being all Christians – an us which is actually rife with multiple denominations who don’t always see eye-to-eye.

Broad classifications of us-versus-them lead to divisive politics and strained relationships. Or as George W. Bush put it, “You are either with us or against us.” Is there no middle ground? Can’t someone support some of your views without having to support them all?

We – and I use here the broad descriptor to include all Canadians – tended to view this sort of politics of division as an American thing.

Something which dominated politics south of the border. But it no longer appears to be the case.

Today is Election Day in Alberta.

According to many observers and participants it has been one of the nastiest campaigns they have experienced. On the one side

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you have the United Conservative Party claiming all of Alberta’s economic woes are the result of Rachel Notley and the NDP. After all, everyone knows NDP governments are irresponsible tax-andspend hucksters. Except, of course, they are not.

The economic woes in Alberta started in the late 1980s with the Free Trade Agreement put together by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and company. The deal hogtied Alberta. And to use an old saying “the pigeons have finally come home to roost.” Alberta has to funnel oil through the United States whether they like it or not and U.S. sets the price.

More recently, the oil producing countries of the world chose to drive down oil prices in response to exploration and development of reserves. The world price is still in the mid-60s range which is nothing compared to prices 10 years ago. (And yet the price at the pump keeps going up…)

On the flip side of all this, the NDP keep pointing out the UCP are anti-immigration, racially insensitive, and generally out of touch with the values of modern voters.

They point out for the UCP there really is an us and them. More to the point, they would like voters to believe the UCP is very much about keeping Alberta just for us and not let any of them in.

This is an overstatement of positions. There are UCP candidates who should have been vetted better and not allowed to put their names forward but I don’t think the party is inherently racist. On the other hand, Jason Kenney promising to shut off the oil if elected is not a good sign for Canadian harmony.

It paints the picture that we are not one country but 10 provinces, each with its own mandate and values. “Alberta is about business. B.C. is not,” is certainly the impression the leader seems to be wanting to portray.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

B.C. is open for business and doing very well by a number of economic measures even if a fair portion of that growth is from real estate development in the lower mainland.

Once the election results are known it will be incumbent upon John Horgan and the Premierelect to reach out and find a way to bring us together.

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Missing women inquiry takes fight for RCMP files to court

Jim BRONSKILL

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — The national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women is fighting in court for access to two RCMP files the national police force is refusing to hand over.

The inquiry is set to issue its long-awaited report in June, but says it wants the contested Mountie files to complete its work on one of the saddest chapters in Canada’s recent history.

Little is publicly known about the two disputed files other than their titles: “Missing Person: Missing Indigenous Woman” and “Homicide: Murdered Indigenous Woman.”

Both sides agreed to an expedited process and hope to have hearing dates on the dispute before mid-May in the Federal Court of Canada, said Catherine Kloczkowski, a spokeswoman for the inquiry.

“The RCMP should have disclosed these relevant files to the National Inquiry months ago,” she said. “They did not.”

Federal lawyers acting on behalf of the RCMP have yet to make submissions to the court.

A statement from the Mounties said the RCMP makes every effort to co-operate with the inquiry, but this assistance “must not come at the expense of compromising the integrity of ongoing criminal investigations.”

In an April 8 notice of application outlining its case, the inquiry seeks a court order disclosing the two files to commission lawyers.

As part of its mandate, the inquiry established a forensic document-review team to confidentially review police and institutional files, seeking to identify systemic barriers or other weaknesses related to the protection of Indigenous women and girls. The ultimate aim was to make recommendations about the underlying causes of disappearances, deaths and acts of violence.

The inquiry issued two subpoenas last September directing the RCMP to disclose various files, according to the notice of applica-

A ceremonial fire is lit at the beginning of the National Inquiry of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Richmond on April 4, 2018. The inquiry is fighting in court for access to two RCMP files the national police force is refusing to hand over.

tion. In December, the police force produced written rationales claiming public-interest privilege over 59 files because the cases were still under investigation.

Federal lawyers and inquiry counsel then agreed to a procedure, in keeping with the common law, to test the RCMP’s claims of privilege on 12 files most keenly sought by the forensic documentreview team.

An RCMP investigator with knowledge of each file was interviewed by an inquiry lawyer in front of one of the inquiry’s four commissioners. After the interviews, lawyers for each side made submissions. The sitting commissioner then ruled on whether public interest privilege had been established.

During the interviews, which took place in January, the inquiry abandoned its challenge on one file and the government dropped

its claim of privilege over another.

Seven of the remaining 10 files were ordered to be turned over to the inquiry, and one was ruled to be validly withheld, leaving just the two files now at the centre of the court battle.

Federal lawyers objected to their disclosure by filing certificates with the Federal Court under the Canada Evidence Act, which allows for a hearing to decide whether secrecy will prevail.

The court must weigh the public interest in disclosing the two files to the inquiry against any public interest in keeping them under wraps.

In its notice, the inquiry says the contested files “are no longer under active investigation” and should be given to the forensic document team.

The RCMP said in its statement to The Canadian Press that the force has reviewed, assessed and

disclosed a total of 23 active files to the inquiry. “In two such cases, however, the risk to ongoing investigations and future prosecutions is too high to disclose them.”

Kloczkowski said that upon receiving the two files, the inquiry could, under its terms of reference, use them to make recommendations or refer the contents to authorities for further action.

The commissioners can pass along information to appropriate agencies if it could be used in the investigation or prosecution of Criminal Code offences, or if it points to misconduct. The commissioners have already identified a “number of cases” that appear to warrant alerting authorities, Kloczkowski said.

Although the inquiry can’t disclose details of those cases, the number of referred cases will be made public at the end its mandate, she added.

B.C. shooting victim was a loving foster parent

The Canadian Press

SALMON ARM — A former foster child of a British Columbia man killed at a church on the weekend is remembering the shooting victim as someone who helped him discover his potential.

The man gunned down while attending services at the Salmon Arm Church of Christ on Sunday has been identified as Gord Parmenter who, along with his wife, Peggy, had cared for foster children in the Interior B.C. community.

“Gord and Peggy were more than foster parents. They treated me like their own kin,” the former foster child, who can’t be named, wrote in an email. “Gordon was driven by his faith and helping people was his way of serving God.”

“I was a very complex case and complexity is what Gord specialized in. He helped me become who I am today, and always with a laugh.”

The former foster son said he wept for an hour after learning Parmenter had been killed.

Salmon Arm RCMP say a second man was seriously injured in the shooting before church parishioners managed to wrestled a 25-year-old suspect to the ground and held him until police arrived.

RCMP said charges were pending against the suspect, who remained in custody.

The foster son said the Parmenters took him and several other foster children in over the years because Gord Parmenter had volunteered to be the emergency placement home in Salmon Arm.

“This meant that he would welcome kids into his home who had nowhere else to go,” he said. “Without him I never would have made it to Grade 12. I am now in my third term of college. I would not be there were it not for Gord.”

Groups to fight money laundering in B.C. real estate

The Canadian Press

VICTORIA — Five agencies are banding together to help fight money laundering in British Columbia’s real estate industry.

B.C. Attorney General David Eby and Finance Minister Carole James released a joint statement saying the collaboration will go a long way towards getting dirty money out of the real estate market and protecting consumers.

The B.C. Real Estate Association says in a news release the groups commit to sharing best practices to help keep proceeds of crime out of the economy and ensuring the public has full confidence in B.C.’s

real estate market.

The other participating organizations include the Appraisal Institute of Canada, BC Notaries Association, Canada Mortgage Brokers Association and the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

The groups have committed to share those best practices, including accepting only verified funds and making anti-money laundering education mandatory for all real estate agents.

An international anti-money laundering agency said last year that organized criminals were laundering about $1 billion annually in the province and the B.C.

government is now reviewing two reports on the crime.

The joint statement issued by Eby and James says the actions by the organizations “will go a long way towards getting dirty money out of the real estate market, protecting consumers and helping industry professionals improve their knowledge and regulatory compliance.”

The Real Estate Council of B.C., the disciplinary body for agents and brokerages, announced last week that it had agreed to share information with Canada’s financial intelligence unit, or FINTRAC, in an attempt to fight money laundering.

Four killed in Penticton shooting, one man arrested

The Canadian Press

PENTICTON — The RCMP say four people were found dead Monday in three locations after targeted shootings within a fivekilometre radius in Penticton.

Supt. Ted De Jager said a lone male suspect turned himself in at the city’s police headquarters and officers were searching his car.

“We’re still trying to find the motive for this whole incident, so that’s part of the ongoing investigation,” he told a news conference.

“Indications right now are that all four were targeted.”

De Jager said the Mounties received a call about a possible shooting in the downtown at about 10:30 a.m. and the suspect was taken into custody about an hour later.

Earlier, police cordoned off the city’s downtown and were telling people to avoid the area because of a serious, unfolding situation. They asked the public to follow the direction of police and to avoid specific areas.

“I understand that this is a deeply troubling incident that has taken place in our community,” De Jager said, adding that more than 30 officers were involved in the response to the shootings.

He said one person was found dead in the north end of the city; the three others were found in the south end.

De Jager said an emergency response team was deployed to another place in the city, but police had not determined whether it was related to the shootings.

Joyce Brennan, a downtown resident, said she was taking out

All of a sudden, all these cop cars were swarming the area... and I saw a guy laying in the grass.

— Shelley Halvorson

the recycling sometime between 9:30 and 10 a.m. when she heard the sound of three muffled bangs in the distance.

“But there is a lot of construction going on around us here, so I just assumed it was something to do with that,” said Brennan. She said her son called a short time later to say someone was killed near her house.

Shelley Halvorson was in her office at J&E Automotive Services Ltd. at around 10:30 a.m. when she heard “pop, pop, pop, pop,” she said.

“All of a sudden, all these cop cars were swarming the area, and an ambulance showed up, and we went outside and I saw a guy laying in the grass,” she said.

The man was laying on the lawn outside a home, she said.

“We were told we had to get back inside because there was a guy – who shot this guy – who was on the loose with a rifle,” Halvorson said.

Three or four officers with rifles and a police dog charged down a nearby side street, while other police officers stayed behind and taped off the area, said Halvorson.

“It was kind of scary,” she said.

A real estate sign is pictured in Vancouver in 2018. A group of five agencies is working to combat money laundering in the province’s real estate market.

Sports

Williams first career goal wins the game for Spruce Kings

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff

As big goals go, it’s hard to fathom 15-year-old Finn Williams will score one more important to the Prince George Spruce Kings than the one that will go down in history as his first career B.C. Hockey League point.

Not only was his goal Saturday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena a game-winner, but this wasn’t just a game.

It was Game 2 of the Fred Page Cup championship series and it came at a key moment for the Spruce Kings, who went on to defeat the Vernon Vipers 4-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. The series resumes tonight in Vernon.

Sean Donaldson started the play, carrying the puck out of the Kings‚ end along the left wall and he pushed it up to Williams, who thought he was going to offside by the time he gained possession.

But linemate Nick Wilson took over the rush and while getting covered by a pair of Viper checkers his shot was blocked and the puck was left for Williams who flicked it on goal and it found the top corner of the net behind goalie Aidan Porter.

“I just saw it sitting there and I wanted to get it off quick without the goalie seeing it with a bit of careen and it’s cool it went in,” said Williams. “Hopefully there’s some more to come, but it was good to

get that one out of the way.”

The bench erupted and Kings defenceman Max Coyle, Williams’s 21-year-old billet brother, skated out to join the celebration and picked up the puck to toss it to trainer Rick Brown. No doubt

that rubber biscuit will go on prominent display in the Williams household in North Vancouver.

“That’s huge for that kid,” said Coyle. “He’s fitting in good here and the guys are loving him. You love to see that for a young kid like

that, he’s super-talented and he’s going to do some stuff in hockey I think. Something like that just brings us together.”

Despite his youth, Williams has added scoring punch and a fierce mentality that sets the tone for

the fourth line, blending well with seasoned BCHL veterans Donaldson and Wilson. They’re each making noticeable contributions in both ends of the ice and have added a new dimension to an already potent Kings’ lineup.

“Depth is huge in the playoffs and they came up with a big goal tonight, that line can play out there and they’re doing a good job and it’s nice to see Finn get his first of probably many in this league at a big time in a big moment in the finals here,” said Kings head coach Adam Maglio.

Williams joined the Kings for four games in the regular season, called up from the Burnaby Winter Club midget prep team as an affiliate player.

He rejoined his BCHL teammates for the Victoria series and is here to stay for the next two seasons while he prepares for a college hockey future at the University of Michigan.

“It’s been amazing, it’s cool to learn from the older guys in this room and the coaches and be a part of this run we have going right now,” said Williams.

Saturday’s win, in front of soldout crowd of 2,112, was the ninth straight at home for the Spruce Kings, who improved their playoff record to 14-1. They’ve won 22 of their last 24 games, a streak that started Jan. 25.

CITIZEN

Prince George Spruce Kings forward Finn Williams celebrates after scoring his first career BCHL goal on Saturday night against the Vernon Vipers at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena during Game 2 of the Fred Page Cup championships series.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE

Fans cheer as Prince George Spruce Kings forward Finn Williams is mobbed by his teammates after scoring his first career BCHL goal on Saturday night against the Vernon Vipers at Rolling MIx Concrete Arena.

Shifting into high gear

A trio of cyclists make their way onto Old Cariboo Highway on Sunday morning. There were about 25 riders who took part in the Prince George Cycling Club’s 2019 Season Opener road race completing two laps for a total distance of 50 kms.

Victoria Cougars came one away from junior B win

Citizen staff

The Victoria Cougars came up one win shy of the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the holy grail of junior B hockey in B.C. Despite the best efforts of Cougars defenceman Carl Ewert and centre Mateo Albinati, both Prince George minor hockey products, the Cougars lost in the gold-medal final 5-1 to the Revelstoke Grizzlies Sunday afternoon in Campbell River.

Ewert assisted on the lone Victoria goal scored by Tyler Vanuden, which opened the scoring 1:21 into the game. Ryan Pereverzoff tied it for Revelstoke late in the first period and they scored two more goals in each of the second

and third periods to put it away. Ryan Bedard scored three goals and Raymond Speerbrecker had the other goal.

The Cougars advanced to the final with a 3-0 win over the North Vancouver Wolf Pack Saturday afternoon. Bryce Irwin scored twice and Vanuden, Albinati’s linemate, also scored for Victoria. In that game, goalie Owen Sikkes of Smithers made 32 saves for the shutout.

“It’s pretty exciting, we’ve sort of turned it on of late in the playoffs,” said Albinati, following the win over North Vancouver. “Everyone’s bought in and that’s made us probably the most feared team of all three leagues.

“Owen has been our brick wall

back there and we win games we shouldn’t win because of him. Our power play has been pretty hot of late and we scored early on a power play to put us up 1-0. We got into penalty trouble in the second and we took 12 minutes of penalties in the second. Most of the game was played on special teams.”

The Grizzlies advanced with a 3-2 triumph over the host Campbell River Storm Saturday night. The Storm went on to lose the bronze-medal game 3-2 in overtime to the Wolf Pack.

The Cyclone Taylor Cup is a four-team round-robin tournament which pits the respective playoff winners of the province’s three junior B leagues – Vancou-

ver Island, Pacific and Kootenay International – and host Campbell River. The Cougars finished second overall to Campbell River in the season but beat the Storm 4-1 in the playoff final.

The Cyclone Cup winner will advance to the Keystone Cup Western Canadian championship, April 19-22 in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Albinati, who turned 20 in February, had 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points in 16 games and led the Cougars in playoff scoring.

The six-foot-two, 191-pound forward finished fifth in the league scoring race with 25 goals and 31 assists for 56 points in 38 games.

Albinati, a second-year Cougar, was leading the league in scoring

Tiger a major champion once again

Doug FERGUSON

The Associated Press

AUGUSTA, Ga. — No comeback by Tiger Woods was ever going to be complete without a major.

Now the question becomes how many more he can win.

So much appeal of that red shirt beneath a green jacket involved looking back at all Woods had to overcome to reach that moment – a Masters champion once again –that so many thought would never happen.

The fourth surgery to rebuild his left knee. The private affairs that became public, shattering his image.

The balky back that required four more surgeries, the last one out of desperation because he could barely walk, much less play golf. And a new generation of stars he inspired who were younger, stronger and capable.

That’s why Woods celebrated his 15th major like never before – fist pumps without a club in his hand, because he couldn’t help himself walking off the 18th green.

“Overwhelming,” he said with a voice still hoarse from all that screaming.

He went 28 majors over 11 years without winning, and no sooner did he stretch his arms into that familiar green jacket – “Ah, it fits,” he said in Butler Cabin – was he asked about the 18 majors Jack Nicklaus won to set the gold standard in golf.

“I don’t know if he’s worried or not,” Woods said. “I’m sure he’s home just chilling and watching.”

Whether the record is in play, Nicklaus can expect plenty of questions. For years, he could rarely get through any conversation without someone asking him whether he thought Woods could top his mark.

“I thought for a long time that he was going to win again,” Nicklaus said Sunday night on Golf Channel. “The next two majors are at Bethpage, where he has won, and at Pebble Beach, where he has won. So, he has got me shaking in my boots, guys.”

The last part was delivered in jest.

The first part was factual.

Woods winning his fifth Masters was not entirely out of the blue. He capped the year of his great comeback last year by winning the Tour Championship in typical Tiger fashion, by building a lead on a tough, fast course at East

Lake and not giving anyone much of a chance to catch him. He also briefly led Sunday in the British Open, and was one shot behind on the back nine at the PGA Championship.

“The win at East Lake was a big confidence booster for me because I had come close last year a couple

times,” Woods said. “Still have to get it across the finish line, and I didn’t quite do it.” So, imagine the effect of winning the Masters, especially the way this one played out. Six players had at least a share of the lead at one point on the back nine – four of them major

champions – and there was a fiveway tie for the lead when the final group was in the 15th fairway. It was anyone’s game until Francesco Molinari, who earlier hit 8-iron in Rae’s Creek on the 12th hole for double bogey, hit a wedge off a tree limb and into the water on the par-5 15th that led to

in November and had just gotten called up to the BCHL with the Cowichan Valley Capitals in November when he broke his ring finger when a teammate slammed the gate on his hand. That forced him to miss 12 games and scuttled his BCHL debut.

Ewert, 21, was in his third year with the Cougars and was the team captain. He had three goals and nine assists in 44 regular season games and had a goal and four assists in the playoffs. He’s the son of former Spruce King defenceman Jim Ewert. The Cougars opened the tournament Thursday with a 4-1 win over Revelstoke, then lost 3-2 in overtime Friday to Campbell River.

double bogey. And then it became Woods’ game – a two-putt birdie to take the lead, an 8-iron that rolled down the slope next to the hole for a signature moment at this Masters.

“Well, I can win majors now,” Woods said with a laugh.

The PGA Championship is a month away at Bethpage Black, where Woods was dominant as ever in going wire-to-wire in the 2002 U.S. Open, and was right there with a chance in the 2009 U.S. Open except for a putter that refused to co-operate.

And then it’s the U.S. Open in June at Pebble Beach. If the Masters is the most memorable of his 15 majors, Pebble Beach remains his greatest performance.

Woods won there in 2000 by a record 15 shots, even with a triple bogey in the third round. Ten years later, he tied for fourth at the U.S. Open at Pebble, three shots behind.

The courses are familiar. Woods is familiar with winning majors. But it’s not that simple.

Woods was 24 when he won the U.S. Open at Pebble, and 26 when we won at Bethpage Black. Now he’s 43.

As dynamic as this Masters was for Woods, it was hard work and he needed help – from Molinari on the 12th and 15th holes, from a couple of good bounces out of the trees. That’s not unusual. Every major champion needs a break or two.

Getting to 18 is only easier because Woods is one major closer, a conversation caddie Joe LaCava said they have shared.

“We’re on 14 and I said, ‘Let’s get to 15.’ You can’t be on 14 and thinking about 18,” LaCava said.

“But now we can start talking about 16. So we’re getting closer.” Nicklaus can only watch and admire, which he has done all along. And part of him is cheering. “I don’t ever pull against anybody,” Nicklaus said. “Nobody wants their record to be broken. But I certainly wouldn’t want Tiger to be hurt and not to be able to do it. Of course, he is now pretty healthy and playing well. I wish him well, I always wish the guys well and I want them to play their best.”

That’s what Nicklaus saw at Augusta National. And that’s probably what everyone will expect from Woods the rest of the year.

AP PHOTOS

Tiger Woods, above, reacts as he wins the Masters golf tournament Sunday in Augusta, Ga. Below, Patrick Reed helps Tiger Woods with his green jacket after Woods won the Masters golf tournament.

Matthews leads as Maple Leafs down Bruins 3-2 in Game 3

Joshua CLIPPERTON

TORONTO — Auston Matthews

scored his first goal of the playoffs and set up another as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Monday to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

Andreas Johnsson, also with a goal and an assist, and Trevor Moore provided the rest of the offence for Toronto. Frederik Andersen made 34 saves.

The Leafs downed the Bruins 4-1 in the Wednesday’s opener at TD Garden before falling by the same score on Saturday.

“It’s nice to get one,” Matthews said. “It’s just another level when you score a goal in the playoffs, especially at home.

“I’ve said this before, it feels like an earthquake under you. The atmosphere tonight was unbelievable and we just want to continue what we built off tonight here on Wednesday (in Game 4).”

David Krejci and Charlie Coyle replied for Boston. Tuukka Rask stopped 31 shots for visitors in front of a crowd of 19,611 at Scotiabank Arena.

“They played hard,” Bruins winger Brad Marchand said. “They upped their compete level. Ours wasn’t as good as it needed to be. But we’re right there, we had some opportunities to tie it up late.

“The difference was special teams. We’ll clean it up and get ready for the next one.”

The Leafs learned less than an

hour before puck drop that Nazem Kadri has been suspended for the rest of the series for the centre’s vicious cross-check to the head of Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk in the third period of Game 2.

Scoreless following a spirited first period where the home side upped its physical play after getting dominated in Game 2, the offensive floodgates opened with five goals in the second.

Toronto took a 1-0 lead at 2:38 when Moore poked a loose puck home after Morgan Rielly’s initial shot rattled around between Rask’s pads for his first career playoff goal. The Leafs’ fourth line of Moore, Frederik Gauthier and Tyler Ennis were effective all night with a couple of grinding shifts in the offensive zone.

Boston replied just 52 seconds later when Krejci chipped a bouncing puck past Andersen with DeBrusk also on the doorstep.

Rask stopped John Tavares later in the period, but the Leafs centre was checked into the Bruins goalie by defenceman Charlie McAvoy. Rask went tumbling backwards, but stayed in the game after stretching out his neck and left shoulder.

Matthews put Toronto back in front just 12 seconds after David Backes was whistled for high-sticking on Kasperi Kapanen, taking a feed from Johnsson and burying his first beyond an outstretched Rask to send Scotiabank Arena into a frenzy at 10:12.

Mitch Marner, who scored twice in Game 1, but was held in check

along with most of his teammates Saturday, made the initial play to Johnsson off the offensive zone draw.

Criticized for his play in the Bruins’ seven-game victory over the Leafs’ in last spring’s first round, the 21-year-old Matthews was immediately serenaded by chants of “Aus-ton! Matth-ews!” by the crowd.

Promoted to the first power-play unit because of Kadri’s suspension, Johnsson made it 3-1 with his first-career playoff goal with 2:48 left in the period when he roofed a backhand over Rask after a nice feed from Tavares as Toronto connected for a second time on the man advantage after going 0 for 4 in the first two games.

Matthews, who had just two points against the Bruins in the 2018 post-season, picked up the second assist to match his total from last year.

Boston responded on a power play of its own with 37.3 seconds left in the period when Coyle collected a puck off the end boards to score his second of the series.

The Bruins got a power play five minutes into the third when Leafs defenceman Nikita Zaitsev fired the puck over the glass for a delayof-game penalty, but Toronto’s penalty kill held firm against a man advantage that has connected in every game this series.

After Matthews and Johnsson had chances to make it 4-2 that Rask kept out, Andersen made a diving stop with the knob of his stick on Krejci to keep his team

ahead.

Boston kept up the pressure with Rask on the bench for the extra attacker, but Toronto held on despite some tense moments late – including two key blocks from Marner – to take a 2-1 series lead.

Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock was impressed with Marner’s willingness to sacrifice his own body in the dying minutes of the game.

“That’s what you’ve got to do to win,” said Babcock. “Ideally all those things are contagious. When you see your teammate do something like that you’re more likely to do it yourself.”

Kadri travelled to New York for an in-person hearing, meaning the league had the option to suspend the player for more than five games.

The 28-year-old, who has now been suspended five times since 2013, will miss anywhere from three to five contests, but the ban won’t stretch into the second round of these playoffs or next season.

William Nylander slid over from the wing to take Kadri’s place on Toronto’s third line behind between Patrick Marleau and Connor Brown.

DeBrusk suited up after leaving Game 2 following the Kadri incident, while Bruins defenceman Torey Krug was also good to go despite leaving Saturday after taking a huge hit from Leafs blueliner Jake Muzzin.

Note: Game 5 is set for Friday in Boston.

Avs defenceman Cale Makar scores playoff goal in NHL debut

DENVER — Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar scored a playoff goal in his NHL debut during Game 3 against Calgary, his favourite childhood team.

Makar zipped through the neutral zone Monday night and beat Flames goaltender Mike Smith with a wrist shot late in the first period to make it 3-0.

The 20-year-old Makar signed a three-year deal with Colorado on Sunday – a day after Massachusetts lost in the Frozen Four championship game. From Calgary, Makar and his family were big Flames fans. He joked they are “fully Avs converted now.”

Makar, the fourth overall pick by Colorado in 2017, had 49 points for UMass and won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player. He practiced Monday morning and impressed his new Avalanche teammates.

Sharks’ Joe Thornton suspended for Game 4

LAS VEGAS — San Jose Sharks centre Joe Thornton has been suspended for one playoff game for a hit to the head of Vegas’ Tomas Nosek.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety said Monday that Thornton’s hit on Nosek in Game 3 was avoidable and that the head was “clearly the main point of contact.”

That led to the decision to suspend Thornton for Game 4 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Vegas won the game 6-3 and holds a 2-1 series lead.

Predators take 2-1 series lead over Stars

DALLAS — Mikael Granlund scored on a wrist shot from just inside the blue line with 8:19 left and the Nashville Predators, after blowing a two-goal lead, beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Monday night to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.

Pekka Rinne made 40 saves for Nashville, including one with the goalie twisting to his left for a stop when Dallas had a 5-on-3 advantage about midway through the second period.

That was one of seven shots the Stars had during their 2 1/2 consecutive minutes with an advantage, including 1:29 with two extra skaters. After three consecutive onegoal games, Game 4 is Wednesday night in Dallas.

The Canadian Press

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) looks on as defenceman Nikita Zaitsev (22) protects the puck from Boston Bruins centre Danton Heinen (43) during a game in Toronto, on Monday.

History-making posthumous Pulitzer for Aretha Franklin

Mesfin FEKADU

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Aretha Franklin is still getting R-E-S-P-E-C-T after death: The Queen of Soul received the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation honour Monday, becoming the first individual woman to earn a special citation prize since the honour was first awarded in 1930.

The Pulitzer board said the award was given to Franklin for “her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades.”

Franklin died on Aug. 16 at her home in Detroit from pancreatic cancer at age 76.

The superstar musician was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when she entered the prestigious organization in 1987.

The Pulitzer board most recently awarded a special citation prize in 2010 to Hank Williams, the country music legend who died in 1953. From the arts world, other recipients include Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, George Gershwin, Ray Bradbury, William Schuman, Milton Babbitt, Scott Joplin, Roger Sessions, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Before Monday, only 41 special citation prizes had been awarded since 1930, and winners have ranged from individual people to organizations and groups, including the New York Times, writers E.B. White, Alex Haley and Kenneth Roberts, and Columbia University and its Graduate School of Journalism. Franklin and the Capital Gazette newspaper received special citation honours this year.

“Aretha is blessed and highly favoured even in death. She’s continued to receive multiple awards – she’s received almost every award imaginable and now to get the Pulitzer Prize, it’s just amazing,” Sabrina Owens, Franklin’s niece and the executor of her estate, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday.

“Aretha continues to bless us with her music and just paving the way for women going forward. It’s

thrilling. She would be so happy right now.”

When Owens heard the news that Franklin won a Pulitzer, she and the family were “surprised but in another way we were not because that’s just the kind of person Aretha was.”

“She was just very gifted and talented, and the world is still recognizing that,” she said.

Franklin’s inclusion into the exclusive club re-confirms the impact her music – and voice –had and continues to have on the world. She became a cultural icon and genius of American song, considered by many to be the greatest popular vocalist of her time. Her

voice transcended age, category and her own life. Franklin was professional singer and accomplished pianist by her late teens and a superstar by her mid-20s. Raised in Detroit, she recorded hundreds of tracks and had dozens of hits over the span of a half century, including 20 that reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. But her reputation was defined by an extraordinary run of Top 10 smashes in the late 1960s, from the morning-after bliss of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, to the wised-up Chain of Fools to her unstoppable call for Respect, transforming Otis Redding’s song into a classic worldwide anthem – especially for the feminist and civil rights movements – making it one of the most recognizable and heard songs of all-time. She sold millions of albums and won countless awards, including 18 Grammys, the National Medal

of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour.

She performed at the inaugurations of Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and even sang at the funeral for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks and at the dedication of Martin Luther King Jr’s memorial. Rolling Stone ranked Franklin No.1 on its list of the Top 100 singers and she was also named one of the 20 most important entertainers of the 20th century by Time magazine, which celebrated her “mezzo-soprano, the gospel growls, the throaty howls, the girlish vocal tickles, the swoops, the dives, the blue-sky high notes, the blue-sea low notes. Female vocalists don’t get the credit as innovators that male instrumentalists do. They should. Franklin has mastered her instrument as surely as John Coltrane mastered his sax.” Franklin was born in Memphis,

Tennessee, though her family moved to Buffalo, New York, and then settled in Detroit. She grew up singing in the church alongside her father Rev. C.L. Franklin, a prominent Baptist minister who recorded dozens of albums of sermons and music. She joined him on tour and she released a gospel album in 1956. Four years later, she signed with Columbia Records and when her contract ran out in 1966, she joined Atlantic Records. That’s when she blazed the pop and R&B charts with a string of hits, including Respect, I Say a Little Prayer, Think, Chain of Fools, Day Dreaming, (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone, Rock Steady and Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do).

Her Grammy-winning album, Amazing Grace, is one of the seminal albums in not only Franklin’s discography, but the canon of American pop music. It is the basis for the recently released concert film Amazing Grace, filmed over two sessions in January 1972 at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in the Watts section of Los Angeles.

Disney, Comcast now Hulu’s only owners

The Associated Press

Tali ARBEL

NEW YORK — AT&T has sold its 9.5 per cent share in Hulu back to the streaming TV company, leaving Disney and Comcast as its owners.

Hulu said Monday that AT&T sold its stake for $1.43 billion, valuing the unprofitable Hulu at $15 billion.

The Walt Disney Co. wound up with a 60 per cent share after its purchase of much of 21st Century Fox, which included Fox’s Hulu stake. NBCUniversal parent Comcast Corp. owns 30 per cent. There is speculation that Comcast will sell too, leaving Disney the sole owner and perhaps making Hulu’s content much more Disneycentric.

Disney may bundle Hulu with its upcoming kids-focused streaming service, Disney Plus, and its sports service, ESPN Plus, executives said last week.

Hulu’s $6-a-month service lets users watch original series and network TV episodes after they air on TV. It has a newer live-TV service that costs $45 a month.

AT&T came by its Hulu stake after buying Time Warner, which invested $583 million in Hulu in 2016. Now the company, known as WarnerMedia, is launching its own streaming service later this year, which will focus on HBO and other shows and movies owned by the company.

NBCUniversal, too, will debut a streaming service in 2020. The fragmentation of streaming services may mean higher costs for consumers as they hunt down all their favourite shows and movies across different services.

Hulu CEO Randy Freer said in a statement that AT&T’s WarnerMedia, which provides content to Hulu, will remain “a valued partner.”

AP PHOTO

In this Nov. 21, 2008 file photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The Queen of Soul received the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation honor Monday, becoming the first individual woman to earn a special citation prize since the honor was first awarded in 1930.

Notre Dame ravaged by fire, public offers prayers

The Associated Press

PARIS — A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris’ soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below.

The blaze collapsed the cathedral’s spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the church’s structure had been saved after firefighters managed to stop the fire spreading to the northern belfry. The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions, immortalized by Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The exact cause of the blaze was not known, but French media quoted the Paris fire brigade as saying the fire is “potentially linked” to a $6.8 million renovation project on the church’s spire and its 250 tons of lead. The Paris prosecutors’ office ruled out arson and possible terror-related motives, and said it was treating it as an accident.

Flames shot out of the roof behind the nave of the cathedral, among the most visited landmarks in the world. Hundreds of people lined up bridges around the island that houses the church, watching in shock as acrid smoke rose in plumes. Speaking alongside junior Interior minister Laurent Nunez late Monday, police chief JeanClaude Gallet said “two thirds of the roofing has been ravaged.” Gallet said firefighters would keep working overnight to cool down the building.

Late Monday, signs pointed to the fire nearing an end as lights could be seen through the windows moving around the front of the cathedral, apparently investigators inspecting the scene.

The fire came less than a week before Easter amid Holy Week commemorations. As the cathedral burned, Parisians gathered to pray and sing hymns outside the church of Saint Julien Les Pauvres across the river from Notre Dame while the flames lit the sky behind them.

French President Emmanuel Macron was treating the fire as a national emergency, rushing to the scene and straight into meetings at the Paris police headquarters nearby. Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit invited priests across France to ring church bells in a call for prayers for the beloved Paris cathedral.

Deputy mayor Emmanuel

Gregoire said emergency services were trying to salvage the famed art pieces stored in the cathedral.

Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, Notre Dame is the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages as well as one of the most beloved structures in the world. Situated on the Ile de la Cite, an island in the Seine river, its architecture is famous for, among other things, its many gargoyles and its iconic flying buttresses.

Among the most celebrated artworks inside are its three stainedglass rose windows, placed high up on the west, north and south faces of the cathedral. Its priceless treasures also include a Catholic relic, the crown of thorns, which is only occasionally displayed, including on Fridays during Lent.

French historian Camille Pascal told BFM broadcast channel the blaze marked “the destruction of invaluable heritage.”

“It’s been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris,” Pascal said. “Happy and unfortunate events for centuries have been marked by the bells of Notre Dame.”

He added: “We can be only horrified by what we see.”

Associated Press reporters at the scene saw massive plumes of yellow brown smoke filling the air above the Cathedral and ash falling on the island that houses Notre Dame and marks the centre of Paris. As the spire fell, the sky lit up orange.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a Twitter message that Paris firefighters were still trying to limit the fire and urged Paris citizens to respect the security perimeter that has been set around the cathedral.

Hidalgo said Paris authorities are in touch with the Paris diocese.

Reactions from around the world came swiftly including from the Vatican, which released a statement expressing shock and sadness for the “terrible fire that has devastated the Cathedral of Notre Dame, symbol of Christianity in France and in the world.”

In Washington, Trump tweeted: “So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris” and suggested first responders use “flying water tankers” to put it out.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said he was praying “to ask the intercession of Notre Dame, our Lady, for the Cathedral at the heart of Paris, and of civilization, now in flames!

God preserve this splendid house of prayer, and protect those battling the blaze.”

Associated Press writers Elaine Ganley and Sylvie Corbet contributed.

AP PHOTO

Flames and smoke rise as the spire on Notre Dame cathedral collapses in Paris, Monday. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke filled the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash fell on tourists and others around the island that marks the centre of Paris.

Canada joins new German-French alliance

Alliance for Multilateralism aims to protect international world order, excludes U.S.

Mike BLANCHFIELD

Canadian Press

The

OTTAWA — Canada has formally joined a German-French coalition aimed at saving the international world order from destruction by various world dictators and autocrats – and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The initiative is part of ongoing government efforts to shore up international co-operation at a time of waning American leadership and Trump’s outspoken disdain of institutions created after the Second World War, including the G7, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland offered Canada’s support for the Alliance for Multilateralism during a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Dinard, France earlier this month.

Japan also joined the new alliance during the meeting, and Freeland marked the moment on Twitter posting a photo of herself with Jean-Yves Le Drian, Heiko Mass and Taro Kono, her French, German and Japanese counterparts.

“Many of today’s greatest challenges are global and they can only be solved when we work together. That is why Canada stands united with its German, French, and Japanese friends,” Freeland said in the photo’s caption. Freeland also avoided any direct mention of the Trump administration, as has been her approach generally in her frequent critiques of the attacks on the world’s multilateral order and the need to defend against them.

Le Drian and Maas appeared to dance around the fact that the United States was not a member when they formally unveiled the new alliance in early April at the United Nations.

France’s envoy to Canada, however, connected the initiative to Trump in a recent interview.

“Mr. Trump doesn’t like to value multilateralism,” said Ambassador Kareen Rispal, referring to his withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement, and his criticism of the UN and WTO.

“It sends the wrong message to the world if we think that because Mr. Trump is not in favour of multilateralism, it doesn’t mean we – I mean countries like Canada, France, Germany and many others – are not still strong believers.”

During testimony last week before the Senate foreign affairs

and economic crisis in Venezuela.

The sanctions, now totalling 113, target high ranking officials in the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, including regional governors and those undermining democratic institutions, said Global Affairs Canada.

The new sanctions coincided with Freeland joining her counterparts in Santiago, Chile at their 12th Lima Group meeting. The Western Hemisphere Coalition does not include the U.S., but is nonetheless aligned with the Trump administration in calling for Maduro’s ouster.

Canada, its Lima Group allies, and the U.S. are among approximately 50 countries that say Maduro stole his country’s election last year and is no longer the legitimate leader of Venezuela. They instead recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president, and have called on the Venezuelan military to back him.

committee, Freeland said that Canada joined the alliance overs concerns in the G7 over the growing threats posed by authoritarian regimes and their disinformation campaigns aimed and discrediting democracy and its institutions.

She commended “G7 partners” Germany, France and Japan, but again made no mention of the U.S.

“We agree that the greatest challenges of our time like climate change, income inequality, managing the power of global technology platforms, maintaining rules-based global trade and mass migration, are truly international challenges,” Freeland said.

“We know in order to walk the walk in supporting the rules-based international order we need to show people how essential these institutions are in our daily lives.”

Freeland cited Canada’s participation in several other multilateral initiatives, including the Lima Group coalition on Venezuela, and ongoing support for international trade bodies and treaties.

On Monday, Canada imposed sanctions on another 43 people it says are implicated in the political

Canada has excluded the U.S. from another multilateral initiative, aimed at reforming the WTO. In October, Canada hosted 13 of the WTO’s more than 160 members in Ottawa for a meeting that is looking at ways to reform the world’s trade referee.

On Monday, Freeland’s office responded to the WTO’s most recent decision in its ongoing softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. Last week, the WTO issued what was essentially a split decision that upheld a controversial U.S. practice known as “zeroing” to calculate anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood.

“We welcome the recent WTO panel ruling that the United States did not follow the rules in calculating its anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber. The United States must bring its measures into conformity with its WTO obligations,” Freeland said in a separate statement.

“Canada will be appealing the WTO panel’s separate findings on the U.S. practice of zeroing and its use of the differential pricing methodology. The WTO has ruled more than 20 times that zeroing, a method of calculating and applying artificially high and unfair duty rates, is inconsistent with WTO rules.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland appears as a witness at a Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade at the Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa on April 9. Freeland gave her support for the Alliance for Multilateralism at a G7 meeting in Dinard, France this month.

Dean

Jun 30, 1935 - Mar 31, 2019

Dean passed on peacefully, at home with loved one’s present.

Born in Quesnel, raised in Soda Creek. Starting on the Highways crew in 1957, Dean married his first wife

Norma and moved to Quesnel to run the bridge crew until 1965 when he transferred to Prince George to become the bridge supervisor for Northern B.C. They had three sons, predeceased by their daughter Leslie and were divorced. Dean, with his loving partner Maureen Arthurs, continued helping to raise his family. After 35 years with the government, he continued on until recently, as a private contractor and consultant, passing on knowledge to his sons, grandsons, and granddaughters.

Alex Fraser, former Minister of Highways, called him “the best bridge man in Western Canada.” An innovator in the construction of Acrow-Bailey bridges and an expert in the Howe-Truss wooden bridges, his first bridge was built at Narcosli Creek, circa 1959, and he could tell you with unerring accuracy, the percentage of rot in a bridge timber, simply by swinging a sledgehammer against it. He was respected and admired as an excellent leader with a “firm but fair” work ethic, and a humble willingness to take suggestions from his crew, that inspired loyalty. He was always, an imaginative problem solver.

Avid outdoorsman, and expert subsistence hunter and fisherman with several records. An enthusiastic private pilot he bought his first plane in the late sixties…ran a trapline, prospected, ranched, encouraging the challenges of such lifestyle and a profound comfort in nature, which he heartily shared with family and friends… Dean wished not for a funeral, and though quite ill this past year, he maintained a sense of humour, and a strongest will to live. Instead, he maintained constant contact with family, friends, and co-working friends through visits and phone calls. He built something always, and one of his last projects was a hand split rail fence and classic Chilcotin gate with his wife Lois, a long time friend he happily married in 2012. They spent their days in mutually shared activities like gardening and harvesting from the ocean where they lived on Texada Island, consistently loving and helping family members, and community.

Dean Barlow is survived by his loving and devoted wife Lois, brother Charles” Bud” (Jeannie), sons, Ross (Elizabeth), Chris, Dallas (Lori), grandchildren Charles, Dean, Levi, Colt, Boon, Adam, Katie, Sydney, Christopher and Thomas, through marriage to Lois, Andrew, Angie, granddaughters-Shelby, Kailah, Brooklyn, Paige, Merin and Andi. He is missed by many other family and friends. Dean was predeceased by his brother Norman (Betty).

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Fresh flour mills offer whole, local baking ingredients

Aleksandra SAGAN

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER

— In a small warehouse near the southern edge of Vancouver, a man scoops freshly milled flour into brown paper bags stamped “Flourist” that will soon ship out to customers hungry for fresh, additive-free baked goods.

Flourist and other fresh flour producers have seized on rising demand for whole, traceable baking ingredients, as well as a stronger connection between consumers and farmers.

Flourist’s cofounders wanted to make fresh flour – the type without any additives and that needs to be stored in a fridge – available to Canadians.

“Flour should be consumed fresh after milling and it just wasn’t something we had access to in grocery stores at all,” says cofounder Shira McDermott, lamenting the long list of ingredients that can be used in mass-produced flour to keep the product stable over time.

She recalls when her business partner first started gifting her chickpeas and other products from her stepfather’s farm in 2012.

“I was just completely blown away by the difference in quality,” she said of their freshness compared to what she says are overly-processed grocery store options. They soon started Grain, recently rebranded as Flourist, and sold lentils, wheat berries and other grains in stores and online.

The duo purchased a custom-built stone mill from a family-owned company in Austria in 2014, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2017 that they managed to overcome regulatory hurdles and start fulfilling orders.

They now mill about a dozen varieties and ship to customers across North America, including dozens of restau-

rants, mostly in Vancouver.

In June, they’ll open an eponymous bakery in an effort to convert more consumers into carb lovers.

The 260-square-metre (2,800-squarefoot) space will house the mill and sell baked goods, coffee as well as freshly milled flour.

All types of consumers seem hungry for their additive-free flour, as well as loaves baked with it. Flourist’s buyers span “a wide stretch,” said McDermott, though its core demographic is probably mothers, foodies and hobby bakers.

“Sourdough bread baking is exploding,” she said, and the company plans to use the retail store, in part, to show people what a difference fresh flour makes to a loaf.

Recent health trends, like the shift toward gluten-free and anti-carbohydrate diets, pushed Canadians to eat less bread and turn to more premium varieties, according to a recent industry report from market-research firm IBISWorld.

There’s a market now – albeit a small one – for artisanal bread, said Dara Gallinger, co-founder and CEO of Brodflour.

The mill and bakery opened in early 2019 in Toronto’s Liberty Village neighbourhood, and sells a selection of flour based on what it’s milling that day.

“People are starting to be less afraid and I think people are starting to demand more from their bread,” she said, which has also grown into a curiosity about fresh flour.

That wasn’t always the case.

Garret Jones first attempted to sell flour, freshly milled at home using his countertop contraption about the size of a tea kettle, at Vancouver farmers’ markets about five years ago. But passersby favoured the already baked loaves of bread that used the flour instead.

“There wasn’t a huge market for it,” said Jones, one half of the duo behind

Vancouver-based Lakehouse Foods, a bread subscription service. “People weren’t too interested in it.”

Now, the general awareness around how food is made is growing, he said, and the demand for artisanal bread is likely to increase.

He’s hoping to open a bakery in Vancouver within the next year or so where customers can buy grains, much like they would coffee, and mill it themselves at countertop stations.

“It’s kind of reaching a tipping point where a lot of people are turning away from factory-produced bread and other baked goods for good reasons.”

These companies also provide an alternative buyer for farmers.

Will Robbins is one of three partners operating the family farm he grew up on about an hour west of Saskatoon. He was looking to shorten the supply chain for his crops, and develop closer relationships with bakeries and flour mills.

He learned about Flourist and now sells his French lentils and red spring wheat to the company.

He wanted to make the shift because he thinks it’s important people understand where their food comes from. A cartoon sketch of his face graces the Flourist boxes containing his products.

It’s also a financial benefit to him.

“The more as a farm we can get out of the commodity markets and into direct relationships with people the more we sort of protect ourselves from the swings of the commodity market pricing,” he said.

The farm currently sells about five to 10 per cent of its crops outside commodity markets, he said, but he hopes to grow these direct relationships to 25 or 40 per cent in the near future.

“I’m rooting for those companies to do well and they are for me too... It’s gratifying on a personal level.”

Homes sales, prices down in March

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Home sales in March fell to their lowest level for the month since 2013, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Monday.

The association said sales through the Multiple Listing Service fell 4.6 per cent compared with a year ago, while the average sale price also moved lower. Sales in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan were more than 20 per cent below their 10-year average for the month, while Quebec and New Brunswick were well above-average, CREA said.

On a month-over-month basis, home sales in March were up 0.9 per cent compared with February. Bank of Montreal chief economist

Doug Porter said the results were “a tad disappointing” and reinforced the view that the housing market is still adjusting to the many policy changes in recent years.

“Canadian housing activity remains lacklustre, at best,” Porter wrote in a brief report. However, he noted the regional divide was wide and that the fundamentals look to become a bit more supportive in the year ahead.

“We continue to contend that prices, sales and starts are likely to hold broadly stable nationally in 2019 amid the many moving parts for the market,” Porter wrote. The average sale price fell 1.8 per cent on a year-over-year basis to $481,745.

Excluding the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto Area, two of the country’s most active and expensive markets, the average price was just under $383,000. The dip in the average price came as the number of newly listed homes rose 2.1 per cent in March as new supply rose in about two-thirds of all local markets.

With new listings improving more than sales, the national sales-to-new listings ratio eased to 54.2 per cent compared with 54.9 per cent in February. There were 5.6 months of inventory on a national basis at the end of March, in line with the February reading and one of the highest levels for the measure in more than three years.

The markets today

TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index rose to within striking distance of an all-time high, while U.S. markets fell on disappointing bank results. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 34.93 points to 16,515.46, after hitting an intraday high of 16,532.67. That’s just 35 points off the peak reached last July, before falling on a late-year selloff It’s not unreasonable for the market to set a new high at some point this year but the 15 per cent increase in the first few months of the year is unlikely to repeat itself, said Craig Fehr, Canadian markets strategist for Edward Jones.

“Whether or not that comes in the very nearterm or as we advance more broadly is yet to be determined but when we look at our outlook for equity markets from here, it’s largely going to be driven again over a broader period by the combination of economic growth and earnings growth,” he said in an interview.

“And as we look at both of those factors I’d say they still remain more supportive for equity markets than punitive.”

First-quarter results provide a “pivotal snapshot” for markets about whether they can maintain momentum into the spring and summer months, he added.

The Canadian dollar traded at an average of 74.88 cents US compared with an average of 75.02 cents US on Friday.

Christian Bendsen, production manager and head miller of Flourist works the stone mill at their production facility in Vancouver on April 5. Flourist and other fresh flour producers have seized on rising demand for whole, traceable baking ingredients, as well as a stronger connection between consumers and farmers.