Easter chicks
Five barnyard mix chicks are the newest additions to The Exploration Place after hatching over the Easter weekend.
First Nations, province extend economic partnership
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
B.C.’s First Nations and the provincial government just finished a three-year trial relationship on new ways to address economic development. The program is called the B.C. Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) Economic Strategy.
On Lheidli T’enneh territory Tuesday, officials from both sides signed on for another two years. The strategy will be funded with $2.24 million in provincial funding.
After an official welcome by Lheidli T’enneh First Nation elder Darlene McIntosh, the pact was signed by B.C.’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Scott Fraser, and Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee.
Joining them at the signatory table were Lake Babine Nation’s former chief Wilf Adam and current Tahltan First Nation chief Rick Mclean.
Both of these leaders are members of the Champions’ Table, a set of 11 First Nations leaders and 11 business leaders from across the province who sit together to exchange words towards the challenges and opportunities shared between their interests. This Champions’ Table was created as part of the BCAFN Economic Strategy and is administrated by the B.C. Business Council.
A Prince George entrepreneur, Bob Redden of EDI Environmental Dynamics Inc., is a member of the Champions’ Table and he was in attendance at the signing ceremony.
The conversation at the start of this collaboration happened in the lead-up to the 2016 launch of this initiative. It centred on how reconciliation could occur in an economic context. It was a response to how
the First Nations of the province had been shut out of individual business projects and province-wide decision making as a habit.
Proponent companies and provincial coffers had been taking steady income from the land and none of the revenue flowed to the traditional holders of that land, nor did much of the employment or economic spinoff.
Court rulings and popular opinion were now squarely opposed to a continuation of this exclusionary way of doing business.
The Assembly of First Nations economic development strategy was given life.
“We are trying to erase those barriers and create a sustainable economy for our First Nations communities,” said Teegee, giving thanks to the provincial government for extending the life of this strategy.
— see ‘THE ASSEMBLY, page 3
Hydro reservoirs hit record lows
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
Despite extreme weather leaving reservoirs at record low levels over the winter and challenges related to the Enbridge gas pipeline explosion, BC Hydro said Tuesday it managed to meet the electricity demand while keeping rates low over the past several months.
A new BC Hydro report, titled Generational challenge: How B.C.’s generation system is adapting to extreme weather and unforeseen events, found the past 12 months demonstrate how extreme weather in B.C. can impact the utility’s reservoir levels.
While Hydro has experience managing reservoir levels in low water years, October brought an unexpected challenge – the Enbridge pipeline explosion – which impacted wholesale market prices by creating an increased demand for electricity to replace gas-generating units that would have otherwise been able to run.
The event came as the effects of a dry summer came into play. By October, its two biggest reservoirs – Williston on the Peace River and Kinbasket on the Columbia River – reached record seasonal lows.
Indeed, dry conditions in the Williston basin resulted in four consecutive months of low inflows, with September, October and November being the third, second and fourth lowest in 60 years.
The pipeline explosion reduced natural gas supply in B.C. and the Pacific Northwest to 80 per cent of normal, affecting wholesale market prices for both natural gas and electricity.
In response, Hydro said planners took steps to secure a sufficient supply of imports to meet needs over the winter
season – particularly in the event of a cold, dry winter and continued gas supply challenges.
As it turned out, B.C. experienced a record-breaking cold February followed by the driest March on record in parts of the province.
This resulted in more electricity being used than forecast, and less water remaining in Hydro’s reservoirs as demand for power remained high.
In addition, independent power producers were down below projections due to the weather and unable to meet the increased demand.
Cold and dry weather delayed the onset of the spring freshet; however, inflows into the reservoirs have started to increase in April with warmer weather and will soon start filling the reservoirs.
While Hydro is predicting higher water flows resulting from climate change over the long term, unpredictable weather patterns are expected to continue in the years ahead. Hydro said it is working to ensure its system performs safely across a wide range of conditions and extreme events by:
• Continuously working to improve the weather and inflow forecasting. For example, all coastal watersheds can now be forecasted down to the hour, which improves the forecast accuracy for extreme rainfall events.
• Expanding its monitoring technology. This includes custom-made solutions that have been designed in-house, as well as upgrading snow survey stations to automated, real-time snow and climate stations.
• Investing in capital projects – like spillway gate replacements – that will increase resiliency of the system to climate change.
Prince George provincial court docket
From Prince George provincial court, April 15-18, 2019:
• Kevin Lyon Bradbury (born 1961) was sentenced to 14 days in jail, to be served on an intermittent basis, prohibited from driving for 18 months and fined $1,000 plus $150 in victim surcharges for two counts of driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Kyla Michelle Brenton (born 1994) was sentenced to two years probation for possessing stolen property over $5,000, robbery and two counts of assault. Brenton was also ordered to provide a DNA sample and was issued a 10-year firearms prohibition on the assault counts. Brenton was in custody for 106 days prior to sentencing.
• Sheldon William Frederick Nipshank (born 1995) was sentenced to 68 days in jail for trespassing at night, to 60 days for theft $5,000 or under and to zero days for breaching probation. Nipshank was in custody for 20 days prior to sentencing.
• Luca Blaise Holgate (born 1986) was sentenced to 18 months probation with a suspended sentence for assault and being unlawfully in dwelling-house.
• Kevin Kelvin John Beauchamp (born 1987) was sentenced to 70 days in jail, prohibited from driving for three years and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited under the Motor Vehicle Act and to 10 days in jail for breaching probation. Beauchamp was in custody for 30 days prior to sentencing.
• Cheri Leah Bullshields (born 1981) was sentenced to 43 days in jail and ordered
to provide a DNA sample for possessing a weapon for dangerous purpose, committed in Prince George. Bullshields was also sentenced to three years probation on the count as well as for mischief $5,000 or under and obstructing use or enjoyment of property, both committed in Vancouver. Bullshields was in custody for 89 days prior to sentencing.
• Mikey Fowler (born 1998) was sentenced to zero days in jail for causing a disturbance and two counts of breaching a recognizance or undertaking. Fowler was in custody for five days prior to sentencing.
• Matthew Richard Steven Lozon (born 1994) was sentenced to 10 days in jail for breaching probation. Lozon was in custody for 12 days prior to sentencing.
• Corey Trent Tom (born 1993) was sentenced to 271 days in jail for breaking and entering with intent or committing an offence, to 120 days for mischief $5,000 or under and to 30 days for breaching an undertaking.
Tom was also sentenced to two years probation, issued a lifetime firearms prohibition and ordered to provide a DNA sample on the break and enter and mischief counts as well as for assaulting a peace officer with a weapon. Tom was in custody for 182 days prior to sentencing.
• Bryn Davis Antoski (born 1997) was sentenced to 18 days in jail for breaking and entering to commit an offence and to one year probation on the count as well as one count each of theft $5,000 or under and breaching probation. Antoski was in
custody for 47 days prior to sentencing.
• Dallas Lee Blanchette (born 1986) was sentenced to 99 days in jail for breaking and entering to commit an offence, to 54 days in jail for a separate count of breaking and entering to commit an offence and to zero days for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, breaching an undertaking or recognizance and two counts of breaching probation. Blanchette was also sentenced to two years probation and ordered to provide a DNA sample for the break and enter counts and was in custody for 50 days prior to sentencing.
• Lorianna Mae Cahoose (born 1991) was sentenced to one year probation for possession of stolen property under $5,000. Cahoose was in custody for one day prior to sentencing.
• Justin Edward Pawluck (born 1983) was prohibited from driving for two years and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act, committed in McBride.
• Glen Lockie Pinko (born 1951) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $1,500 for driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08.
• Michael James White (born 1982) was sentenced to one year probation for theft $,5000 or under and to zero days for breaching an undertaking or recognizance. White was in custody for 63 days prior to sentencing.
• Nathan Curtis Allen Downie (born 1989) was sentenced to 15 months probation with
On the hunt
Grade 1 students along with their reading buddies in Grades 3 and 4 fan out in Ingledew Park for an Easter egg hunt in Ingledew Park on Tuesday morning. Each student had an egg with their name on it and were provided with a clue sheet.
a suspended sentence for mischief $5,000 or under and public mischief.
• Chad Murphy Peter George (born 1997) was sentenced to 51 days in jail and one year probation, issued a five-year firearms prohibition and ordered to provide a DNA sample for assault. George was in custody for 16 days prior to sentencing.
• James Douglas Thomson (born 1990) was sentenced to 16 days in jail for two counts of theft $5,000 or under and breaching probation, to 15 days for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, to nine days for a separate count of theft $5,000 or under, all committed in Prince George, to five days for breaching probation committed in Williams Lake and to five days for breaching probation, committed in Fort St. James. Thomson was also sentenced to one year probation on the charges. Thomson was in custody for 13 days prior to sentencing.
• Sidney George Edwards (born 1979) was sentenced to one year probation for breaching probation and to zero days in jail for three counts of breaching an undertaking or recognizance, all committed in Prince Rupert. Edwards was in custody for eight days prior to sentencing.
• Jason Daniel Brooks (born 1982) was issued a one year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.
• Donivin Wallace Layton (born 1998) was sentenced to 82 days in jail for theft of a motor vehicle and to seven days for breaching probation and to one year probation on the charges. Layton was in custody for 23 days prior to sentencing.
Tumbler Ridge woman wins lottery
Citizen staff
A Tumbler Ridge woman is $10 million richer after her numbers were drawn for the April 13 Lotto 6/49 jackpot.
Vivienne Mills said she plans to share her winnings with her two children and four grandchildren.
“I want to set the kids and the grandkids up right away,” Mills said in a news release issued Tuesday.
“We’re looking forward to paying off our grandkids’ education, their student loans and helping them buy a house.”
Mills said she also plans to spend a portion on herself.
“Well, I’d like to buy a new car,” she said.
“Right now we have a truck, and it’d sure be nice to have a smaller car that’s easier to get into parking spots.”
Mill bought her ticket online through BCLC’s Play Now website. She’s been buying tickets from there for the last two years, and when an email notice came in saying that she had won, Mills admitted she thought it was a free ticket, or maybe a dollar.
“Then I saw a lot of zeros and thought I was seeing things so I woke up my husband and asked him to look,” she said.
Big Brothers launches 40th anniversary project
Forty has become a big number for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince George.
To celebrate 40 years in the city, the agency has launched the Big 40 Project through which it is working to create a $40,000 legacy fund –$40 at a time.
That’s how much BBBS is asking everyone to contribute and those who do will be recognized on a 40th anniversary legacy wall set to debut September.
While the project is suggesting a $40 dona-
tion, there are set donation levels and all donations no matter the size will stay in Prince George and support the mentoring programs being run by the agency.
The Prince George Canadian Tire has committed the first $2,500 of the $40,000 goal.
“Over the last 40 years our agency has seen exciting changes and this is because of the ongoing support of our community,” said BBBS executive director Tim Bennett.
“Together we can create a legacy for our programs, our children and community.
“We need your help to ensure each local
child has a network of caring and consistent adults.”
Tax deductible donations can be made online at bit.ly/bbbspg40, over the phone at 250563-7410 or in person at the Big Brothers Big Sisters office located at 777 Kinsmen Place. You can also email karrie.johnston@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca and request a pledge form be emailed to you. Visit www.bbbspg.ca or find Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince George on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to learn more about the work the agency is doing in Prince George.
Cyclist injured in collision with pickup
Citizen staff
A 23-year-old man was in critical condition when he was taken to hospital Monday afternoon after colliding with a pickup truck while riding his bike. Emergency personnel were called to the
scene at Massey Drive/Winnipeg Street and 20th Avenue/Carney Street at about 4:15 p.m.
“Investigators believe that the driver of the pickup proceeded north bound through a fresh green light after stopping for the red light, while the eastbound cyclist proceeded through the fresh red light, colliding with the pickup.
‘The Assembly has created so much to be proud of’
— from page 1
“It’s not just talking about reconciliation, it’s about actually implementing initiatives, walking the walk of what reconciliation actually means.”
“The Assembly has created so much to be proud of,” said Fraser.
“Looking to the future, I know that we share a vision of First Nations as true partners in a strong and equitable economy, based on respect and recognition of rights, across industry, in the marketplace, and through economic development... The Assembly’s leadership role in developing the sustainable economic development strategy has already created a legacy of success.”
In addition to the Champions’ Table, the BCAFN Economic Strategy was also the launch pad for a First Nations Economic Development Toolkit called the Black Book (soon to be released across the province), and annual hosting of a provincewide First Nations Economic Development Forum that brings together First Na-
tions, industry and government to discuss opportunities and wealth creation in B.C.
The strategy was also instrumental in creating the new Indigenous Intern Leadership Program administered by Vancouver Island University to match Indigenous post-secondary students with key businesses in their chosen fields of interest.
It started last year and over
The investigation is continuing,” RCMP said.
“Police would like to remind cyclists that Motor Vehicle Act laws apply to them and that they must obey traffic control devices. This incident should also be a reminder to drivers to check left and right before entering intersections, even on a green light.”
the course of its three-year plan will put about 150 young people into constructive career-boosting internships.
“B.C. can grow the economy as a national and international leader in partnership with First Nations, as we explore innovation and clean growth in a way that respects First Nations rights for the benefit of all British Columbians,” said Teegee.
Citywide spring clean up coming on
Citizen staff
The citywide spring cleanup day is set for this Sunday and volunteers are welcome. Everyone is urged to register beforehand.
To do so, fill out the form available through the city website, princegeorge.ca, and email it to events@reaps.org.
You can also select the locations your group would like to clean up.
REAPS will provide pitch-in bags and gloves and set up bins around the city where garbage and litter can be dropped off. Garden and yard waste will be accepted free of charge at the Foothills landfill site and the Quinn Street and Vanway transfer and recycling stations. No large household items or hazardous materials are accepted.
The event runs from 10 am. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact REAPS at 250.561.7327 or events@ reaps.org.
FRASER
ADAM
Citizen staff
HANDOUT PHOTO
Tumbler Ridge resident Vivienne Mills won $10 million in the Lotto 6/49 jackpot.
Citizen staff
A fire has forced 36 seniors in a Vanderhoof care home out of their living quarters.
Called to the scene at 1:45 a.m. on Monday, firefighters doused the blaze but three sections of Stuart Nechako Manor were left with water damage, Northern Health said.
As of Tuesday, the affected residents were being housed in St. John’s Hospital and Aspen House –an unaffected section of Stuart Nechako Manor – “where they are being kept safe and comfortable while next steps are being arranged.”
Restoration services have been called in.
The cause of the fire was under investigation as of press time.
Morgan Orser, 6, right, builds an egg drop contraption with the assistance of sister Averie, 4, and grandmother Lisa Flood on Sunday afternoon at The Exploration Place during the third annual Egg Drop Challenge.
Local talent nominated for Leo Awards
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
The Leo Award nominations were announced on Tuesday and the Prince George community has players in the game.
The annual awards show for the screen arts industry celebrates movies, television, documentary, animation and web projects that were created in B.C.
Prince George’s Madison Smith is one of the actors on the shortlist, as is Fort St. James actor Dylan Playfair.
Playfair is a finalist for the Best Performer of Host-Music, Comedy or Variety Series. Playfair’s nomination is for his work in the hit comedy Letterkenny, and one of his cast-mates, fellow British Columbian Tyler Johnston, is also in the running for the same trophy.
Also shortlisted in the same category are Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience), Anja Savcic (Loudermilk) and Priscilla Faia (You Me Her).
Smith is also vying for a Leo with a cast mate. Both he and Aleks Paunovic costar in the show NarcoLeap, up for Best Performance Male-Web Series.
They are joined in the category by Alex Barima (Rachel), Andy Canete (ShrinkWrapped: The Web Series), and Matt Hamilton (The Actress Diaries).
Smith gets his nomination only days before he comes back to his hometown as a VIP at Northern FanCon.
“Seems like it was all part of a master plan,” he said, laughing.
NarcoLeap has been attracting acclaim from a number of sources.
The sci-fi drama is the creation of veteran filmmaker Kate Green and the lead star is Chelsey Reist (The 100, Dark Harvest, The Tomorrow People) about someone with narcolepsy who, when she falls into her unscheduled sleeps, ends up inhabiting the bodies of other people for brief, meaningful interludes.
The show was awarded $100,000 in project funding by the StoryHive,funding program, it was picked up for television
by OptikTV and web viewing on
NarcoLeap is also in the running at the Writers Guild of Canada’s Screenwriting Awards, and was up for an Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s Canadian Screen Award (the winner was How To Buy A Baby).
Joining Smith and Playfair on the nominees’ list are a couple of musicians who have connection to this area.
Bryant Olender, a former resident of Prince George, is up for the trophy in the Best Musical Score-Short Drama category for his work on the show Exhibit Man (the project has a total of eight nominations).
Dan Mangan is formerly of Smithers and is up for Best Musical Score-Dramatic Series for his work on Unspeakable –Heat Treatment.
It’s a big week for Mangan, a two-time Juno Award winner, who just performed (April 16) as the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The Leo Awards will be handed out May 25-26 at the red carpet gala at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver.
(If you know of anyone else with Prince George connections who is in the running for a Leo Award, please email the information to news@pgcitizen.ca)
cbc.ca
Toronto marks anniversary of van attack NEWS IN BRIEF
Liam CASEY, Paola LORIGGIO
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — As family members, friends and strangers braved the rain Tuesday to honour the victims of the Yonge Street van attack, one man stood by the memorial marking the one-year anniversary of the horrific event making sure the flowers laid there looked pretty.
Omar Hassan couldn’t help it.
The 25-year-old student didn’t witness the attack on April 23, 2018, and he didn’t know any of the 10 people killed and 16 others injured when a white rental van plowed into pedestrians along the busy street in north Toronto. But he took it upon himself to keep a growing makeshift memorial that popped up after the attack clean and tidy.
With the help of a few friends, he would spend time every night in Mel Lastman Square making sure flowers and tributes the wind had blown away were back where people had laid them.
That went on for 40 days until the impromptu memorial was removed by the city.
“Even in the darkest of times, there’s some light that comes out,” he said. “This tragedy forced the light out.”
That hope and positivity was everywhere Tuesday as dozens of people wrote messages about love and inspiration in chalk on the sidewalk at the site of the attack. Others painted canvases with messages about peace, growth and restoration.
Esther Linetski placed an orange carnation by a temporary plaque.
Linetski, who works in the area, said she meant to go out to the square for lunch on the day of the attack but was too busy to escape her office.
“I could have been out here,” she said, fighting back tears.
“Thankfully I wasn’t one of the unlucky ones.”
Alek Minassian, now 26, is charged with 10 counts of firstdegree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder. He is set to face trial next February.
For the neighbourhood of Willowdale, where the attack took place, the tragedy led to people like Hassan and others banding together to help the community with its healing process.
One woman donated hundreds of flowers so others could place them at two main memorial sites.
Another woman came by every day to keep the candles lit and replace the ones that had burned down.
A year later, members of the community hope they can keep that small-town-style spirit going, which can be difficult in a busy city like Toronto.
Jesse James, a longtime community organizer, said he and his family have committed to learning languages spoken in the area in an attempt to further bring the neighbourhood together in the aftermath of the attack.
The 31-year-old had been sitting at a nearby library when last year’s attack took place. After hearing the news from the friend, he went to pick up an 11-year-old boy he was mentoring.
As the pair walked home they agreed on one thing – they needed to get everyone together.
They put out a call out to various churches and Christian groups in the area.
Seven of them got together that night and eventually started a Facebook group called We Love Willowdale, deciding to make
music a central theme.
“We framed it as helping turn our cries of sorrow into songs of healing,” said James.
They asked Melissa Davis, the chair of the music and worship arts department at nearby Tyndale University, to co-ordinate a 100-strong choir that would get together for a vigil in six days. She also organized the choir for the one-year commemoration of the incident.
“I hope through music people will receive that hope and healing they’ve been longing for and wrestling with the last year,” Davis said. “I really believe that music is able to inspire, console and heal and really speak to the soul of human beings.”
Marion Goertz, a psychotherapist with the nearby Family Life Centre that provides counselling and mental health support, said she and her colleagues have spo-
ken to many who were affected in one way or another by the events that day.
Eight therapists went out the next day and each day for the next two weeks to makeshift comfort stations. Most who stopped by were witnesses, she said.
“Many people just wanted to talk and tell us where they were that day,” Goertz said.
“People like order in their lives and this has made people ask questions: How safe can I be? Can this happen to me?”
That feeling was so prevalent that the group decided to organize an event dubbed Reclaim Yonge –about 6,000 people walked Yonge Street six days after the tragedy to a vigil held at Mel Lastman Square.
On Tuesday, many continued to reclaim Yonge Street, determined not to let last year’s devastating attack hold them back.
B.C. men challenge secret no-fly list
OTTAWA (CP) — Canada’s nofly list faces constitutional challenges from two B.C. men who argue in a pair of court cases that the secret roster violates the Charter of Rights guarantee of fundamental justice. The no-fly regime allows the federal government to bar someone from boarding an airplane because there are grounds to believe they would threaten the flight or travel to commit a terrorist act.
One of the men, Parvkar Singh Dulai, says he was stopped from getting on a plane last May 17 at the Vancouver International Airport. Dulai followed an appeal process, but received a letter in late January saying his name would remain on the no-fly list. He is asking the Federal Court of Canada for an order striking him from the roster or, at the very least, a re-examination of his case.
National health database gets funds
VANCOUVER (CP) — Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor says a new database will help researchers find solutions to health events like the opioid crisis and chronic illnesses that cross provincial boundaries. While meeting with researchers at UBC, Petitpas Taylor announce $81 million in funding over seven years to support the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Canadian Data Platform. Dr. Kim McGrail, says analyzing data from across the country can lead to insights that would be impossible if limited to a single province. The platform is expected to launch in the next two to three months.
CP PHOTO
People attend vigil at Toronto’s Mel Lastman Square on Tuesday to commemorate last year’s van attack which left 10 people dead.
City hiding behind technicalities
In the wake of the multi-million dollar cost overrun on the Willow Cale Bridge crossing of Haggith Creek, The Citizen requested all of the engineering documents on the project, including a legal opinion the City of Prince George obtained about whether a lawsuit could recover some or all of those extra costs.
Last week, the city provided numerous reports that show the site was reviewed extensively, both before the first stage of construction and after the problems emerged within weeks of the bridge reopening. But there was no legal opinion or any engineering documents that speaks to what went wrong.
The city, as is its right, is refusing to share that legal opinion, in whole or part, citing issues around confidential legal communication, confidential communications in closed meetings and recommendations made in confidence to local government. These are all legitimate concerns, except that governments also have the authority to release those communications or a summary of them if they are in the public interest. There are plenty of current examples of governments doing exactly that.
In the United States, the federal government released a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the 2016 presidential election and whether Donald Trump’s campaign violated any laws.
In Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybound was
allowed to provide limited testimony and share some internal communications regarding SNC-Lavalin, as were then-advisor to the prime minister Gerald Butts and then-clerk of the privacy council Michael Wernick.
In B.C., the provincial government has shared numerous documents, including Speaker Darryl Plecas’s report, into the suspension (and police investigation) of the legislative clerk and sergeant-at-arms.
In all three of the above examples, there are sensitive legal, confidentiality and privacy issues in play and in all three cases, the governments have chosen to release as much information as possible as a matter of transparency and significant public interest.
In Prince George, however, local government is refusing to provide any information whatsoever beyond one sentence in a Feb. 26 report from Dave Dyer, the general manager of engineering and public works, to city council.
“The City has had the opportunity to obtain external legal and engineering advice regarding this matter and will not be proceeding with any legal cost recovery actions against any of the parties involved in the design, delivery, or construction of the Willow Cale Road Bridge project,” he wrote.
The Citizen appealed the city’s initial refusal to release the legal opinion, citing section 13(2)(m) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which reads that the head of a public body must
not refuse to disclose information that the head of a public body has cited publicly as the basis for making a decision or formulating a policy.
The emailed response from Walter Babicz, the city’s general manager of administrative services, sent late Thursday was the following: “This sentence from the staff report simply states that firstly, the City obtained legal advice, and secondly, the City has chosen not to proceed with any legal cost recovery action. That statement is not from the head, and does not cite the legal advice as the basis for the decision not to proceed, but merely states two objective facts.”
From a legal and bureaucratic standpoint, his response makes perfect sense.
From a practical, political and public relations standpoint, however, his response not only makes no sense, it’s counterproductive.
For starters, Dyer may not be the head of the public body in a legal sense but the written and verbal comments made by a senior manager of the city, especially ones addressed specifically to mayor and council – the actual head of the public body – sheds light on the basis for the city’s decision. Furthermore, it suggests that the decision may have been made internally, without any political input whatsoever, and mayor and council are simply being informed of the decision.
Lastly, characterizing Dyer’s words as sim-
YOUR LETTERS
Strong differing opinions
Neil Godbout, you wrote (on Aug. 16, 2017, after Charlottesville):
“This is not a matter of free speech or two sides to the story or it’s complicated.
“These are the words of a stupid, arrogant man, utterly ignorant of the history of his country, ignorant of slavery, the Civil War, the Confederacy, segregation, lynchings, the Ku Klux Klan, civil rights, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, the Black Panthers, Rodney King, Trayvon Martin and all the rest.
“He is so mired in his narcissism that he fails to see the comfort and encouragement he brings to a group of Americans who don’t believe in equality, don’t believe in the rule of law, don’t believe in democracy, don’t believe in science, don’t believe in history and don’t believe in the love and decency encouraged by every major world religion.
As the president of his country, Trump is saying people who believe in racial purity, in dictators, in fascism and in murder and genocide need to be heard and treated with respect.
“To stand with him now is to stand with the Nazis. To say Trump deserves a chance or he’s still new to this politics thing is to make excuses for his stupidity, his ignorance and his racism, to treat an adult man as if he were a child in the playground, to refuse to hold him responsible for the power his office and his words command.
“Furthermore, not to speak out is to quietly condone his words, to remain silent in the face of injustice. Canadians and all citizens of the world should be equally outraged by Trump. Racism and intolerance need no passport to cross borders.
“For the racists and intolerant bigots in Canada and throughout the world, Trump has validated their warped worldview.
“That validation makes him undeserving of respect, both as a man and as a leader. He has earned those badge – stupid, ignorant, racist, sexist, liar – all on his own. To refuse to challenge him and any of his defenders is to accept their righteousness and their racism.
“That can not, must not, stand.”
Neil you have performed a great injustice to your readers if you still maintain this stance. Care to inform your readership of
where you stand today in light of the latest revelations?
Tom Moore
Prince George
Editor’s Note: Hi, Tom. Thanks for your letter. I wouldn’t change a word from that editorial. What part of the (redacted) Mueller report should I be looking at that should make me think otherwise?
- Neil
Leave the park as it is
As a concerned citizen of Prince George for many years, I am appalled as to why our mayor, city council and city officials would consider putting a new fire hall in our beautiful recreational park. We have the Y, horseshoe pits, state of the art Citizen Field, Spruce Capital fastball diamond, skateboard park, lacrosse court, motorcross facility as well as several miscellaneous ball diamonds all located in this one area. This entire area should be left as a recreational area only. If anything, the new pool would be a good fit for this location. Please consider my suggestion and leave this area of Prince George as a recreational park only.
John Broderick
Prince George
ply stating two objective facts, with the second fact – “(the city) will not be proceeding with any legal cost recovery options” – being somehow disconnected from the first fact –“The City has had the opportunity to obtain external legal and engineering advice” – is the kind of technical tomfoolery that gives lawyers and bureaucrats a bad name. In basic communications, whether it’s between two people or between an elected official and constituents, stating two objective facts together with “and” binds those facts together into a complete statement. That’s simply a matter of common courtesy and trust. This seems to be just the latest in a series of tone-deaf decisions by city management, followed either by silence or excuses from their political masters.
At some point, mayor and council must stop accepting the recommendations of senior staff as if they are written in stone and cannot be questioned, challenged or rejected. City council has the political authority to order the release of information explaining why the city isn’t pursuing legal action to cover some or all of the millions of dollars in unexpected costs related to the Willow Cale Bridge.
Mayor and councillors should do so in the spirit of government transparency, to hold themselves fully accountable to constituents and, most of all, because it’s the right thing to do.
— Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
Recap of recent goings on
With Lent over, it is time to catch up with the newscycle. What follows are my thoughts on all the things that have transpired these last few weeks. Peruser discretion is advised.
Sticking with religious themes for the moment, our hearts and prayers go out to all those who were targeted for violence in Sri Lanka on the most holy days of the Christian calendar. It also bears reminding the twittersphere we are called “Christians” and not “Easter Worshipers.”
Then again, if the perpetrators would like to be sacrificed to Ishtar, that can easily be arranged. With the ejection of former ministers Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus, it is my ardent hope that Our Dear Leader’s fake feminism has become clear to all. My only free advice to the Grits is to cast Justin Trudeau into the nearest canal and purge the party of his tarnished brand. Hopefully the new leader will channel Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
wards. The Donald will win again in 2020, thanks to Democratic candidates making Chairman Mao look moderate.
Brexit is the quagmire that just keeps deepening, which is odd given that England had no problem divorcing Europe 500 years ago when the stakes were infinitely higher.
Prime Minister Theresa May ought to recall that she really holds all the cards, if for no other reason than Britain is the one with the Armada, and the Empire of Brussels is the tired imperium about to collapse.
Here at home, it was an honour to have Eric Allen as a guest on Shaw TV’s Prince George Up Close and his explanation of the need to campaign against the city’s borrowing plan was inspiring.
Next door, Jason Kenney has taken over Alberta after uniting the right and leading them to victory, a feat only rivalled by Stephen Harper’s campaign federally in the previous decade. Having worked for Kenney briefly in Ottawa, I can assure Premier John Horgan that the promise to turn off the taps of ethical Alberta oil to B.C. is not an idle threat.
South of the border, U.S. President Donald Trump has been vindicated by the Mueller report, despite the continued campaign to impute collusion where there was none. Of course this was obvious to anyone not drinking the mainstream media Kool-Aid from November 2016 on-
Here at home, it was an honour to have Eric Allen as a guest on Shaw TV’s Prince George Up Close and his explanation of the need to campaign against the city’s borrowing plan was inspiring. I encourage all residents of B.C.’s Northern Capital to sign these piles of paper and rise up against their feckless, meddling overlords located in that ugly building on Patricia Boulevard. As I’m pressed for time, that will have to do for now.
As a final thought, can anyone tell me what happened to Neil Godbout? I seem to recall a leftleaning newspaper editor (surprise) with square glasses but he appears to have been taken by the body snatchers.
Meditations on religion?
Protesting against regulation?
Demanding a debate with city hall on the spending plan?
To be honest, I was worried my space and viewpoint might become redundant.
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.
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RIGHT OF CENTRE NATHAN GIEDE
Quebec island residents determined to stay in their homes
Morgan LOWRIE The Canadian Press
MONTREAL — Although the only bridge to Montreal is cut off by water and hip waders are the only way to navigate the streets of his town, Ile Mercier resident David Dostie has no intention of leaving the home where’s he’s lived for almost 60 years.
“I decided to work all my life for that house, I’m not going to leave – never,” Dostie said Tuesday.
“If I leave the house, the government’s not going to pay (us). We have to keep the house, so we have to stay here.”
Dostie’s attitude is a common one on Ile Mercier, a tight-knit island community of about 50 homes just off Montreal’s West Island.
Residents have banded together since public security officials closed the only bridge linking the island to the city on Monday, after warm temperatures and melting snow caused the Prairies River to swell and submerge the structure in fast-rushing water.
Dostie relaxed under a makeshift tent, eating lunch that had been carried across the bridge in the bucket of a heavy vehicle, the only kind able to pass.
While the water ran knee-deep down the street, he said his home was dry and he wouldn’t leave unless the water breached the sandbag wall protecting it.
“We got boats, we got gas pumps, we’ve got generators, so we’re OK,” he said.
Next to him, fellow resident David Cauchon appeared equally at ease. Cauchon lost his home in the record-breaking flood of 2017, but is confident his new one can withstand the rising water.
“If I don’t have water in the house, I don’t have a problem,” he said.
The foundations of many of the island’s homes were piled high with sandbags,
while humming pumps shot graceful arcs of water into the flooded streets.
Much of the credit for that preparation goes to Olivier Ishii-Landry, a flood-prevention specialist who lives on the island and who installed many of the pumps.
He was in constant motion as he used a small power boat to carry generators, check pumps, and ferry journalists and residents to and from the island.
He said many residents have fully rebuilt their homes since 2017, and have installed waterproof foundations and better groundwater management systems.
“We have the logistics in place to deal with it much better,” he said. “Our island looked like a war zone a full week before the mainland even got the news something was about to happen.”
Pier-Luc Cauchon, a resident who has become the island’s unofficial leader, spent the day organizing docks and boat owners to ferry residents to and from the island next door.
He estimates that at least 26 of the island’s 50 or so households are staying put, and most others are going back and forth. In addition to conferring with police and
officials, he organized a team of volunteers to knock on the door of every resident every four hours to make sure they had enough food and water.
“We make lists of needs, we see if anyone wants to evacuate, things like that, but so far everyone is confident and everyone wants to stay,” he said.
Elsewhere in the province, the number of homes that were flooded declined slightly on Tuesday, from 3,100 to 2,800 at 1 p.m.
Urgence Quebec said more than 1,400 people had been forced from their homes across the province and some 2,100 properties remain isolated because of washed out roads or landslides.
Authorities said they expected water levels to peak by Wednesday.
But flooding risks remain high across southern Quebec, particularly the corridor between the Outaouais area west of Montreal and the Beauce region south of Quebec City.
Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault visited Sainte-Marie, Que., in the Beauce area, and met with several mayors of towns affected by the overflowing Chaudiere River.
Several hundred people left their homes in that town and nearly 1,000 residences and commercial buildings were flooded. Last week, Beauceville, just down river, saw its downtown core overrun with water, hitting 230 homes and businesses.
About 350 kilometres west of SainteMarie, right by the boundary with Ontario, Rigaud fire chief Daniel Boyer said the rain over the next few days could be telling.
“I think it’ll get a little worse,” Boyer said. He said experts, however, no longer believe the water will rise to historic 2017 levels.
“Is it going to get worse? I hope not, but our job is to get ready for the worst.”
CP PHOTO
Quebec Provincial police and local firemen check up on a resident in a flooded neighbourhood in Rigaud, Que. on Tuesday.
Oilsands emissions under reported, study says
Bob WEBER The Canadian Press
New federal research suggests greenhouse gas emissions from Alberta’s oilsands may be significantly higher than industry reports.
In a study published Tuesday, Environment Canada scientists say four major oilsands mines are releasing an average of about one-third more carbon dioxide per barrel of oil than they report – a crucial number used for everything from determining national emissions levels to calculating carbon tax.
Lead author John Liggio and his colleagues analyzed air monitoring samples captured in a series of flights above the four sites during the course of a month in 2013.
Suncor’s facility was 13 per cent over its estimated emissions.
But the emissions intensity of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.’s Horizon and Jackpine mines averaged 37 per cent higher than they reported. And Syncrude’s Mildred Lake mine was emitting twoand-a-quarter times more of the climate change-causing gas than it told Ottawa’s pollutant registry.
“We find a pretty significant difference,” said Liggio, whose paper is published in Nature Communications. Until now, all carbon dioxide emission estimates from the oilsands have been based on a combination of some ground measurement and a great deal of mathematical modelling – socalled bottom-up estimation.
The new study is the first to use actual field measurements taken from aerial overflights, or topdown measurements.
The findings of industry underestimation echo those of a previous Alberta study, which found methane emissions from heavy oil facilities were much higher than thought. They also agree with many other studies that have com-
pared bottom-up to top-down.
“There’s still more work to be done,” Liggio said. “But I will say there are many, many studies using top-down approaches which have also shown that top-down (measurements) are generally higher.”
The measurements in Liggio’s paper include emissions from mining, processing, upgrading and tailings ponds.
Industry has criticized such flyover measurements for only providing a snapshot of emissions instead of long-term data.
Liggio defended his work, saying that measuring emissions against oil production evens out sudden spikes in emissions resulting from
higher output.
“We’re looking at what they emit relative to what they produce,” he said. He said his team is currently analyzing data from similar overflights conducted to measure oilsands emissions in two different seasons.
Industry has had a chance to comment on the paper, said Liggio.
“Generally, industry was positive and supportive. They do want to work together to get to the bottom of where the discrepancies are coming from.”
Liggio said the apparent problem at the four sites in the current paper could point to an issue throughout the industry. He adds
the apparent underestimates occurred despite the fact the mines studied were using strict United Nation’s measurement protocols.
“The results indicate that overall (oilsands greenhouse gas) emissions may be underestimated and suggest that reporting that follows this Tier 3 approach may universally underestimate CO2 emissions,” the paper says. Researchers don’t yet understand why top-down measurements tend to be so much higher than bottom-up estimates, Liggio said.
“In a complex facility like the oilsands, there are hundreds of sources, hundreds of stacks. It’s quite complicated.”
Filipino president threatens to send trash back to Canada
Mia RABSON The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — The president of the Philippines says if Canada doesn’t take back tonnes of trash within the next week he will “declare war” and ship the containers back himself.
Filipino media outlets report that Rodrigo Duterte made threats Tuesday about dozens of shipping containers filled with Canadian household and electronic garbage that has been rotting in a port near Manila for nearly six years.
“I want a boat prepared,” Duterte said. “I’ll give a warning to Canada maybe next week that they better pull that thing out or I will set sail.” Duterte, who is known for his combativeness, threatened to declare war on Canada if the issue isn’t resolved.
was asked about the matter on trips to the Philippines in both 2015 and 2017. On the first visit he said Canada had no legal means to force the company that shipped the waste to take the trash back. In 2017 Trudeau said Canada was working very hard on a solution and that it was “theoretically” possible for Canada to take back the trash.
A year after that Canada and the Philippines formed a working group of officials to solve the issue, but nearly six months after that nothing has been resolved.
to collaborating with the Philippines government to resolve this issue and is aware of the court decision ordering the importer to ship the material back to Canada,” wrote Sabrina Kim.
She also mentioned a change to regulations in 2016 meant to prevent such a thing from happening again. The change means Canadian firms will need to get approval to ship waste if the destination country says it is hazardous, even if Canadian officials don’t deem it to be so.
“I will advise Canada that your garbage is on the way,” he said. “Prepare a grand reception. Eat it if you want to.” In 2013 and 2014, a total of 103 shipping containers from Canada labelled as plastics arrived in the Philippines for recycling, but Filipino customs inspectors determined the containers were actually filled with debris from Canadian trash bins.
Canada has been trying for nearly six years to convince the Philippines to dispose of the garbage there even though a Filipino court ordered the trash returned to Canada in 2016.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
The Canadian government didn’t appear to be changing its tune following Duterte’s comments. A spokeswoman for Environment Minister Catherine McKenna sent a written statement that is identical to the statement issued by a different spokeswoman last week, mentioning the working group and promising to work with the Philippines “to ensure the material is processed in an environmentally responsible way.”
“Canada is strongly committed
Last week, a legal opinion prepared by the Victoria-based Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation said Canada’s actions with the shipments violate multiple parts of the Basel Convention, a 30-year-old treaty that prevents countries from shipping hazardous waste to the developing world without the receiving country’s consent. The violations include inaccurately describing the contents of the containers, failing to take them back within 30 days of being notified of the hazard, and attempting to get the Philippines to take on the obligation for disposing of the waste.
Kathleen Ruff, founder of rightoncanada.ca, has been trying to get Canada to take back its trash and is incensed.
“It’s incredible to me that the Canadian government just dismisses the fact that it is breaking the law,” she said. “I guess some people believe they are above the law and count on getting away with it.”
results and higher crude oil prices. Canada’s main stock market, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite all set new highs. “The earnings are coming in higher than expectations and therefore I think it’s creating a bit of confidence, so I think that’s part of what’s going on,” said Dominique Barker, portfolio manager at CIBC Asset Management. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 92.12 points at 16,669.40, after reaching an intraday high of 16,672.71. The records came a day after closing at its highest point since last July. Energy led the way, gaining 1.44 per cent on higher crude oil prices. Telecommunications lost ground as just three of the 11 main sectors were up on the day. The June crude contract was up 75 cents at US$66.30 per barrel and the June natural gas contract down 5.9 cents at US$2.50 per mmBTU. Oil prices rose for a second day following the Trump administration’s announcement that buyers of Iranian oil must stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions. The big winners were Encana Corp., Imperial Oil, Canadian Natural Resources, Enbridge Inc. and Suncor Energy Inc. The gain by Suncor is particularly newsworthy because it is the go-to name for foreign money, said Barker.
“So that may be an indication that we’ve got foreign nonCanadian money going into the Canadian market finally,” she said. “We’ve been anticipating that for some time. It’s been surprising how Canadian energy companies have been largely ignored by the world and have been trading at very depressed valuation multiples versus peers and so potentially this is the start of something more significant.”
CP FILE PHOTO
A processing unit is shown at the Suncor Fort Hills facility in Fort McMurray, Alta., in 2018. An Environment Canada study published Tuesday says greenhouse gas emissions from four major oilsands producers may be 33 per cent higher than reported by the industry.
Sports
No Canadian teams left in playoffs as Bruins down Leafs 5-1
Joshua CLIPPERTON The Canadian Press
BOSTON — Tuukka Rask made 32 saves as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 on Tuesday to win their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal 4-3.
Sean Kuraly and Joakim Nordstrom, with a goal and an assist each, and Marcus Johansson scored for Boston before Charlie Coyle and Patrice Bergeron both added empty-net goals.
John Tavares replied for Toronto. Frederik Andersen stopped 27-of-30 shots.
The Bruins have now defeated the Leafs in Game 7 in the opening round of the playoffs three of the last seven seasons, with each clincher coming at TD Garden.
Boston also took down Toronto 7-4 last spring, becoming the first team in NHL history to battle back from three deficits of at least one goal to win a Game 7 in regulation. That came five years after the Bruins’ 5-4 overtime victory in 2013 – the first time a team had won a Game 7 after trailing by three goals in the third period.
“It’s the same (crappy) feeling as last year,” said Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner.
The crushing result for the Leafs means more heartbreak for a franchise that has failed to advance to the second round of the playoffs since 2004 and has not won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
The Bruins will now take on the Columbus Blue Jackets after the conference’s eighth seed swept the Presidents’ Trophywinning Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.
That alone makes Tuesday a bitter pill to swallow for the Leafs, with Tampa just one of a number of favourites to have already fallen by the wayside.
Toronto was Canada’s last hope of ending a 26-year Cup drought following the elimination of both the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets.
The series was a back-and-forth slugfest
featuring razor-thin margins. Neither team managed to put together consecutive victories until the Bruins won 4-2 in Game 6 on Sunday to stave off elimination in Toronto before taking Tuesday’s winner-take-all showdown.
“You get so used to just being in it every day, competing and keep finding ways to get better and keep pushing forward,” said Tavares. “It’s still sinking in that we won’t be doing that (on Wednesday). That’s the hardest part.”
The Leafs actually started well enough after enduring an early Boston flurry. Rask stopped an Auston Matthews one-timer
from the slot and two quick Marner shots off the rush before the roof caved in.
Toronto defenceman Travis Dermott turned the puck over on a clearing attempt and the puck eventually fell to Nordstrom, who squeezed his second of the series between Andersen’s glove and pad on the shortside with 5:31 left in the first as Boston’s fourth line struck.
Jake Gardiner – Dermott’s blue-line partner – then inexplicably played the puck off the boards behind his own net to no one in particular. It was quickly scooped up by Johansson, and he wheeled out in front before beating Andersen on a shot off the
far post for his first with 2:14 remaining in the period.
Gardiner, who missed a chunk of the second half of the season with a back injury, was an ugly minus-5 in last spring’s Game 7 loss to Boston, falling on his sword and taking more than his share of the blame in an emotional exchange with reporters as the cameras rolled.
The Leafs responded well to open Tuesday’s second period, with Tyler Ennis separating John Moore from the puck along the boards and finding Tavares, who buried his second beyond Rask’s blocker at 3:54.
Toronto kept coming with a number of chances, but Rask denied Ennis and Trevor Moore from in close.
A Leafs power play that was just 3 for 14 coming into Game 7 got a chance midway through the period, but despite a wrinkle that saw Matthews and Marner switch sides, were unable to connect.
The Bruins came with a push to start the third period, and Kuraly made Toronto pay when stepped around Ron Hainsey in the neutral zone and beat Andersen with his first of the playoffs on a shot over his left shoulder that the Leafs goalie will want back at 2:40.
Toronto got its second power play five minutes into the third, but couldn’t do anything with the man advantage.
TD Garden then roared its approval as the minutes and seconds ticked down towards another Game 7 victory for the Bruins over their rivals before Coyle made it 4-1 into an empty net.
Notes: The Bruins improved to 15-12 in Game 7s, including 14-8 at home. The Leafs dropped to 12-12 (5-11 on the road)... Boston’s 15 victories in Game 7s gives the franchise the NHL’s all-time lead, passing Montreal (14-9) and Detroit (14-11)... Bruins captain defenceman Zdeno Chara played the 13th Game 7 of his career, tying Patrick Roy and Scott Stevens for the most all-time.
Raptors are onto the conference semifinals
Lori EWING The Canadian Press
TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors dispatched the Orlando Magic in record time, checking the first box of what the team hopes is a long playoff run.
Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points as Toronto throttled Orlando 115-96 on Tuesday, winning an opening-round playoff series in five games for the first time in franchise history. Toronto will face the winner of the Philadelphia and Brooklyn series. The Sixers took a 3-1 lead into Tuesday’s game.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points for the Raptors, who led by as many as 37 points in the dying minutes. Kyle Lowry had 12 of his 14 points in the first quarter and doled out nine assists, Norman Powell chipped in with 11 points
and Serge Ibaka finished with 10. D.J. Augustin led Orlando with 15 points. Lowry and the Raptors clearly had no interest in flying back to Orlando for a Game 6. Coming off a pair of victories on the Magic’s Amway Center court, Lowry scored the team’s first nine points and the Raptors pounced on the overmatched Magic from the opening tip. The Magic were virtual spectators as Toronto sprinted to a 24-point lead late in the first quarter. The team’s 19 assists on 23 made field goals in the first half was a post-season franchise record. Orlando, which was making its first post-season appearance in seven years, missed its first 11 three-point attempts before Evan Fournier finally connected more than four minutes into the second quarter.
The Raptors led by 31 points in the third and cruised into the fourth up 99-70 in front a soldout Scotiabank Arena crowd of 19,800 fans that included Toronto rapper Drake – putting a dent in the “Drake curse” theory. The crowd serenaded Leonard with chants of “M-V-P!” when the Raptors star was subbed out of the game with just under eight minutes to play.
Coach Nick Nurse went deep into his bench the rest of the way.
Lowry and Fred VanVleet (with 10) combined for 19 assists, as the Raptors had 34 assists to Orlando’s 20. Toronto also held Orlando to 26.5 per cent shooting from threepoint range.
Nurse said the key to Tuesday’s game was to lock down on the defensive end from the get-go.
“I think the main emphasis
tonight is to try to do it over the course of the 48 minutes,” he said.
On a big night for Toronto sports, the Maple Leafs were facing Boston in a do-or-die game.
The score was periodically flashed on the Jumbotron, and most of the TV screens on the concourse were dialled into the Leafs game.
With big dreams of reaching the NBA Finals, the Raptors now have a precious few days of breathing room – and one less trip to Orlando – until the Eastern Conference semifinals begin this weekend. And with a roster rife with injuries, plus Leonard’s load management, in the regular-season, they could use it.
In Toronto’s most successful post-season in 2016, the Raptors needed seven games to knock off both Indiana and Miami before facing a rested LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the
conference final. Orlando upset Toronto to win the opener before the Raptors roared back to capture the next three, including a pair of victories at Orlando’s Amway Center. Lowry, who’d taken grief for scoring zero points in Game 1, could barely miss in the first quarter on Tuesday, shooting an efficient 5-for-6 from the field.
The Raptors shot 63 per cent from three-point range, while Orlando missed all seven of their longrange attempt. Toronto led 35-19 to start the second.
The Magic made a run against Toronto’s bench to pull to within 11 points early in the second, but it was shortlived, and the Raptors took a 67-47 advantage into the halftime break. Toronto will host Games 1 and 2 of the next round.
AP PHOTO
Boston Bruins left winger Brad Marchand, left, tries unsuccessfully to shoot past Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) during the second period of
Game 7 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series on Tuesday in Boston.
CP PHOTO Fan reacts as the Toronto Maple Leafs lose to the Boston Bruins and are eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs in Toronto on Tuesday. Fans watched the action from Boston on large outdoor screens in Maple Leaf Square in Toronto.
Going to overtime
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb, centre, reaches for the puck between San Jose Sharks centre Gustav Nyquist, left, and left winger Evander Kane during the first period of Game 7 of an NHL hockey first -round playoff series game in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday. The game was tied 4-4 going into the first period of overtime as of press time.
Giants hit 4 homers, outlast Blue Jays 7-6
Paul ATTFIELD The Associated Press
TORONTO — If the lengthy first-inning video tribute of his Toronto Blue Jays highlights didn’t convince the home fans of Kevin Pillar’s value, he wasted no time in adding a reminder.
Making his first appearance against the team that traded him away on April 2, the San Francisco centre fielder opened the scoring in the second inning, hitting an RBI single to left field in the Giants’ 7-6 victory on Tuesday night.
“I’m a hopeless romantic,” Pillar said. “I was hoping for the stars lining up for a second and to get the opportunity to come up there with runners in scoring position in a tie game and you come up with a big hit.”
Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-4 and homered for the first time this year, one of a season-high four home runs for offensively challenged San Francisco.
Joe Panik homered and drove in three runs, and Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt also went deep for the Giants, who came in 29th in the majors in batting and ahead of just one team in home runs. It was San Francisco’s first four-homer game since July 4, 2018, against Arizona.
“It’s got to do a lot for their confidence,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “It starts to weigh on you a little bit when you haven’t hit a home run.”
Rowdy Tellez hit his first career grand slam for the Blue Jays, whose four-game winning streak was snapped.
Jeff Samardzija (2-1) allowed two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, improving to 3-0 in four starts against the Blue Jays. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out four. Will Smith worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save.
Samardzija said the Giants were happy to see the attention Pillar got upon his return to Rogers Centre.
“He should be a rock star,” he said of Pillar. “Guys like that should be pushed more by this league, guys that play hard.”
The Blue Jays trailed 7-2 before Tellez’s one-out, bases-loaded bash in the eighth off Tony Watson, who stayed on and finished the inning. It was also Tellez’s first career
homer off a lefty.
“Mentally it’s nice to have a good at-bat against a tough lefty out of the bullpen,” he said.
Trent Thornton (0-3) lasted five innings in his fifth major league start, giving up four earned runs on six hits and striking out five.
“You know what I like about this team?
We don’t quit,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “You never see me smile after a loss but man, this is pretty cool. That’s what I was thinking on the bench.”
Belt’s home run off Thomas Pannone, which hit the facade of the third deck in right field, was his fifth of the season, and it ended a run of 15 hitless at-bats against left-handed pitching.
Panik’s solo shot in the fifth inning was his
first of the year, and he doubled in two runs in the third. Sandoval slugged one over the centre-field fence in the eighth.
Samardzija had retired 10 straight batters before Eric Sogard took him deep to lead off the sixth. He was pulled with two runners on after throwing 85 pitches, and Mark Melancon worked out of the jam.
First-inning famine
The Giants extended their streak of first innings without scoring a run to begin a season to 24 games on Tuesday, the secondlongest such spell in major league history behind the 28 put up by the 1948 Chicago White Sox. Gerardo Parra was thrown out trying to steal home to end the inning.
Trainer’s room
Blue Jays: The team announced Tuesday
that top prospect Bo Bichette broke a bone in his left hand after being hit by a pitch while batting for Triple-A Buffalo on Monday. The shortstop will visit a hand specialist to determine a course of treatment... Montoyo believes RHP Aaron Sanchez will be able to make his scheduled start on Saturday despite the cracked fingernail that forced him out of Sunday’s game after four innings. ...LHP Ryan Borucki (left elbow) and RHP John Axford (right elbow) will both be re-evaluated on Friday... RHP David Phelps is scheduled to throw his second bullpen session on Saturday as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery last year... LHP Clayton Richard (right knee) is continuing his long-toss program and is set to undergo his first bullpen session this weekend.
CP PHOTO
San Francisco Giants Gerardo Parra is out stealing home plate as Toronto Blue Jays catcher Luke Maile applies the tag during the first inning of the game in Toronto on Tuesday.
Brothers sue Smollett’s lawyers, claiming defamation
Michael TARM, Caryn
ROUSSEAU The Associated Press
CHICAGO — Two brothers who say they helped Jussie Smollett stage a racist and homophobic attack against himself filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Empire actor’s attorneys, alleging that they repeatedly asserted publicly that the brothers carried out a real, bigoted attack on Smollett despite knowing that wasn’t true.
A lawyer for Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of the brothers. It names Mark Geragos and his law firm as defendants.
The suit contends that even after police and prosecutors alleged that the Jan. 29 attack was staged and after all charges were dropped against Smollett, Geragos and his firm continued to say publicly in widely reported statements that the brothers “led a criminally homophobic, racist and violent attack against Mr. Smollett,” even though they knew that wasn’t the case.
The lawsuit says that the lawyers’ repeated statements that Smollett told the truth all along and that the brothers were lying caused them “significant emotional distress,” and made them feel unsafe and alienated them from the local community.
The brothers didn’t appear at a news conference their attorneys held Tuesday, but they issued a statement, saying “We have sat back and watched lie after lie being fabricated about us in the media only so one big lie can continue to have life. These lies are destroying our character and reputation in our personal and professional lives.”
The lawsuit doesn’t specify an exact amount of money the brothers are seeking, only that would it be more than $75,000 for “appropriate compensatory damages, punitive damages and costs” stem-
ming from the alleged defamation. Geragos didn’t immediately reply to messages seeking comment about the lawsuit.
“Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Nigeria, which can result in 14 years of imprisonment,” the lawsuit says. “If the accused is married, the punishment is death by stoning.” It also accuses Smollett of taking advantage of the brothers’ own aspirations to establish TV and
movie careers by manipulating them into taking part in the alleged hoax.
“In short, Mr. Smollett used his clout as a wealthy actor to influence plaintiffs, who were in a subordinate relationship to him and were aspiring to ‘make it’ in Hollywood,” the lawsuit contends.
Police allege that Smollett paid the brothers to help him stage an attack in which he said two masked men beat him, hurled
P. Diddy Combs
Diddy opens up about the death of soul mate
NEW YORK — Sean Diddy Combs has opened up about life after the sudden death of his soul mate, former girlfriend Kim Porter.
The music mogul posed with his six children on the cover of Essence magazine’s 49th anniversary May issue. In excerpts posted online, Combs offered his gratitude for the outpouring of love after Porter’s passing on Nov. 15, 2018 from complications from pneumonia. Porter is the mother of three of his children, 21-year-old Christian and 12-year-old twin girls Jesse and D’Lila. Combs told the magazine he has learned to be a more attentive father in the aftermath of his grief.
“Before this, I was a part-time father, you know? My family was always first, but there are countless times when I chose work over everything else,” he said. “But every day I can hear her telling me to go and spend some time with the kids and make sure everybody’s all right, like she would do. I’m just a lot more present, and, most important, now my kids come before anything else in my life.”
Three days before she died, according to Combs, she was sick with the flu and “sent the kids over to my house so they wouldn’t get sick.” He recalled one night, when he went to check on her, “she was like, ‘Puffy, take care of my babies.’ She actually said that to me before she died.
He said he went into “mommy mode” after Porter’s death, trying desperately to make sure the kids wouldn’t hear about it online or on the news.
“Every time Kim and I talked, it was about the kids,” Combs said. “It was what she cared about the most. The magazine hits newsstands on Friday.
racist and homophobic slurs at him, doused him with a chemical substance and looped a rope around his neck.
Smollett, who is black and gay, maintains that the attack wasn’t staged. In the weeks after the alleged attack police arrested the Osundairo brothers on suspicion of assaulting Smollett but released them without charges. A police spokesman said the two were no longer considered suspects and
that investigators had new evidence after questioning them. About a week after police questioned the brothers Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct and accused of making a false police report about the attack. The Cook County state’s attorney’s office abruptly dropped charges against Smollett in March. The city of Chicago has since sued Smollett seeking repayment for costs of investigating his case.
AP PHOTO
Gloria Schmidt, a lawyer for Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, who said they helped Jussie Smollett stage a racist and homophobic attack against himself, speaks during a news conference Tuesday in Chicago.
The Associated Press
AP FILE PHOTO
In this 2005 file photo Sean
arrives with Kim Porter for the 77th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
BOWES,Glenn
October14,1960-April15,2019
Withdeepsorrowweannouncethatlovinghusband, father,brotherandfriend,GlennBowes,haspassed. Hetouchedmanypeople’sliveswithhishumourand kindness.Hewassuperfunnyandfulloflife.He foughtillnesswithdignity,thinkingofhisfamilyright totheend.Amemorialwillbeheldlaterinthe summer.Ifyousowish,pleasedonatetothePrince GeorgeHospiceHouseinGlenn’sname.Ridingwith theangelsnow.
Lorraine Lillian Sitoski (Wium)
Lorraine Lillian Sitoski passed away peacefully at home on April 14th after a long battle with cancer. She was born on March 24th, 1956 to Baldur and Dorothy Wium in Prince George B.C. She was a wonderful sister to Pat, Sam, Georgina and Raymond and had a close bond with them all.
Lorraine met the love of her life, Barry Sitoski, at the young age of 15 and together they married and proudly raised three children: Richard, Rhonda, and Randy whom she adored more than anything. Her family expanded when Richard gave her a grandchild, Katherine. She was overwhelmed with joy to be a grandma to this special little girl. She was blessed again when Rhonda had James Jr, Jonathan, and then Caycee. Randy’s little family grew and added Tristan. He was followed by Richard’s two boys: Evan and Adam. Randy gave them the final addition with Austin. Totalling 8 grandchildren and then the wonderful addition of Katie’s little guy Ryker; a great grandson!
A farm girl and a Viking through and through, her strength and charisma was unmatched. She helped to raise her grandchildren as well as hundreds of children through her home daycare. She touched the lives of every single person who came her way and left a lasting memory; known for a magnetic personality that could comfort the saddest or weakest and enhance all the most wonderful moments too. She was filled with powerful positive energy and she exuded it with all of her heart and soul. Lorraine had a zest for life like no other. She loved and understood nature; there was always a fox, a squirrel or a crow waiting for her to come with treats. She loved all living things and being outdoors. Camping, bonfires, races, walking and river floats always made her smile. She loved to travel to Vegas and Mexico where she could enjoy the warmth and sunshine with family and friends. She especially loved to rip it up on the dance floor. She knew how to live every day to its fullest and inspired others to do the same.
Lorraine is survived by her adoring husband Barry, her children Richard (Liz), Rhonda, and Randy (Giselle), her grandchildren Katherine, James Jr, Jonathan, Caycee, Tristan, Evan, Adam, Austin, and great grandson Ryker. She is also survived by her brothers: Sam and Ray (Tina), her nieces: Nikki (sons Alex and Russel), Loni, Cambie (Denis and daughter Payton) and Sarah and nephew Riley. She also leaves her adoring Sitoski family and numerous children and adults who call her Aunty Raine. She is predeceased by her parents: Baldur and Dorothy, sister Georgina, brother Pat, nephew Laurie and granddaughters Elizabeth and Angel. The family would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the doctors and nurses at UHNBC and the BC Cancer Clinic who assisted Lorraine through many surgeries, chemo, radiation and other various medical treatments during her long running battle with cancer. She was an anomaly, amazing her medical team as well as her family. Many would never know her physical obstacles as she was always so positive about life and never let anything stop her.
Lorraine’s beauty and grace will be deeply and sadly missed by all. There will be a Celebration of Life held at the Hart Crown Banquet Hall at 3955 John Hart Highway on April 27th between 2-5 pm. In lieu of flowers please donate to the
Ellen Gertrude Bracey
May 27, 1930April 16, 2019
It is with great sadness that we announce Ellen’s passing peacefully in the early hours of April 16. Ellen was a long time resident of the Prince George area living a full life on their farm at Cresent Lake. Ellen is survived by her children Lorraine and Dave Solmonson, Charlie and Rosemarie Bracey and Shane Bracey. Predeceased by her husband Art Bracey. Special thanks to everyone at Simon Fraser lodge for Moms care during her last years.
A service tea will be held at the Hart Pioneer Centre, 6986 Hart Hwy, Prince George, from 12:00-4:00pm on April 27, 2019.
WALFORD, Alma: Peacefully passed away April 18, 2019 at the age of 85. Dear Mum, you will be greatly missed. Widow of John, survived by loving daughters Christine (David) and Claire (Barry); nephew Christopher, and nieces Katie, Becca and Helen. Alma was born and grew up in England. Emigrated to Canada in 1966 and came to Prince George in 1972. Enjoyed gardening, movies, books and travelling. Was very fond of animals, particularly cats. Funeral service Thursday, April 25 at 3:30 PM, Lakewood Funeral Home, 1055 South Ospika Boulevard, Prince George. In lieu of flowers, please donate to SPCA, 4011 Lansdowne Road, Prince George, BC, V2N 2S6; (250) 561-5511; https://spca.bc.ca/locations/north-cariboo/ scroll down and click on red ‘Donate to this Location’ button.
RozonFamilyDentalseeksmotivatedenergeticteam member.Dentalexperienceisanassetbutnot required.Wagewillbecommensuratewith experience.MondaytoThursdayschedule.Email resumeordropinperson@3652WestAustinRoad. 250-962-8212rozonfamilydental@shawcable.com
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