The city’s reserve funds totaled less than half in 2018 of where they stood two years previously, according to a staff report to council’s finance and audit committee.
Amounting to $61 million in 2016, they had declined to $26.1 million by the end of last year.
A drop in the endowment reserve played the biggest role.
In 2016, it stood at $23.7 million, then dropped to slightly less than $5 million before rising to $8.3 million in 2018. The reserve is the source for the $12.6-million parkade to be constructed as part of the Park House condominium project.
The endowment fund is used to “provide long-term funding for projects that have no other viable source” as well as interim funding for general projects awaiting debt proceeds.
The water utility reserve was also a major factor, falling from $13.6 million in 2016 to a deficit of $942,089 two years later due largely to a $9.5-million upgrade of water service to the Hart. Likewise, the sewer utility reserve fell from $5.5 million in 2017 to $780,824 to pay for installation of a new sewer main downtown.
However, the taxpayer may not have to foot much of the bill if council opts to replenish reserves. For one thing, city can rely on about $8.4 million annually from other sources.
Revenue from the federal excise tax on gasoline accounts for $3.2 million and a portion of the property tax levy dedicated specifically to general infrastructure contributes $2.55 million.
As well, $2.4 million in provincial gaming funds goes into the capital expenditure reserve, which also gets another $250,000 a year from other sources such as interest earned on the endowment fund.
In 2016, it stood at $23.7 million, then dropped to slightly less than $5 million before rising to $8.3 million in 2018.
Added to that, the city recently received boosts of $8.1 million from the provincial government and an additional $3.2 million from the federal government to spend on capital projects.
And in late 2021, it’s expected the city will get a $25 million boost when the 17-year lease-in, lease-out agreement with FortisBC is wrapped up.
Committee chair Garth Frizzell said the reserves are necessary to deal with unforeseen expenses and pointed to the snow control reserve as an example.
From $2.6 million in 2017, it stood at zero in 2018, prompting council to raise the property tax levy for that service by $1.5 million and push it up to $8.5 million a year.
The hope is that will be enough to restore the reserve to the tune of $2.1 million.
“You can’t predict whether this year is going to be a great year and we can accumulate a surplus or if it’s going to be a terrible year and we spend it down to zero,” Frizzell said.
“Every day that they’re out there it’s about a quarter of a million dollars, so it doesn’t take many snowfalls to burn through the entire year’s budget.”
In 2018, the city relied on reserves for about 65 per cent of its spending on capital projects, while debt and grants each accounted for less than 20 per cent.
The full report is posted with this story at www.pgcitizen.ca.
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
A Vancouver lawyer has been contracted by the provincial government to assess how well WorkSafeBC has taken up recommendations to improve worker safety in the wake of the fatal explosions at two northern B.C. sawmills in early 2012.
Lisa Helps will also provide advice on potential legislative changes, the Ministry of Labour said in a statement issued this month.
Coroner’s inquests were conducted into the deaths of four workers – Robert Luggi, 45, Carl Charlie, 42, Glenn Roche, 46, and Alan Little, 43. Luggi and Charlie died in the Jan. 20, 2012, Babine Forest Products sawmill explosion near Burns Lake while Roche and Little died as the result of the April 24, 2012, Lakeland Mills explosion in Prince George.
Juries in both inquests produced a series of recommendations, as did the authors of two
Lawyer reviewing WorkSafeBC followups to sawmill explosions
reports, John Dyble and Gord Macatee.
Helps will also seek input from relevant stakeholders and staff in WorkSafeBC and the ministries of attorney general, public safety and solicitor general, and labour. She will also invite workers affected by the explosions, and their families, to share their perspectives on the issues under review, the ministry said.
Helps is to deliver a report of her own with recommendations to Attorney General David Eby by mid-July. After review, he is to make public any recommendations related to improving processes or legislation.
The United Steelworkers District 3 president Stephen Hunt welcomed the move and said the union looks forward to participating fully in the process. The USW was shut out of the original investigation, he added.
The USW pulled its lawyer from the coroner’s inquest into the Lakeland disaster over concern it
would not be able to hold WorkSafeBC accountable for what it called a bungled handling of the investigation.
The union also called for a public inquiry.
Among the outcomes Hunt would like to see from Helps’ review is improved enforcement of the so-called Westray Law that would see employers found guilty of criminal negligence in the deaths of employees sent to jail. He said the RCMP’s investigation was limited to determining whether bombs were the sources of the explosions and left it at that.
“We also want the RCMP properly trained, so that they do know what their job is in the case of an occupational death or an injury causing serious bodily harm –that’s what the Criminal Code says,” Hunt said on Monday.
“And they can’t pick and choose what parts of the Criminal Code they enforce or erroneously not enforce.”
Northern FanCon hosting pair of free film fests
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
Northern FanCon has a galaxy of activities inside its walls.
Some of the favourite activities at the north’s one and only fan expo is buying the photo opportunities and autographs with the celebrity guests, the vendors selling products of all pop-culture description, the cosplayers dazzling the audience in their elaborate costumes, but there are more things to do and marvel at than three days can cover.
One of the new features this year is not one but two film festivals to enjoy. Both are free to see, as long as you are in the FanCon room. The first is the Indie Filmfest that runs Friday evening. The schedule is:
• 6 p.m. Bonepicker, Testimony: The Jessie Hamilton Story by Newman & Wright Theatre Company (42:39)
• 6:48 p.m. Tiger by Starlane Films (19.38) • 7:13 p.m. Come Down, the music video by Jer Breaks (3:40) • 7:22 p.m. Black & Blue: A Blue’s Clues Story by Matchstick Men Media (16:31) Warning: contains explicit language • 7:44 p.m. The Wayside Runner by Picaroon Pictures (6:57) • 7:56 p.m. The Logging Road by Daniel Stark (10:16) • 8:12 p.m. Final Breath by Kim Feragen (10:21) • 8:28 p.m. Cold Hands by Eric Bizzarri (16.14)
“We are pleased to present our very own celebration of emerging and established filmmakers,” said Norm Coyne of UNLTD Media, the organizers of this Prince George Citizen presentation. That’s not the only internal film fest to enjoy, however.
Saturday and Sunday have some horror and suspense flicks that trace to a single master.
— see DOLLAR BABY, page 3
Prince George provincial court docket
From Prince George provincial court, April 22-25, 2019:
• Heinrich Guenter (born 1970) was fined $1,000 for driving without a driver’s licence under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Wade Alan Hutchinson (born 1970) was sentenced to jail time served and one year probation for breaching probation. Hutchinson was in custody for one day prior to sentencing.
• Joshua Michael Skidmore (born 1989) was sentenced to zero days in jail for breaching probation. Skidmore was in custody for five days prior to sentencing.
• Harvey Jerome Leon Chingee (born 1986) was fined $500 for breaching probation.
• Damon Lee Dmytriw (born 1994) was sentenced to zero days in jail for breaching probation. Dmytriw was in custody for 21 days prior to sentencing.
• Tyler Andrew Lincoln (born 1995) 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.
• Megan Molly Motz (born 1994) 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.
• Cote James Severight (born 1993) 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.
• Curtis Stewart (born 1983) 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.
• Shane Andreas Stich (born 1976) was sentenced to two years probation, issued a five-year firearms prohibition and ordered to provide a DNA sample for possessing weapon for dangerous purpose and uttering threats. Stich was in custody for 31 days prior to sentencing.
• Ryan Robert Louis Tremblay (born 1989) 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.
• Lucas Kenneth Richard Turner (born 1987) was sentenced to 18 days in jail and 18 months probation and issued a five-year firearms prohibition for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and to zero days in jail for breaching probation. Turner was in custody for 47 days prior to sentencing.
• Brandin Robert Wylie White (born 1989) 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.
• Ian Benjamin Clark (born 1985) was sentenced to 34 days in jail for possessing or using a stolen credit card and to 30 days in jail for two counts of breaching probation and to one year probation on the counts. Clark was in custody for 35 days prior to sentencing.
• Stacy Ray Laglace (born 1987) was sentenced to 30 days in jail for possessing stolen property under $5,000, committed in Dawson Creek, and breaching probation, committed in Mackenzie, to 24 days in jail for stealing a motor vehicle and prohibited from driving for 10 years for driving while disqualified under the Motor Vehicle Act, all committed in Mackenzie, and to one year probation on all of the counts. Laglace was in custody for 163 days prior to sentencing.
• Jeremy Bo Daniel Purych (born 1980) was sentenced to 90 days in jail for possessing stolen property over $5,000 and to 30 days in jail for possessing stolen property under $5,000 and willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, all committed in Prince George. Purych was also sentenced to one year probation on the counts as well as for theft $5,000 or under, committed in Quesnel, and possessing or using a stolen credit card and breaching a recognizance or undertaking, both committed in Prince George. Purych was in custody for 17 days prior to sentencing.
Bomb scare forces residents out of home
Citizen staff
Residents of a Weber Crescent home had to spend the night at another location when a man showed up with what appeared to be a pipe bomb.
The man had found the item on a trail near CN Centre on Friday evening and, instead of leaving it alone and calling police, brought it to the home, Prince George RCMP said.
Called to the scene at 7:30 p.m., RCMP evacuated the home and neighbouring properties for a time. The neighbours were allowed to return after RCMP determined they were not at risk.
“This was not the case for the residents of the home where the device was located,” RCMP said. “They were transported to an alternate location for the night.”
By Saturday morning, the B.C. RCMP’s bomb squad was on the scene and determined that the device was not a danger.
Prince George RCMP are asking anyone who comes across something that appears to be an explosive device or a suspicious package to refrain from touching it or picking it up.
Instead, call 911 and have police attend immediately.
Citizen staff
A man found squatting in a Salmon Valley home faces a handful of firearms-related charges. Ryan John Moore, 27, was arrested on Friday afternoon when police were called to a report of unwanted persons in the home and refusing to open the door.
On the basis of what they saw when they entered the home, RCMP obtained a search warrant and seized two loaded firearms – a pistol and a long gun – an unloaded long gun, brass knuckles, ammunition, and small amounts of cocaine, psilocybin, and heroin/fentanyl.
Moore, who is well known to the police and courts, was subsequently charged with careless use of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm and two counts of possessing a loaded firearm.
Moore was released on $5,000 bail on Monday and is next scheduled to appear in court on June 5.
A woman who was located in a nearby vehicle and also arrested was later released without charges.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Day of Mourning
Roughly 120 people attended the annual Day of Mourning ceremony on Sunday afternoon at the Worker’s Memorial.
The tenth annual Northern Uganda Development Foundation fundraiser, the African Dinner and Auction, will be held Saturday at the Columbus Centre to raise funds for the organization’s continued efforts to provide clean drinking water to those in need.
UNBC professor Chris Opio is the founder of the non-profit organization that has provided 92 wells that serve more than 100,000 people in Uganda, as well as offering sustainability programs including those who own, manage and maintain goats as a way to provide a better quality of life and even raise funds to provide education to those in remote villages.
Opio ,who visited Uganda last year, remembers one senior who said he didn’t think he’d ever see the day he’d drink clean water and was proud to regain his health and be able to achieve a level of cleaniness that saw him healthy enough to work enough to lead a successful life.
Andrea Byrne, a City of Prince George employee in the environmental department that oversees water conservation, met Opio a couple of years ago and heard about the foundation and the valuable work it does. Byrne said she was always interested in how other nations approach water use and maintenance and she and her husband Clayton Smith decided to independently go to Uganda for three months to oversee some projects. While Smith oversaw a project to replace a school’s roof that was damaged during a wind storm, Byrne was in charge of some wells and ongoing maintenance that is crucial to the continued success of the projects.
“When I was over there I cried a lot,” Byrne said. It was overwhelming to see the villagers so happy and friendly, offering gifts to her and Smith who have so much from people who had so very little.
“We got bags of beans and peanuts – we even got a goat,” Byrne recalls.
“They were all so happy living their lives.
We saw a child who had found a pop can on the side of the road and he had made a toy car of it. Other children found an old tire and played with it for days. Their lives are simple but they still find joy.”
Byrne said there was a bit of culture shock going from Canada to Uganda but it was more pronounced when returning to Canada from Uganda.
“I mean people are over there are sick and dying because they don’t have clean water and in Prince George people are watering their lawns to get rid of the snow,” Byrne said.
Because some of the villages are so physically far from civilization it makes it difficult
Dollar Baby film fest to feature indie Stephen King films
— from page 1
“The Dollar Baby Film Festival will feature eight shorts from indie filmmakers based on stories by the one and only Stephen King,” said Coyne.
“On hand to open the festival is author, Dollar Baby alumni and Stephen King collaborator Bev Vincent.”
The lineup of King flicks includes:
• The Doctor’s Case – directed by James Douglas
• Everything’s Eventual – directed by J.P. Scott
• Survivor Type: A Dollar Baby Adaptation – directed by Billy Hanson
• Rainy Season – directed by Vanessa Ionta Wright
• Rest Stop – directed by Stephen Baxter
• For The Road – directed by Simon Scott
• I Am The Doorway – directed by Simon Pearce
• Popsy – directed by Jon Mann
You can watch some killer movies (yes, that pun was intended) and you can also learn how they’re made, directly from the people who make them. Creative Corner is one of the information festivals built into the convention, for no additional charge, thanks to the funding support of Creative BC. Also, Vancouver Film School will have an on-site presence during FanCon, including info sessions and a live audition session on Sunday.
These additional off-camera personalities of the film industry have stellar reps of their own.
A four-time Academy Award nominee (plus four Daytime Emmy and one Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and many other industry accolades) leads this year’s behind-the-scenes stars.
That’s Matthew Wood (he did the sound editing for Star Wars: the Last Jedi, Star Wars: the Force Awakens, Guardians of the Galaxy, and many more) who will be high profile throughout the event. FanCon also welcomes the director of Tank Girl, groundbreaker filmmaker Rachel Talalay, who will be in the house delivering workshops and panel discussions.
She also directed Ghost In The Machine, some scintillating superhero television, and a little project called Doctor Who.
Michael Uslan, the executive producer of the 1989 Batman movie with Michael Keaton (the key performance, many believe, that started all this superhero business) will be live and in person, giving a Q&A after a screening of the film. He will also conduct some insider’s workshops.
One of the main panel discussions at FanCon brings many of these film and television industry leaders onto the main stage at the same time.
The Women In Film discussion hosted by Joelene Olson on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. will feature Talalay, Becca Scott, Jenn Lewis, Sara Shaak and Skye Borgman who has a hit documentary, Abducted In Plain Sight, booming on Netflix right now.
Borgman will also be conducting a director/producer how-to workshop called From Indie to Netflix: The 20-Year Path to Overnight Success.
Watch The Citizen for a feature conversation in advance of the big Northern FanCon launch on Friday.
For the full list of free panel appearances, workshops, and the autograph/photo-op price lists and celebrity availability (solo and in teams), go to the Northern FanCon website.
to make water accessible.
A new drill worth $100,000 is the target for the organization’s fundraising efforts and will be able to dig wells as deep as 400 feet to provide clean water to those in remote areas.
Opio said there’s already been a corporate donation of $10,000 towards the new drill and the goal for the 10th annual fundraiser is between $10,000 and $16,000.
During this year’s African Dinner and Auction, organizers will offer a delicious, authentic Ugandan meal consisting of a choice of gweno, a Ugandan style spiced chicken, ringo, a Ugandan style beef in peanut sauce or vegetarian bojo, spinach in peanut sauce
with icok, which is sweet potatoes and ngor, black-eyed peas. There will also be a traditional dessert called cassava pone.
To offer information about the foundation Byrne and Smith will present a slideshow and video of their experiences while in Uganda and items for the silent auction include traditional clothing, like shirts and items like aprons and purses as well as items donated by local businesses who wish to support the development programs.
Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at Books & Company, the UNBC Bookstore or through Opio at 250-961-9221 or chris@nudf.org or Andrea at andrea.nudf@ gmail.com.
Citizen wins Ma Murray award for ad design
Citizen
staff
The Prince George Citizen came away from the B.C. Community Newspaper Association’s Ma Murray Awards with the top prize in collaborative ad design. It was for an ad that adverising consultant Michelle Sandu and graphic designer Grace Flack developed for PG Clean, a local janitorial service that provides cleaning services to both commercial and residential clients.
The award, in a category for newspapers in markets of more than 25,000 readers, was presented during a gala in Vancou-
ver on Saturday. “This award is testimony to the passion and commitment the Citizen team puts into the work they do to help the city’s businesses
Man arrested in lake after baby grabbed in bizarre B.C. incident
The Canadian Press
KELOWNA — A man is awaiting a court appearance in Kelowna after a bizarre weekend incident which began with a baby being allegedly snatched from its mother and ended with the RCMP wading into Okanagan Lake to arrest a suspect.
Mounties say in a release that a family was walking with the baby through a waterfront park near the downtown core around 2:30 p.m. Sunday when the baby was grabbed.
Police say the man let go of the child after a struggle, then stripped naked, jumped in the lake and swam to a log boom.
The 30-year-old man, who is originally from Alberta, was eventually coaxed closer to shore where two officers arrested him.
RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey says the baby was checked in hospital and released, while the suspect faces potential criminal charges and was to face a court appearance Monday.
tell their stories,” said publisher Colleen Sparrow. “It’s also a truly wonderful to see the work they do every day acknowledged in such a great way.”
Dr. Chris Opio, chair of the Northern Uganda Development Foundation, is hosting the 10th annual African Dinner and Auction.
FLACK SANDU
USLAN
Leaders in the field
One of the toughest choices politicians face while in office is how much or how little to take part (and be seen taking part) showing up to a major emergency affecting thousands of people and pitching in to help out.
There isn’t a right answer because there’s pluses and minuses to both arguments.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his bottomless need to be photographed and filmed went viral over the weekend when a resident of a west-end Ottawa neighbourhood battling flooding confronted Trudeau.
The prime minister showed up with his two sons to spend an hour filling sandbags. The resident gave Trudeau the gears – all captured on a cell phone and immediately kicked onto the social media – about “security blocking by roads” (turned out that wasn’t the case), that his presence was slowing the line (correct) and that his reasons for being there were “insincere” (debatable).
Trudeau likely saw what he was doing as a win all around.
He got to do something that made him feel good, he got in some quality time with his boys and set a good example to them of what helping a neighbour in need looks
like, he got to be seen on the news pitching in and those sandbags he filled were going to help.
But the angry resident is right.
Political leaders are a distraction when they show up at an emergency. They want to jump right in and get to work, preferably doing something busy and meaningful; never mind taking part in volunteer orientation and safety meetings first or doing a job beneath them like directing traffic or arranging for deliveries of food and water for tired volunteers.
Yet the opposite extreme is just as bad.
John Horgan was premier for less than a month when the Cariboo wildfires took off in 2017, forcing more than 10,000 people to evacuate to Prince George.
On the advice of his firefighter brother who told him to stay out of the way, Horgan remained in Victoria and his absence was duly noted (the headline on The Citizen editorial on July 22, 2017 was “Dude, where’s our premier?”).
Horgan wisely didn’t go anywhere near the front lines of the Cariboo forest fires but he should have visited Kamloops and Prince George at the height of the crisis, to speak at one of the regular evening information meetings being held for evacuees, to assure them that the provincial government was doing everything it could to fight the fires and would continue working with them
afterwards to help them rebuild their homes and farms.
Some politicians take a different tact. Federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer also showed up at a flood scene near Ottawa on the weekend – alone, unannounced and without a train of reporters and TV cameras behind him. He asked what he could do, helped where he was asked to help.
Most of all, he asked questions, he listened, he observed.
That’s similar to what he did two summers ago when he came to Prince George during the Cariboo wildfires.
He instructed his two Prince George MPs – on short notice – to show him around, make introductions and keep his visit out of the news media spotlight until his visit was nearly over, to keep the focus on the evacuees and the firefighting efforts.
Yet even that option has its shortcomings.
While it’s far less intrusive than Trudeau’s weekend visit to the flood zone or his quick visit to Williams Lake in the summer of 2017 and much better than not coming at all, it feels like a token amount of caring.
There’s the rub.
The message residents displaced from their homes during flooding, forest fires or other disasters need to hear is that their governments and their political leaders care about what’s happened to them and will put
Procrastination a way to escape reality
In the drafts folder of my email sits a half-written reply to a woman who wrote me in anger. Hers was a lengthy, well-argued, point-by-point dissection of a column she didn’t like, so I wanted to put the same amount of effort into my response.
Which is why it has sat there, growing cobwebs and a greenishblue substance that looks suspiciously like mould, since 2014. I repeat: 2014. Five years. The First World War only took four. The draft is like my old hockey gear. Every once in a while I try to work up the gumption to throw it out, but that would mean resigning myself to defeat, to the reality that too much time has passed and it’s all over. So I just stare at it for a while, then turn away. (I also do this with combs.) My email inbox is even worse, a long scroll of unanswered messages mutely glaring at me accusingly with pursed lips and hands on hips, wondering when, or if, I will free them from their purgatory. Some are so old they’re written in Sanskrit. Some have outlived their authors.
This weighs on me, my guilt eased only by the knowledge that I am not alone. For chances are that you, too, Dear Reader, have a message backlog longer than the Nanaimo phone book circa 1993. And that’s why they came up with Email Debt Forgiveness Day. Arriving each April 30, Email Debt Forgiveness Day was created four years ago by P.J. Vogt and Alex Goldman, the co-hosts of the internet-related Reply All podcast. Their intent was to set aside a day when, without ex-
planation or apology, you get to answer, guilt-free, the messages you have left untended since the Harper era.
Here’s how they say you should do it. First dig out the email you’ve been avoiding. Then write a reply, ignoring the amount of time that has lapsed. Be sure to add a link to this page: emaildebtforgiveness.me. Then send and enjoy your anxiety-free day. They say the Email Debt Forgiveness idea was inspired by the time Goldman got a string of messages from his old bandmates, talking about getting together for one last gig. Unsure how to respond, Goldman simply didn’t. We have all been there. Some emails can be dispensed with quickly, either with an easy reply or by chucking them straight in the trash like a Tofurky or a Boston Bruins sweater. Others, alas, are more complicated, leading you to treat them as you would an April snowfall or a door-knocking politician: close the blinds and hope they go away on their own.
Which they don’t. So every now and then you take a deep breath and make a concerted effort to clear the accumulation, hacking away like a machete-wielding Indiana Jones until, exhausted, you are brought to a halt by the impenetrable wall of foliage/ verbiage. It never ends. We now open our
inboxes the way Dorothy Parker used to greet the ring of her doorbell: “What fresh hell is this?” Even the most welcome emails demand attention, distracting us from the other things in life that need doing. They pour in faster than we can deal with them until, like Lucille Ball on the chocolatefactory assembly line (YouTube it for a laugh, Junior, it’s guaranteed to dampen your drawers), we are overwhelmed. This is quantifiable: In 2017, researchers at Ottawa’s Carleton University found the typical Canadian “knowledge worker” spends 11.7 hours a week on emails at the office, plus another 5.3 hours dealing with workrelated messages at home. This month, the Radicati Group, a California-based tech market research firm, estimated that globally 293 billion emails are sent each day, a figure it expects to grow to more than 347 billion by 2023. An earlier Radicati study said office workers receive an average of 121 emails a day. Remember your childhood when, while death-marching to school with uncompleted homework, you clung to the slim hope that maybe, just maybe, a fireball would hurtle down from above and blast you into oblivion? (“Please, God, if you must take me, how about doing it before third period Algebra?”)
That’s how we feel now, though these days I just pray that some Russian hacker will cripple every computer in Canada, knocking us back to the Stone Age and relieving me of the need to deal with that five-year-old email. Forgive us, for we have sinned.
a dollar figure on that caring when it’s time to rebuild.
They need to hear that message in person, not from another senior minister and not from the local MLA or MP.
Then – and this was the critical mistake Trudeau made with the resident who confronted him – the politicians need to shut the hell up and listen.
Ears open and mouth closed is the other part of caring.
Trudeau insisted on the resident stopping to listen to his point of view, when he should have stopped and asked the resident questions. Are you one of the affected homeowners? How long have you been working? What do we need that is in short supply? What could we be doing better and what can I do to make that happen?
There isn’t a perfect solution to when senior politicians should appear, what they should say, what they should do, who they should speak with and how long when they staff during major emergencies.
While it’s probably best to review on a case-to-case basis, do no harm and listen more, talk less should be the basic rules of engagement when dealing with frightened, stressed-out residents wondering if they’ll have a home to return to when the crisis is over.
— Editor-in-chief
Neil Godbout
Not a choice between the economy and envrioment
We often break complex issues into dichotomies. You are either with us or against us. It is us versus them. This is a blackand-white issue. Should we or shouldn’t we?
For the most part, these dichotomies help us make choices. Given two possible answers, we look for the one which makes the most sense to us. For example, should we or shouldn’t we go for ice cream?
Personally, I would say yes.
But many issues can’t really be broken down into either/or answers. And yet they are often presented as such.
Consider the issue of climate change. There are believers and anti-climate change advocates. Depending upon all sorts of factors – or perhaps none at all – people tend to sort themselves into one of these two camps.
The believers are worried we are not doing enough to save the planet for future generations. They look at the science and see a picture which can be best described as gloom and doom. A world with temperatures reaching unsustainable levels. As a consequence, they want action now.
On the flip-side are the anticlimate change crowd who argue climate change isn’t happening or there is nothing we can do to prevent it so why even try or anything we do to stop climate change will hurt the economy.
Note there is a group who believe climate change is occurring but it is a natural phenomenon. They are in a crowd by themselves. This is perhaps the most interesting group because they will argue we shouldn’t do anything but recognize the future will be hotter and we will suffer the impacts of climate change on food production, water resources, etc. Whether it is naturally occurring or anthropogenic, we need to prepare for the consequences. Doing nothing is not really an option.
I mention this not to go down the climate change road but because of an email I got regarding a recent column. The author essentially asked the question “should we give up good paying jobs in the petroleum industry to save the environment?”
It poses a dichotomy. It is either jobs or the environment but why can’t we have both? Why can’t we have an economy and an environment? Why can’t we have an environmentally-friendly economy?
The answer is “of course we can.” It does mean we will need to rethink some of the basic premises upon which our present economy is
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built. Our present North American economy is built on the premise cheap labour will be available in other countries around the world. Labour intensive work presently migrates to low wage rate locations otherwise the cost of many of the consumer goods we enjoy would be substantially higher.
With respect to the environment, there are over 100 shipping containers filled with Canadian garbage sitting on a dock in the Philippines. Our environment is much cleaner because we are outsourcing our garbage. Out-ofsight so out-of-mind is not exactly the most environmentally sound approach. The damage is still done – just not to Canada.
Similarly, North Americans have been shipping polymers and plastics to countries such as China for decades. Again, this is not addressing the issue of environmental pollution. We are simply exporting our mess to other countries. Increasingly, these materials are being rejected by the receiving countries. Why should they be doing the work we should be doing? And this is the crux of the issue. By exporting polymers and plastics to other parts of the world for processing, we de-incentivize local industry. When it is cheaper to ship than recycle, shipping sounds like a good plan. By modifying our economic model, we could level the playing field and allow for local businesses to develop creating both jobs and demand.
With regard to the oil industry, it might sound like a good idea to drain every last drop in Alberta so we can keep driving our cars but oil is much more than gasoline or diesel.
We are going to miss all of the other things provided by petroleum when it is gone. Everything from pharmaceuticals to smart phones depend upon chemicals derived from oil. Pretty much every product we consume utilizes compounds from the petrochemical industry. We need to invest in the green economy. Instead of fighting about pipelines, embrace electric cars. Instead of exporting natural gas, start to build wind turbines, solar cells, and rechargeable battery systems. Instead of building onto sprawling metropolises, find viable ways to encourage constructive sustainable densification. It is not a choice between the economy and the environment. We need both.
Shawn Cornell, director of advertising: 250-960-2757 scornell@pgcitizen.ca Reader sales and services: 250-562-3301 rss@pgcitizen.ca Letters to the editor: letters@pgcitizen.ca
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TOP: Participants use the rope to ascend the cutbanks on Saturday afternoon during the 2019 Climb for Cancer fundraiser. Approximately 500 participants raised almost $60,000 to support the Canadian Cancer Society’s Kordyban Lodge.
BOTTOM LEFT: Peter Griffiths, right, and Judy Clarke hoist a campaign sign from the previous federal election out of a ditch on Foothills Boulevard near the dump on Sunday morning during the annual Citywide Spring Clean-up.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Randy Lewis, a customer security representative with Shred-it is handed a stack of files and documents to be shredded at Crimestoppers Shred-it event on Saturday at the CN Centre parking lot.
Bandits sitting in Doyle Cup driver’s seat
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
Driven to distraction by the Brooks Bandits and not winning any favours from the guys wearing the stripes, the Prince George Spruce Kings did something Saturday and Sunday they’d never done in their two-month-long playoff run. They lost consecutive games.
The Brooks Bandits could do no wrong and were full-marks victors in a 4-0 decision in Game 3 of the best-of-seven Doyle Cup championship Sunday night in Brooks, Alta, after falling 3-1 Saturday.
“It was disappointing, but I did think we played better than (Saturday) night when we were even up and I don’t think the 4-0 score indicates the game, to be honest,” said Kings head coach Adam Maglio. “They’re a good team and there’s a fine line between these teams between winning and los-
ing and I think it’s going to be the same in (the national championship).”
The Kings were the least penalized team in the BCHL this season but their lack of discipline in Game 3 made a decisive difference. Two of the Bandits’ goals came on power plays and the Kings’ inability to stay out of the box derailed any hopes of a comeback in the third period.
The Bandits went 2-for-6 on the power play while the Kings were 0-for-2. In the series, the Bandits are 3-for-13, while Prince George is 0-for-5. Playing shorthanded six times Sunday didn’t help and the four misconducts made it even worse for the Kings. A clearly frustrated Maglio got tossed with 6:42 left after he was denied a line change.
The Spruce Kings won the opener Friday 2-0.
“The first two games probably
Wilson lands two silver medals at Western Canadian finals
Citizen staff
In her final meet before she heads to Ottawa for the Canadian artistic gymnastics championships, Alia Wilson shone with silver brilliance.
Competing as part of Team B.C. at the Western Canadian championships this past weekend in Saskatoon, the 16-year-old Prince George Gymnastics Club member won the silver medal in the balance beam with a personal-best 9.525-point score and finished eighth in the overall standings.
Wilson’s overall score was the second-highest on the provincial team and she helped Team B.C. to a second-place finish to capture team silver.
Wilson will represent Prince George at the Canadian championships, May 23-26 in Ottawa.
The Prince George club will host the Prince George Invitational meet and Zone 8 championships this weekend at its facility at Exhibition Park.
could have gone either way and tonight we got a couple good bounces that were favourable,” said Bandits head coach Ryan Papaioannou.
“It’s two good teams and for me it’s really up in the air on what’s going to happen. When you have a team like them that has four lines that can all play, a really good back end that’s mobile and not only good defensively but always a threat offensively, and then you’ve got a goaltender like Neaton. It’s tough if you actually do generate an offensive opportunity, then you’ve got that guy to beat.
“We found we couldn’t generate anything on the first night and it’s seeming we’ve been able to find ways to generate a little more and that’s good for us.”
The teams were playing their third game in three nights and that became more of a detriment for the road-weary Spruce Kings,
who dressed 13 forwards and only five defencemen. During the season the Kings had six weekends in which they played three games in less than three days while the Bandits never had to face that situation. Losing Jay Keranen in Game 2 and Liam Watson-Brawn in the Victoria series to upper-body injuries took two older veterans off the blueline and forced the Kings to rely more on Ahac, Nick Bochen and Jason Chu, who all started the season as 17-year-olds.
“We have a young d-corps right now and they have an older forward group with primarily 19and 20-year-olds we’ve got guys playing in different spots, and they did a decent job for the most part,” said Maglio.
The rest of the series will be played at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena with Game 4 on Wednesday and Game 5 on Thursday. Games are also scheduled, if necessary,
Saturday and Sunday. Both teams will travel Monday.
“It’s going to bring a rejuvenation to our group, especially with two days off and the rest,” said Maglio.
“We certainly are in a battle and even those we both get in (to the national tournament) the guys want this series.”
The Bandits are scheduled to skate at RMCA at 10 a.m. today.
“We’ve watched a lot of video from their building and realize the corners are different and there might be some liveliness and we’re excited to get out and get a feel for the arena,” said Papaioannou.
“Sleeping in hotels and eating meals on the road is just not the same and we’re happy the three-in-three was here. As much as we’re happy how the last two nights went, now we’re going to have to take the show on the road and it’s not going to be easy.”
Canada out of U18 world hockey finals
The Canadian Press
ORNSKOLDSVIK, Sweden — Albin
Grewe scored the winning goal late in the third period as host Sweden edged Canada 4-3 in semifinal action Saturday at the world under-18 hockey championship.
Alexander Holtz scored twice for Sweden, while Philip Broberg had the other goal. Karl Henriksson added three assists.
Connor Zary had two goals and Alex Newhook also scored for Canada.
Taylor Gauthier made 26 saves for Canada. Hugo Alnefelt stopped 31 shots for Sweden.
After Broberg opened the scoring, Zary countered with a power-play goal as the two teams went into the first intermission tied 1-1.
Newhook gave Canada its only lead of the game with a goal 1:27 into the sec-
ond period, but Holtz scored to make it 2-2 heading into the third. Holtz scored on a power play midway through the third to give Sweden the lead. Zary tied the score again before Grewe clinched the win for Sweden.
The Swedes have never won gold at this event. They have finished runner-up five times.
Canada hasn’t won it all since 2013.
Russia defeated the U.S. 3-2 in a shootout in the other semifinal.
Jack Hughes had a goal and two assists Sunday to set a new tournament scoring record as the United States defeated Canada 5-2 in the bronze-medal game of the 2019 under-18 men’s hockey championship. Hughes’ three-point effort gave him 20 points at the 2019 tournament to add to the 12 he had in 2018.
The combined 32 points eclipsed the previous record of 31 set by Alex Ovechkin in 2002 and 2003.
Hughes is NHL Central Scouting’s top North American prospect heading into the 2019 NHL draft, where the New Jersey Devils will have the first overall pick.
Cam York had two goals for the United States, while Alex Turcotte and Bobby Brink also scored. Dylan Cozens and Nathan Legare scored for Canada, which hasn’t won gold at the tournament since 2013.
Spencer Knight made 21 stops for the U.S. Nolan Maier stopped 36 shots for Canada.
Sweden won its first ever under-18 title when it beat Russia 4-3 in overtime in the gold-medal game later Sunday. Lucas Raymond had a hat trick for Sweden, including the game-winner.
Prince George Spruce Kings goalie Logan Neaton and defencemen Nick Bochen (21) and Jay Kernan watch the puck roll away from the net after Brooks Bandits captain Nathan Plessis, left, forced Neaton to make a save during the first period of Game 2 of the Doyle Cup championships Saturday in Brooks, Alta.
Healthy hip, Loth regains speed-king status
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
If sprinter Tyler Loth had any doubts he’s healed from a frightening injury that wiped out his chance of a medal last year at the B.C. high school track and field championships, his performance in Saturday’s Sub Zero Meet put those worries to rest.
The 16-year-old Kelly Road secondary student dug his spikes into the blue rubber track at Masich Place Stadium and showed his heels to the rest of his senior boys peers, winning the 100-metre run.
On a cool, blustery day, but without the predicted snowfall, Loth and about 200 other athletes from eight northern B.C. clubs gathered for the one-day meet and he started his day with a win in the 400m run.
“My hip was a little stiff in my 400 and when I ran the 100 It felt way better,” said Loth. “I was pretty nervous this morning.”
Eleven months ago at the provincial meet in Langley, Loth was about 60 metres into his race when he felt a sharp pain in his side and dropped to the track after breaking a piece of bone off his hip.
“When I came out of the blocks my hip was a bit stiff but I just went through it and didn’t think it was a big deal and I kind of collapsed at the end and (the injury) chipped the bone,” said Loth.
The injury took fifth months to repair itself and he’s hoping his pain is past him permanently as he tackles the new season gearing up for his next shot at a provincial medal, May 30-June 1 in Kelowna. Loth has had bad luck at the past two provincial high school meets. In 2017, also in Langley, he leaned forward fighting for a top finish in the 100m event and ended up falling headfirst, which left him with a concussion.
He’s always been a fast runner and that’s what got him started in track when he competed in his first elementary relay as a Heather Park student and won. This is his third season with the Prince George Track and Field Club.
“He’s coming back from an injury and this is a good meet to
start to build his confidence up and get the kinks out,” said PGTFC sprint coach Cathy Johnson.
“Tyler’s extremely talented and he’s ready to go. The goal was to see how the hip felt and he didn’t have any problems so he’s good to go. We’ve got a plan in place with some technical elements we’re putting together for his race and it’s coming along quite nicely.”
Loth doesn’t usually enter the 400m event but once he learned there was no 200m race for his age category at the Sub Zero Meet he decided to put his name in for the mid-distance race.
“I almost passed out coming across the last corner,” he said.
Sophia Mahmoud, a 15-year-old Duchess Park hurdler, also gave
the Sub Zero 400m race a try and despite her numb legs in the final 100 metres she won the event handily.
“I think it was good for my first 400,” said Mahmoud, who was second in her 100m race. “I’ve done the 400 relay but this was the first just 400. The new track is so nice, so bouncy and so much prettier now. It’s a lot better than our old track.”
Mahmoud plans to focus on the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles as her primary events but also will compete this season in long jump and the 100m and 200m sprints. Jumping three-foot-high hurdles requires speed, flexibility and nerves of steel and the five-footthree Mahmoud, despite her lack
when you hit it you just keep going,” Mahmoud said. Mahmoud, 15, started out with the now-defunct Athletics North Track and Field Club, then spent a couple years training on her own when the club dissolved. She joined the PGTFC two seasons ago.
“She’s a great girl with a great attitude and amazing potential as a hurdler,” said Johnson. “You have to have no fear and be patient and have good co-ordination and she’s got that.
The $4.6 million renovation to Masich Place Stadium to bring it up to speed for the 2022 B.C. Summer Games pushed the PGTFC out of its home for nearly two full seasons and the club athletes had to relocate to Lakewood field. Saturday’s event was the first meet at Masich since the North Central zone meet in May 2016.
The bright blue track, green field turf infield and new jumping/ throwing areas has been an eyecatching lure which has swelled membership in the local track club and some of those athletes are fast enough to push Loth in practice.
“Every year there’s more members joining in and it’s like doubled since the track’s been built, there’s a lot more competition,” Loth said.
of stature, has a long history of winning hurdles at the north central zone championship. Last year she finished sixth in the 300m hurdles at the provincial finals in Langley.
“In Grade 6 and my coach (Steph Gouin) said I should try hurdles and at first I jumped over with two feet but I actually ended up really liking it and kept continuing,” said Mahmoud. Getting tripped up at sprint speed is one of the hazards of hurdles and Mahmoud has had her share of cuts and bruises but usually takes those wipeouts in stride. She’s always been a bit of a daredevil and the thrill of racing provides her an adrenaline rush like no other.
“I’ve hit multiple hurdles and
The PGTFC held indoor workouts from January-March at the Northern Sport Centre but had to wait two weeks before the city would allow the club to use the stadium. That means they’ve got some catching up to do to compared to their peers in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island where they can train outdoors year round.
Prince George will host the north central zone championships May 14-15. The club will also host the Spruce Capital meet at Masich, June 8-9.
A large PGTFC contingent will travel to Kamloops this weekend for the Dylan Armstrong Classic meet. Loth is looking forward to the competition but doesn’t like the idea of a six-hour highway trip to get there.
“I get carsick, I don’t like the bumps and turns,” he said. “I always have Gravol when I’m driving.”
CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO
Tyler Loth, a 16-year-old from Kelly Road sprinter and Sophia Mahmoud, a 15-year-old Duchess Park hurdler, take a moment to pose for a picture during the Sub Zero Meet held at Masich Place Saturday.
JAMES DOYLE PHOTO
Blues prevail in wild third to beat Stars 4-3
Stephen HAWKINS
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Pat Maroon flicked a puck over Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop with 1:38 left in a wild third period, and the St. Louis Blues won 4-3 on Monday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. Maroon’s second goal of the playoffs came after he gathered the puck to the left of Bishop and scored. That ended a span of just under 5 1/2 minutes when both teams scored two goals.
Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo scored his first goal of the playoffs, after also going without a goal in his last 17 games in the regular season, with 5:36 left for a 3-2 lead. His one-timer coming right after the end of a Blues power play during which Andrew Cogliano scored a short-handed goal to tie the game 1:18 earlier.
But Dallas quickly got even again at 3-3 on Tyler Seguin’s goal at 15:52 that was his first point in this series.
The Stars were on the power play for the final 44 seconds of the game after a delay of game penalty against Colton Parayko, a penalty that was called after a lengthy discussion by the four on-ice officials. Dallas had a twoskater advantage with Bishop out of net and on the bench, but had three shots blocked and missed another before time ran out.
Game 4 is Wednesday night in Dallas.
Jaden Schwartz and Tyler Bozak each had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who are still undefeated on the road this post-season after winning all three games at Winnipeg in the first-round series they won in six games. All four of the road wins have been by one goal.
Jay Bouwmeester assisted on both St. Louis goals in the third period.
Alexander Radulov scored on a power play in the first period for
the Stars, his team-high fifth goal of the playoffs.
Blues rookie goalie Jordan Binnington had 28 saves. Bishop, who grew up in St. Louis, was drafted by the Blues and made his NHL debut for them in 2008, stopped 30 shots. St. Louis went ahead 2-1 midway through the second period when Vince Dunn passed to Robert Thomas, whose shot from the middle of the right circle got through Bishop’s legs and behind
him. Bozak was there, along with Stars forward Roope Hintz, and was able to knock the puck in for his second goal of the playoffs.
Even with the wild finish, Binnington had another solid performance in net, including a stop of Radulov’s backhand on a breakaway just seconds after the Blues had taken the 2-1 lead in the second.
The rookie also had a leadprotecting shot early in the game when he smothered a shot into his
Raptors lose 94-89 to Phillies
Lori EWING The Canadian Press
TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors couldn’t overcome one of their worst first halves of the playoffs on Monday.
Leonard scored 20 of his 35 points in the second half, but got little help from his teammates and the Raptors fell 94-89 to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series heads to Philadelphia for Thursday’s Game 3 tied at one game apiece. Jimmy Butler had 30 points and 11 rebounds to top the Sixers, while Joel Embiid, who was a game-time decision after battling the stomach flu, finished with 12 points. Pascal Siakam had 21 points for the Raptors, who overcame a 19-point deficit to make it a game down the stretch. Kyle Lowry had 20 points, while no other Raptor
scored in double figures. The next best Raptor? Marc Gasol with five points.
It was no surprise the Sixers came out a different team than the one the Raptors ran roughshod over in Game 1.
“That’s normally the case from the team that goes down 0-1 or loses the last game,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said pre-game.
“I think that’s always the thing you remember.”
The Raptors apparently forgot.
Toronto was outscored in the first quarter for the first time this post-season and trailed by 19 points midway through the second.
In an offence that moved like sludge, Leonard managed 15 firsthalf points despite facing a swarm of Philly defenders.
The rest were terrible, shooting 9-for-36 combined.
The best three-point shooting
team in the league hit just three of their 15 shots from behind the arc. And they were thoroughly outhustled, managing a woeful 13 rebounds to Philly’s 33.
If there was a positive, it’s that as terrible as Toronto was, the home team only trailed by 13 at the break.
The Raptors found another gear in the third, outscoring the Sixers 25-18, holding them to 29 per cent shooting, including 0-for11 from three-point range, and when Gasol connected on a pair of free throws with 2:50 left in the quarter, it capped a 17-8 Raptors run and sliced the deficit to just a point.
The Raptors trailed 69-63 to start the fourth, but shot 1-for-7 to begin the frame and when Simmons strolled through Toronto’s defence for an easy layup with 8:43, it was back to an 11-point deficit. The visitors would go up
gut by Stars captain Jamie Benn, who had already had a shot slip into the outside of the net.
The Blues led 1-0 only 87 seconds into the game when Ryan O’Reilly made a pass from behind the net to Parayko, whose shot from the blue line was hit so hard that Schwartz’s stick was reverberating when he deflected the puck past Bishop for the goal.
Dallas got even on a power-play goal by Radulov, who was sliding backward in front of the net and
by 13 before the Raptors clawed their way back, a pair of threepointers by Lowry cutting the deficit to three points with 1:36 to play. A Siakam basket with 46 seconds left made it a one-point game.
A big basket by Embiid gave the 76ers a three-point lead, and Green – who was 1-for-6 from the three-point line on the night – missed on a three-point attempt with about five seconds to play and it was game over.
A frustrated capacity Scotiabank Arena crowd of 19,800 that included Nashville Predators defenceman P.K. Subban and his girlfriend and Olympic downhill champion Lindsey Vonn, Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner, and Canadian tennis players Milos Raonic and Bianca Andreescu, beat a hasty exit.
The Raptors shot just 27 per cent from the three-point line and were
connected on a quick wrister on a pass from Jason Spezza.
Notes: On the short-handed goal for the Stars, Brayden Schenn pushed a puck to the other end. Mattias Janmark chased down the puck for the Stars and pushed it toward the net. Cogliano scored after knocking in his own rebound... Before their four-game road winning streak so far in the playoffs, the Blues were 12-4-4 in their last 20 regular-season games away from home.
clobbered on the boards 53-36.
For a brief couple of minutes, the Raptors looked like the dominant team of Game 1, grabbing an early 4-0 lead. But Toronto couldn’t buy a basket – only four Raptors scored in the first quarter – and the Sixers went on a 21-10 run to take a 2617 lead into the second.
Leonard had 11 points in the second quarter, but he got little help from his teammates, and when Butler shot the technical after Nurse argued a call, his shot gave the 76ers a 19-point lead. Butler would convert a five-point play – he was fouled on a threepointer and Danny Green was whistled for a technical - later in the quarter. Green’s three with 12 seconds left sliced Philly’s lead to 51-38 at halftime. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia then the series returns to Toronto for Game 5.
unsportsmanlike conduct), Wolski BKS (unsportsmanlike conduct), Vachon BKS (roughing) 6:39, Ahac PG (slashing) 8:59, DenBeste PG (misconduct), Lemay BKS (misconduct), PG bench (unsportsmanlike conduct, served by Manz), PG coach Maglio (game misconduct) 13:18, Lee PG (cross-checking), Bast BKS (slashing) 18:48. Shots of goal by Prince George 9 10 2 -21 Brooks 13 10 8 -31
George, Neaton (L,17-3); Brooks, Charleson (W,14-4). Power plays – PG: 0-3; BKS: 2-6. Referees – Colin Stefanyk, Colin Watt; Linesmen –Cody Huseby, Deion Foster. Attendance – 937. Game 2 Saturday summary Spruce Kings 1 at Bandits 3 First Period 1. Brooks, Campbell 4 (Boyko, Lucas) 3:01 2. Brooks, Vachon 7 (Mashie, Christy) 8:44 (pp) Penalties – Christy BKS (goaltender interference) 4:56, Anhorn PG (tripping) 9:20, Brar PG (hooking) 16:51. Second Period 3. Prince George, Williams 2 (Donaldson) 15:50 Penalties – None. Third Period 4. Brooks, Lee 5 (Campbell, Boyko) 6:22 Penalties – Manz PG (high-sticking) 6:25 PG bench (too many men, served by Wilson) 17:22, Lee BKS (tripping) 18:16. Shots of goal by Prince George3 7 4 -14 Brooks22 10 9 -41 Goal – Prince George, Neaton (L,17-2); Brooks, Charleson (W,13-4). Power plays – PG: 0-2; BKS: 1-4. Referees – Clayton Hall, Tyler Jensen; Linesmen –Jason
Dallas Stars center Andrew Cogliano, left, scores past St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) and Vince Dunn (29) in the third period of Game 3 of an NHL second-round hockey playoff series in Dallas on Monday.
Director John Singleton dies after massive stroke
The
NEW YORK — The family for John Singleton said the Oscarnominated filmmaker died Monday after he was taken off life support after suffering a stroke almost two weeks ago.
“This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors,” read the statement.
The 51-year-old director of Boyz in the Hood, Poetic Justice and other films was in intensive
care in a Los Angeles hospital since he had a stroke on April 17.
John Singleton was nominated for an Oscar for 1991’s Boyz N the Hood. His recent projects include the TV series Snowfall.
As news that Singleton would be taken off life support circulated, many paid tribute to the director. Jordan Peele, the Get Out and Us director called him “a brave artist and a true inspiration.”
“His vision changed everything,” said Peele.
The Simpsons’ takes online heat for seal-clubbing ‘stupid Newfie’ joke
Holly MCKENZIE-SUTTER
The Canadian Press
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The hotly anticipated Canadian-themed episode of The Simpsons has opened a can of worms in the country’s easternmost province for a gag depicting its people as seal-clubbing “stupid Newfies.”
The episode, co-written by Canadian Tim Long, aired Sunday night and featured a segment where the character Ralph Wiggum shouts “I’m a Newfie” before beating the head off a stuffed toy seal.
Wiggum also performs a jig about life in Newfoundland while kicking the seal’s decapitated head in a circle and wearing it as a hat.
The term “Newfie” is considered a slur by many, with origins implying Newfoundlanders are unintelligent and lazy.
The clip was widely shared on social media as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians shared opinions on the joke, with some shrugging it off and others criticizing it as outdated, lazy stereotyping.
The terms The Simpsons, Newfies and Newfoundlanders were all trending on Twitter in St. John’s on Monday.
Newfoundland comedian Mark Critch of CBC’s satirical news show This Hour Has 22 Minutes said on Twitter it was “the lamest, least-interesting ‘Newfie’ joke I’ve heard.”
The clip also came under fire for attacking the province’s seal hunt. The gag shows Wiggum clubbing a young white coat seal, an age group that’s been illegal to hunt in Newfoundland and Labrador since the late 1980s.
The seal hunt has been condemned by environmental activists but defended by locals as a valued source of food, clothing and income.
In 2013, The Simpsons cocreator Sam Simon, who died in 2015, visited the province with actor Pamela Anderson to offer a $1 million incentive to help buy out sealing licences, meeting a frosty reception from local sealers.
St. John’s-based comedian Mike Hammond said he thinks some of the reaction to the term “Newfie” is overblown, but said he was wearied by the joke that made
light of outdated, misinformed stereotypes about the place, particularly the representation of the seal hunt.
“I wasn’t offended as a Newfoundlander, I was offended as a comedian,” Hammond said in a phone interview.
“It’s such a lazy joke, taking a stereotype from 20 years ago. It’s kind of like doing a Monica Lewinsky joke right now, you know. It’s so out of touch and out of date.”
Hammond said he doesn’t use the term ‘Newfie’ in his own comedy material and said he’s not too bothered by the term, but he criticized the show for its lazy representation of the province.
“If you’re going to poke fun at this little isolated population, at least get something right about it.”
The clip seemed to poke fun at Canadians’ hypocrisy as a seemingly friendly population with negative attitudes towards other provinces, with characters telling Lisa Simpson they treat all people equally except “the Quebecois” and “stupid Newfies.”
Gerard Van Herk, a linguistics professor at Memorial University, said the term Newfie is less irksome to his younger students but seems to be especially insulting to older Newfoundlanders or those who have been on the receiving end of it.
“For 80 years, non-Newfound-
landers have never used that word, or hardly ever used that word, in a friendly, supportive way. It’s always been meant as a put-down,” Van Herk said.
The term is generally traced back to American, Canadian and British soldiers who used it as a negative descriptor of their Newfoundland colleagues during the Second World War.
“The fact that some Newfoundlanders have taken it back and use it among themselves doesn’t get rid of that original meaning,” he said.
Van Herk said the Simpsons clip has a more derogatory tone than the Parts Unknown gaffe, combined with the jabs at the seal hunt, which has been used to vilify Newfoundlanders as barbaric.
He said the show’s depiction of other Canadians’ attitudes towards Quebec and Newfoundland shows a poor understanding of a country that has largely moved on from the stereotypes of decades gone by, with more appreciation for the province’s artistic output than goofy rural stereotypes.
“It’s not part of everyday conversations about Newfoundland any more, so it’s weird when it gets recycled like this,” Van Herk said of the clip.
“It doesn’t seem like someone who has a clue about Canada was involved in writing it.”
The Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. — An appeals court has denied Bill Cosby’s latest effort to be released from prison on bail while he fights his sex-assault conviction.
Lawyers for the 81-year-old comedian had renewed their bail motion in a filing last week with Pennsylvania Superior Court. They say Cosby is likely to have his conviction overturned because of trial errors.
The defence complained that Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill hasn’t yet issued a posttrial opinion explaining key trial decisions the defence plans to challenge on appeal. They include O’Neill’s decision to let five other accusers testify.
The appeals court has turned down the bail motion in a one-line order issued Monday. Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year prison term for drugging and molesting a woman at his estate near Philadelphia in 2004.
COSBY
Associated Press
Director John Singleton is seen in this 2013 file photo as he touches his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.
AP PHOTO
This image released by Fox shows animated characters, from left, Bart, Homer, Maggie, Marge and Lisa from The Simpsons.
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A cyclist passes between two canola fields on an afternoon trail ride near Cremona,
canola exports after China banned many shipments.
The markets today
TORONTO (CP) — Last month’s prognostications about a possible recession are being pushed aside after a couple of U.S. stock markets set record intraday highs Monday. Some observers said in late March that an inversion of the yield curve signalled a possible impending recession. That view followed the December equity selloff on fears that the U.S. economy was running out of gas and the global economy was rapidly decelerating. That sentiment has substantially subsided since economic data was released showing that the U.S. and global economies are doing better than expected, including last week’s 3.2 per cent growth in the U.S. GDP, says Craig Fehr, Canadian markets strategist for Edward Jones. Although it’s premature to suggest that a recession is totally out of the cards in the next 12 to 18 months, the likelihood has probably been reduced, he said.
“Our view has been that this economic cycle still has gas left in the tank,” Fehr said, adding that the modest economic growth can continue.
“Not only have we seen the expectations for a very nearterm recession recede more recently, I would say that the expectations for economic weakness are probably being pushed back certainly outside of 2019 to well into or beyond 2020.”
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 11.06 points at 26,554.39. The S&P 500 index closed up 3.15 points at 2,943.03 after hitting a record high of 2,49.52 in earlier trading, while the Nasdaq composite was up 15.45 points at 8,161.85 after reaching 8,176.08 earlier in the session. The markets were helped by optimism about a heavy week of data releases, including results from bellwether companies including Apple, Alphabet, General Electric, Pfizer and McDonald’s, the April U.S. jobs report on Friday and expectation of continued dovish sentiment being expressed by the Federal Reserve, said Fehr.
About 75 per cent of U.S. earnings so far in the first quarter have exceeded expectations.
In Canada, the S&P/TSX composite index closed down 13.09 points to 16,600.37, off the all-time high of 16,672.71 set last Tuesday. The materials sector fell by 1.62 per cent as several mining companies lost ground, including Endeavour Mining Corp. which was down 3.9 per cent.
Canada looking for new canola customers, pushing China to verify claims, Carr says
Mike BLANCHFIELD, Andy BLATCHFORD
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Canada is looking for new Asian customers for its canola to answer China’s ban on many shipments of the product, says International Trade Minister Jim Carr.
The Canadian government is also still pushing China to allow a Canadian delegation to visit the People’s Republic to verify complaints that Canadian canola is contaminated with pests, Carr said in an interview.
So far, China hasn’t agreed to requests for a Canadian delegation to test its unproven concerns. China has rejected Canadian canolaseed shipments in recent months and has suspended the licences of two major Canadian exporters.
The government requested permission on April 1 for inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Agriculture and AgriFood Canada to visit China, but so far there has been no response.
The CFIA has twice inspected the shipments in question and found no impurities, Carr told The Canadian Press on Saturday, prior to the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“We want to have a science conversation with the Chinese to verify any allegations that the very high quality Canadian canola has any impurities at all. We’re looking to have that proven to us,” the minister said. “We will send a high-level delegation as soon as that invitation is sent to us. Meanwhile, it’s important that we look for other markets for our canola and certainly the Asia-Pacific is among them, including Japan.”
Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has also written to her Chinese counterparts to press the issue, he added.
Asked why he thinks the Chinese have been
delaying, Carr replied: “I can’t speak for them.”
On Monday, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to pressure China by pulling hundreds of millions of dollars Ottawa has committed to Beijing’s multilateral development bank.
The Liberal government has committed $256 million over five years to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, in the hopes that Canada can help guide its decisions and that Canadian companies will get business from the development projects it promotes. Dozens of countries outside Asia are participants in the bank, from Madagascar to Ireland to Norway. Scheer also demanded Trudeau take several more-immediate steps, including appointing a new ambassador to China, launching a complaint about the canola dispute with the World Trade Organization and increasing financial support for farmers caught in the crossfire of what has become a broader diplomatic spat between the two countries.
“By doing nothing, this policy of appeasement that Justin Trudeau has pursued with the government in China has clearly not worked,” Scheer said.
China’s decision to cut off Canadian canolaseed shipments is widely viewed as an attempt to apply economic pressure on Canada following the December arrest of senior Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of the United States. China is the usual destination for about 40 per cent of Canadian canola, a major source of oil used for cooking and some industrial purposes.
In the days following Meng’s arrest, China arrested two Canadian citizens on allegations of engaging in activities that have endangered Chinese national security. Michael Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat on leave, and Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur, are still being held by Chinese authorities in what the Trudeau
Alberta Energy Regulator official quits over UPC ‘smear campaign’
Dean BENNETT, Bob WEBER
The Canadian Press
EDMONTON — A member of Alberta’s energy regulator who was singled out by incoming premier Jason Kenney as a foe of oil development has quit.
Ed Whittingham says it’s a decision he made the night of April 16, when Kenney’s United Conservatives won the provincial election.
“I felt I couldn’t work with this government. Nor does this government want to work with me,” Whittingham said. “It does feel like a load off my back. It’s not fun to be a punching bag.” Whittingham resigned from the board of directors of the Alberta Energy Regulator in a letter sent Sunday to board chair Sheila O’Brien.
“I was subjected to a smear campaign without precedent in Alberta for a public appointment held by a private citizen,” wrote Whittingham in the letter.
“Much effort was made to defame my character.”
The resignation took effect Sunday, just days ahead of Kenney’s promised date to fire Whittingam from the post, which paid a base wage of $76,500 a year.
Kenney and his new United Conservative cabinet are to be sworn in Tuesday and Kenney had said one of his first tasks in the top job would be to fire Whittingham. Kenney also promised to replace the rest of the AER board, saying that approvals for energy projects take far longer when compared with competing jurisdictions and that lag is hurting Alberta’s economy. On the campaign trail, Kenney singled out Whittingham for his former work as executive director of the Pembina Institute, an Alberta-based think tank that promotes economically responsible energy development. Kenney accused Whittingham of committing “economic sabotage” against Alberta’s oil interests at Pembina because the institute accepted money from foreign-funded special interest groups that he said were seeking to landlock Alberta’s oil.
government has called arbitrary detentions.
Weeks later, Trudeau fired Canada’s former ambassador to China, John McCallum, for going off-script in the government’s efforts to win the release of the two men. Before his posting in Beijing, McCallum was a longtime Liberal MP and cabinet minister.
Scheer tried to cast the canola fight as just one example of the Liberals’ failures on the foreign-policy front.
“There’s been no reaction, there have been no consequences to the government of China for detaining our citizens and blocking our exports,” Scheer said.
“I believe that when a country stands up for itself and shows that there are consequences to mistreating our citizens and blocking our exports that that will be when China recognizes that they should not pursue this course of actions.”
The Liberal government has established a working group to address the canola issue and asked to send a delegation of experts to China to examine the complaints and says it has been exploring options to provide financial support to farmers.
Trudeau and Abe discussed Canada’s ongoing feud with China over the detainees and canola during the Japanese leader’s two-day visit to Ottawa over the weekend.
China is “trying to impose its approach on countries around the world. As countries like Japan and Canada continue to engage economically with China we have to deal with some of these challenges,” Trudeau said.
Canada and Japan are united in their approach to China because of their shared democratic values, and adherence to the rule of law and respect for human rights, Abe said.
“We shall have to raise our voices in unity together so that China will go towards a positive, constructive role,” said Abe.
