Prince George Citizen August 30, 2018

Old RCMP detachment being leveled

Workers

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Convicted killer gets extra year for jailhouse attack

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

A man serving time for manslaughter has been sentenced to an additional year for a “hot butter” attack on a rival inmate at the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre.

Kurtis Riley Sundman, 29, was issued the term Wednesday at the Prince George courthouse for the September 2015 incident. It was described as a preemptive strike against Justin Edward Pawluck, who allegedly had held Sundman responsible for a January 2015 drive-by shooting against his home and planned to stab him.

Images from surveillance cameras showed Sundman microwaving some butter in a plastic container then running across the unit and dumping it on Pawluck’s face as he was lying on a bench talking on a communal telephone.

As Sundman ran off, he was overheard saying “I didn’t shoot up your house, goof.” Pawluck suffered severe burns and blistering to his face and neck and was taken to hospital for treatment but he was not left with any lasting scars. As a result, Sundman was able to plead guilty to assault causing bodily harm rather than the more serious charge of aggravated assault.

Following the attack, Sundman showed guards a seven-inch shank or homemade knife, saying he had retrieved it from behind one of the hand basins in the unit’s bathroom after a fellow inmate had tipped him off about the plan.

Sundman was in custody awaiting trial for the January 2015 murder of Jordan Taylor McLeod, who was 24 years old when he was shot to death on Upper Fraser Road moments after he jumped out of a moving pickup truck to escape his assailants. The crime was committed just 10 days after Pawluck’s home was shot at.

In July, Sundman was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in McLeod’s death. Less time served, Sundman had seven years seven months and 15 days to go at the time of sentencing.

Demolition was awarded a contract worth about $487,000 to carry out the operation, which includes getting rid of all hazardous materials. The site should be completely cleared by the end of September and will be converted into a city-owned off-street parking lot. However, the site may be developed in the future.

and Brunswick Street also previously served as a provincial courthouse. The demolition work began a bit more than four years after Prince George RCMP members and staff moved into the new – and considerably larger – home at 450 Victoria Street.

Pawluck suffered severe burns and blistering to his face and neck and was taken to hospital...

Pawluck was described as a “well-known drug trafficker” and, as a result of his reputation, a “heavy” in the unit at PGRCC where he and Sundman had been housed.

Likewise, Sundman was also dealing in drugs and during submissions on Wednesday, his lawyer, Brad Smith, said staff at PGRCC had noted during intake that there were issues between the two. Placing them in the same unit was a “recipe for an unhealthy relationship,” Smith added.

Sundman has since received mail from Pawluck indicating he wants to “squash the beef” or “resolve the matter between them,” Smith also said.

Prosecutor Tyler Bauman said the Crown found Sundman’s story “somewhat dubious” because the shank could actually have been his and he was keeping it to protect himself.

However, Bauman also noted Pawluck told police he had a list of suspects from the shooting but declined to hand it over, saying he preferred to deal with the matter himself. That, combined with Pawluck’s reputation and background leading up to the attack corroborates Sundman’s story, Bauman told the court.

Either way, Bauman said Sundman had the option of notifying the guards of Pawluck’s plan rather than taking the matter into his own hands.

In sentencing Sundman, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Marguerite Church accepted a joint submission from Crown and defence counsels. The term will run consecutive to the time Sundman is serving for the manslaughter conviction.

Given a chance to speak prior to sentencing, Sundman said he is treating his time behind bars as a “blessing in disguise” and rehabilitating himself so he is no longer the “way I used to be.”

Built in 1972, the building at 10th Avenue

Connolly says he won’t attend Capitals’ White House visit

Isabelle KHURSHUDYAN Citizen news service

If the Washington Capitals visit the White House as part of a tradition for most championship teams, forward Brett Connolly won’t be attending, he told reporters in Toronto on Wednesday. Connolly is the second player to say he would decline an invitation, joining forward Devante Smith-Pelly.

“I don’t think it’s the right thing to do,” Connolly said at BioSteel Camp, an annual preseason training session for NHL players and prospects, noting that “It has nothing to do with politics.”

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” added Connolly, who is Canadian.

“I think there’ll be a few guys not going, too. Like I said, it has nothing to do with politics. It’s about what’s right and wrong, and we’ll leave it at that.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to officially invite the Capitals to the White House, but most major professional championship teams have received invitations in recent years.

Trump canceled the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles’ visit to the White House in June after some players said they would skip the ceremony to protest the president and his rhetoric.

When the Golden State Warriors won the 2017 NBA championship, multiple players, including Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, said they would not visit the White House.

They were later uninvited by Trump.

The Warriors won another title this year, and Curry has already said he does not want to attend a White House celebration.

Other title-winning teams, including the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Penguins and New England Patriots, have visited Trump’s White House.

Less than a week after the Capitals won the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, players were polled about a White House visit and most said they would attend. Connolly declined to comment at the time.

Smith-Pelly, who is black and Canadian, was asked about the subject while the Capitals were still playing in the Stanley Cup final, and he said then he would not want to visit the White House because “the things that (Trump) spews are straight-up racist and sexist.”

“Some of the things he’s said are pretty gross,” Smith-Pelly told Canada’s Postmedia. “I’m not too into politics, so I don’t know all his other views, but his rhetoric I definitely don’t agree with.”

Smith-Pelly stood by his remarks when he was again asked about a White House visit after the season, and he said his teammates “have his back.”

“I said what I said, and that is what I believe,” Smith-Pelly said.

“Again, I haven’t thought about it any more than that. I stand by what I said... They can do whatever they want, you know what I mean?

“When I said what I said, no one in the room said, ‘Hey, maybe you should do this or maybe you should do that.’ Everyone can do whatever they want. I will still love (captain Alex Ovechkin) if he goes and the other guys if they go.”

Drive smart over long weekend

Citizen staff

Be careful if you’re on the road this Labour Day long weekend.

In the Central Interior, an average of 18 people are injured in 120 crashes every year over those three days, according to ICBC.

And for the province as a whole, the count is five deaths and 580 injuries in 2,100 crashes.

“Whether you’ll be driving a car or riding a motorcycle over the long weekend, ICBC is asking you to share the road and do your part to drive smart,” the insurer said in a release issued this week.

“On highways, expect to see many RVs, motorcyclists and trucks. If you’re staying in town, expect more pedestrians and

cyclists on the road.

“The key to sharing the road safely is to stay focused on driving and look out for the road users around you. Avoid distractions which will take your eyes off the road and your mind off driving.”

ICBC issued the following tips for a crash-free long weekend:

• You can only see motorcycles when you really look for them. Leave plenty of space when passing a motorcycle and allow at least three seconds of following distance.

• Crashes with trucks and RVs are usually much more serious due to their sheer size and weight. Keep clear of their blind spots – when following, you should be able to see both mirrors of the RV

or truck in front of you. If you’re behind a slow-moving RV or truck climbing up a hill, leave extra space and be patient as they’re probably trying their best to keep up with the flow of traffic.

• Most crashes with cyclists and pedestrians happen at intersections so always look for them –especially before turning. Make eye contact if you can, so they can anticipate your next move.

• Check road conditions at DriveBC.ca before you leave and be realistic about travel times and accept delays that may arise.

• Don’t rush to make up time –slow down to reduce your risk of crashing and arrive safely. You also save fuel by driving at a safe and steady speed.

Science gets poetic at museum event

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

The heart and the mind, the spirit and the intellect, science and art. Two local writers will flip to the deeper pages in the book of how those two conditions dance with each other.

“It was James Lovelock who said ‘science always uses metaphor.’ As a scientific writer Lovelock used a wealth of literary devices in his work that made what could have been dry factual texts into works of art,” said Erin Bauman, one of the two writers involved in the event. “Organizations like Science Slam are also showing us

how to drop scientific knowledge with artistic flare that makes it more fun and engaging for everyone.” Bauman will be joined by highly regarded B.C. poet Al Rempel for this science-themed poetry workshop and reading. “Participants will interact with the exhibits, look at the technical aspects of writing and poetry, and create science-themed literature,” Bauman explained. The event is entitled The Science of Poetry and takes place Sept. 19 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The Exploration Place. Admission is by donation, and no one will be turned away. For more information contact Bauman at dharma.w@hotmail.com.

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Kids’ art exhibit benefits wildfire victims

The worst fire in the province this year for the destruction of homes is the one at Telegraph Creek. More than 25 structures were burned by the Alkali Lake blaze in Tahltan territory, a community already experiencing a critical housing shortage.

Tapestry Singers looking for new members

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

The District 57 Tapestry Singers finished their singing year strongly. They hope to start the new school year riding that momentum.

Following this past spring’s Prince George & District Music Festival, the Tapestry troupe earned a trip to the provincials for both the Junior (Grade 4-7) and Senior (Grade 7-12) divisions. The seniors came home the provincial champions in their class.

Each new school year is a chance to refresh the ranks of the Tapestry Singers. The group is open to anyone enrolled at any school in School District 57, or taking part in the district’s home-school program.

In that way, this is a networking and social connection group as much as it is an award-winning singing ensemble.

“Singing a wide range of musical styles is a focus of our program along with the development of musical skills and understanding,” said Akiko Morin, a spokesperson for the choir.

“As a community of singers, Tapestry strives toward a high level of artistic excellence in choral performance along with personal and social growth. The mission of Tapestry Singers is to create a joyful and beautiful sound, to strive for choral excellence, and to foster a lifelong love of music and music making.”

The invitation is open, now, to join the new Tapestry Singers season. It is under the artistic direction of its founding choirmaster Carolyn Duerksen and founding piano accompanist Maureen Nielsen.

Three young artists – Hannah, Aivrielle and Joshua – were moved to do something to help.

“We’re all born from different parts of B.C.,” the three artists said. “Our paintings are dedicated to the evacuees displaced by wildfires, to our firefighters, and everyday heroes who would like to make a difference in our world.”

The Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society hosted an art show on Wednesday to raise awareness and funds for that northern community in crisis, and it was children who coordinated the efforts.

One of the three children has a family connection to Telegraph Creek, so the effort is personal.

“The theme of our exhibit is Strength for Today, and Bright Hope for Rebuilding,” said the trio. A donation link has been established so that contributions go directly to the rebuild effort.

Money can be e-transferred to ExecutiveDirector@Tahltan.org using the password Telegraph.

Cooler temperatures benefit salmon

Randy SHORE Vancouver Sun

Sockeye salmon entering the Fraser River this week will be aided by cooling water temperatures, which should decrease mortality and help them reach their spawning grounds up river in better condition.

“This is very good news as temperatures were a little bit high for a while,” said Jennifer Nener, director of salmon management for the Pacific Region of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

The river has been holding at about 18°C recently, but DFO’s Environmental Watch program projects it to drop to 17.2°C in the coming days. Temperatures of 19°C and higher hit earlier this summer, putting additional physical stress on the fish as they complete their marathon migration.

“We didn’t have the high water temperatures as long as we’ve seen in other years,” she said. “So we are in better shape than we have been.”

B.C.’s terrible fire season appears to have been beneficial for the sockeye.

“The lower ambient temperature on the water has been a serendipitous result of smoke from the forest fires,” said commercial fisherman Dane Chauvel, chair of the B.C. Salmon Marketing Council.

“Because it’s hazy it just hasn’t been as hot, so that is bad news for the forest, but good for the sockeye.”

Commercial fishers are optimistic that the sockeye run will live up to early sea-

son predictions as late-season fish start to enter the river.

Sockeye migrating into the river this summer are the grandchildren of the record-breaking 2010 run that exceeded 28 million fish.

This year’s run was estimated to hit 14 million after 1.5 million returned in 2017 and just 850,000 in 2016, the lowest return ever recorded.

The run peaks every four years, the time it takes the fish to reach sexual maturity.

“Late-run sockeye abundances are very high in marine areas” and more than three million early-summer and summer sockeye have already migrated past Mission, according to the Pacific Salmon Commission.

“The fishing we’ve had up to this point has been pretty darn good,” said Chauvel.

“You have to make your money in these peak years. The years in between are subsistence, so it’s these sockeye years that put you over the top.”

Returns to other river systems – such as the Skeena – have been greater than forecast, even though the fish came through later than expected, said Chauvel, who is test fishing in the Fraser for the commission three days a week.

“That seems to be happening with increasing frequency,” he said.

“I’ve heard the same thing is happening in Alaska in Bristol Bay where the fish came in greater numbers than

projected, but later.”

Earlier in the season, Chauvel encountered sockeye in “unprecedented abundance” northwest of Haida Gwaii.

“Anecdotally, I’ve heard they are still intercepting sockeye there, which fuels the theory that a lot of (sockeye) are still migrating to the Fraser,” he said.

Test fisheries have been quiet for the past few days, according to Nener, a lull between the early-summer and summer runs and the late-summer run, which may be as much as 50 per cent of the total number of returning spawners.

“We were really quite concerned about what would happen this year after low returns the past few years, but the fact that we’ve seen as many fish as we have is good news,” she said. “Now we are in wait-and-see mode to see how things play out.”

On Friday, the commission announced limited openings in the Johnstone Strait and the mouth of the Fraser River for commercial harvesting of Fraser River sockeye.

First Nations food, social and ceremonial sockeye fisheries are underway in marine areas and the Fraser River.

The Tsawwassen First Nation was also permitted to set gill nets for sockeye in the lower Fraser on Saturday as an economic opportunity fishery, while three U.S. treaty fisheries were extended. Marine and in-river recreational fisheries for Fraser sockeye have been open since early August.

Free shuttle bus offered to Ancient Forest celebration

Citizen staff

A free shuttle bus service will be available to take people out to the celebration at Ancient Forest Provincial Park this Saturday.

There will be two trips, both leaving from the CN Centre parking lot. The first leaves at 8:45 a.m. and returns to Prince George at 2:45 p.m. and the second leaves at 11:15 a.m. and returns at 5:15 p.m.

There will also be a service for McBride, leaving the village parking lot at 9 a.m. and returning at 3 p.m. Each bus has 15 seats and room for two mobility scooters or wheelchairs. You must RVSP online through a

link provided at www.env.gov.bc.ca/ bcparks/events/2018/ancient-forest/

For those driving out, there will be limited parking at the Ancient Forest with additional room at the Slim Creek rest area six kilometres east of the forest. Shuttle buses will run between the rest area and the Ancient Forest from 10:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

The celebration itself runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature local artists and musicians, from highland dancers and quilters, to painters and poets scattered throughout the forest performing and showing off their creations. There will also be interpretive walks starting at 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.

And everyone can get a taco lunch. Also known as Chun T’oh Whujudut, (pronounced Chun Toe Wood-yu-jud), it’s B.C.’s newest provincial park. It covers 11,190-hectares and is home to an inland temperate rainforest made up of hemlock and western red cedar trees as old as 1,000 years and with trunks up to 16 metres around.

A centrepiece is a 500-metre wheelchair-friendly wooden boardwalk plus a further 2 1/2 kilometres of woodplanked walking trails built by volunteers. In March 2016, then-Premier Christy Clark declared the Ancient Forest will be made a Class A provincial park and the legislation making it so was passed that same month.

Anyone interested in joining is invited to come to one of the group’s “everyone welcome” trial rehearsals. Curious families can sit in and see how the choir operates, meet the people involved, and give it a try.

The junior age group is invited to come out any or all of Sept. 13, 20 and 27 from 3:30-5 p.m.

The senior age group is invited to come out any or both of Sept. 13 and 20 from 6-8 p.m.

Rehearsals are held at Quinson Elementary School gym (251 South Ogilvie St.)

For more information, contact the director at: cduerksen@sd57.bc.ca.

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Joshua Cabilao, 8, Aivrielle Caban, 10, and Hannah Cabilao, 12, display their art exhibit inside of The Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society. The exhibit – titled Strength for Today, and Bright Hope for Rebuilding – benefits people whose homes were destroyed by wildfire in Telegraph Creek.

Trump wants Chinese-style censorship

U.S. President Donald Trump seemed especially jealous of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

First, Trump again mused about extending presidential term limits because he wants to preside over the 2026 World Cup. That was probably a joke.

Less funny were Trump’s repeated threats to punish Google if it doesn’t appease his political demands. That smacks of the kind of authoritarianism and internet control that Xi and the Chinese Communist Party have mastered.

Set aside the reality that there’s zero evidence Google’s search algorithm is “RIGGED,” as Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. As Maggie Haberman of the New York Times pointed out, Trump doesn’t use a computer, so there’s little chance he did his own research. The disturbing part is that Trump is suggesting Google is doing something “illegal” by returning search results that reflect badly on him personally – and he’s threatening retribution.

In China, the internet is censored so heavily, even references to Winnie the Pooh are blocked because Xi doesn’t like being compared to the cartoon character. Forget about publishing anything online that criticizes Xi directly, his government

or anything the Communist Party deems improper, unharmonious or subversive. You will be jailed.

But the main way Xi controls the internet is by forcing companies that own and manage internet platforms – both Chinese and foreign firms – to do the political bidding of the party. Companies that don’t comply face punishment dressed up as “regulation” as well as the scorn that comes with the party publicly accusing them of committing offenses against the Chinese people.

When a Marriott employee “liked” a tweet from a pro-Tibet group, the Chinese government shut down Marriott’s website in China, called in company executives for police interrogation and demanded the offending employee be fired. Marriott completely caved and apologized. Mercedes-Benz similarly prostrated itself to Beijing when it removed an Instagram post that quoted the Dalai Lama. Major U.S. air carriers have scrubbed the word “Taiwan” from their websites under severe pressure from Beijing.

Even Google itself has been secretly devel-

oping a censored search engine and compiling data for blacklists in an ill-conceived attempt to reenter the Chinese market. Trump could be forgiven for thinking that Google might bow to an authoritarian who threatens its business and reputation.

To be sure, the United States has laws, customs and institutions that should prevent the Chinese-style internet control Trump seems to envy. But the fact that our head of state is attempting to exert pressure to intimidate Google into changing the way it operates to favour his own political agenda is a dangerous step toward a slippery slope.

That’s not to say giant internet platforms that wield enormous power and influence don’t deserve more scrutiny and oversight. Google, Facebook and Twitter must be more transparent about how they decide who gets access and prominence on their platforms and why. It’s a national conversation that may require some government regulation or oversight.

But the way Trump and some other conservative leaders have distorted this debate is counterproductive. As my colleague Catherine Rampell recently observed, conservative complaints of bias on social media are muddied when leaders reveal their ineptitude, such as when House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy simply couldn’t figure out how to adjust his Twitter settings.

NDP balance budget, for now

The NDP increased provincial program spending by $3 billion over just part of the past fiscal year, and there’s still lots more to do, Finance Minister Carole James said Tuesday. The new spending on service delivery in a range of areas represents a six per cent increase over the previous year, the largest in several years.

The previous government’s annual increase in ministries’ service delivery averaged much lower over the past several years.

Part of the NDP election campaign last year was that the B.C. Liberals were neglecting some sectors of society by short-changing an assortment of programs.

The public accounts that James released Tuesday – the full financial account of B.C.’s performance for the year ending March 31 –shows the new government made a concentrated effort to close the gaps the party highlighted during the campaign.

Health Ministry spending rose by $1.2 billion, much of it related to mental-health and opioidabuse measures.

Education spending, much of it stemming from the court decision that mandated the hiring of hundreds more teachers, increased by $623 million.

There was $494 million more spent in the social-welfare sphere and $883 million more spent in the natural-resource sector, much of it on last year’s wildfires.

James oversaw the increases even while hitting most of the

marks set for fiscal prudence. The year-end budget, almost threequarters of which the NDP was responsible for, is balanced, with a $300-million surplus.

B.C.’s overall debt of $65 billion is down by $1 billion, the good credit rating is upheld and the growth forecast is holding steady.

Tuesday’s information dump was a comprehensive report card on the NDP’s fiscal management. It passed with good marks across the board.

But there is a nagging impression that the first year in office was the easiest one it will have, from a fiscal point of view.

The NDP took over in the midst of an economic boom that produced a $2.7-billion surprise surplus just months before it took office.

That surplus was used to pay down debt, one of the important checkpoints to maintain the credit rating. But one of the top NDP priorities is to moderate the real-estate market. And that superheated market, until recently, was a large part of the booming economy that was producing all the revenue bonuses that James is relying on.

Most indicators suggest that market is cooling. That’s going to reduce the revenue coming from real-estate taxes – the property

transfer tax, the foreign buyers’ tax and the upcoming speculation tax.

And if it slows down the rest of the economy, everything gets a lot tougher for a government bent on doing more.

James said Tuesday the government’s focus is on moderating the housing market, and she remains concerned about an economy built on a speculative real-estate market.

The NDP could wind up dealing with the consequences of getting exactly what it wants.

Another set of cross-purposes is shaping up at B.C. Hydro. The NDP’s dominant theme is to make life more affordable. That means resisting tax and rate hikes wherever possible. But the public accounts show the government is setting a course to back away from the looming decision about the need to raise electricity rates.

The government earmarked $950 million to reduce the billions that the utility carries in deferral accounts. And there’s a concerted campaign by auditor general Carol Bellringer, as well, to curtail that accounting practice. She’ll have more to say about that today at a news conference. Reining in deferral accounts would reduce Hydro’s leeway to push rate hikes off into the future.

The Liberals used to encourage that, by forbidding the B.C. Utilities Commission from getting involved in them. B.C. Hydro is due to submit a rate application to the commission next February.

Government and the tech sector need to work together to figure out how to ensure that huge internet platforms aren’t abused or weaponized for evil purposes. Some calls are easy. Russian intelligence agencies should not be able to easily spread propaganda. Burmese military leaders should not be allowed to promote genocide. But Trump tipped his hand when he made it all about politics and himself. In contrast to China, the U.S. has the First Amendment. It protects conservatives’ right to speak, and it protects those who criticize the president from having their voices suppressed in a relative way because the president believes he can threaten the companies that distribute that content.

Trump may not like that most of his media coverage is negative, but unlike Xi he doesn’t have the power to censor his critics. If he wants to know why Google searches on “Trump News” return mostly negative results, he should put down Twitter and pick up a mirror.

Josh Rogin is a columnist for the global opinions section of The Washington Post. He writes about foreign policy and national security. Rogin is also a political analyst for CNN. He previously worked for Bloomberg View, the Daily Beast, Foreign Policy, Congressional Quarterly, Federal Computer Week and Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

Positive news about

The human body is a complex structure composed of organs, muscles, and fluids. The most important of the fluids is blood. It is a mixture of cells and plasma. A typical adult has around five litres flowing through their circulatory system.

The plasma makes up about 55 per cent of the fluid and is mostly water containing proteins, glucose, minerals, hormones, carbon dioxide and the various blood cells.

The blood cells can be divided into at least three distinct groups.

Red blood cells dominate with somewhere close to five million per microliter of fluid (which translates to five trillion per liter).

Males have slightly higher levels and females slightly lower levels of red blood cells.

These cells, as their name suggests, give blood its distinctive hue. They contain the molecule hemoglobin which is composed of a protein wrapped around a heme prosthetic group. At the core of the heme is an iron atom coordinated by a porphyrin ring system. It is the iron atom which picks up oxygen in the lungs and releases it in our tissues.

The red in red blood cells comes for the electronic structure of the iron when it is coordinated by oxygen so arterial blood appears quite red compared to venous blood. However, venous blood still carries about 40 per cent of its oxygen load, so it takes on a purplish hue which results from a combination of the red oxygenate iron atoms and the blue deoxygenated iron atoms. It is the latter which give veins their distinctive colour below our skin.

Red blood cells lack a nucleus and many of the organelles found in other cells. This severely limits the lifespan of the cells to around 120 days and means we constantly need to be producing more. But the lack of DNA in red blood cells means they are not susceptible to attack by viruses or other pathogenic agents – they don’t get sick.

Blood also contains platelets or thrombocytes which are critical to forming blood clots. They clump together at wounds and form a bridge of protein fibres which prevent further loss of blood. The mechanism is complex but is initiated by any injury to a blood vessel which is why clots sometimes form within our bodies.

The other major category of cells in our blood are the white blood cells. They are part of the body’s immune system as they remove and destroy any old or aberrant cells and any cellular debris within the blood plasma. They also attack anything they do not recognize as being part of the self. That is, they will attack infectious agents

O-negative

such as pathogens but also any cell without the proper tagging.

Autoimmune diseases can occur when the immune system mistakes healthy cells for invaders. White blood cells are particularly susceptible to being attacked which leads to other diseases.

Beyond the general structure of our blood, things get a little more specific. Everyone generally has one of four blood types with type O being the most abundant at 45 per cent of the population. Type A (40 per cent), Type B (11 per cent) and Type AB (four per cent) are the other common types although there are a very small number of individuals who do not fit into these general categories.

An individual with Type A blood has a particular sugar on the surface of their red blood cells which can be detected by the immune system. If a person with Type A blood is given Type B instead, the immune system will recognize the cells as foreign and destroy them. Initially, this results in fever, chills, and bruising initially it can lead to a clotting cascade in which cell destruction blocks vital arteries. In this case such an incompatibility could lead to stroke or a heart attack.

Medical personnel are keenly aware of this issue and if they do not know a person’s blood type, they use Type O blood. The red blood cells lack both the A and B markers and, as a consequence, do not trigger a response.

Blood cells have another tag called the Rhesus factor which can be either present (positive) or not. If a person is given the wrong factor, the immune system will kick in again attacking the new cells.

As a consequence, people with an O-negative blood type are universal donors. However, they only make up seven per cent of the general population.

Earlier this month, Dr. Stephen Withers and colleagues at UBC presented a paper at the American Chemical Society detailing their work with a stomach enzyme capable of chewing off the Type A tags on red blood cells. Researchers have been studying enzymes for removing surface sugars from red blood cells since 1982, but Withers new enzyme is the most effective yet.

His work could allow any Rhnegative blood to be turned into O-negative, potentially increasing the supply of universal donors if it can be successfully transferred from the lab to production.

JOSH ROGIN Washington Post

Guest Editorial

TODD WHITCOMBE Relativity

LES LEYNE In the Fast Leyne

Trudeau, Trump both hopeful NAFTA deal will be signed by Friday

Andy BLATCHFORD Citizen news service

WASHINGTON — The fresh round of U.S.-Canada negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement generated hopeful signals from both camps Wednesday that a deal could be struck by the end of the week.

A day after the two neighbours restarted intensive, face-to-face negotiations on NAFTA, both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism a new continental accord could be reached by Friday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, emerging Wednesday evening from her second meeting of the day with her U.S. counterpart, said officials would be working late into the night – and possibly all night – on potential “landing zones” where both parties can agree. She and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and their teams will meet again today to review the progress made.

“This is a very intense moment in the negotiations and we’re trying to get a lot of things done very quickly,” she said.

“I feel that both parties are coming to this stage of the negotiation with a lot of goodwill... There is a good atmosphere, we’re working productively.”

The 24-year-old NAFTA, which also includes Mexico and is integral to the continent’s economy, has been under renegotiation for more than 12 months.

Canadian officials say an agreement announced earlier in the week between the U.S. and Mexico, which includes common ground on the difficult issue of labour within the auto sector, has broken a logjam in the talks.

Trump added a layer of urgency to the negotiations Monday after announcing his deal with Mexico – with an ultimatum that Canada would have to join their pact by Friday or suffer the consequences of punishing tariffs on its auto sector. He also warned that the U.S. and Mexico would move forward bilaterally without Canada.

By Wednesday, after round-the-clock talks among officials from all three countries, a cautious Trudeau said it was possible for a new three-country treaty to come together by week’s end – but he added Canada refused to be rushed into a poor deal just to meet Trump’s deadline.

To get to a deal, Canada is under pressure from the U.S. to compromise on key issues – from opening access to its protected dairy sector, to getting rid of NAFTA’s dispute settlement system, to introducing a clause that would call for the deal to be renegotiated again every 16 years.

“We recognize there is a possibility of getting there by Friday, but it is only a possibility because it will hinge on whether or not there is ultimately a good deal for Canada, a good deal for Canadians,” Trudeau said at an event in northern Ontario.

“I’ve said from the beginning no NAFTA deal is better than a bad NAFTA deal. And we are going to remain firm on that principle because Canadians expect us to stand up for them.”

Trudeau’s office sent out a signal later Wednesday that NAFTA 2.0 talks were progressing.

His office said the prime minister will hold a call this afternoon with premiers to discuss the NAFTA negotiations. Freeland will be on the call, as will Canada’s ambas-

Province launches lawsuit against opioid makers

KANE

VANCOUVER — British Columbia launched a proposed class-action lawsuit Wednesday against dozens of pharmaceutical companies, alleging they falsely marketed opioids as less addictive than other pain drugs and helped trigger an overdose crisis that has killed thousands.

The lawsuit is the first of its kind in Canada and names OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma Inc. and other major drug manufacturers.

It also targets pharmacies, including Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. and its owner Loblaw Companies Ltd., claiming they should have known the quantities of opioids they were distributing exceeded any legitimate market.

“Today, another three or four people will die from an overdose in British Columbia,” said Judy Darcy, the province’s minister of mental health and addictions.

This is a very intense moment in the negotiations and we’re trying to get a lot of things done very quickly.

—

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland

sador to the U.S., David MacNaughton, and Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for intergovernmental affairs.

Trump, too, was confident Wednesday that a deal could be on the way.

“They want to be a part of the deal and we gave until Friday and I think we’re probably on track,” Trump told reporters of Canada’s negotiating team.

“We’ll see what happens. But in any event, things are working out very well.”

The U.S. president also noted it would be a bad idea for Canada to let this opportunity to join the U.S.-Mexican trade agreement slip away.

“I think it’s going to be obviously very good for Canada if they do (join) and I think it’s probably not going to be good at all if they don’t,” Trump said.

Freeland, who has been leading Ottawa’s negotiating team this week in Washington, said she’s optimistic about the “intense” talks now under way in the accelerated search compromise on NAFTA.

But she also cautioned that more tough talks lie ahead.

“When it comes to specific issues, we have a huge amount of work to do this week at the ministerial level and also officials are really grinding through extremely intensively,” the minister said as she emerged from her first meeting of the day with Lighthizer.

When pressed by reporters, Freeland would not provide details of what Canada might be putting on the table, saying she and Lighthizer have agreed not to negotiate in public. Trudeau similarly refused to get into details.

However, Freeland did suggest Canada has not budged on its insistence that a new NAFTA must include an independent dispute settlement mechanism.

Canada’s view on that subject is “well known,” she said, when asked if she’s prepared to drop that demand.

She credited the Mexicans for their difficult decision to compromise on labour and wages as part of its auto rules-of-origin talks with the U.S., saying it has cleared the way for more substantive talks between Washington and Ottawa.

“This is a really important step for us and it has set the stage for very intensive conversations and negotiations that we’re going to have this week,” Freeland said.

For now, Canadian negotiators are primarily focused on bilateral talks with the Americans.

Freeland cancelled her trip to Europe this week to return to the NAFTA bargaining table after the U.S. and Mexico agreed on numerous trade issues throughout their bilateral, summertime talks.

Asked to comment Wednesday about how he’s feeling about his trading partners, Trump said: “I love Canada. You know what? I love Mexico too.”

Asked which one he likes better, he said, “I like ’em both the same.”

“The labels for our prescription opioid pain medicines provide information about their risks and benefits, and the allegations made against our company are baseless and unsubstantiated. In fact, our medications have some of the lowest rates of abuse among this class of medications,” it said in a statement.

Shoppers and Loblaw also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Purdue encouraged the long-term use of opioids for chronic conditions such as back pain, migraines and arthritis in order to expand its market and profits, the B.C. government alleges, and promoted a narrative that pain was under-treated and should be made a higher priority by doctors.

Nearly 4,000 Canadians died from apparent opioid overdoses last year, while B.C. remained the province hardest hit by the opioid crisis, with 1,399 deaths, up from 974 in 2016, according to Statistics Canada.

“Each and every person that we have lost has meant the world to someone who has cared about them and cared about their well-being. They were someone’s light, they were someone’s loved one and now they are gone.”

Nearly 4,000 Canadians died from apparent opioid overdoses last year, while B.C. remained the province hardest hit by the opioid crisis, with 1,399 deaths, up from 974 in 2016, according to Statistics Canada.

The province declared a public health emergency in 2016.

The notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court names 40 defendants. Statements of defence have not been filed and none of the allegations contained in the civil claim has been proven in court.

B.C. is bringing the action on behalf of a class representing all federal, provincial and territorial governments and agencies, which during the period of 1996 until now paid health care, pharmaceutical and treatment costs related to opioids.

The class period begins in 1996 when Purdue first introduced and began to market OxyContin in Canada.

Purdue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The B.C. government alleges that opioid manufacturers marketed and promoted the drugs in Canada as less addictive than was actually known to them, and for conditions the manufacturers knew the drugs were not effective in treating. Such marketing and promotion, the province asserts, resulted in an increase in prescription and use of all opioids.

Other drug manufacturers named in the suit include Apotex Inc., Janssen Inc., Mylan N.V., Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., Sandoz Canada Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. and Valeant Canada LP.

Most of the companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Teva said it does not comment on ongoing litigation and Sandoz said it has not seen the lawsuit and was not in a position to comment.

Janssen said its actions in the marketing and promotion of opioids were “appropriate and responsible.”

A 1996 Purdue news release on OxyContin stated that “fear of addiction is greatly exaggerated” and “there is very little risk of addiction,” the lawsuit says. Despite medical practitioners raising alarm bells later in the 1990s and 2000s, pharmaceutical companies spent hundreds of millions to persuade doctors that risk of addiction to opioids was very low, the government alleges. In 2016, Purdue gave Canadian doctors more than $2 million as part of marketing efforts, the lawsuit alleges. The province also asserts that false claims were distributed in medical journals.

The lawsuit highlights a 2007 guilty plea by Purdue in the U.S. admitting to misleading marketing.

The company paid US$600 million in criminal and civil settlements, the lawsuit says, and an agreed statement of facts says Purdue employees intended to defraud or mislead when they marketed OxyContin as less addictive than other pain drugs.

As for distributors, including Shoppers and Loblaw, the lawsuit alleges they circulated large amounts of opioids to pharmacies, hospitals and other dispensaries and “intensified the crisis of opioid abuse, addiction and death in Canada.”

Attorney General David Eby said the lawsuit is based on the province’s litigation against tobacco companies, which has been underway for more than 15 years.

“While money can never address the human toll of this tragedy, it is my responsibility as attorney general to take action where we believe corporations or individuals have acted to harm the people of B.C.,” he said.

Last month, New Brunswick said it was considering launching or joining a lawsuit aimed at recovering health-care costs from the growing opioid crisis.

In March, a Saskatchewan judge rejected a $20-million national settlement against Purdue, saying it was inadequate. That case was filed by individuals rather than by a government.

Health Canada said in April it has closely noted the outcome of U.S. legal proceedings against Purdue.

The department said action would be taken if it determines an advertisement poses a significant safety concern or contravenes its regulations.

Purdue said in a statement at the time that it markets its products in accordance with the rules.

CP PHOTO

Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland speaks after touring Tree Island Steel in Richmond on Aug. 24.

Laura

Citizen news service

Dyson plans expansion for U.K. electric car site

Citizen news service

LONDON — Dyson, the British company best known for its ground-breaking vacuum cleaners, said Thursday that it has submitted a planning application to expand facilities at a former British military airfield to develop electric vehicles.

The company said Thursday it plans to build more than 16 kilometres of test tracks at the former Hullavington Airfield in southern England. The cars are expected to launch in 2021.

It also plans new office buildings for more than 2,000 staff that will eventually be employed at the site.

Billionaire founder James Dyson, one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs, has been a prominent advocate of Brexit but has faced criticism for moving much of the firm’s production to Asia. Dyson has said that the British government should leave the EU immediately, then work out trade deals with the bloc and others.

The company said it will invest 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) overall in its electric car program.

The company has already restored two hangars dating from 1938, where 400 employees now work. In the next phase of development at the 750acre site, the company is proposing to build tracks to put battery-powered vehicles through their paces, including handling and stability, off-road driving, a skid pan and a high speed runway for speeds above 160 km/h.

Bond car eyes stock market

LONDON (AP) — Aston Martin, the maker of James Bond’s favourite sports car, said Wednesday it may sell shares for the first time as it seeks to attract more wealthy buyers with an expanded product range including sedans, sports utility vehicles and even submarines.

The company said it will sell at least 25 per cent of Aston Martin’s shares if it decides to go forward with an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange. Details of the IPO would be published around Sept. 20.

The announcement came as Aston Martin said first-half pre-tax profits rose to 20.8 million pounds ($26.8 million) from 20.3 million pounds during the same period last year. Chief executive Andy Palmer said the potential IPO “represents a key milestone in the history of the company.”

Commission overturns newsprint duties

The U.S. International Trade Commission has overturned duties imposed on Canadian newsprint by the U.S. Commerce Department earlier this year.

The five commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday that imports from Canada of uncoated groundwood paper, used for newspapers, commercial printing and book publishing, do not injure U.S. industry.

The U.S. Commerce Department had imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties of various levels on Canadian producers including Resolute Forest Products, Catalyst Paper Corp., Kruger Inc., and White Birch Paper.

The U.S. International Trade Commission’s vote overrules the findings of the Commerce Department.

The vote was welcome news to Montreal-based Resolute, the largest newsprint producer in the world.

“To get a five to zero, unanimous vote finding no injury is just a monumental victory for our efforts,” said company spokesman Seth Kursman.

“I am just thrilled...it is a great day for the American consumer, it is a great day for freedom of the press.”

Catalyst CEO Ned Dwyer said he’s very pleased with the ruling.

“We are a global exporter of pulp and paper products and we play by the rules,” he said in a statement. “The facts show that the petitioner’s allegation that Catalyst Paper has harmed the U.S. newsprint industry is false.”

tariffs would have been unsustainable for

The vote comes after U.S. newspapers had campaigned to lift the duties that had pushed a core expense higher and forced layoffs at some papers. The U.S. imported an estimated US$1.21 billion worth of uncoated groundwood paper last year.

David Chavern, CEO of U.S. newspaper industry group News Media Alliance, applauded the ruling.

“The tariffs would have been unsustainable for newspapers, other printers and publishers and printers. Fortunately, our voice was heard at the ITC hearing last month, and they made the right call today in reversing these harmful tariffs,” Chavern said in a statement.

He said the group had emphasized in recent months that it was a decadeslong shift from print to digital platforms that is causing a decline in newsprint demand, not imports from Canada.

The duties had come about after Washington-based North Pacific Paper Co., owned by hedge fund One Rock Capital Partners LLC, complained Canada was dumping newsprint into the U.S. market and unfairly subsidizing its industry.

Craig Anneberg, CEO of North Pacific,

— David Chavern CEO, News Media Alliance

said in a statement that the company disagrees with the ruling and it will assess its options when the detailed written determination is released in a few weeks.

“We are very disappointed in the USITC’s negative determination, given that the record clearly shows that the domestic industry has been materially injured by dumped and subsidized imports from Canada.”

The company’s argument is the same made regarding Canada’s softwood industry, which led to the imposition of both countervailing and anti-dumping duties on most Canadian softwood exports to the United States.

Kursman said the reversal of the duties means Resolute will have millions of dollars in deposits returned, and avoid tens of millions of dollars in future payments.

He said the campaign to end the duties was supported by 174 members of Congress and forestry industry groups in the U.S.

The end of uncoated groundwood duties follows the reversal in July of duties the U.S. had imposed on supercalendered paper from Canada in 2015.

Air Canada mobile app breach

may have leaked personal information

Christopher REYNOLDS Citizen news service

MONTREAL — Some 20,000

Air Canada customers woke up

Wednesday to learn their personal information may have been compromised after a breach in the airline’s mobile app that prompted a lockdown on all 1.7 million accounts until their passwords could be changed.

Air Canada said it detected unusual login activity between Aug. 22 and Aug. 24 and tried to block the hacking attempt, locking the app accounts as an additional measure, according to a notice on its website.

Mobile app users also received an email alerting them as to whether their account had been affected. The app stores basic information including a user’s name, email and phone number.

Any credit card data is encrypted and would be protected from a breach, Air Canada said.

But Aeroplan numbers, passport numbers, birth dates, nationalities and countries of residence could have been accessed if users saved them in their account profile, the company said.

“Some data, such as names or emails, may have been visible if an unauthorized user was able to gain access to an account,” spokes-

woman Isabelle Arthur said in an email.

The risk of a third party obtaining a passport in someone else’s name is low if the user still has their passport and supporting documents, according to the federal government.

Users can reactivate their account along stricter password guidelines by following instructions emailed to them or prompts when logging in.

Some users reported problems with the process on social media, likely due to the volume of customers trying to unlock their account.

Air Canada advised anyone looking to access the app to keep trying.

In March, the airline said some customers who booked hotels through its former travel partner Orbitz may have had their personal data stolen.

Nearly 2,300 bookings through Air Canada hotel options could have been involved in a data breach of hundreds of thousands of records that Orbitz reported earlier this year, Air Canada said.

The Expedia-owned travel website operator, whose platform Air Canada no longer uses, disclosed on March 20 that hackers may have accessed personal information from about 880,000 payment cards in 2016.

U.S. pending home sales slip

Ian BICKIS Citizen news service

Newspaper front pages are displayed at the Newseum in Washington in July 2017.

promoting the freedom of mothers to breastfeed in public in Bucharest, Romania, in 2016. The B.C. government has unveiled a plan to promote breastfeeding for infants in government care.

Province unveils plan to promote breastfeeding for infants in gov’t care

Citizen news service

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government has outlined a five-point plan to promote breastfeeding and stronger mother-child bonds for infants who are in provincial care.

The plan based on a report from the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the representative for children and youth is intended to support vulnerable women and their infants. Resources for the plan will be allocated as needed, said a statement from the ministry, which described it as a priority that the government will address in its budget next year and beyond.

The province developed the plan after a B.C. Supreme Court ruling in February, which gave a mother daily access to her newborn, who was taken away three days after birth.

“It’s a ruling we took seriously,” Katrine Conroy, the minister of children and family development, said on Wednesday.

“We needed to take a closer look, not at an isolated incident, but as a matter of ministry policy.”

The plan outlines guidelines for social workers to promote breastfeeding when infants are separated from their birth mothers, find ways to make breastmilk available to infants and address breastfeeding within the context of substance use.

Over a four-year period starting in 201314, the report found that on an average, more than 500 infants who were under one year old entered government care and nearly 70 per cent of these infants were Indigenous.

Bernard Richard, the representative for children and youth, described the number as significant.

“A lot of very young lives are starting out away from their families, generally missing out on the proven lifelong health benefits of breastfeeding and bonding with parents,” he said.

The report says the statistics highlight that the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in care begins in infancy.

Cheryl Casimer, a member of the B.C. First Nations Leadership Council, said she was disappointed because a tripartite working group on Indigenous child welfare that includes the council was not consulted.

“It was not an issue that was brought to our attention and it was never brought forward to the table for discussion – nothing,” said Casimer, who is also a member of the political executive of the First Nations Summit.

“I’m just really surprised. We have stated numerous times to both levels of government that anything that has to do about us cannot be done without us.”

Casimer said as a mother, she understands the benefits of breastfeeding. There are long-term effects when First Nations children are taken out of hospitals and placed in care, she said, adding she is glad to see that the government is seriously looking at ways to decrease the number of children going into care and supporting breastfeeding initiatives.

The plan is just one piece of the solution, Casimer said.

“The issue is much larger than just putting together a five point breastfeeding plan. When they talk about decreasing the number of Aboriginal children going into care, well, how do you do that?” she asked.

B.C. wildfires set record, state of emergency extended

Citizen news service

VICTORIA — British Columbia has set a record this year for the amount of land scorched by wildfires as the province extended a state of emergency to Sept. 12.

Provincial statistics show almost 12,985 square kilometres have burned this year, eclipsing last year’s mark of 12,160 square kilometres.

There have been 2,011 fires so far this summer, more than last year’s total of 1,353.

The province says extending the state of emergency for another 14 days ensures all the resources needed for public safety can be delivered. There are 534 wildfires burning in B.C., with 34 evacuation or-

ders affecting about 3,200 people. Another 53 evacuation alerts affected about 21,800 people.

The provincial government says the decision to extend the state of emergency will help those who are under evacuation orders and alerts. It gives agencies like Emergency Management BC, the fire commissioner and the RCMP the authority to take whatever action is needed to fight the fires and protect residents and their communities.

In 2017, the province was under a state of emergency for 10 weeks because of wildfires that forced 65,000 people from their homes. It was extended four times and finally ended on Sept. 15.

A woman breastfeeds her daughter at an event

Place power with right attorney

Iwas on a long drive back from 100 Mile House with a good friend. Both in our mid-50s, married for nearly 30 years and finishing up raising large families. His five daughters and two sons, my six daughters and son; our university educations in the ’80s in Vancouver; he an old washed up rugby player, and I a hurting hockey player. We had lots in common and stories to share. Launching in to one of my tales, it occurred to me that I had told it to him earlier. Red-faced, I cut myself off and apologized, but just when I stopped talking, he gently put his hand on my shoulder and remarked: “It’s OK. I already forgot it.” I finished the story, and he was freshly amused by it – as if for the first time.

He was feverishly busy with work, family and volunteer responsibilities. So much that it seemed like nearly every weekend he was flying to Vancouver or Toronto, or Tokyo or wherever, for some sort of meeting or another, and to a lesser extent, so was I. Once he rushed off his plane in Vancouver, picked up his rental car and hurried off to his hotel. On arrival he found that he did not have a room, had brought the wrong briefcase and prepared for the wrong meeting altogether. The staff graciously took him to another hotel, and I suppose he very effectively faked his way through the meetings the next day.

At least he was in the right city,

It’s Only Money

which is more than might have happened to me around that time at the Prince George airport. I was working on a Citizen column, and ignored the first, second and third calls for boarding my flight. I finally rushed to the gate when they made last call, looked at my ticket and sat down in my assigned seat, sighing in relief. Column done, on my way. Just then a kindly woman told me I was in her seat. “I don’t think so, see here? 10E.”

Along came the flight attendant to fix us up – probably a computer glitch. But both our tickets indeed read seat 10E, only I was on the wrong plane, wrong airline, headed to the wrong city. My plane sat next to us on the tarmac, doors closed, and engine running, cargo about 200 pounds light. I suppose only a graciously small airport like Prince George could accommodate the ensuing sprint, juggle, and re-embark without making me feel like the concussed hockey player I am.

Decades from now, this situation will evolve in to something that is less humorous – as it will for us all. Part of the solution is a very trustworthy (younger) power of attorney to take over our financial affairs when our brains become

functionally unreliable.

As power of attorney, Henry was Samantha’s nephew (fake names, true story), and also the beneficiary of her will. In 2009, she lived alone in her home and had a bank account with savings. But Henry was a selfish money-hungry son of a rotten cabbage. In March that year, he transferred his aunt’s home jointly into his name – she was suffering from dementia. Placing her in a private nursing home, he sold the house, stole her money and moved to a different province. Still not satisfied, he diverted her pensions to his new address, and made no further payment to the nursing home. Samantha was left to languish in a private care facility, alone and without any family support. She had no money for basic personal care, including haircuts, clothing, and incontinence supplies.

Samantha’s situation came to the attention of the public trustee’s office who was certified as her guardian. Eventually, the trustee sued Henry, who was also charged and convicted with theft of his aunt’s property. There is a special place… Protecting against senior abuse

An estimated four to 10 per cent of Canadian seniors experience some form of abuse – physical, verbal, psychological or even sexual. But the most prevalent abuse appears to be financial. When you grant authority to a power of attorney, character is even more important than competence. Greater accountability in legislation

Stories of disputes involving powers of attorney are impacting changes to legislation, and the scrutiny will likely increase. Amendments to provincial legislation in British Columbia’s Power of Attorney Act are an example. Under this legislation, an attorney may make gifts, loans and charitable donations that you would have made, but only up to a maximum of $5,000 and only if you will have sufficient property left over to meet your needs, and the needs of your dependents. The legislation also tightens reporting and accounting rules for attorneys. Your advisor’s role

No matter how seriously your attorney takes their responsibility, your financial advisor should help alleviate the burden. He or she can provide specific expertise to the attorney, manage ongoing administration such as bill payments and record-keeping and even help you find the right attorney. Ultimately, a well-appointed attorney will bring peace of mind to you and your loved ones.

Mark Ryan is an investment advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (Member–Canadian Investor Protection Fund), and these are Ryan’s views, and not those of RBC Dominion Securities. This article is for information purposes only.

Please consult with a professional advisor before taking any action based on information in this article. Ryan can be reached at mark. ryan@rbc.com.

Saskatchewan digs in heels on climate change

Ryan McKENNA Citizen news service

MOOSE JAW, Sask. — The Saskatchewan government is doubling down on its climate change strategy and continues to defy Ottawa’s demand it put a broad-based price on carbon emissions.

Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said Wednesday the province is expanding emission limits based on production for facilities such as potash mines and pulp mills. Those facilities generate 11 per cent of the province’s emissions.

“We’ve made it clear that the federal carbon tax is ineffective and will not reduce emissions in Saskatchewan and we’ve made it clear that we do not believe the federal government has constitutional authority to implement a backstop in Saskatchewan,” Duncan said.

The federal climate plan calls for taxes of greenhouse gas emissions starting at $10 per tonne this year and rising $10 a year to $50 a tonne in 2022. It leaves it to the provinces to decide how to do that either through a tax, a cap-and-trade system or have a price imposed by Ottawa.

Saskatchewan is asking the Court of Appeal to rule on whether that plan is unconstitutional. The province has argued its climate change plan is enough to reduce emissions and a carbon tax would hurt the Saskatchewan economy.

Saskatchewan is the lone holdout from the federal climate strategy although has received support from Ontario, which is also challenging the plan in court.

A spokesperson for Environment Minister Catherine McKenna referred a request for com-

ment to Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc. In an emailed statement, LeBlanc said Ottawa is pleased Saskatchewan is putting a price on pollution.

“While the price applies to a limited number of businesses, it is an acknowledgment from the province that putting a price on pollution is an effective way to tackle climate change while growing the economy at the same time,” the statement said.

“We encourage the province to submit this plan for evaluation.”

Ottawa set a deadline of Sept. 1 for provinces to submit their climate change plans for assessment to determine if they meet the federal government’s standard. But Duncan said Saskatchewan won’t be submitting its plan because he said the province doesn’t need approval.

Facebook, Instagram to charge GST

Citizen news service

TORONTO — Facebook and Instagram will charge the goods and services tax on online advertisements purchased through their Canadian operations, but other technology giants said they aren’t ready to follow suit just yet.

The U.S.-based social media networks said they decided to apply the taxes by mid-2019 in an effort to “provide more transparency to governments and policy makers around the world who have called for greater visibility over the revenue associated with locally supported sales in their countries.”

potential to pay taxes in another.

In the wake of Facebook and Instagram’s announcement, a spokesperson for Twitter Canada said it does not currently charge sales taxes on ads and a representative for Uber Canada said it already applies sales taxes on all of its rides and food delivery orders in the country.

The federal government has long faced pressure to force foreign online services to apply sales taxes to their work...

The federal government has long faced pressure to force foreign online services to apply sales taxes to their work, but has shied away from such measures, despite its international trade committee urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make online services pay the taxes so small- and medium-sized businesses don’t lose customers to larger firms based abroad.

The decision to charge the taxes could create a windfall for the federal government and bring it closer to the 2020 deadline it set with other G20 countries to develop an international tax plan to address companies that are based in one country but have the

Google referred The Canadian Press to statements the company made back in May indicating that it would comply with legislation, should the federal government create regulations to require the collection of such taxes on digital sales.

The company noted that it already plans to comply with similar legislation Quebec passed around its sales tax.

Meanwhile, streaming service Netflix said only that it “pays all taxes when required by law.” Short-term rental company Airbnb previously asked the federal government for regulation around taxes.

“We think as a platform our hosts should pay taxes. I know people get shocked when we say that, but we do. We think we should be contributing,” Alex Dagg, Airbnb’s public policy manager in Canada, said. “We just need to figure out what are the appropriate rules in place to do that and how can we facilitate that.”

“It’s a wait-and-see as the negotiations on NAFTA are taking centre stage and all attention is on any signs and indication how these negotiations are going,” said Kathryn Del Greco, vice president and investment adviser at TD Wealth.

Concerns about Canada’s ability to reach a deal with the Americans prompted the loonie to fall in early trading until Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland issued some reassuring comments, said Del Greco.

“So as a result of that press release we did see the Canadian dollar rally.”

The Canadian dollar still traded down on the day to average 77.33 cents US, compared with an average of 77.42 cents US on Tuesday.

Oil hit a one-month high as energy stocks helped lift Canada’s main stock index.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 34.75 points or 0.2 per cent at 16,390.29, after hitting a high of 16,432.89 on 180.1 million shares traded.

The October crude contract closed up 98 cents at US$69.51 per barrel, the highest level since July 30.

The healthcare sector led the way again Wednesday, gaining 4.5 per cent, as cannabis stocks rose.

Del Greco said the stocks rallied after Nanaimo-based Tilray Inc. reported that revenues rose 95 per cent to US$9.7 million in its first quarter as a public company.

“The more and more we get these issuers reporting on earnings, and the investment world gets comfortable with these businesses and how they operate, they start to move a little bit more from the outside fringes a little bit more into the mainstream discussions around is this a viable industry to be considering,” she said in an interview.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 60.55 points at 26,124.57. The S&P 500 index hit an intraday high and ended up 16.52 points at 2,914.04, while the Nasdaq composite also hit a new high, rising

MARK RYAN

Sports

Fancy footwork

Kings fall to Cents in OT

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

The Merritt Centennials saved their best for last and came away with a B.C. Hockey League preseason win for their efforts.

Doubled on the shot count by the host Prince George Spruce Kings, for the Cents all that mattered was they had the last shot and it came 1:03 into overtime. Matt Kopperud took a pass in the face-off circle from Mathieu Gosselin and buried a wrist shot in over the arm of Kings goalie Logan Neaton for a 3-2 victory. That came with Kings forward Craig MacDonald serving a boarding penalty that carried over from the third period.

The game marked the opening of the brief exhibition season for the Spruce Kings, who had to feel a bit cheated as they left the ice Wednesday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. They threw 38 shots at Merritt goalie Vincent Duplessis, outshooting the Cents 38-22, but could only manage two goals on the 19-year-old Quebec City native.

“I thought it was an OK game, to be honest, for our first one – Merritt’s played a handful of games already so it was good to shake the rust off,” said Kings general manager Mike Hawes.

“I think Logan Neaton in net played well. He’s going to want that second one back but we saw what he can do with some saves there in overtime. Our d-corps was outstanding tonight, we played seven D and all of them were good. That’s going to be a big part for us this year.” MacDonald, 18, a Cariboo Cougars graduate and hometown boy, gave the Kings a 2-1 lead, snapping in a cross-ice feed from Patrick Cozzi, 2:53 into the third period. But that didn’t last long. Nic Grancowicz tied it with a hot shot off the wing that fooled Neaton.

Neaton, 19, was facing live ammunition from a BCHL opponent for the first time since joining the Kings in the off-season from the Fairbanks (Alaska) Ice Dogs of the North American League. Two

seasons ago Neaton wore the ‘C’ as captain of his high school team in Brighton, Mich., and took them all the way to the Michigan state championship. He put up solid numbers last season with the Ice Dogs, posting a 2.00 goals-against average and .906 save percentage to go with a 19-4-1 record. At six-foot-three, 190-pounds, Neaton takes up a lot of net but didn’t have much work to do in the first period as the Kings outshot the Cents 19-8. The Kings still have three goalies in camp with Neaton, 19-year-old incumbent Bradley Cooper and 17-yearold Okanagan Hockey Academy product Kaleb McEachern. The Spruce Kings power play connected late in the first period to open the scoring. Ben Poisson forced a turnover behind the net from Merritt defenceman Mike Van Unen and the puck slid to Layton Ahac deep in the zone and he jammed the puck in.

Christian Sabin evened the count 1-1 seven minutes into the season period, collecting a rebound after a give-and-go play

with linemate Kopperud. That goal served as a wakeup call for the Kings, who responded with a more inspired effort in the rest of the period that resulted in some sustained pressure in the Merritt end and a couple of dangerous shots but no goals. The best chance for the Kings came when Layne Sniher tested Duplessis with a wicked blast along the ice that forced the goalie into an uncomfortable stretch.

Sniher, 18, was the second-leading scorer last year on the Calgary Buffaloes midget triple-A team with 17 goals and 50 points in 35 games and he’ll be expected to take up some of the scoring slack with junior snipers Ethan de Jong and Kyle Johnson off to college.

“Layne Sniher is going to be looked upon to produce some offence for us this year and he’s going to play with some key guys and that’s going to give him an opportunity for sure,” said Hawes. “Chong Min Lee and Nolan Welsh, who are returning to our team, are going to have an opportunity to step up this year

U.S. beats Canada at World Cup

VIERA, Fla. (CP) — The Canadians are in a must-win situation at the women’s baseball World Cup. Jade Gortarez hit a three-run home run in the second inning as the United States downed Canada 5-1 on Wednesday in the super round of the tournament. Anne-Sophie Lavalee took the loss, going 2 1/3 innings while giving up four earned runs and eight hits. “They have some power in their lineup and they certainly showed that tonight,” said Canadian manager Andre Lachance.

“Anne-Sophie has been great for us all tournament but tonight wasn’t her night.”

The loss sets up a must-win situation for the Canadians (2-2) when they face Taiwan (3-1) today. Canada has to win just to have a chance to make the championship, while Taiwan can go straight to the final with a victory.

Canada also needs some help from the Dominican Republic (0-4) to avoid a potential three-way tiebreaker in the super-round standings. The Dominicans play the Americans (2-2) today in their final game.

Katherin Psota cashed in Nicole Luchanski

Lim rink

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff

Now that his work is done, having won the men’s 65-andover curling championship at the 55-plus Canadian Games in Saint John, N.B., Bill Lim and his Prince George Golf and Curling Club teammates are getting their fill of all the best things that come with life in the Maritimes.

They’re stuffing their bellies with lobster and drinking in the scenery, with bit of wine and the odd brew to chase it all down.

It’s not every day you get to celebrate a national championship in any sport and this is the first for Lim and crew, which includes third Owen Mathison, second Bill Davidson and lead Rick Mintz.

They defeated New Brunswick 5-4 in an extra end in the goldmedal game on Friday.

For Lim and his crew, the championship was sweet redemption after they got off to a slow start at the four-day, seven-team event. They lost their opener to Ontario, then finished last later that day in the skills competition, the results of which were used in case a tiebreaker was needed.

Team B.C. recovered with three straight wins, defeating Alberta in an extra end, and they also beat Nova Scotia and Manitoba. Heading into the last day of competition, to qualify for the medal round, B.C. needed New Brunswick to beat Alberta and the host team complied, eliminating Alberta to finish first in the pool at 4-0.

“If Alberta had won we would have been relegated to fourth because of our lack of skill in the skills competition,” laughed Lim, while preparing for a tour of Halifax harbour Wednesday night.

“We didn’t do well in that because we played it after losing in an extra end in our first game to Bruce Park of Ontario. We were pretty disappointed to finish dead-last in the skills competition.”

The curling facility in Saint John suffered an ice plant failure a couple weeks before the event and organizers considered moving it 153 kilometres to Moncton, but the plant was repaired sufficiently enough to allow five sheets of ice, instead of eight, and the schedule was reduced to allow competition in all six categories.

In the semifinal, Lim and Team B.C. beat Ontario 7-5.

The final was a low-scoring affair and the teams were tied 4-4 after eight ends. With his second shot in the eighth, Lim made a hit trying for a steal and got the roll he wanted, leaving him with shotrock behind cover. That left New Brunswick skip David Sullivan, a former Brier skip from Manitoba, with just one possible shot – a draw to the button, and he nailed it to force the extra end.

and guys like Corey Cunningham and Craig MacDonald will get a chance to show what they can do. Craig scored a goal tonight and he plays the game the right way.”

LOOSE PUCKS: The teams will meet again Friday night in Merritt, the final preseason test for both squads. That game was originally supposed to be played in Burns Lake. Plans for an overnight stay for both teams as guests of the Lake Babine First Nation were scrapped three weeks ago by the regional district due to the wildfires in the region and an influx of firefighters and emergency personnel which filled most hotel rooms in the area.

…The Spruce Kings open their 23rd BCHL season next Friday at home against the defending RBC Cup-champion Chilliwack Chiefs. The Kings will unfurl their first league banners and raise them to the RMCA rafters. They captured the Mainland regular season and playoff titles and were crowned Coastal Conference champions, reaching the league final for the first time in the team’s history.

from third on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the first inning to put Canada ahead 1-0, but the Americans came alive at the plate soon after.

Gortarez took the first pitch she saw from Lavalee and smashed it over the fence in left field for a 3-1 lead in the second. Megan Baltzell hit a 2-1 pitch over the centre-field wall in the top of the third to make it a three-run lead for the Americans. An error later in the inning by third baseman Ashley Stephenson led to a fifth run and the end of Lavalee’s night.

“We tried to keep it clean in the extra end but somehow (Mathison) managed to wick one of their rocks from the top of the house to the back of the four-foot,” said Lim. “He was trying to peel them both, and with (Sullivan’s) first rock he guarded it and I tried to run back to get them both out of there but I could only get the one off the top.

“He drew again to the eight-foot as a guard to protect the one on the four-foot and with my last rock I made a draw to his one to the back four-foot, just clearing that front guard by about an inchand-a-half and nestled in there nicely. I outcounted him by about half a rock.”

Lim said his sweepers blocked his view and he couldn’t see from his position down the rink where his last rock ended up, but he knew it was a winner when Davidson and Mintz jumped for joy to begin the celebration.

The 66-year-old Lim has won the Kelly Cup twice and won the sixteam provincial 65-plus championship at the B.C. Senior Games last summer in Vernon (which qualified him for the New Brunswick national championship). Winning in Saint John tops them all.

“I think this has got to be the top right now, to be able to come to a Canadian championship regardless of the age and compete against teams from across the country, I’m just thrilled, as we all are,” said Lim. For Lim, his first visit to the East Coast of Canada has been unforgettable and he and his curling crew and their wives are making a holiday of it. The Games drew 2,300 participants in 22 sports.

“The whole scale of these Games was huge,” he said. “Saint John did as a great job of hosting.”

Prince George Spruce Kings forward Nolan Welsh throws a backhander on net against sliding Merritt Centennials goaltender Vincent Duplessis on Wednesday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. The teams met in a preseason BCHL game. See summary, page 10

Team Black forward Arjun Atwal toe-drags the puck around Team White forward Connor Bowie on Wednesday night at

the Prince George Cougars’ Black vs. White game. Team White won 6-2.

Raonic finds footing at U.S. Open

Citizen news service

— Milos Raonic

NEW YORK

felt he stepped up in the second round of the U.S. Open – and the scoreline indicates the Canadian did just that.

After an inconsistent performance in a four-set win over qualifier Carlos Berlocq to open the final Grand Slam of the year, the No. 25 seed downed France’s Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on a hot and humid Wednesday at Flushing Meadows.

“Overall, I did things well and took care of my serve,” Raonic said. “I was a lot more disciplined with myself. I wasn’t going up and down in the match like I did my previous one. Overall, I’m happy.” Raonic had 17 aces to Simon’s none and broke his opponent on three of six chances.

The hard-serving Canadian improved to 5-1 against Simon, with victories in all three of their hardcourt matches.

“He does a very good job of sort of throwing you out of the rhythm, where he plays very slow, sort of gets you to slow down your intentions and will sort of surprise you by taking the ball early,” Raonic said. “So I was happy that I was able to, in those important moments, just, you know, be patient and sort of trust my legs that I would be able to hold on, just to keep that pressure on him.” With temperatures reaching close to 35 C, Raonic was happy

Wednesday in New York.

to have a relatively quick match in two hours six minutes.

“It’s nice to get by, and in an efficient manner today,” Raonic said. “I don’t really regard the heat as a disadvantage or advantage. I

think both guys have to deal with it. Both guys have to start preparing for it, not the day before, two days before, as soon as this match finishes if it was the case for another match. So I think it’s how

Williams vs. Williams has new twist

NEW YORK (AP) — Get ready for the latest Grand Slam installment of Williams vs. Williams. One big difference this time: the superstar siblings will be meeting in the third round at the U.S. Open, their earliest showdown at a major tournament in 20 years. Serena Williams set up the highly anticipated matchup at Flushing Meadows by hitting 13 aces and overwhelming 101stranked Carina Witthoeft of Germany 6-2, 6-2 in a little more than an hour in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night. Hours earlier, across the way at Louis Armstrong Stadium, Venus Williams did her part with another straight-set victory, eliminating

SPORTS IN BRIEF

Munoz to replace Wickens

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Carlos Munoz will replace injured IndyCar driver Robert Wickens in the final two races of the season. Munoz , from Colombia, will drive the No. 6 Honda at Portland International Raceway this weekend and Sonoma Raceway next month.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports did not field Wickens’ car at Gateway last weekend. Wickens has been hospitalized in Pennsylvania since his Aug. 26 accident at Pocono Raceway. The Canadian had surgery to insert titanium rods and screws to stabilize his fractured spine.

Wickens also had surgery on his leg and arm and will require additional surgery and rehabilitation.

James Hinchcliffe said Wednesday his teammate is improving, hoping to be

40th-ranked Camila Giorgi of Italy 6-4, 7-5.

“I hope,” Venus said after her match, “we get to play.” Serena made sure of it.

They will play Friday, and it is going to be their 30th tour-level encounter – plus, of course, all those times when they traded shots from across the net as kids in California, then on practice courts all around the world. It’s also soonest the sisters have played each other at any Grand Slam since their very first tour match, all the way back at the 1998 Australian Open. Venus won that one. But since then, it’s been the younger Serena who’s grown dominant. The reason this match comes so early is

transferred soon to an Indianapolis hospital. Wickens also ribbed Hinchcliffe for the compression glove Hinchcliffe is wearing because of injuries to his hands from the debris from Wickens’ crash.

Hinchcliffe said Wickens’ first words to him were: “Sick glove, bro.”

Seahawks acquire Hundley

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers are heading into the 2018 season with new backup quarterbacks.

The Seahawks acquired quarterback Brett Hundley from the Packers on Wednesday for an undisclosed draft pick.

Green Bay announced the trade late in the day, completing the deal on the cusp of the preseason finales for all teams.

The addition of Hundley gives Seattle a proven backup behind Russell Wilson. The Seahawks are reportedly sending a lateround draft pick to Green Bay and coach Pete Carroll said it was another opportu-

you go about the things.” Raonic will next face 2016 U.S. Open winner Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland. Wawrinka, who missed the 2017 U.S. Open, is on a nine-match winning streak at

that their rankings are not what they’ve been in the past. Serena is No. 26, playing in only the seventh tournament since she was off the tour for more than a year while having a baby. Even though the U.S. Tennis Association bumped her seeding up to reflect her past success, it still placed her at No. 17. Venus, meanwhile is No. 16.

“It’s so young in the tournament,” Serena said. “We would have rather met later.”

She leads the series 17-12, including 10-5 at majors.

Both have been ranked No. 1. They have won a combined 30 Grand Slam singles trophies, 23 by Serena. They own eight U.S.

nity to improve the Seahawks roster.

“It his fourth year now, he’s played quite a bit and started a bunch of games last year,” Carroll said. “We’ve been able to see him and really see how he has developed, and we liked him coming out of college as well. He’s big, he runs well, he’s got a good arm, he’s got good vision on the field, he’s made a lot of big throws and big plays.”

Hundley stepped into a starting role last season for the Packers when Aaron Rodgers went down with a broken collarbone. Hundley started nine games and the Packers went 3-6. He threw for 1,836 yards and nine touchdowns, but also threw 12 interceptions.

His acquisition likely means the end of Austin Davis’ stint as Wilson’s backup in Seattle. Davis has been with the Seahawks since the start of the 2017 season.

In Green Bay, the deal means that DeShone Kizer has won the backup job behind Rodgers. The former second-round pick started 15 games for the winless Cleveland Browns

Flushing Meadows. Fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov went the distance against Italy’s Andreas Seppi on Wednesday to pull out a five-set victory and advance to the third round. No. 28 Shapovalov found himself down two sets to one before coming back for the 6-4, 4-6, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory in three hours 47 minutes against his 51st-ranked opponent. He’ll play Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson of South Africa next. Raonic, who also was out for the 2017 U.S. Open, has beaten Wawrinka just once in five matches over his career.

“It’s going to be good,” said Raonic, who is 15-4 since the start of the grass-court season. “I watched him play two matches last week. I watched him play a little bit of his match against Grigor (Dimitrov) on Monday. He’s playing well again. He’s moving well. He’s doing his things, you know. He’s stepping up. He’s playing well in those big points. He’s hitting the ball hard... He’s effective with his backhand. It’s going to be tough. I’m going to have to play well.”

Also Wednesday, Canadian Daniel Nestor had his chance for a ninth career Grand Slam doubles title come to an end in the opening round. Nestor and his American partner Bradley Klahn fell 3-6, 3-6 against Christian Harrison and Ryan Harrison of the United States.

Open singles championships, six by Serena. They’ve played each other in the finals of all four Slams, including at the U.S. Open in 2001 (when Venus won) and 2002 (when Serena did).

“It’s incredible what they’ve done. I mean, amazing really. Obviously there’s been other siblings that have had fantastic careers in tennis, but none anywhere close to what they’ve managed to achieve,” said three-time major champion Andy Murray, whose first major since hip surgery ended with a four-set loss to No. 31 Fernando Verdasco. “I’d be surprised if anything like that ever happens again.”

last season as a rookie and was acquired by the Packers in the off-season.

Stajan signs in Germany

MUNICH (CP) — Veteran NHL centre Matt Stajan is headed to Germany.

The 34-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., has signed with the DEL’s Munich Red Bulls. The team confirmed the transaction on its website Wednesday.

Stajan had 146 goals and 267 assists in 1,003 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames.

He spent 2017-18 with the Flames and had four goals and eight assists in 68 games before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Toronto selected Stajan in the second round, 57th overall, in the 2002 NHL entry draft.

The Leafs traded him to Calgary in 2010 in a multi-player deal that sent defenceman Dion Phaneuf to Toronto.

TRANSACTIONS

Milos Raonic hits a return against Gilles Simon during a second-round match at the U.S. Open on

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Tonya Danine Mayhew

Passed away August 5, 2018 at the age of 50, survived by husband Blair Proctor, daughter Megan Mayhew (Jarred Brown) of Prince George, son Mitchell Mayhew (Julie Remple) of Prince George, sisters Tara Miller (Randy) also Rick Mayhew and many close friends and family. Predeceased by her parents James & Meone Hawychuk. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Kirkland James Hollier

passed away August 24th 2018 at the age of 65 years. He is predeceased by his wife Louise and is survived by his two son’s Mark and Neil Hollier, three brothers Jim, Brad and Jon Hollier and sister Deborah Hollier. A graveside interment service will be held Saturday September 1st at 1:00pm at Prince George Memorial Park Cemetery with a Celebration of Life party to follow. Assman’s Funeral Chapel in care of arrangements

Gordon Mooney

March 28, 1936 - August 26, 2018

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Gordon Mooney. He passed away peacefully in his own home surrounded by his entire family. He will be missed by so many.

Gordon is survived by his wife of 59 years Margaret, his daughter Cheryl (Bud), and son Brad. He is also survived by two granddaughters Robynne (Adam) and Rachelle (Levi) and their sons Hayden, Linden, Tyson and Rowan. Gordon also leaves behind brothers Glen (Lilian) and Wayne as well as many other extended family members and friends. He was predeceased by his mother Ruby, his father Harold, as well as his brother Russell.

A celebration of life and luncheon will be held at the Hart Pioneer Center (6986 Hart Hwy) at 11:00 AM on Saturday September 1st. The family would like to thank all of his care givers as well as the Kidney Foundation. In lieu of flowers, donations to the kidney Foundation will be greatly appreciated.

Keep on truckin’ Dad!!!

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Krasinski tackles terror, career shift in Jack Ryan

John Krasinski comes across in conversation as a disarming match to his screen image, the sort of easy-going, decent guy he played on TV’s The Office and in the romantic comedy Away We Go.

Make that his former image. In a burst of creative versatility, he’s fashioned himself into an acclaimed film director with A Quiet Place (in which he plays opposite wife Emily Blunt) and muscular heroes in the movie 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi and the new Amazon series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, debuting Friday.

In low-key style, Krasinski is proving that expectations are to be ignored. Who could have predicted that gangly, deskbound Jim of The Office would be hunting Middle Eastern terrorists as fledgling CIA analyst Ryan, or that the latest iteration of Clancy’s big-canvas work would arrive – cinematically intact – on the small screen?

Such boundary-busting can be traced back to Krasinski’s 200513 Office days, in the sitcom that he considered “the best thing out there, movie or television.”

“I felt so proud to be a part of it, and so my definition of television and film was always blended. I never saw it as film or television, but rather just the best project going, the best character I can play,” he said, something that’s easier than ever to find on TV with the explosion of “really great shows.”

The specific attraction of Jack Ryan, his first series since The Office, was both its form and content.

With the debut season’s eight episodes (filming on Season 2 is already underway), it’s possible to re-imagine and delve into the title role in ways not possible in a timeconstrained movie, Krasinski said. And then there’s the character himself, something of a childhood

In low-key style, Krasinski is proving that expectations are to be ignored.

obsession for the actor.

“It may sound hokey, but I think that Jack Ryan was always one of those characters that you actually thought you could be one day. You can’t grow up to be Superman or Spider-Man,” he said. It was plausible to imagine becoming Ryan, a man who “used his brain and his instincts and was able to do extraordinary things.”

Casting the part was critical, said series creators and executive producers Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Graham Roland (Mile 22).

“Carlton told me, ‘We could write the best show either of us have ever written, but if we don’t have the right guy playing Jack Ryan the show is just not going to work,”’ Roland recalled. A winning “everyman quality” needed for Ryan came across in Krasinski’s work in The Office, they said, but it was 13 Hours that cinched the deal.

“We felt, wow, this is the guy who not only has (Ryan’s) charm and intelligence... but he also had the physicality to be an action hero,” Roland said.

The Amazon series rolls the videotape back to Ryan’s early days with the CIA in an original story by Cuse and Roland. Viewers meet him butting heads with new boss James Greer (Wendell Pierce), a vice-admiral and top-ranking CIA official in the late Clancy’s works but in career-rebuilding mode here.

Jack Ryan also stars Abbie Cornish as Cathy Mueller, Ryan’s future wife but for now an epidemiologist who catches his eye at a party; Ali Suliman as Suleiman, a terrorist with a tragic family history, and Dina Shihabi as his wife, Hanin.

Whatever changes have been

Mr. Robot shutting down

Citizen news service

LOS ANGELES — The hacktivist thriller Mr. Robot is coming to an end.

USA Network said Wednesday the drama series starring Emmy Award-winner Rami Malek will air its fourth and final season in 2019.

In a statement, Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail says he decided that it was time to bring the story to a close next season.

Mr. Robot will conclude the way he’d envisioned it since it began, Esmail says.

Malek plays Elliot, a troubled cyber-security engineer and hacker who’s drawn into a revolutionary movement. Christian Slater also stars in the Peabody Award-winning drama.

introduced don’t clash with Ryan’s steadfastness, said Roland, describing it at odds with the “age of the anti-hero” such as Claire Danes’ troubled character in Homeland.

“It felt really novel in a weird way to come back to a classic hero, a hero whose morality is his strength,” he said. It’s not just Ryan who’s the good guy: the CIA also wears a white hat, unlike other dramas depicting the agency as what Roland called a “cabal” filled with back-stabbers.

“We did an extensive amount of research, spent a lot of time with military people, with former and current members of the intelligence community, and we witnessed such a high level of professionalism,” Cuse said. “We had a great appreciation for the role that these people play in keeping us safe and keeping the world safe and the importance of the United States as a beacon of democracy.”

That said, the producers reject the possibility that the show might be seen as a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s criticism of U.S. intelligence agencies and his public war of words with some former chiefs.

“Our intention was to entertain people and to give Clancy fans the portrayal of the military and the CIA that they remember from the books and from the early movies,” Roland said.

Krasinski, a Massachusetts native whose extended family has a deep record of military service, salutes the approach. His said his research for the series gave him a newfound respect for the CIA and those in it.

“I remember somebody there saying, ‘You know, politics come and go, but it’s the soul of America that we’re on the front line for,”’ he said. “I’m certainly one of those people that grew up with incredible parents who reminded us to be very, very proud of the country that we’re from.”

Sheeran steps into his own shoes

Citizen news service

LOS ANGELES — Ed Sheeran plays himself in Danny Boyle’s next film, his first significant role on the big screen.

In the movie written by Richard Curtis, former EastEnders star Himesh Patel plays a singer-songwriter who wakes up one day as the only person in the world who remembers the Beatles.

“And then I discover him and take him on tour. Then he gets much, much bigger than me through doing stuff. Yeah, it’s very clever,” Sheeran said in an interview this week. “I got to actually kind of learn how to act. With the Game of Thrones thing, that was literally me popping in for a day and making a cameo. Or Bastard Executioner was me popping in for a day. But this was like full days on set, like full 12-hour days.”

Sheeran completed his part of production earlier this year, in the middle of his latest tour. The as-yet-untitled movie is set for release in September 2019.

“They shot it around loads of my gigs. So it was a very intense two months. Because I would have four days of gigging and then three days of shooting a film,” Sheeran said. “I was playing myself, so I don’t think I was that bad. There wasn’t much to (mess) up.”

The 27-year-old British pop star says his long-term goal in Hollywood is to make a movie musical in the vein of the 2007 Irish romance Once.

“I want to make something like that. Something like that where songs dictate the film in a way,” he said. “I can’t see myself playing an Avenger, you know? I don’t really want to be actor.”

Sheeran was promoting a new Apple Music documentary, Songwriter, focused on the creation of his last album.

Directed by his cousin Murray Cummings, it includes a scene featuring Sheeran’s fiancee Cherry Seaborn but doesn’t delve into his personal life.

“I give so much of myself in my songs and in just me. And there are just certain choices that I can make, that I can keep certain things private, basically,” Sheeran said. “And I think my home and my family and my partner – I think those are things that they are very private, and they are the best things in my life. So I don’t want to ruin them.”

Sheeran declined to answer any questions about lawsuits alleging he improperly copied other artists’ work in his hit Thinking Out Loud and in a song he wrote for Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

“I really can’t talk about that,” he said. “After they’re done, I will talk about it.”

Lynn ELBER Citizen news service

AMAZON PHOTO VIA AP

John Krasinski appears in a scene from Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, a new series produced by Amazon.

Log scaling big part of working life for one P.G. woman

June (Anderson) Chamberland, the eldest of six children was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1932. She grew up on a farm in Chatfield near the Fish Lake area.

June married Alex Lindstrom in 1951 and in 1954 the decision was made to move to Vancouver. Her parents, who lived in Vancouver, drove out to Manitoba to pick them up and take them to Vancouver.

June said, “I was 22 years old when I left and I can remember the trip very well. I rode in the car with my parents, three of my siblings and our two small children Len and Gary. Alex and my brother Larry traveled in the truck loaded with all of our belongings; the plan was to meet in Vancouver. We drove south, then headed west going through North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington and then north to Vancouver. Our daughter Elaine was born shortly after we arrived in Vancouver.

“We stayed in Vancouver for one year and in 1955 we moved to Prince George along with my father. We chose Prince George because a friend of my father’s invited him to move to Prince George with a promise of a job at the Moldowan Sawmill. We lived in a camp house until we moved into a tar paper shack on the Lapointe Homestead on Kelly Road; the rent was $6 a month.”

Alex Lindstrom first worked in the logging industry, then for paving contractors Columbia Bitulithic and then Perini Pacific until a work-related accident took him off work for the next two years. When he recovered he went to work for the forestry service.

During this time June was a stay-at-home mom and they had three more children. They had six children: Leonard, Gary, Elaine, Verna, Gene (deceased) and Leona.

June said, “I have 20 grandchildren, 45 plus great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren with one more on the way.

“We had a big garden and I used to can just about everything. I loved cooking and baking for my family.”

June and Alex separated in 1970.

June worked at the Prince George Hotel, the Canada Hotel, and the Brothers Inn on the Hart.

After being together for seven years June married Paul Chamberland in 1978. Paul was born in Saskatchewan and worked as a cat operator until he retired at the age of 64. During his working career he was well known for building many miles of roads for BC Forest Products over a span of 10 years.

He operated a cat for Mike Spicer scarifying post-logged areas in preparation for tree planting in the Manson and Nation River areas around Mackenzie.

June said, “I was hired on as the camp cook and we lived in the back of the camp trailer. We were out in the middle of nowhere and we moved our camp and equipment from site to site.

On the first move I was told that since I was the cook I had

to drive the truck that pulled the camp trailer to move my kitchen. The entire move was quite the experience because of the bush roads and the fact that I had never pulled a load with a truck. Common sense told me to make a wide corner going around curves and to my surprise I did it.

“I had lots of time on my hands out there in the middle of nowhere so I wrote poems and took pictures of all my adventures.”

After that contract work Paul worked for Voyageur Contracting for 10 years and then Skidmore Contracting until his retirement 10 years later.

June took a scaling course and became a certified timber scaler in 1980. Timber scaling is the process of measuring cut and harvested timber for both volume and quality. She had to learn the metric system and said it was an easy system once she figured it out.

At the time, scalers were under the direction of the BC Forest Service. It was their job to dispatch the scalers as needed with scales being open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Over the years June was dispatched and worked at North Central Plywood (NCP), Domtar, Carrier Lumber, Prince George Wood Preservers, Prince George Small Wood Mill and the Shelley sawmill.

Scaling was privatized in 1984 and then contractors did their own hiring and dispatching of the log scalers. The BC Forest Service still checked on the scalers at random.

June retired at the age of 65, it wasn’t long and she went back to work weighing trucks at Netherlands Overseas Sawmill for a short time and retired once

again. She still wasn’t used to retirement so she went to work for Gordon Bennett who was in charge of the scale located at the south end of the old Fraser River railroad bridge. She retired for the last time at the age of 70. June volunteered at the Huble Homestead /Giscome Portage Heritage Society and has served on the board of directors in various positions from 1986 to present day. She was their president for eight years.

It was her affiliation with the society that sparked her interest in old buildings. She took photos and captured stories about the people who lived in all these old buildings. She had an extensive collection and wanted to share her work so she proceeded to write a book.

June said, “It took me five years to write the book that I called, From Broad Axe to Clay Chinking: stories about the pioneers in and around the Prince George area.

“The book is a who’s who collection of the pioneer families who settled in the Prince George area in the early 1900s and is based upon five years of research and over 100 interviews.

“The book includes an introduction to the land settlement process by the historical geographer Kent Sedgwick. An introduction to the construction of log buildings that were typical of the pioneer homestead by the author and over 530 photographs of pioneer families, their buildings and maps showing settlement.”

June’s book was the winner of the coveted Jeanne Clarke Memorial Local History Award in 2007. Her book, which came out in 2006, is available at Books and Company and at

the College of New Caledonia bookstore.

June is a volunteer with the Weavers and Spinners Association, a member of the Heritage Society and an active ten-year member of the Sons of Norway.

June reflected back and said, “The best and happiest times of my life were my childhood years. We used to have to go out and find the cows, bring them home and then we milked them by hand. There was no such thing as a milking machine. We washed clothes by hand using washboards, bathed in a tub, used coal oil lamps and ironed everything with an old sad iron.

“It was a lot of hard work but I loved it. I still love the land and living in the country only now I don’t work as hard.

“When we first came to Prince George we hung out near George Street and Third Avenue. It was our shopping area, and a gathering place.

“Life has been tough at times but I have been happy and I tried to look on the good side of everything. When I became a certified scaler, I earned enough money to take a nice holiday every year. I have been everywhere man – from the Atlantic to the Pacific, north to Alaska and south to Florida, Norway, Israel and Hawaii and I am not done traveling just yet.

“For now, I remain busy with my family, friends and my church. I write poems, take photos and I still want to do some more traveling.”

*Special happy birthday greetings go out to Israel Prabhudass who was born in Trinidad in 1933. Israel will be celebrating his 90th birthday at the end of September.

Kathy NadaliN

Seniors’ Scene

Citizen photo by brent braaten

June Chamberlain spent a good portion of her working life as a log scaler, which afforded her the means to travel each year.

Longtime Aboriginal educator gets national honour

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

One of the region’s top Aboriginal educators has now been nationally recognized.

Leona Prince, the district principal for Aboriginal education in School District 91 –Nechako Lakes, was one of the winners at this year’s Guiding The Journey: Indigenous Educator Awards.

“The awards are presented by Indspire, a national Indigenous organization that invests in the education of Indigenous people by connecting educators of K-12 Indigenous students with programs, resources, and a professional learning community to improve educational outcomes, increase high school completion rates, and support sustained systemic change,” said Felecia White, a representative of the Indspire agency. “The awards recognize the achievements of outstanding educators of Indigenous students who are leading the positive systemic change to education for our young people.”

According to White, Guiding The Journey honourees are acknowledged for having “innovative and impactful teaching practices, advocating for resources and culturally based curricula, and helping Indigenous students reach their full

potential.”

Their hard work and dedication to each of their students is what will lead Indigenous youth to success at school and ultimately to becoming the next generation of leaders across the country.

“The key to reconciliation is education, and this year’s Guiding The Journey award recipients are leading the way,” said Roberta Jamieson, president and CEO of Indspire. “These outstanding educators are preserving our languages, developing culturally-relevant education resources, and creating safe places for our young people to be empowered in reaching their full potential as Indigenous people.”

This year’s list of cross-Canada winners includes Cort Dogniez from Saskatoon, Rachel Mishenene based in Ontario, Lori Pritchard of Calgary, John Elliott in Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island, Starr Paul in Nova Scotia, Rebecca Hainnu of Clyde River in Nunavut, Lisa Howell in Ottawa, Abbotsford’s Kimberly Sommer, the Kehteyak (The Old Ones) Education Society in Edmonton, and Prince for her work with the Lake Babine Nation.

Prince’s communication and education skills also took her to the red dot of a TEDx Talk held at UNBC. At that event, she spoke from an internal perspec-

Leona Prince, seen here in 2015 as vice-principal of Quinson Elementary and District Resource Teacher for Aboriginal Education, speaks with Education Minister Peter Fassbender at Centre for Learning Alternatives. Prince, now the district principal for Aboriginal education in SD 91, has been honoured with a national award.

tive on the cultural dualities and double-pressures of being of both Aboriginal and European descent.

Her biography for the TEDx event explained that she was born in Prince George, lived in several small northern B.C. towns, then attended UNBC

in 1996 where she completed a cross-college double major BSc Biology and First Nations Studies, graduating in 2004. She carried on to complete the Bachelor of Education Senior Years Program by 2006, whereupon she began her career in education.

Warm Up to Coldsnap coming this fall

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

The lineup has been announced for the annual Coldsnap Music Festival appetizer event.

Each fall the Coldnsnap organizers host Warm Up To Coldsnap to raise some leadup funds and whet the public’s appetite for the treasured main event in the winter.

This year, the warmup concert is in partnership with the BC World Music Collective.

“The BC World Music Collective performs music representative of Coldsnap, and brings together musicians from Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Africa, and London who now make their home in the beautiful province of B.C.,” said Sue Judge, Coldsnap’s artistic/executive director. “This unique, one-night-only event will also feature teasers of upcoming artists that will be playing at Coldsnap 2019.”

Fans of global music can expect a smorgasbord of celebrated music names all working together in a miniature festi-

val style at the Prince George Playhouse on Oct. 20.

The lineup includes Adonis Puentes (brother of Alex Cuba), Celso Machado, Tonye Aganaba, Kurai Blessing, JP Carter, Locarno (Tom Landa, Pedro Mota, Robin Layne, Liam MacDonald, Nick La Riviere, Kalissa Landa, JeanSe Le Doujet) and First Nations rapper (from St :o / St’át’imc / Nlaka’pamux territories) Ostwelve.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m.

Tickets to the Warm Up To Coldsnap 2019 concert are $26 (plus handling fees / tax) and are available online at https:// coldsnapfestival.ticket.ca or at Books & Company.

Coldsnap 2019, the main event, will happen Jan. 25 to Feb. 12 at a number of venues around the city.

handout photo

warm Up to Coldsnap 2019, described as a miniature music festival, features Adonis Puentes, above right, presented at the Prince george Playhouse on Oct. 20.

First she worked for School District 57 then moved next door to SD91 and also attained a Master’s Degree.

The recipients of the Guiding The Journey Awards will be celebrated and their notable work described in detail at a ceremony in Edmonton on Nov. 8.

Japan’s only ally

One of the monuments found in Bangkok is the Victory Monument. Most assume that the “victory” must be one from the endless wars between Burma and Siam. Upon looking closer, it is obvious that this assumption is wrong for the frieze around the monument clearly shows troops armed with 20th century weapons. Nor do many Thais know which victory is celebrated. The monument was actually quickly erected in 1941 to commemorate the Thai victory in the Franco-Thai War of the same year. French Indochina was a colony that included the present nations of Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Chinese Guangzhou. When World War Two commenced, France had about 50,000 troops in the colony including 12,000 French. It was an ill-equipped force with little air or armour support. When France surrendered to the Japanese Thailand, formerly Siam, was one of the very few Asian countries that never became a colony. With French Indochina on the east and British Burma on the west, the European powers left Siam as a buffer state between the two. Under an absolute monarchy, Siam was left to develop in its own way. A military coup in 1932 eventually put General Phibun Songkhhram in control. While Phibun was not a leader of the coup, he gained some fame as an artillery colonel in the Princes’ counter-revolution that followed, like Napoleon had done a century earlier. His taking power was the start of many changes. The monarchy ended, polygamy was banned, the language changed (“Swadeeka” became the greeting by Thai women, “Swadeekrap” for men as in Thai speakers identify their own gender when speaking), laws required husbands to wear hats and kiss their wives at the door when leaving for work, women had to cease wearing

Sidebars to History

the traditional pantaloons of the south in favour of the long skirts of the north, and the Chinese minority was vilified. Chinese had to report to the local police station for new Thai names that were frequently very rude. Dreams of “Greater Thailand” provided motivation.

Thailand and Indochina had disputed their common boundary for years. With France now divided between Vichy France and German occupied France, Philbun thought the time was right to settle the issue. A reasonably well equipped Thai army advanced across the border and the war started. A few land battles and one naval engagement were inconclusive. To end the war, Japan sponsored a peace conference and gave Thailand most, but not all, of the territory she wanted but made her pay the French for it.

Pearl Harbor was not the only attack Japan launched against the Allies in December 1941. Singapore was also a target. The British had armed the sea approaches and had stationed two battleships on waters near the city for further protection. The city relied upon the jungle to protect it from any Japanese attack from the north. Japan had tried to negotiate passage for its army from Thailand but Philbun was leery of making any public decision like that. Indeed, he had told the world that he would defend Thailand against any aggression, from Japan or the Allies. He was also trying to get Churchill to support him against Japanese aggression. But when Japanese troops landed at nine places on the Thai coast, Philbun was nowhere to be found. He was conveniently off on a car

trip to the Cambodian border and radio contact had ceased to operate. That left the decision of what to do to those the newly self-promoted Field Marshall had left behind in Bangkok. After a few brief firefights, Thai resistance ceased when their ammunition ran out. Japan pledged to respect Thailand’s independence when Phibun flew back to Thailand and granted them right of passage. In fall of the prior year Phibun had sworn an oath before the Emerald Buddha, the sacred Buddha for Bangkok, which formed an alliance with Japan and gave right of passage to Japanese troops in exchange for a bit more territory from Indochina. The secret was finally exposed during war crimes trials at the end of World War Two.

So with a slight of hand, Thailand became Japan’s one and only ally in the Pacific War, declaring war against the United States and United Kingdom in January 1942. (Neither country ever declared war on Thailand) The following year, the reward of two Shan and four Malay states were transferred to Thailand. Japan stationed troops in Thailand and started construction of the infamous railroad project and “Bridge on the River Kwai”.

The US was determined to treat Thailand as an occupied country and held that the declaration of war was contrary to the wishes of the Thai people, an argument due to the FreeThai based in Washington DC. Britain was out for blood, determined to extract vast quantities of rice to feed India and other colonies and many other concessions, especially after disclosure of the horrible conditions of Allied prisoners of war in Thailand. The relationship of two allies became acrimonious and downright nasty only to worsen as France joined in with different claims. Thai factions fought with each other, the new government vied with the army for control and within the government bitter battles took place. Phibun was charged with war crimes, a charge that fizzled out when the former Japanese commander said that far from helping the Japanese, Phibun had assisted the FreeThai movement during the Japanese occupation. The military coalesced around Phibun and with yet another coup, he returned to power in a veiled position in 1947.

A new constitution, another election, another civilian Prime Minister, another coup followed by yet another. The Thai Navy now joined in and arrested Phibun,

holding him captive on a ship. Having watched the Army and Navy wrestle for power, the Thai Air Force attacked the ship in which Phibun was held forcing him to jump into the river only to be recaptured by the Navy. And who might have directed the Air Force to bomb the ship? For a start, the Thai Police were thought to have joined in. By 1951, Phibun had recognized the growing anti-communist movement in the United States. Never one to ignore an opportunity, he and his government turned radically anti-communist to the joy of America and the anger of China. When the Korean War started, Phibun seized the moment sending 4,000 troops to fight alongside the Americans. As a result, the US agreed to provide massive amounts of armaments to the Thai Army and a bit less to the Police, who were now starting to fight over which would control the drug trade. Trucks would carry heroin to Bangkok from Chang Mai, pick up arms and other equipment from the CIA, and take that back to the north. Armed battles were fought between the Army and Police drug convoys

Phibun would remain in office until 1957 when another shift led to another military coup, this one strongly supported by the United States. Phibun retired in Japan where he was to die. He had amassed a fortune from bribes and skimming of the state lottery, it is said. For the years following his death, court battles between his wife and his many mistresses, each of whom had been given a car and lavish apartment, continued to provide entertainment for the Thais. It was corruption on a grand scale but he continues to be very popular with the Thai population.

“The Land of Smiles” has many secrets. Thailand ranks as 96th on the annual corruption scale (Canada is 8th) and 46th on the Happiness Scale (Canada is in the top ten). A military junta took control in 2014 and is still in power, one of many military coupes the country has experienced. Free speech is limited, media is controlled. Even foreigners can be arrested for “lese-majeste” or negative comments and actions regarding the royal family. Drug charges have resulted in death sentences for foreigners and Thai courts often rule in favour of the rich or politically powerful. Nonetheless, Thai tourist advertising continues to lure foreigners to Thai vacation spots.

willow arune

London Calling and local talent answers

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

London is calling. Maggie Trepanier is answering.

The local triple threat – dancer, singer, actor – has already hit the ranks of professional performer after graduating from one of Canada’s top stage schools (Randolph College in Toronto) and now she has been accepted into England’s coveted Guildford School of Acting within the University of Surrey. She is heading there in a matter of weeks to begin her Master’s Degree program in Musical Theatre.

Trepanier is taking a fledgling step in yet one more theatre skill, that of producer, as the host and organizer of a fundraising variety show. She is calling the event London Calling and her talented friends will be performing a series of numbers to entertain and enthrall audiences in aid of getting our local star onto the international stage.

“The Guildford School of Acting is very well respected and has strong ties to the West End theatre scene,” said Trepanier. “Previous graduates have a very high success rate in working professionally and getting representation (an agent) immediately after graduation. Many have success working in the West End and internationally as professional actors, which is what I am working towards doing.”

Local audiences most recently watched Trepanier in the Judy Russell Presents production of Legally Blonde: The Musical this summer.

She has also been in shows like The Sound of Music and Hair by Excalibur Theatre Arts, Russell’s version of Evil Dead, plus shows like Moll at Annex Theatre in Toronto and Love And Information at the Toronto

Fringe Festival. Trepanier’s name was frequently called to the winner’s circle at the city’s dance and music festivals over the years, and she has also been a teacher of new up-and-coming performers.

“This is a fundraiser show, yes, but it will also be great to see everyone one last time before I leave. Who knows when I’ll be able to get back?” said Trepanier, who departs only about a week after London Calling.

“I don’t know why I was so surprised, but I was really blown away with all the support I got to make this show happen. Everyone here is so awesome. I just mentioned the idea one day at a Legally Blonde rehearsal and everyone just jumped on it, throwing yeses at me, saying ‘I’ll do anything’ so the entertainment value will be really high.”

Some of the confirmed talent for the event includes musical performances by the likes of Catherine Hansen-McCarthy, Amy Blanding, Wil Fundal, Pucks alumni Murray Gable and Cindy Marcotte, Curtis Abriel, Kendra Hamelin, Kat Fullerton as Almost Marilyn, and many others.

“It’ll be fun and it’ll be different,” said Trepanier, mentioning numbers on the program from less blockbuster musicals like Dear Evan Hansen and The Book Of Mormon. “You won’t usually see these kind of performances at Prince George shows, so that’s what I’m looking forward to – different stuff, the stuff that’s personally interesting to these great people who’ve stepped forward to perform.”

It is a cabaret-style event with table seating, a bar (free shuttle home is provided), and a dance to follow the main showcase. It happens at the Columbus Community Centre on Sept. 8 (doors at 7 p.m., first number at 8 p.m.). Tickets are $25 on sale

now online at centralinteriortickets.com. A silent auction will also be available at the event. Any donations are gratefully accepted, as well as sponsorship for any of the event’s fixed costs (room rental, sound equipment, food/ beverage, etc.). To contribute to her cause, contact Trepanier at 250-6143621 or maggietrepanier@

yahoo.ca.

“While it is an incredible opportunity to attend this school, it is also very expensive,” said Trepanier on a brief break between the three jobs she’s been working to save up the funds.

In addition to her own development as a performing artist, she is also garnering support due to the mentorship she’ll be providing to the next generations of singers, actors and dancers following in her dance steps.

“It’s very stressful, but it’s stress I’m happy to have,” she said. “I’m so lucky to be in a position to enjoy going to class every day working towards a career I know will make me happy going to work every day. And I want to be able to pass that on and bring that back to Prince George.”

Maggie trepanier, who grew up in the dancing, acting, singing world, will be traveling to London to further her studies and is hosting a fundraiser on Sept. 8 at the columbus community centre where several local entertainers will perform.

Looking at the face of evil

In the song Sympathy for the Devil, the Rolling Stones repeat several times, “Pleased to meet you. Hope you guessed my name. But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game.”

In essence, the Stones are talking about the nature of evil and our relation to it. We see it, but we often don’t know what to call it. What is most confusing is that we do not understand it.

When we call evil by name and gain an understanding of it, we can deal with it effectively. This, in essence, is the power of Truth.

One of the most horrific crimes against humanity was the Holocaust. Genocide had been happening for thousands of years, yet until the last century we did not have a name for it, and we never studied it. When Germany lost World War II, its horrors were laid bare for all the world to see. We asked ourselves what had happened, why it happened, how it happened, and how it could be prevented.

We gave a name to this crime and we found the answers to our questions. Scholars have dissected what it looks like, and Genocide Watch has even outlined its 10 stages. We have come to know that this crime against humanity is not unique to Germany, it is a global problem. With this information we, the people of the world, have a fighting chance in gaining understanding, healing our world and preventing future mass atrocities. It will not be easy, but it can be done.

In a similar way, crimes of sexual abuse have come to light in recent decades. Just as with genocide, we are confused as to how and why this happened and continues to happen. The “Germany” at the core of this atrocity is the Catholic Church.

There are few Catholics who have not been impacted by these crimes. Our hearts go out to the victims, knowing how vulnerable we all were growing up in this Church. Like many Catholics today, I am most angered by the lies and cover up from those in positions of authority.

In many ways, we are standing like the world did in 1945, before the gates of Dachau and Auschwitz. We say, “Never again,” yet struggle to make it a reality. Where do we begin?

We have been here before. Genocide and abuse are both evil. Their only dif-

Lessons in Learning

ference is in scale. The Nazis created death factories. Abuse occurs primarily among individuals but is much more widespread. Beyond that, the similarities are frightening.

If we are going to rid the world of this horrendous theft of innocence, we need to approach it the same way we approached the Holocaust. We need to begin by looking at its horrifying face. We need to believe and honour the victims, and we need to listen to their stories. From there we can gain a better understanding, discover the stages of abuse and comprehend what can be done to heal and protect the vulnerable. Awareness is the key.

This will not be an easy task. The problem is widespread throughout society and in many religious and secular institutions. The Catholic Church, for one, is notorious for re-assigning abusers to other communities, even to other countries. We will discover that these crimes have been going on for thousands of years and that the impact has been devastating.

Those who seek truth are finding some allies in the Catholic Church. Bishop Lawrence Persico of Erie, Pennsylvania, for example, has published the names of known abusers in his diocese, as well as church leaders who are guilty of collusion. He has also called for the use of independent investigators in uncovering the truth.

This is only a next step. The Catholic Church has lost a great deal of its legitimacy as a voice for justice in the world due to these crimes. In order for its credibility to be regained, it must be painfully honest with itself in examining the crimes against humanity for which it is responsible, and it needs to take a leadership role in the healing process.

As Jesus said, “You will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”

Gerry Chidiac is a champion for social enlightenment, inspiring others to find their greatness in making the world a better place. For more of his writings, go to www.gerrychidiac.com.

Potato Festival at Huble Homestead

On Sunday, Sept. 2 and Monday, Sept. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Huble Homestead is hosting their annual Potato Festival, an a-

peel-ing event, which celebrates the mighty spud, a vegetable the Huble family once grew by the acre. Venture out to Huble

Homestead where spuds reign supreme. Play old fashion games including potato sack races, hot potato, and the potato and spoon race. There’s also potato peeling contests for young and old.

After taking part in the fun games and contests that focus on the tater and once you’ve worked up an appetite, try something new from our potato-themed menu or make a purchase from the barbecue. This event is the perfect place to learn more about heirloom potato varieties, and perhaps buy some to take home and try along with other harvested vegetables.

Huble Homestead Historic Site, 15000 Mitchell Rd., is a 30-minute drive north of Prince George, six kilometres down a well-maintained dirt road. The park is dog friendly. There are daily guided tours and shopping in the General Store.

This is the our last big event of the regular season which means we’ll be hosting a summer-end sale and all General Store merchandise is 10 per cent off.

Admission is by suggested donation of $10 per family. For more information visit www. hublehomestead.ca.

Gerry ChidiaC

Citizen file photo

this photo was taken when Huble Homestead held its annual Spring on the Homestead event.

Why Melissa McCarthy keeps making bad movies

Sonia Rao Citizen news service

It’s not unusual for an actor to take risks when it comes to selecting movie roles. But unfortunately for Melissa McCarthy, whose recent Muppet-adjacent film made more news for incurring the wrath of Sesame Street than for its boxoffice performance, the risk didn’t pay off.

The Happytime Murders, directed by Jim Henson’s son Brian, follows a human detective (McCarthy) and her puppet partner (voiced by Bill Barretta) as they attempt to solve the murders of puppets who once starred on a popular TV show.

The comedy is overloaded with raunchy humor – the trailer features, among other things, puppets fornicating – and flopped with critics and moviegoers alike. Deemed “painfully unfunny” and “a joyless, soulless slog,” it debuted this past weekend at just $10.1 million – a career-low wide release for McCarthy.

“A few critics are calling it the worst movie of the year,” Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers wrote in his review. “Unfair! The Happytime Murders, the R-rated look at a serial killer running wild in a puppetpopulated L.A., has what it takes to be a contender for worst of the decade.”

A brutal assessment, but especially so for a movie whose lead actress’ career has already taken a number of hits over the past few years. The Happytime Murders premiered a few months after McCarthy’s mom-goes-to-college flop, Life of the Party, which has a 38 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie’s tagline asked viewers to “give life the old college try,” but critics, dismayed by lackluster writing, couldn’t make the same request. McCarthy co-wrote the screenplay with the director, her husband Ben Falcone.

And let’s not forget 2016’s The Boss, which features McCarthy as a wealthy motivational speaker who lands in jail for insider trading and, after her release, moves in with her former assistant (Kristen Bell). Like the others, it features an interesting enough story – written again by star McCarthy and director Falcone, along with Steve Mallory – but fails to tell it well. Actually, maybe we should forget the movie, as well as McCarthy and Falcone’s first (and also bad) collaboration: 2014’s Tammy, which the New

Yorker’s Richard Brody called “an object lesson in the art of directing, which is all it would have taken to turn this nearmiss into an instant classic. Though that may be true of most mediocre movies.”

Yes, there is a theme here. The Washington Post’s Stephanie Merry noted when The Boss premiered that McCarthy’s weakest films are her collaborations with Falcone, while her strongest tend to be with Paul Feig. The latter is responsible for directing the wildly successful Bridesmaids, which earned McCarthy an Oscar nomination in 2012 and transformed her from a favorite among fans of Gilmore Girls and Mike and Molly into a bankable Hollywood star. Feig also directed McCarthy in The Heat, a box-office sensation co-starring Sandra Bullock; Spy, which, at 94 per cent, is still McCarthy’s highest-rated project on Rotten Tomatoes; and the much-buzzedabout Ghostbusters reboot.

McCarthy and Falcone didn’t write The Happytime Murders, but another theme emerges from its failure: No matter how many disastrous roles the actress takes on, we never write her off. And with good reason – critics across the board agree that the movie wastes McCarthy’s obvious talent.

New York’s David Edelstein wrote that he didn’t “have the heart to say a bad word about McCarthy. You can sense when an actor’s peripheral vision includes the nearest EXIT sign.”

IndieWire’s David Ehrlich stated that she “can do the potty-mouthed shtick in her sleep” and instead criticized the jokes her character gets saddled with.

Slate’s Inkoo Kang blames McCarthy’s agent for the mess, referring to the actress’ scripted lines as “an indignity that makes you wonder when she’s going to fire her agent each time they’re called back.”

McCarthy is the ninth highest-paid actress in the world for a reason. Clearly, she can do much, much better. And she soon might – she will take on a rare dramatic role in Marielle Heller’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Lee Israel, a once-acclaimed celebrity biographer who became a literary forger after her career stalled.

The film is tellingly scheduled to hit theatres in mid-October, right before Oscar season begins.

Getting into hot water in Iceland

One of the most famous tourist

“things to do in Iceland,” is to visit The Blue Lagoon.

It is a geothermal pool that is set into lava rock and it has become the ultimate in spa tourism. It was too expensive for my husband and I to go and swim because I am the cheapest person in the world. Instead, we picked another geothermal pool, The Secret Lagoon, and while we were in Reykjavik, we went to a normal pool instead. Icelandic hotels do not have their own pools because there are public swimming pools everywhere. For a very reasonable price, we ventured over to a public pool that was close to our hotel.

Prior to us leaving for our

vacation, we had heard rumours of a specific bathing ritual that must be followed before entering a geothermal pool, public or otherwise.

As we entered the lobby of the pool, we were confronted with very specific cartoon graphics on how exactly you are to bathe before you are to use the pool. In Iceland, the swimming pool is for swimming not for bathing and you have to wash before you go in the pool.

All people, big, small, old and young must disrobe completely while in the change room (still

divided along traditional gender lines) and put their clothes and belongings in the lockers provided (you do not need to bring extra cash for the lockers so that was nice).

You are now naked holding your bathing suit in one hand and wrapping the towel that you stole from your hotel around your body with your other hand.

Everywhere you look, there are naked women (obviously, it would be the reverse in the men’s change room. I was only in the women’s change room.) You less-than-confidently march into the communal shower room and feel humiliated because being naked is not normalized in your own country. There is a shelf for your bathing suit.

No one is looking at you because no one cares.

Upon the realization that no one is looking at you, you relax somewhat and dump your towel on the towel shelf (no where near the showers) and think of England as you march back to the communal shower area. Shower gel is provided and there are graphics describing exactly the areas of your body that must be clean before you go into the pool and before you put on your bathing suit (it all has to be done naked).

You must wash your hair, your armpits, your nether regions (front and back) and your feet. Once washed you can put your bathing suit on and go merrily into the pool which is heated from the earth.

The pools are enormous and organized by temperature and they are all outdoors. That means that Icelanders go swimming in the middle of winter and wouldn’t that be nice. It seemed like it was mostly locals using the pools with only a few tourists scattered throughout the pools. You could tell the tourists because we were the people looking uncomfortable and making things weird in the change rooms.

Anyway, the pool was lovely and the following day was our last day in the country and we had planned the Golden Circle tour which was a rapid-fire “see all the things to see in Iceland” tour that is only a few hundred kilometers round trip.

One of our stops was at “The Secret Lagoon,” touted as “Iceland’s Oldest Swimming Pool.”

It is currently rebranding itself as a tourist destination for people who don’t want to pay the exorbitant Blue Lagoon prices. It’s “secret” because it’s in a little, tiny town and everyone drives past the exit for the Lagoon because signage is more of a suggestion than a rule. We got lost.

After much cursing and shuffling of the map, we found our way back to the Lagoon and the parking lot was full and it was not really secret at all.

Also, the Lagoon was quite small but cute and it was lined by lava rock. After much debate, we decided to go in because we were already there and once inside, we swam for a bit. It was strange though because the bottom was black sand and closer to the hot spring edges, there were rocks covered in algae (i.e. slimy).

Because of the sandy bottom and the clearly not-chlorinated water, it kind of felt like we were swimming in a hot lake, which I guess we were. Picture Bear Lake shrunk down to the size of a backyard pool and heat

the water to between 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and invite 60 neighbours to come over and that is what it was like; nice but crowded.

Not much of a secret.

The change room and showering procedure was much less stringent at the Secret Lagoon and honestly, it grossed me out when people were just putting on their bathing suits and running right into the Lagoon. It was only me and few other people who like to follow the rules that were using the proper shower procedure and the rest of the tourists gawked and made the naked people uncomfortable.

If people in Canada and in other western nations with massive body image issues normalized bathing and being naked around each other, we would all have less hang-ups about our bodies.

I’ve given birth to two babies and am clearly not a swimsuit model but that doesn’t matter because I like to go swimming and everyone else at the pool did too. When you are raised in a culture where you see everyone at their most vulnerable, that is normal and nothing to be weird about.

Icelandic pools have far less chemicals in them because people actually wash their bits before swimming. In an age where we are all concerned about limiting the use of chemicals in everyday life, wouldn’t it be better if our pools didn’t burn our eyes and skin? I vote for a change in our pool culture to be more Icelandic – it’s cleaner, freer and better.

Considering that our fifth season (wildfire season), appears to be here to stay, I imagine that public swimming pools will become more important as our lakes will be surrounded by fire. Let’s keep the pools swimmable by doing a better job of washing up beforehand.

Shaun Majumder not

returning to This Hour Has 22 Minutes

Victoria AheArn Citizen news service

TORONTO — Shaun Majumder will not be returning to the CBC-TV satirical news program This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

In a statement, the Burlington, N.L., native says the move is “due to creative differences” between himself and the Halifax producers.

The actor-comedian adds the decision for his departure was not his.

The public broadcaster has also confirmed Majumder will not be returning for the new season, which begins Sept. 18.

A CBC spokesman adds the network “looks forward to the possibility of working with” Majumder again in the future.

Majumder joined This Hour Has 22 Minutes in 2003 and won a Gemini Award for his role on the show in 2006.

“The show has been a Canadian cultural institution which I’ve always felt blessed to be a part of,” Majumder said Monday in a statement.

“Over the years, my love for working on the show has grown, especially with our close-knit 22 Minutes family.”

Majumder praised the entire team involved with the show, adding: “Being surrounded by this family every week is what I will miss most.”

“Thank you to the CBC for an incredible run and to all of fans of 22 Minutes from coast to coast to coast, who have supported the show and all the ridiculous shenanigans I got into while on it,” Majumder said.

“And of course, to all the haters... I love you too because if you didn’t exist, we wouldn’t be doing it right.”

He added that he’s thankful to have been a part of the show and network and that he’s “stoked to explore future creative endeavours.”

Majumder owned a home in Los Angeles during his run on the show and spent years flying to and from the 22 Minutes studio in Halifax.

His other credits include the American dramas The Firm, 24 and Detroit 187.

“Given the nature of the industry, it’s not uncommon to make a change with a cast member. In fact, this has happened several times over the years with other cast members on 22 Minutes,” Chuck Thompson, head of public affairs at CBC English Services, said Monday in a statement emailed to The Canadian Press.

“Shaun made a huge contribution to the success of the program but after a great run, CBC and DHX Media decided to go in a different direction. That said, CBC looks forward to the possibility of working with Shaun again in the future.”

Megan kuklIs Home Again

Driver’s Seat

Nissan launches China-focused electric car

Citizen news service

GUANGZHOU, China — Nissan’s first electric sedan designed for China began production Monday at the start of a wave of dozens of planned lower-cost electrics being created by global automakers for their biggest market.

Manufacturers including General Motors and Volkswagen are poised this year to launch a flood of electric sedans, minivans and SUVs designed for Chinese tastes and budgets. Nissan, Tesla, GM and others sell imports or electrified versions of models made by Chinese partners, but the market is dominated by low-cost local rivals including BYD Auto.

China’s government sees electric cars as a promising industry and a way to clean up its smog-choked cities. Government subsidies have built China into the biggest market for electrics, but Beijing is shifting the burden to automakers with sales quotas and tougher fuel efficiency standards.

The Sylphy Zero Emission, based on Nissan’s Leaf, is being produced by Nissan Motor Co. and a Chinese partner, Dongfeng Motor group.

The Sylphy costs 166,000 yuan ($25,850) after government subsidies, or just over half the sticker price of the Chinese version of the Leaf sold by Nissan and Dongfeng’s joint venture Venucia brand. Nissan says the Sylphy can go 338 kilometres (210 miles) on a charge.

“We’re confident that the Sylphy Zero Emission rolling off the production line today will become a main player in the EV market,” said Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa. “We’re going to roll out a range

of EVs that will appeal to customers within all market segments.”

Sales quotas that take effect next year require every brand to sell electrics or buy credits from competitors that do. That puts pressure on automakers to create affordable models Chinese consumers want.

China accounted for half of global electric car sales last year, but almost all were Chinese models that start as low as 140,000 yuan ($22,000). BYD Auto, the biggest global brand by number sold, said its first-half 2018 sales doubled from a year earlier to 71,000.

“Basically, all these international giants are testing the water. They have not really launched their heavyweight models in China yet,” said industry analyst Yale Zhang of Automotive Foresight.

“By the end of this year, things will be different,” Zhang said. “We really will see the market become more competitive and consumers will have more to choose.”

Sales of pure-electric and gasolineelectric hybrid vehicles in the first half of 2018 rose 111.5 per cent over a year earlier to 412,000. Total electric sales last year were 770,000.

Government plans call for total annual sales of 2 million electric and gasolineelectric hybrid vehicles by 2020.

Despite official support, electrics still are a fraction of Chinese passenger vehicle sales, which totalled 11.8 million in the first half of 2019, up 4.6 per cent from a year earlier.

Nissan and Dongfeng announced plans in February to develop 20 electric models as part of a $10 billion, five-year investment program. They said that would include three models this year and three “affordable EV” compacts in 2019.

GM says it will roll out 10 electric and hybrid models in China from 2016 to 2020. It says by 2025, all its Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet models in China will offer hybrid or pure-electric versions.

Tesla says China is its second-largest market. But a high sticker price has limited sales by other foreign brands to a few hundred vehicles.

Beijing announced in April it would end restrictions on foreign ownership of electric vehicle manufacturers this year in an effort to promote development.

Producers had been reluctant to transfer manufacturing to China due to the requirement to share technology with Chinese partners that might become rivals.

Freed of that requirement, Tesla Inc. announced in July it would build its first factory outside the United States in Shanghai, becoming the first wholly foreign-owned automaker in China.

Other automakers are working through ventures with Chinese partners, hoping to take advantage of their experience in developing lower-cost vehicles.

Citizen news serviCe photo by vinCent yu

a worker inspects a nissan Sylphy zero emission, nissan’s first all-electric vehicle built in china, at a production line in guangzhou, guangdong province, china, Monday.

Hiroto Saikawa, nissan Motor co., Ltd’s president and ceO, right, and zhu Yanfeng, chairman and party secretary of Dongfeng Motor group co. Ltd, left, pose during Monday’s launch of the nissan Sylphy zero emission.

Austin Healey one of Motor Gathering’s highlights

Pedro ArrAis Times Colonist

VICTORIA — The road taken to get a 1957 Austin Healey 100-6 to the Vancouver Island Motor Gathering on Sunday speaks of love, loss, joy and family.

There will be just under 400 vehicles – classics, unique and custom cars, as well as some motorcycles – at the event, sponsored by the GAIN Group and hosted at its Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit.

One of those cars on display will be Louise Solomons’ Austin Healey.

The car, which is in the final stages of a Concours d’Elegance restoration, once belonged to her father, who bought it from his brother in the late 1960s.

“He just loved that car,” said Solomons. “Although he owned other classic cars in his time, that one was his favourite.”

Over the years, her father entered the car in numerous car shows and drove it until about 2006, but parked it because it needed work – and he didn’t trust anybody else to work on it.

When he died in 2016, he left the car to Solomons, who travelled back to England to settle the estate and take possession of the car.

Bringing the car back to Canada was a story in itself, starting with having to fend off people offering to buy the

car from her.

“It was in really terrible shape,” she said. “It was definitely not how I remembered it.”

She took the car to Mike Grams at Coachwerks Automotive Restoration, because of their reputation in restoring Austin Healeys – having done

more than 40 restorations on the British classics.

“Louise’s car is going to be one of the highlights of the show,” said Grams, who founded the automotive restoration business in 1998.

“The car has been taken down to the last nut and bolt and rebuilt.”

He expects the car will garner attention, given the Vancouver Island Motor Gathering has become known for its ability to attract high-end collector cars in the local and Lower Mainland car-show circuit.

His company only takes on between 15 and 20 restorations a year, with cars and clients from across North America.

Although Solomons’ father would take her along to some of the shows, he never let her drive it.

“Even my mum only drove it once or twice,” she said. “It was his baby.”

When the restoration is complete – expected to be before the end of the year – it will be her first time behind the wheel.

Although the car will be restored to high show standards, it will not just be a trailer queen. She expects to drive it, weather permitting, as her fun car. She has four children, but only one, who is 11 years old, has expressed a passion for cars. Solomons isn’t in a hurry to let him drive, but plans to keep the car in the family.

“It was my father’s pride and joy,” she said. Soon it will be hers, as well.

The Vancouver Island Motor Gathering is not just a car show, it is also a fundraiser for local charities.

In 2017, the event raised more than $174,000 in cash and $180,000 in in-kind donations for the Children’s Health Foundation.

This year all monies collected will benefit the David Foster Foundation and Cowichan District Hospital Foundation.

For more information, go to motorgathering. com.

The fine art of backing up like a pro

There are three reverse gear moves on the B.C. driving road test, and for good reason. A parallel park, straight-line and a three-point turn are most likely included on the provincial driving road test. Backing is a major cause of lowspeed crashes. The loss of life or serious injury while backing is possible, but not as common as in other crashes.

There is a significant threat to pedestrians when a driver decides to use reverse gear without the most elementary safety checks. The potential for a mishap is exponentially more probable for several reasons.

Drivers should always do a 360-degree walkaround before leaving any front-facing parking stall. Even with a back-up camera, there are blind spots. It is best to back into a parking space than to drive forward into one. A drive-through parking space is always preferable, compared with a space that requires the use of reverse gear, whether backing in or out.

Every driver should give two taps of the horn before backing up. It is the international method of warning others of an intention to reverse.

The 360-degree check must be done prior to the move. If there is someone present to guide the driver, all the better. The backing move should be done with one hand on the wheel. This will allow for the other arm to be braced against the passenger seat, to allow for a torso rotation that will give the best visibility for reverse travel. Always do an offside check before moving back.

Many drivers would rather park at the side of the road. This parallel position has the advantage of the bumper taking any lumps, as opposed to the vehicle doors, which often happens in the alltoo-treacherous mall parking lot.

The police are the best example of how to park properly. Most people do not notice the obvious parking configuration at any police station or detachment. All functional cruisers will be backed in or in a drive-through space. Those vehicles that need servicing, or which have been disabled, can be readily identified by their nose-in position in the parking lot.

There are many industrial areas that mandate a back-in policy. This policy is responsible for up to a 30 per cent reduction in parking lot crashes. Industry leaders often employ a driving-safety professional to help reduce the crash rate in their company. As a young driving consultant, I was taught, by veteran advisers, to always address the parking configuration first. It was good advice.

Several years ago, a logging truck driver invited me to ride for a day. The driver never used reverse: For safety reasons, all the driving, loading and unloading was done without the use of reverse gear. It did not matter whether we were at the scales, in the yard or at the loading dock, we were in neutral or forward gear.

Motorcycle riders make good vehicle drivers. They very seldom, if ever, back up. There is a tendency for them to do the same when they drive a motor vehicle. Call it a case of carryover or force of habit, but they usually avoid reverse gear in their personal vehicles.

Beware backing up – it is much more involved and dangerous than it seems.

Steve Wallace is a former vice-president of the Driving Schools Association of the Americas, a registered B.C. teacher.

PhotograPh By aDrIaN LaM, tIMES CoLoNISt

Louise Solomons has a 1957 austin Healey 100-6 being restored at coachwerks. the car once belonged to her father.

steve wallace Times Colonist

Special to The Citizen