Prince George Citizen February 13, 2019

Tears flow as woman sentenced for fatal stabbing

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

A woman issued a tearful apology prior to being sentenced Tuesday for fatally stabbing a man during a confrontation fueled by drugs and alcohol.

Originally charged with seconddegree murder, Annie Jean Anatole, 35, had pleaded guilty to the lesser included count of manslaughter in the death of Ryan Pierre on the Tachie reserve north of Fort St. James during the early morning of July 17, 2016.

“I truly am remorseful for the death of Ryan,” Anatole said as she read a prepared statement during a hearing at the Prince George courthouse. About 20 people, most of them friends and family of the victim, were in the gallery.

“I never could have dreamed of anything like this happening to him or to anybody. It hurts my heart to feel that not only did I lose someone that I dearly loved, but so did his family. I’m very sorry from the bottom of my heart.”

For seven years, Anatole and Pierre had been in an on-again, off-again relationship and were the parents of two young children. In the hours leading up to Pierre’s death, the two had been partying with friends, consuming alcohol and cocaine. With rising frequency, arguments between the two broke out as the day went on. Matters came to a head outside a friend’s home when, at about 2 a.m., Pierre grabbed Anatole by the arm.

A friend intervened and separated the two, but as Anatole was getting into a van she owned, Pierre picked up a rock and threw it, breaking the passenger window. Anatole got back out of the van and ran towards Pierre with her arm raised and, according to

No weapon was ever found but an autopsy showed Pierre, indeed, was struck in the heart and had likely died within minutes if not seconds, the court was told.

witnesses, struck or punched him once in the chest.

As Anatole and a friend got back into the van and drove away, Pierre was heard saying she had just stabbed him in the heart.

No weapon was ever found but an autopsy showed Pierre, indeed, was struck in the heart and had likely died within minutes if not seconds, the court was told.

Anatole and her friend, meanwhile, had called the RCMP three times to say she had just been assaulted and was fearful Pierre would follow her to her home.

But when the RCMP showed up, it was to arrest her for the death of Pierre.

Alcohol on Anatole’s breath was noticed and she had poor balance when walking. RCMP attempted to get sworn statements from her, but for the most part, Anatole remained silent. She appeared in shock and, from time to time, asked where Pierre was and whether he was OK.

Several victim impact statements from Pierre’s immediate family were read into the record.

In one, his mother’s desperate attempt to save her son’s life was recalled.

Wanda Pierre said she held her sons head as the two sat in the back of a car racing to hospital in

Fort St. James.

“My husband said ‘give him mouth to mouth,’ so I did on the way to town,” the court heard.

“But the air didn’t sound right when it came out. But my husband (said) ‘keep giving him air,’ and I did, but it didn’t seem to help.”

Just a few days before his death, he had dropped by her house and given her a $100 bill so she had enough money to play bingo when she went to Prince George.

“I said ‘thank you’ and hugged him and I said ‘don’t forget, I love you always and forever,’” she said.

In other victim impact statements, Pierre was described as caring and loving and someone who loved to laugh.

In the end, Anatole was sentenced to four years in jail, less credit for time served prior to sentencing, followed by three years probation.

Because Anatole had been in custody since her arrest, she had enough credit to serve only 50 more days behind bars.

Crown counsel had originally argued for four to seven years less credit for time served while defence counsel was seeking time served and three years probation.

When B.C. Supreme Court Justice Nigel Kent said he would be deciding on a sentence at the bottom end of Crown’s range, Crown and defence agreed to a joint submission that would see the probationary term added to her time remaining in custody.

Conditions of her probation include that she go no closer than 25 kilometres to Tachie and that she have no contact with Pierre’s immediate family with the exception of his mother, who she can reach only through a third party to arrange access to her children.

Many in the gallery dabbed their eyes as Kent delivered the decision.

Mental health course offered for veterans, families

Citizen staff

A free Veteran Family Program called Mental Health First Aid will be offered in Prince George this weekend, geared for medically-released veterans, family members and anyone who provides services to them.

With more than 700 military and veteran families in Prince George, as well at the Veterans Affairs Canada office located here once again, this is the ideal location to host the two-day program.

The course goes Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Sandman Signature, 2990 Recplace Dr.

The Mainland BC Military Family Resource Centre (BCMFRC) launched the Veteran Family Program last April on behalf of Veteran Affairs Canada and offers support to veterans and their families as they transition from military to civilian life.

Medically-released veterans can experience a host of mental health issues that will be discussed during the course, including mood, anxiety, trauma-associated, psychotic and substance-use disorders.

As with anyone administering first aid to a physically ailing person, the course offers nextlevel readiness for things like drug overdose, suicidal behaviour, panic attacks, episodes of psychosis and acute stress.

The course will ensure participants are equipped with the skills and given the confidence needed to participate in conversations about mental health and offer ways of recognizing symptoms of a wide range of mental health issues.

“Mental health issues are often met with significant stigma in the world,” said Tracy Cromwell, BCMFRC executive direc-

tor, who will be attending the course in Prince George.

“That’s what’s so great about Mental Health First Aid – Veteran Community because the course is about helping others, participants don’t have to worry about standing out as having a problem if they attend. In this way, the course is truly nonthreatening for those who’d like to learn more about dealing with these issues.”

— see ‘SERVING, page 3

CROMWELL

AYRE

Becca Scott coming to Northern FanCon

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

Northern FanCon’s guest list just rolled the dice on a new guest, and we have a winner.

In addition to being an actor and comedian, Becca Scott is also a tabletop gaming enthusiast of late-night talk show proportions. Her film and television credits include the recurring role of Katie in Fail Lab, the series Tween Fest, the TV movie Hacker, and an episode in the mega-hit show This Is Us. She’s also the eponymous co-lead in the series Gregg & Becca with Gregg Maxwell. It is her gaming side that really pushes her buttons, and her trip to Prince George will include some of that activity. She calls her board game interest more of an addiction, which is why she one of the internet’s most sought-after tutorial personalities.

She is host of the online shows Game The Game and also How To Play.

Her YouTube channel has more than 4,400 subscribers. There you can find helpful (and hilarious) segments on all the latest board games, tabletop titles, and other ways to enjoy leisure time. The segments often include special guests from the analogue gaming and popular culture world (more than a million views for the one where she plays Lanterns: The Harvest Festival oncamera with Ivan Van Norman, Zac Eubank and Wil Wheaton).

“Stay tuned for what Becca has in store for her Northern FanCon appearance,” said event coordinator Norm Coyne. What will that be? Let’s make a game of it and try to guess. Northern FanCon will throw all its cards on the table from May 3-5 at CN Centre. Tickets are on sale now at the CN Centre box office or at the TicketsNorth website.

Civic Centre 25 years old

Citizen staff

One of Prince George’s most familiar and functional buildings for business, commerce and entertainment hit the quarter century mark on Monday.

The Prince George Conference and Civic Centre first opened its doors on Feb. 11, 1994. In the early 1990s, city council authorized an expenditure of $12.1 million to build the facility and the adjacent Civic Centre Plaza, now known as Canada Games Plaza.

The city estimates the facility has welcomed about three million visits to date and hosts about 120,000 guests and 400 events over the course of a year.

The peak year for attendance was 2015 when the venue hosted attendees of the 2015 Canada Winter Games and hit a high of nearly 245,000 event participants.

Since 2001, annual revenues have increased from just under a million dollars per year to $1.7 million annually.

The estimated economic impact of the Civic Centre to the Prince George economy

has risen from just over $6 million in 2010 to more than $10 million in 2017. In the recent past, the B.C. Natural Resources Forum has been the largest annual convention at the facility both in terms of delegate count (1,100) and impact to the local economy. The Council of Forest Industries annual general meeting and conference is also one of the major events held at the PGCCC and attracts over 800 delegates. Another conference of note was the Elders Gathering in 2005, which attracted over 1,500 First Nations from across B.C. The Conference and Civic Centre has seen its share of famous faces as well. Following the official opening of the facility in 1994, the Queen visited the facility while she was in Prince George for the opening of UNBC.

Other noteworthy guests have included current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chris Hadfield, Trevor Linden, George Thorogood, Spirit of the West, Delhi to Dublin, Bruce Cockurn, as well as several B.C. premiers.

Moose Hide Campaign events to be hosted in Prince George

The Moose Hide Campaign, a movement uniting men against violence towards women and children, will be holding a gathering and day of fasting in Prince George today.

A variety of presentations, workshops and cultural activities will be held at the University of Northern British Columbia, College of New Caledonia, the Prince George Native Friendship Centre, Hadih House and the Fire Pit Cultural Drop-In Centre.

The Moose Hide Campaign was started by a father and daughter after a moose hunting trip in their traditional territory along Highway 16 – the Highway of Tears – in northwestern British Columbia.

It has grown from a single event to events across Canada, including Prince George. Participants are encouraged to wear a moose hide pin that signifies their support in honouring, respecting, and protecting women and children.

Events at UNBC begin with free registration at 8:30 a.m., followed by opening ceremony, keynote speakers, presentations and a catered lunch at the Gathering Place.

Afternoon events take place at CNC and PGNFC with presentations and workshops. A breaking fast celebration will also be held at PGNFC, 5 p.m. start. For a full list of events, visit www.unbc.ca. Pre-registration is encouraged at moosehidecampaign.ca.

Actor, comedian and tabletop gaming enthusiast

Becca Scott will be a guest at Northern FanCon.

Citizen staff

Construction in the cold

Despite freezing temperatures, crews continue building the O’Grady Heights Apartment by Broadstreet

Properties. The new apartments are located on Stringer Crescent and O’Grady Avenue.

‘Serving

in the military is not like a regular job’

— from page 1

Canadian Armed Forces Corporal Angela Ayre was medically released from the military and is now the coordinator of the Veteran Family Program. She has taken the Mental Health First Aid course and experienced the transition from military to civilian life herself.

Ayre, who lives in Port Moody and works from the BCMFRC office in Vancouver, said the course really helped her become more comfortable and knowledgable about mental health issues which veterans can experience.

Ayre now helps medically-released veterans and their families transition into civilian life after military service.

“Serving in the military is not like a regular job,” Ayre said.

“Soldiers eat, breathe and sleep their job. Everything they do is closely knit. They are willing to die for the person beside them. They are operationally trained to go to war and to sacrifice.”

Some of the veterans and families Ayre helps are those facing mental health issues.

Veterans and their families can be educated about those issues

and provided with the tools to support each other during the workshop.

“The course helped me be a better listener,” Ayre said. The two-day course is open to all members of the community who support veterans and their families.

Mental Health First Aid offers certification upon completion of the course. Space is limited with priority given to medicallyreleased or soon-to-be released veterans and their families.

Register by Feb. 15 by contacting veterans@bcmfrc.com.

CNC celebrating Black History Month

Citizen staff

February’s annual Black History Month activities have some busy days at the College of New Caledonia.

The college has partnered with the Prince George African Heritage Society (PGAHS) for some socialization and education events to celebrate this ethnic chapter in our local culture. The top of the list is the Afro Fusion Cuisine Dinner Dance & Entertainment event on Feb. 23.

The celebration, now in its 22nd year, has become a longstanding cultural tradition in the community.

Last year, the celebration raised more than $1,600 for the Do-

minican Hurricane Maria Relief Fund and an equal amount for the Give A Chance Society. This year, proceeds from the celebration will fund the CNC Black History Committee Endowment Bursary.

“It’s important to celebrate and learn from the past during Black History Month,” said CNC instructor and one of the event organizers George Kaweesi. “But it’s also important we come together to celebrate while also continuing to build a future for our youth.”

In honour of Black History Month, CNC also has a display of traditional African history and culture in the library.

“CNC is a true community college, but we are also increasingly dynamic and international,”said

CNC president Henry Reiser.

“We all benefit from this infusion of culture coming together on our campus. CNC is proud to be a supporter of the Black History Month Celebration, which brings our community together every year.”

The dinner and dance starts with appetizers and drinks at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., and live entertainment plus a dance with DJ Darkness to follow.

Tickets are $25 for ages 13 and older, $10 for ages seven to 12, and free for children six and younger. Tickets can be purchased at the CNC Bookstore, UNBC Bookstore, Books & Company, DJ Afro, Superstore and at the door if available.

Cast sought for Agatha Christie play

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

Murder springs eternal. The annual spring production by the Nechako Community Theatrics Society (NCTS) will be a loving homage to classic killing.

The internationally popular Appointment With Death by bestselling author Agatha Christie is the play in the spotlight, and the NCTS is looking for a cast and crew of volunteers to raise the curtain.

Auditions are scheduled for Feb. 22, Feb. 25 and March 1.

“No experience necessary, just a can-do attitude and a willingness to give it your all,” said the call for auditions.

“In addition to actors, we are also looking for people interested in being behind the scenes as stage hands/technicians. Our technical director and stage manager will be there to talk with those interested.”

NCTS is an all-local amateur theatre organization dedicated to producing comedy and drama using the social diversity of our community.

They recently produced The

Former legislature speaker steps down

VICTORIA (CP) — The former Speaker of British Columbia’s legislature who was in charge when its alleged two senior officials filed inappropriate expenses has stepped down from her duties.

The B.C. Liberals say Linda Reid is giving up her position as assistant deputy Speaker and will be replaced by caucus member Joan Isaacs.

Speaker Darryl Plecas released a report last month that alleged the clerk of the house, Craig

James, and its sergeant-at-arms, Gary Lenz, overspent on foreign trips and made inappropriate expense claims. Both men have been suspended while an RCMP investigation continues.

They have denied the allegations and countered the claims in the report by Plecas.

After the report was released, New Democrat Gary Begg said Reid should explain how expenses were handled. Reid has not commented.

UNBC Research Ambassadors promote research opportunities

Citizen staff

A new Research Ambassadors program designed to celebrate the innovative research carried out at the university and enhance research culture on campus has been launched at the University of Northern British Columbia

The program features three undergraduate and three graduate students from various disciplines who will promote and engage with university and high school students through public talks, workshops and orientation activities. The students will also work closely with UNBC’s Office of Research and Graduate Programs to improve the research experience for students and encourage more undergraduate students to get involved in groundbreaking research.

“Collaborating closely with our faculty, our student researchers are engaged in creating innovative, local solutions that have a global impact,” said UNBC president Daniel Weeks.

“These research ambassadors will create new and exciting connections across our research community, developing new pathways for experiential learning opportunities.”

The ambassadors will mentor fellow students from the sciences, humanities and social sciences degree programs to highlight the work students do to contribute to UNBC’s reputation as a research-intensive university.

They also want to dispel the myth that research is an area reserved for faculty, says research ambassador Emilio Caputo, currently an undergraduate student in his fifth year of his bachelor of arts degree in honours history with minors in political science and philosophy.

“One of the things that students fail to understand is that through the course of their degree, the original research they produce in their classes often qualifies them as excellent researchers,” he said.

“The ability to do research at the undergraduate level prepares you for a future in academia, but

These research ambassadors will create new and exciting connections across our research community, developing new pathways for experiential learning opportunities.

— Daniel Weeks, UNBC president

really wherever you choose. For me, it allowed me to sharpen my analytical skills as a historian and forced me to hold myself to a higher standard.”

Caputo’s honours thesis focuses on deconstructing ideas of masculinity in the medieval Spanish military orders while also emphasizing the unique importance that Spain plays as part of a continental tradition of crusading.

Kristen Kieta is a PhD student in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies whose research focuses on tracing finegrained sediment in the Nechako River watershed. She is part of a team investigating what the primary sources of sediment are to the river because sediment can be detrimental to overall river health.

She applied to be a research ambassador because of her positive experience so far at UNBC and she wants to encourage others, particularly those who haven’t considered conducting research, to get involved.

“UNBC has an immense wealth of knowledge across numerous disciplines and a vast amount of opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students to do research that often has immediate application to the communities in the region,” she said.

Vagina Monologues, Treasure Island – A Ben Crocker Pantomime, Murder at the Grand Gatsby Speakeasy, and many others in the past couple of years.

For those who sign themselves up for an Appointment With Death, rehearsals will happen from 7 to 9 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays from Mar. 4 to May 20, followed by two full on-stage dress rehearsals.

Auditions and rehearsals happen at the Big Brothers-Big Sisters complex at 777 Kinsmen Place. The performances will happen May 31, June 1, 7 and 8.

Gov’t promises to tackle cellphone costs, poverty, money laundering

Dirk MEISSNER Citizen news service

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government is promising to tackle cellphone costs, ticket scalpers, money laundering loopholes and poverty in a throne speech that also addresses an unfolding scandal at the legislature.

The province’s minority NDP government said Tuesday that making life more affordable will be the hallmark of its initiatives and legislation in the coming months.

“Affordability remains the biggest challenge facing B.C. families,” said Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin, who read the throne speech.

“Many people are working two or three jobs, commuting further for work, and spending less time with their families, just to make ends meet.”

Premier John Horgan said the government’s elimination of Medical Services Premiums by January 2020 amounts to the largest middle-class tax cut in a generation, saving families about $1,800.

Opposition Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said he has grave concerns about the government’s direction, especially when its throne speech barely mentions the economy or creating good jobs.

“The government says people are working two and three jobs and still can’t get ahead,” he said.

Green Leader Andrew Weaver, whose three elected members of the legislature have an agreement to support the NDP minority, said the government offered a laundry list of populist issues, but no real future focus.

“What was really missing was a vision,” he said.

“A vision for a prosperous future grounded in innovation.”

The government will continue its freeze on ferry fares on major routes and keep discounts on secondary and northern ferry routes for a second consecutive year, Horgan said at a news conference.

“We’re going to focus on a whole host of other economic activities,” he said. “When we invest in schools, in hospitals, in our kids, we’re making investments in our economy.”

The details of the government’s longawaited poverty reduction strategy will be contained in next week’s budget, Horgan said.

The government passed legislation last year to cut B.C.’s overall poverty rate by 25 per cent and the child poverty rate by 50 per cent over the first five years of the plan.

Other items in the government’s political agenda include rules to prevent the unfair resale of concert tickets and tabling legislation that makes B.C. the first province in Canada to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“For too long the social justice elements of reconciliation have been ignored and the economic benefits to everyone have long been forgotten,” said Horgan.

Horgan said the government believes there is a need to provide greater transparency in cellphone billing and it is promising to advocate for more affordable mobile phone options.

Researcher honoured for discovering ancient queen

Liam CASEY Citizen news service

TORONTO — The University of Toronto is honouring one of its researchers who discovered a long-lost Mesopotamian queen using books alone.

Tracy L. Spurrier, a PhD candidate in the department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, found Queen Hama, a young royal, by poring over books at the school’s library.

“There’s often pressure that we need to be in the field and digging to make new discoveries and collect data, but we’re all learning that’s not necessarily true,” she said.

Spurrier, 37, is one of three winners of the inaugural University of Toronto Libraries’ Graduate Student Exhibition Award and will have her work on display at Robarts Library until the end of February.

Queen Hama’s story began some 3,000 years ago in the lost city of Assyria and is closely tied to another royal, Queen Mullissu-mukannishat-Ninua, who placed a curse on the tomb she’d be buried in.

“Anyone later who removes my throne from before the shades of the dead, may his spirit receive no bread!” the inscription reads.

The tombs were lost until the late 1980s when researchers excavated a palace in Nimrud, near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Inside they found the bones of the queen who laid the curse along with those of several other unidentified queens.

The archeologists also discovered a treasure trove of gold, Spurrier said.

“It’s amazing, it rivals King Tut in terms of detail and quality,” she said.

But soon after the discovery, the Persian Gulf War broke out.

“Few papers were being published, so the academic community was not getting information,” Spurrier said. “War takes precedence.”

She said documentation of the discovery wasn’t great beyond the one queen and the information that was published wasn’t widely spread.

Spurrier, who is American, completed her undergraduate studies at Boston University in archeology studies then moved north to do her master’s degree.

In 2010, she enrolled in the doctoral program at the school to study archeology of Mesopotamia – ancient Iraq.

In 2011, she began reading up on the research by Donny George, one of Iraq’s most famous archeologists, who was coming to Toronto to give a talk.

He played an instrumental role in recovering thousands of exhibits that were looted from the Iraqi National Museum in 2003 after the U.S. invasion.

George died of a heart attack and never made it to that talk.

Yet his work inspired Spurrier.

During her research she came across a rarely studied book, Nimrud: A City of Golden Treasures, by Amer Suleiman and Muzahim Hussein, who discovered the tomb in 1989. The book, published in 1999, was brought over from Baghdad by one of the university’s professors and placed in the department’s rare book archive.

The text contained a wealth of information about the Nimrud tombs, said Spurrier, who also started taking osteology and paleopathology classes.

She came across a paleopathology report about the bones found in the tombs, written in German, and after studying that document and others, she found inconsistencies.

“I looked at the skeleton report and the history and then I realized there’s a woman in this one coffin,” she said. On the woman’s head was a gold crown.

The reports also said there was a stamp-seal pendant near the woman’s neck and Hussein’s book contained photographs of it.

“It’s gold and gorgeous,” she said.

“For us it’s a consumer protection issue,” said the premier, who acknowledged B.C. will have to work with the federal government on cellphone cost issues.

The throne speech stated reforms will be implemented as well to restore trust in the legislature after two top officials in the legislature were suspended over allegations of spending abuse.

NDP house leader Mike Farnworth said earlier the government will work to develop tighter checks on all officials at the legislature to ensure strict spending and reporting rules.

Clerk of the house Craig James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz have denied any wrongdoing in response to a report detailing allegations against them by Speaker Darryl Plecas.

The government said it also plans dig into

on Tuesday.

the structural causes of money laundering, closing legal and regulatory loopholes that allow for the illegal operation.

Two separate investigations are underway into the issue and Horgan said he would wait to read those reports before deciding if a public inquiry is necessary.

“I’m committed to making sure we get to the bottom of this,” he said.

A snow storm that disrupted travel on Vancouver Island also wiped out traditional ceremonies at the B.C. legislature Tuesday associated with the throne speech.

The usual military honour guard, ceremonial cannon salutes and a performance by the band from nearby Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt didn’t take place because of the weather.

But Austin still received a red carpet welcome to the legislature.

Norad upgrades needed, general says

Lee BERTHIAUME Citizen news service

OTTAWA — The shadow of a new Cold War hung heavy Tuesday as the commander of North America’s early-warning system urged Canada and the U.S. to get on with upgrading the continent’s aging defences in the face of growing threats from Russia and others. Russia figured prominently as Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, the U.S. commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command, or Norad, warned a defence conference that Canada and the U.S. are “at risk in ways we haven’t been in decades.”

The Russian military has been developing new nuclear-armed cruise missiles that are difficult to detect and intercept and hypersonic missiles whose special threat is their extreme speed compared with older weapons.

Russia has also been sending bombers to buzz North American airspace in the Arctic, resumed fighter-jet patrols in the area after a 30-year hiatus and deployed cruise missiles on naval vessels in its northern waters, O’Shaughnessy said.

“We haven’t seen this sort of systematic and methodical increase in threats since the height of the Cold War,” he said.

“We must acknowledge the reality that our adversaries currently hold our citizens, our way of life and national interests at risk.”

The Canadian and American militaries have been quietly contemplating the future of Norad as new technology threatens to make the missile-warning system, which

includes a chain of 1980s-era radars in Canada’s Arctic, obsolete.

Yet any progress has been muted, as officials on both sides of the border repeatedly reference the need for study and evaluation that will feed into future discussions – whose dates still haven’t been set. O’Shaughnessy acknowledged the need for study to ensure Canada and the U.S., which have worked through Norad to defend against nuclear-missile attacks since the 1950s, build the right system to defend against 21stcentury threats.

But he warned against falling into what he described as “the paralysis-by-analysis trap while our competitors are putting us at risk with credible threat.

“We’re clear-eyed at Norad right now,” he added, “and we say that the defence of our nation is both urgent and important and as such we need to get after it and we need to get after it together.”

O’Shaughnessy’s remarks came less than a month after the U.S. Department of Defense released a long-awaited review of the threats posed by Russian, Chinese, North Korean and Iranian missiles – and the ways to counter them.

Both U.S. President Donald Trump and the Pentagon report put a heavy emphasis on spacebased sensors and defences to detect, track and stop missile attacks against the U.S. and its allies from anywhere in the world.

Trump also warned that allies will have to pay their share for the new capabilities, which some analysts have questioned will ever become a reality given their potentially high cost, widespread

concerns about the weaponization of space, and the unproven technology.

The report revealed without offering any details that Norad is “pursuing a three-phase plan to improve the defence against cruise missiles for the United States and Canada.”

One of the questions facing any upgrade to Norad will be whether Canada finally agrees to participate in a missile-defence shield program, which involves intercepting incoming attacks, after famously opting out of one such program in 2005.

O’Shaughnessy did not mention missile defence in his address. The Liberals have left the door open to eventually joining such a program as part of a modernized Norad, while the Conservatives have openly called for Canada to join now.

Government officials have acknowledged that Canada could end up paying billions to upgrade or replace northern radars, money that isn’t now accounted for in the Trudeau government’s multibillion-dollar defence policy.

While O’Shaughnessy is responsible for Norad, he also said that Canada and the U.S. need to better defend shared infrastructure such as power grids while finding ways to make it too dangerous for anyone to contemplate an attack on North America.

“Rather than simply responding to advancements of doctrine and technology,” he said, “we must drive ahead of those strategies and create dilemmas to make it too costly for any nation to contemplate an attack on our nations.”

CP PHOTO

B.C. Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin delivers the Speech from the Throne in the B.C. Legislature

U.S. Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 17, 2018. The commander of North America’s early warning system is urging Canada and the U.S. to get on with upgrading the continent’s defences as the countries face an array of

NEWS IN BRIEF

One killed in Coquitlam fire

COQUITLAM (CP) — The RCMP and fire department in Coquitlam are investigating a fatal fire in a trailer.

A police news release says the fire department was called Tuesday to a report of a trailer fire. Once the flames were doused, police say a body was found inside. RCMP say there’s nothing to suggest foul play or suspicious activity in the death. The occupant of the home hasn’t been identified and police say a cause is still being investigated.

Man charged in transit officer shooting

SURREY (CP) — Mounties say charges have been laid in the shooting of a Metro Vancouver Transit Police officer on a SkyTrain platform last month.

RCMP say 35-year-old Daon

Gordon Glasgow has been charged in the shooting on Jan. 30 at Scott Road station in Surrey. The charges include attempted murder, using a restricted or prohibited firearm, discharging a restricted or prohibited firearm with the intent to endanger life and unlawful possession of a loaded restricted or prohibited firearm.

The shooting sent 27-year-old Const. Josh Harms to hospital with serious injuries, but the officer has been released and is expected to recover. Glasgow was taken into custody Feb. 3 after a Canadawide warrant was issued.

Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald says he’s pleased to see the matter now before the courts where the administration of justice can begin.

“Thank you to the hard work and dedication of our investigative team, assisted by numerous officers and staff within the detachment as well as other police agencies across the Lower Mainland,” he says in a statement.

Surrey RCMP says it’s continuing to lead the ongoing investigation and it encourages anyone with information who has not yet spoken with police to come forward.

Kids to help name police dogs

INNISFAIL, Alta. (CP) — The RCMP is looking for kids who have great ideas for names starting with an M.

The latest 13 German shepherd puppies born at the Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, Alta., need names worthy of the next generation of canine officers. Mounties say the names must have no more than nine letters and no more than two syllables. Contestants must live in Canada and be 14 years old or younger Only one entry per child will be eligible and the deadline is March 26. Children whose names are selected will each receive a laminated photo of the pup they name, a plush dog named Justice and an RCMP baseball cap. Entries can be made online or in a letter. The winners are to be announced April 30.

Federal deficit this year to be $16.1B

OTTAWA (CP) — The parliamentary budget watchdog is projecting the federal deficit this fiscal year will come in $2.1 billion lower than the Liberals have predicted. Yves Giroux’s office chalks up the change to higher-than-anticipated income-tax revenues that the government has collected this fiscal year, which closes in March.

A report out this morning from the parliamentary budget office predicts that this year’s budget deficit will be $16 billion, less than the $18.1 billion the Liberals anticipate. Had the economy been weaker or tax revenues lower, the report says, the federal deficit for the 2018-2019 fiscal year could have hit $23.2 billion when taking into account extra spending in Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s fall economic update.

Australia to reopen island detention camp after refugee bill

Rod McGUIRK Citizen news service

CANBERRA, Australia — The Australian government said Wednesday it would reopen a mothballed island detention camp in anticipation of a new wave of asylum seekers arriving by boat after Parliament passed legislation that would give sick asylum seekers easier access to mainland hospitals.

The Christmas Island immigration detention camp, south of Jakarta, Indonesia, was a favourite target of people smugglers who brought asylum seekers from Asia, Africa and the Middle East in rickety boats from Indonesian ports before the trade virtually stopped in recent years.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a security committee of his cabinet agreed to reopen the camp on the advice of senior security officials.

The decision was made before the Senate passed legislation 36 votes to 34 that would allow doctors instead of bureaucrats to decide which asylum seekers on camps on the Pacific island nations of Papua New Guinea and Nauru can fly to Australia for hospital treatment.

Morrison’s conservative government argues that the bill, passed 75 to 74 by the House of Representatives on Tuesday, will undermine Australia’s tough refugee policy. The policy banishes asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat to the Pacific island camps in a bid to deter other asylum seekers from making the perilous voyage.

“My job now is to ensure that the boats don’t come,” Morrison told reporters. “My job now is to do everything in my power and the power of the government to ensure what the Parliament has done to weaken our border does not result in boats coming to Australia.”

The legislation demonstrates the govern-

ment’s weak hold on power and will put asylum seeker policy at the forefront of campaigning ahead of elections that Morrison wants to hold in May. He has ruled out calling a snap election on the refugee issue.

Morrison said he would repeal the “foolish law” if his government were re-elected.

Australian governments rarely lose votes in the House of Representatives, where parties need a majority to form an administration.

Legislation has only been passed in the House against a government’s will in recent decades 1929, 1941, 1962 and 2013.

The ruling coalition lost its single-seat majority when former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull quit politics after he was deposed by his party colleagues in August. Another lawmaker has since quit the government as part of the bitter fallout over the leadership change.

Refugee advocates applaud the law that they regard as a more humanitarian approach toward asylum seekers.

The Senate passed similar amendments on medical evacuations despite ruling party objections on the last day Parliament sat last year.

Australian security agencies warned in December that if those amendments became law, asylum seekers would likely head to Australia again in significant numbers.

The people smuggling boat traffic has all but stopped in the past five years with the government promising that any refugees who arrive on Australian shores by boat will never be allowed to settle there.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten on Tuesday re-drafted the amendments passed by the Senate in December in an attempt to make the law less likely to attract a new wave of asylum seekers, who used to arrive in Australia at a rate of more than a boat a day.

The changes included a provision that only the 1,000 asylum seekers currently held on Nauru and Papua New Guinea and not any future arrivals would be considered for medical evacuation under the new regime.

The government had struck a deal in 2016 for the United States to accept up to 1,250 refugees languishing on Nauru and Papua New Guinea. The government had similarly made the offer only available to refugees on the islands at the time to avoid attracting new asylum seekers, Shorten said.

“I believe that we can keep our borders secure, we can uphold national security but still treat people humanely,” Shorten said.

Refugee advocates and lawyers had lobbied senators to back the amendments passed by the House. They said delays in medical treatment had cost asylum seekers’ lives and left others at risk of blindness or kidney failure. Rape victims had endured traumatic late-term abortions.

“Yesterday was a victory for the conscience of this nation,” Asylum Seeker Resource Center chief executive Kon Karapanagiotidis said of the House vote.

“Yesterday was a win for compassion and decency over the politics of fearmongering and hysteria and cruelty that we have seen under this government,” he added.

Medical evacuations have become a loophole in Australia’s policy of exiling asylum seekers who arrive by boat.

Hundreds of asylum seekers who have been allowed into Australia for hospital treatment have received court injunctions that prevent their return to the islands.

Sick asylum seekers often have to fight the Australian government in court for permission to be transferred to an Australian hospital.

Dog splashed with acid has successful surgery in Vancouver

Hina ALAM Citizen news service

VANCOUVER — A seven-monthold puppy from Iran that had acid thrown on her face underwent a surgery in Vancouver on Tuesday morning.

“The vet just called and said Mugsy’s doing great,” said Sam Taylor, the pup’s owner.

Once the surgeon began, he saw that the Maltese-Japanese spitz had quite a bit more lip than he originally thought so he was able to use that to cover her nose, and put stents in her nostrils, she said. It was initially thought that the

surgeon would have to fold over her ear to replace the melted bone and skin on the top of her nose, which would have left Mugsy temporarily blind.

When Mugsy was 40 days old somebody threw acidic cleaner on her face as she played outside at her home in Iran. The pup lost her right eye and ear, and most of her face melted including her lip.

Although her Iranian family loved her, they could not afford all the treatment that Mugsy would need.

At the vet’s office in Iran, where her family had taken her to put her down, a volunteer from Persian

Paws Rescue and Loved At Last Dog Rescue intervened.

Taylor was able to adopt her last fall after seeing her on a city-based non-profit organization, Loved At Last Dog Rescue, which finds homes for local and international stray dogs.

And now that the white-andbrown-coloured pup will have a better quality of life, Taylor said she’s “just kind of excited” and “relieved.”

“I was trying not to overthink things when I was waiting,” Taylor said, her voice filled with excitement. But when the surgeon

called, she said “he sounded really happy like he won the lottery himself.”

For now Taylor and Mugsy will have to take it one step at a time.

The pup may have to spend a couple of days at the hospital if she needs a “little more TLC,” she said.

“And she might end up looking more like Voldemort, since she won’t have a big hole in her face and two nostrils instead,” she said, laughing, referring to the villain in the “Harry Potter” movies played by Ralph Fiennes.

“Still cuter than Ralph Fiennes.. no offence Ralph.”

A group of Vietnamese asylum seekers are taken by barge to a jetty on Australia’s Christmas Island on April 14, 2013.

Many Canadians fear racism is on the rise

Over the past couple of years, concerns about racism have entered the realm of international politics.

We have witnessed some electoral success by xenophobic parties in Europe, as well as the dreadful statements of a Republican presidential contender in the United States who is now the country’s head of state.

Just last weekend, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam got in trouble over a photograph allegedly taken when he was attending medical school, at a time when he was not young enough to rely on the “boys will be boys” defence. Several professional football players have protested police brutality and racial profiling in the United States.

In spite of what is happening down south and on the other side of the Atlantic, Canadians are not immune to racism. Individuals and organized groups have taken advantage of the anonymity of social media to push a remarkably divisive agenda.

Some politicians have attempted to ignore the controversy. Quebec Premier François Legault recently made an ill-timed remark – on the second anniversary of a shooting inside a mosque that left six men dead – claiming that Islamophobia does not exist in his province.

In Ontario, just how and when to resort to the acrimonious practice of “carding” – the stopping and documenting of individuals by police even though no particular crime

is being investigated – is still a matter of debate.

In Western Canada, British Columbia’s provincial government is preparing to re-establish a human rights commission.

On the Prairies, provincial administrations have been severely criticized for not doing enough to help First Nations. In Manitoba alone, 11 of the 19 people who have lost their lives in police incidents this century have been identified as Aboriginal.

When Research Co. asked Canadians about racism in the country last month, the results were not uplifting.

Two in five respondents to the survey (41 per cent) think racism has become a more significant problem in Canada over the past two years. Women (47 per cent) and Canadians aged 18 to 34 (46 per cent) are more likely to feel this way.

Quebecers appear to be in tune with their current head of government, with 55 per cent of the province’s residents asserting that racism has not worsened. Conversely, there is one area of Canada where residents are convinced that racism is growing.

In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, a whopping 55 per cent of residents think racism has become a more significant problem recently. No other region of the country surpasses the 50 per cent mark on this question.

That a sizable number of Canadians are concerned about racism should lead to a debate over the success of government policies. When Canadians were given a choice,

just over two in five residents (42 per cent) endorsed the multicultural concept of the “mosaic” and think cultural differences within Canadian society are valuable and should be preserved. A larger proportion of Canadians (49 per cent) express a preference for the concept of the “melting pot” and want immigrants to assimilate and blend into Canadian society.

While women are equally divided in their assessment of the two concepts, most men (53 per cent) favoured the “melting pot.”

And while a majority of those aged 18 to 34 (60 per cent) are fond of the “mosaic,” support for this idea falls to 39 per cent among those aged 35 to 54 and 27 per cent among those aged 55 and over.

On a regional basis, British Columbians are the most enthusiastic supporters of the “mosaic” (52 per cent). A majority of Quebecers (53 per cent) are in favour of the “melting pot.”

The survey shows two in five Canadians reporting an upsurge of racist behaviour and practically half desiring a “melting pot.”

When asked directly about multiculturalism, 62 per cent of residents think it has been “very good” or “good” for Canada, while 33 per cent deem it “bad” or “very bad.”

While these numbers would imply success, support for the policy is half-hearted. Practically the same proportion of Canadians regard multiculturalism as “very good” (13 per cent) and “very bad.” The difference in the total numbers amount to the 49 per

Beware the lesson of the monorail

Everything anyone needs to know about public infrastructure projects is summed up in one brilliant, timeless lesson.

It’s the “Marge vs. the Monorail” episode of The Simpsons, circa 1993. The town makes an impulse buy for all the right reasons of a faulty solarpowered monorail from a charming con artist, and chaos ensues. They should teach it in public administration schools. The episode aired a few years before the B.C. government started building three giant aluminum high-speed catamaran fast ferries. That ended just like the monorail did – in ruins. Too bad nobody in cabinet watched the allegory beforehand. There’s another real-life project that triggers flashbacks to the TV episode in my mind. It’s Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee’s concept of a high-speed rail link from Vancouver to Seattle, and points south. Not to suggest Inslee is a con artist. His green heart is in the right place. His Cascadian imagination is first-rate. It’s just that his relentless charm offensive on the project is working wonders with Premier John Horgan.

The two hit it off beautifully the first time they met as leaders. They’re on the same page about climate change and assorted other neighbourly issues.

So it was no surprise last March when Horgan backed up his goodwill toward Inslee and

Washington in general with some hard cash.

To strengthen the partnership between B.C. and Washington state, he put up $300,000 toward a study of “a potential ultra-highspeed corridor service connecting Vancouver with Seattle, Portland and beyond.”

It could cut Seattle-Vancouver travel time by two-thirds, to one hour, he said. Countless opportunities would be created. There could be 200,000 jobs flowing from what they were calling the Cascadia Innovation Corridor.

The state legislature had voted $1.2 million toward the study, and the B.C. contribution was a solid indication of enthusiasm.

On the specifics, the study was to consider the practicality and business case for a 400-km/h train and examine ridership levels, delivery mechanisms and financing.

The two met again a few months later and cemented a working relationship along with a genuine friendship.

That led to another meeting this week, with Horgan visiting Washington. And he came with more than just a protocol gift – he brought another $300,000 for another study.

The curious thing is that the

first study isn’t finished yet. The full result isn’t expected until this summer. You’d think that the first study’s findings on the practicality and the business case for the project would dictate whether another study is warranted.

But the state is proceeding regardless, and B.C. is right alongside. The new study will explore models for a multi-jurisdictional authority to lead a communityengagement process and preliminary environmental review. Oregon and Microsoft have also committed funds.

So after four personal visits in 18 months, a pattern is emerging. Every second time Horgan sits down with Inslee, B.C. goes another $300,000 down the road toward a Cascadian bullet train. It’s relatively small change so far. B.C.’s $600,000 is only about $400,000 US, and the U.S. entities have spent a few million dollars at this point. But the studies build momentum and that’s the main requirement for keeping a multibilliondollar vision alive.

The other is keeping everyone on good terms. Both partners are building that relationship day by day. Inslee wants to take his clean-energy vision national. Horgan will be putting a lot of emphasis on that same vision, and a traffic-relieving, carboncutting train would be the shining example of everything involved in that.

Just don’t make Homer Simpson the conductor.

Mailing

cent who claim the policy has been “good,” compared to the 19 per cent who say it has been “bad.”

In an election year, it is important to analyze these findings by political allegiance. The voters who supported the Liberal Party or the New Democratic Party (NDP) in the last federal ballot hold similar views on two issues: multiculturalism has been good for the country and the “mosaic” is preferable to the “melting pot.” However, NDP voters are more likely to think racism has become a bigger problem recently (55 per cent) than Liberal voters (40 per cent).

In stark contrast, Canadians who voted for the Conservative Party in the 2015 federal election are unequivocally more likely to say that multiculturalism, as a policy, has been bad for Canada (42 per cent), to express that racism has not become a significant problem in the country (56 per cent) and to choose the “melting pot” (62 per cent).

Centre-right parties have never wholly embraced multiculturalism, which is often regarded as a legacy of the Pierre Trudeau era. They are not expected to do so now.

The survey suggests that while Canadians may not love everything about multiculturalism, they are signalling that they can be trusted to handle newcomers in a “melting pot” scenario better than the Americans.

In any case, the fact that two in five residents feel that racism is intensifying should be disturbing for policy-makers.

Mario Canseco is president of Research

Election season returns

Hooray, election season is here!

Yes, the length of such contests is exhausting, as our own E-day is more than seven months away and America’s almost 20.

But fortune favours the bold, and when your opponent stumbles or you have an opportunity to clarify your position, you must seize it.

The former occurred here when the SNC-Lavalin scandal came to light, and the latter manifested in U.S. President Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress last week.

After a rocky start to 2019 due to the government shutdown, Trump’s support had weakened.

Tensions had grown so high Democrats said the SOTU might not be conducted in the Congress.

Finally, with the government reopened and a brief ceasefire, the president took the podium to address the entire U.S. government and the nation.

What ensued was a piece of showmanship and political savvy, from the rhetoric Trump used to the guests he recognized.

By the end of his speech, Trump had clearly laid down the groundwork for a second run and he had set the underlying theme for the ensuing campaign: “I am asking you to choose greatness,” and, “we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country.”

declared “Canada is back” upon his ascension, and he was right in a sense: back to Liberal governments defined by scandals and clientelism. The final albatross around Trudeau’s neck is the fact that “transparent government” was a key plank in his platform; now his attacks on former prime minister Stephen Harper’s secretiveness ring hollow.

Arguably, there is still hope for our Mr. T in Ottawa, just as there are plenty of dangers for Mr. T in Washington.

No political contest or referendum is a purely rational exercise simply because we, the electorate, are not purely rational beings.

The media panned it, ignoring that the vast majority of viewers agreed with the speech. But more importantly, the Democratic contenders for president continue to outbid each other for the title of furthest to the left.

Thus, Trump has won the argument; now he must win the election.

Meanwhile in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been accused of influencing his own former attorney general, Jody Wilson-Raybould, to drop charges of corruption against SNC-Lavalin.

Breaking news: in the midst of my typing, Wilson-Raybould has resigned from Trudeau’s cabinet over said allegations, which, to put it politely, does not inspire confidence in our prime minister’s innocence. Look for more on this story on page 7 in The Citizen.

That this may have cost Trudeau the election seems obvious, but arguably it was clear before the latest news. Our prime minister

With so much time still to pass and with so many unknown factors waiting in the wings, can anyone really make proper predictions, or are we pundits just blowing smoke? No political contest or referendum is a purely rational exercise simply because we the electorate are not purely rational beings. In fact, it is the metanarrative that swings voters from one side to the other.

Thus, the real question is which candidate has the most compelling story?

The two candidates in question could not have more different tales. Trump has faced non-stop resistance since his election in 2016; this has actually worked in his favour, for as he seeks reelection, he retains the role of “underdog” while gaining the advantage of incumbency.

Trudeau on the other hand rode the underdog wave into office, but with scandals and policy failures piling up, as well as his father’s shadow, his underpreparedness is becoming palpable.

Or to put it another way, Trump has nothing to lose: as the classic tragic hero, he’ll find redemption in a second term, or die a martyr, killed by a corrupt system. But Trudeau is Icarus: he was told not to fly too high and now his wax wings are melting.

In our age of data, such references appear archaic. Then again, as these newly begun campaigns will also prove, no successful candidate was nicknamed after their polling numbers.

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RIGHT OF CENTRE

NATHAN GIEDE

International money laundering ring busted, RCMP say

Sidhartha BANERJEE Citizen news service

MONTREAL — A sophisticated money laundering ring with international tentacles was behind hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions until it was dismantled this week, federal authorities said Tuesday.

The RCMP told a news conference its probe – dubbed “Collector” – uncovered a network with cells in Montreal and Toronto that collected and laundered money primarily from Montreal criminal groups.

“We believe with the amounts we saw being transited through the network we just dismantled, this network was occupying a primary place in the money laundering world in Montreal,” Sgt. Francois-Olivier Myette said.

Police did not look further into organized criminal groups that allegedly used the group’s services – there were at least six –but investigators have no doubt they played a big role in cleaning dirty money.

“These cells might have different links to different organized crime groups, but it wasn’t the main focus (of our investigation),” Myette said. “We were really focusing on the money laundering aspect of it, although it was necessary to find drugs to demonstrate the money was derived from sales of narcotics and proceeds of crime.”

Supt. Martine Fontaine said the network used connections in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, the United States and China to launder money before returning it to drug-exporting countries, such as Colombia and Mexico.

She called the investigation one of the most important of its kind in Canada, noting it was one of the rare money laundering probes that has led to gangsterism charges.

“It is by depriving criminal groups of their money laundering networks that we will shake the very structure of organized crime,” she said.

They seized drugs, cash and bank accounts and restrained real estate with a total estimated value of $32.8 million.

Myette explained the two-year investigation was triggered in 2016 by a tip from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. He said investigators observed hundreds of clandestine exchanges of bags filled with between $250,000 to $500,000.

On Monday more than 300 officers from the RCMP and other forces, aided by the Canada Revenue Agency, took part in raids in Ontario and Quebec.

Trudeau says he’s

The money was often stuffed in bags or suitcases and transactions took place in parking lots and other locations.

Documents and other evidence suggests hundreds of millions of dollars were allegedly laundered through the group without ever leaving the country. The group used what is known as an informal value transfer system.

“So taking money in one jurisdiction and then retrieving money in another jurisdiction without actual transfers,” Myette

surprised, puzzled by Wilson-Raybould’s resignation

Citizen news service

WINNIPEG — Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau says he was surprised and disappointed by Jody Wilson-Raybould’s resignation Tuesday.

The former justice minister resigned from the federal cabinet one day after Trudeau suggested her continuing presence there was proof she didn’t think she’d been improperly pressured to help SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution.

At an appearance in Winnipeg late Tuesday afternoon, Trudeau said the government did its job on the SNC-Lavalin file and if anyone in the cabinet thought anything improper had happened, they had a duty to raise it with him at the time. Wilson-Raybould never mentioned it, he said.

Nevertheless, her departure added fuel to opposition accusations of political interference in the justice system. And it left Trudeau’s reconciliation agenda with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples in tatters.

Wilson-Raybould had been Canada’s first Indigenous justice minister and the face of Trudeau’s commitment to make reconciliation his top priority.

In a letter to Trudeau published on her website, Wilson-Raybould said she was resigning “with a heavy heart” but did not explain why. However, she said she’s aware that “many Canadians wish for me speak (sic) on matters that have been in the media over the last week” – referring to the furor that erupted after a news report last Thursday alleged she was demoted to veterans-affairs minister in January from the prestigious justice and attorney general portfolio because she had refused to give in to pressure last fall from the Prime Minister’s Office on the SNC-Lavalin case.

As the former attorney general, Wilson-Raybould has refused to

WILSON-RAYBOULD

comment on the allegation, citing solicitor-client privilege.

In her letter Tuesday, she said she has hired former Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell to advise her on “the topics that I am legally permitted to discuss in this matter.”

Wilson-Raybould said she intends to continue serving as the MP for the riding of VancouverGranville. For the time being at least, she remains a member of the Liberal caucus.

Her exit came less than 24 hours after Trudeau said he had “full confidence” in her and suggested she would have resigned from cabinet on principle if she had felt anyone had tried to improperly pressure her.

“In our system of government, of course, her presence in cabinet should actually speak for itself,” he said following an event in Vancouver – one that Wilson-Raybould didn’t attend, unlike a handful of fellow Liberals from the city.

Trudeau’s office issued a terse statement that made no attempt to put any gloss on Wilson-Raybould’s departure from cabinet or to thank her for her service.

Wilson-Raybould informed the prime minister on Monday night of her intention to resign, the statement said. Trudeau informed

the rest of his cabinet Tuesday morning about her decision and named Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan to take over responsibility for the veterans-affairs portfolio.

Trudeau was scheduled to take questions from the media later Tuesday after an event in Winnipeg.

In Fredericton, N.B., Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said Wilson-Raybould’s resignation proves there’s more to the SNCLavalin story than Trudeau has been letting on.

“Yesterday, he said that her presence (in cabinet) speaks for itself. Well, today, her resignation speaks for itself,” Scheer said.

“Clearly, there is something more than he has been forthcoming with.”

Trudeau has denied Wilson-Raybould was pressured to instruct the director of public prosecutions to negotiate a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin rather than pursue a criminal trial on charges of corruption and bribery related to the company’s efforts to secure government contracts in Libya. On Monday, after meeting with Wilson-Raybould, Trudeau said she confirmed to him that he had specifically told her it was entirely up to her whether to prosecute the Montreal-based engineering giant.

The Trudeau government passed a law last year which allows for remediation agreements in cases of corporate corruption, wherein a company pays reparations but does not wind up with a criminal conviction that would bar it from bidding on government contracts, potentially throwing thousands of employees out of work.

Government insiders have said Wilson-Raybould was involved in internal discussions last fall about whether to instruct the director of public prosecutions to pursue remediation, as is allowed by law, but they’ve insisted those discussions were not tantamount to pressure.

explained. The network offered up a money transfer service to drug-exporting countries.

Seventeen people face charges including conspiracy, possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, gangsterism and laundering proceeds of crime.

The network’s alleged leaders, Nader Gramian-Nik, 56, of Vaughan, Ont., and Mohamad Jaber, 51, of Laval, Que., were among those arrested. Three suspects were still being sought late Tuesday, but none are believed to be in Canada.

Look south for the climate of tomorrow, study says

Bob WEBER Citizen news service

Wondering what your city’s climate will be like in a few decades?

Look south – about 1,000 kilometres south, says an unusual new study published Tuesday.

That’s the average distance between 540 cities in the United States and Canada and the nearest city that now has the climate that they could expect, says co-author Matt Fitzpatrick of the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science.

“The basic question we wanted to answer is, what is Toronto or Edmonton going to feel like if some of these forecasts come to pass as we expect them to?” said Fitzpatrick.

Science often presents climate change as numbers – data on average temperatures or rainfall.

“That never resonated with me,” said Fitzpatrick.

“I work with these data all the time, but I’ve no idea of what does that actually mean for the place that I live. How’s my climate going to change?

“This was an attempt to answer that question.”

Fitzpatrick’s cities represent about 250 million people. That’s more than three-quarters of the U.S. population and more than half of Canada’s.

For each city, he used 27 climate models to determine what its climate is likely to be by 2080. He used both a business-as-usual scenario and one in which emissions are reduced. He then looked for a community which now has temperature, rainfall and variability most closely matching that future climate.

If nothing changes, he found, Montreal could have the climate of Chester, Penn. Calgary could be like Spearhead, N.D.

Toronto could feel like Secaucus, N.Y.; Winnipeg like Maplewood, Minn., Saint John, N.B., like Riverhead, N.Y.; Vancouver and Victoria like Seattle; Ottawa like South Shore, Ill.; Quebec City like Chatham, Ont., and Edmonton like Mendota Heights, Minn.

Fitzpatrick acknowledges the comparisons are simplistic. For example, they don’t account for extreme weather events, which are expected to be one of the main features of climate change.

“We’re having to ignore complexities of increased frequency and magnitude of extreme events.”

Fitzpatrick added that many of the comparisons are not exactly exact, especially under the business-as-usual scenario.

“For many urban areas,” he writes, “we found substantial differences between future climate and the best contemporary climatic analog, underscoring that by the 2080s many cities could experience novel climates with no modern equivalent.” Vancouver was the Canadian city which had the most approximate match. Calgary’s was the most exact.

It brings home that mitigation makes a difference. Reducing emissions changes Calgary’s climate comparison to Great Falls, Mont. – 665 kilometres northeast from Spearfish.

“In general, it hit home to me the dramatic transformation in climate that children living today are going to experience,” Fitzpatrick said. “By the time I have grandchildren, if they live in the same place I live now, they wouldn’t recognize the climate I live in today. It’s going to be like a story from the past.”

An online map showing the results of the study is available at https://fitzlab.shinyapps.io/ cityapp/.

CP PHOTO

RCMP Sgt. Francois-Olivier Myette explains the dismantling of an international money laundering network during a news conference on Tuesday in Montreal.

Trump expected to ban Chinese tech firms from U.S. networks

Citizen news service

The Trump administration is poised to issue this week an executive order to secure American telecommunications networks, a move that’s likely to result in barring Chinese tech firms such as Huawei, according to three U.S. officials.

The order, which U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign by Friday, would give the commerce secretary broad powers to stop American companies from doing business with foreign suppliers.

In development for more than a year, it will lay out the administration’s concern that foreign-owned or controlled suppliers of equipment and services could compromise the security of the United States’ phone and Internet infrastructure.

The pending announcement comes as U.S. officials continue to press their case with allies and foreign countries that companies such as Huawei, which has close ties to the Chinese government, pose considerable risk to burgeoning high-speed telecom networks –what’s known as 5G.

Officials cautioned that last-minute snags could delay the new order, which has been anticipated since last summer. But they stressed that any holdups are not related to ongoing, high-level trade talks between Washington and Beijing aimed at ending the two countries’ months-long trade war.

“This is a national security issue, not a trade issue,” said one U.S. official, who like two others interviewed for the story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

“We’re not doing this to increase the leverage (with China). This is on a separate track.”

The White House and Commerce Department declined to comment. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The order, whose existence in draft form was first reported by The Washington Post in June, will not ban specific companies or countries, officials said. But the regulations that result from the order, depending on how they are written, may have an outsize impact on China and Chinese-made technology, which U.S. officials

More than

$460,000

Michael MacDONALD Citizen news service

HALIFAX — The court-appointed monitor overseeing the search for the $260 million owed to clients of the faltering QuadrigaCX cryptocurrency exchange says it recently found more than $900,000 in digital assets – only to see more than half of those cryptocoins escape its grasp.

The bizarre turn of events was revealed Tuesday in the first court report submitted by Ernst and Young, which was appointed monitor Feb. 5 when the Nova Scotia Supreme Court granted the insolvent company protection from its creditors.

have come to view with increasing alarm.

“This is crossing the Rubicon – asserting government power to block commercial transactions,” said Clete Johnson, a former senior cybersecurity adviser at the Commerce Department and now a partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer. “Just the authority itself could have enormous long-term implications in the U.S. and global markets, and in U.S.-China relations.”

U.S. security officials have long voiced concerns about foreign risks to the nation’s telecom networks, especially as advanced technologies have introduced vulnerabilities that make such systems more attractive targets for espionage and sabotage.

China in particular has raised concern as it is the United States’ near peer in cyber prowess and its top competitor in the race for global technological dominance. The Trump administration, building on its predecessor’s actions, has become increasingly vocal in calling out Beijing for what officials describe as a

long-running campaign of economic espionage and of forced technology transfers. It has brought criminal indictments against statesponsored hackers and publicly labeled China an economic predator that seeks to unfairly obtain advanced American technology.

Also troubling to U.S. officials is a 2017 law requiring Chinese firms to cooperate with Chinese intelligence services.

Major telecom companies such as AT&T and Verizon already bar Huawei equipment from their core networks, a response to concerns raised years ago by U.S. intelligence agencies. But officials say that issuing the executive order now is a way to show the world that the United States is leading by example, taking decisive measures to protect the telecom supply chain.

“People look to the United States to see what kind of model we’re following,” the official said. “It’s important for the rest of the world to see that we’re doing this in a transparent way, using this as part of regulation.”

in cryptocurrency disappears into ‘cold wallet’

The latest twist in the QuadrigaCX case is sure to feed rampant online speculation about the company’s dealings.

the bulk of their digital assets, which puts them beyond the reach of online hackers.

Hot wallets are online sites that store smaller amounts of cryptocurrencies, making them readily available for trading – a practice akin to using a currency float in a cash register.

The report says the monitor learned last week that QuadrigaCX was holding $902,743 in Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ether cryptocurrencies in so-called hot wallets – but something went wrong on Feb. 6.

Ernst and Young says QuadrigaCX “inadvertently” transferred 103 Bitcoins valued at $468,675 to so-called cold wallets, which the company is now unable to access.

“The monitor is working with management to retrieve this cryptocurrency from the various cold wallets, if possible,” the report says. “The monitor has made arrangements to transfer the remaining cryptocurrency into a cold wallet which will be retained by the monitor.”

About 115,000 QuadrigaCX customers are owed about $70 million in cash and $190 million in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

The Vancouver-based exchange was shut down Jan. 28, more than a month after its CEO and sole director – Nova Scotia resident Gerald Cotten – died while travelling in India, leaving his company without access to much of its cryptocurrency.

His widow, Jennifer Robertson, has said in court documents that Cotten was the only person with access to his laptop, which is thought to contain the digital keys to the cold wallets. Cold wallets are offline storage devices protected by encryption technology. Cryptocurrency exchanges typically use them to store

The latest twist in the QuadrigaCX case is sure to feed rampant online speculation about the company’s dealings. Court documents have pointed to persistent rumours about Cotten’s death and threats aimed at his widow, who lived with Cotten just outside of Halifax.

Aside from the cold wallet snafu, Ernst and Young also reported that there is more than one laptop at the centre of the case.

Electronic devices recently retrieved from an encryption expert working for QuadrigaCX include: two active laptops; two older model laptops; two active cellphones; two dead cellphones; and three encrypted USB flash drives.

As well, steps have been taken to retrieve Cotten’s desktop computer from his home office in Fall River, N.S.

“The applicants (QuadrigaCX) and the monitor will continue with their efforts to access Mr. Cotten’s devices, find and access any QuadrigaCX cold wallets that exist, and locate any other cryptocurrency belonging to Quadriga and report back to the court in respect of these activities.”

Much of the $70 million in real money owed to creditors is in the form of bank drafts, which the company has failed to deposit in a financial institution because regular banks remain leery of dealing with unregulated cryptocurrency businesses.

Nine third-party payment processors that worked with Quadriga have been told that any

funds belonging to the company, including bank drafts, must be delivered to the monitor.

According to Robertson, one of those processors has five bank drafts worth $25.2 million.

However, Ernst and Young confirmed it has yet to receive any funds from those businesses.

“It may be necessary for the applicants (QuadrigaCX) and monitor to return to the court for additional assistance in... securing the return of funds from third party payment processors,” the report says.

“The applicants and monitor are working with the issuing banks... to determine the necessary documentation and/or endorsements required to facilitate the transfer and negotiation of the bank drafts for deposit into the disbursement account.”

Ernst and Young also confirmed that it is working with the company to preserve data stored on a series of third-party servers, though it remains unclear where all of those servers are located.

The findings in the report are based on unaudited financial information, including QuadrigaCX’s records and other financial information, and interviews with its directors, senior management team, consultants and legal advisers.

While a list of creditors has been compiled, it won’t be made public. Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Michael Wood, in his initial order on Feb. 5, said the identities of the users would remain secret because those who trade cryptocurrencies typically remain anonymous.

More than 500 affected users have contacted Ernst and Young since the insolvency process began.

Meanwhile, QuadrigaCX is being kept afloat by Robertson, who has contributed $150,000 to cover operating costs.

Documents filed with the court last month, including an affidavit from Robertson, state that QuadrigaCX users were owed $180 million in cryptocurrency, but Ernst and Young says that figure is actually $190 million.

was stoked on two geopolitical fronts.

Market sentiment was helped by a deal to avert another U.S. government shutdown and U.S. President Donald Trump signalling he could extend the March 1 deadline to impose higher Chinese tariffs if progress is made when talks resume this week, said Natalie Taylor, portfolio manager for CIBC Asset Management.

“Obviously, we’re still in the midst of an earnings season that’s been more positive than not so I’m sure that’s helping sentiment as well,” she said in an interview. She said the market was worried about the economy and peak earnings.

“Companies are proving that the economy’s doing okay and that the results are better than expectations so yes the bar was lower but we’ve handily been able to beat those lowered expectations.” Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday he doesn’t feel the probability of a recession in the U.S. “is at all elevated” as the country continues to see solid economic growth.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up closed up 73.25 points at 15,642.10 after hitting an intraday high of 15,654.82. The gains were led by the energy sector, which rose 1.5 per cent as several companies saw their share prices increase. Crescent Point Energy was up 5.8 per cent, followed by Cenovus Energy. However, Enbridge Inc. lost 2.2 per cent on an up day on the back of a decision by the Minnesota governor to side with environmentalists by continuing to pursue a regulatory appeal of the replacement of the Line 3 crude oil pipeline.

The March crude contract was up 69 cents at US$53.10 per barrel and the March natural gas contract was up 4.6 cents at US$2.69 per mmBTU. That pushed the Canadian dollar higher. It traded at an average of 75.48 cents US, up from 75.22 cents US Monday.

The health care sector was up 1.1 per cent as Aurora Cannabis’ strong quarterly results late Monday gave a lift to much of the sector even though the company’s shares fell a little, said Taylor. The key financial sector was also higher but materials were weaker despite a higher gold price.

The April gold contract was up

AP PHOTO

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday in Washington.

Puck pursuit

Scott Gilowski of the Okanagan Rockets, left, tries to hold off Grady Thomas of the Cariboo Cougars during a Saturday B.C. Hockey Major Midget League game at Kin 1. The Rockets edged the Cougars 2-1 in this game but the Cats came back to beat the visitors 6-2 on Sunday. The Cougars are in third place in the 11-team league with a record of 20-7-5-0, while the Rockets sit in fourth spot at 21-10-1-2. The teams are tied in points but the Cougars have played two fewer games. Next up for the Cariboo club are Saturday and Sunday games at Kin 1 against the ninth-place South Island Royals (9-21-1-0). Start times are 4 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. respectively.

Return visit

Fewster sisters intent on winning national Scotties second time around

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff

tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

Four years ago she won her first trip to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts playing third for Patti Knezevic. Now she’s going again to the Canadian women’s curling championship this week in Sydney, N.S., as third for Chilliwack skip Sarah Wark and the thrill is just as sweet for Kristen Pilote.

“As a little girl it was a dream to get to the Scotties but to get there twice is pretty amazing,” said the 32-year-old Pilote, part of the Fewster clan, who learned how to curl rocks at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club with her 34-year-old sister/teammate Jen and their father/coach, Rick Fewster.

“I’ve never been to Nova Scotia so I’m super-excited to go. We’re going to be right on Cape Breton so hopefully we’ll get a bit of time to take in the surroundings a bit.”

Pilote knows curling, not sightseeing, is the reason for this trip and she would love nothing better than to dethrone defending champion Jennifer Jones.

Wark, Pilote and her sister Jen Rusnell, who plays lead, as well as second Carley Sandwith of Victoria and alternate Michelle Dunn of Chilliwack will open the 12-team tournament Saturday against host Nova Scotia.

Two weekends ago in Quesnel, after breezing to the top of the provincial round-robin standings with a 6-1 record, Wark and her crew beat Corryn Brown of Kamloops in the first playoff game, then beat her again in a 7-4 final.

“We were very confident going in,” said Pilote. “We knew we just

Lions excited about future with signing of Reilly

had to go out and play our game and we did that and everything came together. All week we had a lot of close games and we had to work for it. One of the things we’re really good at is digging in and pulling it out in the end and in the final we were in pretty good control of the game.”

Pilote has faced a few of the teams they’ll see in Nova Scotia and has no reason to believe their run of good fortune will end any time soon.

“We’d love to make the championship round and I think if we continue to play the way we did last week I think we have a good shot at it,” she said. “With going before, the initial thought of playing the best teams in the country is not as daunting as it might have been. If we’re going, then we’re also one of the best teams in the country.”

Dunn was originally listed as the lead for the provincial tournament but suffered a rib injury in

Citizen news service

One of the things we’re really good at is digging in and pulling it out in the end and in the final we were in pretty good control of the game.

— Kristen Pilote

early December and Rusnell took her spot in Quesnel. They’ll ice the same lineup to start with in Sydney.

Pilote and Rusnell teamed up with Knezevic and Rhonda Camozzi on an all-Prince George team to win the B.C. championship in 2015. But they went winless at the Tournament of Hearts

SURREY — Mike Reilly sees himself winning Grey Cups with the B.C. Lions – a lot of Grey Cups.

“I felt like coming to B.C. was going to give me the best opportunity to win the most championships that I could for the remainder of my career,” the star quarterback told reporters Tuesday after it was announced he had inked a four-year, $2.9-million contract with the club. The 34-year-old is no stranger to the Lions. He started his CFL career with the club in 2011 before Ed Hervey, then general manager of the

in Moose Jaw, Sask., dropping B.C. into a relegation qualifying round the following year. Despite their lack of national success under the glare of the TV cameras, Pilote said it made them better curlers.

“Our result was unfortunate for sure,” she said. “You don’t go in expecting to end up in the bottom but we still had a fantastic experience there and enjoyed every minute of it and regardless of the results there we still had great games and what we did gain there is going to help us a ton this week.”

Fewster took over as coach when Jeff Richard of Kelowna was playing in the B.C. men’s championship at the same time in Quesnel. Fewster, a five-time Kelly Cup champion who was part of Les Abriel’s team at the 2000 provincial men’s championship, will retain his coaching duties in Sydney. He calls himself “a freeloader,” but Pilote and her sister

Edmonton Eskimos, lured him to Alberta in 2013. Reilly spent six years in Edmonton, developing into one of the league’s top quarterbacks and winning a Grey Cup in 2015. “I’ve been through all of it – missed the playoffs, won a Grey Cup. Been at the lower end of the pack statistically, led the league in stats. Won a (most outstanding player). None of that matters except for winning the Grey Cup,” said the six-foot-three, 230-pound grad of Central Washington State University. “That’s the only time I’ve ever felt fulfilled after a season.”

are obviously glad to have him in their corner.

“Having Dad there I think is a dream for him too,” said Pilote, mother of a 2 1/2-year-old son and an insurance adjuster in Squamish. “He coached us as kids and it’s pretty cool we get to experience this together, the three of us.” Pilote, Wark and Dunn are in their third year playing together and have known each other since they were kids playing against each other in juvenile and junior tournaments. Wark, a former provincial junior women’s and mixed champion, did exceptionally well this season on the B.C. cashspiel circuit and they finished second to Brown in the season standings. In the final game in Quesnel, Pilote made an astounding 89 per cent of her shots and Fewster knows better than anyone how far his girls have climbed up the competitive ladder.

“They’ve matured a lot in their playing ability,” said Fewster. “Kristen shot 89 per cent in the final, she was a star. I watched a rerun of the game and I’m not sure where she lost her points, she made everything. I’m speaking as a dad but I’m pretty proud of her, those are awesome numbers. The whole team played well.

“Jen took a couple years off and she was a late entry into this one and she played very well. It’s great to see my daughters playing together again and doing what they love. They both love the game and could easily live and breathe it if they could make some money at it.”

The Scotties winner will represent Canada in the 2019 world championship next month in Silkeborg, Denmark. B.C. hasn’t won the national title since Kelly Scott of Kelowna in 2006.

Last year Reilly threw for 5,562 yards, 30 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, marking the third season in a row where he’s put up more than 5,500 yards. In 2015, he was named the Grey Cup’s most valuable player and took the league’s most outstanding player honour in 2017. Reilly was also dubbed a CFL all-star in 2017 and a West Division all-star in 2014 and 2017. It was a familiar face who brought Reilly back to the coast – Hervey is now the Lions general manager and has committed to building a winning team around the star quarterback. — see ADDING REILLY, page 10

Team Wark, including coach Rick Fewster, left, Jen Rusnell, third from left, and Kristen Pilote, fifth from left, poses with the B.C. championship trophy on Feb. 3 in Quesnel.

Adding Reilly marks ‘new era’ for Lions, says Hervey

— from page 9

“Today makes a statement about our commitment to winning, competing for championships and not just being an ordinary football team,” Hervey said Tuesday.

“This is a new era of B.C. Lions football.”

Hervey began his revamp of the team in December, hiring former Calgary Stampeders defensive coordinator DeVone Claybrooks to be the new head coach after the retirement of Wally Buono.

The next step, the general manager said, was to sign championship-calibre players, starting with a marquee quarterback who could contribute both on and off the field.

Reilly can handle being the new face of the Lions franchise, Hervey said.

“He and I share the same passion for this league,” he said. “We love this league, we appreciate this league and we understand that we have to do our part to help this league. And that means that we have to inject life into a fan base.”

Speaking to Hervey ahead of free agency, Reilly was reminded of what the general manager promised six years ago and how the vision he outlined came to life.

“When you’ve gone to battle with somebody and you’ve seen them do it, that’s how you build that trust, in my opinion,” he said.

single day.”

The Lions will bring in players to protect Reilly, Hervey said, but fans hoping to see some familiar faces on the roster may be disappointed with the “drastically” different roster.

“Last year’s roster was last year’s roster. It was built for a different reason. This roster is built looking with the future in mind, building our core,” Hervey said.

The Lions struggled to maintain a healthy starting pivot last season, rotating between the injuryplagued Travis Lulay and backup Jonathon Jennings.

Lulay is one of Reilly’s best friends and was a groomsman in his wedding, and Reilly said the pair have talked extensively about him playing for the Lions.

Lulay was always very supportive, he said.

The 35-year-old is eligible to become a free agent, but has not publicly spoken about whether he’ll play next season.

LOCAL SPORTS IN BRIEF

But I’m looking forward to building something even bigger and better and doing it here in B.C.”

With his wife, Emily, and two young daughters living year-round in nearby Seattle, Reilly said the move also works well for his family.

“Ed took a chance on me in 2013. I hadn’t proven anything. I’d won one game and lost a game as a B.C. Lion. He took a chance on me. He believed in me and I believed in him and we built something with all the teammates and the coaching staff at that time that I’ll never forget.

High school basketball titles up for grabs

City champions will be determined in senior high school basketball tonight at the Northern Sport Centre.

In the girls city final, the Duchess Park Condors will tip off against the College Heights Cougars. The game will start at 6 p.m. Later, at about 8 p.m., the Condors and the D.P. Todd Trojans will go head-to-head for the boys city title.

Heat battles to ringette bronze

The Central Interior Catering and Consulting Heat, an Under-14 team from the Prince George Ringette Association, claimed a bronze medal in dramatic fashion at a weekend tournament in Kelowna.

At the annual Sweetheart event, the Heat faced Kelowna for bronze in its division and got a winning goal from Brooklyn Lank with 3.8 seconds left on the clock. Lank also scored earlier in what became a 5-4 victory for the Heat. Sarah Derouin also scored twice for Prince George, while Myia Bruder added a single.

The Heat started the tournament with an 8-0 win against Northwest Vancouver, then lost 8-3 to Kelowna and beat Surrey 7-5. In the playoff semifinals, Prince George fell 8-6 to Vernon. Lank finished the tournament with a team-high nine goals.

Turner joins UNBC women’s soccer team

The UNBC Timberwolves women’s soccer team has found some offensive punch with the addition of striker Claire Turner. Turner’s commitment to the club for the 2019 Canada West season was announced on Tuesday by the UNBC athletics department.

Turner hails from Fort St. John and had made several visits to the UNBC campus before she decided the school was the right place for her. “The visits were a really big turning point for me,” she said. “I was able to meet the girls and they are all amazing. They are so kind and so inviting.” In Fort St. John, Turner was a member of the Northern Strikers.

“I am so excited to add Claire to our program,” said UNBC coach Neil Sedgwick. “She will provide us with a hold-up play target who can also drop into midfield and make decisions which will help us keep possession. She knows our playing model well and we are looking forward to watching her progress as a Timberwolf.” Turner will enter the Biomedical Studies program at UNBC.

He plans to be with the Lions long-term, saying he believes this contract will be the first of many.

“I don’t plan to finish any time before 40,” Reilly said, adding that he plans to end his playing career in B.C. “I don’t think that’s a stretch of the imagination, but it doesn’t just happen either.”

Creating an elite football team will take more than a single

player, too, he added.

“I know that I’m a part of this and I know that everybody who’s going to be in that locker room in the 2019 season and beyond is going to have an equal piece of that,” Reilly said. “We’re going to do things the right way and we’re going to play championship-level football and we’re going to have that on the front of our mind every

“I don’t know what the future holds for him, but he’s going to do great things, whether it’s as a football player, as a coach, as an analyst or whether it’s doing something totally away from football, I don’t know,” Reilly said. “But what I do know is he has a lot of passion for this franchise and he wants it to be successful.”

The Lions haven’t entered discussions with Lulay about his future, Hervey said.

“We’re giving his time to decide what he wants to do,” he said.

Tampa

Citizen news service

Bay keeps Flames cool

TAMPA, Fla. — The high-powered Tampa Bay Lightning just keep on rolling.

NHL points leader Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists, Brayden Point added a goal and two assists, and the Lightning beat the Calgary Flames 6-3 on Tuesday night.

Kucherov has 88 points, including seven over his last two games after going a pair of games without getting on the scoresheet.

“He has that ability to find guys even when I don’t think guys know they’re open,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

Kucherov has a career-high 63 assists. He stopped a 10-game goal drought with a pair Sunday in a 5-2 win at Florida.

“Good to see we got two games with ‘W’s,”’ Kucherov said. “That’s better.”

Kucherov and Point (72) are the second pair of Tampa Bay teammates to reach 70 points in 57 team games.

Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier did it in 2006-07.

Cedric Paquette, Anthony Cirelli, Yanni Gourde and Steven Stamkos also scored for the NHL-leading Lightning, who are 5-0-2 over the last seven games.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves.

“We’ve got the top guys going and we’re getting scoring from the other guys as well,” Stamkos said. “So, that’s a pretty dangerous combination to have.” Calgary, 1-3-1 in its last five games, got two goals from Sean Monahan. Mark Giordano had the other Flames goal, and David Rittich stopped 21 shots.

“Pretty disappointing with letting that one go the way it did,” Giordano said. “Our details weren’t where they needed to be. We’ve got to be a lot sharper and its starts with me and the leaders and the older guys and it trickles down.” Monahan didn’t have a goal in his previous five games. Teammates Matthew Tkachuk (eight) and Johnny Gaudreau (six) remain in goal droughts. The trio has combined to score 82 goals.

Point scored his career-high 33rd goal to open the scoring 11:54 into the game.

Point’s goal came shortly after Vasilevskiy made a save on Elias Lindholm’s short-handed breakaway. Lindholm had three assists, while Gaudreau added two.

After Paquette scored at 16:06 of the first, Kucherov made it 3-0 just 1:13 later. Giordano cut the Flames’ deficit to 3-1 during a 5-on-3 power play 47 seconds after Kucherov’s goal. The 35-year old became the 10th defenceman in NHL history to have 55 or more points at age 35 or older.

Calgary pulled within 3-2 on Monahan’s goal at 9:13 of the second, but Tampa Bay responded 57 seconds later when Cirelli scored.

“It’s a huge shift,” Giordano said. “It’s a big part of the game. Obviously you want to grab momentum when you’re back in it.”

Gourde put Tampa Bay ahead 5-2 later in the second. Stamkos reached 30 goals for the sixth time during a third-period power play. Monahan had a power-play goal late in the third.

CP PHOTO

New B.C. Lions quarterback Mike Reilly smiles on Tuesday while responding to questions after signing a four-year contract with the CFL team.

AP PHOTO

Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates his first-period goal against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla.

Mackey a master of the stage in TNW play

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

The Occupation of Heather Rose is a symphonic demonstration of the occupation of Julia Mackey. Mackey is accustomed to one-actor plays. She is the writing and performance force behind the nationally acclaimed one-hander Jake’s Gift in which she simultaneously portrays an elderly Canadian war vet and a small French child as easily as tossing a ball between the left hand and the right.

On the Theatre Northwest stage this week she once again stickhandles through all the play’s characters by herself like Gretzky on a coast-to-coast rush.

It’s her voice cadence that allows her to do it.

It took me until the second half of the Heather Rose marathon to finally put that together (plus four or five viewings of Jake’s Gift over the years). She has a sing-song quality to her delivery but one that never unties from the core material she’s conveying. She only ever gives over momentarily to a single mood, and even then it’s only for big emotions like the hottest of anger or brightest of joy. That way, like an athlete poised on the balls of her feet, she can step or spin, jab and evade, towards whatever is coming next in the script. She also has some heavy script to work with here. Playwright Wendy Lill wrote this in 1985, and builds in one of the great outburst monologues in Canadian theatre history. You wanted to give Mackey a standing ovation as soon as you sense that’s over, but more drama keeps coming so you tell yourself you’ll save it to the end. But when the end comes, it’s on such a thrashing wave of emotion you’d be forgiven for just sitting there, run through with blades of your own emotion that it takes a few beats to even muster the realization that it’s over. But is it over? This play is about the one thing that keeps Canadians from being able to boast, the

Daly leaving late-night TV

one thing that keeps us from hailing our culture to the ends of the earth. Canada is the best country that is, the most progressive that ever was, except for.... Except for.... This. What is sad and alarming is how true this play still is, more than 30 years after its debut. We still have not accepted the truth or achieved reconciliation with the hundreds of First Nations on whose blood and tears our Canada is now built. Not bandaged blood. Not dried tears. The prison of reserves, the trauma of residential schools, the injustice of broken treaties, the theft and extortion of money and lands from our founding brothers and sisters is today’s shame, not yesterday’s news. It can make you crazy (acting out with violence, abusing substances, turning aloof to the core, etc.), but no, crazy is too frivolous a word. In fact, the stress and extremities exhibited by Heather Rose and her neighbours are signs of pure sanity. Sane people are

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It really is last call for NBC’s late-night show with Carson Daly. NBC said Tuesday the show will end after 17 years, with Daly deciding to focus on other work and his family.

Northwest’s The Occupation of

It hits you like a wave, yes, but after the spluttering and shock, it also feels refreshing and ecstatic.

poor handlers of isolation, alienation, marginalization and mindless injustice. Canada’s Aboriginal nations, and the few like Heather Rose who walk awhile on their side of the white privilege line, are the definition of sane for reacting badly to these circumstances imposed across Canada, by Canada.

This play is a classic “stranger in a strange land” story. Lill framed the plot themes with traces of Alice In Wonderland and Heart of Darkness, both of them adventure stories where a lone observer goes deeper and deeper into the pits of human nature. So, too, does young nurse Heather Rose into the beautiful wilds of an all-toocommon rural reserve where she is one of few white residents among Indigenous dwellers – but not freely self-actualizing Indigenous

dwellers. The colonial Canadian occupation has altered them, twisted them, and brainwashed those who aren’t a part of that reality. When some of them, like naive Heather Rose, float into that current, they are ill prepared for the surrealism and the horrors that await.

I couldn’t forget, though, that as much as this was a snapshot of reality about Canada’s Aboriginal mishandlings, it was also a story – just like Alice in Wonderland –about human beings as they come of age. This is a tale about what youth can expect as the current of time pushes them into adulthood. It is about shock, disappointment, anger, injustice, all the emotions a parent can tell their kids about but the kids won’t truly be able to comprehend it until they face

In a statement, Daly said it’s time to hand over the show’s 1:30 a.m. Eastern time slot and try something new within NBCUniversal. He will remain a host and producer on NBC’s The Voice and continue hosting a segment on the

Close, once again, an Oscar contender

Citizen news service

NEW YORK — Glenn Close stands doubled over laughing in the doorway to her downtown Manhattan apartment while her loyal white Havanese, Pip, circles an arriving reporter.

It’s star time for both. Close, among the most accomplished performers never to win an Oscar, may finally break through with The Wife, in which, ironically, she plays a deferential spouse (to an acclaimed author, played by Jonathan Pryce) who has been long overlooked. The nevernominated Pip has developed his own following, thanks in part to an appearance on The View. The dog’s Instagram account, under the name Sir Pippin of Beanfield, is up to 3,400 followers.

Inside, Close hands the reporter a bottle of red wine to open as she recounts how hours earlier, while walking Pip in a park, a lady stopped her to relate her own story of being held back in her profession by a man. These are the kinds of stories Close has heard a lot since The Wife came out and since she gave a show-stopping acceptance speech at the Golden Globes where she spoke movingly about how her mother sublimated herself to Close’s father, a prominent surgeon.

“Another woman crossing the street was like, ‘I love you, Glenn!”’ said Close. “People down in the pharmacy, they’re all cheering me on.”

Seemingly everyone knows that Close, 71, has emerged as the best actress front-runner after early buzz favoured Lady Gaga for A Star is Born. The Wife may be a modest independent film ($9 million at the box office, and still playing six months after opening), but the moment feels finely tailored to Close, the mostnominated living actor never to win an Oscar.

What would an Academy Award mean to her? She pauses.

“It would mean a lot but I wouldn’t want it to be a pity Oscar because I’ve been an actress for 45 years,” said Close, whose previous honours include three Tony awards, three Emmys and three Globes. “People have been going back and looking at my basic body

of work and the six times I lost and what those roles were. So I can’t pretend it’s just for The Wife. But I feel like everybody’s rooting for me.”

But that’s not to say Close will be crestfallen if she doesn’t win. She smiles. “I’ve decided if I lose, I’m going to look at the camera and say: ‘I’m OK.”’

And she is. Much more than OK, even. Making The Wife has been its own cathartic, empowering experience for Close.

“It’s taken me a long time to gain control of my own life. When I made The Wife, I was in control of my own life for probably the first time,” says Close. “I felt like I had new wings. Or maybe my wings were finally developed.”

That’s a startling pronouncement for an actress who has for decades been one of the most versatile and subtle actors of film, television and theatre. A late bloomer, she didn’t act in her first film until age 35. But since, Close has unfailingly embodied intelligence and depth in everything from her early breakthroughs in The World According to Garp and The Big Chill to Sunset Boulevard (twice on stage, decades apart; she hopes to make a film of the musical this year); from her ruthless attorney on Damages to her infamous Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction.

“Nobody thought I could be sexy,” Close said of the time before 1987’s Fatal Attraction, a film she’d like to see remade from the woman’s perspective rather than the sympathetic point-of-view of Michael Douglas’ cheating

husband. “In making the movie a hit, I basically had to betray what I thought was the essence of that character,” says Close.

The Wife, a feminist parable based on Meg Wolitzer’s 2003 novel, came to Close about six years ago, shortly before divorcing her third husband, venture capitalist David Evans Shaw. When it’s mentioned to Close that she doesn’t seem like someone who would ever sublimate herself to another, she responds, “Oh, you don’t know me, personally,” and lets out a loud laugh.

“I’m at a time in my life where I’m not beholden to anyone. I mean, I always am attached with every molecule in my body to my daughter, whether she likes it or not. But I’m not attached to any partner,” said Close, whose 30-year-old daughter Annie Starke co-stars in The Wife. “And I think it’s for the first time in my life that I haven’t felt the obligation to not be who I am, to put a shade over the light, to temper your power. And it’s incredibly liberating.”

That The Wife features Close and her daughter (who plays a younger version of the same character) gives the film an added, multi-generational layer of meaning. Both Close and Starke together crafted the character with inspiration from the women of their shared family tree. Foremost in Close’s mind was her mother, who married at 18.

“It broke my heart to hear her say in her late ’80s that she accomplished nothing,” said Close, tearing up. “You can say, ‘But, oh, you’re such a good mother. Oh, you stuck it out with dad.’ That wasn’t the point. It was something else. That’s what I think resonated with a lot women about that (Golden Globes) speech. Because we do what we naturally do. And for a lot of women that might be OK. But it hasn’t been in the tradition to seek personal fulfilment for women.”

The Wife premiered just as the #MeToo movement was being born. It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017. Sony Pictures Classic, which acquired the movie, chose to wait to release it in August, timed to get ahead of the awards season rush.

it themselves – the sinister and sneering ricochets of sex, friendship, travel, libation, education, adventure, even the beauty of the landscape. These things all seem wonderful to the eyes of youth, and they are, but they all have an equally powerful counter-side and you can’t live your life without plowing headlong into them. And that is going to hurt your heart, burn your mind, and shake your core beliefs. As much as The Occupation of Heather Rose is about the angry sores of our national character, it is also about the painful work of building personal character.

That’s what makes this play such a delight to take in. It hits you like a wave, yes, but after the spluttering and shock, it also feels refreshing and ecstatic. There is laughter, there is hope, there is electric connection for the audience to enjoy.

Speaking of electric, kudos to lighting designer Darren Boquist and director Dirk Van Stralen for using the lights almost like a silent voice, a music-less score. It cheers and glowers as needed by the scene, and at one point achieves what I never considered possible. It made the dancing northern lights into something momentarily terrible. I muttered “horrora borealis” as I saw them looking down on the scene they were supporting.

As charged as that moment was, it again reminded me why even dark moments in a play are part of the revelation and entertainment of live theatre. How one actor with a simple set (three trees, a desk, a bulletin board and a sky) can make us all feel so many profound things is a form of magic. Is Canada a terrible culture for all the hurt it has inflicted onto Aboriginal people? Yes. Is Canada wonderful for the strides it is taking to heal and help, to be an egalitarian example to the world? Also yes. This play is about the complex range of conditions within our country, and within ourselves.

And at the centre is Mackey who somehow serves every course of this banquet, the hot and the cold of it, all by herself.

network’s Today. A date for the final episode of Last Call and the show replacing it will be announced. Last Call debuted in 2002 and will have aired 2,000 episodes when it ends, NBC said.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Julia Mackey portrays the title character in Theatre

Heather Rose.

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Charlie Archer Rogers

Mar 3, 1931 - Feb 12, 2019

Passed away peacefully on Tuesday Feb 12, 2019, at the age of 87. Survived by his loving wife Jeannette, 5 children Bruce (Ieva), Brenda (Tim), John (Anne), Greg (Pat), Carolyn (Gary).

Memorial Service will be held on Sat Feb 16, 2019 from 1:00 to 4:00pm at Elder Citizens

Recreation Centre 1692 10th Ave. in Lieu of flowers please make donations to the Prince George Hospice Society.

JOYCE MARJORIE MAGEE

December 17, 1929January 29, 2019

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of our sister. She was predeceased by her 2 daughters Marjorie and Judy, her infant son Lyle and sister Frances. She is survived by her 3 grandsons, Rocky, Jonathon and Neale, 3 great grandchildren Katherine, Jaden and Cameron, sisters Marian and June, brother Garry (Ruby) as well as s numerous nieces and nephews. She was loved by many and will be greatly missed by all who knew her. A small gathering to remember Joyce will be held at a later date.

Gerard Joseph Kehoe

March 19, 1948- February 5, 2019

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Gerard Kehoe. Gerard passed very peacefully with his grandson, Jesse, by his side. He was an amazing friend, father, grandpa and great grandpa who will be greatly missed. He was an amazing grandfather to many grandchildren and two great grandchildren, Jordan and Logan. Gerard was a long time truck driver and equipment operator spending a lot of his time in camps. Whenever he was home from camp he loved to spend as much time as possible with his many grandchildren and developed a close bond with them all. Gerard had a long and hard battle with cancer and had beat it once. The family would like to say a special thanks to the amazing staff at Simon Fraser Lodge, Dr. Larson, and to Gerard’s close friends Doug and Janet for helping care for him throughout his battle. Gerard’s Celebration of Life will be held at the Elks Community Centre (Formerly Moose Hall) at 633 Douglas Street, Prince George, B.C. on Saturday February 16th at 11am. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to a charity of your choice.

We’ll miss your infectious laugh!

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