Prince George Citizen February 2, 2019

Snow job

Frank Vanderlans uses a snowblower to dig out of his Malaspina neighbourhood home early

a break from the snow today but more is expected on Sunday and throughout next

Design for E Fry housing project unveiled

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

provincial government

AMLA was in Prince George on Friday to help unveil an artist’s rendering and floor plan for the Prince George Elizabeth Fry Society’s social housing complex, planned for a site next to Studio 2880 on 15th Avenue.

Intended to give women and children escaping violent relationships a safe place to regroup, recover and begin rebuilding their lives, it will consist of 18 transition house beds, 16 units of second-stage housing and 21 townhouses for permanent affordable housing.

It’s one of a dozen initial projects adding up to 280 homes across the province that will be funded through the Building BC: Women’s Transition Fund. Over the longer term of 10 years, $734 million has been earmarked through the fund to build 1,500 transition housing, secondstage housing and long-term housing spaces.

Mitzi Dean, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, joined Prince George Elizabeth Fry Society executive director Kathi Heim and Mayor Lyn Hall for the event, held at the Wood Innovation and Design Centre.

“We have a clear responsibility to help women and children in need in Prince George and around the province,” Dean

Public hearing for cannabis store on Monday

PHOTO BY BRENT

Mitzi Dean, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, was in Prince George on Friday to celebrate a provincial government commitment to create a new housing development for women and their children who are leaving violent relationships.

said in a statement. “Our government is working hard to make sure that help is always available.

“These new homes in Prince George will assure women and children in violent situations that there are safe and supportive spaces they can turn to and begin the journey of rebuilding.”

Dean said the cost of the Prince George

Citizen staff

The provincial government’s quest to open a retail cannabis store at the Westgate Shopping Centre will be the subject of a public hearing during this Monday’s city council meeting.

project is still going through BC Housing’s development and approval process but in October, a Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing spokesperson said $15.6 million has been approved for the project. The project was first announced in November 2016.

Construction is expected to start in fall 2019.

The provincially-run B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch has submitted an application to rezone a spot at 120-6565 Southridge Ave., where a Royal Bank of Canada branch used to be, for a B.C. Cannabis Store. see STORE, page 2

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

A Prince George man is facing a further 3 1/2 years in jail for shooting a man who confronted him and a fellow culprit caught sneaking onto a neighbour’s property.

In all, Crown and defence counsels are seeking via a joint submission a sentence of five years less credit for time served prior to sentencing for Smitty Ralph Bent, 21, for the Sept. 24, 2017 incident.

The man suffered a “through-and-through bullet wound” that punctured his right lung and splintered his shoulder blade.

It was just 11 p.m. and a man was enjoying some time with his wife and family in the backyard of his home near the VLA neighbourhood, the court was told during a hearing Friday in provincial court, when he heard noises coming from his neighbour’s yard.

Normally, the neighbour’s dog would be barking but not this time, leading the man to suspect there were intruders looking to carry out a theft under the cover of darkness. When he looked closer, he saw two young men and when he yelled at them, they took off.

Fed up with the rampant crime in the area, the man “did an unwise thing” and decided to go after them. He grabbed his BB gun, got in his car, drove around and found them in the 2200 block of Oak Street.

He got out but left his gun in the car and launched into an extended, expletive-filled tirade, in part telling them to “get a life” and accusing them of “creeping around people’s back yards like little stalkers.”

The two he had taken to task were much younger and lighter and could simply have run off, the court was told. But they opted not to. Instead, one of them pulled out a can of pepper spray and tried to turn it on the man. But he failed to check the direction of the wind and the spray blew back on him.

The man laughed and said words to the effect of “you’re such an idiot, you can’t even work a can of mace.”

By that point, he had stopped moving towards the two and wasn’t yelling at them anymore. But Bent pulled out a .22 calibre rifle and pulled the trigger.

The man suffered a “through-and-through bullet wound” that punctured his right lung and splintered his shoulder blade. He nearly bled to death and ended up hospital for over a week.

Fast forward to this month and the man is still feeling the effects. He has trouble breathing and using one of his arms, the court was told.

Bent and his accomplice ran away but were eventually tracked down by the RCMP and taken into custody.

For reasons not made clear, RCMP released Bent from custody two days later, but by January 2018, he was back in custody on other charges and has remained there ever since.

Bent pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm with intent to wound. What to do with him has been a topic of discussion between Crown and defence counsels for the past nine months. Although the mandatory minimum for Brent’s offence is four years, cases like his usually draw sentences in the range of six to eight years. see BENT, page 2

Bent has lived a life on the streets

from page 1

But working against that is the fact that Bent has effectively been living on the streets and “raising himself” since he was 13 years old, falling into the gang and drug culture in the process.

Defence counsel Brian Gilson pointed out his client’s thin and gangly frame and described Bent as someone who tried to act tough but is actually soft inside and will be out of his element in the federal system.

However, Gilson also said Bent has acknowledged he needs to spend time behind bars for his actions and also sees his sentence as an opportunity to get his life turned around and on track.

Judge Peter McDermick will make a decision on sentencing at a later date.

Most don’t bother with flu shot, says Citizen poll

Citizen staff

During the last Citizen online poll we asked “How has your flu shot worked out for you this year?”

With 46 per cent and 327 votes was the response “I’ve never bothered getting a flu shot.”

Following that with 37 per cent and 260 votes was “Fantastic,” and trailing that at 10 per cent and 67 votes was “Usual winter cold but otherwise fine,” and tying for last place at four per cent with 25 votes each was “Still got sick but could have been worse” and “Got horribly ill anyway.”

The total votes were 704. Remember this is not a scientific poll.

Next question is “The judge in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash tragedy is expected to hand down the truck driver’s sentence on March 22. What do you think the sentence should be?”

To make your vote count visit www.princegeorgecitizen.com

Hot seller

New

Good

Store has support of Westgate owner

from page 1 In a letter to the city, Michael Tan, BCLDB executive director of cannabis operations, said it is seeking the spot because it’s in a “large retail complex and therefore consistent with the nature of the immediate area,” is easily accessible to customers and not expected to adversely impact traffic in the surrounding area. The store’s size would be about 2,000 square feet, “which is in the midrange of other retail stores existing on the subject site and in the surrounding area,” Tan said.

BCLDB has received support from Westgate’s owner, First Prince George Developments Inc.,

The store’s size would be about 2,000 square feet, “which is in the midrange of other retail stores existing on the subject site and in the surrounding area.

to proceed with the application, Tan also said. The hearing is set for 7 p.m. in council chambers at city hall. Also on the agenda:

• A public hearing will also be held for a proposal to exempt trading and collectible cards from a requirement under the city’s second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers bylaw that they be held for

30 days before they can be put up for sale.

Kelsy Polnik of Game Quest has been pushing for the exemption, similar to one made in 2014 for video games. But Prince George RCMP is opposed to the idea saying the cards can be valuable, making them a target for thieves looking for some quick cash. And if they come with

paperwork authenticating them, police say tracing them back to their owners is possible with the help of the 30-day holding period. Staff has advised council to take the RCMP position into account but, for the time being at least, pass the amendment through first and second reading so it can be taken to a public hearing.

• Prince George RCMP Supt. Warren Brown will provide a look back at how 2018 went for the detachment.

• Reports on the conditions of civic facilities and on the city’s Memorial Park Cemetery green burial project will be presented to council.

Bus service drawing passengers

Citizen staff

B.C. Transit’s service along Highway 16 West has grown in popularity.

It drew about 13,000 passengers over the course of 2018, according to a statement from the provincial government released this week, up from 5,000 during its first year of operation, thanks in large measure to the addition of four new routes.

“These safe travel options are particularly critical for women, teenagers and elders, who have been asking for these services to be brought in,” said B.C. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena. “These buses are providing an important and affordable

These safe travel options are particularly critical for women, teenagers and elders...

— Claire Trevena, Transportation

and Infrastructure Minister

service to people in B.C.’s northern communities, and I look forward to seeing ridership growth continue.” The routes connect people between

9-1-1 mix-up review complete

Alaska Highway News

The Peace River Regional District has finished a review into 9-1-1 call connection delays during a house fire last month in Fort St. John.

The regional district requested the review from EComm, which handles all initial 9-1-1 calls from the region in Vancouver, in response to the event.

According to the review, there were seven 9-1-1 calls made about the fire at the City Centre trailer court on Jan. 8, six from cellphones, and one from a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone.

Firefighters were called out within 25 seconds of the two first cellphone calls, but the calls after that got mired in misconnections, according to the review.

The other four cellphone calls were received over the next five minutes: just one was properly redirected to North Island 9-1-1, which began handling fire dispatch services for the Peace Region in a controversial move in 2017.

The other three cellphone calls were sent to the fire operations centre in Prince George by mistake, but were able to be redirected “without delay,” the review reads.

The lone VoIP phone call bounced between at least four different call centres before reaching dispatchers – first, to a call centre outside the province.

“VoIP phones, unlike landlines and cellphones, do not connect directly with any 9-1-1 call answer centre in Canada, including E-Comm. Rather, the 9-1-1 call must first go to an out-of-province third-party call centre, in order to confirm the caller’s location,” the review reads.

When the VoIP call was routed to the E-Comm call centre, in Vancouver, it was answered and redirected to the Prince George fire operations centre, “an additional delay for this caller.”

It’s the first major review of 9-1-1 services after the outsourcing of fire dispatching services in 2017 prompted public outcry and fears the loss of local service to the Lower Mainland would lead to increased response times and put lives and property at risk.

The regional district requested the review with North Island 9-1-1.

“There are protocols in place with regard to 9-1-1 call transfer between E-Comm and local emergency dispatch centres,” the regional district said in a media release.

“While this situation was a variance from protocol, and a result of human error, E-Comm has advised the Peace River Regional District and North Island 9-1-1 that the appropriate corrective actions have taken place to mitigate against any errors of this nature in the future.”

B.C. IN BRIEF

Smithers and Moricetown, Burns Lake and Prince George, Burns Lake and Smithers, and Terrace and the Hazeltons.

The one-way fare for the Smithers/ Moricetown route is $2.75 and $5 per segment for the other routes. Routes 161 and 162 originating in Burns Lake now have 30-seat capacity buses and overhead package racks, offering better service to people.

The breakdown of ridership per route is as follows: Smithers to Moricetown – 115 people per month; Burns Lake to Smithers – 160 people per month; Burns Lake to Prince George – 390 people per month; Hazelton to Terrace – 170 people per month; Hazelton to Smithers – 285 people per month.

TSB to investigate hot air balloon crash

VERNON (CP) — The Transportation Safety Board says it will investigate after a hot air balloon taking part in the winter carnival in Vernon crashed on Friday.

Police say a wind draft may have caused the balloon to strike a rock face, then collide with power lines near the highway south of Armstrong. There were seven people on board and no one was hurt, but the balloon was destroyed.

Capt. Chris Bridgeman with the Armstrong fire department said the balloon wasn’t moving quickly, and it briefly hit the power lines before coasting to the ground as it deflated.

The balloon was one of several that took off in Vernon and floated toward Armstrong for the first day of the 10-day winter carnival.

Victoria police end standoff with tear gas

(CP) — Victoria police say they needed to use tear gas to convince a man to give himself up Friday when he barricaded himself in a suite. Police said in a statement that the man was barred from living in the home by court-ordered conditions stemming from an assault conviction and there was a warrant out for his arrest.

The police department said officers tried negotiating with him over several days to give himself up but he refused and barricaded himself in the suite.

Police said crisis negotiators and members of the emergency response team were called in but were also unsuccessful after “a number of hours.”

They said they warned the man they would use tear gas but he still refused to leave.

Police say the man was decontaminated and taken into custody without further incident for breaching court-ordered conditions.

The Exploration Place hosted a mini-concert with Juno-awardwinning Kobo Town on Friday morning. Kobo Town entertained the crowd with a mix of calypso, roots, reggae and acoustic instrumentation. The Coldsnap music festival, in partnership with Integris Credit Union, presented the Come In From The Cold community outreach event. Today is the last scheduled day for Coldsnap.

Man sentenced for possessing stolen rig, bulldozer

Citizen staff

An Alberta man was sentenced Friday to a further 10 months in jail after he was caught in the cab of a semi-truck pulling a flatbed trailer with a bulldozer on it – adding up to $580,000 worth of stolen equipment.

Grenville Clarke, 30, and co-accused Darren Robert Kelly, 46, were arrested on June 22, 2018, when a friend of the truck’s owner noticed the rig on Highway 16 heading towards Prince George and called police. RCMP pulled it over on First Avenue without incident.

Clarke and Kelly are from Edson, Alta., and the truck and other items went missing from Whitecourt, Alta., earlier the same day.

In all, Clarke was sentenced to a year in jail less 57 days credit for time in custody prior to sentencing. Clarke had remained in custody since his arrest but is also currently serving a 151-day sentence for possessing stolen property from a different incident. He took in the hearing on Friday from the correctional centre in Nanaimo via video-conferencing. In September, Kelly, who had also remained in custody since his arrest, was sentenced to a further 36 days in jail.

Power outage strikes downtown Citizen staff

A power outage struck the city’s downtown on Friday.

It affected 317 customers, according to the BC Hydro website, in an area west of Ash Street, north of Porter Avenue, south of Victoria Street and east of Alward Street. Power went out at 11:35 a.m. and was restored at about 3 p.m.

Tough task ahead for bus crash judge, legal experts say

A legal expert says the punishment for the truck driver responsible for the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash will put Canada’s sentencing provisions to the test.

Jennifer Quaid, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, said she believes it will be difficult for a judge to arrive at a proportionate sentence for Jaskirat Singh Sidhu.

“It’s a real test of our sentencing regime,” said Quaid. “This is sort of the nightmare scenario where you have a mixture of... factors that point in different directions if you look at our sentencing law.”

Sidhu admitted he caused the collision that killed 16 people and injured 13 when he barrelled through a stop sign in his transport truck at a rural Saskatchewan intersection last April. Sidhu was not hurt.

He pleaded guilty to 29 dangerous driving charges and is to be sentenced March 22.

In a sentencing hearing this week, the Crown argued Sidhu should serve 10 years in prison and be banned from driving for 10 years. The defence, although citing cases with shorter sentences, did not propose a specific alternative.

Judge Inez Cardinal’s task will be to find a sentence that strikes a balance between the consequences of the offence and the blameworthiness of the offender, said Quaid.

While Sidhu pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, it was not a hit and run, he wasn’t impaired, nor was he speeding, or texting

and driving, Quaid noted.

On the other hand, she said, the outcome of his actions was horrific.

“On the one side you got terrible consequences. On the other side you have a mistake that is not the worst of the mistakes,” she said.

“What’s the right answer?”

She believes the Crown is taking a hard line in proposing a 10-year prison sentence.

“It doesn’t seem proportionate to his moral blameworthiness,” said Toronto criminal defence lawyer Daniel Brown. “It doesn’t seem proportionate to his actions.”

Brown said determining a proper sentence for Sidhu will be challenging because the judge lacks comparable cases. He also said the typical signs of bad driving are missing. That makes it tough to craft a sentence that discourages people from a specific action, such as drinking and driving.

“How do we deter other people from missing stop signs?” Brown said.

“He wasn’t distracted by his cellphone,” he said. “He simply missed the traffic signal.”

Both Quaid and Brown said another significant factor Cardinal must weigh is Sidhu’s guilty plea.

“This is a person who has exactly the reaction that we hope... every person convicted or found guilty of a crime would have to have this deep reflection, this absolute acceptance of responsibility,” Quaid said.

What do think is the appropriate sentence?

Vote in our online poll at www.pgcitizen.ca

Grieving dad met truck driver

Citizen news service

The father of a player killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash says he thinks meeting face-to-face with the truck driver who caused the collision was a powerful moment in both of their lives.

Scott Thomas, whose son Evan died in the April 6 crash, said both he and Jaskirat Singh Sidhu cried when the two met privately at Sidhu’s sentencing hearing.

“It was a very powerful, very emotional 15 minutes,” said Thomas. “There were lots of tears on both our parts. He said exactly what he said in court... ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”’

Thomas was sitting in court in Melfort, Sask., Wednesday when Sidhu’s brother tapped him on the knee and asked if Thomas would meet with their family after the hearing ended for the day.

“We went into a small room in the back,” Thomas said.

Thomas had frequently said he would like to meet with the truck driver. He said Sidhu asked him how he could make it right for his family.

“I said, ‘So far, you’ve done everything that’s in your power,”’ Thomas recalled.

“He pled guilty, he took away the possibility of a long, drawn-out trial. He ended the proceedings in a pretty short and quick and efficient manner and definitely saved our families a lot of grief going forward.

“In his words, he can’t do anything to make it better, but he can stop proceedings that make it worse. That’s what he did. He’s already taken steps in that direction.”

Thomas said he accepted Sidhu’s apology.

“Absolutely,” said Thomas. “It was a powerful moment in both of our lives, I think. It’s what I had asked for.”

CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

Scott Thomas, whose son Evan was killed in the crash, arrives for the sentencing hearing of Jaskirat Singh Sidhu on Monday in Melfort, Sask.

CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the driver of the truck that collided with the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team, leaves closing arguments at his sentencing hearing Thursday in Melfort, Sask.

Citizen news service

Kenney clamours for Alta. election call

Citizen news service

Alberta Opposition Leader Jason Kenney is demanding Premier Rachel Notley call a provincial election and stop what he says is campaigning on the public dime.

Kenney said recent government announcements and multimillion-dollar government ad campaigns for the carbon tax are nothing more than partisan promotions for Notley’s NDP.

“Enough is enough,” Kenney said with some of his United Conservative candidates standing behind him in Calgary. “Stop clinging to power. Albertans want change. Not an endless taxpayer-funded campaign.”

Friday was the first day Notley could have, by law, begun a 28-day campaign. She must send voters to the polls no later than the end of May.

Kenney said if his party were to win government, it would make changes to allow the auditor general to prohibit government ads deemed to be partisan.

He said the UCP would also extend a ban on non-essential government advertising to include not only the campaign period, but

also the months leading up to it.

“We will put a stop to this abuse of democracy and this waste of tax dollars,” he said.

Earlier this month, Notley announced in Calgary that construction work on the a

new cancer centre remains on time and on budget for an opening in 2023.

“About 1,500 jobs will be created building this facility,” she said.

At the same time, the party-wing of the

NDP used the event to send out a news re-

lease warning that the UCP would not fund staff for the centre given a promise to rein in spending. Kenney said he would fund it.

Also Friday, Kenney promised a UCP government would review all contracts signed by Notley’s government from now until election day to make sure they are financially reasonable and in the public interest.

“We will not allow the NDP to get away with signing sweetheart deals with their friends in the dying days of this government,” he said.

Asked what action he would take on such deals, he said: “There would be a number of legal options. I’m not going to specify what they all are now. It would depend on the nature of the contract, the severity of its violation of the public interest (and) the amount of tax dollars involved.”

NDP Economic Development Minister Deron Bilous rejected Kenney’s accusations, saying Kenney is more focused on returning Alberta to a flat tax on personal income should be become premier.

“What is a sweetheart deal is a $700-million tax cut to the richest one per cent,” Bilous told reporters in Edmonton.

House hero ponders move into politics

Citizen news service

Former House of Commons

sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers says he is retiring next month as Canada’s ambassador to Ireland, and many New Brunswick Liberals say they’re hoping Vickers is preparing for a bid to become the province’s next Liberal leader.

Vickers, hailed as a hero for helping to end the 2014 attack on Parliament Hill, said in a bilingual Facebook post Friday he’ll retire as envoy effective March 2 and return to his home in Trout Brook, Miramichi, N.B.

“To all my friends and to the people of Ireland I wanted to say a special thank you. You received me with open arms and the warmest of welcomes. I shall not ever forget your kindness, affection and grace,” he wrote.

Vickers has been touted as a possible candidate for the leadership of the New Brunswick Liberal

Que., on June 4, 2016.

party to replace former premier Brian Gallant. In December, Vickers indicated an interest in the job but at the time said he was a “long ways from making a decision.” Vickers did not immediately re-

Speech in Cree before Parliament translated for MPs

Citizen news service

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has often repeated that Canada’s most important relationship is with indigenous Canadians, a group that past governments had long sought to forcibly assimilate into the larger population.

One of the pillars of his 2015 election was repairing that relationship, which he told the U.N. General Assembly was “Canada’s shame.” Since then, he has made a number of big promises to Indigenous Canadians, including ending all long-term drinkingwater advisories on reserves by 2021 and launching an inquiry into the country’s 1,200 missing and slain indigenous women and girls.

This week, Parliament took its own step toward reconciliation: Robert-Falcon Ouellette, a Liberal Party lawmaker from Manitoba, spoke in the House of Commons in an Indigenous language – and for the first time in Canadian history, Indigenous words were simultaneously translated into English and French so they could be understood in Parliament. Although simultaneous translation between English and French, Canada’s official languages, has been in place in the House of Commons since 1959, no such service has been available for those wishing to speak in the languages of the country’s original inhabitants in its main corridor of power.

But last fall, Canadian lawmakers adopted a parliamentary committee report that recommended that translation services be made available for any lawmaker wishing to speak in one of the country’s more than 60 Indigenous languages. That paved the way for Ouellette’s history-making moment.

“It was important for me to use the language to show young indigenous people that we can be proud of our culture,” said Ouellette, who spoke Cree on Monday while discussing a motion proposing to establish a Dutch Heritage Day in Canada.

According to the 2016 census, of the 1.6 million Canadians who reported having an indigenous identity, 260,000 of them said they could conduct a conversation in one of the country’s indigenous languages.

Several of those languages are on the brink of extinction, in part because of past government policies that sought to eradicate their use. Those included the creation of residential schools where Indigenous children were discouraged from, and punished for, speaking in their native languages.

The parliamentary report noted that its publication coincided with a period when “historically significant changes” to the relationship between Indigenous and nonindigenous Canadians were being contemplated, and concluded that recognizing indigenous languages in the House of Commons world mark a key step toward “reconciliation.”

Trudeau’s efforts to mend ties with indigenous communities included implementing all 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, which documented the accounts of residential school survivors and described the program as “cultural genocide.”

spond to requests for an interview Friday, but a number of Liberal sources say they’re confident Vickers will enter the race.

Lisa Harris, the Liberal MLA for Miramichi Bay-Neguac, said she’s excited by the possibility.

“I hope that in early March he’ll make another announcement that he’ll go forward with the leadership bid for the Liberal party,” she said, adding she believes he can unite the party and province.

“He’s premier material.” The New Brunswick Liberals will choose a new leader on June 22 in Saint John.

Donald Wright, a political scientist at the University of New Brunswick, said if Vickers enters the race, he will have to be clear what he stands for.

“Kevin Vickers is going to have to say something – where he stands on some of the issues like the carbon price, like bilingualism, like duality. He’s got a steep learning curve and you can only ride your name so long,” Wright said. “We have no idea where he stands on some of these issues.

He’s a complete outsider to New Brunswick politics.”

Keiller

Zed, executive director of

the New Brunswick Liberal Association, said that a party committee is still working on all the details of the race, including the registration package for candidates.

Rene Ephestion, who leads the New Brunswick Liberal Multicultural Inclusion Commission, has expressed an interest in running, while a number of others including Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long have bowed out. Vickers, born and raised in Newcastle, N.B., has held the ambassador post since January 2015. Vickers has a long career of public service, including 29 years in the RCMP. He served as sergeantat-arms for the House of Commons between 2006 and 2015.

On Oct. 22, 2014, Vickers shot and helped take down Michael Zihaf Bibeau, who had barged into Centre Block on Parliament Hill after killing honour guard reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the nearby National War Memorial.

CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

Kevin Vickers, Canadian Ambassador to Ireland and former Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons, speaks during the annual Press Gallery Dinner at the Museum of Nature in Gatineau,

CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

Jason Kenney, leader of Alberta’s United Conservative Party, speaks to reporters at the Conservative national convention in Halifax on Aug. 25.

Bouquets in the dead of winter

With a huge dump of snow, followed by at least five days of 20-below weather ahead for Prince George residents, let’s focus on some warm things today.

Vasiliki Louka, 222, and her 24-year-old brother Vaggelis, are playing their final regular season home games tonight for the UNBC Timberwolves basketball teams. They came all the way from Athens, Greece, to Prince George to pursue a post-secondary education and play basketball in Canada’s top university league.

In her five years with the Timberwolves, Vasilki’s numbers aren’t just the highest Timberwolves numbers ever, they are some of the all-time best in Canada West.

As Ted Clarke explained in his story Friday, she ranks second in career doubledoubles (47), second in defensive rebounds (675), third in defensive rebounds per game (6.4), fourth in total rebounds (950), fifth in minutes played (3,186), ninth in blocked shots (126), ninth in blocked shots per game (1.325), 11th in rebounds per game (2.75), 14th in field goal attempts

(1,274), 14th in field goals made (556), 16th in total points (1,462) and 19th in offensive rebounds.

If there isn’t a discussion going yet about retiring her lucky number 13, there should be.

Meanwhile, Vaggelis has more starts, more steals and more blocks than any man in Timberwolves history.

If you haven’t seen either “Sleek Greek” in action before, get out of the house and up to the Northern Sport Centre for the women’s game at 5 p.m., followed by the men at 7.

Before basketball tonight, Mary Gouchie’s funeral is set for 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Hard to imagine how there will be an empty seat left as Prince George turns out to pay its respects for this 97-year-old Lheidli matriarch.

Our condolences from all of us at The Citizen to the Gouchie family.

Our thanks, particularly to Jo-Anne Berezanski, Duncan and Norma Gouchie, Miranda Seymour, Laura Luth, Shirley and Nicole Wiltermuth, Kym Gouchie and Noella, Murphy and Jacqueline Taylor Gouchie, for sharing your memories and stories with

the community in Friday’s Citizen.

Finally, some good news from us here at The Citizen.

We had a tough 2018 and we had to layoff some valuable members of our team as we worked to keep our business viable. Fortunately, 2019 is starting off much better.

For the third time in the last four months, we have more than one million page views on our website and we likely would have done it in December, too, if Christimas hadn’t taken a bite out of our online traffic. More importantly, more than 200,000 unique visitors are coming to our website each month, either through their desktop computers, their mobile devices or their tablets, to read local news.

Thank you, readers.

Audience has never been The Citizen’s problem. Declining revenue, however, has been our challenge for years and we had an encouraging first month of 2019 on that front, too. T

he Citizen’s advertising income saw a 10 per cent increase in January from the same month last year and February is showing similar promise.

Gov’t transparency murky

If we want to stop making a mockery of the term “transparency,” then our institutions have to accept they will be made a mockery of at times. Small price, but let’s face it, who wants to do even that? Who in power is regularly willing to confess mistakes? Who among our governmental institutions would willingly accept the consequences?

It is why the John Horgan government’s latest pledge to open our legislature to freedom of information law meets my well-earned skepticism. Even if I eventually see it, I may not believe it.

It is a truism that politics and power attract people who generally wish to serve the public but overwhelmingly wish their accountability to only be served in private. I can count on one hand those in public life I’ve met over four decades in journalism who view admission of error as a virtue or who consider vulnerability an attribute. They are in a high-stakes business of human blunders – we all err, that’s why we have erasers on pencils – and use their power to shield secrets we ought to know.

I’ve lived on the other side as a subject of these information laws, when I was the CBC ombudsman. I’ve been present for conversations in which public requests were dealt with adversarially to avert embarrassment. Even the most comfortable government and most confident institution devotes immense effort to prevent information from coming to light. Typically they under-resource the units that deal with public requests and think little of over-resourcing their expenditures on the vanity press to promote their achievements.

The sad result for them and us is a distorted understanding of

their difficult decision-making.

Their power is a fortress, accessible by a rickety drawbridge occasionally lowered, alligators snapping as you cross.

It is a self-dealing perversion that these rules of engagement with power are made by the powerful themselves. Laws to compel release are framed by those with a history of non-disclosure. Who thought that one up? And how can we trust politicians to change the culture of entitlement to a culture of enlightenment?

The defensiveness of institutions has only hardened in this mercenary social media age in which, it should be conceded, slip-ups turn into memes and viral career-ending vortexes. My theory is that it has much to do with the rarity of decent disclosure. The revelations at the B.C. legislature of the expense exploits of the clerk and sergeant-at-arms were a shock because they had always been cloaked. If there were frequent concessions, we would treat them with the proper proportionality, which is to acknowledge the obvious – that the complexity of public institutions will by the law of averages yield bad behaviour or rotten results at times.

Bit by bit, the situation worsens about our right to know. Last week one media outlet reported of an important meeting about a senior military officer’s conduct in which there were no notes taken, and I know these nonnotated events to be common now. Long ago many reports had their copyrights vested with the

contracted firms, which could claim a commercial confidence and prevent release. From the early days routine information produced by public institution lawyers were considered cloaked by solicitor-client privilege. So much is exempt from release, it is intimidating to try.

We are becoming accustomed, even accepting, when told there are “no records” when we know there either ought to be or are. Steadily and surely the institutions have secured their supremacy over information.

We cannot be surprised, then, when the lawmakers determine the legislature is not subject to its purview – that “the people’s house” is not actually a “public body.”

The unfortunate reality is that our craft and those who advocate the right to know have been ineffective at rallying public support. Even though we possess some power in distribution, we are our own worst promoters because we do not let you know what you don’t know. But in this inept position, I can offer some advice if the premier so wishes to hear it: Turn the concept of freedom of information on its head, do as they do in the German city-state of Hamburg and make information routinely disclosed unless there are arguments against its release.

If you really believe you have a strong government, it will weather the initial public gale and earn an immense respect over time for fostering trust in those who elect you. It will sustain you, not clobber you. If, though, you do nothing or just want to fiddle around the edges, well, we will keep coming at you. One day you will have your own wood splitter. Kirk LaPointe is editor-in-chief of Business in Vancouver and vice-president, editorial, of Glacier Media.

That’s due to the hard work of our fabulous sales team but also due to the support of our advertisers, who recognize how effective The Citizen can be in helping them reach their customers.

Thank you, advertisers. We launched 97/16, our new free weekly in January, and both readers and advertisers seem happy with the tabloid format, the look and the content. We’ll be making a few more changes to it in the coming weeks, so hopefully it will be even better. Thanks to everyone for your support on 97/16 and for your words of encouragement when our press went down last week for only the second time in its 56-year history. We were right back up and running again the next day. Knowing so many people missed us last Thursday and were anxious to see us back on Friday meant a lot to all of us.

It’s our privilege to tell you stories about fantastic people in our community like Mary Gouchie, Vasiliki Louka and Vaggelis Louka, along with all the important local news you need to know.

— Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout

Ties to Trump ruins reputations

Twenty months ago – four months into President Trump’s tenure – I tried my best to warn members of his team that even at that early stage, if you worked for Trump, it was time to quit. Whatever initial enthusiasm you had for the man, whatever your ambitions, however indispensable you thought you were in the attempt to smooth his rough edges, the smart move was to get out.

“Do it now,” I wrote, to preserve your professional reputation or a semblance of dignity. But if, at this stage, you’re like former White House aide Cliff Sims, recently out with a book about Trump’s discombobulated Team of Vipers – but still telling interviewers how “proud” you were to work for him – you’re too late.

If you’re former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, currently on the talk-show circuit, regaling us with tales of Trump’s hubris – mere weeks after interviewing for the White House chief of staff job –you’re too late. If you’re former congressman Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., and you just accepted the job of acting White House chief of staff – your third Trump administration gig – the word “acting” in your title is an insufficient fig leaf. You’re definitely acting, just not in the way you think.

If you’re former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, flailing as you leverage your past credibility to mount Trump’s legal defense, you’re not just too late, you’re pathetic. If you’re national security adviser John Bolton, at this point you’re a prop. If you seek redemption some day, after leaving the administration, I hope you have a verifiable story to tell about persuading Trump to stand down from an ill-advised missile strike. There was a window of time during which giving Trump a chance was justifiable out of a sense of duty to country. You might have been vindicated for doing so if Trump had surprised us all and made good on his boast that, “with the exception of the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any president that’s ever held this office.” But that window closed. You had ample opportunity to see, up close, the capriciousness, vainglory and allergic reaction to facts that the rest of us saw from afar. If you’re just now disavowing Trump, or explaining away your support for him, don’t bother. You own it. Leaving 2016 to 2019 blank on your LinkedIn page won’t save you from disgrace. Sure, you might get a book deal. And you’ll probably find private sector employment – K Street is still a cozy hideout for plenty of Washington rejects. But history will remember you as an enabler, not a truth-teller. If you were still

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employed by the president or tap dancing on his behalf at any time in recent months, his stink is on you, and it won’t wash off. There are exceptions, of course: The civil servants who staffed government departments before Trump’s time in office, and who will remain after he leaves, certainly deserve no blame. Economic adviser Gary Cohn left the White House after fighting a losing, but noble, battle to rein in the White House’s delusional trade-war faction. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis performed a public service by writing a resignation letter that cut ties with Trump in the clearest possible terms: “You have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours” is Cabinet-speak for take this job and shove it. At best, though, most of the rest are Omarosas, passing off the obvious as insight: When Omarosa Manigault Newman left the White House staff, we didn’t need her to tell us that Trump spouts racebaiting drivel. He’s done it out in the open for years.

At worst, they are like Sims: He served in the administration for well over a year, then found a way to distance himself just enough to sell a juicy tell-all, but he still can’t come clean about the president’s foulest tendencies. When the New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner pressed Sims to assess Trump’s both-sidesism in the wake of torch-lit Charlottesville chants of “Jews will not replace us,” Sims hedged: “I would love to see the president use his bully pulpit for that more effectively.” When asked to explain the genesis of Trump’s birtherism, all Sims had to say was: “I have no idea.”

From this point on, any freshly departed Trump staffer’s public postmortem will only help fill in the blanks. It will add nothing to the by-now-plain-as-day big picture: Trump is the worst president ever. Only a suck-up won’t admit it. If you’re the next press secretary, policy adviser or White House counsel contemplating a melodramatic, self-absolving throwing-in of your Trump-caddying towel, don’t expect hosannas from the public in return for your pseudo-courage. You might hope Trump’s stench will fade, but I’ll still smell it. If there’s any justice left, everybody else will, too. Like a bad ‘80s haircut, your political cowardice will be forever preserved on the Interwebs. Rick Wilson is a Republican political consultant, a Daily Beast columnist and author of Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever.

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GUEST

COLUMN RICK WILSON

Laser tag in a fallout shelter

Citizen news service

Imagine the unthinkable: the United States and the Soviet Union are at war. Nuclear missiles are hurtling toward their designated targets with deadly accuracy.

It’s doomsday in 1969.

Within the hour, cities will be vaporized and millions will be annihilated – unless you act fast to stop it all.

That is the premise behind an escape room game now being developed inside a decommissioned nuclear fallout shelter – better known as a Diefenbunker – an hour’s drive north of Halifax in the sleepy, rural community of Debert.

“The idea is that... the bombs are in the air,” says Tyler Fields, event manager for Enter the Bunker, the company transforming the two-storey, 64,000-square-foot underground complex into a cutting-edge entertainment venue.

“It’s a matter of which nation can get their self-defence system up and running to save the nation ... We’ll get you immersed in the experience.”

Commissioned in 1959 by thenprime minister John Diefenbaker, the bunker was one of seven Cold War bomb shelters built across Canada. Each was designed to withstand a five-megaton nuclear blast from about two kilometres away.

“A lot of work has been put into the bunker,” Fields says after completing a public tour of the Debert facility. “We’re on the tailend of the construction phase... We have all kinds of space and lots of ideas.”

Until late last year, public events at the historic bunker were generally low-key and somewhat sporadic.

But Fields is gearing up for a busy season with state-of-the-art laser tag, movie nights and paintball tournaments.

Regular tours started earlier this month.

And plans are in the works to establish the site as an e-gaming arena, where participants can watch and compete in video game tournaments.

The new War Games escape rooms are slated to open in March.

The rules are simple: Two teams – one representing the U.S.S.R., the other the U.S.A. – will be briefed inside the bunker before they enter a room, where they will have an hour to avert Armageddon by decoding clues and solving puzzles.

The Cold War theme will be hard to miss.

The bunker has metre-thick concrete walls, decontamination showers, a NORAD Joint-Ops room with floor-to-ceiling maps to track fallout, a CBC radio studio and an elaborate ventilation system that uses filters to trap chemical, biological and radioactive matter.

At the height of the Cold War, there was enough food and water on hand to support 350 people – including the premier and the lieutenant-governor – for up to 90 days.

The goal was to protect government, military and justice officials to ensure “continuity of government” in the event of a nuclear strike.

“The challenge for Canada during the Cold War was largely one of geography – our airspace was the most convenient route by which the Soviet Union could attack the United States,” said Andrew Burtch, post-1945 historian at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

“Our airspace would be a battle space in a Third World War, so a variety of active defence measures were enacted.” Similar bunkers were built at the now-defunct Canadian Forces Base Penhold in Springbrook, Alta., CFB Shilo east of Brandon, Man., CFB Borden west of Barrie, Ont., CFB Valcartier north of Quebec City, and the Nanaimo Military Camp on Vancouver Island. After the bunkers were decommissioned in the 1990s, the sites in British Columbia and Manitoba were sealed off.

The bunker in Alberta was sold to local business people, but it was

CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE

Top, the entrance to the decommissioned nuclear fallout shelter in Debert, N.S. Above, laser tag players prepare for a game inside the Diefenbunker. Right, gauges on an instrument panel inside the Diefenbunker.

repurchased and demolished by the province in 2001 after bids for the property were submitted by the Hells Angels, a group of white supremacists and a car-smuggling ring.

The status of the regional bunkers in Quebec and Ontario remain unclear, though they are part of active military bases.

A much larger Diefenbunker was built about 35 kilometres west of Ottawa in Carp, Ont.

The four-storey, 100,000-square-foot Central Emergency Government Headquarters was designed to house twice as many people as the regional bunkers, with enough room for 535 men and womenamong them the governor general, prime minister and senior cabinet members.

If nuclear weapons were launched, no family members were permitted inside any of the bunkers.

A national historic site, the Carp bunker has been a museum since 1998. Billed as Canada’s Cold War Museum, it also features what is described as the world’s largest escape room.

“These are important artifacts of the Cold War,” says Burtch, who is also a history professor at Carleton

University in Ottawa. “Even events like laser tag expose people to this architecture of Armageddon that has been around since the 1950s ... It’s good that these are being preserved for people to know the risks that we faced then and, of course, still do face.”

After the Debert bunker was decommissioned in 1997, a local development group opened it to public tours. In 2009, an American entrepreneur bought the site and started

offering clients secure data storage – until the business petered out a few years later.

In late 2012, entrepreneur Jonathan Baha’i purchased the site for $31,000 in a tax sale and established Data Security Node Inc. Dedicated computer servers are locked away in a climate-controlled area that was once used by the military to communicate with NATO and Norad.

The rest of the bunker sat idle until 2013, when Baha’i staged his

first public event: Debert Doomsday. The fundraiser had participants dodging zombies while trying to deactivate a doomsday device.

“It was a hit,” says Fields.

If You Go

Public tours every Wednesday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. All events, including laser tag, movies and the escape rooms will be posted at www.enterthebunker.com

Blazers continue their mastery of Cougars

Citizen staff

This is no smoke-and-mirrors illusion.

The Kamloops Blazers have the Prince George Cougars under their spell.

The Blazers beat the Cougars 3-1 Friday night in Kamloops, their sixth win in six tries over their WHL B.C. Division rivals this season, extending the Cougars’ losing streak to eight games.

The win moved the fourth-place Blazers (20-25-3-1) seven points ahead of the fifth-place Cougars (16-28-3-2).

Kyrell Sopotyk had two goals to pace the Blazers’ attack.

The Blazers connected on their first quality chance of the game, 9:35 into the first period. Sopotyk banked in a shot off the leg of Cougars forward Connor Bowie before goalie Taylor Gauthier had time to react. The Blazers added to the total with 25 seconds left in the period on a shot from Orrin Centazzo.

Trailing 2-0 in the second period, the Cougars scored 3:09 into the frame while on the power play. Vladislav Mikhalchuk took the puck off the end boards after a shot from Cole Moberg went wide and the Belarusian import snapped in his 18th of the season. In the third period, Brodi Stuart took off on a breakaway with defencemen Moberg and Ryan Schoettler trapped in the Kamloops zone and Gauthier made the initial stop but he inadvertently kicked the uncovered puck in with his pad as he spun in the crease. That came 10:31 into the final frame. Sopotyk added an emptynetter with 1:27 left.

Dylan Ferguson made 26 saves for his 14th win of the season. The Blazers fired 44 shots on Gauthier.

The Cougars were without centre Ilijah Colina, who returned to his home in North Delta for personal reasons, fully supported by the team. Defenceman Joel Lakusta was also scratched.

The Cats will try to end their slump tonight in Langley against the B.C. Division-leading Vancouver Giants. They’ll also play the Giants on Tuesday and Wednesday in Prince George.

As the referee signals a goal, Prince George Spruce Kings forward Tyler Schleppe starts the celebration on Friday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena during a BCHL game against the Surrey Eagles. Schleppe’s marker gave the Kings a 2-0 lead at 4:16 of the first period and they went on to beat the Eagles 5-0. Nick Poisson, Dustin Manz, Corey Cunningham and Nick Bochen also scored for the Spruce Kings, who put 49 shots on goal. Logan Neaton was forced to make just 10 saves for the shutout in the Prince George nets. The teams meet again tonight at RMCA, with the opening face-off at 7.

Pronghorns turn up heat on hosts

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

When you’re hot you’re hot, and right now the Lethbridge Pronghorns are locked in a winning groove at just the right time in the U Sports Canada West women’s basketball season.

It took nearly half the game to find their rhythm but they schooled the UNBC Timberwolves in a dominant third quarter, steamrolling the T-wolves 26-8 on the way to a 7771 win Friday at the Northern Sport Centre.

Whatever was said in the intermission in the Pronghorn locker room, it worked. They made the adjustments needed to minimize the damage from the T-wolves’ three top-10 scorers –Vasiliki Louka, Maria Mongomo and Madison Landry – and went to work setting the pace with a crisp passing attack that gave them the win in the first of a two-game weekend regular-season finale.

“At halftime we talked about moving the ball more and taking smarter shots and boxing out on defence and really making it tough for them to get to the hoop and we were really physical on the defensive side,” said Pronghorns guard Katie Keith, who set the example for her teammates with a team-high 17 rebounds, 13 of which came on defence.

“It was super-physical down there.”

The Pronghorns came in on a six-game winning streak and it appeared that might be in jeopardy when the T-wolves jumped in front 39-31 after 20 minutes. It all crumbled on the T-wolves in the third quarter.

Consecutive threes from Danielle Fritzke and Kacie Bosch put the visitors ahead 4641. Landry put up a three for UNBC but the Pronghorns fired back with nine unanswered points to increase the gap to 55-44. Tough defence under the hoop from Keith and Amy Mazutinec made life miserable for the T-wolves, who couldn’t buy a basket for long stretches of the third quarter.

“We’ve been working really hard in practice to refine the small things and the defensive rotations have gotten a lot better and it’s just clicking this time of year,” said Keith. “We definitely are peaking now at just the right time.”

The win improved the Pronghorns’ record to 12-7, while UNBC dropped to 10-9. Both teams are trying to clinch top-eight finishes

Manning dealing with winds of change

Ted CLARKE Citizen staff

which would guarantee a home playoff date.

“Right now we’ve just been preaching about playing our best basketball and it’s starting to come,”said Pronghorns head coach Dave Waknuk. “There are still things to improve but I think we’re playing with confidence. UNBC had a great start and we were down at halftime and had a great third quarter to battle that through.

“We need to play up-tempo basketball and run the floor and use our athleticism and we had to get the game faster. They did a good job of controlling that tempo in the first half and we did a good job of adjusting and getting the ball up the floor.”

The Pronghorns continued to work for their breaks and were rewarded with points to start the fourth quarter. After four Pronghorns misfired, Jessica Zarowny finally found the net and was fouled. She missed trying to complete the three-point play but the Pronghorns kicked out the rebound to Latvian import Asnate Fomina and she nailed it from threepoint range for a 68-54 lead which proved insurmountable for the T-wolves.

Fomina led the Pronghorns with 21 points, Bosch had 16 and Keith and Zarowny each hit for 12.

“Lethbridge is a great team and so we have to be the aggressor in order to put some points on the board, and play good defence,” said UNBC guard Abby Gibb. “We didn’t follow the plan that Sergey (UNBC coach Shchepotkin) told us and as a result we didn’t do our jobs. I think if we follow the plan (in today’s rematch) we should have no problems.”

Mongomo still managed 21 points, Landry collected 21 and Louka had a strong outing as well with 14 points and 20 rebounds. But their collective power failure in the third quarter gave the Pronghorns life. UNBC’s big three had plenty of good looks but Lethbridge took away the easy points, especially near the net.

“They started hitting their threes – they’re a really well-balanced team and you can see in their stats almost everyone has the ability to contribute a lot so it’s tough if someone catches fire because someone else can step up right after we stop the first person,” said T-wolves assistant coach Mark Johnson. “That 26-8 run was just hard to overcome. They moved the ball well, they were very unselfish and I thought they had more energy, it looked like.”

The same teams are back on the court at the NSC today at 5 p.m.

In a roller-coaster NHL season that’s come with plenty of soul-searching, Brandon Manning has been put through the wringer. 2018 was a year of change for the 28-year-old defenceman. After turning

Big win for UNBC men

The Canada West men’s basketball playoffs are still a couple weeks away but try telling that to the UNBC Timberwolves. They played like there was no tomorrow and got rewarded.

They beat the Lethbridge Pronghorns 96-90 Friday night at the Northern Sport Centre, keeping the T-wolves’ hopes alive of hosting their first-ever U Sports playoff game.

An energetic start that gave the T-wolves leads of 10-0 and 16-4 in the first quarter put the necessary wind in their sails. They needed those points to hold off a strong surge from the Pronghorns in the fourth quarter.

UNBC carried a 50-34 lead into the intermission but Lethbridge chipped away and had it down to an eight-point gap, down 70-62 after three quarters. Pronghorns guard Zac Overwater put up 13 of his game-high 35 points in the final 10 minutes and all of a sudden it was a two-shot game with UNBC clinging to a 92-88 lead with about a minute left. Eric Pierce went to the foul line and cut the gap to two and with 25 seconds left Vaggelis Loukas got fouled underneath the hoop. He sunk his first free throw but the second kicked off the rim right to Tyrell Laing. He immediately drew the foul and made both shots to seal the victory.

The win improved the T-wolves’ record to 9-10, while Lethbridge dropped to 11-8.

“They’re definitely a well-oiled machine in the sense that they kept coming at us in waves, said Laing. “They gave us a couple of runs we had to withstand and we were able to do that.

“Overall we were able to knock down shots at a high percentage, I think we shot 53 per cent of our field goals, which helped us in the win.” Laing ended up with 22 points and made four of his nine three-point attempts. Vova Pluzhnikov, Jovan Leamy and James Agyeman each shot 16 points for the T-wolves. Pierce and Kyle Peterson each finished with 13 points for Lethbridge.

If the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack loses its game tonight in Calgary and the T-wolves manage to complete the sweep of Lethbridge today (7 p.m. start), they will host a first-round playoff matchup at the NSC.

“Our effort was a little better in the second half but we were poor defensively all night in our rotations and we had some guys not show up tonight and that can’t happen this time of year,” said Pronghorns coach Mike Hansen.

in his most productive NHL season and helping the Philadelphia Fyers get into the playoffs, Manning was told by thenFlyers GM Ron Hextall he didn’t fit into the Flyers’ plans for next season and as a free agent he signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks fell into a five-game slump

in November and fired head coach Joel Quenneville and that rocked Manning’s world dramatically. Thirty-three-yearold Jeremy Colliton was brought in from the AHL to replace Quenneville and with him came a new philosophy that left Manning the odd man out. — see LOCAL, page 10

Local defenceman in wait-and-see mode

— from page 9

His playing time dropped off and he was watching games from the press box when the Hawks dealt him to the Edmonton Oilers, Dec. 30 along with defence prospect Robin Morell in exchange for forward Drake Caggiula and defenceman Jason Garrison. At the time the deal was made the Oilers were missing three injured regulars on defence – Andrej Sekera, Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell.

Change has become the new norm in Edmonton, where Ken Hitchcock came out of retirement to replace the fired Todd McLelland as head coach. Then on Jan. 23, the axe fell on Peter Chiarelli, the Oilers’ general manager and president of hockey operations.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for me,” said Manning, who took advantage of the eight-day allstar and league-mandated break to return to his roots in Prince George and take in a Spruce Kings game last weekend at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena, where he spoke to The Citizen.

“Last year with my first new team in Chicago, I think the trade was a lot easier just for doing the relocating and meeting new guys and stuff. But with the GM gone now and things kind of not going as planned I’ll kind of wait and see how things are going to shake out.

“I’ve been through four or five coaches in the last couple years just with the change in Chicago and now the trade. Like most coaches, they just want you to be accountable for what you’re doing, not make the same mistakes over and over.”

Since the trade Manning has played eight games and has one goal and a minus-four rating. He scored his second goal of the season Jan. 20 in a 7-4 loss to Carolina. The Oilers have a bit of a logjam on defence with nine defenceman on the roster and Manning was a healthy scratch for four games in January. But with Sekera still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and Klefbom doubtful for a game today in Philadelphia because of a hand injury, Manning should draw regular duty this weekend.

“There’s some guys with experience and a couple older guys and you just kind of wait for your opportunity,” said Manning, who had a goal and two assists and a minus-14 rating in 27 games with Chicago.

“That’s been the story of my whole career, whether it was the draft (he went undrafted) or playing four years in the minors, it’s something I’m proud of and have

Capitals halt losing streak

to keep working at. Until you’re a guy who’s a top-four d-man playing every night and playing 20 minutes you’ve kind of always got to work towards that.

“It’s nice to be in the mix now in Edmonton and have a chance to play and kind of prove myself again.”

Manning and his Oilers teammate, winger Jujhar Khaira, share the distinction as the only former Prince George Spruce Kings now playing in the NHL. Manning broke in to the BCHL as a 17-yearold and played 58 regular-season games and four playoff games in 2007-08, before moving on to a three-year career in the WHL with the Chilliwack Bruins.

Khaira, a 24-year-old from Surrey, joined the Spruce Kings in 2010 when he was 16 and played two seasons. The Oilers drafted him in the third round in 2012 and he made the jump that year to college hockey at Michigan Tech, where he played one season before returning to junior to play in the WHL for the Everett Silvertips.

“I knew Jujhar played here with RJay Berra, one of the guys I’m still in contact with, and he got an

opportunity here with the Spruce Kings and went on a bit of different path through the ’Dub and college and he’s a really solid reliable player for us,” said Manning. “He’s one of the guys I’ve seen in the league really improve the last couple years and it’s pretty cool to share that background with him.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — No one man can possibly replace Alex Ovechkin for the Washington Capitals. So, forced to play without their captain and leading scorer, the defending Stanley Cup champions used contributions from just about everyone to make up the difference.

Evgeny Kuznetsov scored a power-play goal with 57 seconds left, and Washington shook off the absence of its finest player to end a sevengame losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the

Manning likes playing for a Canadian-based NHL team where everything the team does is put under the microscope and there is the pressure of fan expectations to live up to as the big game in town.

Winning has not come easy for the Oilers this season. They lost three straight heading into the all-star break and dropped into 13th place in the 15-team Western Conference but they’re just three points behind Colorado for the second wild-card playoff spot.

“How things are in Edmonton are kind of how I expected it when I first went to Philly – people know who you are, they’re always following hockey so they know what’s going on and on that side I think it’s pretty exciting,” he said.

“It feels more like home now being in a Canadian city. The weather’s the same as Prince George and I don’t think since I played for the Spruce Kings I’ve been in a full winter like this. Everyone has a pretty good knowledge of the game and it’s enjoyable being back in Canada and seeing that passion and hopefully we can turn it around for the fans.”

Manning still makes his off-

Calgary Flames on Friday night.

Ovechkin, who leads the NHL with 37 goals, received a one-game suspension from the league for skipping the All-Star Game. He had played in 214 consecutive games, a streak that began in October 2016.

season home in Prince George, where his family lives. He and his girlfriend Shea-Marie Glass are having a house built for them in the Aberdeen Glen subdivision. They bought their lot last year, not knowing their next-door neighbour would be Stewart Malgunas. Malgunas and Manning are the only two Prince George-born players to play in the NHL as defencemen. Both played for the Flyers and both wore jersey No. 23.

“It’s kind of unique, Stew’s a guy who had a big impact on my career,” said Manning. “He was my defence coach here (with the Spruce Kings) when I was 17. For me, he was someone who pushed me to go to the Western League and take that step.

“Who knows how things would have worked out if you go the other way (and play college hockey) and I definitely appreciated Stew’s advice and how he helped me along. He taught me a lot of things that year.”

On the Oilers’ current road trip, they’ll also play the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. They’ll return to Edmonton to host Chicago on Tuesday.

Facing the best team in the Western Conference, the Capitals also had to overcome a lowerbody injury to centre Lars Eller, who played only six minutes. Undaunted, Washington got goals from unheralded role players Nic Dowd and Dmitrij Jaskin, along with Tom Wilson, before Kuznetsov notched the game winner.

“I was just in a bad position to pass the puck,” Kuznetsov said. “So I decided to shoot.” Calgary trailed 3-2 before Elias Lindholm notched his 22nd goal of the season at 12:01 of the third period. Mikael Backlund and Garnet Hathaway also scored for the Flames, who came in with the second-best record in the NHL.

Wade, Nowitzki added to NBA All-Star Game

Citizen news service

MIAMI — Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Miami’s Dwyane Wade are both NBA champions, NBA Finals MVPs and longtime ambassadors for the game of basketball.

And now, one more time, they’re AllStars.

By special order of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Wade and Nowitzki were added Friday to the pool of players for the All-Star Game that will be played in Charlotte on Feb. 17. Each team will now have 13 players instead of the customary 12, and LeBron James – one of the captains – will be the one who decides which side Wade and Nowitzki will be joining.

Wade said he reached out to Silver to thank him for the gesture.

“I appreciated my fans for voting for me, but I didn’t want to be put in position to take a roster spot from someone who’s getting their first opportunity to go to the All-Star Game or their second or third,” Wade said. “I’ve had 12 chances at it. For the commissioner to create that opportunity for Dirk and myself, it’s cool. I appreciate it more getting in this way, so I’ll be there.”

Silver, in a statement released by the league, lauded what Nowitzki and Wade have meant to the game.

“Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade

Silver, in a statement released by the league, lauded what Nowitzki and Wade have meant to the game.

embody the best of the NBA: remarkable skill, drive and professionalism as well as a deep devotion to strengthening their communities and growing the game around the world,” Silver said. “As a global celebration of basketball, our All-Star Game is an ideal setting to salute these first-class NBA champions and Finals MVPs.”

Also Friday, Silver announced that Brooklyn’s D’Angelo Russell will make his All-Star debut. Russell will replace injured Indiana star Victor Oladipo. Wade, who is retiring after 16 seasons, will be an All-Star for the 13th time. Nowitzki is heading to the All-Star Game for the 14th time, and has yet to officially say if his 21st season with the Mavericks will be the final one of his career.

“Looking forward to sharing that stage with y’all again 1 last time,” James wrote on Twitter.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who is planning a beach getaway over the All-Star break and wasn’t thinking about watching the All-Star matchup, said he might have to amend his plans and be in front

of a television for the game.

“I thought it was great,” Spoelstra said of Silver’s gesture. “Very cool.”

Nowitzki was already going to have a big role in All-Star weekend, after agreeing to be an honorary coach in the Rising Stars game on Friday night and to be part of All-Star Saturday Night. Wade was headed to the All-Star Game for various events and was exploring some broadcast opportunities, though now he’ll be in shorts and sneakers instead of a suit for the Sunday night highlight of the weekend.

Wade is a three-time NBA champion. Nowitzki led Dallas to the 2011 NBA title, over Miami – avenging Wade and the Heat beating Dallas for the 2006 title.

“I’m glad I can share this opportunity with Dirk, one of the game’s greatest players, someone that I’ve had battles against,” Wade said. “It’s only right.” James and fellow captain Giannis Antetokounmpo will choose their teams on Feb. 7. James will have the first pick in the first round, when the starters will be chosen. Antetokounmpo gets the No. 1 pick in the second round, when he and James will split up the 14 reserves. And James has the top pick in the third round, which will be the one that includes Wade – his former teammate, close friend and fellow 2003 draft alumand Nowitzki.

“He better pick me,” Wade said.

nets overtime winner for AHL’s Moose

Jeremy Gregoire and Yakov Trenin

scored to put the Admirals (22-17-8) ahead 2-1 heading into the third period. Logan Shaw tied the game for the Moose (20-19-5), the AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, at 2-2 with 2:06 remaining in the final frame. Felix Girard found the back of the net at 10:49 of the first

period to open the scoring for Manitoba.

Tom McCollum made 26 saves in a losing effort for Milwaukee. The Moose went 1-for-4 on the power play. The Admirals were 1-for-3 with the man advantage. Harkins is a former member of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.

CP PHOTO

Edmonton Oilers blueliner Brandon Manning tries to defend against Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes during a Jan. 20 game in Edmonton.

MANNING

Harkins

Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams. RIGHT: Rams inside linebacker Cory Littleton catches a ball during practice on Friday in Atlanta.

Patriots have habit of Super Bowl trips, Rams are newcomers

Barry WILNER Citizen news service

Hey, have you guys been here before?

If you’re a New England Patriot, the answer pretty much is “all the time.”

If you play for the Rams, the reply basically is “never in my life.”

So if experience is a factor in Sunday’s Super Bowl, the overwhelming edge is with the 2 1/2-point favourites from Foxborough who are 5-3 in NFL title games with Tom Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick in the hoodie on the sideline.

The Rams, whose past two Super trips were representing St. Louis in 2000 and 2002, have four players who have gotten this far. New England has four on its defensive line alone.

“Probably, throughout the week, it gives them an advantage,” Rams tackle Andrew Whitworth says – and he’s finishing up his 13th NFL season, though it’s his first that ends in February.

“They kind of know this week. They know when things are a little anxious, when to kind of, ‘Hey, turn it on and get ready to play.’ They probably have a process and plan for the week.”

Athletes in every sport talk about how helpful a comfort zone can be. It’s even more pronounced when it accompanies events such as the Super Bowl, which, for better or worse, transcends football.

Brady and most of his teammates, in their third straight visit, barely flinch at all the attention, media demands and alterations to the norm they encounter during Super Bowl

At 41, Brady already is the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl. Goff is 24 and one of the youngest.

week – although they were taken aback somewhat by the cacophony and circus atmosphere of opening night on Monday.

Aside from Aqib Talib, C.J. Anderson, Brandin Cooks and Sam Shields, for the Rams this is uncharted territory.

Rams coach Sean McVay tends to dismiss that theory, however. Using quarterback Jared Goff as an example, McVay could have been speaking for his entire squad, which has made a sensational turnaround in his two seasons in charge.

“He’s an unfazed quarterback,” McVay says. “I think his way to have success and handle adversity the same demonstrates that poise and confidence you want from your quarterback.”

Nowhere is the experience matchup more uneven than at QB. At 41, Brady already is the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl. Goff is 24 and one of the youngest.

Well, maybe nowhere is an exaggeration, because Belichick, at 66, could become the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl. He has worked 41 post-season games, with 30 victories, most among head coaches in NFL history. He’s the only head coach with five Super Bowl rings.

McVay is half his age and in his first title game, the youngest Super Bowl head man.

Rams President Kevin Demoff hears all of that so-called evidence, then cites so many positives about McVay that he sounds like the next dominant coach.

Sunday will be a powerful acid test for McVay and his team.

Some other things to look for:

Gronk’s finale?

There’s widespread speculation that Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski could be playing his final NFL game. The four-time All-Pro has been plagued by injuries for much of his career, and only in his first two pro seasons did he play a full 16-game schedule. In 2018, he made it into 13 games.

Gronkowski has battled through back, knee, ankle and arm injuries throughout his nine pro seasons, and thought about retirement after last year’s Super Bowl loss to the Eagles. If this will be it for the big-play tight end with superb blocking skills, he isn’t letting on.

“As of right now, those are the last things I’m thinking about,” Gronkowski says. “I love playing the game. After a long season, after the (Super Bowl), a few weeks down the road, you sit back, you relax, you get some downtime, enjoyment time. And you just see where you want to go with it.

“That’s a tricky question. You’re trying to get around me. You’re just trying to get you some answers over there, baby. But like I said, I don’t know. I haven’t done that sit-down yet. I’ve got to do that sit-down. About two weeks after (the Super Bowl), then I’ll know.”

Former NFL quarterback, coach dies on 60th birthday

DALLAS (AP) — Wade Wilson, the quarterback who led the Minnesota Vikings to an NFC championship game and coached the position with the Dallas Cowboys for more than a decade, died on his 60th birthday Friday. Wilson died at his home in the Dallas suburb of Coppell. Police said a 911 call was made from Wilson’s home, where the caller said Wilson was unresponsive and CPR was in progress. Emergency personnel determined upon arrival that Wilson was dead. Police said there was no indication of foul play.

“Wade was a cherished and valued member of our organization as a player, a coach and a wonderful friend,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “This is a sad day for all members of the Cowboys family as we have lost a truly great man.”

Wilson played for five NFL teams from 1981-98. He played 10 seasons for the Vikings, leading them to the NFC title game during the 1987 season. They lost to 17-10 to the Washington Redskins, who went on to win the Super Bowl. Minnesota made the playoffs the next two seasons as well.

Wilson also played for the Atlanta Falcons (1992), New Orleans Saints (199394), Cowboys (1995-97) and Oakland

Donald’s dominance

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the only unanimous All-Pro this season, led the NFL with 20 1/2 sacks.

Considering that Brady barely has been touched or pressured in two playoff games –both against teams with strong pass rushers – it is incumbent upon Donald to be a factor Sunday.

Make that a major factor.

“We’ll get to him, but we have to stay patient and don’t get frustrated,” Donald said. “We’ve got a great secondary that will do its job and make sure he doesn’t have easy throws. If he has to hold onto the ball, we’ll have our chances. We just have to go get him.”

Otherwise, the most accomplished quarterback in Super Bowl history might tear them apart.

Close ones

The Rams’ past two trips to the big game were tight affairs in which they beat Tennessee and lost to New England. In all of the Patriots’ eight previous trips in the BradyBelichick era, the result was in doubt until the final moments.

So to expect a romp at Mercedes-Benz Stadium seems foolhardy.

“It would be nice to get one of those,” Patriots receiver Chris Hogan.

“But the idea is to win, no matter how you do it.”

The largest margin in a Patriots Super Bowl under this regime has been the eight points the Eagles beat them by a year ago.

Raiders (1998). Wilson was Troy Aikman’s backup when the Cowboys won their last Super Bowl title during the 1995 season. Wilson began his coaching career as the Cowboys quarterback coach from 2000-02, and returned to that role from 2007-17. He coached with the Chicago Bears from 2004-06.

“Sad news today as we lost a teammate far too soon,” Aikman wrote on Twitter.

AP PHOTOS

ABOVE: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throws a pass during a Friday practice in Atlanta as the team prepares for

Super Bowl ads to watch this Sunday

Citizen news service

This year’s Super Bowl ads are designed to entertain and go down easy, as Stella Artois brings back Carrie Bradshaw and The Dude and the Backstreet Boys and Chance the Rapper remix the 1990s classic I Want It That Way for Doritos.

With ads costing more than $5 million for 30 seconds of media time, advertisers are gambling that their spots will be among the few that stand out – hopefully, not by drawing internet scorn.

Many aim for laughs, like Amazon’s ad about celebrity product testers. Others are taking another route, including a heartfelt Microsoft spot about an Xbox controller designed for gamers with disabilities.

“There’s a movement toward more humour than usual and a lighter tone,” Villanova marketing professor Charles Taylor said.

“Advertisers are picking up on the fact that consumers are not wanting statements that cross into the political.”

Here are 10 ads to watch during Sunday’s game on CBS:

Amazon

Harrison Ford, Forest Whitaker and other celebrities test out rejected Amazon products that feature its Alexa digital assistant, such as a talking electric toothbrush and a dog collar.

Anheuser-Busch

The beer maker’s famous Clydesdale horses trot through a meadow dotted with wind turbines to the tune of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind, all to highlight how Bud gets brewed with renewable energy.

Colgate Total

Actor Luke Wilson plays a “close talker” (think back to Seinfeld for the reference ) to illustrate the benefits of toothpaste and mouthwash.

Doritos

The 1990s boy band the Backstreet Boys makes a comeback with Chance the Rapper for a remix of I Want It That Way to promote the new Doritos flavour “Flamin’ Hot Nacho.”

Michelob

Ultra

Zoe Kravitz uses auditory techniques – for instance, whispering into a microphone – to trigger “autonomous sensory meridian response,” or ASMR, a relaxation state sometimes called “brain

tingles.” An on-screen message reads, “Beer in its organic form.”

Microsoft

Disabled children talk excitedly about the fun they have using an adaptive Xbox controller designed for players with mobility limitations.

NFL

This ad is staying under wraps until game day, although we know the two-minute spot will kick off the league’s 100th-season celebrations and will feature more than 40 famous football players from the past and present.

Olay

A horror movie parody in which Sarah Michelle Gellar, threatened by a stalker in her home, can’t unlock her phone with facial recognition – apparently because Olay products have improved her looks so much.

Stella Artois

To tout its partnership with Water.org, which helps provide clean water to the developing world, the beer maker shows two 1990s icons giving up their signature drinks for a philanthropy-supporting brew. The Dude – a Jeff Bridges character from The Big Lebowski – forgoes his White Russian, while Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City eschews her cosmopolitan.

Toyota

How is the car maker’s new RAV4 Hybrid like Antoinette “Toni” Harris, a woman who plays football for a community college in California? Both say they shatter preconceptions.

Above, this video screen grab shows Michael Buble in an ad for Pepsi’s Bubly sparkling water brand. Below, this video screen grab shows an image from the company’s Doritos 2019 Super Bowl NFL football spot featuring Chance the Rapper and the Backstreet Boys.

Popeye turns 90

Today’s artists paying tribute to the legendary sailor man

Citizen news service

The world’s most popular sailor man may be “strong to the finish,” but he shows no signs of nearing the finish line any time soon.

Popeye, who turned 90 years old in January, is still going strong, an iconic cartoon character who has nearly 10 million fans on Facebook.

And for his birthday, he’s being reintroduced in comics and videos for a new generation.

Popeye debuted in E.C. Segar’s comic strip Thimble Theatre in 1929 in the New York Journal-American newspaper and several years later starred in his first theatrical cartoon.

The dynamic was soon set: he would eat spinach to gain strength, beat rival and bully Bluto and save his girlfriend, Olive Oyl.

Now, King Features is celebrating the sailor – who still has his trademark bulging forearms, though not always his corncob pipe – with a new series of animated shorts, Popeye’s Island Adventures, on the Popeye and Friends YouTube channel. Plus, King is letting top guest artists draw the comic as a nod to Segar’s famous Popeye’s Cartoon Club, where fan art was shared in the strip.

One of those guest artists is the Argentine cartoonist Liniers (the pen name of Ricardo Siri), whose popular comic Macanudo is carried by King. Liniers talked about his love of Popeye.

When did your history of Popeye begin?

When I was a kid in Buenos Aires, they showed the Fleischer Studios (animated) shorts after school, and I loved them. I remember eating some spinach, which I hated, thinking I was going to grow instant muscles. It didn’t happen, and I hated spinach for a long time. I loved Popeye, though!

Why do you think Popeye endures as a pop icon at age 90? What magic makes him last?

Kids love adventures. And isn’t that what sailors are supposed to be? Professional risk-takers! World travelers! Venturers into the unknown! Also, he was funny. Superman wasn’t funny. Batman wasn’t funny. This guy was yuk-yuking through every dangerous ordeal he encountered.

How did you react when King asked you to create your own Popeye strip?

It took me awhile to muster the courage to put the pencil on the paper and draw Popeye, but as soon as I started, I realized this is an old friend. I loved doing the strip. The way Segar draws has been an influence of mine since I bought a collection of Popeye strips. It was the 60th anniversary collection edited by Mike Higgs. I studied the way he scribbled and scratched the paper. I think those old strips are why I still work with ink and nibs.

Who renders your favorite Popeye, from any era, and why?

Segar. I loved that he created this wacky and huge alternate universe. All those weird characters poured out of that inkpot and populated that strip so absurdly and naturally. Some incredible inkpot it must’ve been.

Is there any aspect of Popeye that has influenced or infused your work?

I guess the most impactful influence is that of trying to create a world that can stand on its own. With characters that seem to exist almost separated from its creator.

Why do you think Popeye eternally appeals to kids? Those incredible forearms! Kids know he can accomplish anything with those things! Also, the cool anchor (tattoos)!

IMAGE COURTESY LINIERS/KFS WORLD RIGHTS RESERVED

Argentine cartoonist Liniers is among the guest artists drawing for the new Popeye’s Cartoon Club. Liniers said he has loved the character since he was a boy.

Are comics just for kids?

Michael CAVNA Citizen news service

It was the summer of 1945, during the height of New York’s newspaper delivery strike affecting millions of readers, when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia took to the WNYC airwaves and read aloud for his paperless listeners one section of the paper: the comics. Dick Tracy. Little Orphan Annie. Providing his own sound effects, the mayor acted out the day’s strips with all the vocal verve of Patton Oswalt. The twist was, although this public service was ostensibly for the kiddies, his act – complete with his own asides of political moralizing – was aimed at the grown-ups.

La Guardia knew adults have been a vital part of a comics-reading audience at least since strips began appearing in newspapers at the end of the 19th century. And as the Library of Congress has noted, comics readership served a “social function” among grownups. Which is why Bill Maher’s latest claim that comics aren’t for adults comes across as a headscratcher.

When did having an escapist hobby – be it comics or sci-fi/fantasy films, the Super Bowl or Star Wars, vintage movies or old comedy recordings – mean you had betrayed your adulthood?

Last November, Maher used the death of Marvel editor Stan Lee as a springboard for a rant against comic books and comic-book film adaptations. The editorial, which was titled Adulting and was published on Maher’s blog, said: “the problem is, we’re using our smarts on stupid stuff. I don’t think it’s a huge stretch to suggest that Donald Trump could only get elected in a country that thinks comic books are important.”

That editorial predictably drew the ire of many comics fans, including filmmaker and past Maher guest Kevin Smith, who spoke up for the creative contributions of Lee.

A decade ago, I interviewed Maher and Stan Lee separately. Lee said he followed his own taste and curiosity about what would make a compelling comicbook story. Maher claimed it was difficult to overestimate just how stupid the American voter could be. Those words illuminated how they thought of their audience and motivations as writers and performers. Lee wanted his readers to stop and feel what his characters felt – to identify with their challenges and flaws. Maher wants his viewers to stop and think – to recognize the flaws in our leadership and culture and, in his view, think critically. Maher says he has “nothing against comic books” –after all, he did appear in Iron Man 3.

His larger point – about being a fully engaged adult in dire times – feels born out of his frustrations with the U.S. electorate, rather than a hatred of comics. The reality might be that Americans spend billions of dollars annually on superhero and space movies and video games, but Maher seems to be imploring a nostalgia-loving culture not to escape our political reality.

And so, when crafting a rant against comic books, the cliches about geek fans (their obsession with cosplay, their throwback-to-childhood clothes, their dependence on parents’ basements) are simply the easiest targets.

Some people will never be fans of your hobby or passion. So what?

I simply know that the first comic book I intellectually loved as a kid also made me stop and think, too. It sometimes was like reading George Carlin in pictorial form.And it had the same effect on generations of readers who grew to appreciate all types of satire – such fans turned comedy practitioners as Judd Apatow, Lewis Black and Stephen Colbert. That comic book was MAD magazine. MAD, born out of the Eisenhower era, reached millions of readers by the Nixon administration, before enduring a gradual decline in circulation. Yet with comedic geniuses at the boards – the elegant lines of Mort Drucker, the clever wit of Al Jaffee, the visual whimsy of Sergio Aragones, among the entire, smart “Usual Gang of Idiots” – MAD had a long creative zenith, and it can still touch the satiric heights. Without MAD, many comedy experts have said, there might well be no Saturday Night Live or The Simpsons, no The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight –perhaps even no culture fully prepared to appreciate Maher’s Politically Incorrect or Real Time.

MAD writers, artists and editors showed readers how to question authority with a sly smile and subversive truth. And arguably their wisest sleight of hand was that MAD never openly aspired to be high satiric “literature.”

It made no claims to be Twain or Mencken, Chaucer or Swift, waiting on culture’s gatekeepers for its validating laurels.

Yet by flying the pirate flag of Stupidity, MAD could safely hide a sly sociopolitical intelligence in its hull. To discover this comic book felt like joining a club – and many adults didn’t forget the password just because they had graduated from adolescence. Some American adults might still feel shamed about taking a break to read the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus, because some gatekeepers believe even a Holocaust memoir told in comics form is strictly for kids.

MAD mascot Alfred E. Neuman likes to say, “What, me worry?” and perhaps comics fans shouldn’t worry so much about detractors like Maher and his writers. Better to share the giddy joy in the margins, where MAD’s Aragones has long toiled - even when once-culturally marginalized comics fans eventually become the pop mainstream.

After all, MAD also taught young Americans not to believe everything they see on TV.

CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

Comedian Bill Maher arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Feb. 26, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Maher argues that comics aren’t for adults.

Women work spaces on the rise

Citizen news service

Entering the year-old workspace

ModernWell feels like coming into a comfortable spa. Clean lines give way to cozy touches like footstools covered with faux fur and a roaring fire surrounded by comfortable armchairs. Women type away on laptops at tables scattered throughout.

There is not a man in sight.

ModernWell is one of a growing number of women-only and women-focused workspaces around the country. While many predate the #MeToo movement, their growth has been interlinked with it as it put combating workplace harassment on the national agenda. They’re also tapping into a desire among many women to build a community and supportive environment at work that’s different from a stereotypical corporate workplace culture.

The spaces provide more than just desks and a coffee machine. They offer programs like highprofile speakers or yoga classes, and a chance to build a social and business network with likeminded women. It’s like WeWork, minus the beer on tap and tech bro atmosphere.

“I think women, especially, are craving safe spaces where they can go and be inspired and do really important work without interruption, and without being reminded of all that, too. There’s literally no risk that somebody’s going to sexually harass me here,” said Renee Powers, a ModernWell member who founded her business, Feminist Book Club , in the space.

The biggest player is The Wing, which opened in 2016 in New York and has been expanding rapidly across the country. Its San Francisco location opened in October with a nod to the #MeToo movement, naming a conference room after Christine Blasey Ford, who testified before Congress that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in high school. Kavanaugh denied the allegation and was confirmed to the court. Membership to use one location costs $2,350 annually, and the company now has more than 6,000 members, spokeswoman Zara Rahim said.

Most of the spaces allow men, but some do not. The Wing was sued by a Washington, D.C. man who alleged discrimination. Its board soon after approved a mem-

news service

bership policy providing that an applicant’s gender identity would not be considered, a development first reported by Insider. Rahim said the policy was being developed before the lawsuit and was unrelated to it. The Wing is also under investigation by the New York City Commission on Human Rights for gender-based discrimination. The Wing said it is working with the commission.

Another fast-growing space is The Riveter , with five locations in Seattle and Los Angeles and plans to open in Austin, Texas, in March. On Tuesday, it announced plans to open five more locations in cities including Minneapolis and Atlanta.

About 20 per cent of its members are building venture-scale startups, but the majority are small businesses with just a few employees, or people who work on their own such as lawyers or real estate agents, founder and CEO Amy Nelson said. It ranges from $99 to hundreds of dollars monthly.

About one-quarter of The Riveter’s 2,000 members are men,

More than 100 million people are expected to tune in Sunday to the Super Bowl

Nelson said, but the difference is that “out of the gate we’re putting women first.”

“I think that we’re seeing a societal shift that isn’t going to go away,” she said. “Women’s voices are being heard.”

The space has brought in highprofile speakers such as Sheryl Sandberg and offers activities such as office hours with a venture capital firm and seminars on digital mindfulness or wellness. That kind of programming sets the spaces apart from more general ones, said Steve King of Emergent Research, who studies the future of work and the rise of the independent workforce.

ModernWell founder Julie Burton, an author and wellness instructor, teaches yoga at her space, which also offers events such as a class on women’s memoir writing. Burton said her space grew out of a writing group she co-founded in 2015, which coincidentally was women-only. After the 2016 presidential election, she said many women she knew were upset and she felt galvanized to build a busi-

ness to help women support each other and empower themselves.

“Whether you are out marching or not marching, I felt we had work to do, and I wanted to be part of the work,” she said.

The space has given women from different industries and professional backgrounds a chance to connect, she said.

Those connections help women support each other, battling feelings such as “impostor syndrome,” where women question whether they have the qualifications to start a company or embark on a particular venture, Burton said.

That community feeling is what draws some women to the spaces, said Jamie Russo, executive director of the Global Workspace Association.

Co-working spaces in general are on the rise, and as the sector grows, different niches have developed to serve different groups, such as attorneys or people working in real estate, technology, big data or artificial intelligence. For the operators, niche spaces tend to be more profitable than more

general workspaces, Russo said.

An analysis by King’s firm estimated more than 14,000 coworking spaces and 1.7 million members globally in 2017 and forecast around 30,000 spaces and 5.1 million members by 2022. There’s little data about women-centric spaces, and while the segment is growing, it is expected to remain a relatively small niche in the industry, King said.

Some spaces offer child care, but until now it’s been rare, likely due to complicated state and local laws around child care, King said. That may be changing. The Wing will offer child care starting this week in one of its New York City locations and soon in Los Angeles.

Jasna Burza, a life and business coach, has a home office but prefers to do her work at ModernWell, where there is a community of women to greet her. She compares coming to the space to the old TV show ‘Cheers,’ where everyone knows her name. “It can be really isolating to be on my own,” Burza said. “I come here, and it’s my happy place.”

that run in the fourth quarter.

Then on Monday, more than 17 million of them plan to stay home from work.

That’s according to a survey commissioned by The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated, a software company that helps companies with human resources management. It surveyed 1,107 U.S. adults and estimates, based on extrapolations of U.S. workforce data, that some 17.2 million people could skip work as a result, a figure that eclipses the absences it estimated would occur in 2018 or 2016. In fact, that’s the highest number in the five or six times it’s run the survey since 2005.

It’s known as the “Super Bowl Fever,” the “Super Sick Monday” or even “Smunday,” as Kraft called it in a 2017 publicity move, when it gave employees the Monday after the Super Bowl off and started a petition trying to make it a national holiday. And whether the effect of the big game on Monday morning really is to turn corporate cube farms into ghost towns, there are signs of a real productivity hit.

“I’m a former corporate recruiter, and the Monday after the Super Bowl there were always more notable absences,” said Vicki Salemi, the careers expert at job site Monster.com, which also ran a recent small survey of hiring managers, recruiters and

job seekers and found that 12 percent said they’d called in sick the day after the Super Bowl to recover from celebrating.

The cost of productivity loss could top $4 billion, according to an estimate by the outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That includes time people spend gabbing about Tom Brady’s performance on the field, combined with those who do choose to stay home from work.

And last week, a survey of some 2,800 senior managers and 1,000 U.S. employees by the staffing firm OfficeTeam found that more than half of them knew someone who’d skipped work after a major sporting event. In its survey last year, 72 percent of the H.R. managers surveyed said they thought the post-Super Bowl Monday should be a holiday.

Such surveys aren’t always nationally representative - and are commissioned by companies that sell staffing services or H.R. software products - but still provide a little snapshot of the Monday-after effect of the Big Game. They say a strong economy could be making it worse.

“The Super Bowl itself has become a de facto national event,” said Joyce Maroney, executive director of The Workforce Institute at Kronos. “Employees may be feeling more secure in their employment and are more likely to have other options, and think it isn’t going to be a deal breaker if they call in sick.”

Interestingly, Kronos’s survey also found senior managers were more likely (36 percent) in its survey to say they wouldn’t work normal hours on the Monday after the Super Bowl, compared to just 20 percent of more junior and mid-level employees. “That says something about trust, and who’s empowered to do what in the workplace,” Maroney said. The survey also found that more bosses have a sense of humor about the topic than one might thing: Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of the executives in Kronos’ study said they they think it’s funny when co-workers call out sick the day after the big game.

Some bosses who’ve had to clamp down on Monday absences say that’s the best way to deal with the issue - a sense of humor. Shawn Anderson, who runs a nearly 50-person tech firm called PDQ.com in Salt Lake City, has had to say something to employees who tried to make the most of the four-day work week schedule he offers.

“Usually before a long weekend, I’ll say ‘go have a blast but please watch out for vodka virus or the Super Bowl bug or the Budweiser flu,’ “ he said, noting he might mention it lightly before going into Super Bowl weekend. “There’s a lot of sarcasm and joking in this.”

CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTO BY TED S. WARREN

People work in the upper-level space at The Riveter, a women-focused shared workspace facility in Seattle.

At Home

Big game party tips

Kara ELDER Citizen news service

Super Bowl week is here. Be ready to entertain or be entertained with a selection of party dishes in all the major food groups: Chicken; soup and chili; dips and snacks; and pizza, bread and sandwiches.

But first, a few tips for party hosts and attendees:

• To cut down on expenses and work, make it a potluck! Assign specific dishes or food groups. For the friends who don’t cook, ask them to bring ice, drinks or a roll of paper towels.

• Make sure you have enough utensils and plates for everyone. If you don’t want to buy disposable, consider asking one or two friends (preferably friends who drive and/ or live close by) to bring a set of silverware, plates and glasses to supplement your supply.

• You’ll feel better about life if you are as cleaned up as possible before everyone arrives; don’t keep a pile of just-used dishes in the sink to clean up later, when every surface of your kitchen is inevitably filled with more dirty dishes.

• Build your food spread around finger foods and small bites to cut down on utensil requirements.

• If you run out of bowls for your soups and chilis, use mugs.

• Think about where you’ll spread out your array of dishes –the kitchen counters? Your table? On a board balanced on two boxes and covered with a sheet to mimic a tablecloth? You’ve got options.

• People are going to bring beer, and you’re going to need room to keep it cold; if you don’t have room in your refrigerator, fill something else with ice and stick the beer in there. Things we have used: a cooler, bucket, Christmas tree stand, large plastic storage tub, the snow outside. Things we have seen people on the internet and in movies use: a washing machine, bath tub, empty plant pots, buried in the ground outside, an icy flowing stream near a haunted house in Iceland.

Note: When using an uninsulated vessel to pour ice into and stash your beverages, it is wise to wrap a few towels around and under said vessel, to help with condensation. Any ol’ person can make chili and order pizza. Make your party something special by getting a little more creative with the food.

La Brea Tar Pit

Chicken Wings

For all you Los Angeles Rams fans out there, the chicken is coated in a salty-sweet mixture of soy sauce, red wine, sugar and ground ginger. As they bake, the sauce gets nice and sticky. You can remove the wing tips if you want, but we left them on half of the batch to no ill effect. (If you do, save them to make stock.)

INGREDIENTS

4 pounds chicken wings, split at joint and wing tips removed, if you like

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange wings in one layer in a large roasting pan. Combine the soy sauce, wine, sugar and ginger in a small saucepan and heat over moderately low heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Pour evenly over wings. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn wings over and bake until sauce is thick and sticky, about 1 hour more. Transfer wings to a platter. Makes eight servings.

Seafood Chowder

This chowdah is a simple affair of vegetables, bacon, milk and seafood. We used chunks of cod and a handful

DIRECTIONS

onion, carrot, celery and bacon; cook until the vegetables are tender and the meat starts to sizzle. Add the low-fat or whole milk and the fish stock or vegetable broth, stirring to combine; increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add the potato and thyme, stirring to combine; cook for about 10 minutes, until the potato is tender. Add the shrimp and bring back to a boil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Tested size: 4-6 servings.

Sweet Onion, Scallion and Chive Dip

The classic onion dip you know and love, but made with fresh onions, scallions and chives rather than a packaged mix.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 pound sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Peruvian, cut into 1/4to 1/2-inch dice

1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, white and tender green parts 1/4 cup finely chopped chives

1 cup sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.

Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions just begin to turn golden.

Add the scallions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring. Remove from the heat; add the chives and mix well. Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool slightly. While the onion mixture is cooling, combine the sour cream, cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl. (These can be mixed by hand if the cream cheese is soft or in a food processor if the cream cheese is still firm.)

Add the onion mixture and stir to combine. Taste and add salt, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes three cups.

CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTOS Above, La Brea Tar Pit chicken wings; left, sweet onion, scallion and chive dip, and; bottom, seafood chowder.

Ian Malcolm Wiseman June 4,1943 to Jan 29, 2019

On January 29, 2019 Ian’s wife and girls said, “see you later” one last time.

ALGOT

Your wings were ready, but my heart was not

Sadly, Dennis passed away on January 2, 2019, at the age of 64. He leaves behind his loving wife Janice of 42 years, sons Daniel and Jason, his mom June, sister Diana (Kevin) Stafford, brother’s David. Derrick (Maureen) and Rob. Also nephews, nieces, great nephews and nieces. Plus extended family and friends. Dennis spent his 37 year career as a railroader. He started with BC Rail in 1978. he then became a locomotive engineer at 25 and worked for them for 32 years, the last 5 years with CN. He enjoyed his job and all the experiences and people he met along the way, until he retired in 2009. He loved spending his time golfing and visiting the family cabin on the Shuswap, fishing, boating, and being with family and friends. He will be missed.

Calvin Bester

A Heart of Gold stopped beating. Hard working hands at Rest, God Broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best. The leaves and flowers may wither. The Golden sun may set. But the Hearts that loved so dearly, Are the ones who won’t forget.

Calvin was Born on July 22nd, 1950 in Fort Macleod, Alberta. It is with great sadness we announce that our father, grandfather, brother, uncle and lifetime friend passed away naturally due to medical complications, in his Prince George home in the early morning of Friday January 25th, 2019. He shared many memories of adventures growing up on the farms in Alberta. He loved fishing, hunting, camping and the people he shared those times with. Calvin was a calm and patient man. He was a selfless, hardworking, friend and family man. He was always giving - even if it meant he went without. His incomparable strength and will to protect and care for others first was a cherished and rare quality. Calvin was well respected by his work industry, and one of the longest employees of Houle Electric to date, working there for 45 years. He was always reliable, honest, capable and hardworking not to mention he could fix anything. He could come up with the simplest and most efficient way to fix or get the job done right.

Calvin Bester is survived by his life partner and best friend Darlene Bester, his children and grandchildren: Jason Bester, Chad (Grace) Bester, Branden and Eliana, Julie (Fred Pigeon), Jaden, Devin, Tylin, Miranda, Calum and Jacob, Jana (Peter Campbell), Darian (Skyler), Austin, Emria, Dexter, Declan, and Bowen. He is also survived by his brothers and sisters Jim (Carolyn) Bester, Debra (Ron) Gauthier, Larry (Susan) Bester, Randy Bester, Sandra (Tom) Rupprecht, Sherry (Troy) Nelson. His mother and father in law Frank & Aline Pighin, the Pighin family, many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and friends who are family. Calvin was predeceased by his loving mother Arlene Bester (Law) and his father Henry Bester.

God looked down on your body, so tired from hanging on, from a life that was overwhelming you, and wanted back his son. So, he took away the air you breathe, and gave you what was best, A place to be at peace, A final place to rest. Rest In Peace

Please send any fond memories or photos of Calvin Bester for his family to the following email: memoriesofcalvinbester@outlook.com bring a photo for his memory box, Join us to celebrate Calvin’s life: Family led prayers and viewing for all, Feb 8th, 2019 6:30pm at Prince George Funeral Home 1014 Douglas St.

Feb 9th, 2019 viewing and greet the

at 10:45 service at 11:30 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints 4180 5th Ave, graveside prayer immediately following at the Prince

Ian/Dad/Grandpa passed away in the arms of those he loved most and those that love him with all their hearts; his loving wife and four daughters. Left to miss him forever his wife and best friend of 61 years: Marie. His four daughters: Terrie (Dennis), Wendy (Derek), Deena (Lance) and Nicole (Jeff). His grandchildren: Ryan (Alysha), Courtney (Josh), Sydney (Brennan), Mitchell, Gregory (Danielle), Nathan, Ashley, Jordyn and Ella. Great grandchildren: Leilan and baby Z. Brother: Bill (Shirley). No Service by request.

Range,Edward(Ted)B. April15,1930-January30,2019

ItiswithgreatsadnessthatthefamilyofTedRange announceshispassingafteralengthyillnesson Wednesday,January30,2019,attheageof88 years.Tedwillbefondlyrememberedbyhiswife, Dot;hischildren,Brian(Lauretta)andAnn(Ron);his grandchildren;andgreat-grandchildren.

TedwasproudlybornandraisedinPrinceGeorge, andaCelebrationofLifewillbeheldonWednesday, February6,2019,attheElksCommunityHall,663 DouglasStreet,PrinceGeorge,BC,at1:00p.m.

AspecialthankyoutotheGatewayLodgeComplex CareStaffforthekindnessandcompassionshown forTed.

Thosewhosodesiremaymakememorialdonations inmemoryofTedtotheAlzheimerSocietyofBritish Columbia.

Evelyn Muriel Capp (Reid) nee Spence August 11, 1931January 21, 2019

Our much beloved mother, Evelyn Capp, passed away peacefully at Prince George Rotary Hospice House on Jan. 21, 2019. Born and raised in Chauvin, Alberta, she married George Reid, a railway engineer, and raised a family of 4 children in Prince George. She worked at the Prince George Experimental Farm, then later as Administrator for the Prince George Senior Citizen’s Society. Evelyn and George could be found almost every weekend at Purden Mountain during the ski season. After George’s sudden passing in 1985, she eventually married another railroader, John Capp. John and Evelyn moved to Penticton and lived there happily for 22 years until John’s passing in October, 2018. While in Penticton, she was very involved in the Concordia Lutheran Church and its school. In April, 2018, Evelyn moved back to Prince George to be near her many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Nine months later, she unexpectedly passed away after a two week illness with family and her pastor by her side. Evelyn was also predeceased by her parents, Alfred and Ethel Spence, sister Mildred (brother-in-law Bob Pickrell), mother and father-in-law, Clayton and Victoria Reid. She is survived by brother Stan (Kay) Spence, and four children Patricia (Amos) Culham, Barry (Carla) Reid, Brenda (Mike) Morton, and Robert (Christine) Reid. Surviving grandchildren are: Samantha Parent, Melanie Culham, Robyn Culham, Dayna Culham, Courtney (Kris) Carr, Amy (Jess) Morton, Benjamin Reid, and Emily Reid. Great grandchildren: Kyla, Kelly, Jamie, & Morgan Culham, Kalen & Jasper Jamison, and Corbin Carr. Great Great grandson: Joel VanKonett. Sister-in-law, Marg Ziglin. We greatly appreciate the excellent and very empathetic care from the many doctors, nurses, and care aids working in the Emergency and Surgical South wards of UHNBC, as well as those at Prince George Rotary Hospice House. A celebration of Evelyn’s life will be held at the Zion Lutheran Church and Christian School on Saturday Feb. 16, 2019 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Zion Lutheran Church and Christian School or Prince George Hospice House.

Tettje (Teddy) Van Stolk

Tettje (Teddy) Van Stolk passed away peacefully on 24Jan2019 at the age of 98. She was born in Rotterdam, served as an enlisted officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy and came to Prince George in the 1950s. She was a world traveler and an active volunteer for many organizations and events. She is survived by her two children Gerald and Jeanette, two grandchildren Brenden and Christopher and two great grandchildren Mika and Miles. Teddy enjoyed a life of many adventures and many good friends. She will be missed by all.

MAH, Esther Shue Fong

October 14, 1935 - Edmonton, Alberta

January 26, 2019 - Calgary, Alberta

Esther beloved wife of Bud Chu Ming Mah of Calgary, AB, passed away at home, on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the age of 83 years. Besides her loving husband, Bud, Esther is survived by her brother Daniel Chan (Ellen), and extended family and friends. Esther was predeceased by her daughter Colleen Sim (nee Mah) (2007) and her son David Mah (2016). Condolences may be forwarded through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. In living memory of Esther Mah, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Crowfoot, 82 CROWFOOT CIRCLE N.W. CALGARY, AB, T3G 2T3, Telephone: 403-241-0044.

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of longtime Prince George resident Ellis May Douglas, born July 4, 1928 in Peace River, Alberta. Ellis came to Prince George in November 1951 with her husband Donald. They raised their family and in 1974 moved to West Lake where she lived the remainder of her life. Ellis started a long career as a legal assistant in 1952 and retired in June of 1998. She lived a rich and full life and enjoyed family, cooking, gardening and her life at West Lake for over 44 years. Ellis is predeceased by her loving husband of 63 years, Donald J Douglas and grandson Alistair Douglas McLennan. Ellis is survived by daughter Diane Forsyth (Dennis), son James Douglas, granddaughters Jill Boland and Adriane Budgeon (Travis), great grandchildren Chloe (24), Orion (22), Griffin (20), Keira (13) and Emmeline (5). An internment will take place at 10 am Saturday February 2nd 2019 at the Prince George Cemetery. In lieu of flowers a donation can be made to Heart and Stroke foundation.

DENNIS

BELDING

Obituaries

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Timmies co-founder mourned

Citizen news service

The markets today

TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index followed a strong January performance by starting the month lower despite crude oil prices hitting an almost 11-week high. Investors pocketed some profits and took a pause after the Toronto market gained 8.5 per cent in January for its best start in at least 14 years, says Kevin Headland, senior investment Strategist at Manulife Investments.

“We just had one of the best months we’ve seen in awhile, especially the TSX 1/8 which was 3/8 one of the best performing markets around the world, so I think it’s just kind of a breather,” he said in an interview.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 34.29 points to 15,506.31 after falling from morning high of 15,568.98. It was driven down by the materials sector, which fell on lower metals prices.

The April gold contract was down US$3.10 at US$1,322.10 an ounce and the March copper contract was down 1.15 cents at US$2.77 a pound.

The energy sector fell 0.7 per cent even though the price of West Texas Intermediate rose to surpass US$55 a barrel for the first time since midNovember. Imperial Oil led the decline, falling by 4.7 per cent, followed by Barrick Gold Corp. Shopify Inc. rose by nearly one per cent.

The March crude oil contract was up US$1.47 at US$55.26 per barrel and the March natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.73 per mmBTU.

The Canadian dollar traded at an average of 76.37 cents US, the highest level since Nov. 7, and compared with an average of 76.08 cents US on Thursday.

The health care sector gained 1.8 per cent as several cannabis companies saw their share prices rise in heavy trading. Aphria Inc. rose more than 10 per cent, followed by Aurora Cannabis Inc., Cronos Group Inc. and The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 64.22 points at 25,063.89. The S&P 500 index was up 2.43 points at 2,706.53, while the Nasdaq composite was down 17.87 points at 7,263.87. The S&P was affected by disappointing results from Amazon while the Dow gained on strong jobless numbers that saw the U.S. economy add 304,000 jobs in January to mark the 100th straight month of jobs growth.

Ron Joyce, who rose from a childhood marked by the Great Depression to co-found the Tim Hortons doughnut chain, has died at the age of 88.

Joyce died Thursday, peacefully in his Burlington, Ont., home with his family at his side, the family said in a statement.

The cause of death was not immediately clear.

“My father had a big vision and a big heart. Through hard work, determination and drive, he built one of the most successful restaurant chains in Canada,” said Steven Joyce in a statement on behalf of the family.

“He never forgot his humble beginnings.”

Joyce was born in Tatamagouche, N.S., in 1930, with two siblings to follow. The family moved to Westville, N.S., where

his father struggled to find construction work due to the ripple effects of the Depression.

His father died in an accident when Joyce was three years old, while his mother was pregnant with their third child.

She moved the family back to Tatamagouche, where she bought a three-room house for $500 - half of the life insurance payment. Her other income came from a $20 monthly widow’s allowance.

The house had no running water, electricity or insulation. A wood burning stove in the middle of the living room provided heat and was used for cooking and baking.

Joyce described this “modest upbringing” in his memoir “Always Fresh: The Untold Story of Tim Hortons.”

He did not complete high school, but left Tatamagouche for Hamilton, Ont., where he gained a varied employment history with

time spent in factories, the navy and a police force, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia. He went on to invest in the first Tim Hortons shop in Hamilton in 1964. He purchased that first restaurant for $10,000. He helped grow it into a successful chain and in 1995, the company opened its 1,000th store.

In 1967, Joyce and Tim Horton, the professional hockey player, became full partners in the company. When Horton died in a car accident in February 1974, Joyce became the sole owner, purchasing his deceased partner’s share.

He sold the chain to Wendy’s International Inc. in 1996. It was later purchased by Burger King and the two brands became Restaurant Brands International in 2014.

“Ron was a larger-than-life friend who not only helped create one of Canada’s most iconic brands but was passionate about

Toronto home sales plummet

Citizen news service

TORONTO — New home sales sank to their lowest level in almost two decades in Toronto last year driven by a drop in new condominium sales, a pair of reports say.

The Altus Group Ltd. says 25,161 new homes were sold in the Greater Toronto Area in 2018, the lowest number since it started tracking sales in 2000.

New condominium sales fell 38 per cent to 21,330 while new single-family home sales plunged 50 per cent to 3,841.

The average price of new single-family homes fell 6.7 per cent to $1,143,505 in December while condo prices rose 11 per cent to $796,815.

ensuring Tim Hortons always gave back to the community,” reads a statement signed from the Tim Hortons team.

He helped found the Tim Horton Children’s foundation, which pays to send underprivileged children to one of several Tim Hortons camps and runs youth programs. This year, the organization will send more than 19,000 kids to camp, according to its website. He founded The Joyce Family Foundation, which focuses on providing access to education for children and youth facing significant financial need or other barriers to success.

Joyce’s generosity “has been felt across the country,” said The Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington, Ont., and its namesake foundation. Joyce donated $7.5 million to support the hospital’s redevelopment and expansion.

Urbanation Inc. says new condo sales slumped 31 per cent in the fourth quarter to 6,040 from a record 8,816 in the same period of 2017. It added that the number of resale condominium transactions in 2018 declined for a second consecutive year to 20,121 units, a drop of 16 per cent. With 24,347 units available for sale last year, new supply outpaced demand for the first time in five years. Urbanation says a 29 per cent increase in unsold new condos in development in 2019 will limit price growth.

Tim Hortons co-founder Ron Joyce is photographed in Toronto in 2006. Joyce has died at the age of 88.

Blasphemy acquittal upheld in Pakistan

Citizen news service

Pakistan’s top court upheld its acquittal this week of a Christian woman who spent eight years on death row after being convicted of blasphemy, dealing a blow to radical Islamists who had staged violent mass protests last year calling for her execution.

Aasia Bibi watched from a secret location as the decision was announced on television, according to a friend who was on the phone with her at the time. He said Bibi’s first thought upon hearing the news was that she would soon be able to join her daughters in Canada, where they have been granted asylum.

The friend spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety. Bibi, her lawyer and the Supreme Court judges who eventually freed her have all received death threats from radical Islamists, and a small army of police and paramilitary Rangers was on hand to guard the courthouse and surrounding area.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan, and the mere accusation can spark mob violence and lynchings. A provincial governor who defended Bibi was shot and killed, as was a government minority minister who questioned the blasphemy law.

Thousands of Islamists took to the streets and clashed with police after Bibi’s initial acquittal on Oct. 31, but there were no such protests this time, perhaps because of the heightened security presence and a nationwide police sweep that arrested hundreds of supporters of radical religious parties from their homes on Monday.

Since her acquittal, Bibi has lived in hiding at an undisclosed location protected by Pakistani security forces who have kept her confined to her quarters, unable to even open a window. She speaks daily to her daughters in Canada, and worries about her 19-year-old, who has learning challenges, the friend said.

“I am really grateful to everybody. Now after nine years it is confirmed that I am free and I will be going to hug my daughters,” he quoted Bibi as saying after the ruling was announced.

Bibi’s lawyer, Saiful Malook, who returned to Islamabad for the hearing after fleeing the country amid death threats, called the decision a victory for Pakistan’s constitution and rule of law.

The three-judge Supreme Court panel had “insisted on very strict proofs of blasphemy” and found none, Malook said, expressing hope that Bibi’s acquittal would deter false allegations.

“This case is a milestone for Pakistan, given that the law is often

unkind to religious minorities,” said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center. He cautioned that Pakistan’s courts are still susceptible to political pressure, but said the Supreme Court’s actions represented a “legal watershed.”

The court did not question the blasphemy law itself, which critics say is often used to settle scores or intimidate followers of minority religions.

Bibi’s ordeal began on a hot day in 2009 when she brought water to fellow farmhands who refused to drink from the same container as a Christian woman. Two of her fellow farmworkers argued with Bibi and later accused her of insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Bibi, who has always denied the allegations, was sentenced to death the following year.

Pakistan’s Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, who led the panel that upheld Bibi’s acquittal, said that Bibi’s accusers were guilty of perjury and, if the case had not been so sensitive, they should have been jailed for life.

“The image of Islam we are showing to the world gives me much grief and sorrow,” Khosa said.

Much of the evidence presented against Bibi was suspicious, and some of it appeared to be fabricated, he said, adding that the cleric who lodged the initial charge of blasphemy gave contradictory statements that were unchallenged in the trial. Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, the lawyer representing the cleric who petitioned for a review of the sentence, denied that any witnesses had given false testimony.

Following Bibi’s initial acquittal,

radical religious parties took to the streets in mass protests, calling for the killing of the judges behind the ruling and for the overthrow of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government. They also filed the last-minute appeal for a review of the acquittal. The protests were spearheaded by the radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, whose single point agenda is protection of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.

After days of protests, authorities arrested radical clerics Khadim Hussain Rizvi and Mohammad Afzal Qadri, both leaders of the party, and several of their followers for destroying public property during rallies against Bibi and for inciting their followers to violence. The clerics and the others remain in custody.

The group called for protests again, but Pakistani media say police arrested hundreds of party

activists in Lahore, Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi in an apparent attempt to prevent a repeat of last year’s unrest.

Mohammad Shafiq Amini, the acting chief of Tehreek-e-Labbaik, issued a video message rejecting the decision as “cruel and unjust.” He said Muslims should feel ashamed that Bibi was not executed and asked the Prophet Muhammad for “forgiveness that we could not do anything, and that blasphemers are alive.” He again asked the party’s supporters to fill the jails across Pakistan by getting arrested for protesting.

Joseph Francis, a Christian activist who attended the hearing, said the decision was good news for Pakistan’s minority Christian community. “I am happy because the judges spoke out strongly against giving false evidence,” he said.

Quebec City honours mosque shooting victims

Citizen news service

Two years after a gunman killed six worshippers in a Quebec City mosque, banners with the names and faces of the victims were unfurled Tuesday night as a word chosen by family members to describe their loved one was read out. Mamadou Tanou Barry – smiling. Ibrahima Barry – intelligent. Khaled Belkacemi – devoted. Abdelkrim Hassane – pious. Azzeddine Soufiane – courageous. Aboubaker Thabti – generous.

It was one of many emotional moments as hundreds of people gathered at Universite Laval for the ceremony paying homage to the victims.

Khaled Belkacemi’s children, Megda et Amir, thanked the first responders who arrived at the mosque on the night of Jan. 29, 2017, as well as “all those who speak of acceptance and of peace.”

Politicians from all three levels of government were in attendance, as were representatives of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths.

Earlier in the day, Quebec City announced it would honour the victims of the shooting with a memorial park to be built near the site where they were gunned down.

Mayor Regis Labeaume said the tragic event left families and an entire community in mourning, and the memorial will ensure

“I have trouble imagining the feeling of horror that must have overcome you faced with all this violence,” Premier Francois Legault said, addressing the victims’ families. “I hope that you feel this breath, this gust of solidarity. I hope it brings you a little comfort. That is the true face of Quebec: a united people who know how to show solidarity.”

the victims are not forgotten.

“This artistic creation invites dialogue and friendship, on one side of the street and on the other,” Labeaume said. “The concept inspires respect and harmony between diverse communities.”

The centrepiece of the park will be a monument created by Quebec artist Luce Pelletier called “Vivre Ensemble” (Live Together).

She said she chose to place a tree in the middle to represent “the cycle of life and the resilient force of nature.” The park is slated to be inaugurated on Jan. 29, 2020.

Boufeldja Benabdallah, president of the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre, was present with widows and children of the victims at the unveiling of a scale model.

“Violence can and must be converted into friendship, kindness and recognition,” Benabdallah said.

“That is the meaning of this memorial.” Alexandre Bissonnette pleaded guilty to the killings last year and is to be sentenced Feb. 8 on six counts of first-degree murder. If the judge orders that the six life sentences be serviced consecutively, Bissonnette would not be eligible for parole for 150 years.

In Ottawa, the Canadian Muslim Forum and Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, called on the federal government to declare Jan. 29 a national day to combat Islamophobia.

Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said the federal government is still in discussions to identify a suitable way to commemorate the tragedy.

“We will arrive at a solution that reflects a consensus, because these are questions that require a consensus to go forward,” he told reporters.

CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

Activists from the Pakistani religious party Sunni Threek protest the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the acquittal of Aasia Bibi, in Lahore, Pakistan. The banner reads “Muslims are disappointed.”