I never thought it was such a bad little tree
Ian Hoag, front, and Devon Chambers chip up Christmas trees in the Exhibition Grounds parking lot on Thursday. The public dropped off the trees last Sunday for mulching. The mulch will be used for ground cover in city parks and around trees to help with suppressing weed growth and maintaining moisture.
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
Single-family homes sold for $350,713 on average in Prince George over the course of 2018, according to year-end B.C. Northern Real Estate numbers issued Thursday.
That amounts to a $31,546 increase over the average for 2017 but was offset by a drop in the number of sales, which declined by 103 transactions to 917.
As a result, total activity on that front went down by $3.9 million to $321.6 million.
Real estate agent Bob Quinlan said the trends are a sign people are willing to pay for what they want but not necessarily settling for something less than what they’re seeking.
He added that there has been a move towards higher density – townhouses and condominiums.
New homes appeared to be a main driver. According to year-end Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation numbers, the 10 new homes sold in December went for an average of $575,890, compared to $462,276 on 27 sales for the same month in 2017.
Although starts on new homes remained steady at 194, compared to 190 over 2017, the number completed stood at 155, down from 177 over 2017.
Canadian Home Builders AssociationNorthern B.C. treasurer Jody Tindal pinned the decline on a longer winter last year and a strain on the availability of trades starting in the summer.
“This seems to be easing now with everyone getting caught up with the milder weather so far this winter,” said Tindal, who operates Belledune Homes.
She said mutiple-family was the big winner in 2018 – 206 units were started and 161 completed in 2018, up from 67 starts and 69 completions over 2017 – and added that more of those types of projects are expected to start in 2019.
“Single family home starts should remain flat for 2019 given the rising costs and financing challenges, but the rental market will see some relief with some of these great projects finishing up,” Tindal said.
Quinlan noted plenty of activity in terms
of commercial sales during the latter part of 2018 and took that to be a sign of confidence in the local economy. As well, he said interest rates will rise only marginally in 2019.
Here’s a further look at the BCNREB numbers:
The average price for a house on acreage stood at $451,945, an annual increase of $49,692.
Looking at properties of all types, 1,400 worth $444.9 million exchanged hands in 2018, compared with 1,562 properties worth $461.3 million in 2017.
West of Central Street, half of the 270 single-family homes sold in 2018 sold for less than $312,500. As well, 21 apartment units and 47 townhouses changed hands in 2018.
As of Dec. 31, there were 26 single-family homes available through the Multiple Listing Service in this area of the city, which is unchanged from the 26 at the same time last year.
East of Central Street, 179 single-family homes sold for a median value of $254,000 while 55 apartment units, 24 half-duplexes and 22 townhouses sold in 2018.
At the end of December, there were 29 single-family homes available for sale in that area, compared with 25 at the end of 2017.
In the northern part of the city, of the 195 single-family homes sold, half sold for less than $355,000.
Twenty-five homes on acreage, 18 manufactured homes in parks and a further 56 manufactured homes on land sold in 2018.
As of Dec. 31, there were 37 single-family homes available for sale in that area, compared with 25 at the end of 2017.
In the southwest, half of the 264 singlefamily homes sold in 2018 sold for less than $425,000.
As well, 12 half-duplexes, 23 townhouses, 10 homes on acreage, 17 manufactured homes in parks and a further four manufactured homes on land sold in 2018.
At year-end, there were 54 single-family homes available for sale through MLS in the southwest sector, compared with the 56 at the end of 2017.
Overall, there were 462 properties on the MLS, compared to 448 at the end of 2017.
Citizen staff
With influenza season well underway, Northern Health is reminding residents that it is not too late to get immunized against the flu.
As in other parts of the province, influenza and other viruses common at this time of year are circulating. Surveillance from health care visits and lab confirmations show influenza activity on the rise in Northern B.C.
“We know that viruses spread more easily during peak season for these illnesses and that some people such as seniors and people of any age with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for complications,” said Northern Health medical health officer Dr. Rakel Kling.
“It’s not too late for people to get the flu shot, which this year has been shown to be a good match with the strains of the virus in circulation.”
The best way to reduce your risk of, or avoid, getting the flu is ongoing prevention.
Here are some tips to help protect yourself and your loved ones: • Get the flu shot: protective effects from the flu shot occur approximately two weeks after receiving it. The BC Centre for Disease Control has noted the main kind of flu found this year is included in this year’s vaccine, meaning people will be better protected if they are vaccinated. Flu shots are available from local health units, many pharmacies, or through your primary care provider; check Immunize BC’s website for details
• People at high risk of complications who experience influenza-like illness should seek medical care without delay. Their doctor may want to prescribe a drug that must be given early to be effective.
• Get plenty of rest and fluids if you’re sick with influenza-like illness. Most people will recover on their own at home. Seek medical care if there is trouble breathing, pain in the chest or a high fever that does not get better after three to four days.
• Staying home if you’re sick: you don’t want to spread the flu to your classmates, colleagues, or friends. Make sure to rest and get better before returning to work or school.
• Practicing frequent and proper hand hygiene: use alcohol based hand sanitizer regularly and make sure to wash your hands appropriately (wet your hands, scrub with soap for 20 seconds, rinse off your hands, dry your hands thoroughly, and use the paper towel to open and close the door).
• Observing coughing and sneezing etiquette: cough or sneeze into your shoulder, not onto your hand or in the air. Make sure to wash your hands after.
If you have questions about your illness, please contact your family physician, call HealthLink BC at 811, or visit healthlinkbc. ca. Influenza symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle pain, runny nose, sore throat, extreme tiredness and cough. Even healthy people can get sick from the flu. More information about influenza can be found at; www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthtopics/hw122012.
Amy SMART Citizen news service
SMITHERS — Hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation have reached a deal with the RCMP to allow a natural gas company access across a bridge that had been blocked in their territory.
Following several hours of meetings, Chief Na’Moks told reporters Thursday that the agreement is between the chiefs and the RCMP to ensure the safety of the First Nation’s members after 14 arrests were made on Monday when a court injunction was enforced by police.
He said representatives from Coastal GasLink were invited to the meeting to ensure they are on the same page, but em-
phasized it is not a deal with the company and the hereditary chiefs are opposed to a pipeline project planned on their territory.
“One of the barriers will be taken down, but that does not mean we support this project,” he said. “It must be reiterated, we are adamantly opposed to this proposed project and that will never change, but we are here to ensure the safety of our people.”
Coastal GasLink president Rick Gateman said the company can do its work as a result of the meeting.
“I can say that our discussions were extremely respectful and extremely productive,” Gateman said.
— see ‘WE LOOK FORWARD, page 3
A bulldozer moves snow up the pile at the city snow dump at 17th Avenue and Foothills Boulevard on Thursday morning.
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
Children appreciate music differently than elders, mid-adults, or even teens. Little kids have their own special relationship with sound, with movement and with visual comedy.
The Prince George Symphony Orchestra (PGSO) is a garden of sound and movement, so they are cultivating the next generations of music lovers with a set of concerts especially for the smallest of listeners. The second show in this series of KinderConcerts is entitled String Beans.
“Join us for this narrated story about the life-cycle of string beans featuring the PGSO strings and woodwinds musicians and a fairy ballerina,” said PGSO general manager Teresa Saunders.
The story was written by longtime local musician and conductor Barbara Parker, who has a long relationship with the PGSO.
“As you know, we are trying to develop ways to expose Prince George kids to classical music because they are our future audience and musicians, and because exposure to a wide spectrum of musical experiences helps us develop well-rounded, balanced lives,” said Parker. “We feel that one of the best ways to connect with this age range is through storytelling. So that is the format for this upcoming concert.”
The story is all about string beans and there is a pun built into the content. This show focuses on the players of the orchestra who play stringed instruments (like violin, viola, cello and bass), with some help from that other organic kind of instrument, the woodwind (clarinet, saxophone, oboe, bassoon, flute).
There will also be some actual bean plants involved in the entertainment. Saunders laughed that she had been marvelling at the growth of all the little concert plants happening in the PGSO office leading up to this event.
“It is a cute story about the life cycle of a string bean plant in a special garden,” Parker said. Two of the city’s most lauded young dancers are depicting the characters. Laura Buchanan is portraying the string bean and Sara McGowan is portraying the ballet fairy. Both are teachers and performers with Judy Russell’s Enchainement Dance Centre.
The soundtrack that informs the story will be performed by 11 musicians from the PGSO orchestra’s roster of musicians. Visual projections and lighting effects will also have a part in the event, courtesy of Jon Russell from Russell AudioVisual.
“Even though String Bean is the focus in our garden, several little critters will be visiting as well,” said Parker. “Some will be creatures that a person would expect to see in a garden, but there will
be some that wouldn’t be expected, or maybe even wanted in the garden. Each event and character or visitor in our story will have a piece of associated music performed.”
All the kids who attend will also get props to use in the interactive storytelling process, and all will go home with a parting gift to remember the music by. They will also get a chance to meet the musicians and dancers after the show to further deepen their connection to the performance.
“We will be performing a couple of three- to four-minute pieces during the String Bean concert in their entirety because they are so beautiful they just cannot be edited,” said Parker. “However, those are pieces that will also involve major dance elements, so the visual aspect will help keep the attention of the kids, and allow them to ingest the important development of the music. Most of the selections are written for large orchestras, and must be re-orchestrated to be played by only 11 musicians. This is another challenge, but I am grateful that our musicians are so collaborative and eager to be flexible in order to make the best final product possible.”
The String Bean KinderConcert happens on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Prince George Playhouse. Tickets are available online through Central Interior Tickets or at the door while supplies last.
In 1988, business was so slow that I would go to my office at the back of our store, close the door, take my guitar out, put my feet up on the desk and start strumming. While it was soothing for the soul, it wasn’t very productive. After a couple months of this, I started to get bored singing to myself. I decided that if the business was going to be successful, it was up to me and I was going to have to get to work. I set some goals, and went out to achieve them but it was difficult. I really had no one to keep me accountable.
It’s 2019 now and, if you are like me, you probably have some goals that you want to achieve.
The problem for business leaders like you and me is that there is a 93 per cent failure rate (according to a Workplace accountability study of 40,000 business leaders) in aligning our goals and being accountable for those intended results we set out for ourselves.
Coach
DAVE FULLER
Wouldn’t you like to achieve 95 per cent of the goals you set out for yourself?
And if you have a specific accountability appointment you’ve committed to with a person, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95 per cent.
As you already know from experience, our new year’s resolutions for a better business often fall by the wayside because we get sidetracked.
We go off chasing rabbits and the Chinese proverb says the hunter that chases two rabbits catches neither one.
This year, if you want to get more done, achieve better results, become more successful, be more profitable, or have better work/life balance, there is one thing you can do that will make all the difference. Find someone to keep you accountable.
In fact, the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that you have a 65 per cent chance of completing a goal if you commit to someone. And if you have a specific accountability appointment you’ve committed to with a person, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95 per cent.
And it’s not just you as a leader that needs help. The Workplace Accountability Study I mentioned earlier revealed that 91 per cent of people rank accountability as one of the top development needs, they’d like to see in their business. This means your staff wants to be held accountable as well. Often I hear from business owners complain their staff doesn’t do what is required of them. They have employees who are hard to manage and if they want something done right, the employers have to do it themselves. When I ask who is responsible for this failure, only occasionally do they tell me that they, as leaders, are responsible. But the reality is that if our business isn’t running the way we want it to and if our staff don’t do their jobs the way we believe they should, then we are the problem. We are failing to keep them accountable.
I was able to grow my business into a multi million-dollar operation with dozens of employees because I was able to find a way to keep myself accountable. We had processes in place that ensured our employees were accountable and I reported quarterly to my partners.
This left less time to play the guitar but more money to pay employees to do my work, expand the business and enjoy life in other ways.
Are you ready to be accountable in 2019?
Dave Fuller, MBA, an awardwinning business coach, is the author of the book Profit Yourself Healthy. Want Dave to keep your team accountable? Email dave@ profityourselfhealthy.com
The tug boat
Nathan E. Stewart is seen in the waters of the Seaforth Channel near Bella Bella in a handout photo.
Dirk MEISSNER Citizen news service
VICTORIA — A tugboat accident has the Transportation Safety Board repeating its calls for heightened awareness about the dangers of crew fatigue while at sea.
There were no injuries or pollution spills when the lone mate on watch duty fell asleep as the Ocean Monarch touched bottom while on auto pilot in Princess Royal Channel in British Columbia, but it could have been deadly, the board’s senior marine investigator, Glenn Budden, said Thursday. “We’re talking very remote country,” he said. “It could have been much, much worse. We could have had three fatalities on our hands.”
The Ocean Monarch was towing a barge filled with cement when the July 2017 accident occurred south of Kitimat.
The tug’s master and deck hand were asleep below deck and the vessel’s navigational alarms were off, the board’s report says. It concludes the mate likely fell asleep as a result of acute fatigue from previous night shifts, chronic sleep disruptions and the monotonous workload in the wheel house.
“You basically are impaired,” said Budden. “Your reaction time is slower. Your cognitive thinking is not what it should be.”
The board recommended mandatory fatigue awareness training for watch keepers and fatigue management plans for vessel operators.
The board’s report does not say who owns the tug and attempts to find its owner for comment were not successful.
Last May, the board made similar fatigue awareness recommendations for vessel operators and crew members in its report on the sinking of the Nathan E. Stewart, a tug that spilled about 110,000 litres of diesel into the water off B.C.’s central coast.
The board highlighted employee fatigue in its annual 2018 watch report as a major safety hazard in the marine, rail and air transport industries.
“What the investigations are finding is that fatigue is not well recognized and one of our recommendations is to provide some recognition and awareness about fatigue,” said Budden. “In a lot of cases, (crews) don’t think they are fatigued. They don’t feel tired but then they fall asleep.”
He said the channel where the Ocean Monarch touched bottom is a narrow stretch of water in an area called the Inside Passage. It requires vessel operators to be on alert, he added.
“Where he went aground is some of the narrowest water that we have on the Inside Passage,” said Budden. “It completely reduces the margin for error. If you do happen to have a mechanical difficulty or fall asleep you don’t have much time before you are going to hit the beach.”
After the Transportation Safety Board’s investigation, the operator of the vessel installed a navigational watch alarm.
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
It’s last call to get an ad for your business or organization into the official Northern FanCon book.
“Monday is the deadline to book an ad in the Northern FanCon fifth anniversary special edition trade paperback,” said Norm Coyne, the main organizer of the annual pop-culture festival that has, over its first four years, transformed the city’s tourism industry, sparked a local film industry and cosplay industry, boosted the local art sector, stimulated the retail sector, and brought the world’s attention to our city in ways that could never have happened any other way.
It was also a lot of fun for thousands of fans to get to meet in person celebrities like William Shatner, Karl Urban, Tia Carrere, Sean Astin, Denise Crosby, and many, many more.
“If you have not heard, this legacy book will feature exclusive articles on the effect FanCon has had on our region, photo gallery of guests, attendees, vendors through the years, celebrity testimonials, original art from this year’s start artists, and more,” Coyne said.
For information on rates, and how to make your mark in this commemorative keepsake book, contact Coyne at 250-6406670 on or before Monday.
Northern FanCon’s fifth anniversary edition happens at CN Centre on May 3-5.
— from page 1
“As a result of these discussions we have worked out many of the details that are required for us to have free access across the bridge and beyond,” Gateman added.
“We look forward to future dialogue and continuing this relationship.”
According to the agreement, Na’Moks says company workers will be allowed across a bridge and the RCMP will also remove a roadblock that was preventing some members of the nation from accessing a Unist’ot’en healing camp near the bridge.
He says members of the First Nation will not face arrest and the Unist’ot’en camp will remain intact.
The agreement applies to an interim court injunction, which is meant to prevent anyone from impeding the company’s work until the defendants, which include members of the Unist’ot’en camp, file a response.
The agreement was reached Thursday at the Office of the Wet’suwet’en, a day after the chiefs announced a tentative deal would see members of the First Nation observe the injunction by allowing Coastal GasLink workers and contractors access to a work site where the natural gas pipeline is planned.
On Wednesday, residents of the healing camp said they were “reeling” from the situation and had asked that a gate that they see as vital to their safety remain intact.
Na’Moks said a metal gate will remain, but a wooden gate will be removed. It is too wide for the bridge and constitutes an obstruction, he added.
When the RCMP enforced the injunction they also dismantled a nearby checkpoint erected by members of the Wet’suwet’en, who say the company does not have authority to work on their territory without consent from the nation’s hereditary clan chiefs.
TransCanada Corp. says it has signed benefit sharing agreements with the elected councils of all 20 First Nations along the pipeline route. Its Coastal GasLink pipeline would run though the Wet’suwet’en territory to LNG Canada’s $40 billion export terminal in Kitimat, B.C.
In Kamloops on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the events of this week when the injunction was enforced show the need to build a different relationship with First Nations.
Trudeau said he was pleased tensions had eased between police and the First Nations over the pipeline on Wednesday night, and the time will come to answer
questions about what was done and how it could have been handled differently.
“The way we are doing resource development, construction, exporting of our resources is changing in this country,” he said.
“We know we cannot do it without creating partnerships and engaging with Indigenous Peoples who are the traditional custodians of these lands, without thinking deeply about the environmental consequences and the long-term impacts of the choices we’re making.”
The RCMP blocked access to the Wet’suwet’en First Nation on Monday and some observers raised questions after social media images emerged of heavily armed Mounties enforcing the court injunction, including some in camouflage gear.
Carolyn Bennett, minister of CrownIndigenous relations, said the federal government wants to do everything in its power not to have “that kind of conflict or images that really put back the journey of reconciliation.”
“This has been a British Columbia project and British Columbia direction but I feel that we as Canada really have concerns about making sure that we are moving the project of reconciliation forward,” she said in Winnipeg.
The RCMP said it planned to remove the exclusion zone on Friday that blocked access to Wet’suwet’en territory, but there would continue to be a police presence conducting “roving patrols” of the Morice West Forest Service Road in the area to ensure the safety of those at the healing centre and the pipeline company’s employees.
It is also setting up a temporary RCMP detachment on the road that will be staffed by general duty police officers who “will undergo cultural awareness training on the Wet’suwet’en traditions and will have enhanced training in conflict resolution,” the Mounties said in a news release. LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz said in statement that despite the opposition Coastal GasLink is facing, it intends to continue with the LNG export facility.
“We are also conscious that any delay can erode confidence in British Columbia and Canada to deliver energy projects,” he said.
“We recognize that it may not be possible to get unanimous support for a major infrastructure project in B.C., but we believe Canada’s economy cannot prosper without a growing and healthy resource sector.”
— With files from Laura Kane
As per usual, the lack of understanding of First Nations governance by far too many in the resource development industry, politicians, bureaucrats, news media and the public has been the biggest contributing factor leading up to the protests over the Coastal GasLink pipeline project.
As the CBC’s Angela Sterritt, a Gitxsan Nation journalist, pointed out in her excellent explanatory piece, there is no one-size fitsall approach to First Nations governance. As frustrating as that may be for other levels of government and the resource development sector, there is no simple, standardized approval process.
From first contact in North America to this day, White Europeans are still looking for the chief, the one person in charge to do business with. From first contact to this day, non-Indigenous Canadians struggle with understanding how consensus culture and governance works. Historians and anthropologists mocked it as backwards and unsophisticated, a cultural view that remains far too prevalent in the 21st century. While different First Nations impart different degrees of power and responsibility on hereditary chiefs, the common theme is consensus decision-making. To put it in a modern non-Indigenous context, the historical role of chiefs has been similar
to that of the chair of a meeting. The chief brings people together and allows all who wish to share their views to speak on the matters at hand that affect the entire group. Often these are done at potlaches and other community celebrations because making the right choice on any given issue is never as important as the primary goal of peace, cooperation and group cohesion.
For non-Indigenous people used to hierarchal leadership, whether it’s a king or an elected leader, transactional relationships and concentrated wealth and power in the hands of certain individuals and families, consensus governance seems foreign and strange.
chiefs and councils were imposed on First Nations by the federal government in the 19th century as a matter of convenience to impose the Indian Act.
From first contact in North America to this day, White Europeans are still looking for the chief, the one person in charge to do business with.
For those who think it can’t be done in the fast-paced modern world, they would be mistaken. The territorial governments in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories have no political parties. The premier, chosen by the elected members of the legislative assembly, names a cabinet and governs as the first among equals, knowing that his or her power rests on the continued support of the whole assembly.
Elected officials come and go, whether they are territorial MLAs or band chiefs and councils. As Norman Dale correctly points out in his letter to the editor below, elected
Hereditary chiefs work at a completely different level within Aboriginal communities and there is plenty of variety across the country.
As Sterritt points out in her reporting, hereditary Wet’suwet’en leaders inherit their positions from their mother’s family but their role can be stripped from them if they are not fulfilling their required duties and a different hereditary chief of a certain clan within the community can be named with the consensus of the group.
So whether it’s for approval to build a pipeline on traditional territory or to address historical wrongs through reconciliation, meeting with a chief or group of important people within an Indigenous community to gain their approval is the beginning, not the end, of the process in most cases. Everyone is entitled to ask questions, seek time to consider the matter and then voice their views freely.
A perfect example of this is the treaty between the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and the provincial and federal governments. Last summer, members rejected a proposed
The conflict near the Unist’ot’en camp in Wet’suwet’en territory and the fact that the proponent and the government regulators (AKA cheerleaders) have been making deals with the wrong people seems to have come as a rude shock to Premier John Horgan and a large number of other non-indigenous British Columbians.
Over and again, we are hearing of how Coastal GasLink has diligently consulted and developed benefit agreements with all the band councils along the proposed route. But now, the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs are at the forefront of a broad and ever-widening circle of protest while Horgan and others continue to ever more feebly spout about having obtained the prior agreement of all First Nations on the pipeline’s path.
The important and largely favourable ruling on their claim was made accordingly.
This rude surprise should not be a surprise at all, unless Mr. Horgan was somewhere sleeping like Rip van Winkle all through the 1990s when the Delgamuukw case went through lower courts and ended up in the Supreme Court of Canada.
Well-covered by media provincially, nationally and internationally, was the fact that in the Delgamuukw case, the plaintiffs were not band councils but hereditary chiefs. These chiefs from both the Wet’suwet’en and the Gitxsan were fully recognized by the courts as the appropriate plaintiffs. The important and
largely favourable ruling on their claim was made accordingly. One can find the names and territorial connection for all 51 hereditary chiefs, starting with Delgamuukw (Earl Muldoe), in the final SCC decision from December, 1997. On the other hand, one would search in vain for the name of any plaintiff/claimant on behalf of an Indian Act-created band councils. Not exactly an obscure secret. Given that prominent, indeed, landmark case, and with all the time, money and legal advice that Coastal GasLink and the Government of British Columbia have at their disposal, it beggars belief that they all could have been so confused about whose consent would be required for a major development on Wet’suwet’en territory.
A cynic might even think this ignorance was wilful.
Norman Dale Prince George
LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. No attachments, please. They can also be faxed to 250-960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. Maximum length is 750 words and writers are limited to one submission every week. We will edit letters only to ensure clarity, good taste, for legal reasons, and occasionally for length. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes. Unsigned or handwritten letters will not be published. The Prince George Citizen is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Neil Godbout (ngodbout@pgcitizen. ca or 250-960-2759).
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treaty through a community referendum, the second time they have done so. While Chief Dominic Frederick and band council worked hard to reach a deal and actively promoted the merits of the treaty, his people said no.
“The people have spoken and we must honour their wishes,” Frederick said after the result of the vote was released.
Increasingly, Canada’s courts are recognizing both the diversity of First Nations and the different models of consensus governance in Indigenous communities across the country when deciding whether governments and resource development companies have made an adequate effort to consult the people.
Some have made good steps forward.
The RCMP, for example, brought in officers from around the region to enforce the court injunction and remove the protesters blocking the logging road because the members of the Houston RCMP, along with their colleagues in nearby communities, have worked too hard building relationships and resolving problems through consensus, rather than a blind adherence to the law, to irreparably damage those connections over a protest camp.
Building consensus takes time and plenty of hard work but it makes for stronger, more unified communities. Sounds like an approach that could help bridge political divides, both at home and abroad.
Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
Doug Donaldson strikes me as an honourable man.
That just makes the situation he’s in that much more difficult.
Over 10 years in the legislature, he has established himself as someone who is deeply immersed in First Nations culture and traditions.
On occasion, he delivers messages in the house fluently in Indigenous languages. Congratulating a hereditary chief a few years ago, he said: “Um jabt, Simogyet Malii. Um jabt. That is ‘good job’ in Gitsenimx.”
A few years ago, he told the legislature: “I am the representative for Stikine, but I’m also an adopted member of Wilp Dawamukw (a sub-group of the Gitxsan nation).
My Gitxsan name is Ax jabits, and it’s a Gisgassst fireweed clan.
“When I became an MLA, my hereditary chief, Dawamukw, contacted me and said… I was free from not simply advancing the interests of Wilp Dawamukw, which I belong to, but for advancing the interests of all people in the constituency and all First Nations. I wanted to make that clear, because there is no conflict of interest in me being a member of Wilp Dawamukw as I conduct the budget estimates today.”
But it’s a lot tougher to mesh those roles and relationships once you become a minister of the Crown. After several years as a critic of the forest, lands and natural resources portfolio, he became minister of same, along with rural development, in 2017.
That makes him responsible for a lot of the routine permitting required for the LNG Canada plant near Kitimat and the natural-gas feeder line from Dawson Creek.
Just to add to the mix, he’s also the MLA from Stikine, the riding where a protest camp was set up along the gas pipeline route by some hereditary First Nations chiefs six years ago. It became the centre of national attention this week after RCMP arrived in force to enforce an injunction against blocking pipeline work.
So a man with deep respect for First Nations is now nominally responsible for overriding longstanding concerns of some hereditary chiefs and allowing a pipeline through their claimed land.
The project has the approval of all the First Nations’ elected leaders. It’s got signed benefit agreements with bands all along the route. But actual work was hung up until this week on the
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objections of some unelected individuals whose claims to authority aren’t well understood.
A senior government official acknowledged Wednesday the hereditary power structure “is not clear to us.”
The RCMP initial bid this week to clear that road brought it all to a head and highlights the uncomfortable position Donaldson is in. He visited the site before the arrests started and tried to straddle the gulf between supporting a protest just on the verge of being declared illegal and representing the rule of law. He said it was a courtesy call, but Opposition B.C. Liberals demanded his resignation.
Premier John Horgan said Wednesday that his minister was visiting “lifelong friends and acquaintances” with a protocol gift and was in the clear.
Donaldson said his visit was to acknowledge hereditary authority, but he also said the rule of law must be upheld.
He has expressed strong convictions in the past about that “hereditary authority,” which is exactly the potential breakpoint.
During debate about a different gas pipeline through the same territory a few years ago, he demanded that the government “acknowledge the hereditary system as rightful titleholders. ”
The argument is that elected leaders represent defined Indigenous jurisdictions, while hereditary chiefs hold Indigenous title outside those areas.
He has described it as a “very structured hereditary organization. It’s alive, and it’s well.”
The problem is, if the NDP government holds to that view, it might as well kiss the $40-billion LNG plant goodbye.
Securing elected First Nations agreement is an obvious requirement for 21st-century resource development. Expecting a whole different buy-in from another poorly understood level of authority adds up to a permanent veto.
The NDP is trying to stand circumspectly on the sidelines and let the company and the federal government handle the protest camp for the time being. But Donaldson isn’t the only NDP cabinet minister who will be wrestling with his or her conscience as this plays out.
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Laura KANE Citizen news service
KAMLOOPS — Arrests at a blockade this week show the government needs to properly engage with Indigenous Peoples and build a different relationship than it has had in the past, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.
Trudeau said he was pleased to see tensions had eased between police and First Nations outside a construction zone for a natural gas pipeline in northern British Columbia.
“I know that there will be questions asked and required to answer over the coming weeks about what exactly was done, what could have been done differently,” he said at Thompson Rivers University’s industrial training and technology centre.
It’s time to figure out how to make sure there is proper engagement with more respect when projects are built, something governments haven’t done in the past, Trudeau said.
“I think we can all agree that is the way we need to move forward as a country, in a more respectful, more thoughtful, more engaged way. There are going to be moments when that doesn’t work out as well as it should and we’ll need to learn from those moments.
“But there is no question that the goodwill that is shared by all Canadians who want to see better respect and partnership with Indigenous Peoples, while at the same time we make sure we are continuing to grow the economy.”
The RCMP and hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation met in Smithers on Thursday to work on details of an agreement reached a day earlier that would
allow access to crews from Coastal Gaslink to work in the area that was behind the blockade.
The company says it has signed agreements with all the First Nations along the pipeline route, including the Wet’suwet’en, but non-elected hereditary chiefs in one house of the five Wet’suwet’en clans oppose the pipeline.
The pipeline would run through the territory to Kitimat where LNG Canada is building a $40-billion export facility.
Trudeau said he “deeply respects” the concerns and the issues brought forward by a people on both sides of the debate.
“The way we are doing resource development, construction, exporting of our resources is changing in this country,” he said.
“We know we cannot do it without creating partnerships and engaging with Indigenous Peoples who are the traditional custodians of these lands, without thinking deeply about the environmental consequences and the long-term impacts of the choices we’re making.”
At a town hall meeting in Kamloops on Wednesday night, Trudeau was interrupted and shouted down by some Indigenous people in the crowd who were angry over the arrests of 14 people on Monday.
Trudeau said Thursday that Canada is a country where people are encouraged to speak out and share their opinions, but also to listen to one another respectfully.
“If someone disagrees with what I’m doing or has questions about where we’re going, I want to be able to hear from them,” he said.
Trudeau also visited a seniors centre Thursday in Kamloops where he sat and chatted with people and posed for pictures.
Camille BAINS Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — Knowing his commonlaw wife would be alone for at least 20 minutes gave a man the opportunity to kill her, says a Crown counsel arguing against bail release for Wade Skiffington, who is serving a life sentence for the murder.
Hank Reiner told British Columbia Supreme Court that Skiffington shot Wanda Martin six times in a Richmond apartment after hearing that a friend she was visiting would be stepping out briefly on the afternoon of Sept. 6, 1994.
Skiffington was found guilty of seconddegree murder in 2001 based on a confession he provided to undercover police as part of a so-called Mr. Big operation that began five years after the murder. The federal justice minister is reviewing his conviction after an appeal by defence lawyers with Innocence Canada, which works to exonerate people believed to
have been wrongfully convicted.
Skiffington’s lawyers are challenging the credibility of the undercover sting, which they say extracted a false confession. They want him released on bail while the review and a potential full investigation is underway, which could likely take years.
Tamara Duncan, a lawyer with Innocence Canada, said outside the court that Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has a number of options if she concludes a miscarriage of justice occurred, including ordering a new trial or sending the case to the B.C. Court of Appeal.
The court has heard Martin was shot while she was visiting a friend with the couple’s 18-month-old son, who was left with his mother’s body.
Reiner said Skiffington’s anger motivated him to kill Martin because he’d run into a man he believed was having an affair with her shortly before the murder.
I’ll take that
Erik Gudbranson of the Vancouver Canucks, centre, checks Brad Richardson of the Arizona Coyotes into the end boards while Vancouver’s Brock Boeser grabs the puck during Thursday night NHL action in Vancouver. The game went to overtime and the Coyotes won 4-3.
Ted
CLARKE Citizen staff
It was all quiet on the Prince George Cougars’ trade front.
The Cougars had offers for a couple of their older roster assets but decided not to play let’s make a deal as the Western Hockey League trade deadline arrived Thursday afternoon.
The Cougars are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and general manager Mark Lamb wasn’t about to move any bodies without getting a player in return and none of those potential deals offered by the teams he was talking to were enticing. The Cats are wellstocked with draft picks the next two years and Lamb said there was no need to acquire more of those bantam-aged futures, knowing that losing a player from the current roster would weaken the team.
“The biggest thing is we do have a plan in place, it’s not like we didn’t have people who wanted our players,” said Lamb. “If we were going to make trades we needed people to come back in our lineup. We needed to make hockey trades and they didn’t come to any fruition at all.
“We have all kinds of draft picks, which are very important. To take guys out of our lineup and not put good players back in the lineup makes no sense to us at all. We’re right in the mix of a playoff spot. Teams that are good and are going for it are looking to upgrade and if we’re going to upgrade then they have to upgrade us and it has to be a younger player.”
Not interested in moving any of their younger players, the Cougars elected to keep their three 20-year-olds – D Joel Lakusta, RW Mike MacLean and RW Josh Curtis – and also stuck with their four 19-year-olds – D Ryan Schoettler, D Austin Crossley, RW Vladislav Mikhalchuk and LW Josh Maser.
“We like the chemistry of our group here and what our overagers bring so that didn’t really come into a lot of the conversations at all, it was some of the younger guys, the (1999- and 2000-born players) who had the most action,” said Lamb.
“When you move somebody, somebody has to come in and we didn’t have those offers. To trade a 19-year-old for draft picks and not
We have all kinds of draft picks, which are very important. To take guys out of our lineup and not put good players back in the lineup makes no sense to us at all.
— General manager Mark Lamb
get anybody back right now doesn’t make any sense to us.”
The Cougars’ draft-pick cupboard is well stocked. They own Swift Current’s first-rounder in 2019 (from the Josh Anderson trade last year) as well as their own. That Broncos’ pick could be first overall if the Broncos continue to falter. This year, the Cougars also have two picks in the second, third and fifth rounds, as well as a sixth-rounder and two in the seventh round.
If Portland signs F Bobby Brink, a 17-yearold University of Denver prospect now with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, in addition to the seventh-round pick the Cougars already received when they traded Brink’s WHL rights to the Winterhawks Dec. 28, the
Cats will get Portland’s second- and fourthround picks this year.
In 2020 they’ll have their own first-round pick as well as Portland’s (from the Dennis Cholowski trade), a second-rounder, two thirdrounders, their own picks in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds and two seventh-rounders.
Except for the Brink deal, all those additional picks in the next two drafts were acquired in trades made last season by Todd Harkins before he and the Cougars parted ways in the spring.
Around the league, there were no massive airlifts of players on deadline day like the seven-player trade last season between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current Broncos, which helped both teams go far in the 2018 playoffs. The Hurricanes, who also picked up three high draft picks in the deal, were seen as sellers and the Broncos were the buyers but it worked out well for both teams. The Broncos won the WHL championship and the Hurricanes made the Eastern final and are now first in the Central Division.
The Broncos, now last overall in the WHL, were part of the whopper deal of the day Thursday when they sent 18-year-old goalie Joel Hofer to the Portland Winterhawks for six draft picks. The Hawks gave up their firstand third-round picks in 2019, their second-, fourth-, and fifth-round pick in 2020 and a first-rounder in 2021 to get Hofer, picked in the fourth round of the NHL draft last year by the St. Louis Blues. It’s not a deal Lamb would have made as the Cougars’ GM.
“I thought that was unreal,” said Lamb. “You get six draft picks, that’s a big haul. It didn’t surprise me that Hofer got traded, what surprised me was all the draft picks. When the price is so high like that you’d like to put something in your lineup. It takes a while to build because those (drafted) players can’t play on your team.
“Sitting here, we have to rely way too much on draft picks. Short-term solutions don’t help. We have a tough time scoring but to go and get (Joachim) Blichfield or (Cody) Glass or whatever you’re going to be trading first-round picks and you just can’t get in that business. You’ve got to grow your own.”
— see CATS, page 8
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
On BCHL trade deadline day the Prince George Spruce Kings picked up a couple junior-savvy forwards and kept their vaunted defensive corps intact.
They acquired 19-year-old forward Lucas Vanroboys in a deal Thursday with the Cowichan Valley Capitals, sending the Caps the CJHL junior A rights to Portland Winterhawks goalie Shane Farkas, picked up earlier in the day from the West Kelowna Warriors along with future considerations in exchange for 19-year-old centre Garret Worth.
The Kings also added winger Nick Wilson, a 19-year-old veteran of 126 BCHL games, who was playing in the Pacific Junior Hockey League for the Richmond Sockeyes.
He’s got some size and he plays the middle and it’s always nice to have big centremen.
— General manager Mike Hawes
Vanroboys, a six-foot-one, 176-pound native of Thamesville, Ont., was one of the topsix forwards this season for the Capitals. He scored a goal against the Spruce Kings Saturday night in Duncan to help the Caps beat the Kings 5-2.
In 27 games with the Caps he had seven goals and seven assists for 14 points and 87 penalty minutes. He came to the BCHL last season, joining the Nanaimo Clippers after two seasons with the Selects Hockey Academy Under-18s of the U.S. Premier Hockey League based in South Kent, Conn. He played 55 games for the Clippers and had 14 goals, 24 points and 81 penalty minutes.
In July, Vanroboys was traded to Cowichan Valley as part of a sixplayer swap which sent Wilson to Nanaimo. The Spruce Kings tried two years ago to recruit Vanroboys to Prince George but he chose Nanaimo instead.
“He’s a 19-year-old centreman – good size, good skater – and he’s someone we’ve really liked for the last few years and we’re excited to get him,” said Kings general manager Mike Hawes. “He’s good on both sides of the ice, offensively and defensively. The goal he scored against us was a really nice goal.
“He’s got some size and he plays the middle and it’s always nice to have big centremen. He’s going to complement our forward group really well. We’re deep up front, maybe we don’t score as much as we’d like, and we need players that are responsible in both ends of the ice and he’s certainly that.” Wilson, a five-foot-seven, 157-pound native of Surrey, played 14 games with the Clippers this season and had one assist and 20 penalty minutes.
— see BLUELINERS, page 8
Ted
CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
The UNBC Timberwolves have a plan in store for the Manitoba Bisons.
It’s going to take a pack mentality to be successful on this hunt.
The T-wolves know their U Sports men’s basketball schedule after this weekend only gets tougher, with upper-echelon opponents UBC and Alberta waiting in the wings for UNBC to arrive later this month. That underscores the importance of taking advantage of a Manitoba team that’s struggled to get into a winning groove.
“They are going to be coming full force at us – they like to push it in transition, so we will have to get back,” said T-wolves rookie guard Chris Ross, in a team release. “I think we will need to go back at them. It is going to be an up-tempo game, for sure.
“Our team plays exceptionally well when we move the ball. As soon as we hit a three-pointer or two, everything seems to open up. We have a lot of athletic guards, and we have some quick bigs as well.”
UNBC (7-5) is in a playoff position, ranked seventh in the 17-
team Canada West conference. The T-wolves split last weekend at home against Thompson Rivers University, winning the first one 90-81, followed by a 82-78 loss to the WolfPack.
The Bisons have lost five straight and have just three wins in 12 games this season but nobody in T-wolves clothing will be taking them lightly when they meet tonight (8 p.m.) on the court at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre.
“We will be playing UBC and Alberta coming up – those are two really good teams, so it would be nice to get two wins,” said Ross. “Then when we head into those games we aren’t packing a lot of weight on our shoulders, trying to get these important wins. We can just play freely.”
Jovan Leamy continues to lead UNBC, averaging 20.2 points per game, second in the conference. Vaggelis Loukas is also in the top five in two categories. His 60 per cent field goal average is second in the league and his 9.3 rebounds average is third-best.
Sage Gosal ranks fifth with a 41.4 per cent success rate from threepoint range.
The UNBC women (8-4) also sit seventh in the league. After a 6-0 start they ended a four-game
losing streak last weekend with a two-game sweep of TRU.
Manitoba (5-7) started the season a perfect 5-0, including a split with UBC, but then had to take on the Canada West juggernauts –Regina, Calgary, and Alberta – all top-four teams, and the Bisons have lost seven straight.
“This weekend, we have to come out and make sure we are playing our parts,” said T-wolves second-year guard Devon Wood.
“We need to be aggressive and put 100 per cent effort in. Manitoba is going to really challenge us, so we are going to have to be prepared defensively. Hopefully we get stops and that pushes us forward to the offensive end.
“Hopefully this sets the tone for the rest of the season.”
The game starts at 6 p.m.
Fifth-year UNBC post Vasiliki Louka continues to lead the conference, averaging 13.4 rebounds, and her 17.2 pointsper-game average is eighthbest. Fourth-year guard Maria Mongomo is also putting up big numbers offensively. Her 20.7 point-per-game average ranks second in Canada West and she’s averaging 8.5 rebounds, ninthbest. UNBC guard Emily Holmes is 10th in assists, with a 3.5 average.
Citizen staff
Thursday was a day of disappointment on the World Cup trail for Prince George biathlete Sarah Beaudry.
The 24-year-old Caledonia Nordic Ski Club member finished 89th out of 100 starters in the women’s 7.5-kilometre sprint in Oberhof, Germany.
Beaudry missed two of five prone targets and had one miss in her standing shooting bout. She ended up 3:21.2 off the winning 22:34.6 pace of Lisa Vitozzi of Italy, who recorded her first-ever World Cup victory.
Anais Chevalier of France was second, 5.3 seconds behind Vitozzi, while Hanna Oeberg of
Sweden won bronze, 15 seconds behind. All medalists shot clean.
Emma Lunder of Vernon emerged as the top Canadian in 46th place, 1:49.2 behind Vitozzi with two misses on the range.
Rosanna Crawford also made the top-60 cut to advance to Saturday’s pursuit. She was 2:06.3 behind with two misses. Megan Bankes of Calgary placed 87th.
The men race today on the Oberhof course in a 10 km sprint. Scott Gow of Canmore will start sixth, followed 41st in the order by his brother Christian. Brendan Green of Hay River, N.W.T., will leave the gate 87th and Jules Burnotte of Sherbrooke, Que., will start 95th out of 108 entries. Beaudry will get another chance to race Sunday in the women’s 4x6 km relay. She’s coming off her best ever World Cup result, a 12th-place finish in the sprint race Dec. 21 in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.
— from page 7
Portland has a history of giving up its bantam draft picks to acquire short-term help from highlytouted college players – players like New York Islanders prospect Kiefer Bellows – who decide to forego their NCAA scholarships and join the WHL as older-aged juniors. It’s a formula that’s worked well for them. The Winterhawks haven’t missed the playoffs since 2009 and in that time they’ve only failed once to make it to the second round. They made the finals four straight seasons (2010-2014) and won the WHL championship in 2013.
“They recruit in a different way than we do, they have a whole whack of college guys who are committed and they seem to get those guys,” said Lamb. “Prince George and most teams in this league really have to rely on draft picks. That’s why, positionally in the league, we’re sitting at a very comfortable spot. What we have to do now is do a real good job drafting.
“First-round draft picks to us are huge and Portland doesn’t have many. That’s how they do business and they seem to be at the top of the standings all the time.”
The Cougars, who host the Kelowna Rockets tonight at CN Centre in the first of a two-game set, are looking up at most of the rest of the Western Conference teams right now. Prince George (12-22-1-2) is seven points behind the Rockets (17-19-3-1) for third place in the B.C. Division and a guaranteed playoff spot. A pair of wins over Kelowna this weekend would tighten the playoff race considerably.
The Cougars are coming off a 4-2 loss Wednesday in Spokane, having started 2019 with wins over Kelowna and Tri-City. The three-game trip marked the WHL debut of Cougars centre Craig Armstrong, 15, their ninth-overall pick in the 2018 bantam draft and Lamb was impressed with the
Airdrie, Alta., native.
“He just played three games and he was outstanding for us,” said Lamb. “(Cougars coach Richard Matvichuk) put him out there in any situation and he can play at his age.”
Lamb also likes what he’s seen lately from goalie Taylor Gauthier. The 17-year-old recorded his second career shutout Tuesday against the Americans, stopped shots and played well in Spokane and Kelowna. Gauthier has been selected for the Sherwin Williams CHL Top Prospects Game Jan. 23 in Red Deer.
“There’s not too many goalies who can come in and play as a 16-year-old, he’s a very young player and I just see him starting to get some traction right now and he’s showing his potential,” said Lamb. “He’s still going to have some stumbling blocks but he’s learning as he goes here. It’s a tough position to play and all goalies have tough times and they’re going to let in bad goals and stuff, but I think a lot of people forget how old he is.”
D Cole Moberg returned to action Wednesday after missing a week with a lower-body injury. C Ilijah Colina (upper body) remains sidelined.
— from page 7
In 12 games with the junior B Sockeyes he was on a point-pergame pace with six goals, seven assists and 64 penalty minutes in 12 games.
As a 17-year-old with the Capitals he put up five goals, 12 points and 73 penalty minutes in 57 games in his rookie BCHL season and followed that in 201718 with 10 goals 18 points and 99 penalty minutes in 57 games. Wilson played his 15-year-old and 16-year-old seasons with Delta Academy.
“Nick has a lot of experience in the league and he’s a gritty, inyour-face guy, not the biggest kid in the world but he works really hard and he’s the type of player who will appeal to our fans,” said Hawes.
The Kings GM made it clear to the other teams in the league he wasn’t about to part with any of his defencemen and with Logan Neaton on top of the goalie charts he wasn’t about the move him either.
“There was a ton of teams trying to pry one of our d-men away from us but I didn’t want to break up the best d-corps in the league – the strongest part of our team essentially,” said Hawes. “We’ve got some pretty coveted players.
“It’s been a busy few days and today was crazy-busy. It’s been a different type of year because essentially every team in our league makes the playoffs so no one is really selling like in years past where there were four or five teams out of it and they were moving good players. The last couple years, 16 out of the 17 make the playoffs and even the 17th team thinks
they’re going to get in the playoffs still.”
Worth, a Lake Superior State recruit, arrived in a trade Nov. 27 from the Vernon Vipers in a deal that sent 19-year-old goalie Bradley Cooper to Vernon. Worth hurt his knee and was limited to just seven games with the Kings and he had a goal and an assist. Hawes says he will likely get more playing time in West Kelowna than he would have received had he stayed with the Spruce Kings.
Farkas has been a starter for Portland, playing 39 WHL games this season, but with the Winterhawks acquiring NHL-drafted goalie Josh Hofer Thursday in a deal with Swift Current the Capitals believe there’s a good chance they can convince Farkas, a Penticton native, to play his final junior season next year in the BCHL. Prince George (25-11-2-2, second in Mainland Division) is hosting Cowichan Valley (11-25-4-1, fifth in Island Division) tonight at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena – the Spruce Kings’ first home game of 2019. The Kings will be trying to end a three-game losing streak. The Capitals were one of the busiest BCHL teams leading up to the deadline. On Wednesday they dealt 19-year-old D Ty Pochipinski to the Penticton Vees for 19-yearold F Cruz Cote and acquired 18-year-old F Lach Hadley from the Victoria Grizzlies for future considerations. In one other BCHL trade, Penticton acquired 19-year-old defenceman Jarin Sutton, a Prince George product, in a deal that sent 20-year-old D Kenny Johnson to Victoria.
NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask.
(CP) — Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher and Scotland’s Bruce Mouat advanced to the playoffs at the Grand Slam of Curling’s Canadian Open by winning their A finals on Thursday. Bottcher remained unbeaten at 3-0 with a 9-5 win over Switzerland’s Peter De Cruz. After De Cruz picked up a steal of one in the seventh to close the gap to 6-5, Bottcher’s rink put the game away with three in the eighth. Mouat also improved to 3-0 when his team scored two points with the hammer in the eighth end in a 4-3 win over Glenn Howard
of Penetanguishe, Ont. The deuce from Mouat’s Stirling-based foursome followed three blank ends. De Cruz and Howard drop down to the B finals in the triple-elimination tournament, giving them another chance to qualify for the playoffs. De Cruz will take on Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., today. Gushue advanced to the B final with a 5-3
in a B semifinal later Thursday.
Ken RITTER Citizen news service
LAS VEGAS — Cristiano Ronaldo is being asked by police to provide a DNA sample in an investigation of a Nevada woman’s allegation that he raped her in his Las Vegas hotel penthouse in 2009 and paid her to keep quiet, the soccer star’s lawyer and Las Vegas police said Thursday.
Attorney Peter S. Christiansen downplayed the development, denied the rape allegation and called evidence collection common in any investigation.
Police said in a statement that an official request has been submitted to Italian authorities for a DNA sample from the superstar player. Officer Laura Meltzer, a department spokeswoman, said the request involved a warrant.
Ronaldo, 33, plays for the Turin-based soccer club Juventus.
“Mr. Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in Las Vegas in 2009 was consensual in nature,” Christiansen said, “so it is not surprising that DNA would be present, nor that the police would make this very standard request as part of their investigation.”
Former model and schoolteacher Kathryn Mayorga reported the alleged attack to police in June 2009 and underwent a medical exam to collect DNA evidence.
But the investigation ended a short time later because Las Vegas police say she only identified her attacker as a European soccer player – not by name –and did not say where the incident took place.
The Associated Press does not generally name people who say they are victims of sex crimes. Mayorga gave consent through her lawyers to make her name public
The police investigation was reopened at Mayorga’s request last August, shortly before her lawyers filed a civil lawsuit claiming that Ronaldo raped her and that she was paid $375,000 in hush money.
The civil lawsuit in Nevada state court is on a separate legal track than the criminal police probe. It has not been legally served upon Ronaldo, Christiansen said.
Authorities say that because Mayorga reported the alleged attack promptly, no law in Nevada prevents prosecutors from filing criminal sexual assault charges now if evidence of a crime is found.
Mayorga’s attorneys, Leslie Mark Stovall and Larissa Drohobyczer, have no information about the police probe, Drohobyczer said.
Australia.
John PYE Citizen news service
MELBOURNE, Australia — A tearful
Andy Murray says the Australian Open could be his last tournament because of a hip injury that has hampered him for almost two years.
The three-time Grand Slam champion says he plans to start his opening match against No. 22-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open, where he has reached the final five times but never won the title.
“I’m going to play (in Australia) – I can still play to the level,” Murray said.
“Not a level I’m happy playing at – but
also, it’s not just that. The pain is too much really.”
Murray had right hip surgery in January 2018 and, after two brief attempts to return to the tour, played only 12 matches in the year.
He returned at the Brisbane International last week, where he won his opening match but lost in the second round to Daniil Medvedev, showing visible signs of limping between points.
The 31-year-old Murray, who ended long Grand Slam droughts for British men and also won the Olympic gold medal, had hoped to play the first half of 2019 and make a run at Wimbledon.
Citizen news service
HONOLULU — Andrew Putnam didn’t get a practice round in for the Sony Open because of a bee sting, and he apparently didn’t need one.
Putnam made birdie on half of his holes Thursday at Waialae, none of them tap-ins, and took only 23 putts for an 8-under 62. It was the lowest score of his PGA Tour career and gave him a fourshot lead among the early starters.
Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner and John Chin were at 66, with defending champion Patton Kizzire among those at 67. Jordan Spieth was hopeful of better in his 2019 debut. He had to wait until his 16th hole, the par-3 seventh, for his first birdie of the year. And that was all he made in a round of 73 that left him needing a low round just to make it to the weekend.
He still managed to keep it entertaining, especially with the new rules.
Spieth, like most players, doesn’t understand the visually awkward change of dropping from kneeheight instead of shoulder-height. Six holes into his round, his tee
shot came up inches short of a sprinkler head. He called for a ruling and was given relief because of the potential of injury or damaging the club. Then, he did what he has done his entire golfing life – he held the ball at the level of his shoulder.
Slugger White, the tour’s vicepresident of competition, stopped him. Had he dropped and played the shot, it would have been a penalty. If not, he could have dropped again from the proper height.
“I’m like, ‘Wouldn’t it just be a re-drop anyway?’ What’s the big deal?”’ Spieth said. “It’s unusual.”
He caught himself from dropping shoulder-height behind the 18th green. He also tapped in for par on the opening hole with the flagstick still in the cup, another change that is getting plenty of attention early in the year. And he tapped down a spike mark in the line of a four-foot putt.
“That’s where I’d like to stop playing... but I’m also not certain I’m able to do that,” Murray said. “I don’t want to continue playing that way. I’ve tried everything I could to get it right and that hasn’t worked.”
Murray held a news conference Friday at Melbourne Park, and had to leave the room for a while soon after it started to compose himself as he fronted the media.
He said he’s considering another hip operation, more to improve his quality of life than as a way to return to the top level in tennis. The Australian Open starts Monday.
“All in all, I got a test of most of the new rules today,” he said. Putnam, among 23 players who were on Maui last week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, made it all look so easy. This is his third year playing the Sony Open, so the course is not new to him.
But it’s unusual for him not to at least get in a practice round.
He was poolside Tuesday when the bee stung him in the foot.
“I couldn’t walk, so I had to withdraw out of the pro-am,” he said. “I was just sitting around all yesterday and couldn’t even hit a shot. Yeah, kind of bizarre how it all worked out.”
He shot his 62 despite a bogey on the 15th hole when his pitch came up 12 feet short and he missed the putt.
Putnam didn’t miss many in the opening round. Statistically, he made just over 174 feet of putts, from a five-footer on the closing
hole (his shortest birdie putt) to his longest birdie on the 14th at just under 30 feet. “The hole was very large and the ball was going in,” he said. “It was fun.”
Snedeker found it a bit more enjoyable, too, once he got his round going. He wasn’t under par until a birdie at the turn on the par-5 18th, and he shot 32 on the front, which typically is the slightly tougher side.
It’s the same state, different island, but the course couldn’t be any different from last week. Kapalua was built on the side of a mountain, with enormous greens and large undulations. Waialae is old school, flat and lined by palms, with smaller greens.
“They are faster and a lot flatter,” Snedeker said. “The biggest break you’ll see here is maybe a foot of break on a putt. Last week, if you had anything under a foot, you would be excited.”
Citizen news service
R. Kelly, one of the top-selling recording artists of all time, has been dogged for years by allegations of sexual misconduct involving women and underage girls – accusations he and his attorneys have long denied.
But an Illinois prosecutor’s plea for potential victims and witnesses to come forward and new protests have sparked hope among some advocates that the R&B star might face criminal charges.
“Please come forward. There’s nothing that can be done to investigate these allegations without co-operation between victims and witnesses,” Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx said Tuesday at a news conference in Chicago. “We cannot seek justice without you.”
Still, some legal experts and prosecutors say it may be difficult to bring charges. Accusers and witnesses would have to speak out, and even then, prosecutors could have a hard time winning a
conviction.
In recent days, Kelly has faced increased pressure from advocates who have protested outside of his Chicago studio and demanded that police investigate allegations against minors.
The latest attention comes days after Lifetime aired the documentary Surviving R. Kelly, which revisited old allegations and brought new ones into the spotlight. The series follows the BBC’s R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes, which was released last year. It alleged that the singer was holding women against their will and running a “sex cult.”
Activists from the #MeToo and #MuteRKelly social media movements have seized on the renewed attention to call for streaming services to drop Kelly’s music and promoters not to book any more concerts.
The allegations extend beyond Illinois. A lawyer representing an Atlanta-area couple who appeared in the Lifetime documentary
said Georgia prosecutors have reached out to him. Attorney Gerald Griggs represents Timothy and Jonjelyn Savage, who have said repeatedly that Kelly has brainwashed their daughter and kept her from contacting them.
Despite the accusations that span decades, the star singer, songwriter and producer who rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side has retained a sizable following.
Kelly broke into the R&B scene
in 1993 with his first solo album, 12 Play, which yielded such popular sex-themed songs as Bump N’ Grind and Your Body’s Callin’. Months later, the then27-year-old faced allegations he married 15-year-old Aaliyah – a multi-platinum R&B vocalist who later died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. Kelly served as the lead songwriter and producer for Aaliyah’s 1994 debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number. Kelly and Aaliyah never confirmed the marriage, although Vibe magazine published a copy of the purported marriage license. Court documents later obtained by the Chicago SunTimes showed Aaliyah admitted lying about her age on the license. In May 1997, she filed suit in Cook County, Ill., to expunge all records of the marriage, court documents showed.
Now 52, his hits have dwindled. He settled at least three lawsuits accusing him of having sex with underage girls filed between 1997 and 2002.
The accusers, all black women, said years after the trial that Kelly kept them locked up and used them for sex at his will.
Lindsey BAHR Citizen news service
How much of a sweet tooth do you have when it comes to movies? It’s a question you might want to consider before stepping out for A Dog’s Way Home, W. Bruce Cameron adaptation of his book about a dog who finds her way back to her owner across 650 kilometres of Colorado terrain, because this is one sugary concoction.
Not that it’s ineffective – I dare even non dog-lovers not to get a little misty eyed at the inevitable conclusion – it’s just very, very, VERY earnest, like a PBS Kids morning show meets a cute puppy pics slideshow with much higher production value.
Bryce Dallas Howard provides the honeyed voice for the heroine, Bella, a stray who lives happily with some dogs and cats under an abandoned property until animal services snags about half (including her mom). She soon gets adopted by a kind college-aged kid across the street, Lucas (Jonah Hauer-King), who works at the VA and lives with his mom, a war vet who has depression, played by Ashley Judd.
A Dog’s Way Home is harmless enough and a nice little adventure that’s fit for the whole family.
Bella is a very cute pup who grows into a very cute dog with limited grammar and comprehension skills that never quite evolve past that of a four-year-old (i.e. “I’m ready to do ‘go home!”’). She also happens to be enemy No. 1 of the city of Denver after she falls on the wrong side of a ban on breeds designated as pit bulls, and impounds them on sight.
“I know, it’s stupid,” explains an employee at the animal shelter admirably succinctly. Another character, Olivia, played by Alexandra Shipp of Love, Simon describes it as, “basically racism.” This movie really has it in for Denver’s Ordinance Sec. 8-55.
Once the authorities get word of Bella, and impound her once, her cozy existence with Lucas and his mom comes to an end and she goes to live, for a time, with some relatives of Olivia’s who live in New Mexico. But the dutiful and deeply nostalgic Bella decides to take things into her own hands and find her way back to Denver and Lucas.
Directed by Charles Martin Smith, of such animal adventures as Dolphin Tale and Air Bud, A Dog’s Way Home is actually surprisingly intense. Bella goes dumpster-diving one day with a pack of mangy dogs she comes across, she witnesses poachers killing a cougar, befriends a CGI baby cougar, steals food from quite a few people and establishments, survives an avalanche, a freeway and even lives alongside a homeless man for a while.
She is laser-focused on getting back to Lucas, however, and even the good situations she comes across (like living in the very stylish and expensive home of a couple who take her in) aren’t enough.
Although it might be a stretch to categorize this as a movie, A Dog’s Way Home is harmless enough and a nice little adventure that’s fit for the whole family.
But you might want to have the tissues ready.
Two and a half stars out of four
Victor Leonard Joseph Kieser
Passed away on the early morning of January 9th at Prince George Regional Hospital. He was 55 years old. He was a loving husband to wife of 36 years Jacqueline Kieser and together they had 5 children, daughter Michelle (Fred) son Leonard (Brooke) daughter Nicole (Stephen), daughter Lise & son Colin. 3 beautiful grandchildren Dante, Desmond & Dean. A unique soul, Vic was funny, and enjoyed spending time with his family. He will be greatly missed. Vic is survived by his wife, children, mother Rena (Frank) brother in law Florent. He will be joining his father Benedict and sister Susan. A special thanks to Victor’s work family Keith(Brenda) and Craig (Kristi). A memorial service organized and held at Assman’s Funeral Chapel on Tuesday January 15th 2019 @ 12:30pm. Memorial donations may be made in Vic’s name to any charity of your choice. Following the service there will be a luncheon for family and friends at the Columbus Community Centre 7201 Domano blvd PG. @ 1:30pm
Scott,Gene
July15,1926-January6,2019
GenepassedawaypeacefullyinVanderhoofon January6,2019,at92yearsold,withtwoofhis sonsbyhisside.GenewasbornnearLove, Saskatchewan,theoldestofeightchildren,thenhe movedtoPrinceGeorgeasayoungman,finally settlinginVanderhoof,BC,forthelast46yearsofhis longlife.
Dadwaspredeceasedbyhisfirstwife,Geraldine (1981),andhissecondwifeGenevieve(2008).Heis survivedbyhissistersandbrothers,InaSchoonover, YvonneCouldwell,MargueriteSoucy,LindaScott, TorallScott,andJackScott;hisfivechildren,George (MaryAnn),Hughie(Debbie),Arlene(Glenn),Murray (Liz),andEldon(Dawn);11grandchildren;andeight great-grandchildren.
AmemorialservicewillbeheldonSaturday,January 12,2019,at1:00pmattheVanderhoofCommunity EventCenter(FormerlytheElksHall),474East VictoriaSt.Vanderhoof,B.C.
Inlieuofflowers,memorialdonationsmaybemade inGene’snametoDiabetesCanadaoryourfavourite charity.
ThefamilywouldliketothankDr.Coetzeeandthe staffattheStuartNechakoManorwhotooksuch greatcareofhim.
Porter,FrankElmore
April18,1925-January9,2019
Itiswithgreatsadnessweannouncethepassingof Frank,whopassedawaypeacefullyatthePrince GeorgeHospiceHouseonJanuary9th,2019,atthe ageof93.
WorldWarIIVeteranandformerprisonerofwar, Frankwasbornin1925inWaterloo,Quebec.He enlistedintheRoyalCanadianArmy,theQueen’s OwnRifleBattalion,in1943attheageof18.Hewent overseasinMay1944andwascapturedbythe Germansasaprisonerofwar.Frankworkedinthe saltminesinGermanyuntilhewasfreedinthe springof1945.Uponhisreturnhome,hespenttwo yearsinhospitalwithtuberculosisbeforebeing releasedbytheArmy.
Frankispredeceasedbyhisfirstwife,Melba,of28 yearsin1986,threebrothers,andtwosisters. Survivedbyhiswife,Evelyn,of29years;children, Clarence,Steven(Margarette),Joanne(Michele), Charlie(Kimberly),Brenda;eightstep-children;and numerousgrandchildren,great-grandchildren,and great-great-grandchildren.
ManythankstoDr.PrigmoreandthestaffatHospice House.
Noservicebyrequest.Wewillbehavingateain Frank’smemoryonSaturday,January12,2019, between2pmand4pm,atElderCitizensRecreation Association,169210thAvenue.
InlieuofflowerspleasedonatetoPrinceGeorge HospiceHouse.
SCHEIBERINSTALLATIONSLTDMILLWRIGHTS, PIPEFITTERS,WELDERS
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DianneLillianChermesnok
August30,1954-December26,2018 DiannewasborninManning,Alberta,andwasraised inPrinceGeorge,BC.ShemovedtoFortSt.Jamesto raiseherfamilyandlivedthereuntilherdeath.She passedawaypeacefullyandsurroundedbyfamilyat thePrinceGeorgeHospiceHouse.Sheissurvivedby herparents,BenitaandEsko;herbrothers,Larry (Margaret),Wayne,andLen;andhersister,Laurie. Sheisalsosurvivedbyherhusband,Roger;children, Jennifer,Nick(Janna),andMatt(Kathy);and grandchildren,Noah,Elise,Freya,andAnna.At Dianne’srequest,therewillbenoservice.Thefamily wouldliketoincludeaheartfeltthankyoutothe PrinceGeorgeHospiceHouseandtheirextraordinary people.
Peter HOLLEY Citizen news service
In traffic-clogged cities such as Houston, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles, it can take hours to drive a few miles during rush hour.
For years, inventors have been working toward a potential solution: vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Though some know them as “flying cars,” early prototypes more closely resemble a hybrid version of an airplane and a helicopter with a hint of drone, rather than a conventional automobile. Among the most highly anticipated examples of an air taxi is the Bell Nexus, an “urban air mobility vehicle” that debuted at this year’s CES technology show in Las Vegas. Bell Helicopter, which created the prototype, said the idea behind the technology is simple: Instead of idling in traffic, a commuter could order a flying taxi to shuttle them across town from above, bypassing the congestion below.
Uber, which has unofficially partnered with Bell Nexus, has said its fleet of air taxis would be able to travel 240 to 320 km/h, allowing the company to whisk passengers across a sprawling metropolis such as Los Angeles in minutes instead of hours.
“It won’t be like an Uber that you order and it comes to your driveway,” said Robert Hastings, Bell’s executive vice president of strategic communications, noting that the company instead foresees using an app to figure out the location of the closest skyport, where you’ll rendezvous with your aircraft. “We believe this will be for short hops across a metropolitan area.”
“Getting to the Dallas/Fort Worth airport from the suburbs can be an hour-and-a-half drive, and we think these aircraft can make the same trip in eight minutes,” he added. Hastings said the company believes the Bell Nexus is more than just a commuter aircraft. When cargo needs to be moved from a Walmart on one side of town to the other, he said, the company’s aircraft could be put to use.
The Bell Nexus seats up to five passengers, not including the pilot. The company originally planned to bypass a pilot, keeping the aircraft autonomous, but it has since included room for a pilot in the machine’s design, Hastings said.
Larger versions of the aircraft could hold eight to 10 people, he said. What does it look like inside? Hastings
said the internet-connected cabin was designed to be plush and provide wide views of the outside world.
“It looks like you’re in a limousine on your way to prom,” one reviewer said, excitedly pointing out USB ports and cup holders.
The craft is powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system featuring six tilting fans. Those fans, the company said, would allow the vehicle to take off vertically and cruise at high speed when they’re positioned at 90 degrees.
The fans are being tested in a wind tunnel, Hastings said, and the company is confident that the flight controls can be designed to operate autonomously. The biggest challenge air taxis face, he said, is in building infrastructure and navigating regulatory issues and certification challenges
Cassandra SZKLARSKI
Citizen news service
TORONTO — Shoppers Drug Mart takes its most aggressive step into the beauty business this weekend with its first standalone clinic to offer Botox injections, fillers, laser treatments and medical-grade peels. But while the Beauty Clinic by Shoppers Drug Mart is being touted as “a natural extension” of the drugstore chain’s moves into the cosmetics space, some wary observers fear it further commodifies medical procedures increasingly regarded as casual touch-ups that don’t require the expertise of a physician or surgeon.
The inaugural shop opens Saturday in Oakville, Ont., just west of Toronto, after a soft opening Dec. 22 that saw a steady stream of customers come through the sparsely furnished, three-bay clinic, says Sarah Draper, senior director of healthcare partnerships and innovation.
“This is really what our customers have been asking for,” says Draper.
“We’re kind of a trusted expert in the space and are positioned pretty well, I think, to offer enhanced beauty services in a setting that’s comfortable and convenient for people.”
Tucked into the corner of a suburban strip mall, the nearly all-white colour scheme, minimalist decor and serene atmosphere evoke a spa-like retreat.
A “concierge” greets arrivals and confirms appointments in the entryway, where a bank of medical-grade beauty products covers one wall. Visitors are ushered into a tucked-away waiting area, where cushioned seats, tablets and sleek wood privacy screens offer a quiet space to fill out paperwork.
Draper says one of three nurse practitioners then conducts one-on-one consultations with each client and takes “an in-depth medical history” to determine a treatment regimen.
“Our nurse practitioners all have medical esthetics certification and over a decade experience in nursing,” she says, noting their higher medical classification gives them authority to prescribe and administer injectables.
A medical esthetician handles lasers, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion.
The Loblaw-owned chain says procedures and training were developed in consultation with doctors who provide ongoing advice, but physicians are not onsite.
That’s what bothers Dr. Michael Brandt, a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Toronto who wonders about quality and whether staff are able to adequately respond to medical emergencies.
“You wouldn’t sign up for surgery at a grocery store,” says Brandt, noting that while there are many excellent providers in the field, the lucrative industry has also attracted less qualified practitioners.
“All medical procedures have indications, contra-indications, alternatives and limits as to what each of those procedures can provide and with each of these procedures you need to go through a very careful assessment of the patient and then make an accurate diagnosis. None of this is cookiecutter.”
And while nurse practitioners have the authority to conduct these beauty treatments, Brandt questioned whether all of them should.
“Just because a professional has the authority to perform a procedure does not automatically mean it is appropriate to do so,” he says, noting there are nonetheless very qualified nurse practitioners in esthetics. “Is it appropriate for a nurse practitioner to be performing surgery? They might have the capacity to do it, they might be allowed as a delegated act to do it, but most people would choose to have a surgeon perform their surgery.”
Brandt warned that if improperly applied, lasers carry the risk of severe burns, scarring and discolourations.
If a filler is injected into a blood vessel, it can cause an occlusion of that vessel, killing anything it supplies.
Still, there’s no denying that growing public interest has ignited a specialized industry previously the domain of dermatologists and plastic surgeons.
Milica Duran, a co-ordinator for the esthetician program at Centennial College in Toronto, calls it “the fastest growing industry in the world.”
through the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Inside the industry, experts think the FAA won’t certify vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for commercial transportation until they’re proven safe.
Once that happens, experts say, a new wave of alternative transportation is likely to emerge quickly.
“We believe a very successful project would get an aircraft certified and manufacturable by the mid-2020s,” Hastings said.
“The technology, for us, is not extremely difficult.”
Part of the local regulatory battle air-taxi companies will face involves persuading cities to tolerate even more overhead air traffic than they already do.
In addition to designing its 6,000-pound aircraft to be resistant to wind, rain and
OTTAWA (CP) — These are indicative wholesale rates for foreign currency provided by the Bank of Canada on Thursday. Quotations in Canadian funds.
Australia dollar 0.9509
Brazil real 0.3579
China renminbi 0.195
Euro 1.5237
Hong Kong dollar 0.1688
India rupee 0.01879
Indonesia rupiah 0.000094
Japan yen 0.01222
Malaysia ringgit 0.323
Mexico peso 0.06902
N.Z. dollar 0.898
Norway krone 0.1562
Peruvian new sol 0.3961
Russia rouble 0.01974
Saudi riyal 0.3528
Singapore dollar 0.9789
South Africa rand 0.09543
South Korean won 0.001184
Sweden krona 0.1488
Switzerland franc 1.3482
Taiwanese dollar 0.04297
Thailand baht 0.04145
lira
dong 0.000057
TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index rose for a fifth straight day for the first time in seven months as the market continued to bounce back from last month’s lows.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 98.76 points to 14,903.49, after hitting a
birds, Hastings said, the company has focused heavily on implementing a design that is as quiet as possible. They’ve done this, he said, by making the rotor blades smaller and by encasing the ends of the 2.5-metre blades – where most of the noise is created – inside circular ducts. The result, Hastings said, is that the blade’s sound changes from a “whop whop whop” to a “whoosh whoosh whoosh.”
The question for cities will be whether creating more traffic, this time from above, is an acceptable price to pay for relieving congestion.
“Everything is just getting more crowded and dense, and everybody is trying to solve that problem, and we think there’s one dimension that’s not being addressed – and that’s up,” Hastings said.
one-month high of 14,921.06 in earlier trading.
The market is eight per cent above the low set late last year but still 10 per cent below the July high, which is a healthy place to be as it recalibrates, says Kash Pashootan, CEO and chief investment officer at First Avenue Investment Counsel Inc.
“The markets are bouncing off of an Armageddon-like scenario where there was really a spiralling out of control panic and markets have taken a breath and realized that yes there are lots of challenges out there but there’s also some good things going on as well,” he said in an interview.
“So you’re now seeing rationale come back into the markets, you’re seeing less emotional selling going on.”
The Toronto Exchange’s performance Thursday was helped by crude oil rising to its highest level in more than a month and further gains among cannabis producers including Canopy Growth Corp.’s 12 per cent gain that boosted the healthcare sector by 4.3 per cent.
The February crude contract was up 23 cents at US$52.59 per barrel and the February natural gas contract was down 1.5 cents at US$2.97 per mmBTU. The energy index increased by more than one per cent, followed by defensive sectors utilities and telecommunications. The only sector to fall was materials.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 122.80 points at 24,001.92. The S&P 500 index was up 11.68 points at 2,596.64, while the Nasdaq composite was up 28.99 points at 6,986.07. The gains were more muted than in Toronto as the U.S. retail index underperformed. Macy’s shares lost 18 per cent after reporting a weak holiday season and American Airlines fell after issuing a disappointing forecast ahead of the start of the upcoming quarterly results.
