Northern B.C.’s first sonography program starts
Citizen staff
Eight College of New Caledonia students have started taking classes in the first sonography program available outside the Lower Mainland.
The Northern Diagnostic Medical Sonography program opened at CNC’s Prince George campus on Jan. 7. It is one of only two publicly funded sonography programs in British Columbia.
“A sonography program at CNC will help tackle waitlists, while providing the opportunity for northern graduates to succeed and thrive closer to home,” said Advanced Education Minister Melanie Mark.
Diagnostic medical sonographers play a critical role by providing key information leading to earlier diagnosis and support ongoing patient management using ultrasound technology.
“Too many people are on lengthy waitlists for critical medical care, such as ultrasounds,” said health minister Adrian Dix.
“We’re working to increase the number of sonography graduates throughout the province, with more spaces at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, as well as the first sonography program outside the Lower Mainland, so more people can get the care they need.”
At CNC, sonography students get training in both cardiac ultrasound and general ultrasound, which looks at the abdomen, pelvis and obstetrics.
“Here in the north, there is a great need for sonographers trained in both general and cardiac ultrasound,” said Glenda Vardy Dell, CNC’s dean of the school of health sciences. “CNC students are in a unique position, because they will be equipped to offer dual skill sets to the hospital or clinic they work in.”
CNC’s sonography lab is equipped with eight state-of-the-art ultrasound machines and ultrasound simulators. The highfidelity simulators use augmented reality
to facilitate engaging and intuitive learning in cardiac, lung, abdominal and obstetrics/ gynecology ultrasound.
“CNC students are trained on the newest technology available in the field of sonography,” added Vardy Dell.
Admission preference was given to northern B.C. candidates, to address regional demand by encouraging students who are from the north to study and continue to work in the area. Of the eight students in the first cohort of the program, seven are
from northern B.C.
“We are very pleased to see the start of this important addition to health care education opportunities in the north,” said Dr. Shyr Chui, Northern Health medical lead, diagnostic imaging.
“CNC’s sonography program has been a remarkable experience so far,” said Sara Wiggins, a student in the CNC’s first cohort.
“Using ultrasound machines to learn about the human body is really exciting.”
The province is providing $640,000 in
Indigenous complaints about pipeline builder to be probed by gov’t, police
Amy SMART Citizen news service
The British Columbia government says it will inspect the site of a planned natural gas pipeline southwest of Houston following allegations that the company building the project is violating its permits.
Members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation and supporters have alleged that Coastal GasLink is engaging in construction activity without an archaeological impact assessment and also destroyed traplines and tents unnecessarily.
The Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources says in a statement that joint site inspection will be conducted by the province’s Environmental Assessment Office and the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission next week.
“We anticipate that it will take some time subsequently to determine whether any non-compliances are evident and, if so, the appropriate enforcement action,” the ministry said.
Members of the Gidimt’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation issued a statement Monday saying the company “wilfully, illegally, and violently destroyed” its property this weekend...
The RCMP also said it has received complaints from both the Office of the Wet’suwet’en and Coastal GasLink regarding traplines and the removal of personal property items.
“We are following up on all complaints and continue to facilitate ongoing and direct dialogue be-
tween all parties regarding various issues,” the RCMP said.
Coastal GasLink is working to build a natural gas pipeline from northeastern British Columbia to LNG’s export facility on the coast as part of a $40-billion project.
Members of the Gidimt’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation issued a statement Monday saying the company “wilfully, illegally, and violently destroyed” its property this weekend, while the company said its actions have been permitted and lawful.
Jen Wickham, a member of the Gidimt’en clan within the nation, said Coastal GasLink bulldozed three tents constructed with timber and canvas in an area along a logging road not included in the company’s plans.
“CGL workers just tore down all our stuff, threw them in (shipping containers) and said we had until the end of the day to pick them up or they would be thrown in the dump,” she said.
— see ‘THESE AREAS, page 3
annual funding – $400,000 for one-time startup costs and capital funding of $1.5 million for equipment and renovations.
The number of students enrolled in the program’s second cohort is expected to increase to 16 during the next intake.
In 2018, B.C. had about 740 sonographers and there will be an estimated 370 job openings between 2018 and 2028. The median wage rate for sonographers is $37.11 per hour and the top 10 per cent earn $48.56 per hour.
Biting suspect arrested
Citizen staff
A woman is in custody, accused of biting off part of another woman’s bottom lip.
Hailee Marie Kowalchuk, 26, has been charged with aggravated assault, assault and breaching probation, RCMP said Monday.
She was arrested after RCMP were called to a North Nechako home on Friday at about 1:30 a.m.
“Members attended the residence and found an adult female missing a portion of her bottom lip,” RCMP said. “Paramedics transported her to hospital for treatment.
“Investigators believe the lip was bitten during a physical altercation between two persons known to each other. Alcohol was a factor.”
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched in the name of the alleged victim, identified on social media as Kennedy Barker.
“This is to ease the stress of my surgery, medication costs. As well as my time missing from
work,” she says on her Facebook page.
“I was skeptical of starting one of these but my family deserves to have their stress relieved. Don’t feel obligated to donate but it would be a big help.”
According to a posting on the GoFundMe page, Barker had been having dinner and drinks while visiting “a person she thought was her friend.”
But while she was sleeping, the “friend” tied Barker’s hands behind her back, then beat her senseless and threatened her life before biting her, according to the posting.
“She managed to get away and lock herself in the bathroom until RCMP came and arrested the attacker,” the posting says. Kowalchuk is known to police and the courts. In September 2017, Kowalchuk was sentenced to 18 months probation for assault after spending 19 days in custody. And in June 2016, she was sentenced to 17 months probation for mischief to property.
Kowalchuk remains in custody.
Students Devyn Gowan, (laying down) and Sasha Eidsvik demonstrate the sonography equipment of the newly-opened College of New Caledonia Northern Diagnostic Medical Sonography program at the college’s Prince George campus.
CITIZEN
Music time
Two Rivers Gallery hosted Junonominated, three-time Parents Choice Award recipient Ginalina. The show was part of the Come In From The Cold community outreach event series to be held at various times and venues around town during the Coldsnap festival.
Prince George provincial court docket
From Prince George provincial court, Jan. 21-24, 2019:
• Marcus Blair Johnny (born 1999) was sentenced to five days in jail for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and to 18 months probation and issued a two-year firearms prohibition on the count as well as for possessing a weapon for dangerous purpose and a separate count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. Johnny was in custody for one day prior to sentencing.
• John Phillip Johnston (born 1970) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Krysta Matte (born 1989) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation for causing fear of injury or damage.
• Lyle Robert Suter (born 1980) was sentenced to 14 days in jail, prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited under the Motor Vehicle Act, to 15 days in jail for two counts of breaching an undertaking or recognizance and to three days in jail and one year probation for possession of stolen property under $5,000.
• Michael Dragomir Gajic (born 1981) was sentenced to 45 days in jail, prohibited from driving for two years and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving
while prohibited under the Motor Vehicle Act, to 15 days in jail for possession of stolen property, to six days in jail for failing to stop at the scene of an accident, all committed in Prince George, and to one year probation with a suspended sentence and issued a two-year firearms prohibition for uttering threats, committed in Fort St. James.
• Kurt Werner Steinhauser (born 1982) was sentenced to 45 days in jail and one year probation for three counts of breaching probation.
• Melvin Christopher Alexander (born 1973) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act and prohibited from driving for 18 months and fined $1,000 plus a $150 victim surcharge for a second count of driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Daniel Bradley Cameron (born 1970) was sentenced to two days in jail for being unlawfully at large and his sentence of 14 days for driving while driver’s licence is suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act was converted to consecutive time from intermittent. Cameron was in custody for seven days prior to sentencing.
• Chantelle Marie Collier (born 1987) was sentenced to one year probation with a suspended sentence for theft $5,000 or under
and to zero days for breaching an undertaking or recognizance.
• William Gerald McBride (born 1979) was sentenced to 129 days in jail and 18 months probation for possession of stolen property over $5,000, committed in Salmon Valley. McBride was in custody for 53 days prior to sentencing.
• Peter Marvin Nyce (born 1979) was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 18 months probation and issued a three-year firearms prohibition for assault.
• Mitchel David Parkinson (born 1980) was sentenced to 14 days in jail, prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Ashlee Rachelle Dawne Reid (born 1995) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $1,000 plus a $150 victim surcharge for driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Ian Benjamin Clark (born 1985) was sentenced to one year probation for assault and breaching a recognizance or undertaking and to zero days for breaching an undertaking. Clark was in custody for a total of 59 days in the charges prior to sentencing.
• Phillip Thompson Cooper (born 1966) was sentenced to 27 days in jail for possessing a break-in instrument and breaching an undertaking. Cooper was in custody
for one day on the breach prior to sentencing.
• Destiny Hannah Josephine Hunt (born 1995) was sentenced to time served for assaulting a peace officer, breaching probation and breaching an undertaking, all committed in Fort St. James. Hunt was in custody for 14 days prior to sentencing.
• Leo Douglas Johnny (born 1962) was sentenced to 24 days in jail for assaulting a peace officer and to 10 days for breaching an undertaking. Johnny was in custody for two days prior to sentencing.
• Wendell Everett Williams (born 1971) was sentenced to seven days in jail and one year probation for theft $5,000 or under.
• Tyson Michael Martell (born 1987) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while driver’s licence is suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act and sentenced to one year probation for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. Martell was in custody for seven days prior to sentencing.
• Joseph Shannon McCully (born 1972) was sentenced to four days in jail, to be served on an intermittent basis, and prohibited from driving for one year for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Destiny Paige Ghostkeeper (born 1982) was sentenced to one
year probation with a suspended sentence for theft $5,000 or under.
• David Warren Girroir (born 1974) was sentenced to two days in jail for breaching probation.
• Aykam Singh Gill (born 1994) was sentenced to 18 months probation with a suspended sentence for dangerous driving, assault and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.
• Brent Marke Zaumseil (born 1975) was sentenced to 240 days in jail and one and prohibited from driving for one year for fleeing police and to 30 days in jail for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and breaching an undertaking or recognizance and sentenced to one year probation on the charges, all committed in Mackenzie. Zaumseil was also sentenced to 120 days in jail and prohibited from driving for one year for dangerous driving and to 60 days in jail for theft $5,000 or under and to one year probation on the charges, all committed in Quesnel. Zaumseil was also sentenced to 14 days in jail, prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended also committed in Mackenzie. Zaumseil was also ordered to serve in custody the remainder of an 18-month conditional sentence order issued Sept. 20, 2018. Zaumseil was in custody on the counts for a total of 142 days prior to sentencing.
Off limits
Westwood Drive between 22nd Avenue and the Highway 97 on and off ramp is closed in both directions to allow crews to carry out work related to changes to the signal operation at the intersection of Highway 97 and 22nd Avenue. This section of Westwood Drive will remain closed for the next few days, according to the City of Prince George, while operations are carried out including the installation of concrete barriers and signs.
Long Island Medium at CN Centre April 6
Theresa Caputo, star of TLC’s show called Long Island Medium, will return to CN Centre April 6. Caputo will share personal stories and talk about how her gift of speaking with dead people works. She will deliver healing messages to audience members and offer people comfort knowing those who have lost loved ones are still with them but in a different way.
Although she will be giving readings to various audience members throughout her show, the purchase of a ticket does not guarantee a reading.
Tickets are on sale Friday at 10 at www.ticketsnorth.ca.
Property assessments too high, poll takers say
Citizen staff
During The Citizen’s last poll we asked “what do you think of your property assessment?” At the top of the property heap was “way too high” with 31 per cent and 324
‘These
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votes while “they got it right” came in with 28 per cent and 286 votes. “A little too high” finished with 26 per cent and 270 votes. Trailing were “a little too low” with nine per cent and 93 votes and “way too low” with five per cent and 56 votes.
The total votes cast by online readers was 1,029. Remember this is not a scientific poll. Next up The Citizen is asking “how has your flu shot worked out for you this year?” To make your vote count visit www. pgcitizen.ca.
areas are active work zones’
The tents were constructed when members erected a barrier at the same location, where RCMP enforced a court injunction on Jan. 7 and arrested 14 people in a move that sparked protests across Canada and internationally.
Wickham said members of the First Nation told RCMP they wanted the tents to remain to host cultural workshops.
Following the enforcement of the court injunction, a road was plowed around the tents allowing free movement of vehicles.
Coastal GasLink said in a statement that all work it’s doing is “approved and permitted and in full compliance” with its environmental assessment certificate issued by the province and the company has met all required pre-construction conditions.
“These areas are active work zones that are lawful and permitted. Any obstruction impeding our crews from safely accessing these work zones is in contravention of a court order,” Coastal GasLink said.
On Friday, Coastal GasLink said it stopped work in an area closer to its planned work site because traplines had been placed inside construction boundaries and people were entering the site, raising safety concerns.
OTTAWA (CP) — A youth facing terrorism charges in Kingston, Ont., will be back in court next week, after his lawyer has had more time to study his case. The RCMP charged the youth last week, saying he tried to persuade someone to plant a bomb. He is charged with knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity and counselling someone to use an explosive or other lethal device to cause death or serious bodily injury.
Dog breeder in legal battle with city
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
A Prince George woman is taking the city to court over its refusal to issue her a business licence, claiming that for years she was told she did not need one.
According to a petition filed last week at the Prince George courthouse, Roxanna Hamilton has continuously operated a dog-breeding business, Summer Knight Kennels, out of her home at 3622 Hazel Dr. since 1998.
Over that time, she had attempted to apply for a business licence numerous times only to be told she did not need one because her property has been zoned to allow her to run a home-based business.
But in July 2018, she received a notice from the city saying she was contravening a city bylaw that prohibits running the business without a business licence.
In response, she applied once more to obtain the licence but was refused. Hamilton claims that in making its decision, the city did not consider any factors other than the city’s current zoning bylaw, passed in 2007, including whether the business could be grandfathered as a legal non-conforming use.
After turning down Hamilton’s application, the city then launched a proceeding against her.
The petition was filed on Jan. 21, two days before a bylaw infraction hearing was to be held. The hearing was subsequently adjourned pending a hearing of the petition in B.C. Supreme Court.
“We are waiting for the city’s reply on the petition and will then set a date,” Hamilton’s lawyer, Jon Duncan, said in an email.
Hamilton is seeking orders directing the city to issue her a business licence, to cover the legal costs she has incurred and any other relief the court may deem just to grant.
The city declined to comment on the matter while it is before the court.
Man facing gun charges
Citizen staff
A man has been charged with 14 firearms related offences from a police raid on a Hart-area home.
Robert Daniel Davis was arrested in October when RCMP seized seven guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from a Poplar Place property. Davis also faces a count of possession of stolen property over $5,000, after a travel trailer and ATV were confirmed stolen, RCMP said.
The charges were approved on Jan. 21. Davis has been in custody since his arrest on charges of breaching the conditions of his release in relation to a previous alleged offence, also gun related.
Jason Slade, a supporter with the nearby Unist’ot’en camp run by Wet’suwet’en members, said Monday that work only halted temporarily and the traplines had been destroyed.
He said excavation had begun at the site of a planned “man camp.”
The Unist’ot’en allege the actions violate the Wildlife Act by interfering with lawful trapping, as well as an agreement that the Wet’suwet’en hereditary clan chiefs had reached with RCMP allowing the company access to the area and ensuring traditional practices like trapping could continue.
The clan also alleges it is violating its permits with the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission and Environmental Assessment Office by beginning construction work before an archaeological impact assessment has been complete.
In a letter to the commission on Friday, Chief Knedebeas of the Unist’ot’en Clan points to an affidavit filed by a company official in November as part of its court injunction application, saying the assessment is scheduled for May.
Knedebeas asks in the letter that a stopwork order be issued immediately while the allegations are investigated.
Citizen staff
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
Youth faces terror charges
A dash of condescension
Say goodbye to the four food groups. Almost 12 years after the launch of the previous version, the new Canada’s Food Guide celebrates food by displaying a plate filled with greens, fruits, plant proteins and grains. And if you look carefully, you’ll see a cup of yogurt alongside a piece of beef that looks a little like a piece of wood.
Unlike the old version, the new guide can apply to different demographic groups and lifestyles.
In a somewhat less innovative vein, it also encourages Canadians to cook, eat with other people and consider water as their drink of choice.
In all, the new food guide is a bold move from Health Canada, but it still misses the mark in some areas.
The plate concept is clever. Few Canadians could tell how big portions should be in the old version and many can relate to the size of a plate.
Dominated by vegetables and fruits, grains and proteins are now sidekicks. And, as expected, animal-based proteins are now second fiddle to plant-based proteins. Dairy and meat products have lost the protein wars, which means that in Ottawa, Health Canada won over Agriculture and Food Canada, probably for the first time.
Nutrition-conscious minds prevailed, for better or worse.
The guide has always showcased our agricultural know-how, beginning with the first edition in 1942. Then, not only did almost 30 per cent of our population live on farms, but nearly 30 per cent of our national gross domestic product came from agriculture. It was expected that the government would promote commodities grown in our backyard. That guide displayed products we all knew: milk, fish and meat.
platform will do no great harm, only alienating regions that historically support the Conservatives.
Phrases such as “enjoy your food,” “be mindful of eating habits” and the patronizing “be aware of food marketing” are prominent.
Now, fewer than two per cent of Canadians live on farms and agriculture represents a fraction of our national GDP.
The tone of this new guide is different, as well – it embraces a different language: the nutrient-focused jargon Health Canada believes Canadians are ready for.
Fibre and proteins are at the core of this new publication. The guide has gone urban for the first time. It’s more contemporary, multicultural and adaptable to varying modern diets.
It’s about time.
For the Liberal government heading into an election in the fall, this city-friendly
There are some weak points in this new guide, though. Some of it is condescending, with trite advice only an idealistic health professional would give. Phrases such as “enjoy your food,” “be mindful of eating habits” and the patronizing “be aware of food marketing” are prominent. As the guide became more sophisticated about what we should be eating, it also got a little smug, treating all Canadians like five-year-olds. The food industry spends billions on marketing and Canadians see an average of 1,500 advertisements a day. Is Health Canada suggesting Canadians can hide from all of this for the sake of eating better?
That’s a stretch.
And in the new guide, Health Canada is at odds with the buy-local movement.
Eggs, poultry and milk are by far the biggest losers. Supported by supply management, our grandiose protectionist policy that allows us to produce what we need, these sectors might end up overproducing in just a few years. As we institutionalize
Answering to no one
There’s an obvious clue as to how the spending habits of the clerk and sergeant-at-arms got to the point that a police investigation is underway, the two are suspended, people are scandalized and a legislature log-splitter is a national joke.
It’s in the 1992 law that created and governs the legislative assembly management committee, where most of the drama since the suspensions has played out.
The act lays out the powers and duties of MLAs who are members. Among them are the “supervision and management” of legislature staff.
But there’s a catch.
The supervision and management applies to all staff, “other than permanent officers of the legislative assembly.”
So who supervises the permanent officers?
The answer is pretty clear.
No one.
The Speaker is their nominal boss. But cases of Speakers exerting direct oversight over clerks and querying their expense accounts are few and far between. It’s usually much more the case that a Speaker, with far less parliamentary experience than the permanent officers, just goes along with whatever they decide. Until Darryl Plecas came along.
He developed suspicions on Day 1, spent most of a year doing detective work and last week produced dozens of allegations of wildly inappropriate spending. He
did so in the face of considerable skepticism, this corner included.
The loophole that exempts the officers from the oversight committee’s reach prompted some concern six years ago.
It was raised by none other than MLA John Horgan, on Aug. 28, 2012, at the first open public meeting of the management committee. He was then Opposition house leader. Members were grappling with the fallout from then-auditor general John Doyle’s evisceration of the financial controls at the legislature. The do-nothing committee was finally taking itself seriously.
The committee’s lack of jurisdiction over the clerk and sergeant-at-arms had been confirmed in a briefing document.
Horgan asked: “If we don’t manage the table officers and the sergeant-at-arms – and it’s nothing personal, Gary (Lenz) – who does?”
Then-Speaker Bill Barisoff said he did. There was lengthy discussion and Horgan said he’d prefer that the officers be brought under the committee’s supervision.
“We have a document now that says… we’re not responsible for them. They’re not responsible to us.” He objected to being barred from asking critical questions.
“It jumps off the page to me…
We are accountable for your actions, Craig (James), and your staff, but we have no ability to control that by supervision or management, according to this.
“I want to make sure that I have the ability if there is incompetence demonstrated or malfeasance that I have an obligation and a responsibility to follow up on – that I can.”
Fixing that loophole would have required legislation, but there’s no record of any amendment.
The striking aspect of that meeting was James’s response to Horgan. James was then in charge of executing the sweeping reforms to improve accountability.
Responding to Horgan, he said: “If I could just offer one comment, which I hope is not overly provocative… I do agree with John Horgan in relation to the management of employees, and I hope to hold myself up as an example of an exemplary clerk who is fully and totally accountable, not only to this committee but to all members of the legislative assembly, and in the proper and prudent financial carriage of (the legislature budget) to the public.”
He held to that theme through five more years of open management-committee meetings.
Now he and Lenz, who sat in on all those meetings, are the subject of a police investigation and are mentioned on every page of Plecas’s 76-page indictment of their spending and expense-account practices. And their “permanent” offices don’t look so permanent.
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a new message, behaviours will change. Domestic production of these commodities might require recalibration soon and many of our farms could disappear. Our agricultural trade policies aren’t synchronized with our domestic food policies and the new guide will only make things worse. Ottawa can’t carry on stating it unconditionally supports supply-management policy. It clearly doesn’t anymore. On the fruit-and-vegetable front, things could get tricky, as well. We’re highly vulnerable due to our dependency on imported fruits and vegetables, especially in winter. It’s the most volatile food category for consumers. For example, lettuce prices went up by a whopping 39.4 per cent over 12 months in Canada. These price shifts are hard for consumers to cope with.
We have to raise our veggie game in Canada – fast.
So the new food guide is a step forward, despite the dash of demeaning comments. If we can get Health Canada to review the guide every five years, as most other industrialized nations do, perhaps it will stop treating the release as if it were revealing the location of Cleopatra’s tomb. — Sylvain Charlebois is scientific director of the Canadian Agrifood Foresight Institute and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Taxing situation
Taxes. ’Tis impossible to be sure of anything but Death and Taxes, or so said Christopher Bullock in 1716. It is an oft-repeated idiom that taxes are our unavoidable lot in life. As we approach the federal budget, I am sure we are going to be hearing a lot about tax cuts. Promises of tax cuts to individuals, families and business always play well in a preelection budget. At the same time, we have a tremendous infrastructure deficit in this country. Consider Prince Rupert, a town of 15,000, which is presently under a “boil water” advisory because their drinking water is not considered safe nor has it been for a while. Or the sinkholes emerging under city streets in Prince George. Or the traffic congestion – should I say parking lot? – which emerges daily through the Deas Island tunnel between Richmond and Delta.
Billions and billions of dollars are required to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure. Where is this money going to come from? We could borrow it but then the national debt increases. We can run deficits and although that sounds nicer, they have the same result – our national debt increases. We could turn to the private sector, but what are the incentives? Where’s the profit?
Tax cuts don’t build infrastructure.
The U.S. government shutdown sparked a rather amusing but pointed exchange on the Daily Show. The story was about federal workers starting GoFundMe campaigns to pay for daily necessities. One of the correspondents, Michael Kosta, suggested this would be a good way to run government, period. All of the workers could solicit direct funding from the public.
To paraphrase their discussion, host Trevor Noah then asked which servants should get funded. Kosta was in favour of funding the ones he wanted to help. Noah made the point that he might have a different group of workers he would be in favour of funding.
Kosta then conceded everyone should be funded as they do important work. But if we are going to fund everyone, Noah asked, how are we going to do that? To which Kosta suggested everyone could contribute a percentage of their income with those making more money contributing a little more.
“And how would this be managed?” asked Noah. Well, replied Kosta, you would hire some people to collect from everyone. To which Noah asked “But isn’t that just government?”
I am probably not doing the exchange justice but the central
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theme was a recognition we need the services provided by government and we need to pay for them somehow. Taxes are the cost of living in our society. They provide the things we need and want. Which brings us to the report from the Speaker of the Legislature on the misdeeds of the clerk and sergeant-at-arms. The amount of money involved is not really a lot – although it is likely more than I will make in my lifetime. But the principle that someone would use government funds in such a way is galling. After all, clothes, paidout unapproved vacation time, a truckload of liquor and an incredibly expensive wood splitter are not what we thought we were buying when we paid our taxes. We thought we were supporting clean drinking water for Prince Rupert or medical care for seniors. This sort of waste undercuts our trust in the government. There are around 40,000 civil servants in the province and only two are singled out but those two bring into question how our money is being spent across all ministries. And be assured, it is our money – yours and mine – which is being spent by our government on our behalf.
I don’t have an issue paying my fair share to support doctors and nurses or road construction project or clean drinking water infrastructure. But I do have issues with supporting wasteful spending. Maybe we should have GoFundMe campaigns for each worker. We can contribute to the employees or the hospitals or the roads we think are important.
Of course, the richer parts of the province would get all the benefits and the poorer areas would be stuck without services. Perhaps there needs to be a mechanisms to even it out and have each contributor’s share spread around to all the doctors and nurses and road construction projects and clean drinking water. Maybe there should be a central repository to collect all of the money and allocate it reasonably. Hold on, maybe there should be taxes.
As we build up to the federal election, I believe we’re going to hear from Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives a lot about cutting taxes and avoiding unaffordable tax increases. But what he’ll really be saying is he doesn’t want to pay for the things we collectively use or enjoy. Low taxes and replacing infrastructure are not compatible propositions.
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TODD WHITCOMBE
As I See It
LES LEYNE
In the Fast Leyne
B.C. gov’t has little power for legislature oversight, Horgan says
VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier John Horgan says a recent report alleging spending abuses by the clerk and sergeant-at-arms raises concerns about a broader culture of “entitlement” in the legislature, but there isn’t much he can do as premier.
Horgan said the Speaker and a management committee are responsible for the legislature, while as premier he is head of the government. All the government can do is pass legislation to increase oversight, he said.
“I appreciate this sounds odd but it’s just the way it is,” he told reporters Monday.
“I raised these issues five, six years ago, when I was on the Legislative Assembly Management Committee. I said, ‘Why are these two guys exempt? Why are they not covered by any of the oversight that anybody else is?’”
The committee, chaired by the Speaker and made up of the three house leaders and other legislature members, is responsible for the financial accounting of the legislature.
Speaker Darryl Plecas released a report last week that alleged clerk Craig James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz overspent on trips, purchased personal items at taxpayers’ expense, and misappropriated alcohol and equipment.
James and Lenz were placed on administrative leave in November during an ongoing police investigation. Both
men deny any wrongdoing and say the allegations will be proven untrue.
Horgan, a New Democrat, said the previous Liberal government ignored the concerns he raised on the committee.
He said the allegations in the report by Plecas “absolutely” raise concerns about the culture of the legislature.
When James was appointed clerk, the Opposition NDP voted against it because there was no process and no competition, Horgan said.
The Liberals had previously “arbitrarily” installed James as chief electoral officer, he added.
“It’s a big deal and we raised it at the time but the Liberals were in government,” he said.
“They should be the ones answering these questions, not me.”
Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said the Liberal caucus wants to see the situation fixed, but Horgan is looking for someone to blame. Horgan has been premier for the past 18 months while the alleged improper spending occurred, he noted in a telephone interview.
Wilkinson disputed the claim that Horgan raised concerns on the management committee several years ago.
“He said nothing about expenses. It’s a little bit rich now,” he said.
In response to Horgan’s comment that he has little influence over the legislature, Wilkinson said NDP members of the legislature, including House Leader Mike Farnworth, control the management committee.
Chinese exec faces 13 charges in U.S.
James McCARTEN Citizen news service
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice laid out its case Monday against Canada’s most famous corporate detainee, unsealing 13 criminal counts of conspiracy, fraud and obstruction against Chinese tech juggernaut Huawei Technologies and arrested telecom scion Meng Wanzhou. The indictment, based on 23 grand jury allegations, accuses Huawei and Meng – the company’s chief financial officer and daughter of its founder – of misrepresenting their ownership of a Hong Kong-based subsidiary between 2007 and 2017 to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran. The company’s U.S. branch is also accused of stealing trade secrets and equipment from cellphone provider T-Mobile USA. And it was unsealed on the very day that the Trump administration announced new high-level trade talks with China, fuelling questions about whether the two are linked – questions the White House batted down. Meng, who is free on bail in Vancouver after her arrest Dec. 1 at the behest of U.S. authorities, is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit both. Huawei and its subsidiary Skycom face charges of bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy, as well as of violating the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act – the sanctions law. Huawei and Huawei USA are also charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice related to the grand jury investigation.
The alleged conduct bore the hallmarks not of rogue actors, but of “corporate-sponsored behaviour” that was directed as company policy, acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker told a
Man jailed for life for killing B.C. girl
Camille BAINS Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — A judge called Garry Handlen a sexual predator and sentenced him to life in prison for killing a 12-year-old girl in 1978 but moments later dismissed a case involving allegations that the man murdered another British Columbia girl three years earlier.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Austin Cullen said Handlen preyed on the vulnerable and weak to commit barbaric crimes and has already been convicted for other sexual assaults.
Handlen, 71, was found guilty by a jury earlier this month of the first-degree murder of Monica Jack, who disappeared while riding her bike in Merritt on May 6, 1978.
He confessed to an undercover officer in November 2014 that he abducted Jack, sexually assaulted and strangled her before burning her clothes and parts of her body.
“This particular crime is among the worst of its kind and you are among the worst of offenders,” Cullen told Handlen on Monday. “Your actions were certain to bring an innocent child terror and pain before her life was so savagely ended.”
Handlen had also been charged with the firstdegree murder of 11-year Kathryn-Mary Herbert in or near Matsqui in 1975, but he pleaded not guilty to that crime after being sentenced for Jack’s murder.
Crown counsel Mark Sheardown told court no evidence would be presented in Herbert’s case.
Outside court, Crown spokesman Dan McLaughlin said Handlen had confessed to Herbert’s murder during the so-called Mr. Big operation in Minden, Ont., but the judge found that confession to be inadmissible.
“John Horgan squarely is responsible for the events of the last 18 months, and he was on the management committee when things started to go sideways seven, eight years ago. It’s him that needs to be accountable for this.”
Wilkinson has called for the immediate public posting online of all legislature expenses, a ban on foreign travel unless approved six weeks in advance by the all-party committee that manages the legislature’s finances, and a review of accounting procedures by the auditor general.
Horgan said the management committee must decide whether to call a review by Auditor General Carol Bellringer.
“I have no problem with her going in and doing the audit,” he said.
After the report by Plecas was released last week, Lenz and James said in a joint statement they had only just learned of its contents.
“We are only now able to read the allegations for the first time and we are confident that time will show that they are completely false and untrue,” they said.
Horgan fielded a number of questions on Monday. On the issue of Canada’s relationship with China after the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver’s airport last month, Horgan said the association is deteriorating.
He said B.C. does a lot of business with China and although there’s uncertainty at the moment he’s confident the two jurisdictions will move past it.
He said the Crown will review its option regarding that ruling before deciding whether to take any further steps.
Just four months after Handlen murdered Jack, he was handed a 12-year sentence for sexually assaulting another young woman.
A conviction of first-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with 25 years before Handlen will be eligible to apply for parole.
news conference.
“These are very serious actions by a company that appears to be using corporate espionage and sanctions violations to not only enhance, potentially, their bottom line, but also to compete in the world economy,” Whitaker said.
“This is something the United States will not stand for, and we’re going to continue to investigate and prosecute these types of cases, because ultimately it undermines the national security and economic security of our country.”
Whitaker confirmed that the department is proceeding with its extradition efforts against Meng in accordance with the existing timetable, which requires that the formal request be registered with the Canadian courts by Wednesday.
Both he and FBI Director Christopher Wray proffered thanks to their Canadian counterparts for their help and, in Whitaker’s words, “their steadfast commitment to the rule of law.”
The indictment alleges that beginning in 2007, Huawei falsely claimed that Skycom was not an affiliate, and denied operating in Iran or violating U.S. sanctions.
When news reports in 2013 found that it was, “Huawei employees, and in particular Meng, continued to lie to Huawei’s banking partners about Huawei’s relationship with Skycom,” the department says in a brief on the case. They claimed that Huawei had sold its stake in Skycom – a sale the U.S. alleges was “orchestrated... to appear as an arm’slength transaction between two unrelated parties, when in fact Huawei actually controlled the company that purchased Skycom.” Meng, the brief continues, made a presentation in August 2013 to a banking executive in which she “repeatedly lied” about the links between the two.
Laura KANE Citizen news service
FILE PHOTO
Premier John Horgan speaks during a press conference in the press theatre at the Legislature in Victoria on May 29.
SUPER BOWL FESTIVITIES BEGIN Page 9
Eyes for the net
Curtis Hammond of the Cariboo Cougars breaks in alone and fires a shot on Thompson Blazers goaltender Kobe Grant on Sunday morning at Kin 1. The Cougars and Blazers were
playing the second game of a weekend doubleheader in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League. The Cougars led the Blazers 4-3 after two periods in this game but eventually lost 6-5. The Cougars won Saturday’s opener 5-2. In the standings, the Cats are in third place with a 17-6-5 record. The fifth-place Blazers sit at 17-13-0-0. The Cougars will be in Kelowna this weekend for a pair of games against the last-place Kootenay Ice (4-22-1-1).
Goalie’s gamble pays off in Kings’ win
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
Logan Neaton considers himself a conservative goalie, not the roaming type who strays far from his crease to play the puck.
He knows his own capabilities as the Prince George Spruce Kings’ starting netminder and he would admit puck-handling is not one of his strong suits. But every so often the opportunity to become a wanderer presents itself, like it did about 13 minutes into Saturday’s game against the Coquitlam Express at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. Trailing 1-0, the Express came close to firing the equalizer when Dustin Manz mishandled the puck at the far blueline and Express centre Cooper Connell intercepted. He chipped the puck ahead with his stick and took off on a breakaway, but before Connell could catch up to the sliding puck goalie Neaton raced out of his crease past the ringette line and got to it first. Neaton whiffed on the clearing attempt and the puck landed on Joshua Bruce’s stick but his rushed shot at the empty net went wide. It was one of only a handful of
CITIZEN
Prince George Spruce Kings defenceman Jay Keranen considers his options while being watched by Chase Danol of the Coquitlam Express during the Express’s stop at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena on the weekend. The Spruce Kings won both games, 4-3 in a shootout on Friday and 6-1 on Saturday.
misadventures in an otherwise uneventful night for Neaton, who stopped 23 of 24 shots as the Kings cruised to a 6-1 victory in front of a crowd of 926.
“That probably wasn’t my smartest decision. Looking back I probably should have taken
the breakaway against, but my defenceman did a great job of filling in behind me and making a big play for us especially early in the game,” said Neaton. “I read the play and I knew we’d probably be meeting at the same time and I ended up getting the puck but
Pettis 11th in Oakland supercross
Citizen staff
You’ve got to hand it to Prince George motocross racer Jess Pettis.
He’s proving he belongs racing the best in the world.
Pettis did it again Saturday night in Oakland, Calif., finishing 11th in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross in the 250 SX
class. Pettis, 21, qualified 10th and was 21st out of the gate in the main event. He picked up 10 positions during the 16-lap race. Now four races into his first season racing full-time on the 17-round AMA circuit, Pettis has been a model of consistency in the first month of the season. The KTM Factory/Red Bull rider finished 10th at
their second forechecker ended up beating me to the loose puck.
If there’s no defenceman there he might have had an easier shot.” Manz scored two goals to pace the Kings’ attack. Liam WatsonBrawn, Patrick Cozzi, Ben Poisson and Nick Poisson were the Prince
Anaheim No. 1, 12th in Glendale, Ariz., 11th at Anaheim No. 2 and 11th Saturday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. He has collected 48 points, which puts him 11th in the West series points standings.
Adam Cianciarulo of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., won Saturday’s 250 SX main. Dylan Ferrandis of Murieta, Calif., was second and Colt Nichols of Muskogee, Okla., was
George goal-scorers. Jared Power scored the Express goal on a shorthanded breakaway, spoiling Neaton’s bid for his fourth B.C. Hockey League shutout with less than five minutes to play.
The shutout would have been a nice addition to the three he’s already collected in his first BCHL season but the win, the Kings’ second of the weekend against Coquitlam, was what’s important to Neaton.
“We’re coming down the stretch here, every point’s important. Us and Chilliwack are in very tight quarters so for me it’s all about wins and if one happened to get by me, it is what it is,” said Neaton, a 20-year-old native of Brighton, Mich. — see SPRUCE KINGS, page 8
third. Nichols leads the West points standings with 91 points.
In the 450 SX class, Cooper Webb of Newport, N.C., led from start to finish in the 21-lap man event. Marvin Musquin of Corona, Calif., was second and Blake Baggett of Grand Terrace, Calif., was third. The series moves to San Diego for races this Saturday.
PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Cougars’ slide hits seven
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
Three goals in three games. That’s all the goal-starved Prince George Cougars could manage in their weekend tour of the WHL Central Division and that’s not a recipe for winning hockey. Not in any league.
The Cougars are the lowest-scoring team in the Western Hockey League and their scoring woes continued Sunday afternoon in Edmonton where they lost 2-1 to the Oil Kings, which extended the Cats’ losing streak to seven games.
A second-period lull by the Cougars led to turnovers and goals 2:07 apart from Oil Kings defenceman Conner McDonald and that’s all the offence Edmonton needed to overpower the Cats, playing their third game in less than three days.
Vladislav Mikhalchuk gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead with the only goal of the first period, scoring on a power-play pass out of the corner from defenceman Joel Lakusta.
McDonald tied it 6:48 into the second when he stole the puck deep in Edmonton territory and took off up the right side, skating the length of the ice until he let go a shot from a sharp angle that went in under the arm of goalie Taylor Gauthier. The winning goal came during an Oil Kings’ power play at 8:55, a one-timer from the point from McDonald that sailed through a tangle of bodies in front of Gauthier.
The Cougars had their chances in the third period while outshooting the Oil Kings 12-7 but were unable to beat Todd Scott, who made 27 saves in the Edmonton nets. The visitors’ late-game push for the equalizer suffered irreparable damage with 2:48 left to play when Cougars
defenceman Rhett Rhinehart took an undisciplined cross-checking penalty, using his stick to push Quinn Benjafield from behind into the boards. The Cougars got Gauthier to the bench for the extra skater with 40 seconds left and had puck control in the Edmonton zone but were unable to muster any quality shots on Scott. Shots were 32-28 in favour of the Oil Kings (26-15-4-4), who moved back into first place in the ultra-tight Central Division. Just two points separates the Oil Kings from the fourth-place Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Cougars started their trip with a 4-1 loss Friday to the Calgary Hitmen. They moved on to Red Deer Saturday night and suffered a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Rebels.
In each of their last seven losses, the Cougars have scored two goals or less. Through 48 games they’ve scored just 105 goals, an average 2.19 per game.
They’ll try to get back on the winning side of the ledger Friday night in Kamloops against a Blazer team that’s won all five games between the teams this season.
The Cougars (16-27-3-2) remained five points behind the Kelowna Rockets, who occupy the third and final playoff spot in the B.C. Division. The Cats are still within striking distance of the Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Left winger Josh Maser returned to the Cougars’ lineup Sunday after serving a three-game suspension for a hit on Blazers defenceman Quinn Schmiemann, Jan. 20.
Cougars top-line centre Ethan Browne missed his second game since suffering an upper-body injury in Friday’s game in Calgary.
Maple Leafs land Muzzin in trade with Kings
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenceman Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night for a first-round pick and two prospects, bolstering their blueline with a Stanley Cup-winning veteran. Los Angeles gets forward Carl Grundstrom and the rights to unsigned defenceman Sean Durzi in the deal, along with a first-round pick in 2019.
Muzzin is a steady veteran defenceman signed through next season at a salary cap hit of $4 million. The blueline has been Toronto’s biggest weakness this season, and Muzzin could be a top-four defenceman for the Leafs, perhaps fitting in their
top pairing with Morgan Rielly. The 29-year-old Muzzin has four goals and 17 assists in 50 games this season, struggling at times along with his teammates in the last-place Kings’ miserable year. His departure is the biggest sign yet general manager Rob Blake is willing to reboot the roster of a club with just one playoff victory in the past four seasons since its second Stanley Cup title. After going undrafted in 2009 and signing with Los Angeles as a free agent, Muzzin played his way into a steady NHL career with the Kings. He was a key contributor during their run to the 2014 title, scoring 12 points in 26 playoff games.
Nothing but net
Nusdeh Yoh Elementary (in red) and Van Bien Elementary took to the court at the
Northern Sport Centre last Friday during the Junior Timberwolves School District 57 Hoops Classic elementary school basketball tournament. In the final, the Spruceland Spartans defeated the Quinson Quasars 28-16. In the semifinal round the Spartans beat Van Bien while the Quasars got past Westwood.
UBC men show their power to Timberwolves
Citizen staff
The UBC Thunderbirds are on a sweet-16 run of success.
They completed a weekend sweep of the visiting UNBC Timberwolves Saturday in Vancouver in their final home games of the U Sports Canada West men’s basketball season, handing the T-wolves an 88-73 loss in Vancouver to improve to 17-1.
Their 16th-straight victory kept the Tbirds’ hopes alive of catching the undefeated Calgary Dinos (18-0) for first place in the conference. Each team has two games left. The T-wolves (8-10) slipped to 10th place in the 17-team league. The top 12 advance to the playoffs.
“We challenged our guys today to be tougher defensively and I thought we did that,” said UNBC head coach Todd Jordan. “We’re dealing with some injuries and we’re a little bit thin up front... got into some foul trouble which hurt us late but I’m proud of how the guys battled today. We did struggle to score in the first half which was probably the major difference in the game but we scrapped back in getting within a couple baskets. UBC is a hell of a team and we weren’t able to get it done today but it was a better effort for sure.”
Grant Shephard hit 10 of his 11 field goal attempts for a 24-point game with 13 rebounds. Jadon Cohee had 19 points and Mason Bourcier collected 13 points and nine assists. UNBC trailed 37-28 at halftime.
Vova Pluzhnikov finished with 21 points to lead the T-wolves. The Ukrainian import
hit five triples and had six rebounds. James Agyeman and Jovan Leamy each totaled 16 points and six rebounds and Austin Chandler was good for eight points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
UNBC used just three bench players in Saturday’s game. The T-birds sunk 51.6 per cent of their shots from the field (33-for-64) and also won the battle of the boards 51-36.
The T-wolves lost 94-75 to UBC on Friday. Earlier Saturday in the women’s game, UBC earned a split in the weekend series, defeating the T-wolves 93-79. Maddison Penn led the way offensively with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Jessica Hanson delivered 19 points and five assists and Madison Legault finished with 12 points. Madison Landry and Vasiliki Louka each contributed 19 points to the UNBC attack. Alina Shakirova had an 18-point game with seven rebounds, Abby Gibb shot 11 points and Maria Mongomo picked up 10 points and 12 rebounds.
UBC led 51-37 at the half.
The T-birds (13-5) are fifth in the conference and are within striking distance of Alberta (14-4) for fourth place, which would guarantee a first-round playoff bye. The T-wolves (10-8) rank seventh in the Canada West standings, having clinched a playoff spot Friday when they beat the T-birds 77-60 to end UBC’s nine-game winning streak. UNBC needs to finish at least eighth to host the opening round of playoffs for the first time in their seven-year Canada West history.
Spruce Kings earned their breaks: Maglio
— from page 7
“Especially with how the points are now, you can’t let any game slip away.”
The win moved the second-place Spruce Kings (29-12-1-5) 10 points ahead of the third-place Express (25-19-2-2) in the Mainland Division standings. The Kings remained five points behind the first-overall Chilliwack Chiefs, 2-1 shootout winners Saturday in Wenatchee.
The Kings struck first, 3:20 into the game, when Watson-Brawn left his point position and went after a loose puck in the corner and while standing near the goal line found a sliver of net behind goalie Clay Stevenson.
Nick Poisson added to the tally midway through the second period deflecting a shot in off an Express defender while standing behind the net. Five minutes later Cozzi scored with a 20-foot shot after a face-off win in the Coquitlam end.
The teams started to show their dislike for each other in the latter stages of the second period. The Spruce Kings successfully killed off a lengthy two-man disadvantage and then it was Coquitlam’s turn in the third period. The Express took six straight minor penalties and the Kings cashed in with three power-play goals.
Manz started it when he drove to the net and was rewarded when Dylan Anhorn fired a hard pass out of the corner into the slot that kicked off the skate of Manz and trickled in.
The Kings scored their prettiest goal of the night with seven seconds left in a 5-on-3 advantage, a tic-tac-toe passing play from Nick Bochen to Ben Brar that Manz finished with a wrist shot after Brar found him in the slot. After Power went to his backhand to score on Neaton, Ben Poisson capped
the scoring in the final minute, picking up his 18th of the season, blasting a one-timer from the right side, set up by defenceman Layton Ahac.
Shots were 38-24 in favour of the Kings.
“I thought the group responded well today, just a couple minor adjustments and we stuck to it,” said Kings head coach Adam Maglio. “Where it counted in the third, we stayed disciplined and stuck to our game plan. When you put yourself in good spots and work hard for it, good things happen and we earned that tonight.”
Express head coach and general manager Jason Fortier said his players didn’t match the intensity they showed Friday coming back from a 3-1 deficit in their 4-3 shootout loss to a Spruce Kings team they could face in the first round of playoffs in early March.
“You’ve got to make your own breaks and unfortunately we had a good first (period) and didn’t answer back,” said Fortier “They’re a good team and they have a high work ethic and if you don’t match their work ethic you’re not going to have success against them. If you slow down against this team they’re going to hurt you.
“Unfortunately in that third period I don’t think any of those should have gone in. As a coach you kind of get lost for words when your team doesn’t step up and put their body on the line and block shots, especially when other teams do it like these guys do it to us. They make the power play very tough.
“We’ve already beaten them, we know we can beat them in the playoffs if that’s a matchup. I think we’ll be a lot more robust in the playoffs.” The Kings are at home this weekend for two games against the Surrey Eagles.
Djokovic in position to take run to top
Howard FENDRICH Citizen news service
Novak Djokovic sounds like a man ready to embrace the chase.
Already at 15 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic is now only two majors behind Rafael Nadal’s total of 17, and five shy of Roger Federer’s men’s record of 20.
So a day after winning the Australian Open for his third Slam trophy in a row, Djokovic was asked about whether he is pursuing them.
It’s the sort of thing some athletes – including Nadal, repeatedly, over the years – downplay or try to deflect entirely. Not Djokovic. He’s owning this.
“Well, if I’m still playing and winning Slams, I think it’s logical to conclude that I am,” he said at a photo shoot Monday. “I’m blessed to be able to win 15. I know there are two guys ahead of me now, in the history of the most Slams won, but I still have time. I’m not rushing.”
That’s his team’s theme.
Late Sunday night at Melbourne Park, Djokovic’s coach, Marian Vajda, couldn’t stop smiling as he dissected the unbelievably lopsided 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Nadal in the final – and its larger significance.
Yes, Vajda said, a record seventh championship in Australia means a lot. But he was interested in discussing a different tally.
“More important is the other
number that he’s getting up to, 15. It’s an incredible, incredible number. I don’t want to go too far, but he’s in a very good position now for going for a little bit more,” Vajda said. “But 20 is still far away. A lot of things can happen. At the moment, Novak feels really good about reaching, maybe, another Grand Slam victory.”
Just one more?
“Yes, one more,” Vajda said with a hearty laugh, his voice rising as he fiddled with his tournament accreditation pass. “And then
one more. And then one more. And then one more! One by one. Absolutely, his long-term goal is to reach Rafa’s number and, if it’s possible – and his age allows it –Roger’s. Why not?”
A year removed from surgery to his right elbow, Djokovic is painfree, ranked No. 1 and, perhaps, better than ever.
The near-perfection with which he won his last two matches – a combined 58 winners and 14 unforced errors in his semifinal and final – was something Djokovic
termed “pleasantly surprising” and Nadal considered “the highest level possible.”
Against Nadal, who hadn’t dropped a set in the tournament or a service game since the first round, Djokovic managed five breaks. He also won 25 of the first 26 points he served.
“During the whole match, Novak was very disciplined,” was Vajda’s assessment. “He had so many ups. He didn’t have any downs.” And so it is that everything seems in play at the moment for Djokovic.
Osaka breaks new ground for Asian tennis
MELBOURNE (AP) — Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka is the first player from Asia to top the men’s or women’s tennis rankings while Canada’s Bianca Andreescu jumped 38 positions to a careerhigh No. 68.
Osaka is the youngest woman to make her debut at No. 1 in nine years.
“I feel like I’m literally just still learning,” the 21-year-old Osaka said. “Everyone kind of adjusts to being No. 1 in a different way.”
Simona Halep’s 48-week stay atop the WTA rankings ended Monday as she slid to No. 3 after a fourth-round loss to Serena Williams, one year after getting to the final at Melbourne Park.
Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., defeated American Jessica Pegula in the final of the 125K Series Oracle Challenger at Newport Beach, Calif., on Sunday. It was her first career WTA Tour title.
Andreescu also became the top Canadian on the rankings list, moving ahead of Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que. Bouchard rose three spots to No. 76.
Osaka’s second consecutive major title, following her success at the U.S. Open last year, helped her rise three spots. She was born in Japan – her mother is Japanese, her father is Haitian – and moved to the United States when she was three. She has dual citizenship and now is
based in Florida.
Osaka is the youngest woman to reach the top since 2010, when Caroline Wozniacki did it at 20.
“People were talking about (me) being No. 1 if I win this tournament. I was able to accomplish that,” said Osaka, who beat Petra Kvitova 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-4 in Saturday’s Australian Open final. “But the ranking was never my real goal. It was just to win this tournament.”
Kvitova jumped from No. 6 to No. 2.
Sloane Stephens is No. 4, and Karolina Pliskova went from No. 8 to No. 5.
Williams missed the 2018 tournament after having a baby; her quarterfinal run this
Four major titles in a row, something he already accomplished from 2015-16: Why not?
A calendar-year Grand Slam, something no man has done since Rod Laver in 1969: Why not?
Catching up to, and eventually surpassing, Nadal and Federer: Why not?
When Djokovic’s childhood idol, Pete Sampras, won the 2002 U.S. Open by beating his greatest rival, Andre Agassi, in the final, it raised his Grand Slam count to 14. At that point, no other man in the sport’s history had more than 12. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic had a combined zero major championships back then.
Look where that trio stands now.
Sampras had just turned 31 and would never play another match on tour.
Federer is 37, Nadal is 32, and Djokovic is 31. This is a different time.
As Vajda put it: “Roger is an example for all of us.”
So, yes, maybe Federer will add to his total. Nadal seems certain to, especially on the French Open’s red clay.
It’ll be fascinating to see where Djokovic winds up.
“I do want to definitely focus myself on continuing to improve my game and maintaining the overall well-being that I have –mental, physical, emotional – so I would be able to compete at such a high level for the years to come,” Djokovic said, “and have a shot at eventually getting closer to Roger’s record.”
time pushed her up five places to No. 11. Semifinalist Danielle Collins, a 25-year-old from Florida, climbed from No. 35 to No. 23. The woman she upset in the fourth round, three-time major champion Angelique Kerber, dropped from No. 2 to No. 6. Novak Djokovic’s record seventh Australian Open title allowed him to stay at No. 1 in the ATP rankings, and Rafael Nadal’s runner-up showing kept him at No. 2. But 2017-18 champion Roger Federer’s fourth-round exit took him from No. 3 down to No. 6. The player who beat Federer, 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, turned his first run to a Grand Slam semifinal into a career-best ranking of No. 12.
Super Bowl week kicks off with party-like atmosphere
Citizen news service
ATLANTA — Super Bowl Media Night
is the NFL’s version of a rock concert, with player interviews rather than music.
It’s a Mardi Gras party, complete with the costumes.
It’s a slow-motion stampede conducted mostly by quasi-media members or outright impostors.
Some Los Angeles Rams players and coach Sean McVay sat at podiums Monday night, answering questions ranging from serious to outrageous. Other Rams were spread across the mosh pit of a floor at the State Farm Arena, dealing with the mi-
crophones and TV cameras and the noise bouncing through the building.
This is the start of the biggest week in American football? Nowadays, it is.
“Very cool to be here,” said Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the only unanimous All-Pro this season.
He was, of course, sitting in the safety of a podium. As he looked out, he might spot a woman in a blue gown strutting for TV cameras who didn’t seem to be searching for anything football related. Or several people in full Mexican regalia – nice sombreros, for sure – giving their own interviews rather than asking anything about jet sweeps or corner blitzes.
There even was a man dressed in a clown suit from head to toe, wearing the makeup to complement the outfit. How fitting.
“You play all your career to get here,” Donald added. Presumably he meant to face the AFC champion Patriots on Sunday in the game, not the opening night that increasingly seems to be about anything but his profession. “It’s a blessing to be here.”
Melissa Whitworth, the wife of Donald’s teammate, tackle Andrew Whitworth, didn’t mind the mayhem at all. On hand with her four children – twins Sarah and Drew, both 7; Michael, who is 6; and Katherine, 4 – she has been a fan of Media Night for a while, and was happy her husband had gotten
Danol Coq (roughing), Anhorn
(rough-
Coq (roughing), Farrell Coq (misconduct), Manz PG (roughing), Coyle PG (misconduct), B.Poisson PG (unsportsmanlike conduct) 16:14, Watson-Brawn PG (roughing) 16:49. Third Period 4. Prince George, Manz 25 (Anhorn, Brar) 11:20 (pp) 5. Prince George, Manz 26 (Brar, Bochen) 14:22 (pp) 6. Coquitlam, Power 8 (Wildauer, Santalucia)15:14 (sh) 7. Prince George, B.Poisson 12 (Ahac, Cozzi) 19:35 (pp) Penalties – Kimens Coq (slashing) 10:40, Danol Coq (goaltender interference) 12:28, Cameron Coq (slashing) 13:22, Santalucia Coq (holding) 15:59. Walton Coq (slashing) 18:28. Shots on goal by Coquitlam
-24 Prince George 6 15 17 -38 Goal – Coquitlam, Stevenson (L,12-10-0-1); Prince George, Neaton (W,25-7-0-3). Referees – Kevin Crowell, Evan McKinnon; Linesmen – Tyler Garden, Anthony Maletta. Attendance – 926.
there at least.
“After 13 years,” she said with a wide smile, her kids nearby dressed in Rams jerseys with the number 77 and Whitworth on the back. “I love this night. I love everything about this night.”
So did daughter Sarah, who said she didn’t like football – she might have had quite a bit of company among the throngs paying more attention to each other than to the players. Asked if she watched her dad play, she shook her head ‘no’, noting she preferred ballet. That certainly beats the scrum going on around the Whitworths. And everywhere else on the floor.
AP PHOTO Novak Djokovic celebrates after defeating Rafael Nadal in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Sunday.
Rockers reflect on marital struggles
David FRIEND Citizen news service
Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk are no strangers to putting their marriage on display for public scrutiny, but in their new documentary I’m Going to Break Your Heart the musicians go a step further by inviting cameras into some uncomfortably tense situations.
In one scene, the couple spiral into an argument over creative freedom while composing a song together, and in another the layers of their emotional disconnection are peeled back with the help of a marriage counsellor.
It’s the kind of access you rarely see from Canadian musicians, who don’t often speak openly about relationships. But Maida suggests there’s value in revealing the steps they’ve taken to mend fractures that formed throughout 19 years of marriage and parenting three children.
“I don’t think we’re embarrassed by it,” the Our Lady Peace frontman said while sitting alongside his wife. “I would’ve been five years ago.”
Kreviazuk chimes in with a more decisive perspective on the emotional rawness she portrays in the counselling sessions.
“I think it would be great to not be embarrassed of that – if we could all not be so worried about what other people think,” she said.
“I love excellence but the place I most want it is in my home and with my partner. That’s my No. 1 priority.”
At the centre of I’m Going to Break Your Heart, showing at Calgary’s National Music Centre on Feb. 8, is the quest for the couple to rediscover passion for each other through music.
After five years of stalled plans, they resolve to escape their daily demands and temporarily resettle in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a self-governing archipelago off the coast of Newfoundland that’s a territory of France.
The isolated environment offers the setting for their project Moon vs. Sun, in which they create and perform music as a duo, to finally take shape. Kreviazuk and Maida push through late-night songwriting sessions where they clash over how to express their vision. Their single Lowlight is due for release on Friday.
Planning to bring their project to cities across the country as part of a concert tour later this year, they’ll also launch a podcast tentatively called The Together Space which interviews other couples who collaborate in their work.
“I don’t think you’d really understand these songs if you don’t (see) how they were conceived –that context is so crucial,” Maida said.
“It doesn’t really make sense to just show the songwriting if you don’t show the process of us in a relationship.”
Shaping that footage into a documentary proved more frustrating than either of them expected, Maida says. Certain editors felt the
I love excellence but the place I most want it is in my home and with my partner.
— Chantal Kreviazuk
story thrived on the clashes, rather than the creation of their album, so he says they would splice together separate therapy sessions to ratchet up the conflict.
“We saw some edits that we were like, ‘Why are you trying to make us look like we don’t love each other?”’ Kreviazuk added, pointing out they’ve participated in marriage coaching for 12 years.
“You can really play with that (and) make it look like dart after dart with no space for healing.”
Maida, 48, says watching an outsider’s version of the film take shape led him to seriously consider learning post-production software so that he could recut the film himself.
“I saw how quickly a choice could be made that just shifted the whole thing,” he said.
“It was inauthentic. Never mind it made us look terrible, it was like you’re telling lies now. We’re
trying to be as real, open and honest as possible and now you’re manipulating that. And so, you’re fired. And so we went through this process for a year.”
Eventually the documentary began screening for test audiences in Los Angeles and the couple listened while others dissected their relationship. Fingers were pointed in both directions, with some saying Maida acted like a jerk while Kreviazuk came across as needy.
“People were laughing,” Maida remembers. “They were angry. They said, ‘Would you get divorced?”’
Kreviazuk, 44, says she’s come to accept that viewers might insert their own experiences into her marriage, but she prefers to focus on the positivity the documentary is bringing out.
Since the film’s trailer debuted earlier this month she’s heard fans say it inspired them to reconnect with their own partners. She’s saving those messages on her phone as a reminder that speaking about the ups and downs of their marriage has rewards.
“I don’t really care if somebody thinks it’s a fail, because all I see here is a massive success,” Kreviazuk said. “I often feel like we’ve been together so long that it’s him and I against the world. I really love that.”
Arctic a solid, solitary, survival tale
Lindsey BAHR Citizen news service
The premise for Arctic is so simple it’s almost silly to describe: stranded man tries to survive. It’s also been done more than a few times in movies, so it’s understandable if hearing that invokes a yawn. And yet with barely any dialogue, traditional storytelling methods or even a cute pet or inanimate object to help, director Joe Penna and star Mads Mikkelsen have made a riveting and precisely plotted film worthy of other greats in the genre. Instead of Mars or a desert island, Mikkelsen’s character, Overgard, has had the misfortune of crash-landing his plane in the arctic. We don’t see the crash, and we don’t know how long he’s been there when we first meet him fussing with snow and rocks with purpose. But a wide-shot reveals what he’s working on: a massive SOS. OK, you think, he’s been here for a bit already. And he has a methodical, if uncomfortable-looking, little system in place to occupy his chilly days.
He’s dug out holes in the ice for fishing, stores the freshly caught fish in a cooler and takes one of the older ones for his meal, carving out little slices of frozen sashimi to eat with a knife. His days are mostly spent exploring, making notes on a little map and searching for signals with a device that’s never really explained. When the sun starts to fade it’s time to retire to the wrecked plane, where he removes his gloves and socks (what toes and fingers are left have been ravaged by frostbite) and gets ready for sleep, zipping himself up in a sleeping bag cocoon. A beeping alarm on his watch wakes him in the morning. The alarm is a lifeline, and goes off multiple times during the day, possibly to remind him to move on to the next task, or maybe as insurance to remind him to wake up should he drift off in an unprotected spot. Sure, it’s slightly monotonous, but he does seem to have a goal he’s working toward and he isn’t even close to giving up.
Then one day he sees a helicopter and the people inside seem to see him. I won’t spoil what comes next completely, but it is far from the end of his story and adds an interesting element to Overgard’s journey. But it’s the kind of film that might make you want to sign up for a wilderness survival class as soon as you walk out. It’s pretty amazing just how compelling this is for being so simple, but it allows the viewer to really get wrapped up in the minutiae of it all: the performance, the landscape, the minor triumphs and major setbacks.
When he discovers a tiny little lighter to heat a burner that allows him to actually eat cooked fish for the first time in forever, you can’t help but smile with satisfaction along with him. You’ll get a pit in your stomach when something doesn’t pan out and you’ll inspired by his motivation in the face of everything.
Mikkelsen is an empathetic presence, no matter how many villains he has to play. Penna, who has a background in shorts and music videos, is a strong visual storyteller and it’ll be interesting to see what he does next.
Just don’t confuse Arctic with Polar, the other early 2019 Mads Mikkelsen movie. But you’ll probably figure it out pretty quickly if you do – there are no assassins or Vanessa Hudgens-es in Arctic. — Three and a half stars out of four
CP PHOTO
Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida pose for a portrait at the Thompson Hotel in Toronto on Jan. 23.
MIKKELSEN
ANN WILLIAMS passed away on January 22nd, 2019 at the age of 67 years. She is survived by her daughter Lana (Dave) of Abbotsford and grandson Rhys, also her sister Jan of Ouesnel as well as many nieces and friends. Barb was predeceased by her husband Trav. Memorial services will be held at a later date to be announced.
GOUCHIE
MARY MADELINE
It is with great sadness that the family of Mary Gouchie announces her passing on Thursday, January 24, 2019 at the age of 97 after a short battle with cancer. Mary, our Matriarch, will be lovingly remembered by her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. Mary’s final days were spent surrounded by family at Prince George Hospice. Mary was the cornerstone of her family and will be sadly missed by not only her family but those whose lives she touched in the community.
Mary will be remembered for her unique ability to make each and every family member feel special in their own way. The family holds fond memories of her cooking and baking, sewing, quilting, crocheting amazing doilies, shoulder and change purses used around the world by International students. Mary prided herself at being able to figure things out and would tease she was a scientist, finance minister, engineer, and professor. The grandchildren never doubted this and if they had a problem they would ask Grandma. Mary’s philosophy of life was to keep busy, contribute to your community and always help others. Mary’s family described her as their very own ‘Queen’ and you would agree if you saw her out around town, her hair was done just so, her wardrobe co-ordinated and never without her lipstick and jewelry.
In her senior years Mary was instrumental in working with linguists to preserve the Lheidli T’enneh dialect of the Carrier Language. Mary worked tirelessly with Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, the City of Prince George, UNBC, CNC and many others to preserve, protect, document and expand the use of the Carrier language in Prince George. Mary had the ability to translate local street/tourist signs, venue meeting rooms, several community buildings, including the entrance sign of UNBC. Mary gained notable recognition for naming the sports events for the 2015 Canada Winter Games held in Prince George. Mary was extremely proud to be able to enrich the culture of Lheidli T’enneh Traditional Territory through language. The people who worked tirelessly with her will remember her for her hard work while remaining thankful and humble for her contributions. She is survived by her loving children Janet Kozak, Duncan (Norma) Gouchie, Murphy (Noella) Gouchie, Shirley (Ross) Wiltermuth, Fred (Barb) Johnston, Laura Luth and JoAnne (Fred) Berezanski. Her grandchildren Buddy, Kym, & Mike (Cheryl) Gouchie, Edward Hay, Diane Reid, Ella, Leonard, & Charlie Hay, Richard Gouchie, Jacqueline (Bob) Taylor Gouchie, Elaine Gagnon, Nicole & Ryan Wiltermuth, Carleigh (Geoff)Smart, Rhiannon (Steve) Mathieson & Landon Johnston, Cameron Andrews, Miranda Seymour & Kerri Chersinoff, Meghan Tomlin, Joey Berezanski and 33 great grandchildren and several greatgreat grandchildren. Mary was predeceased by her mother Lizette Seymour, father Duncan Seymour, brother Patrick Seymour, son’s Ernie Gouchie, Gilbert Gouchie and Douglas Berezanski. Visitation/Prayers will be held at Assman’s Funeral Chapel on February 1, 2019 at 2:00-5:00 PM Funeral Services will be held at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 2:00 PM The family would like to thank Dr. Javid, Dr. Kennedy, Dr. Patterson and the wonderful staff at Hospice. In lieu of flowers, the family would like you to consider making a donation to the Prince George Hospice in her name.
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MONEY IN BRIEF
Currencies
OTTAWA (CP) — These are indicative wholesale rates for foreign currency provided by the Bank of Canada on Monday. Quotations in Canadian funds.
May under new pressure to secure Brexit concessions
The markets today
TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index ended Monday in positive territory but markets in North America will be tested in the coming days with earnings reports by some of the world’s tech giants. Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft will report and be bellwethers for future performance, says Allan Small, senior investment adviser at HollisWealth.
“If they tell us business is softening expect the market to come down because these stocks are leading the market and they’ve led the market for the last few years,” he said in an interview.
“These big tech names are key and the crucial thing is to be watching for and it starts with Apple tomorrow after the bell.”
U.S. markets fell on earnings reports from Caterpillar and chipmaker Nvidia that missed analyst forecasts on softening Chinese demand. Small expects corporations to talk about how tariffs and a trade war are causing more companies to cut earnings and estimates.
“All in all I think companies are still continuing to tell us that things are not going that well and unfortunately a lot of it has to do with the U.S.-China trade situation,” Small said, adding that a threatened 25 per cent tariff on Chinese goods on March 1 would be a huge mistake.
“I think that would just basically it would kill the stock market and corporations I think would just go into hunker down mode.”
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 208.98 points at 24,528.22. The S&P 500 index was down 20.91 points at 2,643.85, while the Nasdaq composite was down 79.18 points at 7,085.69.
Trade negotiations between the world’s two largest economies are scheduled to resume later this week ahead of the Trump administration’s threat to impose large tariffs on Chinese imports. After markets closed, the U.S. Justice Department filed 13 charges including bank fraud against Chinese tech giant Huawei, affiliates and a top company executive.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 12.57 points at 15,378.62, after hitting a low of 15,276.91.
The March crude contract was down US$1.70 at US$51.99 per barrel and the March natural gas contract was down 19.9 cents at US$2.87 per mmBTU. Health care led the market on increases by several cannabis companies while the materials sector rose as gold companies benefited from rising metals prices. The February gold contract was up US$5 at US$1,305.90 an ounce and Canadian dollar traded for an average of 75.39 cents US.
LONDON — Pro-Brexit British lawmakers were mounting a campaign Monday to rescue Prime Minister Theresa May’s rejected European Union divorce deal in a parliamentary showdown, as major retailers warned the U.K. could face food shortages if it leaves the bloc without an agreement.
Lawmakers threw out May’s Brexit deal two weeks ago and will debate and vote today on competing plans for what to do next. Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29, with or without a deal.
Much of the business world say a no-deal Brexit would cause economic chaos by eliminating existing EU trade agreements and imposing tariffs, customs checks and other barriers between the U.K. and its main export market.
Chief executives of fast-food company McDonald’s and supermarket chains Sainsbury’s and Waitrose were among signatories to a letter to lawmakers warning of “significant disruption” if the U.K. leaves without a deal, given that nearly a third of Britain’s food comes from the EU.
“While we have been working closely with our suppliers on contingency plans it is not possible to mitigate all the risks to our supply chains,” said the retailers, who urged lawmakers to avoid a no-deal departure.
“We anticipate significant risks to maintaining the choice, quality and durability of food that our customers have come to expect in our stores,” they added.
May says she wants a deal, and insists her agreement can still win Parliament’s backing, if it is tweaked to alleviate concerns about a provision over the Irish border. The government hopes to bring the deal back for a new vote in Parliament in February.
May says she wants a deal, and insists her agreement can still win Parliament’s backing, if it is tweaked to alleviate concerns about a provision over the Irish border.
The border measure, known as the backstop, would keep the U.K. in a customs union with the EU in order to remove the need for checks along the frontier between the U.K.’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Britain leaves the bloc.
That border is crucial to the divorce deal because it will be the only land frontier between the U.K. and the EU after Brexit. Border checkpoints have disappeared since Ireland and Britain both became members of the EU single market in the 1990s, and since the 1998 Good Friday peace accord largely ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland.
Opposition to the backstop by pro-Brexit lawmakers – who fear it will trap Britain in regulatory lockstep with the EU – helped sink May’s deal on Jan. 15, when Parliament rejected it by 432 votes to 202.
A new proposal submitted by Conservative legislator Graham Brady commits to backing May’s deal if the backstop is replaced by “alternative arrangements.”
Brady said if the motion was approved by Parliament, it would give May “enormous firepower” to go back to Brussels and renegotiate the Brexit divorce deal.
But leading pro-Brexit Conservative lawmaker Jacob
Rees-Mogg said he and his “hard Brexit”-backing allies would not support Brady’s amendment because “it doesn’t say what (the backstop) would be replaced with.”
EU leaders, meanwhile, insist they will not change the legally binding Brexit withdrawal agreement.
“This withdrawal agreement has been agreed with the U.K. government, it is endorsed by leaders and is not open for renegotiation,” EU spokesman Margaritis Schinas said.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Sunday that Northern Ireland’s peace process depended on avoiding the return of a hard border.
“The EU has been clear that the backstop is an integral part of the withdrawal agreement,” he said.
Brady’s backstop proposal is one of more than a dozen amendments proposed by U.K. lawmakers that aim to alter the course of Britain’s departure. Some others seek to rule out a no-deal Brexit so Britain can’t tumble out of the bloc on March 29 without an agreement in place to cushion the shock.
Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow will announce today which amendments have been selected for debate and vote.
Conservative lawmaker Nick Boles, who is backing an amendment designed to rule out a no-deal Brexit and seek a delay to Britain’s EU departure, said that today “is probably the only opportunity that Parliament is going to have to intervene in this process, to take control.”
“If we don’t seize the moment tomorrow afternoon, then we are at grave risk of just driving off the edge on March 29 without really wanting to and when there might be a compromise we could achieve, if we just had a few more months,” he told the BBC.
MONEY IN BRIEF
Wildfire claims top $11.4B
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Insurance claims from California’s deadly November 2018 wildfires have topped $11.4 billion.
State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said Monday that more than $8 billion worth of damage comes from the fire that levelled the town of Paradise and killed 86 people. About $3 billion more is from two Southern California wildfires that ignited the same week.
The $11.4 billion is just shy of the claims filed in a series of 2017 wildfires, including deadly blazes that tore through Northern California wine country.
The Paradise wildfire destroyed about double the number of homes than the wine country fires, but property values are lower in the rural Northern California region. Including other major California fires in July 2018, total insurance claims from the year neared $12.4 billion.
Alcohol delivery part of Uber plans
TORONTO (CP) — Bikes, booze and e-scooters are part of Uber Canada’s plan for the country in 2019.
Managers from the U.S. tech giant’s Canadian arm say they are exploring expanding alcohol delivery to provinces beyond B.C., where the service was launched last year.
Dan Park, the head of Uber Eats Canada, says Ontario and Quebec are markets the company is eyeing first, though others could figure into their plans.
Uber Canada general manager Rob Khazzam says e-scooters and bikes are also part of the company’s priorities for the country, though he is coy about how soon they could arrive and in what markets. Uber has partnered with New York-based Jump to bring escooters and pedal-assisted electric bikes with GPS to a handful of U.S. cities, but has never delivered the offering to Canadians.
No stress tests for private lenders
OTTAWA (CP) — Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau says he is not considering imposing stress tests on private mortgage lenders. Morneau is throwing cold water on a recent Reuters report saying the government was looking at applying stricter rules on mortgages provided by private lenders, similar to those Canada has put on federally-regulated banks. The Liberal government introduced stress tests in recent years to cool the hottest markets – such as Toronto and Vancouver – that have limited some people’s ability to qualify for mortgages and reduced the size of new loans. As a result, some of that business is now going to private lenders, which are beyond the reach of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.
Oilpatch financial results expected to reflect extreme price volatility
Dan HEALING Citizen news service
CALGARY — Fourth-quarter results from Canada’s biggest oil and gas companies will likely feature some surprises, as well as revisions to forward plans, given extreme volatility in commodity prices in the last three months of 2018, financial analysts say.
The parade of results begins Friday with Imperial Oil Ltd. and continues next Tuesday with Suncor Energy Inc.
During the quarter, U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil prices fell 16 per cent from the previous period to average US$58.79 per barrel, but Canadian prices were much more severely impacted thanks to discounts blamed on full export pipelines, according to RBC Capital Markets.
Those discounts, which resulted in a 59 per cent drop in the average price for bitumenblend Western Canadian Select oil in the quarter and a 45 per cent drop in the average price for lighter Edmonton Par crude, subsid-
ed to normal levels or lower in December after the Alberta government announced production curtailments beginning Jan. 1.
The price chaos will make it difficult to read too much into financial reports, which are likely to show buoyant returns for those oil and gas producers that also have refining operations, said RBC analyst Greg Pardy in a research note.
“Although fourth-quarter results will likely showcase the power of downstream (refinery) integration, we do not look upon them as indicative of the cash flow horsepower of our coverage group,” he said.
“This point reflects the severe dislocation of Canadian oil differentials across the complex during the fourth quarter – and downstream inventory distortions caused by the sharp drop in WTI. As such, we believe fourth-quarter results are truly backward looking in every sense of the phrase.”
About 25 operators who produce each more than 10,000 barrels of oil per day in Alberta
have been affected by the government-mandated cuts.
Analysts also expect investor interest in prospects for crude-by-rail shipments, as smaller differences between Canadian and U.S. oil prices make that shipping option less financially attractive.
“Given how tight differentials have shifted, a number of conversations on the near-term Canadian outlook have centred around nearterm rail expectations as spot pricing appears out of the money,” said Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. analysts in a report. They added they expect rail shipping to continue at a good pace, however, because producers have signed deals with railways to add volume and will likely continue to use that capacity.
The fall in world oil prices last month could lead to cuts in capital spending plans announced in the fourth quarter by companies including mid-sized NuVista Energy Ltd. and Advantage Oil and Gas Ltd., the report says.
Jill LAWLESS, Danica KIRKA Citizen news service
AP PHOTO
Pro- and anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Monday.
Death toll rises to 65 in Brazilian dam burst, 279 missing
Silva DE SOUSA, Peter PRENGAMAN and Anna Jean KAISER Citizen news service
BRUMADINHO, Brazil — Brazilian firefighters and Israeli rescue workers poked sticks into treacherous mud Monday looking for bodies as pressure mounted on the mining company responsible for a dam that burst and spilled a flood of iron ore waste. By late in the day, the death toll rose to 65, with 279 people still missing, said Lt. Col. Flavio Godinho of the civil defence department in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
In a sign of the risks posed by the deep mud, Col. Alexandre Ferreira, a doctor with the military police of Minas Gerais, advised rescue crews, volunteers and journalists to take antibiotics to prevent cholera, the bacterial infection leptospirosis and other diseases. Officials said the death toll was expected to grow “exponentially,” since no one had been rescued alive since Saturday. Search efforts were extremely slow because of the treacherous sea of reddishbrown mud that surged out when the mine tailings dam breached Friday afternoon. The mud was up to eight metres deep in some places, forcing searchers to carefully walk around the edges of the muck or slowly crawl onto it so they would not sink
Firefighters look for victims inside a vehicle days after a dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil on Monday.
and drown.
Teams focused their searches Monday morning in areas where a bus was immersed and where many workers were eating lunch at the mine cafeteria when the dam ruptured. The mine’s owner, Vale SA, is the world’s
largest producer of iron ore, the raw ingredient for making steel.
At the scene of the disaster, helicopters looking for bodies took off and landed nonstop. On the ground, dozens of rescuers with tracking dogs were searching for bodies through the mountains of mud. An
Associated Press photographer witnessed at least 10 helicopters each carrying one body.
More than 100 Israelis equipped with specialized rescue technology joined the 200 Brazilian firefighters in the search.
Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable.
Still, it was slow going for the search teams, residents were on edge and some started searching on their own for relatives.
A Catholic priest for a church now being used as a command centre for rescuers said many of his parishioners are believed to be buried in mud.
“It’s going to be difficult to rebuild our hearts,” said the priest, Rene Lopez. “This won’t take a month or a year. It’s an open wound for all of the people in Brumadinho.”
And there was mounting anger directed at Vale amid questions about the area’s largest employer following an apparent lack of a warning siren ahead of Friday’s collapse.
“The company didn’t take care of the people,” said Josefa de Santos, who has friends and neighbours among the missing.
“I heard the cries of people asking for help, everyone was running and screaming. The siren didn’t go off at all, it was horrible.”
In an email, Vale said the area has eight sirens, but “the speed in which the event happened made sounding an alarm impossible” when the dam burst.
Marcelo