Cannabis store proposal back before council
Demolition order to be considered for derelict motel
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
A previously-rejected proposal to open a cannabis store on Third Avenue downtown will be back before city council on Monday night.
Nasser Kamani has reapplied for a temporary use permit for 1289 Third Avenue – the old Plateau Clothing store.
In April, council voted 7-1 to deny the application after learning during a public hearing that it would be located across from a school that caters to vulnerable youth. Intersect Youth and Family Services at 1294 Third Ave is currently home to 32 students, ages 13-18 years old who, because of mental health challenges, are unable to attend mainstream school.
In response, Kamani is proposing to limit the hours of operation to times when Intersect is closed.
“This would include evenings after 5 p.m., weekends, statutory holidays and breaks when school is not in session,” he said in a letter to council.
Kamani has also submitted a 26-name petition in support of his application. Letters of support from two nearby businesses have also been submitted.
A campaign against the proposal has also been launched. In all, 28 people have sent in a form letter expressing opposition.
As well, council will consider a pro-
posal to open a cannabis store in a spot next to Princess Auto at 3320 Massey Drive. No opposition has been expressed to council so far.
Hearings on both matters will be held. Hearings begin at 7 p.m.
Also on the agenda:
• Council will decide whether to issue a demolition order for an derelict motel and a cleanup order for an unsightly property. For most of the time since council suspended its business licence in 2014, the motel at 1656 Victoria St. has been out of operation. Known variously as the Ranch Motel, Homeland Inn and Willow Inn, it had become rundown and a noted spot for criminal activity.
UNBC researchers studying storms
Citizen staff
Bring on the storm.
Since late April, researchers from the University of Northern British Columbia have collected specialized measurements and conducted research to better understand the atmospheric conditions leading to storms and precipitation along the continental divide.
The Storms and Precipitation Across the Continental Divide Experiment (SPADE) is led by the Université du Québec à Montréal and funded by the Global Water Futures program.
It’s a unique collaborative research study that includes a UNBC contingent that is responsible for one of two major field sites in the Rockies just outside of Kootenay National Park, at the Nipika Mountain Resort on the western side of the divide.
The UNBC researchers are hydroclimatologist Dr. Stephen Déry, project manager Juris Almonte and three graduate students.
• Council will consider working with the Fraser-Fort George Regional District to convince the provincial government to declare the common tansy a regional noxious weed.
• A public hearing will be held for a proposal to reinstate the old zoning for 45.5 hectares at 4257 Blackburn Rd.
In October, a fire caused an estimated $150,000 damage to the building. Debris continues to litter the site and it remains in a general state of disrepair, according to staff. Staff is also recommending a cleanup order be issued for 1451 Blackburn Rd. Photos from a presentation to council show a clutter of vehicles and debris covering the site.
An 85-lot subdivision had been planned for the area but the developer has failed to construct the infrastructure for water, sewage, drainage and roadworks as outlined under a 2015 agreement with the city. If approved, the site will be returned to its old agriculture-forestry zone.
The study also includes participants from UQAM, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Manitoba with additional support from Environment and Climate Change Canada scientists.
The other field site is on the east side of the divide at Fortress Mountain in the Kananaskis Valley south of Canmore, Alta.
Researchers are attempting to answer three questions: how much rain and snow passes over the divide and falls to the surface on the upwind and downwind slopes of the Rockies, what factors govern this precipitation and its distribution at the surface and how well do predictive numerical models simulate these precipitation features? — see RESEARCH TO HELP, page 3
On Monday city council will debate whether to issue a demolition order for the derelict motel at 1656 Victoria St.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Prolific offender in custody
A man well known to the police and courts and an alleged accomplice have been arrested and charged as part of a stolen vehicle investigation.
Prince George RCMP said Dale Al West, 39, and Danielle Jean Rizmayer, 27, were apprehended early Thursday morning when they were seen riding away on bikes from a stolen Ford F-150 pickukp truck parked on Vanier Drive.
The pickup had been reported stolen from a Wilson Crescent address eight days before.
West faces counts of possessing stolen property over $5,000 and possessing break-in instruments and will remain in custody until at least Aug. 1 when he will appear in court to answer to the charges and those from four other investigations. West, who police call a prolific offender, has a number of previous convictions for theft-related offences. Rizmayer has been charged with possessing break-in instruments and has been released on a promise to appear on July 17.
— Citizen staff
Bait car suspect at large
Police are asking for the public’s help to identify a man caught on camera breaking
into a bait car.
Images from the car’s camera showing the man rummaging through the vehicle during the early morning of June 10 were released Friday.
He is described as Indigenous, 20-30 years old with short dark hair and a short mustache and goatee.
Meanwhile, Dallas Issac John, 22, was sentenced Thursday to 78 days in jail and one year probation for stealing from the car on June 13.
John, who had been in custody for seven days prior to sentencing, was also sentenced to seven days in jail for breaching probation.
Co-accused Brandon Michael Felix, 26, remains in custody pending an appearance in court next week.
— Citizen staff
Bait bike thief gets probation
A man caught trying to steal an RCMP bait bike has been sentenced to one year probation.
Deven Douglas Oulette, 24, was issued the term in Prince George provincial court on Thursday for one count of theft $5,000 or under.
Oulette was arrested May 9 when he was among three people who allegedly tried to make off with the bike over a span of just two hours. The longest it remained at its spot was 25 minutes, RCMP said at the
time. Oulette had remained in custody since he was arrested – a total of 41 days.
Another arrestee, Stacie Ann Buttee, 46, continues to face a charge of theft $5,000 or under and is out on an undertaking. Charges remain pending against a 19-year-old woman who was also apprehended for allegedly trying to steal the bike.
U.S. ‘evangelist,’ companion charged for alleged bomb threat in
St. John’s ST. JOHN’S, N.L. (CP) — A self-described American evangelist was arrested with another woman in St. John’s this week for allegedly posting on Twitter a false bomb threat and defamatory statements.
Hepzibah Nanna of Maryland defines herself as a “Revivalist, Evangelist and a Co-Pastor” on her Facebook page, which has 90,000 followers.
Nanna and Sharyn Richardson of Texas are facing charges for conveying a false bomb threat about the St. John’s International Airport, publishing defamatory libel about two people and obstructing a police officer in his duty.
Nanna regularly shares what she calls “online church” videos and conspiracy theories about U.S. President Donald Trump. She said by phone that she came to St. John’s to do street ministry.
The women’s conditions of release forbid
them from using social media, but Nanna said she intends to continue posting online church videos on Facebook. Nanna and Richardson are due back in St. John’s provincial court on Aug. 2.
Renata Ford, widow of Rob Ford, to run in election
TORONTO (CP) — Toronto voters will have a chance this fall to vote for yet another Ford.
Renata Ford – the widow of former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, sister-in-law to Ontario’s premier, daughter-in-law to a former Ontario MPP and aunt to a Toronto city councillor – is running for Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada in the 2019 federal election. She was introduced today as one of 39 candidates the party will put forward to voters in the Greater Toronto Area in the fall campaign. She will run in the riding of Etobicoke North, trying to unseat incumbent Kirsty Duncan, the federal science and sport minister, whose Liberals have held the riding for all but four years since 1980. And she will attempt to do so for a startup party that is trying to offer itself as a more genuinely conservative alternative to the federal Conservatives. Doug Ford’s office says the Ontario premier – whom Renata Ford is suing over family finances – wishes everyone luck in the upcoming federal election.
Ribs on the grill
Kamloops prof gets seven-year sentence in Slovakia
Kamloops This Week
Kamloops resident and Thompson Rivers University professor David Scheffel, who was facing a raft of charges in Slovakia, has been sentenced to seven years in prison, Slovakian media outlets are reporting.
Earlier this week, a Slovakian court in Pre ov found Scheffel guilty of sexual abuse and illegal weapon possession – an old unloaded rifle given to him by his father –and struck down charges concerning child pornogrophy, said Ivan Somlai, a friend and colleague of Scheffel’s who has been in contact with his lawyer.
“On one hand, the court approved our claim that there was no crime related to child pornography, but on the other hand, the sexual abuse is problematic due to the circumstances under which it allegedly happened,” said Scheffel’s lawyer Daniel Lip ic, as quoted by TV Markíza.
Scheffel, who is a permanent resident of Canada, but has Dutch citizenship, maintains his innocence.
He has spent years studying child prostitution in the Roma settlements of eastern Slovakia and believes the charges brought against him are trumped up and an attempt to brand an advocate of the Romani people as their enemy.
Somlai said Scheffel and his lawyer have launched an appeal and intend to prepare the appellate brief once the written decision is handed down by the end of the month.
One of the main issues for the defence,
Somlai said, is that while the court found the testimonies of minor witnesses credible, there was no opportunity for cross-examination.
An article in the Slovak Spectator also noted the judge deciding on the case took into consideration only the testimonies which had been done without Lip ic’s presence.
“They do feel they have an extremely strong reason for a successful appeal,” Somlai said.
Having stayed abreast of his friend’s case from Kamloops, Somlai said he hasn’t heard of any assistance coming from the Canadian government, despite having written various letters to lawmakers, pointing out the assistance permanent residents like Scheffel are afforded.
who he described as being seemingly uninterested in communicating with regard to Scheffel.
“If she has tried or done anything, it remains a secret,” Somlai said of McLeod.
“Considering we are dealing with an EU member country, it is highly improbable that well-briefed representatives of Canada, in various positions, could not provide some useful support.”
He has spent years studying child prostitution in the Roma settlements of eastern Slovakia and believes the charges brought against him are trumped up and an attempt to brand an advocate of the Romani people as their enemy.
“Absolutely zero,” Somlai said when asked for government’s response.
“I think the government is absolutely preoccupied with China, with Huawei, with Trump – anything other than humanitarian assistance.”
Somlai has also expressed frustration with Kamloops Conservative MP Cathy McLeod,
Research to help experts understand storms
— from page 1
“This research will lead to better insights on heavy precipitation associated with storms at the hydrographic apex of North America such as the June 2013 heavy rainon-snow event that led to the disastrous floods in Alberta’s Bow River Valley and B.C.’s Elk River Valley,” said Déry.
“Thus far, SPADE has collected special observations during 13 storms although our specialized instrumentation has collected continuous data since the start of
the field campaign.”
The fieldwork wraps up at the end of June.
The data will be made publicly available for future researchers and will be the basis for several graduate-student projects.
“Given the uniqueness of this dataset, and the limited hydrometeorological data available across this region, (this) data will serve as a resource to help researchers better understand the atmospheric conditions leading up to storms,” said Déry.
A call to McLeod for comment regarding the Scheffel verdict yielded a call from a staff member in her office who said McLeod was en route back to Kamloops and wasn’t able to comment without permission from Scheffel’s family.
During a townhall meeting at TRU in January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there isn’t much his government can do in terms of consular support as Scheffel is a Dutch citizen, but noted his officials have been “working very closely with Dutch authorities to make sure he’s getting all the support he can in the situation he’s in right now.”
Trudeau, however, did not elaborate as to what that work has entailed. Scheffel has been detained in Slovakia
for nearly two years, having been arrested in November 2017 when he took a flight from Canada to speak with police in Pre ov regarding the accusations against him. He was jailed for 10 months before being released on bail last fall, with the condition he wear an ankle monitoring bracelet. Scheffel, however, was jailed again earlier this year after allegedly being in contact with a witness, according to Somlai and the Slovakian Spectator article.
That article stated that during the trial last summer, a psychologist evaluated the testimonies of several Romani girls, who claimed Scheffel touched them and took their nude photos.
The psychologist said the testimonies were trustworthy. Lip ic pointed to contradictions in their testimonies.
Lip ic asked the court to include Scheffel’s recordings with the girls.
“They will confirm that fabulation and lies are present in the relevant part of their testimonies,” Lip ic said, as quoted by the private broadcaster TV JOJ.
He also doubted, in part, the psychology expert’s report since she did not get later testimonies and recordings.
Scheffel has rejected all the accusations, adding mothers of the girls also testified in his favour at one of the last hearings. TRU sent a statement, saying the university administration is aware of and monitoring the situation, but that it is unable to provide further comment due to privacy laws.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Jimmy Tang-Tran with Misty Mountain BBQ sauces up some ribs on Friday afternoon at Pacific Western Brewing as part of the Prince George Ribfest.
How to be a good sports parent
Youth sport is part of the fabric of family life for many families.
Parents are more intensely involved in contemporary youth sport than ever before. And while youth sport can provide a context for parent-child interaction and bonding, parents exert both positive and negative influences on their children in sport.
Parents help children understand and interpret their sport experiences, acting as role models of positive and negative behaviours, attitudes and beliefs. But being the parent of a young athlete is an intricate social experience that cannot merely be reduced to “good” or “bad” behaviours.
In sport, parenting occurs in a complex social milieu, in which parents interact with other parents, coaches and children. Parents face complex demands that require a repertoire of skills to facilitate positive sport experiences for their children.
Given these complexities, perhaps it is not surprising that coaches, sport organizations and even parents themselves have called for more parent education and support.
Parenting approaches can be thought of in two distinct but related ways. First, there’s parenting style – the broader emotional climate parents create. A parenting style that supports children’s autonomy is particularly effective for enhancing children’s motivation and experiences.
Such parents provide their children with options to choose and encourage children to solve problems on their own rather than controlling their children’s behaviours. They provide structure in the form of clear and consistent guidelines, boundaries and rules for their children’s behaviour. They are often highly involved in their children’s sport, but still foster a sense of children’s independence.
In addition to identifying the emotional climate that parents create with their parenting styles, sport researchers also consider parenting practices – specific behaviours within a particular context, such as at a youth sport event. Specific parenting practices have been associated with positive and negative outcomes among children.
For instance, in studies examining the role of parents in junior tennis using the perspectives of coaches, players and parents, parenting practices perceived to positively influence players’ development included the provision of unconditional love, logistical and financial support and parents holding children accountable for their on-court behaviour. Conversely, negative parenting practices included parents over-emphasizing winning, lacking emotional control and criticizing children.
Similarly, studies with child athletes themselves have revealed their preferences for parenting practices surrounding com-
petitions. For example, my colleagues and I studied how early adolescent female athletes prefer their parents to behave at team sport competitions. We found their preferences include parents assisting with game preparation, focusing on effort rather than outcome, showing respect, not drawing undue attention to themselves and providing positive yet realistic post-competition feedback.
One study we conducted at the University of Alberta examined exemplary parenting in competitive female youth team sport. We asked coaches to nominate some of the “best” sport parents the coaches had ever worked with.
The study revealed some interesting findings. These parents supported their daughters’ autonomy in various ways, including fostering independence and understanding – and supporting – their daughters’ goals for sport. We found the idea of sharing goals is important; these exemplary parents shared their children’s goals, rather than imposing their own goals on their children.
Exemplary parents also build healthy relationships in the sporting milieu, which can involve supporting the coach and players on the team, connecting with other parents and volunteering with the club. Finally, these parents were in tune with their own emotions, especially during and after competitions.
Dave Fuller, you’re wrong
It was the practice of many native peoples from here and into the U.S. to burn forests regularly, because old growth interior forests have nowhere near the amount of resources for a hunter/ gatherer society as new growth. When Europeans came, they stopped that and started fighting forest fires and our forests got old. Old trees are very vulnerable to insects and disease.
Beetle infestations were popping up all over the province in increasing frequency and industry and government fought them, until the NDP refused to allow action against the infestation in Tweedsmuir Park and it got away. But it was bound to happen eventually anyway.
So in hindsight, was stopping the native burning practice and fighting fires bad forest policy?
Lack of diversity of species in reforestation practices and spraying of herbicides has had no effect on wildfires. They are starting in and burning through the old unlogged stands that still have all the deciduous trees.
The lack of diversity in products that are being produced from our trees is because they’re excellently suited to those products and not much else. Forest companies have looked into expanded products and value added and found that it just isn’t economical. Governments have tried to get forest companies to diversify but requiring them to partake in money-losing ventures would only hurt industry and workers.
People who say we should do what Sweden does don’t know what Sweden does.
First of all, most of their timber land is small private holdings, easily accessible. Most of it was denuded in the 19th century and a government program resulted in it being reforested 130 years ago.
Almost all their trees are second growth, and thus don’t have our problems of rot, insects and disease. Official forest policy is to extract the most profit possible, even from private land. They have far less species diversity than we do. When trees are of harvestable size, they must be harvested or taxes on the land go up. They have between two and six cuts spread over a number of years, but the final cut must be clear cut. That’s the law, even for private land. That’s how they manage to get so much more production and value added than we do.
Without the current tenure system, large corporations wouldn’t have an assured supply of wood and wouldn’t have been able to make the huge investments required for modern forest industry. Without it, a lot more people would have been unemployed a long time ago.
We haven’t given our trees away for a pittance. Tenure means the companies have a quota and they don’t own the trees. They still have to pay stumpage and you may have noticed that one of the reasons for the current closures is the high cost of logs.
Those companies grew their mills to consume more and more logs by becoming the most technologically advanced mills in the world. One mill today can
cut more than 10 mills did 40 years ago, and yes, with fewer and fewer jobs. But if they hadn’t modernized, they wouldn’t have been able to compete, especially with having to pay the punitive U.S. tariffs and thousands of jobs would have been lost.
Shame on us?
No, we should be proud of our forest industry.
Some of these companies are selling some of their tenure to other mills that aren’t shutting down so those mills will be able to continue to run. Other companies are keeping their tenure and spreading it out to the remaining mills they own. They will continue to log as much as possible and run sawmills on the reduced supply. Government taking tenure away would only result in more mills shutting down. Should they now just let their companies unavoidably shrink? They can’t keep running the same sized operations here in B.C., so what’s wrong with expanding outside the province? Most of these companies are publicly traded and most of their profits have gone to shareholders over the decades, so when they expand, they borrow. They use investor money. It would gain us nothing in B.C. if they didn’t buy up mills in the U.S. and would only hurt the viability of the companies.
There is nothing that can be done to prevent the boom and bust cycle of the forest industry – that’s a matter of the markets. And if uninformed people get to make forest policy for B.C., we’ll see a permanent bust like we’ve never seen before.
Art Betke, Prince George
Parents are increasingly becoming aware of advice that children should sample a range of sports, rather than specializing in a single sport. There is some evidence to support the benefits of sport sampling and the risks of early specialization. However, in the larger goal of supporting healthy child and family development, parents should be cautious about involving their children in too many sports. When sport seasons overlap, children may become overscheduled. It is vital to retain a sense of balance, because if children over sample and become overscheduled, they miss out on a vital part of their childhood –active play. Parents, too, can hardly expect to be at their best when they’re run ragged with travelling from event to event.
Parents can create positive sporting experiences if they listen to their children and understand their children’s goals for sport, consider how their parenting styles and practices support their children’s experiences, and build healthy relationships in the sporting milieu. But with this investment in sport, it is important to retain a sense of balance in children’s lives.
Sport then becomes an enjoyable and rewarding feature of family life. — Nick Holt is a professor in kinesiology, sport, and recreation at the University of Alberta. This article first appeared in The Conversation.
Trudeau stuck with fractured brand
Who is Justin Trudeau? Even more important: What is Justin Trudeau?
The feminist who loses his two senior women from cabinet over questions of integrity.
The environmentalist who buys a pipeline.
The nationalist who plays passive with the bully pulpit of Washington and feeble in the face of Beijing.
The reformist who suffocates his promise of proportional representation.
As we head into a summer of pre-election barbecues, the Trudeau brand is on the spit.
The lustre he fashioned following the ascendant 2015 victory has faded such that he is at risk of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
The conventional political wisdom is that incumbents ease with enormous advantages into a second mandate and only then have to contemplate renewal.
Trudeau has to advance that agenda in the weeks ahead to reestablish his competence or he will be, as they say in college basketball, one and done – only in his case, not headed for the bigs.
Given the early-term successes of bringing Canada back to the international stage, his fall of 20-plus points in public opinion is astonishing. Even more astounding is that he now has to grapple with the front-running ballot box issue of his character.
Of course, politics are as elastic as a child’s attention span. Four months feel like four decades. It bears repeating that we were bracing for Tom Mulcair to possibly win this time four years ago.
Stephen Harper seemed a spent force and Trudeau was the butt of commercials claiming he was just not ready. He fought those ads with what seemed hubris – that he was indeed ready – and never looked back.
His first term, though, has hardly sustained the consequential first images.
A family-directed tax cut was not exactly revolutionary, but it serves as the signature economic accomplishment – the legalization of cannabis being the signature social one.
Fewer live in poverty and we have the lowest unemployment in memory.
But there is also deep-seated western Canadian animus from governments of the left and right and a newly fashioned trade deal
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with the U.S. defined by how little we lost at the table.
Perhaps Trudeau’s decline is due to the loss of minute-by-minute collaboration with decade-by-decade friend and principal secretary Gerald Butts, or the loss of the day-to-day discipline of privy council clerk Michael Wernick, or the humiliating outflanking of his apparatus by a rookie MP, Jody Wilson-Raybould, who declined to use her clout as attorney general to defer prosecution of SNCLavalin on serious allegations of impropriety in Libya.
But he is a hollow shell of what was not exactly a pillar of gravitas in the first place. Strangely, the leader who put the party on his back has wounds that are the stuff of an inside job. They cannot be ascribed to the political opposition: Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has been plugging away somewhat under the radar, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has been all too evident as a hot mess.
Scheer won the party leadership narrowly in 13 ballots and Singh won handily in one.
Neither has caught fire.
Now Trudeau is left with little choice to leave behind those “sunny ways” and demonize the wolf in Scheer’s clothing – there will be more impolite terms, be assured –because the swiftest path to turn around political fortunes is usually to go negative.
As for Singh, Trudeau can only hope the NDP exodus comes to him and not the Greens, or there will be Conservatives elected from the dynamic.
British Columbia will take a hit, including possibly the VancouverGranville riding now featuring an independent Wilson-Raybould. The Atlantic will not be the 2015 sweep it was. The Prairies are a write-off. Where he stands to gain is Quebec. Where he has to gain is Ontario, where our elections are often settled, or the math won’t work.
Those ubiquitous and meticulously rolled-up sleeves need to be for real and not for show this time if he has a chance to win.
Barring a crisis that will permit him to don the superhero costume, what isn’t clear is where he is going to summon the special powers a second time.
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KIRK LAPOINTE
Trudeau-Trump Washington meeting helps end Canada’s global loneliness
BLANCHFIELD
The Canadian Press
WASHINGTON — Canada suddenly became a little less lonely in the world after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s meeting in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump this week.
Trudeau and Trump found a new simpatico over their shared desire to see the new North American trade deal fully ratified. Trudeau pushed the deal with Trump’s Democratic opponents in Congress, who want to see a major toughening of the labour enforcement provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
While Trudeau was cagey on exactly what Trump would do to help free Michael Savoir and Michael Kovrig, the two Canadians imprisoned in China, when he meets China’s President Xi Jinping at next week’s G20 leaders’ summit in Japan, it was clear the president was happy to help. The two Canadians have been languishing behind bars in China since shortly after Canada arrested high tech executive Meng Wanzhou in December in response of a U.S. extradition request. Canada has been caught in the crossfire of the China-U.S. trade war after it tried to do the right thing by arresting Meng as per its extradition treaty with the U.S.
If Xi doesn’t want to talk to Trudeau, Trump said he would: “I’ll represent him well, I will tell you.”
It was a sea change from Trump’s dumpster fire of a visit to Canada a little over a year ago to the G7 summit in Quebec where he insulted Trudeau over Twitter. And it marked a return to the traditional Canada-U.S. dynamic: friends and allies who have the others’ back.
Moving forward, it has real ramifications for Canada’s standing on the world stage and it gave Trudeau a much-needed jolt domestically as he heads into an October federal election.
Both leaders are working to ratify USMCA, but Trump faces still opposition among some Congressional Democrats. But as he extolled the benefits of the deal, Trump was unusually conciliatory towards his country’s two neighbours –countries he regularly disparaged during the acrimonious renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. “This means a lot of jobs for our coun-
try; a lot of wealth for all three countries. And we’re really competing against the world. You know, we’re not competing with each other so much,” Trump said sitting next to Trudeau in the Oval Office.
“We’re competing against big sections of the world, including Asia and including other areas.”
Trump’s declaration of solidarity amounted to “mission accomplished” for Trudeau in Washington, said Dan Ujczo, a cross-border expert with the Ohio law firm Dickinson Wright.
“The focus was on common cause issues between Canada and the United States – confronting China, the intertwined trading relationship, and shared culture with the Toronto Raptors – as opposed to the dispute-centric focus that has dominated these meetings over recent years,” said Ujczo.
“When President Trump starts talking about Canada, the U.S. and North America against the world, it is a good day for the continent. Let us hope it lasts.”
Scotty Greenwood, the chief executive of the Washington-based Canadian American Business Council, said the American path to ratifying USCMA in Congress will likely be part of a “grand bargain” between Republicans and Democrats – one she suggested that Trudeau could be useful with, notwithstanding his stated desire Thursday to stay out of internal U.S. politics.
“The Liberals in Canada are philosophically aligned with the Democrats in the United States,” said Greenwood, who was also a U.S. diplomat in Ottawa
when Bill Clinton was president. “So if Canadian Liberals can see their way clear to a deal, one would hope that the same sort of arguments that caused them to get over their initial concerns would be persuasive with Democrats in the Congress.”
The visit also underscored the shared security partnership the U.S. and Canada share across the globe.
Trudeau was immediately enmeshed in the latest escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions when news of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shooting down a U.S. surveillance drone broke hours before he was to meet Trump.
Trudeau noted how Canadian soldiers are in nearby Iraq as part of a NATO effort to train the country’s military forces.
“We look forward to discussing with our closest ally their perspectives on this and how we can move forward as an international community.”
Trump showed he was willing to draw Trudeau into broader international security discussion when the president was asked whether he was concerned some members of his administration might be trying to push him into a conflict with Iran. It came when he riffed about his desire to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan and Syria.
“We beat the caliphate. We took back 100 per cent of the caliphate. When it was 99 per cent, Justin, I said, ‘We’re going to get out. We’re going to start peeling back,”’ Trump said.
But some are wary that Trump hasn’t really changed, and they question whether he could turn on Trudeau again.
“All smiles, I dare say, until the next presidential Twitter burst,” said Fen Hampson, a global security expert with Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
Trump is a counting in Trudeau “to deliver Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats to ratify USMCA before the presidential election.” And his comments on Thursday for a potential snap back on steel and aluminum tariffs was not reassuring, said Hampson.
“And though he says he will provide running interference with the Chinese on Canadian detainees and Trudeau’s desire to meet with Xi at the G20 summit, the only way that issue is going to be resolved is if the Americans drop their criminal charges against Meng Wanzhou.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
Invasive goldfish found in lake
VICTORIA (CP) — Recreational fishing in a lake in northwestern British Columbia is being shut down after the discovery of invasive goldfish.
The Ministry of Natural Resource Operations says Lost Lake, about 10 kilometres north of Terrace, will be closed until further notice starting Saturday in an effort to prevent the spread of the goldfish.
The government says in a news release that experts aren’t certain how long the fish have been in the lake, but their multiple sizes indicate they are reproducing.
The introduction of the invasive fish has had destructive effects in other B.C. lakes in the past.
The ministry says biologists are completing assessments of the lake to determine the extent of the goldfish problem and treatment options in order to stop them from spreading into the Skeena watershed.
It’s illegal to dump aquarium fish into local waterways and the ministry says the public should return any unwanted fish to pet stores rather than release them to the wild.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s chief of staff resigns
TORONTO (CP) — Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s chief of staff has resigned.
In a statement, Ford says Dean French will be returning to the private sector.
Earlier today, Ford revoked the appointments of two people to lucrative foreign posts a day after announcing them, following reports that they had personal ties to French.
French has also clashed with Progressive Conservative caucus members, who have bristled at a reportedly aggressive management style that reduced at least one to tears.
Ford’s statement says French had always planned on leaving government after one year. He says French’s legacy will be that of leading a successful election campaign and a successful first year of government.
IIO investigating man’s fall from North Vancouver apartment
VANCOUVER (CP) — B.C.’s police watchdog has started an investigation after a man who police were searching for in North Vancouver fell from a third-floor window.
RCMP say officers responded to a building following a report from a resident that a man with a weapon was in their apartment.
When police arrived, they saw a man matching the description of their suspect hanging from a window and then saw him fall. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries. While police investigate the alleged break and enter, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. will determine if police action or inaction are linked to the man’s injuries.
Saanich woman killed in fire
SAANICH (CP) — A woman in her 60s has died following a fire in a four-storey residential building in the Vancouver Island community of Saanich. Fire Chief Mike Burgess says firefighters rescued four people trapped on their balconies early Friday but one woman was found unresponsive in a fourth-floor hallway and did not survive. Two others who suffered smoke inhalation were taken to hospital and officials say six suites were damaged.
Saanich police Sgt. Damian Kowalewich says an investigation is underway into the woman’s death. About 50 residents received assistance at a recreation centre on Friday.
Mike
CP PHOTO
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters from the roof of the Canadian Embassy in Washington after a day of meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and leaders in Congress on Thursday.
Cedar poles unveiled in Vancouver to mark Indigenous day
Laura KANE The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — Musqueam artist William Dan says a welcome figure he carved from centuriesold cedar represents a homecoming for him, after a childhood lost to residential school and decades spent away from his traditional territories.
The figure was one of two unveiled Friday alongside a 13-metre reconciliation pole outside the Vancouver School District’s Education Centre. The event marked National Indigenous Peoples Day and attendees reflected on the meaning of reconciliation.
“Reconciliation is always hard for me because I was one of them who went to the boarding schools,” Dan said in an interview.
“It’s hard for us to get over that. I’m almost 70 years old and I still got issues on me. They really beat you down to the core.
“For me, I just wanted to do something for my tribe. While you’re away at boarding school, all you want to do is go home to your parents. That’s what I wanted.”
Dan joined artists, local First Nations, school board officials, teachers and students to honour the three poles. The event was one of many held across Canada on Friday, including a sunrise ceremony in Toronto, a totem pole unveiling in Whitehorse and the renaming of a street in Montreal.
Vancouver Granville MP Jody Wilson-Raybould attended the event in the city and she became emotional while listening to a young Indigenous student read a poem about missing and murdered women and girls. With tears in her eyes, Wilson-Raybould told the crowd that she was raised by her grandmother and parents to be proud of who she is and know where she comes from.
“Today, on Indigenous Peoples Day, we celebrate and thank all the generations that come before us, that have persevered, that have been resilient and proud and
fiercely determined to create a more just Canada. And we are on our way,” she said.
Wilson-Raybould, who was ejected from the Liberal caucus amid the SNC-Lavalin controversy and is running in the fall election as an Independent, thanked the Vancouver School District and the artists for their work.
“My vision for reconciliation is that we are all one, that we see Indigenous Peoples in this country – First Nations, Metis and Inuit – surviving and thriving off the lands where they have survived for millennia,” she said.
“Then we will all be one. Then the country will be the amazing country it was intended to be.”
The school district said the reconciliation pole and two smaller
Inuit sue gov’t
Bob WEBER The Canadian Press
Five Inuit have filed a lawsuit against the federal government over medical experiments, including skin grafts, that they say were performed on them without their consent.
A statement of claim filed in Iqaluit, Nunavut, says the experiments were performed in Igloolik between 1967 and 1973 and involved three Canadian universities working with an international scientific program.
“They were doing some weird experiments,” said Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk, who says he still has scars from the day scientists from down south called him to a lab they had set up in his home town. “They put other people’s
skin on you.”
welcome figures, one male and one female, are carved out of cedar logs that are 300 to 500 years old. The poles represent a national first for an education institution and will remain at the site for 150 years.
Squamish artist James Harry carved the bottom of the reconciliation pole while his father Xwalacktun carved the top. The upper half features a thunderbird with wings that turn into hands holding onto the earth, symbolizing healing, and a frog that represents communication of what must change, Xwalacktun said.
“We didn’t do anything wrong to reconcile, but we need to move forward and have dialogue,” he said. “This totem pole is going to help make those changes for many
generations to come.”
Harry said the bottom half features a bear, representing strength, and an eagle symbolizing vision and wisdom. He also included a woven pattern to represent the strengthening of connection between Indigenous and nonIndigenous people.
Harry added that he hammered a loonie into the top so that when the pole comes down in 150 years, people will know which year it was made.
Chrystal and Chris Sparrow designed the female welcome figure and said it is for First Nations and non-First Nations women.
“I think that’s such an important step moving forward, that we start working together and start recognizing each other as equal, as
friends,” Chrystal Sparrow said. The female figure also features a large killer whale, which Musqueam Coun. Howard Grant said was important because the southern resident killer whales off British Columbia’s coast are endangered.
“We have to recognize that today we’re worried about the killer whale, the resident killer whale that is so famous in our storytelling here, because one day they may not be there,” Grant said.
“As we move toward economic development and the pipeline and whatnot, they may vanish,” he said, referring to the planned expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.
“So these are photographs of a moment in time for us.”
over medical experiments
The complainants also include Paul Quassa, a longtime Inuit leader and former Nunavut premier. Court documents say scientists arrived in Igloolik, set up a research lab and began taking Inuit from their schools and homes, or directed them to appear.
Small pieces of skin were removed and replaced with skin from other Inuit. They were made to stand outside in the cold while inadequately dressed with thermometers inserted in their rectums. Some were poked with sharp objects to measure their response to pain. The statement, which has not been tested in court, alleges the scientists were not medically trained and conditions were unsanitary.
It says the Inuit were not told the reason for the procedures or given a chance to refuse. “Consent was neither given nor requested.”
There was no medical benefit to the participants, the claim says.
“(The experiments) were demeaning and disregarded (the subject’s) inherent value as human beings and having the right to be treated with dignity.”
Edmonton lawyer Steven Cooper, who acts for the Inuit, said he knows of at least 30 people who were subjected to the experiments in Igloolik. He said the same thing happened in nearby Hall Beach.
“I doubt very much whether this was limited to Igloolik and Hall Beach,” Cooper said.
“It’s absolutely mind-blowing. This was happening in modernday Canada.”
Cooper said his research shows the experiments were done under the International Biological Program, a multinational scientific effort between 1964 and 1974.
Archives from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences say the program eventually had nine areas of study, including human adaptability and environmental physiology.
The statement of claim alleges researchers from the University of Alberta, the University of Manitoba and McGill University were involved.
McGill said in an email that the university would not comment on a matter before the courts. Responses from the other two schools were not immediately available.
Canada is liable, the statement claims, because the government owed the Inuit a duty of care and failed to ensure their rights were protected.
“Canada intentionally instilled in Nunavummiut the perception that they must do, without question, as they were told by Canada,” the statement says.
Kunuk, a young boy at the time, said he doesn’t remember how he
came to be standing in the lab in Igloolik.
“I don’t know how I got there,” he said. “It was wintertime. They built a science lab here and the scientists would come in and do all sorts of things to us. I was pretty young, still in my school days.”
Kunuk said he thought it was normal, another procedure performed by southerners that Inuit had to line up for.
“They were paying five bucks to have our skin graft. They just injected you with that numb stuff and they had a little tube. They cut through our skin and cut off our flesh with scissors.”
Kunuk was there with two other children. The scientists took two samples from his arm and replaced them with skin from his companions – people he still feels linked with.
“I’m not the only one with these scars. Every time I see my marks, it reminds me of my skin brother and skin sister.”
woods Conservation Area.
The Canadian Press
NELSON — A southeastern British Columbia watershed including a rare inland temperate rainforest has been purchased by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, protecting it from development.
The national land trust said the purchase and protection of the 79-square-kilometre Next Creek watershed was one of its highest conservation priorities in B.C.
The watershed, along the west side of Kootenay Lake between Nelson and Creston, is located in the centre of the more than 600-square-kilometre Dark-
Because the Next Creek watershed was privately owned, the nature conservancy said it, and the surrounding conservation area, faced a threat of intensified or unsustainable industrial or recreational activity.
The conservancy said acquisition of Next Creek effectively completes the Darkwoods Conservation Area and a network of protected lands covering most of the mountainous region bounded by the lake and Highways 3 and 6 between Nelson, Salmo and Creston.
Close to $20 million was needed to purchase the land and provide for the long-term management of Darkwoods, with funds coming from private donors, governments and several businesses and foundations.
Darkwoods offers essential habitat for almost 40 confirmed species at risk, including grizzly bear, wolverine, peregrine falcon and mountain caribou, as well as an inland temperate rainforest which is rare because it receives most of its moisture from snow.
Nancy Newhouse, with the Nature Conservancy, said the organization is grateful to all those who believed in the organization’s plan.
“Conserving the Next Creek watershed and expanding the Darkwoods Conservation Area presented an incredible opportunity to fulfil a conservation vision that started over a decade ago,” Newhouse said in a news release.
George Heyman, B.C.’s minister of environment, said the province is committed to preserving B.C.’s natural legacy as Canada’s most biologically diverse province with the highest percentage of protected areas.
“It is a large part of our identity and we want our kids and grandkids to experience this beautiful, diverse province as we have the fortune to,” he said.
CP PHOTO
One Reconciliation Pole and two Welcome Figures were unveiled during a ceremony in honour of truth and reconciliation on National Peoples Indigenous Day at the Vancouver School District on Friday.
Currencies
OTTAWA (CP) —
Supercomputers latest thorn in U.S.-China trade
Craig TIMBERG, Ellen NAKASHIMA
The Washington Post
The markets today
TORONTO (CP) — North American stock indexes capped off a strong week with the Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 hitting record highs on Friday as investors responded to potential rate cuts from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
In Toronto, Canada’s main stock index was up 1.4 per cent for the week despite closing slightly lower Friday even as gold and crude oil prices rose further on geopolitical anxiety over a potential military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.
“When we look at this past week there’s no doubt that the primary positive catalyst was the U.S. central bank being more dovish and next week the baton will be passed on to the G20 and hopefully we can get positive news coming out of the G20 to really create a nice environment for markets over the next couple of weeks,” says Macan Nia, senior investment strategist at Manulife Investments. While the U.S. and China aren’t expected to reach a trade deal at the G20, investors are hoping for positive signs coming from the meeting between the countries two presidents. “Right now there’s a lot of uncertainty,” Nia said in an interview. “If we can get some more positive remarks between the two countries that would provide more clarity and at the end of the day markets like clarity and they like consistency.”
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 49.40 points to 16,525.43 after hitting an intraday high of 16,558.88. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.04 points at 26,719.13 after setting a record intraday high of 26,907.37.
The S&P 500 index was down 3.72 points at 2,950.46 after also setting a new record of 2,964.15, while the Nasdaq composite was down 19.63 points at 8,031.71.
The Canadian dollar traded for an average of 75.69 cents US compared with an average of 75.81 cents US on Thursday.
Nine of the 11 major sectors on the TSX were lower, led by health care, which dropped 3.1 per cent as shares of several marijuana companies fell. Canopy Growth Corp. shares were down 7.6 per cent after its fourth-quarter net loss was larger than expected and higher than a year ago.
The August gold contract was up US$3.20 at US$1,400.10 an ounce, the highest level in nearly six years.
China’s burgeoning supercomputer industry became the latest target of U.S. trade restrictions as officials banned shipments to four Chinese technology companies and one research institute on the grounds that they threaten American national security.
This latest move in a broadening confrontation over advanced technology between the world’s leading economies appeared in a notice to the Federal Register dated Tuesday, which became public Friday. The move comes after last month’s similar move against Chinese telecommunications manufacturer Huawei Technologies, which U.S. officials placed on its “Entity List” over allegations it violated sanctions against Iran, among other national security issues.
“The timing here is important because China is really just on the cusp of moving away from U.S. dependence to a certain degree of independence in high-performance computers,” said Bob Sorensen, vice president of research and technology at Minneapolis-based Hyperion Research.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet next week in Japan during the Group of 20 summit.
The latest move singles out an entity, Wuxi Jiangnan Institute of Computing Technology, that is involved in supercomputing, an area in which China has made significant strides in recent years. The institute is owned by China’s People’s Liberation Army, according to the notice in the Federal Register.
Also added to the list was the Chinese company Sugon, which calls itself the largest manufacturer of supercomputers in Asia.
Sugon, for instance, is helping the Chinese military do nuclear weapons simulation testing and hypersonic glide vehicle testing, said James Mulvenon, a China expert at SOS International, a Northern Virginia defense contractor. The glide vehicle can deliver nucleartipped weapons at speeds impossible to stop with missile defenses, he said.
And Jiangnan Institute of Computing
Technology is the cover name for the former General Staff Department No. 56 Institute, the Chinese military’s primary supercomputing institute, he said. The institute was renamed in a reorganization and thought to be placed under the Strategic Support Force, he said.
The other companies added to the list are Chengdu Haiguang Integrated Circuit, Chengdu Haiguang Microelectronics Technology, and Higon. Each of the companies does businesses under a variety of other names.
The notice posted to the Federal Register said the research institute and the four companies “have been determined by the U.S. government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.”
China’s efforts to develop its own supercomputing capability has been an area of particular concern for the Pentagon, which fears that the Chinese military will use it to test and develop nuclear weapons and a wide range of defense applications, such as fighter jets, submarines and missiles. Although China has developed some of its own high-performance processing chips, its supercomputer programs are still somewhat reliant on American chips.
None of the five entities are as prominent as Huawei, which is a massive, global leader in key telecommunications technologies. But the blacklisting “will absolutely hobble an important technology initiative - supercomputers,” Mulvenon said. “It will highlight their dependence on foreign suppliers.”
But Sorensen disagreed. saying he believes that while the move will set China back, “it will not halt or deter them in the long term.”
The move also is likely to impact U.S. chip manufacturers such as Intel and Nvidia, and experts worry the U.S. action could add even more motivation for the Chinese to bolster its own technology industry, which the nation has been seeking for several years to make independent of foreign sources of components.
“In the short term, we are hurting the U.S. companies, and in the long-term we are helping the Chinese advance more rapidly,” said Tarek El-Ghazawi, a computer engineering professor at George Washington University
who specializes in supercomputers. “I see this as a lose-lose for us.”
China and the United States have over the past decade engaged in a fierce rivalry for the top spot in supercomputer performance. Some of the Chinese entities targeted by the U.S. action this week are allegedly developing “exascale” computers that are roughly 8 to 10 times faster than the best currently available, capable of performing a quintillion calculations per second. The U.S. may have an exascale computer sometime in the next year or two, said El-Ghazawi.
Robert Knake, a White House cybersecurity policy expert during the Obama administration, said it’s not clear whether the motivation for this week’s U.S. action comes from national security concerns or the ongoing trade war with China.
“If Trump gets the trade deal he wants from China, does he lift the trade restrictions?” said Knake, now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “I think that’s a very open question.”
U.S. officials for years have worried about the rapid advances in China’s high-technology industry, though some of these strides have relied on American components or designs.
One of the sanctioned companies, Hygon, entered into a joint venture several years ago with the American semiconductor firm AMD or Advanced Micro Devices to build x86-based server chips. The chips can be used to build supercomputers that aid the design and testing of nuclear and conventional weapons, among other things.
The listing of the Chinese companies comes as China and the U.S. are locked in a trade war that has seen both countries impose tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods.
“It’s not new that the U.S. government is concerned about China’s efforts in this area,” said Richard Sofield, a former Justice Department lawyer who once oversaw national security review of trade in American technology and now is a partner at Wiley Rein. “This is just another step.”
China’s embassy did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.
U.S. alleges fraud, money laundering against four from B.C. firm
The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — Four executives of a Vancouver-based payment processing firm have been charged in what the U.S. Justice Department alleges was part a massive fraud scheme designed to mislead victims into falsely believing they would receive large amounts of cash or valuable prizes.
Many of the alleged victims who paid fees were expecting to receive cash, prizes or specialized psychic services, says a Justice Department statement.
“The defendants are charged with enriching themselves by helping fraudsters who took money from elderly and otherwise vulnerable victims,” assistant attorney general Jody Hunt for the department’s civil division says in the statement.
“The U.S. Department of Justice will seek to hold accountable those who knowingly advance elder fraud schemes, including individuals outside our borders who enable fraudsters to move their ill-gotten gains into the banking system and benefit from their crimes.”
Conspiracy, money laundering and mail and wire fraud charges were announced Thursday by the department against the four, who it says were partner owners and top managers of PacNet Services Ltd.
The department alleges the firm was “the payment processor of choice” for companies that mailed large volumes of fake notices to allegedly lure victims.
Roseanne Day and Robert Davis were part owners and top managers of PacNet, while Genevieve Frappier and Miles Kelly worked in the marketing or compliance departments, the Justice Department says. None of the allegations have been proven in court. None of the
four accused, their lawyers nor the company could be reached for comment.
The charges were filed in the Nevada.
The statement alleges that Day was in charge of PacNet’s Vancouver headquarters and Davis oversaw the company’s office in Shannon, Ireland.
The indictment alleges the defendants knew that many massmail clients were sending fraudulent notifications to consumers in the U.S. and around the world, and that the defendants made about $15 million each from 2013 to 2015, the last three years the company was in operation.
The indictment alleges PacNet served as the middleman between
banks and the mailers, aggregating the cheques, cash and credit card payments collected by its clients, deposited the payments into bank accounts it controlled, and then distributed the funds as directed by the clients. Vancouver police say in a news release that the department began investigating PacNet in October 2016 after a request for assistance from U.S. law enforcement.
“PacNet allegedly laundered millions of dollars for international companies as a payment processor,” Supt. Cita Airth said in the release. “These companies were set up as fronts for individuals and organizations engaging in mail fraud targeting elderly and other vulnerable victims.”
Security guard Karen Barrett, right, walks near the Yellowstone supercomputer at the NCAR Wyoming Supercomputing Center west of Cheyenne, Wyo.
How forgiveness is explored in church shooting doc
Jamie ATEN
Special To The Washington Post
Monday marks the four-year anniversary of when nine members of a black church in Charleston, S.C., were shot to death, setting off a national debate about gun violence.
The documentary, Emanuel, which will be in theatres nationwide Monday and Wednesday, focuses on the surviving family members, who shocked people when they stood in court just 48 hours later and offered forgiveness to shooter Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old self-professed white supremacist.
The film, executive produced by Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis and NBA superstar Stephen Curry, explores the untold stories after the 2015 shooting at the historic black church Mother Emanuel AME. In an interview that has been edited for length, documentary director Brian Ivie discussed how Emanuel handles the complex tensions around the familiar Christian tradition of forgiveness.
Q: What first drew you to the Emanuel project?
A: I had just gotten married in June 2015, and I was on my honeymoon in New York. I walked into the bedroom, and my wife was crying. She told me nine people had been shot in their Bible study in Charleston, S.C. Then she looked at me and said, “You don’t understand, they’re forgiving him. The family members are forgiving the murderer.”
I remember looking at her and saying, “I hope whoever tells that story doesn’t skip that part.” It was that moment for me – encountering this radical, scandalous forgiveness and love for the murderer – that drew me into the story. I wanted the world to know that part of the story.
Q: What was different in this story?
A: It was that they loved him. It was this moment when (survivor) Felicia Sanders said something to him that really changed me: “We enjoyed you.”
When I go out and talk about the film, I’m not just talking about them forgiving him because they wanted to be emotionally free from him. I’m talking about a kind of love you rarely see. Their love for the shooter was a love that said, “I will bear the full weight of the wrong,” which is the highest kind of love – a love for your enemy.
Q: Stephen Curry and Viola Davis are billed as producers. Can you tell me a little bit about their involvement with the film?
A: Viola is a champion for justice for the
oppressed, for the marginalized, disenfranchised and for those who have no voice, so she comes at this story in that way. But Viola is also from South Carolina and is a Christian woman. So she was deeply moved and broken by the story and wanted to ensure that the world didn’t forget about it. In her heart, she’s an activist.
Stephen, who is known very widely as a Christian athlete and a voice for faith, wanted to align himself with a story that shared his faith in a way that he really felt was compelling and authentic and not typically what you see in a lot of Christian media, which is typically very neatly packaged and doesn’t really feel like real life. This is his first film he’d done in Hollywood and a way for him to make a statement.
Q: Throughout the interviews many of the survivors and people you interviewed had talked about the past and present challenges around race issues as well as other
injustices that the mass shooting put a spotlight on. Can you talk about these?
A: We usually say we’ll never forget things like 9/11 or the Boston bombing, or the Holocaust, but many really want to forget about slavery and Jim Crow laws. It’s too close for comfort.
Many white people get defensive whenever racism is brought up and say, “I’m not a racist.” Racism is a systematic problem, burned into our systems of criminal justice.
I think a lot of people in the African American community feel like there’s never going to be any true healing, because there’s never been any true repentance. White privilege is part of a legacy in our country of white supremacy.
Q: You include a few short segments of the shooter, including him entering and exiting the church, being pulled over and later interviewed by police, and at trial. What would you say to individuals who might
The importance of history
George Santayana once stated that “those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”
In that sense, anniversaries are important markers in our life’s stories that help us pause to remember where we’ve been, what’s shaped us, and where it is we’d like to go next.
The book of Daniel 2:21 reminds us that as Christians, “it is God who changes the times and the epochs; God removes kings and establishes kings; God gives wisdom to wise people and knowledge to people who understand.”
History, then, is intrinsically woven into the very creation that has been entrusted to us.
Time is necessary.
Time does more than help us mark how long we have until our next appointment, meal, pay cheque, retirement, social event or meeting. Time helps us shape history. It helps us define a container in which we craft meaning.
This year has several important ‘times’ that help us remember our history and the consequences of previous actions. In particular I’m thinking of June 3, June 6, June 23, and July 20. Each of these dates has shaped the kind of community we live in and where we hope to go next.
CLERGY COMMENT
REV. DR. BOB K. FILLIER TRINITY UNITED CHURCH
June 3 was the release of The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report. Part of the final report calls for transformative change to eradicate violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual) people. In the final report Commissioner Michéle Audette states, “To put an end to this tragedy, the rightful power and place of women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people must be reinstated, which requires dismantling the structures of colonialism within Canadian society... This is not just a job for governments and politicians. It is incumbent on all Canadians to hold our leaders to account.”
June 3 was a date many have been waiting for. It has been a long time coming. Naming the racism and misogyny that is woven into the fabric of Canadian society is an important step. Chief Commissioner Marion Buller explains that “the hard truth is that we
live in a country whose laws and institutions perpetuate violations of fundamental rights, amounting to a genocide against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.”
With this report we now know our history. We’ve remembered the past and must therefore resist the temptation to repeat it. It is time to build a different society. A different Canada.
June 6 was the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings when men and women started landing on the beaches of Normandy to challenge the Nazi stronghold in Europe and the salt water turned red with the blood of the injured, dying, and dead.
It’s an important date to remember, not just for the sacrifice, yet also for the long term effects and implications. Not just because of the result, yet also because of the steps that led up to it. Do we really want to see a rise of populist governments?
Ones that engage in racist, misogynistic, and supremacist ideologies?
We know our history.
On June 6 we remembered it. Can we make the hard choices of embracing our common humanity over our differences and not repeat what we already know?
On June 23 – tomorrow at 10
disapprove of footage of the shooter being used in the documentary?
A: It’s important for people to know that the families were the first people to see the film.
The movie you’ve seen is the movie they saw way before any other audiences. We were able to go through a process of accountability so they felt personally like this was the way the story should be told, and they all loved and blessed the movie.
It’s the same reason people, when they make war movies, have to show the carnage, because that’s part of honouring the suffering that people went through and showing that evil itself. I wanted to expose the problem.
It’s what life is actually like. You see a lot of good, you see a lot of bad. There is a deep dichotomy, a deep duplicity in the human condition.
Q: What do you hope that the viewers will take away from the response of Mother Emanuel AME?
A: There is a sense that God is present and that he has also promised that there will be a day when there will be perfect justice and that he will wipe away every tear and that he will bring to pass the kind of world and kingdom where we won’t have to have security guards at our doors. We won’t have to frisk people as we hug them in our church services.
Q: What do you think might be some ways people of faith can address gun violence?
A: Something has to change. For the film, there wasn’t enough surface area to deal with that issue head on, because it would have taken over the movie entirely. There are a lot of key nonprofits that I follow like March for Our Lives. People like Tom Hughes is leveraging his privilege and influence to try to end gun violence and try to lobby for that. I recommend connecting with organizations that are doing it and are close to the issue.
Q: How can churches balance being welcoming with safety concerns?
A: Many of the family members (at Emanuel) would say they would still welcome anybody. That is a mind-bending idea. But that church also has more security. Some people say they want to see changes in the world of mental illness and mental health. They want to see changes in gun laws, minimum age restrictions and background checks. But I think they would still say, “We want anybody to be welcome here.”
a.m. – Trinity United will celebrate 109 years of Christian witness in Prince George and area at Trinity Downtown (1448 Fifth Avenue). It was 109 years ago that the first gathering for a Methodist prayer meeting happened. A small canvas tent served as both gathering place and residence for the pastor. Later that group became part of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. In 1925, that group became part of The United Church of Canada and until 2018 the congregation was known as Knox United Church. In 2018, Trinity United Church was born and the faithful witness of Knox United and all those upon whose shoulders we’ve stood for 109 years, became Trinity Downtown.
We know the history of being a powerful presence for Jesus in Prince George, specifically the downtown. We know how important that’s been over the years. That spirit remains. The ministry of Knox as Trinity Downtown continues. New ministries are planned. New programs are being offered. We know our past and want to honour it by building on it long into the future.
This July 20 is the 50th anniversary of landing on the moon, 25 years after people walked ashore in Normandy, three people walked on the moon. Just think about
that. The average cell phone has exponentially more computing power than what was in the lunar lander module. Many of the calculations the helped us step on a celestial body other than Earth for the first time were done by hand. Fifty years ago, the world took “one small step” which changed the definition of what’s possible forever. We know that history and the men and women who made it happen. We know the story of the test pilots who lost their lives. The many trials and errors that provided the learning required. We know the history. Each of these dates reminds us of what can happen when we come together and work towards a common goal. We know that the world can be made better. We know old attitudes can be challenged and changed. We know lives can be affected. We know we can refuse to accept the voices that say “it can’t be done.”
We know we can address the root causes of genocide and create a different world. We know it because we know our history. Let us embrace the wisdom and knowledge God has given us and create a world of equity and justice for all, not just the few, the privileged, and the affluent.
STUDIOS
In the new documentary Emanuel Nadine Collier remembers her mother, Charleston church shooting victim Ethel Lance, and the legacy of faith and love she left behind. Ethel Lance was a longtime member of Mother Emanuel AME Church.
Sports
Kings’ Ahac, Cougars’ Gauthier, Moberg catch draft fever
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
Prince George Spruce Kings defenceman Layton Ahac won’t have far to travel to hear his name called at the NHL draft in Vancouver. He lives in North Vancouver, just across the Burrard Inlet from Rogers Arena, where all 31 NHL teams will reconvene at 10 a.m. this morning after they made their first-round picks Friday night.
Projected as a second- or thirdround pick, Ahac, the 66th ranked North American skater available in the draft, plans to be there in person. He wouldn’t miss it for the world.
The same could be said about Prince George Cougars goalie Taylor Gauthier of Calgary, another safe bet to be selected in the draft. Both realize how much the draft proceedings today could shape their hockey futures and they’ve had this day marked on their calendars for months.
“We couldn’t be happier or more proud of a player on our team,” said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes.
“Not only is Layton a tremendous player, someone who’s desire to be a good player is second to none, but he’s a very prepared and focused young man. As a 16- and 17-year old player on our team he exemplified behaviours of a 19 or 20 year old.
“He always showed he’s way more mature than his age and we saw that down the stretch, especially in our playoff run this year. The minutes he played and the guys he played up against was excellent. To be honest I can’t remember ever seeing Layton ever have a poor shift. Someone’s going to get a real good player in the draft on Saturday.”
If Ahac is taken he will became the third Spruce King ever to be
chosen in the NHL draft. Defenceman Brad Fast (third round, 84th overall, Carolina) and left winger Jujhar Khaira (third round, 63rd overall, 2012), were the other Spruce Kings who made the NHL list.
Adam Maglio coached Ahac for the duration of his two-season BCHL career with the Spruce Kings and watched him do all the right things needed to attract the interest of Ohio State, who recruited him for next season.
“It means a lot to our organization to have Layton as an NHL draft pick,” said Maglio, who is attending the draft at Rogers Arena with assistant coach Alex Evin and Kings president Rick Turgeon.
“He exemplified everything we value in our players both on and off the ice. He is very deserving and put in a tremendous amount of work to get to where he is. We look forward to following his path-
way and career.”
Gauthier is the seventh-ranked North American goaltender available and like Ahac is considered a B prospect (second or third round). He was a workhorse in goal for the Cougars this past season, playing 55 of 68 games, and his numbers – 3.25 goals-against average, .899 save percentage – reflect the last-place team’s struggles. A year ago he backstopped Canada’s under-18 team to the gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton. He remained on Hockey Canada’s radar and in April helped the Nats to a fourth-place finish at the IIHF world under-18 championship in Sweden.
“He is the most athletic goalie in this draft class by a wide margin,” wrote Corey Pronman, the senior NHL prospects writer for The Athletic. “He has game-stealing capabilities and is a regular on
Kings add Richter to roster
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
As the son of a potential Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, Tom Richter has had to talk about his hockey genetics throughout his own career.
For the next season, at least, he’ll be answering those questions about his dad Mike as a member of the Prince George Spruce Kings.
The Spruce Kings announced Friday they’ve recruited the 19-year-old forward from Connecticut, who played high school hockey last season at Salisbury School.
The six-foot, 170-pound Richter has already signed with Union College and will join the Dutchmen for the 2020-21 season.
A shoulder injury limited him to 22 games in 2018-19 and in 15 games with Salisbury he scored two goals and had four assists. He had four points in seven games with the Mid-Fairfield Rangers midget team.
Mike Richter played 14 NHL seasons with the New York Rangers and the three-time all star backed the Blueshirts to a win over the Vancouver Canucks in the 1994 Stanley Cup final.
The Rangers raised his No. 35 to the rafters at Madison Square Garden after he retired in 2003.
“Tom obviously has great bloodlines and he’s certainly been exposed to a high level of hockey,” said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes. “He’s a tremendously
the highlight reel. His side-to-side movements are elite, he’s a right glove who can snag for-sure goals out of the air and overall he can make tough saves consistently.”
Gauthier has been with the Cougars organization since May 2016, when they chose him as the first goalie taken in the WHL bantam draft.
“Competitiveness, he loves to battle and loves to compete,” said Cougars goalie coach Taylor Dakers, on dubnetwork.ca.
“His athleticism – he is a flexible guy and can make a lot of saves guys just can’t physically do.
“His conditioning is great. He’s got a real good sense for the game, he can read a lot of shots. He makes saves based on knowing where the puck is supposed to be.”
Defenceman Josh Anderson (third round, 71st overall, Colorado) was the most recently-drafted Cougar, taken in 2016.
hardworking forward who’s going to fit well into the style of play we play, that in-yourface style hard on the puck. He will fit that mold well for us.”
Richter is the first son of an NHL player to join the Spruce Kings since forward Daniel Nachbaur in 2015. His father Don, who grew up in Prince George, played eight NHL seasons with Hartford, Edmonton and Philadelphia.
The Kings have added another Union College recruit, 19-year-old forward Andrew Seaman, to their roster.
The five-foot-10, 170-pound Seaman is a native of Winnetka, Ill., who scored 16 goals and 11 assists in 32 games last season for Phillips Exeter Academy, a high school
Offensive-minded defenceman Cole Moberg turned in a strong sophomore WHL season with the Cougars and could also joining a NHL team today.
The 17-year-old led all defenceman on his team with 13 goals and 40 points and he finished the season with seven points in the last eight games.
His powerful skating stride and tough positional play in the defensive end earned him the designation as the 136th-ranked North American skater.
Moberg lives in North Vancouver and he will also attend the draft, knowing there’s a chance he will be a late-round pick.
“It would mean a lot, It’s where I grew up and grew up playing hockey,” said Moberg, on the Cougars website.
“To have one of the goals I set out for myself happen where it all started for me, it would be exceptional.”
• Sakatoon Blades centre Kirby Dach was the first WHL player picked in draft, chosen third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks, followed by Vancouver Giants defenceman Bowen Byram, who went fourth overall to the Colorado Avalanche.
• Victoria Grizzlies forward Alex Newhook, a native of St. John’s, Nfld., was the first B.C. Hockey League player selected, chosen 16th overall by the Colorado Avalanche. Newhook is the highest BCHL pick since 2017, when the Avalanche selected Penticton Vees forward Tyson Jost 10th overall.
• Hawes said he’s fielded several calls recently from NHL scouts interested in 19-year-old Kings goalie Logan Neaton and 17-yearold defenceman Nick Bochen. Neaton is moving on to college hockey next season with the UMass-Lowell River Hawks, while Bochen has committed to the University of Michigan Wolverines for 2020-21.
team in Exeter, N.H. Seaman is also slated to join the Dutchmen in 2020.
“Andrew is a good-skating forward with a lot of skill and he’s a hardworking guy and he’s got some good finish to his game,” said Hawes.
“He has some real good offensive ability and he should put up some good numbers this year for sure.”
Both were recommended to the Spruce Kings by Dutchmen assistant coach Jason Tapp.
“The coaches at Union College, having watched us play a lot over the the last couple of seasons, really like how we develop our players,” said Hawes.
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime upsets top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas
The Canadia Press
LONDON — Canadian teenager
Felix Auger-Aliassime has recorded one of the biggest wins of his career.
The No. 8 seed from Montreal upset top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament on Friday. Tsitsipas, ranked sixth in the world, marks the highest-ranked player the 21st-ranked Auger-Aliassime has beaten in his career.
Auger-Aliassime, 18, also beat Tsitsipas in Indian Wells, Calif., earlier this year when the latter player was ranked 10th.
Auger-Aliassime will play Feliciano Lopez after the unseeded veteran from Spain beat No. 6 seed Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) later Friday.
The 113th-ranked Lopez, 37, won Queen’s Club in 2017.
The age differential between the players will be the greatest in an ATP semifinal or final since the 43-year-old Ken Rosewall defeated 23-year-old American Pat Dupre to reach the Hong Kong Grand Prix final in 1977.
The win against Tsitsipas was Auger-Alaissime’s fifth in as many matches against the Greek star dating back to their junior days.
“Whenever I step on court with him, I believe I can win and that’s obviously a big plus,” Auger-Aliassime told the ATP Tour.
Auger-Aliassime fought off seven break-point chances for Tsitsipas and won 77 per cent of his first-serve points.
Auger-Aliassime has not been broken in three matches this week, holding serve in all 38 games. He
has saved nine break points.
The Canadian is looking to make his fourth ATP Tour final of the season. He lost last week to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the final of the Stuttgart Cup, Auger-Aliassime’s tour-level grass-court debut.
Auger-Aliassime is the youngest semifinalist at Queen’s Club, a Wimbledon tune-up, since Lleyton Hewitt recorded the feat at age 18 in 1999.
The Raonic-Lopez match couldn’t have been much closer.
The Canadian won 101 points, while Lopez took 99.
Raonic fought off one match point on Lopez’s serve in the tiebreak, but then hit a shot into the net to end it.
Raonic was returning after dropping out of Stuttgart with a back injury prior to a semifinal against Auger-Aliassime.
Also, the fourth-seeded Daniil
Medvedev defeated Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-2 for a semifinal against Gilles Simon. The French player defeated compatriot Nicolas Mahut 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (3). The three-time Grand Slam champion and Lopez won their first set 6-4 and were 5-4 down in the second to British duo Daniel Evans and Ken Skupski when fading light forced a halt to play at the grass-court event.
It’s shaping up to be a busy Saturday for Lopez, as he finishes his doubles match, plays in the singles semifinals and possibly the doubles semifinals straight after that.
Defending champion Marin Cilic and former winner Grigor Dimitrov were both knocked out in the second round on Thursday.
- with files from The Associated Press
Prince George Spruce Kings defender Layton Ahac speeds past reaching Salmon Arm Silverbacks forward Logan Shaw last October at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
AP PHOTO BY KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada celebrates winning at match point against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during their quarterfinal singles match at the Queens Club tennis tournament in London on Friday.
Devils select Jack Hughes first overall at NHL draft
Josh CLIPPERTON
The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — Jack Hughes was selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils in the NHL draft on Friday night.
The flashy centre put up a record 154 assists and 228 points over two seasons with the under-18 U.S. National Team Development Program.
The Devils had the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery back in April, but jumped two spots for the right to draft Hughes.
“Obviously going first overall was a dream of mine,” Hughes said.
“But the Devils are a great organization, a great team, lots of good players, a pretty rich history, too. It’s a spot that really wanted me, I knew that from the get go.
“I’m just excited to play with the organization now.”
The 18-year-old joins a team that already boasts fellow former No. 1 picks Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier up front. New Jersey made the playoffs for the first time in five seasons in 2017-18, but is coming off a last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division at 31-41-10.
Hughes said he didn’t really feel nervous until just before his name was called.
“I’m a pretty calm kid. The only time I really got nervous was when Gary (Bettman) was talking up there for two minutes or so. That’s the only time I got nervous,” he said.
“It’s been a hectic day.”
The New York Rangers then stepped up to the podium to snag Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko with the second selection. Kakko, also 18, scored 22 goals – a record for a draft-eligible prospect – and added 16 assists in his country’s top division in 2018-19.
“It was my dream to be No. 1, but the second (pick) is also good,” said Kakko.
“I’m happy.”
Hughes was born in Orlando, Fla., but spent his formative years in the Toronto area when his father, Jim, worked for the Maple Leafs.
The younger Hughes, who regis-
tered 112 points in 50 games with the USNTDP in 2018-19, is the eighth American-born player to go No. 1 and the first since Toronto took Auston Matthews in 2016.
He’s also just the second USNTDP player to be drafted No. 1 directly out of the program after the St. Louis Blues took defenceman Erik Johnson first overall in 2006.
The five-foot-10, 170-pound playmaker is the younger brother of Vancouver Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes, who was selected seventh last June in Dallas.
The 228 points Hughes scored over his two seasons with the USNTDP smashed Clayton Keller’s previous mark of 189 (71 goals, 118 assists).
Kakko, meanwhile, heads to the Big Apple with quite a resume. He’s already won three gold medals internationally, including the 2019 world junior hockey championship in Vancouver and the recent men’s worlds in Slovakia.
The six-foot-two, 194-pound Turku native’s 22 goals this past
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season was one better than the 21 that Aleksander Barkov scored in 2012-13 before he was picked second overall by the Florida Panthers.
Kakko, who is said to model his game after Matthews, buried the winning goal for Finland at the world juniors before scoring six times to lead his country at the men’s worlds last month.
His selection at No. 2 marks the fourth time in the last four years a Finn has gone in the top three, following on the heels of Patrik Laine (second to Winnipeg in 2016), Miro Heiskanen (third to Dallas in 2017) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (third to Montreal in 2018).
Kirby Dach was the first Canadian off the draft board at Rogers Arena, with Chicago taking the centre at No. 3. The 18 year old from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., had 25 goals and 48 assists with the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades last season.
“I’m at a loss for words for what just happened,” said Dach.
“But it’s awesome to be picked by the Blackhawks.”
Next up was Colorado, which picked Bowen Byram fourth. The six-foot, 193-pound defenceman had 26 goals, 45 assists and a plus33 rating for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants last season.
The selection originally belonged to Ottawa, but was acquired by the Avalanche as part of the blockbuster Matt Duchene trade with the Senators back in November 2017.
“Everyone knew what was happening the first two picks. After that nobody knew what was going on, but then when (Colorado) got up there I had a really good feeling about them from the start,” said Byram.
“When they called my name it was pretty cool.”
Colorado also had the best odds to win the 2017 draft lottery, but again fell to fourth when New Jersey jumped to the front of the line and drafted Hischier. The Avalanche did get defenceman Cale
Makar that year, who made his debut in this spring’s playoffs and figures to be a difference-maker moving forward.
The Edmonton Oilers were the first Canadian team to make their pick, and selected defenceman Philip Broberg at No. 8. Broberg played last season with AIK in Sweden, scoring twice and adding seven assists. The 17-yearold was named the best defenceman at the U18 world championship.
The Vancouver Canucks picked Russian forward Vasily Podkolzin 10th overall.
The 17-year-old from Moscow played part of last season for St. Petersburg of the KHL and was the No. 2 European skater on the NHL Central Scouting prospect list behind Kakko.
Podkolzin, six-foot-one 196 pounds, captained Russia at the under-18 world championships.
The Montreal Canadiens took American Cole Caufield 15th overall.
The five-foot-seven right-winger from Wisconsin had 72 goals and 100 points in 64 games with the U.S. under-18 team last season.
The Ottawa Senators selected defenceman Lassi Thomson of Finland with the 19th pick.
The six-foot 186-pound Thomson played his first season in North America in 2018-19 with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, producing produced 17 goals and 41 points in 63 games.
The Winnipeg Jets made it two consecutive Finnish defenceman to go in the draft, taking Ville Heinola at No. 20.
The 18-year-old played 34 games with Lukko Rauma in Finland last season, scoring two goals and adding 12 assists. He added a goal and an assist over seven playoff games.
Thomson and Heinola were part of Finalnd’s gold-medal winning squad at the 2019 world junior hockey championship alongside Kakko.
Friday marked a record fourth straight year a Canadian didn’t go No. 1 in the draft, which continues with rounds two through seven on Saturday.
Canucks pick Russian forward Podkolzin
Gemma KARSTENS-SMITH
The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks picked Russian forward Vasily Podkolzin 10th overall at the NHL draft on Friday.
The 17-year-old from Moscow played part of last season for St. Petersburg of the KHL and was the No. 2 European skater on the NHL Central Scouting prospect list.
Podkolzin, six-foot-one 196 pounds, captained Russia at the under-18 world championships. He had one goal and four points in seven games to help his country win silver.
The selection was announced at Rogers Arena where the Canucks are hosting this year’s draft.
Some of Vancouver’s recent first-round draft picks have quickly become key to the club’s rebuilding process.
Last year, the Canucks scooped up defenceman Quinn Hughes seventh overall. The 19-year-old made his NHL debut in March and tallied three assists before the end of the season.
Hughes was in the crowd at Rogers Arena on Friday, cheering for his younger brother, Jack Hughes, who was picked No. 1 by the New Jersey Devils.
Elias Pettersson, taken fifth overall by the Canucks in 2017, won the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year at the NHL’s annual awards ceremony on Wednesday.
The Swedish centre led Vancouver in
scoring last season, posting 28 goals and 38 assists over 71 games.
Despite Pettersson’s success, the Canucks missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, finishing the regular season fifth in the Pacific Division with a 35-36-11 record.
The lacklustre performance brought mounting pressure for the team’s general manager, Jim Benning.
Vancouver has made the playoffs just once since Benning took the reigns in 2014, and the GM has repeatedly come under fire for signing under-performing forwards like Loui Eriksson, Sam Gag-
ner, Tim
and
While the former scout has collected some talented young athletes for the Canucks, question marks remain over some of his other selections.
Defenceman Olli Juolevi, taken fifth overall in 2016, has yet to play his first NHL game after suffering a number of injuries, including knee surgery last winter.
Benning will have an opportunity to add to Vancouver’s prospect pool when the draft continues on Saturday. The Canucks have eight more picks, starting with the 40th selection.
Sedins’ numbers to be retired in a February ceremony
The Canadian Press VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks will induct former forward Alex Burrows into the team’s “ring of honour” this season.
The club announced the move Friday before the start of the NHL draft. The Canucks also confirmed that Daniel Sedin’s No. 22 and Henrik Sedin’s No. 33 will be retired at Rogers Arena in February as part of a weeklong celebration. The retirement ceremony for the twin superstars will take place over three straight home games. The games have not been announced. Burrows was never drafted into the NHL, instead working his way through the ECHL and American Hockey league before he signed as a free agent with the Canucks in 2005. The left-winger went on to play 13 seasons with the Canucks and Ottawa Senators, putting up 409 career points. The Montreal native scored some of Vancouver’s most iconic goals, including the Game 7 series winner over Chicago in the first round of the 2011 playoffs. Burrows ranks eighth in Canucks history for most game-winning goals.
He retired from playing last July and took an assistant coaching position with the AHL’s Laval Rockets. A date for the induction ceremony has not yet been announced.
CP PHOTO BY JONATHAN HAYWARD
Top draft picks from left to right, New York Rangers Kaapo Kakko, New Jersey Devils Jack Hughes and Chicago Blackhawks Kirby Dach during the first round NHL draft at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Friday.
Schaller
Jay Beagle.
CP PHOTO BY JONATHAN HAYWARD
Vancouver Canucks selected Vasily Podkolzin during the first round NHL draft at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Friday.
AP PHOTO BY JOHN LOCHER
Daniel Sedin, left, and Henrik Sedin, formerly of the Vancouver Canucks, pose on the red carpet before the NHL Awards on Wednesday in Las Vegas. Before the NHL first round draft took place Friday it was announced Daniel’s No. 22 and Henrik’s No. 33 will be retired in a cermony in February.
Eskimos freeze out Lions
Canada looks to learn from loss as it enters World Cup knockouts
PARIS — Despite a somewhat deflating loss to the Netherlands to wrap up the preliminary round, Canada still has everything to play for at the Women’s World Cup.
The fifth-ranked Canadians remain in the more hospitable side of the draw. And they are confident they can make the necessary adjustments ahead of Monday’s round-of-16 date with ninthranked Sweden in Paris.
“We know we’re still in this race, in this hunt, and we’re going to give it our all for that round of 16,” said midfielder Desiree Scott, the most combative of the Canadians.
There is no more margin for error, however.
Another stumble against Swe-
den and it’s time to go home.
The Canadians looked out of sorts in the first half of the 2-1 loss Thursday to the eighth-ranked Dutch in Reims. And they paid for defensive lapses in the second half.
“It took us a little bit too long to get our footing in the game,” said captain Christine Sinclair.
“They started very strong. We definitely didn’t. You do that in the knockout rounds, you might be down two goals and the game’s over.”
A porous Canada found itself losing its shape and reacting rather than creating as the Dutch took control, probing and pulling at the Canadian defence. Slow, frantic, flat, lacking, hurried and not on the same page are just some of the words the Canadian players used to describe their first-half performance.
“They were just able to do things against us that we haven’t let happen not just this tournament, I’d say this whole year,” Sinclair said. That’s worrying. But Sinclair insists her team will learn from its mistakes as it steps into the deep waters of the tournament knockout stage.
In recent months, Canada has relied on a solid defence to cover up a lack of clinical finishing up front. Poor defending against a quality Dutch attack dug a hole that the Canadians were unable to pull themselves out of despite career goal No. 182 from the remarkable Sinclair.
For the first time in a while, the Canadian backline looked fragile.
The Swedes blanked No. 39 Chile 2-0 and defeated No. 34 Thailand 5-1 before losing 2-0 to the Americans on Thursday.
Canada is 5-12-3 all-time against Sweden although it is 3-2-3 over the last eight meetings dating back to November 2011. The teams tied 0-0 last time out in March at the Algarve Cup. “Sweden’s a world-class team that shows up for tournaments. Let’s put it that way,” said Sinclair. “World Cups, Olympics, they always seem to be in the mix come the end of the tournament.”
Since 1996, the Swedes have placed sixth, sixth, fourth, sixth, seventh and second at the Olympics – they lost 2-1 to Germany on an 82nd-minute own goal in the 2016 final at Rio. They have made it to the quarterfinals or better in five of their seven previous trips to the World Cup – finishing third in 1991, runner-up in 2003 (when they beat Canada 2-1 in the semifinals) and third in 2011.
The other side of the draw features the top-ranked Americans, No. 3 England, No. 4 France, No. 6 Australia and No. 10 Brazil. No. 2 Germany, No. 7 Japan, No. 8 Netherlands and No. 9 Sweden are the top-ranked teams in Canada’s half.
Should the Canadians get past Sweden, they will face the Germany-Nigeria winner. Had they won Group E, they would have met Japan next and likely avoided the Germans until the semifinals.
Coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller downplayed the tournament bracket while offering up two different routes his team could take.
“I think tonight showed that if we’re not (playing) our best, we can definitely lose to some of the teams left in the tournament. But I know if we play to our best, we can beat everyone,” he said.
Six Canadians chosen in 2019 NBA draft, set non-U.S. record
Avery YANG The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Canada’s basketball celebration keeps on going.
Six Canadians were drafted Thursday night, setting the record for a country other than the U.S.
A week after the Toronto Raptors won the nation’s first NBA championship, Canadians RJ Barrett, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Brandon Clarke, Mfiondu Kabengele, Ignas Brazdeikis and Marial Shayok were drafted.
“It’s amazing to be Canadian,” said Barrett, who went third overall to the New York Knicks.
“We take a lot of pride. That’s why I’ve got my Canadian flags on this side of my jacket. To put it on for our country, that means a lot.” France had five players selected in 2016.
“To see players come out of
(Canada) and be very good is something that’s awesome,” said Clarke, who went 21st to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I’m somebody who grew up watching (Steve) Nash play and I always thought it was really cool he was from Canada.”
The players selected – four in the first round – join the 13 active Canadian players in the NBA. Among them include former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins, NBA champion Tristan Thompson, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyler Ennis.
“I know guys like Andrew Wiggins and Tyler Ennis gave me hope,” said Alexander-Walker, the 17th pick by the New Orleans Pelicans.
“Now as RJ got selected. I got selected. Hopefully more Canadians who get selected can kind of
(from Charlotte through Atlanta), Bol Bol, c, Oregon.
45. Detroit, Isaiah Roby, f, Nebraska.
46. r-Orlando (from Brooklyn through Memphis and Charlotte), Talen Horton-Tucker, g, Iowa State.
47. s-Sacramento (from Orlando through New York), Ignas Brazdeikis, f, Michigan.
48. L.A. Clippers, Terance Mann, f, Florida State.
49. San Antonio, Quinndary Weatherspoon, g, Mississippi State.
50. t-Indiana, Jarrell Brantley, f, College of Charleston.
51. Boston, Tremont Waters, g, LSU.
52. Charlotte (from Oklahoma City), Jalen McDaniels, f, San Diego State.
53. Utah, Justin Wright-Foreman, g, Hofstra.
54. Philadelphia, Marial Shayok, f, Iowa State.
55. u-New York (from Houston), Kyle Guy, g, Virginia.
56. v-L.A. Clippers (from Portland through Detroit and Orlando), Jaylen Hands, g, UCLA.
57. w-New Orleans (from Denver through Milwaukee), Jordan Bone, g,
give those kids and other generations hope.”
Clarke, who played at Gonzaga, said the Raptors’ championship will help the growth of basketball in Canada.
“Basketball is getting bigger and bigger and it’s gotten much bigger, too, in Canada,” Clarke said.
“It’s just been really fun to watch the evolution of basketball in the country.”
Former Canadian players include 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Nash – who is Barrett’s godfather – former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and three-time NBA champion Rick Fox.
The previous record for the most Canadians chosen in a single draft was in 2014, when four were picked. From 1983-2009, a total of just nine were selected.
“It feels great,” Barrett said.
New Jersey, Jack Hughes, c, USA U-18 (NTDP). 2. N.Y. Rangers, Kaapo Kakko, rw, TPS (Finland). 3. Chicago, Kirby Dach, c, Saskatoon (WHL). 4. Colorado (from Ottawa), Bowen Byram, d, Vancouver (WHL).
5. Los Angeles, Alex Turcotte, c, USA U-18 (NTDP).
6. Detroit, Moritz Seider, d, Mannheim (Germany).
7. Buffalo, Dylan Cozens, c, Lethbridge (WHL).
8. Edmonton, Philip Broberg, d, AIK (Sweden-2).
9. Anaheim, Trevor Zegras, c, USA U-18 (NTDP).
10. Vancouver, Vasily Podkolzin, rw, Neva St. Petersburg (Russia-2). 11. Arizona (from Philadelphia), Victor Soderstrom, d, Brynas (Sweden).
12. Minnesota, Matthew Boldy, lw, USA U-18 (NTDP).
13. Florida, Spencer Knight, g, USA U-18 (NTDP).
14. Philadelphia (from Arizona), Cam York, d, USA U-18 (NTDP). 15. Montreal, Cole Caufield, rw, USA U-18 (NTDP). 16. Colorado, Alex Newhook, c,
AP PHOTO BY MARK LENNIHAN
Canadian Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a sophomore basketball player from Virginia Tech, attends the NBA Draft media availability on Wednesday in New York. The draft was be held Thursday was picked 17th.
CP PHOTO BY JASON FRANSON
B.C. Lions quarterback Mike Reilly (13) is tackled by Edmonton Eskimos Martese Jackson (30) during CFL action in Edmonton, Alta., on Friday. The Eskimos dominated the Lions with a score of 39-23.
Neil DAVIDSON
The Canadian Press
Judge orders special prosecutor to examine Smollett probe
Don BABWIN
The Associated Press
CHICAGO — A judge decided to appoint a special prosecutor Friday to investigate the decision by Cook County prosecutors to dismiss all charges against actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of lying to the police by claiming he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in downtown Chicago in January.
In a ruling that leaves open the possibility that Smollett could be charged again, Cook County Judge Michael Toomin suggested that the county’s state’s attorney, Kim Foxx, mishandled the Smollett case by appointing a top aide to oversee it after she recused herself.
Foxx had been in contact with a relative of the actor and had been approached by former first lady Michelle Obama’s one-time chief of staff on behalf of Smollett’s family, and she explained at the time that she was recusing herself to avoid “even the perception of a conflict” of interest.
In his ruling, Toomin said he had no problem with Foxx’s February recusal, but that it should have included a request for a special prosecutor to take over the case. He said she had no right to hand it off to someone
from her office, which he said amounted to naming her own special prosecutor.
“State’s attorneys are clearly not
meant to have unbridled authority to appoint special prosecutors,” he said. “She appointed (her top assistant) to an office, to an entity, that has no legal existence. There isn’t an office of the ‘acting state’s attorney.’ It existed only... in the imagination of Ms. Foxx.”
“The unprecedented irregularities identified in this case warrant the appointment of independent counsel to restore the public’s confidence in the integrity of our criminal justice system,” the judge said.
Toomin also left open the possibility that the special prosecutor could charge Smollett again – either with the original charges accusing him of lying to police or with other counts.
The Chicago Police Department, which has never disguised its anger over the decision to drop the charges, vowed to assist the special prosecutor.
“We stand firmly behind the work of detectives in investigating the fabricated incident reported by Jussie Smollett & #ChicagoPolice
will fully co-operate with the court appointed special prosecutor,” department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted.
In a written statement, Foxx took issue with the ruling and explained that she “followed the advice of counsel and my then Chief Ethics Officer” to recuse herself.
Smollett’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Foxx has been under fire for her handling the investigation, including from the Chicago Police Department and the former mayor. Her office charged Smollett with 16 counts of disorderly conduct after police concluded that Smollett had staged the early-morning Jan. 29 attack on himself and had paid two acquaintances to help him pull it off.
But it stunningly dropped all of the charges weeks later, prompting an outcry from police and leading a former state appellate judge, Sheila O’Brien, to call for a special prosecutor.
In filing a petition requesting a special prosecutor, O’Brien said it appeared to her and others that Smollett had “received special treatment” from Foxx’s office.
Foxx has defended her handling of the case and said Smollett was treated no differently than thousands of other defendants in low-level cases whose charges have been similarly dropped since she took office.
And Foxx, who has publicly wondered if her being black has anything to do with the criticism she has received, said she would welcome an independent investigation.
But her office opposed such a special prosecutor, explaining that the investigation would just duplicate the efforts of a county inspector general’s office probe that is already underway.
Toomin is now required by law to ask the state’s attorney general’s office or the state appellate prosecutor to serve as special prosecutor.
If they decline, he must make the same request to elected state’s attorneys throughout Illinois. That is what happened in the case of former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke, who was charged with murder in the 2014 shooting death of a black teenager, Laquan McDonald.
The case was ultimately prosecuted by Kane County State’s Attorney Joseph McMahon after Foxx’s predecessor, Anita Alvarez, recused her office. McMahon won a second-degree murder conviction against Van Dyke.
If none of those prosecutors agree to take the case, the city can hire a private attorney to handle it. Toomin’s ruling adds yet another layer to an already complicated case. Weeks after the charges were dropped against Smollett, the city sued him in an attempt to recoup the tens of thousands of dollars the police department spent investigating the case. There was even a defamation lawsuit by the two brothers who allege that Smollett paid them to help him stage the attack on himself.
Fox Entertainment announced in April that Smollett would not appear in season six of Empire, which is its last season.
John CARUCCI
NEW YORK — As Nik Wallenda prepares to walk a wire 25 stories above New York’s Times Square, he admits he’s a little uneasy. And for good reason: His sister, Lijana, will join him for the first time since a near-fatal accident.
Two years ago during a rehearsal for a stunt, Lijana Wallenda fell 30 feet and suffered severe injuries to her face that required reconstructive surgery. This time, the siblings will start from opposite ends of the 1,300-foot wire, which will be suspended between two of Times Square’s towers. In the middle, Lijana Wallenda will sit on the wire and let her brother step over her. Both will then continue to the opposite side. The attempt will air live Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
AP FILE PHOTO
Actor Jussie Smollett talks to the media before leaving Cook County Court after his charges were dropped, in Chicago on March 26.
Nik Wallenda worries for his sister ahead of Times Square stunt
WALLENDA
Wild and Crazy Guys book stars ’80s film funnymen
Douglass K. DANIEL The Associated Press
Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the ’80s Changed Hollywood Forever (Crown Archetype) by Nick de Semlyen
Our favourite funnymen of the 1980s reached glorious heights and managed to endure the decade despite some appallingly unfunny lows. Sharing SNL in their DNA, most of them worked together in front of the camera at some point and, behind the scenes, commiserated at times over the vagaries of show business.
Offering colourful film backstories and insightful portraits of Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, author Nick de Semlyen’s Wild and Crazy Guys explores the nature of stardom itself – the struggle to be noticed and the even greater struggle to stay noticed.
Interestingly, their careers often followed similar trajectories.
One common challenge was surviving all that fame and fortune.
Belushi, the Animal House and Blues Brothers star, couldn’t handle the high of success, morphing from comedic wunderkind to cautionary tale when he died of a drug overdose at 33.
Others who dabbled in drugs and alcohol managed to avoid his fate – the late John Candy’s self-destruction was more about food and drink – but they still faced personal and professional stumbling blocks. Chase’s were less a matter of too much too soon than finding the good material and avoiding the bad. The first star spawned by Saturday Night Live, the mother ship of post-Watergate American comedy, Chase enjoyed comparisons to Cary Grant with his star turn in Foul Play.
Then came Oh Heavenly Dog and several other box-office canines. Fortunately, Caddyshack and National Lampoon’s Vacation put Chase’s best qualities front and centre again and led to Fletch and Spies Like Us.
De Semlyen’s solid reporting and interviewing show how hard work helps but isn’t always enough. Aykroyd comes off as the worker bee, taking leading and supporting roles while constantly dreaming up ideas for movies.
His script laying the groundwork for Ghostbusters had started out as another vehicle for his friend and co-star Belushi.
That megahit, which followed Trading Places with Murphy, led to years of reliable comedy work plus an occasional dramatic role, including his Oscar-nominated support in Driving Miss Daisy.
For all their wildness and craziness, being taken seriously for a change was a must. Murray and Martin may have tried a little too soon to suit their fans. Buffeted by the intense fandom that came with Ghostbusters and the personal disappointment generated by his critically rejected dramatic turn in The Razor’s Edge, Murray practically went into hiding for a few years to figure things out.
Martin could relate to the hunger for drama. The Jerk was a solid starring debut, but he put off audiences and critics with the oddball musical Pennies from Heaven – Fred Astaire hated it – then appeared in a half-dozen comedies that were mildly amusing at best.
He mixed laughs with romance for Roxanne and laughs with drama for L.A. Story before transitioning into family-friendly comedies, a reliable venue for graying mavericks.
If anyone could do no wrong, it seemed to be Murphy. Barely out of his teens when he first appeared on SNL, he started off big with 48 Hrs. and Trading Places and soon blew down the doors with Beverly Hills Cop. He was the golden child of ’80s comedy until The Golden Child, but then the blockbuster Coming to America made everything right again. Murphy didn’t risk ruining himself with drugs, preferring women as his not-so-guilty pleasure.
And, like Martin and the others, he stayed in the game by playing dads and other middle-age characters. A flaw in de Semlyen’s enjoyable book is its bent toward fact over analysis. His answer to the question posed by its subtitle – a couple of paragraphs about legacies, rule-breaking and commercial success –feels perfunctory.
Looking back three decades, it’s hard to remember when Murray, Martin, Murphy and Aykroyd weren’t part of the comedy scene. De Semlyen’s welcome flashback reminds us why their very names still bring a smile to our faces.
Douglass K. Daniel is the author of Anne Bancroft: A Life (University Press of Kentucky).
AP PHOTO BY RANDOM HOUSE TIM O’BRIEN
This cover image released by Random House shows Wild and Crazy Guys, by Nick de Semlyen.
Novel dissects
divorce with sharp, funny scalpel
Fleishman Is in Trouble (Random House) by
Taffy Brodesser-Akner
There was once a time when becoming a doctor or marrying one was an ideal measure of success. But Fleishman Is in Trouble, the new novel by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, rejects that antiquated notion and several other tired societal tropes, shining a light on how we view work, relationships and material things.
Toby Fleishman, a Manhattan doctor and father of two, is in the middle of a painful divorce and finds the best medicine is swiping right on Tinder to ease his pain. The plot takes place over just a few weeks, but the story of how his 14-year marriage to Rachel devolved into an angry, bitter mess comes in flashbacks of how the couple met, fell in love and built a life together.
An old friend of Toby’s serves as the narrator and judge, colouring the story with her own insecurities and marital itchiness.
The first part of the book reveals Toby’s side of things, and while he paints himself as a martyr who took a back seat in his career as a liver specialist to play Mr. Mom, it’s clear his self-pity, fear of failure and disappointment in the way his life has turned out contributed to the disintegration of the family.
In Toby’s version, Rachel is the easy villain – obsessed with money and status – who rose from assistant to superagent to the stars, working long hours, networking for social and professional gain, and becoming the breadwinner while growing increasingly powerful and financially successful.
The seeds of resentment are sown as Toby feels increasingly inadequate and Rachel’s busy schedule and pressure to keep up with the elite banker crowd pushes her to the point of a breakdown.
Rachel gets her say in the last part of the book, and we see where she got her drive, how specific life events devastated her and made her feel like no one – including Toby – had her back.
Brodesser-Akner is a journalist best known for her in-depth celebrity interviews, including a New York Times magazine cover story on Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop that got attention for its incisive reporting and humour.
The author’s sharp wit and descriptions of a certain urban privileged life are dead-on and often hilarious. The novel feels fresh and modern with a satirical edge, but enough truth to sting even the schmoopiest of married couples.
She describes how parenting and work exhaustion, bitterness and dreams unrealized strip the desire out of sex until it becomes a chore.
All the mid-life crises symptoms are here: from tawdry affairs to Botox boosts, yoga retreats and the politics of navigating dating app hookups. Stay-athome moms won’t like her assertion that they have it easier than working mothers, who are, after all, juggling two jobs.
There’s a plot twist that drives the narrative, but it’s the way that Brodesser-Akner manages to notice both the minutiae of relationships that universally drives people crazy as well as a macro picture of how being married feels after 15 years that anchor the book. Both Toby and Rachel get caught up in her drive for the house in the Hamptons, private schools and invitations to exclusive playdates, clouding their values and breaking promises they made to each other long ago.
One overall message is that holding onto the routine of staying “busy” – overscheduling, rushing, competing and social media posting – often results in feelings of loneliness, inadequacy and a lack of connection.
Toby Fleishman isn’t the only one in trouble. Infusing candour, humour and social commentary, this book holds up a mirror to all of us, demanding that we take a hard look at how we live and how we love.
The Citizen archives put more than
Brooke LEFFERTS The Associated Press
RANDOM HOUSE IMAGE VIA AP
This cover image shows Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner.
Electric-assist wining and dining
An e-bike is perfect way to get around Rheingau wine country
Steve MACNAULL Glacier Media
Half-way up the impossibly steep hill to Schloss Johannisberg, I’m silently rejoicing I opted for an e-bike.
Originally, the plan was for a leisurely peddle on a commuter bike through vineyards in Germany’s Rheingau wine region.
But when I meet my guide, Claudia Lewerenz, at Radkranz Bike Rental in Rudesheim, she’s already picked out an electric-assist model for herself.
She, and the guy manning the rental shop, implore me to do the same.
I’ve been wanting to show off my cycling prowess and initially refuse, then waver and ultimately capitulate when Claudia convinces me I can take the e-bike and not use the motor unless absolutely necessary.
I agree, but I’m stubbornly ready to prove a point and cycle the 50-kilometre round trip without activating the electric-assist.
Yet here I am, at the first sight of an incline, hitting the eco boost, then the standard assist and finally kicking it into high for the ultimate in cycling rescue. Claudia doesn’t let on I succumbed to the motorized help, and neither do I.
After all, we’ve arrived at the top of the hill unwinded and ready to taste at Schloss Johannisberg, the oldest all-Riesling-all-the-time winery in the world dating back to 1720.
Johannisberg’s sprawling yellow castle is impressive.
So are the three wines we sip and the view of vineyards, the Rheingau valley and the River Rhine snaking through the middle of it.
Rheingau is renowned Riesling wine country an hour train ride west of Frankfurt that hugs the north shore of the Rhine.
Through the Rheingau, the Rhine flows west-east, instead of the usual north-south, creating a unique micro-climate that Riesling grapes adore.
ling Trocken Sekt (the German term for sparkling wine).
It’s dreamy enjoying the bubbles on the schloss’ (winery’s) winegarden (patio) while gazing at the moat-surrounded Water Castle.
Thankfully, the next section of ride is downhill, through vineyards, to the Rhine, so we can lunch waterside in Hattenheim at Rhein Schanke on chicken schnitzel and salad, with, of course, a glass of trocken Riesling from nearby Karl Jon. Molitor Winery.
It’s back up hill after lunch while unabashedly using electric assist, past more vineyards and Eberbach Monastery before another long downhill to the winegarden of the eptoymous winery owned by Baron Frederik Knyphausen.
Here we switch it up and enjoy glasses of 2018 Spatburgunder Rose.
Sated with wine and sunshine, we peddle the long ride back on the flat and scenic path along the Rhine.
My base in Rheingau is Zum Grunen Kranz, a 60-room hotel that spans four historic buildings in the centre of Rudesheim.
The hotel also owns the bike rental agency Radkranz, so you can pick up wheels to do a selfguided or guided tour on what the Germans have efficiently named the R3A, but is also known as the more wine-centric Spatlesereiter Bike Route.
Also in Rudesheim, I enjoy a dinner of ham and white asparagus (a very German dish) at Hotel Lindenwirt with Rheingau wine princess Sophie Egert to discuss Riesling and her plans to become a winemaker.
Riesling often gets a bad rap as
I planned this excursion not just because I love to bike, but Riesling is my favourite and Rheingau is all vineyard, hillside, castle and river eye candy, especially in the sunshine.
as too sweet. There’s certainly that style, but there’s also an abundance of Rieslings done dry, or as the Germans
call it, trocken. We take the trocken test again at our next stop, Schloss Vollrads, and order glasses of the 2015 Ries-
The next night I meet up with wine tour operator Walter Schonleber for dinner at Zum Krug in Hattenheim, where owner-chefsommelier Josef Laufer takes us through a tasting menu with four Rieslings and two Rheingau Pinot Noirs. Air Canada flies non-stop between Frankfurt and Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Check out Rheingau.com and www.Germany.Travel.
Reporter Steve MacNaull cycled through Rheingau’s vineyards on an e-bike.
GLACIER MEDIA PHOTO BY STEVE MACNAULL
Guide Claudia Lewerenz, above, cycles along the River Rhine. Sophie Egert, below, is one of Rheingau’s wine princesses.
At Home
What to know before buying your dream vacation home
Sara CLEMENCE
Special To The Washington Post
At their three-bedroom vacation home in Baja California, Mexico, Amy and Chad Wells have a wall of windows looking onto the Pacific Ocean, a beach right below their deck and an adobe fireplace in the den.
One thing they don’t have: a deed in their name.
“We’ve had the house for a year and a half and the bank hasn’t cleared it yet,” said Amy, 40. Until recently, a previous owner’s claim to the property had been winding its way through the Mexican court system, which meant that although the couple paid for the house, renovated it, spends weekends there and listed it on Airbnb, their ownership hadn’t been finalized.
“For the price we paid to have what we have, we expected it to be a pain in the butt,” Amy said. Their story illustrates some of the upsides and downsides of buying a vacation home in another country. Beyond bragging rights, buying outside of the United States can be incredibly affordable – and even profitable. It allows owners to put down roots in a culture instead of being tourists. And, depending on the location, that second home can get you resident status or even a passport.
But buying abroad also comes with risks – and almost definitely will complicate your finances.
There will be bank accounts to open, tax bills to pay, utilities to set up, Internal Revenue Service forms to file and logistics to manage. When problems pop up – and they eventually will – they’ll have to be solved long-distance, in another legal system and maybe even another language.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy the Tuscan cottage or Caribbean condo you’ve been dreaming of. But it does mean you should be clear-eyed about the issues you may have to navigate to make your second-home fantasy come true.
Restrictions on foreign ownership
You don’t have to star in a spy movie to have multiple passports: Buy a house in Malta, Cyprus, Grenada, or several other countries with special investment programs, and you could be eligible for a second citizenship.
But on the flip side, many countries place restrictions on foreign ownership. In Costa Rica, they can’t own 100 percent of any beachfront property. In Mexico, the constitution forbids foreigners from directly owning property in a “restricted zone” that extends 50 kilometers inland from the ocean and 100 kilometers from any national border.
That doesn’t mean that American owners – including the Wells – can’t own an oceanfront house. But it does have to be held in a bank trust, which increases the transaction cost. Setting up a trust can add a couple thousand dollars to the expense of a home, with management fees running about $500 a year, said David Connell, managing partner of Connell & Associates, a Mexican law firm.
“It’s a fairly straightforward process,” he said. “But it does add a little more work.”
Some countries have laws specific to agrarian property – which can cause problems even if you’re not looking to buy a farm. The complications with the Wellses’ home stem from the fact that the
property was part of an ejido, a plot of communally owned land once used for agriculture.
Ejido land isn’t titled and can’t be transferred unless it goes through a special process, Connell said. Some foreign buyers aren’t aware of how long the titling process can take.
“Two years is a long time,” he said.
Ejidos aren’t limited to remote, rural areas.
“Cabo, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun all have agrarian communities that border them,” Connell said. “It’s one of the first things we look at.”
It’s one of the many reasons it’s important to work with professionals who are well versed in local laws and know how to navigate them. Wherever you buy, hire a reliable attorney to do due diligence. The last thing you want is to buy a house and find out later that it doesn’t belong to you.
Getting a mortgage can be difficult
Most U.S. banks won’t give you a mortgage on a property in another country, points out Traci Getz, partner at the accounting firm Ryan & Wetmore, whose offices are in Maryland and Virginia.
Unless you have enough cash on hand to buy the house, you’ll be requesting a loan from a foreign bank – and it probably won’t be as easy as working with one back home.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank in the U.S. – you have nothing here,” said Anthony Scotti, owner of Perfect Spain, a boutique real estate agency in the coastal city of Valencia.
Your credit score holds no merit abroad, either. Scotti connects his clients with mortgage companies that are used to dealing with American buyers, but unlike in the United States, they will normally require a down payment of at least 30 per cent. The same holds true in Italy, said Diletta Giorgolo Spinola, head of Central and Southern Italy sales for Italy Sotheby’s International Realty, and in other countries banks may lend even less of the total value.
Regardless of where you buy a home, you’ll be on the hook for extra taxes. Spain levies a 10 per cent sales tax on real estate, Scotti said. Nonresidents buying in Italy have to pay about a nine per cent
tax on the value of the land. On top of that, there can be ongoing property taxes. Although depending on where you buy, they may be a pleasant surprise.
“I think we pay 600 pesos for the whole year,” Amy Wells said, “which is like $30.”
But even tiny tax bills need to be tracked and paid – usually from a local bank account, which you’ll also need to pay for utilities, repairs, cleaning services and other maintenance costs. And if the value of your accounts go north of $10,000 at any point during a given year, you’re required to file a special form with the IRS, Getz said.
“It’s not that it’s a very onerous requirement,” she said. “But the penalties for not doing so can be steep.”
Renting your home out can help cover your costs, and in some cases even reap you a profit. But it also can trigger tricky tax issues; American residents are subject to U.S. tax law no matter where in the world they earn income, and if they own a home in another country, they are on the hook for taxes there, too.
“Honestly, you probably need a financial adviser and a lawyer,” Getz said.
Otherwise, you may end up having to pay the same tax in two countries or worse, running afoul of the law. The need for professional advice is also crucial for any capital or currency exchange gains you might incur when you sell, unless you relish the idea of handing over your profits to multiple governments.
Lower costs overseas
The Wellses bought their house in Baja knowing it would need a makeover. They also knew the project would cost less than back home, though they didn’t realize how much less.
The family redid the bathrooms, added walls and a closet, put windows into a side of the house that had no ventilation, and resurfaced the interior and exterior walls.
“They were like, ‘That will be $2,500,’” Amy Wells said. “Not including materials.”
The price tag was shockingly low, but, like all renovations, the project came with its challenges.
“I speak okay Spanish, but it’s still hard,” she said. Instead of removing old bathroom tiles, workers pasted new ones on top. That’s despite driving
down to Mexico weekly to oversee the work and deliver materials, something that many home buyers aren’t able to manage.
Long-distance buyers will want to think long and hard before undertaking a renovation. That cottage in need of some TLC will seem a lot less charming when your contractor walks off the job 3,000 miles away. And though the Wellses didn’t come up against any building regulations, other countries are strict. In Tuscany, it can be difficult to get permission to build a new home, Giorgolo Spinola said.
That’s one reason that old ruins of houses can be appealing to intrepid buyers. They come with permission to rebuild to the original volume of the house.
Problems can arise
Anthony Scotti will never forget the day he showed up at one of the apartments his company manages in Valencia. It was unoccupied at the time, or supposed to be.
“I walk into the apartment and the lights are off and I see movement in the bed,” he said.
Two people had broken in and spent the night, as well as smashed pictures and gathered up the electronics so they could carry them away. Scotti didn’t call the police. “I didn’t know what they would say,” he said.
He worried the trespassers would falsely claim to be squatters. Spain is among the countries with squatters’ rights. Although the practice is illegal, it can be difficult and expensive to evict people who are living in your property without permission. It’s a particular risk for absentee owners, though not the only one.
Another one of Scotti’s clients, a couple from Ohio, returned to their house in Valencia after a long absence to find their hot water heater had sprung a leak. Had the drip been caught in a day, it would have been a minor issue, but the leak had gone on for two months.
“It damaged three floors of the house, all their beautiful new wood floors,” Scotti said.
“There was mold inside the walls.”
Even if you don’t make much money in the process, it can be worth renting out your home – or paying someone to look after the property while you’re gone – to prevent such catastrophes. Security bars and shutters may be a hassle to install and interfere with
the view, but they can help you avoid a months-long court battle. It also helps to have good insurance, which can be hard to come by in some countries. If you do buy coverage abroad, make sure it will pay for your costs in the event of a disaster. Some major U.S. companies now insure foreign properties for clients. AIG lets wealthy clients buy insurance on an overseas home that’s comparable to a domestic policy, covering the full repair or replacement cost, said Jeremiah Hourihan, president of AIG’s private client group.
“If you buy a villa in France that was built hundreds of years ago, it has features that would be, if not impossible, then almost impossible to replace,” he said. “Our guarantee will rebuild it as it was.”
Be ready for change
When you fall hard for a farmhouse in the South of France or a studio with a view in Hong Kong, your long-term thinking is often focused on how much you’ll enjoy it in the years to come. That’s not the wisest approach, experts say.
A lot can change over the years.
A blossoming local economy might double your property value. Or, the government might change the local laws, and not in your favour.
One of Scotti’s clients in Spain recently found himself in a bind, when the Spanish government passed a law that gave his neighbours the right to collectively bar him from using his apartment as a vacation rental.
“They keep changing the laws,” Scotti said. “It’s going to change again.”
And though most buyers aren’t thinking about what will happen to their homes when they die, they should. Getz recommends that any overseas owners make sure their properties are listed as part of their estate and that they file a will both at home and abroad.
“Depending on what the laws of the country are, if you don’t have a will (your home) could go to the closest relative you have in that country, which may not be where you intended it to go,” she said. Some countries – particularly in Africa and the Middle East – bar women from inheriting property. No such limits exist in Mexico. The land dispute has been stressful, and Amy Wells has sometimes wondered whether it would have been easier to buy in another community.
THE WASHINGTON POST BY SANDY HUFFAKER
Carmen, the dog of Chad and Amy Wells, sprawls on a couch in the living room of their beach house in Rosarito, Mexico.
SHAW, Lorne Thompson, aged 92, passed away peacefully on June 9, 2019, in his home with family by his side.
Lorne was born July 8, 1926 and raised in Elm Creek, Manitoba, leaving home to become a Navy stoker at 17Ω and, upon discharge in January 1946, he and his parents moved west to Vancouver. After graduating vocational school as a heavy-duty mechanic, Lorne traveled the interior and northern BC servicing equipment. During this very social time in Prince George, he met Betty, and they married in 1953. Lorne advanced from monkey-wrenching to selling International Harvester construction equipment for BC Equipment, where his social nature served him well. This position took Lorne and Betty from Prince George (where Gordon was born in 1954) to Williams Lake (Donald 1956), North Vancouver, Burnaby, Kamloops (Betty Ann 1961), Nelson and full circle back to Prince George in 1974. When Lorne stopped travelling, he worked for Comor/River Industries as a counter salesman.
Lorne was a character and loved telling stories of his days on the road and was known for his wit and endless (frequently risqué) jokes which he was always happy to share. His memory was exceptional, and family will miss that infallible resource.
Lorne was predeceased by his wife Betty in 2008 and eldest son Gordon in 2002. He was survived by son Don (Jo-Anne), daughter Betty Ann (Kelly), daughter-in-law Lorna, two grandchildren (Don and Cori), and three great grandchildren (Haley, Jordyn and Meghan).
The family is very appreciative of the wonderful care and support Lorne received from Drs Kelly, McCoy, King and most recently Dr Geddes. The team of Home Support Workers and the Department of Veterans Affairs both played a very large part in Lorne’s success in remaining in his home over the years as he aged, and for that the family is eternally grateful. No Service will be held. Lorne requested cremation, and family will celebrate his life and spread his ashes in a favoured location.
JOHNSON, Dori-Lyn
Mar. 10, 1961Jun. 5, 2019
It is with broken hearts and deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved wife, daughter, sister, aunt and best friend... Dori-Lyn Johnson. Dori fought a courageous two year battle against cancer that revealed a character that grew stronger with each new challenge that she faced. Her fight was an inspiration to all of us.
Dori leaves behind her greatest love and husband of 28 years, Harley Green. She will be lovingly remembered by her stepfather Jake, brother Duane (Jen), sister Dawn (Doug) many nieces, nephews and their children. Her loving mother Judy Thiessen, predeceased her on January 3, 2018.
Dori also leaves behind a vast spectrum of friends who were all drawn to her infectious smile, sense of humour and dynamic personality. She loved her dog Joey and dearly departed pets Jessie and JJ.
Dori will always be the sunshine in our lives. Not a day will go by without her being missed. A celebration of life for Dori will be held at VanDusen Gardens, on September 15, 2019 from 1200 to 4 P.M. There will be a Celebration at the BX Pub July 27 at 5pm.
SCHLESIER,ManfredR.
January28,1932-June19,2019
Withgreatsadness,thefamilyofFredSchlesier announceshispassing.FredarrivedinCanadafrom Germanyin1954,livingandworkinginAnzacand BearLakebeforeretiringinPrinceGeorge.He recentlylivedinVancouverwithhismuchloved grandchildren,HanaandToki.Heissurvivedbyhis wife,Judy;son,Scott(Julianne);anddaughter, Jacquilynne. Noserviceisplannedatthistime.Memorial donationsmaybedirectedtothefundsupportinghis niece,Suzanne,inherfightagainstcancerat: ca.gofundme.com/manymoreyearsofsuzanne
LUCY BECK
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Lucy Beck on June 14, 2019. A loving wife and devoted mother, she was generous and caring towards all who knew her, a shining ray of sunlight for those whose lives she touched. Lucy was known for her style, as colourful and vibrant as her personality. We have lost a spirited and dynamic soul, but there is one more radiant star in the sky watching over all of us. She is survived by her husband Jim, her son Aidan, her sister Eadi, her brother Henry, and a nearly uncountable number of loyal friends. Per Lucy’s wishes there will be no service, in lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the BC Cancer Foundation at https://bccancer foundation.com/LucyBeck
Cindy Read
Cindy passed away peacefully with family by her side. Survived by her loving husband Earl, daughter Desiree’ of Prince George, Son Wes (Marina) of Fort St John, grandchildren Tiffan, Kaysen & Prentice. Brother Norm (Nicole) of Kelowna. Sisters Doreen (Tom) of Williams Lake, Khonny of Prince George. Many nephews and nieces and great nephews and nieces. Predeceased by her father Gerald Phillips, mother Bernice Bowditch, brother Wes Phillips, sister Myrna Paice, nephew Guy Phillips. Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to MS Society.
Fred Doig
1928-2019
it is will great sadness we announce the passing of beloved family member and friend, Fred Doig. Fred is survived by the love of his life, wife Marion. There is be a Celebration of Life June 22/19 at the Hart Community Center, from 1-5pm. In lieu of flowers donations to the PG Hospice House would be greatly appreciated. Hospice House, 1506 Ferry Ave, Prince George, V2L 5H2
STATISTICSCANADAFIELDINTERVIEWER
STATISTICSCANADAISHIRING
RecruitingPart-timeFieldInterviewerinthePrince Georgearea. RateofPay:$17.83 www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/employment/otheropp/interview/ prov-terr/position/19ssovan701778
STATISTIQUECANADAEMBAUCHE Nousrecrutonspourcomblerunposted’intervieweur surleterrainatempspartieldanslaregiondePrince George. Tauxderemuneration:17,83$ www.statcan.gc.ca/fra/emploi/autresopp/interview/provterr/poste/19stcssovan701778
Adult & Youth Newspaper Carriers Needed in the Following areas:
• Hart Area
• Driftwood Rd, Dawson Rd, Seton Cres,
• Austin Rd.
• Lower College Heights O’Grady Rd and Park, Brock, Selkirk,
• Oxford, Simon Fraser Trent, Fairmont, Guelph, Gladstone,Hartford, Harvard, Imperial, Kingsley, Jean De Brebeuf Cres, Loyola, Latrobe, Leicester Pl, Princeton Cres, Prince Edward Cres, Newcastle, Melbourne, Loedel, Marine Pl, Hough Pl, Guerrier Pl, Sarah Pl, Lancaster, Lemoyne,
• • Upper College Heights
• St Barbara, St Bernadette, Southridge, St Anne Ave, Bernard, St Clare St, St Gerald Pl, Creekside, Stillwater.
• • Full Time and Temporary Routes Available. Contact for Details 250-562-3301 or rss@pgcitizen.ca
WEAREHIRINGFORPRODUCTION
ComebeapartoftheWintonteam!Youwillhelpus safelycreatecustom,qualityhousingcomponents forourcustomers.Framingandconstruction experienceisanasset.Startingwageis$18/hour plusbenefits. Applyinpersonoremailyourresumetodayto: hr@sinclar.com
One in five Canadians will experience some form of mental illness during their lifetime.
Obituaries
Obituaries In Memoriam
