Police incident puts schools on lockdown
Retired city manager to review snow control
Citizen staff
A retired senior manager has been brought in to review the city’s snow control operations in the wake of the heavy snowfall that struck the city early in the new year. Frank Blues, who managed snow removal and budgeting for the majority of his 30 years with the city, will also look at how other municipalities carry out the work.
The aim is to bring recommendations to city council by the end of May, city engineering and public works manager Dave Dyer said in a report to council, included in the agenda package for this Monday’s meeting. He said the decision to hire Blues was made in response to an “after action review” of the major
snowfall that struck the city.
Starting on Dec. 30, snowfall totalling 42 centimetres fell on the city and was immediately followed by rainfall and then temperatures to -25 C.
The timeframe for clearing of all 700 kilometres of roads and 200 km of sidewalks was seven days and during that time 487 service requests were received, Dyer said. A similar review was conducted after 90 centimetres of snow fell on the city over five days in February 2018, Dyer added.
He said it led to a number of recommendations that were then “examined by the divisions and detailed actions and timelines were assigned,” he said.
“One of those recommendations for continuous improvement was to review the snow and ice control council procedure and propose updates for council’s consideration.”
Third Avenue reopened
Citizen staff
Third Avenue was completely reopened to traffic by midday Thursday after city workers brought gushing water from a broken water main under control.
They were brought in after the water main, installed in 1956 and made of cast iron, ruptured Wednesday at about 4 p.m., forcing a closure of Third from Winnipeg to Rupert Streets.
Small fountains of water gushed up through the pavement for a time. Workers and heavy equipment were brought in to
dig down to the water main, replace the damaged section and to remove ice and snow from catch basins so water could drain into the storm sewer system. By about midday, the hole had been refilled and the section patched up with gravel. It should be repaved by March 22, the city said in a press release issued Thursday.
Just under a kilometre of water mains are scheduled for replacement this year, the city added, with the work funded out of revenue generated from the utility bills sent to property owners twice a year.
Suspicious truck seen near school
Citizen staff
Prince George RCMP have received another report of a driver allegedly prowling near a local elementary school.
The latest incident occurred on Friday near Quinson Elementary School on Ogilvie Street and similar to past reports, the suspect vehicle was described as a white pickup truck.
The truck, which also had a very dirty tailgate, was seen looping slowly around the school, RCMP were told.
The occurrence is similar to ones reported on Feb. 19 and 25 near Heritage Elementary
School on Anderson Street, about two kilometres to the east, police added. In both of those incidents, RCMP said, a man driving a white truck had approached children after school.
No description of the driver was available for this latest one.
Anyone who may have information about the incidents is asked to contact the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.pgcrimestoppers. bc.ca.
You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers.
CITIZEN STAFF PHOTO
Commuters heading along Third Avenue make their way as water gushes up through the pavement on Wednesday.
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO
A bulldozer moves snow up the pile at the city snow dump at 17th Avenue and Foothills Boulevard in January.
Tall order
Crews install a communication tower near the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ospika Boulevard on Wednesday morning. A crane was used to lift the top part of the tower.
Casting call issued for Beauty and the Beast
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
A song as old as rhyme is about to be sung at the Prince George Playhouse.
Musical theatre performers of the city can join the chorus and some even take centre stage.
Here is the story about to be told. See if it rings familiar.
A naive but intelligent youth stumbles into a misadventure of imprisonment and abuse, only to win freedom by using reason, education, compassion and patience.
That’s a more complex summary than the surface description: disfigured and tormented nobleman kidnaps a gorgeous, well-educated young woman in a desperate attempt to break a curse, and despite the circumstances they fall in love by learning to let their best selves shine through hard times.
Sound interesting? Sound like a fable from the days of old? Sound like a tale as old as time?
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will be the summer production by Prince George producer-director Judy Russell.
It is the first time this globally-popular musical has ever been produced in this city. It was done this past year in Vancouver, however, and that is where Russell and a gaggle of her young dance students saw it together.
“There were several factors for why I picked this production,” Russell said.
“One of the big ones was seeing the enraptured faces of these young performers when we watched it done in Vancouver. They were enthralled and excited. And it was a bit surprising for me, but so was I, and I went in not expecting that I would love it. I loved it.”
Knowing a show is a winner with audiences can only be part of the considerations of an impresario, however. A Stradivarious violin is a work of genius, but in the hands of a gold-gloves boxer or an Assassin’s Creed champion it is probably not going to be a divine acoustic triumph.
“Part of choosing Beauty and the Beast – it is a huge production commitment, it can’t be taken lightly – was knowing without a doubt that we have in Prince George some exceptionally talented people who can handle these roles,” said Russell. “In fact, there are going to be a lot of hard choices. It is a very demanding production and that comes right from audiences who will demand that there be no compromises in the lead performers. Well, Prince George can handle those demands. We have people who are trained, experienced, some have been away and come back, and
they are proven. I know we will have a Belle and a Beast we can put on any stage anywhere.”
Finding the talent for any community theatre production involves calling on the public for the hidden gems. For anyone who feels the urge for the stage, with abilities to sing the songs and be taught the choreography, Russell wants to see your stuff.
Open auditions are being held at the Prince George Playhouse this Sunday. The first session runs 1-2:45 p.m. and the second from 3-5 p.m. “It is first-come, first-serve,” Russell said.
“You’ll be asked for 16 bars of your best tune, and be prepared to move a little bit as we try out some simple choreography.”
There will be two other audition sessions – March 29 and 30 – by appointment only. Set up times on those days by emailing your inquiry to judyrusselpresents@gmail. com.
All the auditions discussed so far pertain to those aged 16 and older.
Children and younger youth will also be cast in the show, but those audition sessions will be revealed at a later date.
The production has already attracted an early support sponsor in the form of Canadian Tire. More sponsors are invited to contact Russell.
A special early-bird ticket sale will be held for 10 days only at discounted rates. That purchase window starts March 18. Watch the Central Interior Tickets website to access that cheaper rate as of that date. Russell is enjoying the early preparations for this show because of the story’s metaphors. On the face of it, this is a romance. Deeper in, it becomes a story about societies and individuals alike making choices about what enemies look like, what fear does, and how those can be turned into forces of good with the right willpower and a dedication to education.
“It is the tale as old as time, but that is more than just a true love story,” Russell said. “Beauty and the Beast gives people hope that people can confront big crises and big fears, those will be encountered in life, but goodness and knowledge break through that and we can arrive at wonderful results for ourselves if we confront the beasts in the world. Love can grow from anywhere as long as you allow it, and make yourself vulnerable to feel love even when you’ve been told that something is scary or dangerous.”
Video auditions may be submitted as well and callbacks will be made by April 4. Rehearsals will begin immediately after finalization of the cast.
The play will be performed for 15 shows from July 11-27.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels debuts tonight
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
A couple of seasoned grifters competing for swindle supremacy, a naive newcomer with a clean reputation, and a Grammynominated jazzy soundtrack – it’s dirty, it’s rotten, and it’s filthy with scoundrels.
The Prince George debut of an international hit musical opens tonight. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was a hilarious movie starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, inspiring a rollicking musical theatre show that has roused a Tony Award on Broadway, Olivier Award nominations in the West End and it is about to win the laughter and applause of local audiences.
The show is a presentation of the UNBC Musical Productions Club, directed by Veronica Church and musical director Rylee Spencer.
Spencer has been known to also perform on stage in past UNBC shows, but Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is not one of those options.
“Oh my goodness, yes, I’m only focusing on the music, that is my home and I try not to go outside of my box,” she said in mock exhaustion. “It’s actually a really interesting score and the music is just good, catchy tunes.”
There’s a little bit of funk, an ’80s-style ballad, a country song, but the core of this soundtrack is jazz. It has that brassy sass and improvisation to support the mind games going on with the characters.
The main three are Christine, Lawrence and Freddy. Christine’s personality is so squeaky clean her last name is Colgate. Her kind and lovely nature – and her family fortune – are what attract the attention of competing conmen Lawrence (played by Bradley Charles) and Freddy (played by Franco Celli).
“They are trying to extract $50,000 out of her because she is the soap queen of America,” said Church.
Lawrence and Freddy each have their techniques for “talking rich ladies out of their money,” Church added.
After discovering each other working the same town, they try to work together, but discover the place just isn’t big enough for two con artists. Whichever one gets the $50,000 from unsuspecting Christine gets to stay, the other must move on.
“A hilarious battle of cons ensues that
will keep audiences laughing, humming and guessing to the end,” said Church, and Charles agrees it is a romp of a script.
“I think some people might come to see it twice, because there is a twist ending and people will want to go back and start at the beginning again once they’ve seen that,” he said. “If I wasn’t in the show and saw that ending, I’d be coming back to see it all over again.”
Much like her character, Christine’s actor is new to the city and hasn’t established a base of friends yet, but this play is changing that quickly. The part is played by Alex Verge, an English student at UNBC making her Prince George stage debut.
“I just came here this year,” she said.
“I was actually going to musical theatre school in Victoria. I’ve been doing this a long time and I basically can’t exist without it. I know nobody, I know nothing about the arts in Prince at all, but I need to do it.”
She caught wind that there was a UNBC Musical Productions Club and they had a fundraiser sing-along at a pub that everyone was invited to attend.
She brought her highly trained voice and before the night was through she was on notice that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels would soon be in the works and she should audition.
“It was kind of nice to go from last year (at a formal school for musical theatre): 12-hour days, six days a week, really serious, if you goof off in rehearsal the directors will flay you, which was awesome, but it’s nice to come into an environment where it’s more fun and everybody is my friend. That’s how I made friends here.”
She is in capable hands for her introduction to the community’s performing arts scene. Charles and Celli have a number of stage and screen credits to their names, Church has also been a performer in recent productions and has become a veteran director with the UNBC club, and many others in the cast and crew have their names in a number of past programs.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opens tonight and runs Saturday, Sunday and March 15, 16 and 17. Each show begins at 7 p.m. at Theatre Northwest.
Tickets are available at the door, or in advance from the Theatre Northwest website or charge by phone at 250-614-0039. Prices are $10 students, $15 community.
Morris looks to ban glyphosate use in forests
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris is working on a private-members bill to ban the use of a controversial chemical on provincial forests.
Morris is targeting herbicides containing glyphosate, which forest companies use to kill aspen and other broadleaf plants in areas that have been logged and replanted with trees of commercial value.
Their use creates troublesome side effects, according to Morris.
“The concern I have is that it kills all the deciduous growth in a forest that is supposed to support more than just conifer trees,” he said.
“It kills the grasses and the blueberries and the roses and all the other things that animals live on and it affects the food supply right from your mice and your insects all the way up to ungulates, like your moose. That’s where my concern is.”
He said society needs to “turn the corner” from treating forests as a source of industrial activity and instead acknowledge their biological diversity that support a wide variety of flora and fauna.
“To look at it solely as a mechanism to grow a tree I think is excluding a lot of the value added proposition we have in B.C.,” Morris said. “We have some of the most biologically diverse areas in North America and I think we’re destroying it.”
Morris believes part of the trouble B.C. has had with forest fires is due to the abundance of conifers and the lack of a mixed forest, noting that some say deciduous species like aspen have helped mitigate the blazes.
He said glyphosate should still be used to deal with invasive species and clearing rights of ways along transmission lines, highways and the like, and perhaps in agriculture.
Morris stressed that he wouldn’t propose anything that wouldn’t also be supported by the entire B.C. Liberal caucus and has been working with Nechako Lakes MLA and forestry critic John Rustad on the bill.
Rustad said he also would like to see a ban in place but added a process for ending its use needs to be put in place, as well as determining ways that will allow
Disturbance at hotel leads to arrest
Citizen staff
“timely and effective reforestation.”
Both Morris and Rustad suggested mechanical brushing as a possibility.
“It would mean going back in three or four times to bring the same impact as the chemical,” Rustad said. “That can be done but obviously there is a cost structure, there is potential delay in regeneration so those issues just need to be worked through.”
Whether the governing NDP would support the bill is also a question. When Green Party leader Andrew Weaver raised the issue in the legislature late last year, Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Minister Doug Donaldson said the province’s reforestation practices are “continually updated based on new scientific information.”
James Steidle, a vocal opponent of glyphosate behind the Stop the Spray campaign, called Morris’ proposal “great news.”
“I also think it is important to point out this isn’t just about banning glyphosate, but allowing a higher percentage of broadleaf in our replanted forests,” Steidle said, adding that regulations limit the species to five per cent of a block.
“This should be raised to allow up to 15 to 20 per cent, which you don’t even need legislation to change,” he said and note that, in turn, would reduce the amount of brushing required.
A 31-year-old Prince George man has been charged and remains in custody following a disturbance at a local hotel.
Anthony Afshin Zamani faces one count each of assault and willfully resisting and obstructing a peace officer.
He was arrested on Wednesday when, shortly before 2 p.m., RCMP were called to the 2700 block of Recplace Drive.
Police were told a man was behaving in a “bizarre manner” – running around the lobby and attempting to punch a staff member. When officers attempted to arrest Zamani, “he actively resisted their efforts to get him into handcuffs,” RCMP said, but was eventually taken into custody.
As a precaution, he was taken to hospital to ensure his well being, RCMP said.
Zamani, who also faces a count of driving while impaired from an alleged October 2017 incident in Vanderhoof, remained in custody as of Wednesday, pending a bail hearing at a future date.
The Citizen archives put more than 100 years of history at your fingertips: https://bit.ly/2RsjvA0
CITIZEN PHOTO BY FRANK PEEBLES
Competing conmen Lawrence (played by Bradley Charles, left) and Freddy (played by Franco Celli) are up to some fiendishly funny tricks in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the UNBC Musical Productions Club show that opens tonight at Theatre Northwest.
Indigenous scholar to speak at CNC
Citizen staff
An internationally recognized Indigenous scholar will give a talk at CNC on Monday.
Russ Diabo’s presentation will cover Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s record on Indigenous peoples’ rights and a discussion on the needs of Indigenous communities and nations to develop self-determination plans to implement the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Diabo is a member of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake and part of the Defenders of the Land Network.
He has been a policy advisor for many years at the Assembly of First Nations and now serves in that role for the Algonquin Nation Secretariat and is senior policy advisor to the Algonquin Wolf Lake First Nation.
Diabo is the editor and publisher of an online newsletter on First Nations political and legal issues, entitled The First Nations Strategic Bulletin.
The talk is part of a speakers series organized by the Federation of Post Secondary Educators B.C. in promoting and disseminating its publication Whose Land is it Anyway?: A Manual for Decolonization. It will be held at The Gathering Place on the Prince George campus, 3330-22nd Ave., 7 p.m. start.
Collision closes Highway 97
Citizen staff
A head-on collision between two commercial vehicles forced closure of Highway 97 in the Pine Pass on Thursday afternoon.
A stretch between Kennedy Road and Azu Sub Road, eight to 10 kilometres south of Pine Pass Summit, was closed with no detour available.
The estimated time of re-opening was 3 a.m. Friday, according to a late Thursday afternoon DriveBC posting. B.C. RCMP traffic services Cpl. Mike Halskov said details are minimal but confirmed there were serious but not life-threatening injuries. The collision occurred at about 3 p.m.
View from the ferry
Symphony to perform Tritsch Tratsch Polka
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff
fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
Let’s have a little tritsch tratsch about the PGSO show this weekend.
Those words form the roots of the modern phrase chit-chat, and they also form the title of a thrusty piece of symph-pop that sounds just like a lighthearted visit among friends feels at its best.
The Tritsch Tratsch Polka is one of the most recognizable songs in the symphonic world. It is fast-paced and compact. It’s the piece of music you often hear in cartoons and movies when absurd car chases or hilarious series of pratfalls take place.
Cindy Marcotte certainly finds it funny that she’s going to be conducting this piece of peppy orchestration and has a good laugh imagining the slapstick series of events that got her to the podium for Saturday night’s Prince George Symphony Orchestra’s mainstage concert.
“It all started at the 2018 Robbie Burns Dinner, unbeknownst to me, when (her husband) Dan started bidding on a fundraising item at the live auction that night,” Marcotte said. “He won. He got the prize, and it was an opportunity to conduct the PGSO.”
The symphony’s artistic director Michael Hall, the maestro who typically conducts the city’s primary orchestra, lit up at the
proposal that came next.
“Dan didn’t want to conduct the orchestra himself,” said Hall, “so he approached us about having Cindy do it. The community knows her well as a singer, percussionist and musician, this is really her thing, but she’s never done something quite like this before, so that was a lot of fun to contemplate.”
Marcotte and Hall discussed options and Hall said her personality and the optimistic energy that emanates from her (she is the effervescent frontwoman for the popular band The Pucks, she played the lead role in the Judy Russell Presents version of Peter Pan, etc.) put him in mind of Tritsch Tratch Polka, a piece of music that fit Marcotte’s natural profile.
“She’s going to be great at this,” Hall said. “It’s only three minutes long but there’s a lot of action packed into that three minutes. It’s one of these quicksilver pieces, and the title suggests the gossip, the chatter back and forth, that was so much a part of society life in that period of Vienna. It’ll be a fun moment for all of us.”
The piece was written by Johann Strauss II and made its debut at a Vienna concert in November, 1858.
“I think it’s so cool to get to do something like this,” Marcotte said. “I’ve done so much in music, I’ve been really lucky and really
privileged in my musical life, but this is something so unique and so unlike anything I could have imagined. I’m so excited about it.”
There is a serious side to Marcotte that also connects her to this particular PGSO show. Marcotte was once a councillor for the B.C. Arts Council and her expertise was sought out once at a local social event about two years ago.
“I met this guy at a party,” she began. “It was for (PGSO percussionist) Robin Clegg’s birthday, we had a gathering for him at our house, and this musician named Thomas Beckman was talking with me, telling me about this piece of music he was working on, and how he thought it had some special impact with B.C. history, and I told him about some possible avenues to get grants and I also told him about Ivan Paquette (of the Prince George Community Arts Council and the Northern Indigenous Artists’ Collective) for some ideas and contacts he may have. Well, lo and behold, who is the special guest star of this concert but Thomas Beckman making the world premiere of his piece of music.”
The concert is called Sea Stories and takes place Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Prince George Playhouse. Tickets and information are available now at the Central Interior Tickets website, or call 250-596-0020 for charge-byphone options.
B.C. cities among worst for air quality in 2018, wildfires to blame: report
Tiffany CRAWFORD Vancouver Sun
Three B.C. cities were among the worst regions in the world for air pollution last summer thanks to thick smoke that choked the province during the wildfire season, according to an annual Greenpeace report.
Overall, B.C. and Canada aren’t among the world’s top air-polluters cited in the 2018 World Air Quality Report. However, when broken down by month, B.C. made the top 10 list in August because of the smoke from the worst wildfire season on record. Smoke from fires in Washington state and Oregon also contributed to the poor air quality.
The report uses PM2.5 as a measure of air pollu-
tion. PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that measures up to 2 1/2 microns in size, and is regarded as the pollutant with the most adverse health impacts.
Quesnel and Prince George had air-quality readings in August that put them at Nos. 7 and 9 on the list for that month, with readings of 74.2 and 72.2, respectively. At No. 13, Williams Lake, with a reading of 67, also featured among the 20 worst in the world in August 2018.
All three of these areas had air-pollution levels deemed “unhealthy” by World Health Organization standards.
As a result, Prince George saw its average annual air-quality score worsen by nearly 70 per cent compared with 2017. Notably, other areas hit hard by wildfire smoke last year, including Washington state and California, were also high on the list for August 2018.
“Climate-fuelled forest wildfires pushed air quality in B.C. communities to be some of the worst in the world last August. We cannot accept this,” said Eduardo Sousa, forest campaigner at Greenpeace Canada. “Our province’s vulnerability to forest wildfires has a major impact on the air we all breathe and has serious public-health implications. The report really underscores that we need to act on climate change more robustly for the sake of our well-being and our environment.”
B.C. declared a state of emergency during both the 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons. Last summer, a record 13,000 square kilometres of the province was consumed by fire.
Overall, 22 out of 30 of the world’s worst cities for air pollution are in India, with Delhi ranked as the No. 1 capital city, according to the report. As for countries, the report ranks Canada well in terms of air pollution. It’s No. 66 out of 73 countries, with Bangladesh No. 1, followed by Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Bahrain.
The report, which uses air-quality data from public monitoring sources and IQAir AirVisual real-time data, notes that polluted air is the world’s fourthleading contributing cause of early death. The WHO estimates seven million people die a year from problems related to polluted air.
DIABO
A view of the Inside Passage from aboard the B.C. Ferries Northern Expedition between Port Hardy on Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert. The 16-hour cruise affords spectacular vistas.
Trudeau acknowledges ‘erosion of trust’ between office, ex-minister
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to put the SNC-Lavalin affair behind him Thursday, attributing the controversy to a breakdown between his staff and former attorney general Jody WilsonRaybould, accepting a share of the blame and promising to do better.
But he continued to insist nothing unethical or illegal occurred and did not offer an apology for his handling of the matter, which has cost him two cabinet ministers and his most trusted adviser.
“Over the past months, there was an erosion of trust between my office and specifically my former principal secretary and the former minister of justice and attorney general,” Trudeau told an early-morning news conference. “I was not aware of that erosion of trust. As prime minister and leader of the federal ministry, I should have been.”
Last week, Wilson-Raybould told the House of Commons justice committee that she was relentlessly and inappropriately pressured last fall by Trudeau, his senior staff, the top public servant and others to intervene to stop a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. Wilson-Raybould said she believes she was moved to the veteransaffairs portfolio in January as punishment for refusing to give in.
She resigned from cabinet altogether a month after accepting the new post. This week, her close friend and cabinet ally, Treasury Board president Jane Philpott, resigned over what she called her own loss of confidence in how the prime minister had handled the SNC affair.
On Wednesday, Trudeau’s former principal secretary, Gerald Butts – who also resigned in the midst of the controversy – offered an account different from WilsonRaybould’s. He told the justice committee that everyone in the Prime Minister’s Office recognized that the decision on whether to intervene was Wilson-Raybould’s alone, that there was no improper pressure and that she never raised a complaint about it until after Trudeau told her she was being moved out of her “dream job.” Butts said all they wanted was for Wilson-Raybould to seek an outside legal opinion on the matter from an eminent retired judge.
After all that, Trudeau said the testimony has revealed a “difference in perspective” on conversations that took place “among colleagues about how to tackle a difficult issue.” It’s not a question of telling the truth versus lying, he suggested.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer called Trudeau’s performance “a completely phoney act of fake sincerity” and repeated his call for the prime minister to resign. “The truth cannot be experienced differently. There is such a thing as right and wrong and a real leader knows the difference,” Scheer said in Toronto. “The Justin Trudeau we saw today is the real Justin Trudeau – a prime minister who can’t manage his own office, let alone the affairs of a great nation.”
Similarly, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said “there’s not two versions of this story” and reiterated his call for a public inquiry. Singh also said Trudeau was not taking responsibility or offering an apology.
Trudeau addressed Wilson-Raybould’s
accusation that he injected partisan considerations into a Sept. 17 discussion about the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin on charges of bribery and corruption related to contracts in Libya. The engineering giant is headquartered in Montreal and she maintains Trudeau pointed out that’s where his own Papineau riding is.
Trudeau didn’t deny that but said it was not intended as a partisan comment. Rather, he was doing his job as an MP for an area that could be affected by a criminal conviction for SNC-Lavalin, which might threaten SNC-Lavalin’s financial viability and throw thousands of employees out of work.
“I was preoccupied by the number of jobs on this in Quebec and across the country. This was something I was clear on.”
Wilson-Raybould has said she made a final decision on the matter on Sept. 16 and informed Trudeau of that during their meeting the following day, after which she maintains no one should have continued to pressure her on the issue. Trudeau said he asked his staff to follow up after his meeting with her because he believed she was still open to considering new arguments.
“I now understand that she saw it differently,” he said.
Trudeau accepted responsibility for not following up with Wilson-Raybould after their one conversation about SNC-Lavalin, but he also put some responsibility on her for the breakdown in communication.
“One of the things central to my leadership is fostering an environment where my ministers, caucus and staff feel comfortable coming to me when they have concerns. Indeed, I expect them to do so,” he said.
“In Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s case, she did not come to me and I wish she had because if it’s a real relationship and we are truly a team, we can always acknowledge when we need to make adjustments.”
Trudeau vowed to do better. He is seeking external expert opinions on the operating policies and practices of cabinet, the public service and political staff when it comes to judicial matters. He’ll also seek external advice on whether to separate the dual roles of justice minister and attorney general –one political, the other legal, both held by the same person.
“Ultimately I believe our government will be stronger for having wrestled with these issues,” he said.
By his taking at least part of the blame for the crisis that’s rocked his government, Liberals are hoping Trudeau’s statement will be sufficient for Wilson-Raybould and Philpott to let the matter drop and move on. Trudeau said nothing Thursday about whether he believes the two can continue as Liberal MPs.
Both have said they intend to stay in the Liberal caucus and have been nominated to seek re-election, despite their public criticisms of their leader. Asked how he can present a cohesive team under those circumstances, Trudeau said that question should be put to Wilson-Raybould and Philpott.
Neither responded to a request for comment Thursday.
Nor did Whitby Liberal MP Celina CaesarChavannes, who used Twitter to suggest Trudeau hadn’t been open to two approaches she’s made to him but didn’t offer any details.
Horgan checks time change mood with U.S. neighbours
Citizen news service
VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier John Horgan says he checking with the province’s neighbours in the United States about possibly moving to a unified time zone.
Horgan says as B.C. prepares to shift its clocks to daylight time on Sunday, he wants to explore the possibility of California, Washington, Oregon and B.C. being on the same time all year long.
He says he’s written to the governors of the three states asking for updates on their views about time changes.
Horgan says the issue is a matter of debate in B.C. but change isn’t imminent, even though he believes it makes sense if
the three states and B.C. act together on the issue.
He says if any one of the three states acted alone it would have a significant impact on B.C.
Horgan says B.C. can switch to a single time zone without federal approval but the states require an act of Congress.
“I understand that all of our Pacific coast jurisdictions are currently considering the same issue, albeit in different ways,” says Horgan’s letter.
“It is clear, however, that a change in any of these jurisdictions in our time zone would have significant impacts on B.C.,” the letter says. “It makes sense to me that we move in unison on this matter.”
Kristy KIRKUP, Mia RABSON Citizen news service
CP PHOTO
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks to the National Press Theatre in Ottawa to deliver remarks on Thursday.
Reflecting CNC’s real identity
The College of New Caledonia unveiled its new logo last Friday, the result of a 14-month exercise that involved focus groups, interviews and feedback sessions with hundreds of people, including students, alumni, faculty and other stakeholders.
Leger Marketing, the largest Canadianowned market research firm, handled the initial market research on the school’s brand. They found that area residents were much more positive about the college itself than they were about the city’s visual identity.
After more consultation and discussion, Will Creative, a two-person design shop in Vancouver, was hired to design the logo.
After everything was said and done, the logo, the branding and the messaging cost the college $95,000, according to CNC communications director Alyson GourleyCramer.
In May, the college will unveil its new website. For that job, it commissioned RES. IM, a six-person company in London, Ont. The bill for that work will be $150,000, Gourley-Cramer said.
The cost for the website is not particularly outrageous, especially when considering that it needs to handle course registration, protect the personal information of its students and appeal not only to B.C. residents but prospective students from around the world, for many of whom English is a second language.
Not only was the website out of date,
Gourley-Cramer explained, but the software running it was so old it wasn’t even supported any more.
The website is a critical tool for post-secondary institutions, not only for marketing, course selection and library searches, but also for students to obtain more information about campus services, everything from clubs and tutors to financial aid and mental health counselling.
Seen in that light, not only is the cost warranted in the short and long term but it was long overdue. The bang for the buck is definitely there.
The visual identity, and especially its cost, can’t be justified, although a great effort was made to do so last Friday.
“The bar is a unique, simple graphic ele-
ment of the logo representing one of CNC’s most important brand qualities: connection,” the college’s press release said Friday. “It is the bridge between learners and educators, inspiring movement forward, connecting people to potential.”
That’s a lot of words to provide a rationale for a thick red line separating “College of New Caledonia” in black on top and “CNC” in all caps below. Sometimes a red line is just a red line but apparently in this case it’s a bridge.
“Our brand is who we are,” said CNC president Henry Reiser.
“It’s what distinguishes us from others. It permeates our decisions and affects our service delivery.”
That’s simply not true. That’s the equiva-
PM not above the law
Justin Trudeau promised to do better for Canada’s Indigenous people. Isn’t that why he appointed Jody Wilson-Raybould as justice minister?
We have heard from the bipartisan political experts and the lame attempts to use her own words to excuse a bigger problem. The Liberals are using her statement over and over and over that she herself said nothing happened that was illegal but wouldn’t a more accurate description be nothing illegal happened yet? The prime minister and other key people were going to use her position in government as the fall person if this influential pressure ever came to light. How did Trudeau put it – that this would be her sole decision?
Canadians need to wake up to how far reaching this would be, especially for an Indigenous person. When Native people infiltrate a position in government or any other profile in this country they carry a 200-year-old history torch and have a steep climb to overcome how Canadians see our people. How many times does a First Nation person need to expose what really happens behind closed doors in this country when it comes to privilege, entitlement, industry over the law and profits over people?
How can we scream foul when it comes to industry breaking environmental laws for profits using jobs as the excuse? Isn’t this what
SNC-Lavalin is doing?
How many conflicting decisions can the federal government make before they answer to the discrepancies?
Wilson-Raybould did what she thought was the right thing to do... her demotion was punishment and for Canadians she did the right thing. No government can stand behind the people’s constitutional rights and freedoms if they punish people for telling the truth. If she takes the fall for telling the truth, this sets an outrageous precedent in this country.
The political pundits or experts are spinning bipartisan political viewpoints and demonizing her “subtlety” is a disservice to everyone in public service and those thinking they would like to make a difference. The punishment to the Liberals will come from the people when it is time to go to the polls.
Heads of state are the reflection of Canadians, our personal ethics, morals and what we represent as a people. Canadians should not stand up for government, no matter their stripe, to interfere or act on behalf of the private sector. Government’s job is to uphold our constitution, uphold our laws, and regulate “government policy” intended to protect Canadians.
When a person makes the decision to run for in political party, you are held to a higher standard, you give up your independence for the greater good, you have to live a life under a microscope,
you are servant of the people and country, you are not entitled, you are not in a position to advance your interests no matter how you dress this up. What the 11 people of the sitting government did should not set precedent for the future.
Any company that offers its services in other countries should behave the same as they must at home. Don’t bribe, don’t take shortcuts, operate ethically because if your business is from Canada you have a greater responsibility to represent what Canada stands for.
Have we become a country where government isolate and contain the issues for no other purpose then to hide a trend, create a ripple effect, make it a he said, she said? Is this what we want for Canada? This is the greater question and could have been avoided if the prime minister had allowed the legal system to do their job. Did he fail in his duty? Didn’t he take the oath of office to uphold the constitution and the law?
SNC-Lavalin should have made their own case of innocence and argument to protect Canadian jobs. How many times do companies need to be caught before their company leaders change their business practises at home or overseas? When we do wrong, this is an opportunity to do better. Should the prime minister put party before person and step down?
Jo-Anne Berezanski North Saanich
SHAWN CORNELL DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING
lent of saying the clothes make the man. Every post-secondary institution talks about connecting learners and educators, connecting people to their potential and so on. So what makes CNC special?
Of course CNC needs a visual identity that separates it not only from UNBC but also from the other colleges in B.C. That’s one way to be special but, to paraphrase Martin Luther King horribly, it’s not the colour of the logo that counts but the content of the school’s character that matters most.
CNC’s character is its courses and trades programs, the instructors who deliver those classes and the school’s culture, from its history, student activities, its mix of students from near and far, the work it deems significant and, most importantly, Prince George, the region’s diverse communities and the people that live in this area.
No branding or visual identity can truly capture that, so it should come as no surprise when a marketing firm finds area residents think more of CNC than they do of the school’s logo. While it was probably time to update CNC’s logo, the college won’t get nearly the return on that $95,000 investment as it will out of that $150,000 website.
The website will connect students with each other, with educators and with the college.
CNC could have updated its logo and visual identity for a fraction of the cost and spent the rest of the money on celebrating its true identity, which is what really matters.
— Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
Gov’t back to meddling ways
Regrettably, the B.C. Utilities Commission had to reset the numbers last week on the “13 Days Without Government Meddling” sign out front. That’s a shame. They got off to such a promising start. It looked as if it was going to stretch for weeks, or even months.
It was only three weeks ago that Energy Minister Michelle Mungall released a couple of reviews of all the previous government’s horrible interventions in B.C. Hydro affairs and promised a new day of independent oversight by the BCUC.
No more government interference. Or at least, not as much.
Her key message was that the NDP government was going to hold Hydro bills to an eight per cent increase over five years, partly by staying hands off.
“BCUC oversight is more appropriate than government oversight to ensure ratepayers’ interests are best protected,” was the theme.
So legislation and regulations are coming to roll back B.C. Liberal directions that restricted the utilities commission’s oversight of B.C. Hydro.
To be fair, there was an asterisk accompanying the solemn vow.
In order to minimize the ongoing cost of B.C. Liberal decisions, “government anticipates that, on occasion, it will be required to provide direction to the BCUC to guide decision-making in proceedings that have implications for government policy.”
That’s more or less the same loophole the Liberals used with abandon over the years.
Mungall’s announcement said that NDP policy guidance could be conveyed by having the government intervene in hearings, or by providing a letter of comment, or by issuing directions.
But to respect the independence of the commission, “government will limit the use of these directives as much as possible.” They managed to hold off 13 days before wiggling through the escape clause.
It happened at a commission hearing Feb. 27 into the regulation of electric-vehicle charging services. Those are going to multiply over the next several years as the government embarks on a huge program to nudge people out of gas vehicles and into electric ones.
The BCUC has been examining all the implications and was starting the second phase of hearings.
Things took an unexpected turn when a government lawyer representing the Ministry of
Mailing address: 201-1777 Third Ave. Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7
Office hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday
General switchboard: 250-562-2441 info@pgcitizen.ca
General news: news@pgcitizen.ca
Sports inquiries: 250-960-2764 sports@pgcitizen.ca Classifieds advertising: 250-562-6666 cls@pgcitizen.ca
Energy essentially told them they don’t have to worry about one key issue because the government has already made up its mind.
“The province very much appreciates the panel’s efforts… to fully examine questions relating to the role of public utilities such as B.C. Hydro and FortisBC in delivering EV charging services.
“However… the province has already reached conclusions relating to that role.”
She told the panel that if it intends to make recommendations to government, “there would be little value in recommendations regarding the appropriate role of public utilities in delivering EV charging services, or in recommendations relating to cost recovery, since the province has already reached conclusions on those matters.”
The whole broad topic of whether to let the utilities into the EV charging field, which had nine areas of inquiry, was suddenly off limits.
“Since the province has already reached conclusions of its own… any recommendations from the panel pertaining to those questions would be of little use.”
Not only that, but any further process could delay the inquiry, and the province wants to move quickly on getting utilities into the charging scene.
The policy itself isn’t exactly a bombshell. Many expected the utilities would be dealt in. But the panel appeared taken aback at being told by the government there was no need for final arguments on the issue.
The chairperson asked the lawyer if she “could direct us to where that policy has been articulated?”
The answer was basically: “I just did.”
The energy ministry is open to hearing details from the BCUC on how to design this new landscape. Those would include how private companies can compete with utilities that can recoup any losses from their ratepayers. But the basic picture is already drawn. By decree.
The chair noted a lot of people in the room were struggling to understand how the government submissions fit into a policy framework.
So things are pretty much back to normal.
Shawn Cornell, director of advertising: 250-960-2757 scornell@pgcitizen.ca Reader sales and services: 250-562-3301 rss@pgcitizen.ca Letters to the editor: letters@pgcitizen.ca
Website: www.pgcitizen.ca
Website feedback: digital@glaciermedia.ca
Member of
IN THE FAST LEYNE LES LEYNE
McLachlin to lead B.C. legislature investigation
Dirk MEISSNER
Citizen news service
VICTORIA — Premier John Horgan says the appointment of a retired Supreme Court of Canada chief justice to investigate allegations of spending abuses at British Columbia’s legislature ensures the probe will be thorough and won’t conflict with an ongoing police investigation.
The legislature unanimously ratified Beverley McLachlin’s appointment Thursday to conduct an independent investigation of allegations facing clerk Craig James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz.
The legislature’s top two administrative officials have been suspended with pay since November after legislature members learned of the police investigation and the appointment of two special
prosecutors.
NDP house leader Mike Farnworth told the legislature McLachlin will be appointed “as special investigator to conduct a confidential, impartial and independent investigation.”
The NDP government highlighted restoring trust in the legislature as one of its goals in a throne speech last month.
The all-party legislature management committee, which oversees the operations and financial management of the house, recently voted to conduct an independent fact-finding probe led by a top legal official. The three party house leaders are on the committee and Speaker Darryl Plecas serves as its chairman.
Horgan said he believes McLachlin’s appointment should make people feel more comfortable with the process.
“It gives me confidence... that we have someone of very high calibre who understands the law and will not run afoul of the criminal investigation that’s underway,”
Horgan said at a news conference.
“I’m more comfortable knowing that Beverley McLachlin is overseeing this than if it was left to just the members of the legislature, the LAMC members, to do it.”
Neither the RCMP nor the special prosecutors have confirmed a criminal investigation is being conducted in the matter.
Plecas alleged in a report released in January that Lenz and James engaged in inappropriate spending on personal items and foreign trips. The report also alleged inappropriate vacation pay outs and retirement allowances.
Lenz and James, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, deny any wrongdoing and filed written responses that outline how their expenses were approved. In those responses, they said the Speaker’s report harmed their reputations.
The terms of reference for McLachlin, who is scheduled to report by May 3, says she will review Plecas’s report, the written responses and legal submissions by Lenz and James and the subsequent Speaker’s report on the written responses. McLachlin will examine if the clerk and sergeant-at-arms improperly and knowingly received improper payouts of vacation pay, improperly claimed and received retirement allowances, and improperly made purchases of a personal nature and filed expense claims to the legislature. She will also investigate if Lenz and James improperly removed legislature assets and property, and improperly used legislature property “beyond an incidental or reasonable work-related purpose.” Farnworth said McLachlin’s report will be made public.
MCLACHLIN
Huawei sues to challenge U.S. security law
SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Chinese tech giant Huawei is challenging a U.S. law that limits its sales of telecom equipment in the U.S. on security grounds as the company steps up efforts to preserve its access to global markets for nextgeneration communications.
Huawei Technologies Ltd.’s lawsuit, announced Thursday, asks a U.S. court to reject as unconstitutional a military-spending provision that bars the U.S. government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment.
It comes as the biggest global maker of network equipment fights a U.S. campaign to persuade allies to shun Huawei. That threatens to block access to major markets as phone carriers prepare to invest billions of dollars in next-generation cellular networks, known as 5G. The complaint filed in Plano, Texas, the headquarters of Huawei’s U.S. operations, says the law is an unconstitutional “bill
of attainder,” or a measure that singles out a specific entity for punishment. It says that denies the company due process and amounts to a “death penalty.”
The American Embassy in Beijing said it had no comment on pending litigation.
Steven Schwinn, a professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, said the lawsuit is likely to be dismissed by a judge. He said the “bill of attainder” claim, or punishment without due process, would be hard to prove.
But Schwinn said the lawsuit is one of Huawei’s only remaining options, short of trying to get Congress to reverse the ban.
“This strikes me as a last-ditch effort to do something,” he said.
Franklin Turner, a partner at law firm McCarter & English, said there are parallels to a lawsuit filed by Kaspersky Labs in 2017 that was eventually thrown out as well. The U.S. government had barred federal agencies from
Don’t forget to smile
Iwas in a business last week where I couldn’t buy a smile. You know the type. You walk in and the clerk or receptionist seems to be having a bad day. Maybe you crack a joke or offer a compliment and there is no change in the demeanor. You feel awkward and like you are an imposition to the service person. So you leave the business, wondering if it was you or if you should even dare to go back. In the service industry, or sales business, a smile is the cheapest and most effective way of getting customers to come back. When we take that second just to look in the eyes of our prospects, acknowledge them and offer a sincere smile, we can change lives and drive our business. Think about the times when people have smiled at you: that baby’s first smile that gave you such joy; the smile of that classmate in elementary school that told you someone wanted to be your friend; the smile of a parent or grandparent telling you that you are loved. A smile can build bridges after an argument. A knowing smile between friends can make you feel warm, and the twinkling eyes
BUSINESS COACH
DAVE FULLER
and smile of someone who loves you can make a huge difference in a relationship.
A smile might cost you some energy, a few seconds of your time, but what can it do? Research shows that when we smile at our staff they are more likely to want to work for us; that you will make more friends and influence more people when you smile. Happy people have been shown to be able to solve problems easier than those who are sombre.
A study by Danielle Shore of Bangor University in 2011 found that people were actually more likely to buy from people who were smiling.
So much of our lives are spent thinking that we have to be serious; that playing to win can’t be fun; that we have to be tough to win in negotiations and tough means we need to frown. We are told if we are too nice that people will take advantage of our good nature. We avoid smiling at
using Kaspersky’s anti-virus products because of concerns about its ties to the Kremlin and Russian spy operations.
Turner said Huawei will likely keep fighting, but “to keep it going, is the legal equivalent of scaling Mount Everest without a rope.”
Huawei, China’s first global tech brand, is at the centre of U.S.-Chinese tensions over technology competition and cyberspying. The company has spent years trying to put to rest accusations
strangers because they might think we are just crazy. So we don’t let ourselves be vulnerable and that starts by putting on a gruff exterior and removing the smile. Think for a second about the people that you like spending time with. What separates them from the people that you avoid?
Chances are the people you like spending time with smile at you more often than those you avoid. Now for a second think about the businesses that you like to frequent. Do the people in those businesses smile when they see you or are they sombre? So if smiling can affect businesses visitations and probably sales, what do you need to do in your business to create a culture where it looks like your employees are having fun? How do we get our employees to smile more?
While every business is different, as a leader in industry part of your job is to create a safe space for your employees where they can be relaxed enough to do their jobs. If your employees are tense when working with the public, chances are they will not be smiling much. Creating the right culture starts when we hire employees. If smiling is important, part of our interview process
it facilitates Chinese spying or is controlled by the ruling Communist Party.
“We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort,” the company’s rotating chairman, Guo Ping, said at a news conference. Guo said the ban would limit competition, slowing the rollout of fifthgeneration communications and raising consumer prices.
Huawei has pleaded not guilty to U.S. trade-theft charges unsealed by a federal court in Seattle in January.
The company’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested Dec. 1 in Canada on U.S. charges of lying to banks about dealings with Iran. She is fighting extradition to the United States.
Huawei denies wrongdoing.
A foreign ministry spokesman said the Chinese government also objects to the law but he had no information on whether it would join Huawei’s lawsuit.
will be trying to ensure that we hire people who smile easily and can relate to people. Training new employees to our expectations of smiling and customer interactions and keeping them accountable to those expectations is essential.
There are going to be challenges and adversity in our lives and our businesses that will make it difficult to smile at times.
However, the inability to sustain a company full of happy, smiling people will cost us business in the long run. Supporting our employees so that they feel a sense of happiness when they are at work is our job as leaders, and smiling starts with us.
Smiles are cheap but have an impact on the bottom line of our businesses and our lives and the lives of those around us.
Maybe take the time to start smiling at your staff and customers today.
Make the world a better place, one smile at a time.
Dave Fuller, MBA, is an awardwinning business coach in Prince George. He is the author of the book Profit Yourself Healthy. Make him smile by sending him an email with your thoughts on this article: dave@profityourselfhealthy.com.
OTTAWA (CP) —
banks continued convey a dovish tone about raising interest rates. The loonie traded at an average of 74.42 cents US compared with an average of 74.52 cents US on Wednesday. Since Feb. 27, the currency has lost 1.65 cents or nearly 2.2 per cent.
The downward trajectories for the loonie and markets is meaningful because of the impact on them from central bank commentary, says Kash Pashootan of First Avenue Investment Counsel Inc. “It’s primarily being driven off of the fact that we had weak Canadian GDP numbers come out and that was followed by the Bank of Canada using statements such as the path of future rates is now more uncertain,” he said. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 35.56 points to 16,056.51, after hitting an intraday low of 15,981.81.
The April crude contract was up 44 cents at US$56.66 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was up 2.5 cents at US$2.87 per mmBTU.
The April gold contract was down US$1.50 at US$1,286.10 an ounce and the May copper contract was down 0.8 of a cent at US$2.91 a pound. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 200.23 points at 25,473.23. The S&P 500 index was down 22.52 points at 2,748.93.
Spruce Kings advance to second round
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
Get ready for the second round, here come the Prince George Spruce Kings.
They made that possibility a reality Thursday night when they beat the Coquitlam Express 4-2 in Game 5 of their BCHL Mainland Division semifinal series at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
Kings captain Ben Poisson scored two goals, while Corey Cunningham and Ben Brar collected singles for Prince George. Chong Min Lee picked up two assists.
Logan Neaton made 24 saves to lock up his first BCHL series win in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 1,220 spectators.
The Kings will await the winner of the other Mainland Division semifinal series between the Chilliwack Chiefs and Langley Rivermen.
Down 4-0 early in the third period the Express made a valiant effort to come back and force a Game 6 in the best-of-seven series.
Goals from Dallas Farrell and Jack Cameron put the crowd and the Kings on edge the rest of the game and that tension went all the way up to the press box where Kings general manager Mike Hawes was watching from his usual vantage point.
“It was a tough Game 5, no doubt, and it was fortunate for us we were able to build that 4-0 lead and we hung on a bit in the third,” said Hawes. “Give Coquitlam credit, they sure came hard in the third period, they were desperate and they were playing that way and they managed to get a couple behind Logan. But our guys buckled down when it was time to do so and hung on to that two-goal lead.”
The Kings dodged a couple bullets early in the game when forced to try to kill off a high-sticking penalty issued to Lucas Vanroboys. Express defenceman Pito Walton, who made the BCHL’s all-rookie team, put a hard shot on goal and the puck got behind Neaton and dropped into the crease but Liam Watson-Brawn was able to clear it
away before Farrell could dump it into the open net. Seconds later, Walton nailed the crossbar with a blast from the point. The Kings got their offence in gear nine minutes into the first period, a result of some hard work behind the net from winger Lee. He pressured Walton and forced him to cough up the puck, then spotted linemate Poisson standing just off the post and he quickly chipped in a shot over the shoulder of goalie Clay Stevenson for a 1-0 lead.
Cunningham, a 17-year-old Prince George minor hockey product, scored his first of the playoffs late in the period. Vanroboys circled behind the net and carried the puck out from the goal line to the left face-off circle. The puck ended up on the stick of Nolan Welsh and his shot was tipped in by Cunningham. Lee, with his fast-moving feet, was the primary instigator on
the Kings’ third goal. He poked the puck off the stick of Express defenceman Drew Cooper at the ringette line and while carrying it behind the net he put a pass right on the stick of Poisson, who snapped it home for his third of the playoffs.
“It’s safe to say that was our key line in the first round,” said Hawes. “It’s nice to have that depth up front. The (Dustin) Manz line with Brar and (Patrick) Cozzi played well and they attracted a lot of attention from the Express and maybe that freed up a little room for Ben Poisson’s line.”
His second goal of the night delivered a shot of adrenaline in the Spruce Kings and they threatened to add to their 3-0 lead in a dominant second period. They smelled blood, sensing they had the Express on their heels and continued to buzz the Coquitlam net with intense pressure their opponents were unable to match.
They outshot the Express 16-7 in the second period and 38-26 in the game. Neaton was good when he had to be guarding the Prince George nets. The Express had three quality shots in a rapid-fire exchange seven minutes into the second that involved Alex DiPaolo and Regan Kimens. He also made a kick save to deny Aaron White’s point-blank shot with a couple minutes left in the period and stood up to a couple more dangerous attempts from Coquitlam sniper Joshua Wildauer. Brar added to the total five minutes into the third period, deflecting in Jay Keranen’s point shot. But the Express weren’t quite finished and answered with two goals to cut the lead to 4-2. DiPaolo won a face-off in the Kings’ end after an icing call and Farrell drew the puck back and picked the corner on Neaton at the 8:44 mark. Then with 5:44 left,
Maser, Cougars prepare for high-flying Hawks
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
Josh Maser knows Prince George Cougars fans have been starved for victories this season and he feels their pain.
Nobody on the team figured the 201819 season would bring such disastrous results.
The Cougars have won just 17 of their 64 games and have only one victory to show for their last 23. They haven’t won a game at CN Centre since Jan. 12, a 4-0 decision over the Kelowna Rockets.
The Cougars are down to their last four games and will miss the WHL playoffs for the second-straight season. But before they cross that bridge, Maser plans on ending the season on a high note.
“We’ve had games where we’re just so close to winning and I think we owe it to our fans to get some wins here – we have three games at home left and our goal is to win all three of them,” said Maser. “We really want to do it for the fans here, the ones who come out and always come out and watch our games. We’ve been showing a lot of heart here lately and we want them to know how badly we want to win.”
That won’t be easy. Tonight and Saturday they’ll host the Portland Winterhawks in a two-game set at CN Centre. Portland (38-19-3-3) has the fifth-best record in the league and has already clinched second place in the U.S. Division, the 10th year in a row the Hawks have qualified for the postseason.
The Cougars ended a team-record 17game losing streak Feb. 22 in Kamloops but have lost their last five games. Last weekend in Victoria they played well for stretches but with an injury-depleted lineup couldn’t maintain their efforts and the Royals capitalized, winning 4-3 and 5-2.
“It’s just that thing we keep coming back to, that 60-minute effort,” said Maser. “In the first game in Victoria we came out slow and were undisciplined and took a couple penalties and they made us pay on those and got up early on us and we were playing catch-up the entire game. We just have to stay disciplined and come out ready to play, focused on winning.” With six goals in his last six games Maser has matched his 28-goal season
output from 2017-18. The Houston native also has 11 assists for 39 points in 57 games and ranks second in team scoring behind Vladislav Mikhalchuk (21-22-43).
“Consistency is key and I just try to stick to the same things every single game,” said Maser, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Jan. 18. “I know, with the standings and whatnot, you’ve got to keep playing and showing hard every time you’re on the ice because you never know who’s watching. You still want to win regardless.”
For the past two games Maser has been playing the left side on a line with centre Matej Toman and Reid Perepeluk.
“Toman is really good at draws – getting possession of the puck is key and that starts with face-offs and he’s been doing a heck of a job in the face-off circle,” said Maser. “(Perepeluk) has been playing his best hockey all year, shooting the puck and getting it to the net, using his size and his speed and his strength. That’s why he’s having more success –he’s getting more opportunities.
“We both play a similar type of game. He’s a pretty fast player and he can really move around out there and I’ve been telling him to just play with confidence and crash and bang and he’s been doing it.”
This being the only time the Winterhawks visit Prince George this season, Cougar fans will get a chance to see the WHL’s leading scorer in action. Joachim
Blichfeld, a 20-year-old Danish import left winger, has 52 goals, 55 assists and 107 points in 63 games and has a fivepoint lead over Tristin Langen of the Moose Jaw Warriors in the scoring race. For perspective, Blichfeld’s 52 goals are more than a third of the Cougars’ entire 138-goal production through 64 games.
Chosen by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round in 2016, Blichfeld was picked that year by the Winterhawks in the second round (85th overall) of the CHL import draft. He usually plays on a line with Jake Gricius (24-30-54) and Lane Gilliss (22-26-48).
“Portland always has quite a bit of skill up front and even on their back end they have a couple good goalies back there and a few good d-men, so it’s going to be a really good test for us and our team,” said Maser. “We’re all excited for this game to happen here and we’re looking forward to it.”
Portland C Cody Glass, who played for Canada at the world junior championship in Vancouver, hasn’t been in the lineup since suffering a lower-body injury Feb. 23 in a game against Seattle. Glass went sixth overall to Las Vegas in the 2017 NHL draft and he’s listed as day-to-day. The Hawks could also be without D Matt Quigley, out with an day-to-day upper-body ailment. They’ve added D Ryan Miley from the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL. The Eagles were the only BCHL team to miss the playoffs.
One Portland defenceman to watch is Carolina Hurricanes prospect Brendan De Jong, picked in the seventh round in 2017. G Joel Hofer was a fourth-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2018.
The Cougars should have D Cole Moberg back on the ice tonight (7 p.m. start). He’s been out with an upper-body injury he received Feb. 22 in Kamloops and has missed five games since then. Moberg continues to be the Cougars’ third-leading scorer (11-24-35), despite missing seven games this season. The only injured Cougar is C Ethan Browne, who suffered a concussion Feb. 26 against Spokane and has missed the last three games. Former Winterhawk C Ilijah Colina returned home to North Delta for personal reasons and won’t be back with the Cougars this season.
right after the Kings had killed off a penalty, Cameron’s long shot tipped high into the air and found its way into the net. The Kings will host the first two games of the second round, which begins a week from today. LOOSE PUCKS: After losing the first three games of the series, the regular-season champion Chiefs beat the Rivermen 2-1 Thursday in Chilliwack for their second straight win. Game 6 goes tonight in Langley. If a seventh game is needed that would be played on Sunday in Chilliwack…The Powell River Kings also advanced after a 5-1 Game 5 win Thursday over the Nanaimo Clippers in Powell River. Powell River will meet the Victoria Grizzlies, who swept Alberni Valley, in the Island Division final next weekend….Kings winger Welsh had to go to the hospital when he sustained a deep cut on his lip seven minutes into the second period.
LOCAL SPORTS IN BRIEF
Ringette provincials start today
It’s the biggest ringette tournament to hit Prince George since the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Thirty-eight teams from three regions will square off on the ice at the Kin Centre and Elksentre for the three-day Ringette BC provincial A and B championships.
Prince George will be well-represented with three teams in the under-14 B tournament and one team in each of the 18-plus, under-19 B and under-16 B divisions. The under-16, under-19 and 18-plus teams all qualified for provincials as regional division champions. The under-14 teams (seven in A division, nine in B division) are competing in invitational tournaments. It all starts today with the first games at 7 a.m. at all four rinks.
Playoffs begin Saturday night with medal finals starting Sunday at 11 a.m.
The winning teams in the 18-plus, under-19 A and under-16 A divisions will advance to the Western Canadian championships in St. Albert, Alta., March 27-30. Citizen staff
Beaudry begins biathlon world championships
Sarah Beaudry of Prince George kicked off the world biathlon championships Thursday in Oestersund, Sweden, helping Canada to a 16th-place finish in Thursday’s mixed relay. The 23-year-old Caledonia Nordic Ski Club member needed just two spare rounds to knock down all 20 targets in four shooting rounds. Beaudry took the second leg of the relay after being tagged by Rosanna Crawford of Canmore. Christian Gow of Canmore skied third in the order, followed by his brother Scott. Crawford and Christian Gow shot clean, while Scott Gow struggled on the range. He needed six spare rounds and had to ski one penalty loop. Canada finished 4:35.5 behind the gold medalists from Norway (Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Johannes Thingnes Boe and Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen).
They stopped the clock in 1:17:41.4, 13.1 seconds ahead of the silver medalists from Germany and 1:09.6 in front of Italy, which won bronze. The women will be back on the course today in Oestersund, racing in the 7.5-kilometre sprint. — Citizen staff
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Prince George Spruce Kings forward Nick Poisson, along with Coquitlam Express goaltender Clay Stevenson and defenceman Pito Walton, keep watch on the puck during Thursday night’s playoff game at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. The Kings won 4-2.
MASER
Jacobs, Koe keep rolling at Brier
Donna SPENCER Citizen news service
BRANDON, Man. — The two frontrunners at the Canadian men’s curling championship are travelling different paths.
Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs and Alberta’s Kevin Koe won their opening games of the championship pool Thursday to stay unbeaten in eight games at the Tim Hortons Brier. Jacobs dominated as his team has done for much of the tournament in an 11-6 win over B.C.’s Jim Cotter. Northern Ontario won a sixth game that didn’t go beyond eight ends.
Outplayed for most of the game by Brendan Bottcher’s Wild Card team, Koe pulled a rabbit out of a hat scoring three in the 10th for a 7-6 win.
“That’s a big break. A big win. We got outcurled for sure,” Koe said.
Alberta has had to work harder than Northern Ontario to preserve its streak.
“We’ve still got some room to improve,” Koe said. “A few key shots here and there. I think that’s kind of what we’re used to, is getting better as the week goes.”
A nose hit to score five on B.C. in the third end gave Northern Ontario a formidable 7-2 lead.
The five-rock rule new to the Brier this year is designed to increase chances of a comeback, but the Jacobs team apparently didn’t get that memo.
“A nose hit for five and we were able to cruise to a pretty easy win from there,” said Jacobs, who insisted it hasn’t been all clear sailing.
“There still has been some stressful times. We’ve had some misses,” the skip said. “We’ve faced a little bit of adversity here and there, but we welcome any setbacks, any challenges, any
We’re ready for it. In my mind right now, we can’t fail.
— Brad Jacobs
adversities this week.
“When you face adversity it means you’re learning and you’re growing and we welcome the challenge. We’re ready for it. In my mind right now, we can’t fail.”
Between Thursday’s afternoon and evening draws, Jacobs, third Ryan Fry and lead Ryan Harnden held batting practice between the ice sheets using a tennis ball and the broom shaft as a bat.
Defending champion Brad Gushue doubled Manitoba’s Mike McEwen 6-3 to get to 7-1. Edmonton’s Bottcher fell to 6-2 with the loss to his Alberta rival.
Ontario’s Scott McDonald improved to 5-3 with a 7-4 victory over Saskatchewan’s Kirk Muyres. Manitoba, Saskatchewan and B.C. were all 4-4.
The top four teams from the championship pool advance to Saturday’s Page playoff. The winner of the playoff between the top two seeds goes directly to Sunday night’s final.
The loser drops to Sunday afternoon’s semifinal to meet the winner of the playoff between the third and fourth seeds.
This is the second year of the current format that includes two pools for the preliminary round, a championship pool and a wild-card play-in prior to the main draw.
The previous version was jettisoned after three years because of the unpopularity of a pre-tournament qualifier, in which teams
played off to get into the main draw.
Teams carry their preliminary-round records into the championship pool.
So Koe and Jacobs brought their seven wins and Gushue and Bottcher their six, while Muyres, McDonald, Cotter and McEwen arrived with four.
The gap created a class of underdogs needing to run the table to make it to Saturday’s final four.
The rinks were more tightly grouped last year in Regina, where six of eight championship-pool teams had five wins or more.
“It’s nice to have that separation because although our goal is to get into the one-two game, you’ve got to get in the playoffs. That’s the main thing,” Gushue said.
“Worst case, you get in the three-four and you can get hot on the weekend and win it.”
Ranked first and sixth respectively on the World Curling Tour, Koe and Bottcher have waged some pitched battles this season.
Bottcher beat Koe in January’s TSN Skins final that was decided by a draw-the-button because of a carry-over in the last end.
Koe ousted Bottcher 7-5 in the provincial semifinal. Bottcher then needed Koe to win the final in order to grab one of two wild-card spots in Brandon. A loss and the wild card would have gone to Koe.
Up 6-4 coming home without hammer and with Koe laying four Thursday, Bottcher executed a corner freeze with his last shot in an attempt to limit Alberta’s score.
But Koe cleared it with his calling-card outturn hit for a three-pointer.
“We played a poor last end,” Bottcher said.
“With Kevin, he’s always going to leave himself a chance. He made a really good shot at the end there.”
Hernandez swings big bat for Blue Jays
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (CP) — Teoscar Hernandez drove in four runs and Kevin Pillar hit a solo home run as the Toronto Blue Jays downed the Tampa Bay Rays 11-2 in pre-season baseball action Thursday.
Toronto had back-to-back five run innings in the third and fourth to break the game open.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the top of the third when a Hernandez single scored two runs.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. scored on a wild pitch from Colin Poche, then Kendrys Morales followed with a two-run single.
Tandy Diaz got two runs back for the Rays with a single in the bottom of the third, but the Jays piled on five more runs in the next inning.
Gurriel started the big inning with an RBI double, then Hernandez scored two more with a line-drive single and Morales made it 10-2 with a sacrifice fly.
Pillar’s fifth-inning homer capped the scoring.
Clayton Richard picked up the win for Toronto (5-6). He allowed two earned runs and recorded three strikeouts and a walk over 2 2/3 innings.
Tyler Glasnow took the loss for Tampa Bay (6-8) after surrendering the first earned run, but the Jays did most of their damage against Poche (four earned runs without recording an out) and Wilmer Font (five runs, four earned, over a third of an inning).
The Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates play a pair of split-squad games Friday.
Donaldson set for exhibition debut
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Josh Donaldson plans to play in his first spring training game for the Atlanta Braves tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies.
After being slowed by injuries for two seasons, the 33-year-old third baseman signed a $23 million, one-year contract with the Braves and spent the first two weeks of the exhibition season strengthening his legs, feet and toes. He also tried “to clean up some running technique issues that I’ve had in the past.”
“It’s been awesome to come out here every day and to be able put some quality work in, and not have to tend to the calf,” he said. “Last year I had some shoulder issues to where I wasn’t really going into the season feeling right.”
The 2015 AL MVP award winner with Toronto, Donaldson was limited to 113 games in 2017 and 52 games last season, when he was traded from the Blue Jays to Cleveland on Aug. 31.
Donaldson likely will get two plate appearances tonight, then not play Saturday. He doesn’t have a set amount of plate appearances in mind for spring training.
Oilers edge Canucks
EDMONTON (CP) — Connor McDavid had a pair of assists and Mikko Koskinen made 35 saves as the Edmonton Oilers continued to make a late playoff push with a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
Alex Chiasson, Zack Kassian and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored for the Oilers (30-30-7), who have won four straight games and are 6-1-2 in their last nine outings to move within seven points of Minnesota for the second wild card in the West.
Jay Beagle and Alexander Edler replied for the Canucks (28-31-9), who have lost four of their last five.
Edmonton started the scoring just over five minutes into the first period when former Canuck Sam Gagner stole a puck behind the net and fed it in front to Chiasson, who sent a shot through the legs of Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko for his 19th of the season. The Oilers made it 2-0 with six minutes left in the opening frame when McDavid shrugged off a check at full speed and sent it in front for Kassian to deflect it into the net, the fourth consecutive game in which he has scored a goal.
Koskinen kept that lead intact late in the first, making a pad save on a point-blank shot by Josh Leivo.
The Oilers added to their lead one minute into the second period when McDavid saw Nugent-Hopkins at the back door and he was able to redirect in his 21st goal of the season.
Vancouver got on the board with 1:30 left in the second when Koskinen mishandled a shot and Beagle poked in a puck that was sitting on the goal line.
The Canucks cut the lead to one seven minutes into the third period on a point shot from Edler, a play which survived a challenge for goaltender interference. Both teams return to action on Saturday, with the Oilers hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Canucks returning home to face the Vegas Golden Knights.
NOTES: It was the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season, with Vancouver winning two of the previous three matchups. ... Oilers forward and former Prince George Spruce King Jujhar Khaira made his return to the lineup after missing the last 10 games with a lower-body injury. ...Canucks defenceman Edler played his 800th NHL game.
Seaver has dementia
NEW YORK (AP) — Hall of Fame pitcher
Tom Seaver, the star of the Miracle Mets 1969 World Series championship team, has been diagnosed with dementia at age 74. His family made the announcement Thursday through the Hall and said Seaver has retired from public life and will continue to work at Seaver Vineyards in the Calistoga region of California.
Seaver has limited his public appearances in recent years. He didn’t attend the Baseball Writers’ Association of America dinner in January where members of the 1969 team were honoured on the 50th anniversary of what still ranks among baseball’s most unexpected title winners.
A three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year, Seaver was 311-205 with a 2.86 ERA, 3,640 strikeouts and 61 shutouts from 1967-86.
Team Alberta skip Kevin Koe releases a rock during a game against Team Wild Card at the Brier in Brandon, Man., on Thursday.
Contestants rally around Trebek
Victoria
TORONTO — Through thumb prints of their “buzzer fingers,” a video compilation and multimedia scrapbook, former Jeopardy! contestants are creating mass tributes for Canadian host Alex Trebek, who announced Wednesday that he’s battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Sally Neumann, a mental-health counsellor in Seattle who competed on the hit quiz show in March 2016, said Thursday she’s spearheading the projects through a secret Jeopardy! contestants Facebook group that has thousands of members.
“I spend a lot of time doing grief counselling for kids in an artistic medium, so I suggested everybody mail me their buzzer fingers – their thumb prints in the mail in various colours in ink – and I’m going to cut them up and make it into a collage of the buzzer fingers and send it to him,” Neumann said in a phone interview.
“It’s like we’re buzzing in one last time, giving him a thumbs up, imbuing the piece of art with all of our touch and gratitude.”
Another former contestant is in charge of the multimedia scrapbook, while two others are editing the video compilation, Neumann added.
They’re among a slew of Jeopardy! fans and contestants expressing support for Trebek and applauding the way he announced his diagnosis through a YouTube video, in which he stoically vowed to continue working and “beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.”
message was really, really impressive. I could never do that. I’d be a mess.”
Neumann said she saw others posting about the video but found it too emotionally difficult to watch herself. She felt it was brave and kind of him to announce something so personal to everyone.
“It was really acknowledging how much he realizes what an impact he’s had on everybody,” she said. Jeopardy! tapes five shows in a row, two days a week in California.
Standing on the show’s set in a suit, the Sudbury, Ont., native even joked that he had to win the battle and stay on the job because he still has three more years on his Jeopardy! contract.
The video perfectly encapsulates the unflappable and genial persona of the perennial quiz-show host, say many contestants, who describe him as being just as warm, intelligent and personable behind the scenes as he is on TV.
“I thought that was just so fitting and so moving and so him,” said Ben Merritt, a consultant from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, who was on Jeopardy! in 2000.
“He’s very direct, he’s going to tell you the situation, ‘Here’s what I’m going to do and you guys are going to help me.’ ... It’s classic Alex.”
The video was “really classy,” added Emma Badame, a Toronto digital marketing manager who was a competitor on the show in February in a pre-taped segment that will air later this month.
“The calmness and the confidence in delivering the
Contestants say Trebek, who has been hosting since 1984, doesn’t have much more interaction with them beyond what is seen in the show, due to reasons of integrity and the enforcement of standards and practices.
But he is given five talking points about each contestant, studies those hard and makes the most of his brief one-on-one chats with them.
Merritt recalled Trebek asking him on the show about a baseball he has that’s signed by many star players. Trebek blew him away with his insight into the sport.
“He’s so knowledgeable about everything,” Merritt said. “I’m sure he makes everybody feel like he’s an expert in their area of expertise, because he’s just so well read and just so sharp.”
Snowden Becker, a March 2005 contestant from Los Angeles, said Trebek asked her about growing up on a clam
farm in a bit that got a huge laugh from the audience.
“He is so warm and engaging,” said Becker, who is the program director for the master’s degree in Library and Information Science at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“He seems so genuine and I think he really likes people and people really like him as a result.”
Heather Cothran, a high school English teacher in St. Louis, Mo., who competed on the show in 2007, said Trebek is also great with the audience.
“At the end when you watch the show, you’ll see people standing around there and he does talk to you when you’re standing there,” Cothran said.
“I found him very personable and warm.”
Trebek is also just as sharp as many of the show’s participants, they say, noting he’s a master of pronunciations and languages.
“He seems like he would probably do pretty good on the show as a contestant,” said Cothran.
“He’s just been the face of it for so long. When I was there in person, he was the consummate professional, just really good at his job – very quick-witted, very personable, very outgoing. Just everything you would want a good game-show host to be, basically.”
Taylor Swift stalker breaks in again Citizen
NEW YORK — A man recently jailed for breaking into Taylor Swift’s New York City townhouse was arrested early Thursday after, police say, he did it again. Roger Alvarado, 23, of Homestead, Fla., climbed a ladder and smashed a glass door to get inside the pop star’s pad around 2:30 a.m., police said.
No one was home, according to police, who did not provide information on how he was caught. A message requesting comment was emailed to Swift’s publicist.
Alvarado, on probation after getting out of jail Feb. 5, faces stalking and burglary charges. Court records didn’t list a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.
This is at least the third time Alvarado has been arrested at Swift’s home. The Shake It Off singer owns an $18 million, three-storey building in Manhattan’s
Tribeca neighbourhood.
A break-in in April, in which police say Alvarado used Swift’s shower and slept in her bed, put him behind bars for more than nine months. As part of the sentence, a judge also ordered Alvarado to complete a mental-health program.
Two months before that, he was arrested for allegedly breaking the front door with a shovel.
Swift wasn’t home on either occasion.
In an article published Wednesday, Swift told Elle Magazine that she fears violence and takes precautions, such as carrying military-grade quick-clotting agents to stop bleeding from potential gunshot or stab wounds.
“Websites and tabloids have taken it upon themselves to post every home address I’ve ever had online,” Swift told the magazine. “You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things.”
New Star Wars theme park sets opening dates
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Millennium Falcon is blasting off from Disneyland on May 31 with the opening of the California theme park’s massive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge expansion.
Disney Parks announced Thursday that Galaxy’s Edge will open for visitors to Florida’s Disney World
Resort on Aug. 29. Galaxy’s Edge is a new 14-acre land at the Disney theme parks, featuring rides and experiences that thrust visitors into the world of the recent Star Wars trilogy and the fight between the Resistance and the evil First Order. The marquee attraction is a replica of the Millennium Falcon.
NEW YORK (AP) — Annie Lennox has a sweet dream – that the world will embrace the term global feminism and continue to push for the advancement of women’s rights around the globe.
The iconic singer and activist teamed with Apple Music to launch a video Thursday in support of global feminism to coincide with International Women’s Day, which is today.
The nearly two-minute clip features Lennox, Oscar-nominated actor Richard E. Grant and Grammy-winning singers Ed Sheeran, Mary J. Blige and Dua Lipa telling the story of women’s rights in the last 100 years.
“My interest is this term ‘global feminism,”’ Lennox said. “It means that everybody can be a part of it. It isn’t saying, ‘I’m a feminist, it’s different than your feminism.’ No. It’s all part of a very mixed, diverse dialogue that will bring many people (together).”
“Feminism – we must use this word because it means empowerment. People can be (and) must be empowered,” she said.
The Scottish singer said though there’s been major progress for women’s rights, much more needs to be done.
“In Western countries, we’re far more resourced than people
are generally speaking in the so-called developing world,” she said. “It isn’t right that young girls cannot attend primary school or cannot attend secondary school. If they are living in poverty, they can’t therefore have the skills that they need. They can’t become literate, they can’t read or write, and therefore they can’t have a chance to get out of this poverty.”
Lennox is also encouraging more men to become global feminists: “We can be generous and inclusive, and we can use this term like an umbrella term, where people stand collectively, shoulder-to-shoulder, and they identify these facts and say, ‘This is not right. Men, women can say, ‘This is not right.”’
“Also, we must change this thing about violence where one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. If we don’t have dialogue with boys and men, we cannot change attitudes and behaviours, so we must bring boys and men into the arena, into the platform for discussion,” she added.
Lennox, 64, said Sheeran was the first to jump on board for the video, which also features cameos by
Hozier, Emeli Sande, Paloma Faith, Yola, Ade Adepitan, Richa Chadha and more.
AHEARN Citizen news service
TREBEK
Hazel Marie Cardinal March 24, 1945January 5, 2019
Hazel was born in Fort St. John, BC to Lily and Louis Cardinal and passed away peacefully, surrounded by family in Calgary, Alberta. Hazel lived in many places throughout BC and AB, including Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Prince George, Tumbler Ridge, Edmonton and Calgary. She proudly raised two children and worked her way from janitor to operator at Quintette Coal Mine for more than 20 years. She was also the foster parent to Jeremy in Edmonton from 2010-2016. She was an active member in her community and will be fondly remembered for her generous spirit and spunky personality. Hazel is survived by her loving son Raymond Cardinal (Mishonne Temple); loving daughter Wendy Cardinal; siblings Ray Cardinal, Larry Cardinal, Melvin Cardinal, Joyce Cardinal; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She is predeceased by her parents Lily and Louie, and brothers Louis and Dennis Cardinal. A Celebration of Life will be held March 23, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at the Elks Community Hall (Moose Hall), 663 Douglas Street, Prince George, BC. In lieu of flowers, donations to South Health Campus “In Memory of Hazel Cardinal” will be graciously accepted at: https://secure.calgaryhealthtrust.ca/page.aspx?pid=934. To view and share photos, condolences and stories of Hazel please visit www.choicememorial.com.
Arnold William Horning (Red) June 11, 1932 - March 4, 2019
It is with great sadness that the family announces the passing of a great husband, father and grandfather. He was well loved and will be sorely missed. Survived by his wife Faith Horning, daughter Deryl (Earl) Henderson, grandson Jared (Tam) French and granddaughter Madeline Ellwood. Brothers Glen (Bea) Horning, Bob (Patty) Horning, Sister-in-law Avis Cassidy and many nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents Richard & Alice Horning, sister Joan (Don) Jack, brother-in-laws Ted and Roy Eytcheson, Billy Cassidy and sister-in-law Mardy Heinrich. Red was born near Cantaur, Saskatchewan in the Swift Current area and later his family moved north to Turtleford. As a young man Red enjoyed sports (especially hockey), hunting and fishing. He moved to BC in 1949 and eventually made his way to Prince George where he married Faith in 1956. A strong man in body, mind and spirit, he overcame many obstacles in life. Red was blessed with a keen mind, strong work ethic and sense of humor. He had many interests. His work history was as varied as his interests in life. He worked in the bush and on pipelines, was a correctional officer, private contractor and retired from the Netherlands division of Canfor with more than 26 years service, but the work he cherished the most was on his farm at Chief Lake, where he lived for over 25 years turning raw land into a working family farm. Red always enjoyed a game of cards, reading, a good meal with family and friends, watching hockey or a lively debate over politics. In later years, after the farm was sold, his love of the land and nature turned him into an avid gardener and though he enjoyed fresh produce, he loved flowers more. A big man with a kind heart he was generous to many and provided well for his family. Red gave respect were it was due and never had to raise his voice to be heard. There will be no funeral as he requested but a Celebration of Life will be held in his garden at a later date. The family wishes to thank all the extended family and friends who supported them during his last days. We also want to extend our sincere gratitude to Dr. Ferreira, Home Care and Hospice House staff for their excellent care. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Rotary Hospice House.
& Youth Newspaper Carriers Needed in the Following areas:
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Established Franchise Photography Business Serving Northern B.C for over 35 years
Gross Revenues of $150.000 plus annually from seasonal work Lots of opportunity to expand the business. Transition support available to the right buyer
Serious Enquiries Only Office 250-596-9199 Cell 250-981-1472
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Established Franchise Tax Preparation BusinessMackenzieservicing and McLeod Lake area for over 30 years.
Gross Revenues of $85,000 to $90,000 Annually and Potential to expand revenues in a growing economy. Transition support available for the right buyer.
Serious Inquires Only Office (250)997-9003 Home (250)997-5538 Cell (250)990-0152
WDCSNORTH EMPLOYMENTCOUNSELLOR/CASEMANAGERS WorkforceDevelopmentConsultingServicesis currentlyseekingapplicationsforthefollowing fulltimepositions:EmploymentCounsellor/Case Managers.PositionsforservicesspecifictoPersons withDisabilitiesandSurvivorsofViolenceorAbuse. Forafulljobdescription,checkoutourwebsite: www.workforcedevelopmentconsulting.ca
