Crews containing early-season wildfire near Fraser Lake
Amy SMART Vancouver Sun
Fraser Lake Mayor Sarrah Storey was driving back from a soccer tournament out of town when she saw the skyline transformed by a wildfire creeping up a mountain on the edge of her central British Columbia community.
The blaze grew from four hectares Saturday morning to 260 hectares that night, prompting a local state of emergency and several evacuations for an area about 140 kilometres west of Prince George.
“We drove into pretty much a
big huge, smoky billowing cloud and you could see the flames,” Storey said in a phone interview Sunday.
By Saturday afternoon, the fire was producing plumes of smoke that drifted towards Prince George and was visible through satellite imagery. The smoke formed a cloud in the northern horizon and cast a haze over the city and the smell of burning trees permeated the evening air.
But progress was quickly made as crews and equipment were deployed. As of early afternoon Monday, the fire was 100 per cent
contained and 50 per cent guarded and reduced to 236 hectares.
Thirty firefighters backed by one helicopter and 15 pieces of equipment were on the scene.
The weather is expected to work in firefighters’ favour, according to B.C. Wildfire Service information officer Molly Blower, with humidity to rise and the temperature to fall, and some possibility of rain on Tuesday.
“It’s looking pretty good,” she said.
The Regional District of BulkleyNechako issued a state of emergency Saturday night and ordered
people to leave an area near the community of Lejac, about five kilometres east of Fraser Lake.
District chairman Gerry Thiessen said the evacuation area affected only about half a dozen permanent homes, while an evacuation alert means about 40 others nearby have to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. But both the evacuation order and alert were rescinded Sunday night.
The cause of the Lejac fire remains under investigation, but Thiessen said that with no recent lightning in the area it appears to have been human-caused.
Police seek driver in fatal hit-and-run
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
Prince George RCMP have located the vehicle they believe was involved in a fatal hit-and-run collision Saturday night, which killed a man in a wheelchair and left another man with serious injuries.
An RCMP officer on patrol just after midnight Saturday found two adult males in an adjacent parking lot suffering from their injuries next to a severely damaged electric-powered wheelchair and bicycle on the east side Victoria Street between 15th and 17th Avenues.
The two men were transported to hospital where the 48-year-old man who was in the wheelchair later died of his injuries. A 56-year-old man who was on the bike, is expected to survive his injuries.
After closing the road on both sides, police determined the northbound vehicle struck the two victims and the driver
did not stop. The vehicle was described as a dark-coloured 2012 or 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV. It had extensive damage from the impact of the collision on the passenger side.
Within a few hours of asking for help from the public to locate the vehicle involved in the collision, police were provided information that led them to locate and seize a vehicle. A forensic and mechanical examination will be conducted on the vehicle to help identify and locate the driver.
“We still have to prove who was behind the wheel,” said Prince George RCMP spokesperson Craig Douglass.
“We may know who owns the vehicle, but being the owner doesn’t mean you were the one driving it so we have to do some other things like that and garner the evidence before we submit a report.”
It was not revealed where the two victims were when they were hit.
“They may have been on the side-
walk,” said Douglass. “That’s part of the investigation so we can’t say for sure. We’re not ruling out they were on the road and not ruling out they were on the sidewalk.”
Douglass said the vehicle was found in the city but would not reveal where because that could put the owner at risk of harm from someone who knows the victims.
“We just have to be careful and I want to talk to the investigators about that first before we do that,” said Douglass. “If that will garner more information then maybe we’ll do that.”
Police are asking anybody who witnessed the incident or has any information to help identify the driver to call them at 250-561-3300 or call Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477. You do not have to reveal your identity. If information you provide leads to an arrest you could receive a cash reward.
Douglass is urging the driver to do the right thing and surrender to police.
Thiessen said he first received a call at around 4 p.m. when the fire had scorched about four hectares, and it grew to 65 times that size by the evening.
“We had pretty significant winds yesterday and that was a big concern,” Thiessen said in a phone interview Sunday.
B.C. Hydro reported failure of transmission equipment due to the fire, which left 20,000 customers without power until Saturday evening. The areas affected included Fraser Lake, Prince Rupert, Houston, Terrace and Smithers. — see, ‘WE’RE NOT, page 3
Rising house prices reducing affordability
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
The cost of owning a home in Prince George in 2018 was slightly above the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s suggested threshold, according to a report from the B.C. Northern Real Estate Board.
The costs of mortgage payments, municipal taxes and fees, and utilities for the average single-family home stood at 30.9 per cent of before-tax median household income. According to the CMHC, housing is considered affordable if it costs less than 30 per cent.
A typical single-family home sold for $350,713 in 2018, a $31,546 increase over the year before according to numbers derived from the Multiple Listing Service for the city.
“Historically, the largest cost contributor to annual changes in affordability has been house prices, and this trend continues for 2018,” economist Leslie Lax said in the report. — see COST OF OWNERSHIP, page 3
Smoke from the Fraser Lake wildfire settles in downtown Prince George on Saturday evening. Winds pushed smoke from the wildfire into the city on Saturday.
Prince George court docket
From Prince George provincial court, May 6-10, 2019:
• Benjamin Edward Cardinal (born 1983) was sentenced to 64 days in jail, issued a 10-year firearms prohibition and ordered to provide a DNA sample for break and enter and committing an indictable offence.
Cardinal was also sentenced to two years probation on the count as well as on counts of mischief. Cardinal was in custody for 83 days prior to sentencing.
• Jean Lauri Tom (born 1979) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act committed in Summit Lake.
• Ernie Ronald Felix (born 1980) was sentenced in Indigenous court to a three-month conditional sentence order and issued a 10-year firearms prohibition for unauthorized possession of a firearm and careless use or storage of a firearm.
Felix was also sentenced to one year probation on the counts and on a count of breaching an
undertaking or recognizance and to zero days for a separate count of breaching an undertaking or recognizance.
• Makayla Madeleine Erickson (born 1997) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation for causing fear of injury or damage to property.
• Bradley Robert Foster (born 1979) was sentenced to 14 days in jail and ordered to pay $4,720 restitution for theft $5,000 or under. Foster was also sentenced to one year probation for the count and a separate count of theft $5,000 or under. Foster was in custody for 35 days prior to sentencing.
• Andrew James Urquhart (born 1994) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $1,000 for driving while impaired.
• Lorie-Renee Chew (born 1978) was prohibited from driving for 18 months and sentenced to 14 days in jail, to be served on an intermittent basis, and fined $1,000 plus $150 in victim surcharges for two counts of driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act committed in Prince George and Kamloops.
• Ryan Samuel Klukas (born 1996) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $1,500 for driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08.
• Kevin James Monk (born 1980) was sentenced to a 180-day conditional sentence order and one year probation for possessing stolen property under $5,000.
• Chad Bradley Marshall (born 1999) was fined $750 plus a $113 victim surcharge for failing to produce a driver’s licence or insurance.
• Keghan Samuel Cosh (born 1982) was sentenced to zero days in jail for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and two counts of theft $5,000 or under, committed in Prince George, and possessing a controlled substance, committed in Kamloops. Kosh was in custody for 68 days prior to sentencing.
From B.C. Supreme Court in Prince George:
• Kodi Joshua Sillje (born 1992) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of sexual predation, committed in Fort St. James.
Joyce Wood, right, and Joy Greenley, two residents from the Prince George Chateau, display the newborn baby bonnets they have knitted that they donated on Monday to patients at the prenatal unit of the University Hospital of Northern B.C.
City’s unemployment rate 5.7 per cent in April
Citizen staff
The city’s unemployment rate stood at an estimated 5.7 per cent in April, according to Statistics Canada labour market survey numbers.
That’s up slightly from 5.4 per cent for the same month last year and reflects a decline in the number of people holding down jobs.
As of last month, 49,300 were working, 200 fewer than at the same point in 2018, producing a 67.7 per cent employment rate, down three percentage points.
Those looking for work amounted to 3,000 last month while those of working age who are unemployed and not seeking work totaled 20,500 for a participation rate of 71.8 per cent.
For April 2018, the count was 2,900 seeking work and 18,300 not participating for a 74.7 per cent participation rate.
In May, the unemployment rate was 5.9 per cent with 47,900
As of last month, 49,300 were working, 200 fewer than at the same point in 2018...
working, 3,000 seeking work and 21,900 not participating for a 69.8 per cent participation rate. However, Statistics Canada advises against making a monthto-month comparison because seasonal factors can influence each month.
The acccuracy of the mostrecent unemployment rate is plus-or-minus 0.9 per cent, 67 per cent of the time. For April 2018, it is 0.8 per cent and for May 2019 it is one per cent, both also 67 per cent of the time. The numbers are based on a three-month rolling average and do not separate part-time from full-time employment.
— from page 1
“Mortgage costs, which are based on house prices and interest rates, tend to comprise upwards of 70 per cent of the costs included in the housing affordability index,” Lax added. “It is therefore not surprising that higher house prices tend to reflect lower affordability.”
For the northern B.C. region as a whole, the cost of home ownership stood at 26.9 per cent, up two percentage points from the year before.
At 47.2 per cent, 100 Mile House was the most onerous, “chiefly as a result of the median household income being around 54 per cent of that of northern B.C.,” Lax said.
Fort St. John, where the rate stood at
— from page 1
Another human-caused wildfire started Friday east of Prince George near Giscome. By Saturday afternoon, the fire had grown to two hectares but was being held in check.
After returning to Fraser Lake, Storey said she visited a home two minutes out of town on Saturday night to bring water and supplies to fire crews. The water bombers and helicopters had been grounded after nightfall, but crews were piping water from a small lake to fight the blaze on the ground.
“There were tiny little fires everywhere, the ground was pretty charred and the trees were gone,” she said, adding that flames were still “shooting up” and cresting another hill above.
“It’s hard to watch,” she said.
“You’re just hoping the crews on the frontline are staying safe and the wind dies down.”
The fire has been concentrated on a mountain above Lejac, which is the site of a former residential school and a destination for hundreds of Catholics who make annual pilgrimages to the grave of Rose Prince, a former student credited with miracles.
By Sunday afternoon, it had
22.4 per cent, was the only community to see consistent improvements over the last few years, “largely due to a persistent drop in house prices over the period.”
At 20.6 per cent, Kitimat was the most affordable.
“Despite a 34-per-cent increase in house prices between 2017 and 2018, higher-than-average household income kept housing affordable in Kitimat,” Lax said.
Looking at other communities, affordability stood at 28 per cent in Prince Rupert, 25.6 per cent in Quesnel, 26.6 per cent in Smithers, 30.4 per cent in Terrace and 28.6 per cent in Williams Lake.
not touched Lejac or crossed a highway toward the Fraser Lake sawmill, which is the village’s major employer. With winds dying down, crews were optimistic about containing the blaze, Storey said. But wildfires are no longer a surprise for residents of the region, which was sandwiched between major fires during British Columbia’s record-breaking fire seasons in 2018 and 2017.
“We’re not calling it summer anymore, we’re calling it ‘fire season,’” Storey said.
“We’re just really lucky both years that we haven’t lost structures or lives or anything major.”
Thiessen said he’s concerned the season seems to be getting longer. Growing up in the region, he said wildfires typically only occurred in July and August.
And this year, he said the region is vulnerable.
A dry winter and spring means there’s low snowpack and he said debris piles burned by farmers and loggers in the fall could provide fuel for future fires.
He encouraged back country users to be vigilant.
“We haven’t had any significant snow or rain since almost Christmas so that’s a real concern for
“This
Workers
Woman thwarts daylight purse snatching
Citizen staff
Prince George RCMP are on the lookout for a man suspected of a brazen attempt to steal a purse from a Hart Highland homeowner.
Police said a woman discovered a male inside the entranceway of her Tasa Place home on Friday morning with her purse in his hands. She grabbed the purse and shoved him out the front door.
But she initially called the RCMP’s non-emergency line, slowing police response. A search for the suspect proved unsuccessful but police have a description.
He is described as a tall Caucasian with a thin build and short, dirty-blonde hair and wearing a royal blue golf shirt, black pants.
He was also wearing a black lanyard with what appeared to be an ID tag, leading police to believe he was posing as a door-to-door solicitor.
Police are advising the public to always lock their doors, even when they’re at home, to immediately call 911 whenever an incident occurs and be sure to ask for the identification of any door to door solicitors.
“Legitimate sales persons will have identification and will provide you with their name,” RCMP said.
Anyone with information on who the suspect may be and where he could be found is asked to call the detachment at 250-561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca (English only).
You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information that leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward.
Home ownership in all northern B.C. communities remain “exceptionally favourable” when compared to the Vancouver area, where it stood at 118.9 per cent, and Victoria, where it was 66.1 per cent. Mortgage costs are based on the average house price with 25 per cent down and a five-year fixed rate mortgage which, in turn, is based on Bank of Canada monthly data for a five-year conventional mortgage.
Median income is drawn from the census conducted in 2015 and adjusted by the growth rate for average weekly earnings for British Columbia as obtained from Statistics Canada.
The full report is posted with this story at www.pgcitizen.ca.
and Mark Nielsen, Citizen.
Golden opportunity for taxpayers
If the taxpayers of Prince George ever had a golden opportunity to have a say in how they are being taxed, and how their tax dollars are being spent, the time is now.
Prince George taxpayers have been attempting to get city hall’s attention to quit raising taxes and to reduce costs. This has been going on for a number of years and, for the most part, these requests and suggestions have been ignored.
We are now at a point where it is not a question of whether or not we will get a tax increase but just the question of how much the increase will be.
We are now faced with a situation where the city wishes to borrow $32 million for various capital projects over a 20-year period. We have not received any information from the city as why it is necessary to borrow this money. One would think that mundane projects like putting a roof on a building, putting culverts under a creek or upgrading some streets and parks would fall under normal maintenance and be done with funding from our annual taxes and maintenance funds. So why the borrowing? Interest on borrowing $32 million over 20 years would be in the area of $18 million,
which would generate a tax increase of $56.82 per year and when added to the tax increases from the borrowing for the new swimming pool ($35 million) and new fire hall ($15 million) in 2017, we will have a tax increase of approx $141 per year for the next 20 years, because of borrowing costs. We all know (or should know) that when it comes to raising taxes we the taxpayer have lost control, we have lost the ability to put pressure on council and city administration and we are basically ignored. It seems what we want, think or feel about this subject is meaningless. The city administration will make the decisions as to what is good for us.
So, what do we do? Well as it turns out, because the city proposes to borrow this $32 million over a 20-year period, they need to get the approval of the eligible voters of the city. They can do this by going to a referendum and getting 50 per cent plus one of those eligible voters who voted, or they can go to the Alternate Approval Process.
In this case, the city chose to go to the AAP and now unless we can get 10 per cent of eligible voters to sign the AAP (5,546 signatures) the city has the OK to borrow
the funds. If the citizens of Prince George sign 5,546 or more AAP forms, the city then must either not go forward with the borrowing plan or go to a referendum to get the 50 per cent plus one majority they would need.
So there is the golden opportunity. We need each and every eligible voter in Prince George to ensure that they get involved in this process. In order to sign the AAP as a resident elector, a person must be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years of age, have lived in B.C. for at least the last six months and have lived with the city of Prince George for at least the last 30 days. Please note you do not have to own property in the city to be able to vote. Anyone that meets the above criteria can sign the petition, whether they be homeowners, renters, etc.
By getting the requisite number of signatures, we can force the city to drop the borrowing idea or go to a referendum. We can also put the responsibility for borrowing money back in the hands of those who have the ultimate say on borrowing, i.e. the taxpayers of Prince George.
The first and immediate benefit of stopping the city from borrowing $32 million is a savings to taxpayers of approximately
The family I never knew
Afew weeks back I wrote about finding a sister through DNA testing. We share an unknown father; she was adopted at birth, I grew up with my single mother.
A photo was emailed to me last week.
My sister told me over the phone to brace as she pressed the send button.
But she couldn’t keep the secret: “We found him.”
And then again, as if in relief: “We found him.”
It was the father we had never met, never knew, never even seen.
Until that picture.
I wasn’t possibly prepared for the likeness.
The chin, the jawline, the hairline, the forehead and deep-set eyes – even, if I could speculate, the stern inscrutability conferred on a son he had never met, never knew, never even seen. Here, finally, for me to see was the tree I had fallen from, no telling how far. And I looked and looked and looked at it, angles and elements and everything I could obsessively surmise from two dimensions.
In a matter of months, thanks to science and sleuthing, my family’s deepest mystery has morphed into learning its history: relatives, names, places, dates, moves, jobs, ups and downs.
I have lost track as details flood in amid the numbing, deadening realization of a life missed as six decades of the biggest questions of identity produce the mightiest of answers.
I grew up without him, with not much more information than his name – and as it turns out, only
TO THE POINT KIRK LAPOINTE
his surname, not even his given name – and so many false and frustrating trails of the wrong cities, states and professions.
My mother’s recollections of a weekend affair in the late winter of 1957 yielded tidbits that would prove helpful: his birth in America, an ailing sister he had to return to care for and of course that never-kept promise he would see her again.
Oh, and a full head of hair and a resemblance.
Now I have more, thanks to distant cousins found with my sister through the popular Ancestry and 23andme DNA tests: a full name, details of his life back and forth across the U.S. border into Ontario and an eerily coincidental setting for his final two decades.
He is long gone now, so we cannot ever know each other, and it is left to me to understand us.
But with that I am reminded that for reasons I will never properly justify, I did not move quickly enough to find him when he never knew to find me.
I next found his obituary from 1988 – in Vancouver’s daily newspaper, a decade and a half before I would move here to help manage that paper’s newsroom –and it of course only whetted the journey for more.
A wife passed, two sisters also believed passed, but a son easily found on social media who is my younger brother.
A nearby brother of new possibilities.
Only months ago, I understood none of this – nor of a sister, adopted at birth, for whom these tests yielded the first blood relative she would meet.
Her doggedness with discovered relatives has created bridges I need to determine how to cross – even if I should cross – and how to move from research to real search, from fact-finding to family-finding.
I am setting out to discover me. If nothing prepares me for them, I can only imagine how nothing prepares them for me. I at least knew there was another family out there.
They didn’t, and this revelation could jar their memories of the man they loved and the life he led.
As I’ve told the story of finding a sister, I’ve heard many say we cannot compensate for what we missed, for the disappointment and dysfunction and even the anger, but we need to set it aside to learn all we can in the time we have left.
The journalist in me naturally seizes this new data but also edits the tell-all urge – so sharing a few dates and places, but no names, out of a professional practice to anticipate and minimize harm, something that carries a new, more personal obligation. But one irony is too rich not to disclose from what I learned in my first park-bench talk this week with my brother. My father moved here from Ontario, four decades before I would. My four-decade career has drawn me to a business publication. He was a Howe Street stock promoter.
$18 million in interest over the next 20 years. The second immediate benefit would be to force the city to use due diligence when spending tax dollars and find more productive and creative ways to get these jobs done, through other revenue sources. I would suggest that every family and citizen of Prince George that opposes this borrowing plan obtain the AAP forms from city hall and arrange to have those in their family who are eligible sign the petition. They can also get copies of the form or sign the form at the Farmers Market in downtown Prince George, on Saturday May 18 and May 25.
Myself and others have plenty of forms available for signing and would be happy to deliver these forms to your place of residence to ensure that you get a chance to sign. My phone number is 250-961-1192 if you need forms. The deadline for getting these AAPs to city hall is May 30, so even though this looks like a long time it isn’t.
People who are in favour of the city borrowing this money and increasing taxes do not have to do anything other than sit back and see how this process unfolds.
— Eric Allen, Prince George
Attacks step up
And they are off! This is the traditional call at the beginning of a horse race but it should be the call at the beginning of the campaign season. The federal election campaigns have begun.
Of course, the parties are not allowed to call them campaigns at this point. And the funding for the advertisements is a complicated mixture of rules and regulations. But there is little doubt the parties have started racing towards the October finish line.
The most obvious campaigning comes in the form of Conservative attack ads on Justin Trudeau.
The first one I saw started with a close-up on U.S. President Donald Trump while the voiceover talks about ethical standards, lying to elected officials, firing his attorney-general and such. All the while the camera slowly pulls back until we see Trump pointing at Trudeau standing next to him.
As advertisements go, it was reasonably effective. It had a surprise hook as initially a viewer would think it was about Trump and all his misdeeds. But then the punchline is revealed – “Trudeau –not at advertised.”
This would seem to be the theme of the pre-election election campaign for the Conservative Party. Trudeau is not as advertised.
For their base, I suspect the ad works well and gets people fired up. After all, there is no question The Donald is a dolt who shouldn’t be in power. Comparing Trudeau to Trump allows the base to say “well, you say Trump is an idiot but Trudeau has done the same things.”
Except, of course, he hasn’t.
Our government doesn’t operate in the same way the American government does. We don’t have separate legislative and executive branches. Ours is blended together. We don’t have a president with the power to hire and fire within the executive branch at will. And, for that matter, stonewall the legislative branch and its agenda.
Imagine if our prime minister was able to veto any legislation drafted by Parliament (He can’t. Instead we leave it up to our Conservative Senate to stall legislation out of existence – just kidding!).
Comparing Trudeau to Trump is a false comparison. Better would be a comparison to the likes of U.K. Prime Minister Teresa May.
The second set of advertisements I have seen feature “man or woman on the street” – type of interviews. Essentially they all fall along the same pattern.
A typical Canadian in a typical neighbourhood saying they voted for Trudeau last time but he has lied to Canadians – whether about proportional representation or the price of gasoline or carbon taxes.
Of course, no one elects the
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
prime minister. You vote for a party and hopefully for the best local candidate in each riding. The intent of a representational democracy is to elect someone who represents the collective view of the electorate in a particular region. They are then supposed to represent the common viewpoint of the voters in their riding to the other members of Parliament. Unfortunately, our system doesn’t quite work the way it is intended. Living next door to the great American experiment in democracy, we tend to be inundated by their politics and political structure. As a consequence, we tend to think of the leader of a party as the party and vice versa.
But our system is meant to be model on the British Parliament where even members of Teresa May’s own party are calling her out and voting against her proposals. A British prime minister is embattled from without and within as the opposition and party backbenchers often take pot shots. In any case, blaming higher gas prices on Trudeau is absurd. For one thing, these ads must only be playing in B.C. because gas prices have stayed roughly constant for the past couple of years in the rest of Canada. And our gas prices have nothing to do with taxation or the introduction of a carbon tax. They are fueled by refinery shutdowns and limited commodities.
It does make for a nice sound bite, though.
As to the whole issue of proportional representation, I can only assume the Conservative Party ads are really pushing the hypocrisy envelope.
The Conservatives would never get into power under a proportional representation voting scheme. All of the potential political allies they have are in their tent. A coalition between the NDP or Green Party and the Conservatives would never happen. Actually, never is probably too strong a word but it would require the Conservative Party and its leader to recognize long-term environmental degradation is the cost of a shortsighted economic policy which will see a few Canadians make more money than the other 99 per cent combined. Until Andrew Scheer and his local candidates start to demand climate change action, they will never have enough MPs to form government. The race is on. Like winter, the election is coming. It should make for fun summer viewing.
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 the
NEWS IN BRIEF
Nominations open for Youth of the Year
The city is welcoming nominations for the 2019 Youth of the Year.
Candidates must be between ages 13 and 18 years old, show significant school involvement including average or aboveaverage academic standing, extra-curricular activities, and volunteer committees and significant contributions to the community outside of school through volunteering.
The deadline for nominations is May 30 at 5 p.m. and the nomination form can be downloaded from the city website, princegeorge.com — Citizen staff
Man charged in death at B.C. home
CENTRAL SAANICH (CP) — A man from Nanaimo has been charged with first-degree murder after police found one person dead and two seriously injured at a home in Brentwood Bay. The Central Saanich Police Department says they found signs of a “violent struggle” when they responded to a report of a disturbance at the home on a cul-de-sac early Saturday morning. They say Alan Charles Chapman has been remanded in custody and is expected to appear in court Wednesday. He was arrested on Saturday. Police have not described his relationship to the victim. The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit is leading the investigation. Police are asking anyone with information about the incident who has not yet spoken with police to contact them.
Cancer claims B.C. girl after long battle
VICTORIA (CP) — A Victoria youngster who won hearts and raised hopes as she staged a nearly lifelong battle against cancer has died three months shy of her 10th birthday. Hannah Day’s mother, Brooke Ervin, shared news of her daughter’s death in a Facebook post Sunday. The nine year old was being treated for tumours found in her brain and spine in March, but while on chemotherapy Ervin says Hannah developed a bacterial infection that attacked her internal organs. It was the girl’s third bout with the disease that first developed in 2012 when a rare, malignant growth was found in her stomach at age three. Hannah, whose battle prompted stem-cell donor drives across Greater Victoria, is survived by her parents and two younger sisters.
Flood on Ottawa River hits historic high
Kristy KIRKUP The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Lynne Lavictoire wants to go home. The only way she can get anywhere near it is by boat.
For the time being, she’s set up at a hotel where she is praying her home in La Passe, Ont. – along the Ottawa River – is salvageable.
“I’ve got to say my biggest fear is that my house is going to cave in,” she said.
“All I can say is ‘Don’t flow over my sandbags because literally my house will cave in. It can’t withstand it.”
If Lavictoire can save her house, it is debatable if she can live in it again due to worry of mould and mildew.
She’s not prepared to say goodbye to her property – she describes it as “paradise.”
“I love the water,” she said. “I love my peace; I love my quiet.”
Two years ago, Lavictoire faced flooding and had to put up sandbags on her property.
She now estimates there are about 5,000 bags in place for this flood, built up like a fortress around her home.
When she left at the end of April, she was in tears.
“I cried, and I all could think is ‘I want to go home,” she said.
“‘I just want to go home.”’
Thousands of sandbags may not be enough, however, to hold back the force of the Ottawa River and its historic levels.
Soldiers with the Canadian Armed Forces have been working to try and save homes in eastern Ontario communities that have declared states of emergency due to historic water levels in some areas.
Laurentian Valley Mayor Steve Bennett said Sunday that about 40 military members continue to work in his township, along with provincial officials, as hundreds of residents contend with flooding.
Bennett said his township, located along the Ottawa River south of Pembroke, Ont., declared a state of emergency at the end of April
but sandbagging efforts continue.
The experience has been “very straining” for everyone including office staff, road crews and volunteers, he said.
“It is tough to watch these residents fighting for their homes,” Bennett said.
The cleanup is going to be massive, he added.
“I’m not thinking about that right now,” he said, noting the focus now is protecting residents. “We’ll get through it.”
Nearby Pembroke also remains in a state of emergency, as does the City of Ottawa.
The nation’s capital made the declaration on
April 25, which prompted assistance from the province and the Canadian Armed Forces. David Fraser, an emergency management volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross said Sunday his organization will support communities and assess the needs of the families and individuals impacted by the flooding.
The first wave of volunteers is usually from the area, he said, adding others can be called in from elsewhere as they need to be replaced.
“That is definitely one of the strengths of the Red Cross is that we have volunteers that are trained to deploy into situations like this... right across the country,” he said.
Comedy show supporting Wheelin’ Warriors of the North
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
The wheels turn in the head of any comedian and they turn under the efforts of the Wheelin’ Warriors of the North.
This collection of local road-riders raises money for their annual pedal through the highways of the province. The route this year is from Cloverdale to Hope, overnighting in Chilliwack. All proceeds go to cancer causes.
For the second year in a row, veteran standup comedian Mike McGuire will lead a night of jokes and alms, entertainment and philanthropy at his Wheely Funny Fundraiser 2 event.
“I’ll tell you what I want, what I wheely wheely want,” said McGuire. “We’re hoping for a sellout and we’re hoping people bring their wallets and their motivation to help this amazing crew of riders.”
It was cancer survivor Lisa Hoek who first inspired McGuire to put his performance talents into this charitable cause. Hoek became a rider in the annual bike event, teaming up with Bruce Siddall, Jill Carter and Dean Rolufs to fundraise as a group. (Many Prince George riders take part in the bike event entitled provincewide The Ride To Conquer Cancer.)
“My comedy friends wanted to help, too. I’ve
had no problem getting other comics to make a night of it,” said McGuire.
He’ll headline with well-known fellow comedian Alex Mackenzie acting as the emcee, with another local joke-star Jon White in support and openers Darren Gess and Cody Malbeuf also adding their talents.
“I am actually writing some new stuff for this
show,” McGuire said. “I got to a place where I can walk out on a stage and roll out a solid 45 minutes of funny material, but it’s been the same stuff for awhile. I’m going to roll out some new bits, so come out and have a great laugh at some funny new jokes or have a great laugh at the comedian bombing. Either way, you win.”
As the event rolls on from year to year, it has been easier to get the help of sponsors and people to buy tickets, he said. He is so personally inspired by the cancer-fighter spirit among the Wheelin’ Warriors of the North that he knows others in the community will also step up with him to make this one hilarious night a special fundraiser.
He’s even thinking of putting in some personal miles this year himself.
“These riders go like 250 kilometres,” he said. “And you know what’s crazier? I am stupid enough to think I can perform my gig at the Okanagan Comedy Festival, which is on at the same time, and drive to meet up with them, and join in on the ride. I’m looking into how I can get my bike ready for something like that. And it goes from Cloverdale to Hope, which is kind of fitting, eh? Hope.”
The Wheely Funny Fundraiser happens Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Theatre Northwest. Tickets are $25 available at Books & Company or online at the Theatre Northwest website.
MCGUIRE
CP PHOTO
A trailer is submerged under flood waters at a property in the Whitewater Region, east of Pembroke, Ont., as flooding continues in the region on Saturday.
Tories accuse Liberals of politicizing terror report
Jim BRONSKILL The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — The federal Tories are accusing the Trudeau government of playing politics by stripping specific references to specific religious groups from its annual report on terrorism.
Conservative public-safety critic Pierre Paul-Hus suggested to the House of Commons national-security committee Monday that the Liberals bowed to “pressure tactics” simply to avoid offending anyone.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the government removed the terms “Sikh,” “Sunni” and “Shia” from the report when referring to extremism to avoid conveying the impression that an entire religion or community is a threat to national security.
He told the committee it was not a partisan issue but rather an effort to be accurate, precise and fair in conveying information about terrorist threats.
“Canadians of all faiths and backgrounds have helped to build our country and continue to be integral members of our communities and neighbourhoods,” Goodale said.
“It is neither accurate nor fair to equate any one community or an entire religion to extremist violence or terror. To do so is simply wrong and inaccurate.”
Brampton, Ont., Liberal MP Ruby Sahota told the committee she had raised the wording issue with Goodale several times, saying people expressed concerns to her about the religious references in the report.
Paul-Hus accused the Liberals of altering accurate information in response to pressure.
“Everyone understands that we’re speaking of extremists, it’s not everyone who’s involved,” the Quebec City MP said.
“To what extent should politics enter into play just to avoid insulting anyone?”
Following the December publication of the 2018 report, the government heard several strong objections - particularly from the Sikh and Muslim communities in Canada - that the language was not “sufficiently precise,” Goodale acknowledged.
They saw the report as impugning entire religions instead of properly zeroing in on the dangerous actions of a small number of people, even though such language had
appeared in previous government and parliamentary publications, he said.
“As I have said before, language matters. And just because something has often been phrased in a certain way does not mean that it should be phrased in that way now or in the future.”
Goodale requested a review of the language in the report, prompting consultations with the Canadian Sikh and Muslim communities as well as the federal crosscultural roundtable on security, national-security agencies and members of Parliament.
“Going forward, we will use terminology that focuses on intent or ideology rather than an entire religion,” he said.
For instance, the annual report’s original mention of Sikh extremism has been revised to refer to extremists who support violent means to establish an independent state within India.
Goodale pointed to the recent rise in hate crimes against ethnic and religious minorities, noting online platforms are making it easier for hateful individuals to amplify their toxic rhetoric.
The notion that governments might continue to use language that can be twisted by such violent people as justifications for their hatred “should be anathema to all of us,” he added.
Goodale disagreed with the notion the
Environment lobby says senate gutting environmental assessment bill
OTTAWA — Environment advocates say Canadian senators are bowing to pressure from the energy industry to gut new environmental-assessment legislation and they fear the Liberal government is going to do the same.
Bill C-69 is meant to be an effort to improve the way major energy and transportation projects are evaluated for their environmental impact, making the assessments more stringent so they’re less likely to be challenged in court.
The Liberals, who introduced it, say lax assessments are why so few big projects, and no new oil pipelines, have been approved in Canada in years - they’ve been tied up in challenges. The Conservatives, backed by provincial politicians such as Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney, say the process laid out in Bill C-69 would keep important projects from getting past the assessment stage.
More than 130 amendments are on the table at a Senate committee that could dramatically alter much of the bill, including moves to reduce cabinet discretion to intervene in the assessment process, to make it harder for anyone to challenge a project approval - or denial - in court, and to change how climate-change impacts are considered.
Many of the amendments are word-for-word what was asked for by energy lobby groups, including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Kenney warned the Senate committee on May 2 that if the amendments suggested by Alberta’s former NDP government,
as well as those coming from the energy industry, were not adopted as a whole, it would stoke fires of Alberta separation result in a constitutional challenge on the grounds that the law intrudes on provincial rights.
Ecojustice lawyer Joshua Ginsberg says Bill C-69 as originally written struck a delicate balance on the need for Canada to build major new energy and transportation projects without harming the environment or contributing further to climate change.
“Now it’s going to swing way over to the industry side,” he said.
“The oil and gas industry is running amok in a Senate process and that is scary because they are only one stakeholder,” he said.
Oil-industry advocates launched a full-court press on the Senate, sending more than 50,000 letters and emails to individual senators, as well as publishing senators’ phone numbers and flooding them with calls. Environment advocates also made a strong push to support the bill, but Ginsberg said very few of the proposed amendments are the suggestions made by his side.
A spokeswoman for the Conservatives in the Senate said last week the amendments from the Conservatives were “based on” evidence and proposals from municipalities, provincial governments, the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and the Mining Association of Canada.
A CAPP official declined comment on the amendments process and the concerns raised by environment groups Monday, saying the organization was still review-
ing the many proposed changes.
Any changes have to be accepted first by the committee, then the Senate as a whole and finally the government before being incorporated into the bill. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has said she is open to amendments to the bill but won’t say what changes she will accept until the bill has finished its journey in the Senate.
Julia Levin, the climate and energy program manager at Environmental Defence, said she thinks there has been a shift in language from the government. On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Edmonton, where he said he is open to making changes to the bill recommended by a “broad range of voices,” including business, Indigenous Peoples and community groups.
But he said repeatedly in that news conference that the existing system doesn’t allow big projects to get built and he wants to overcome that obstacle while still protecting the interests of the environment and Indigenous communities.
Levin and Ginsberg both say if the Senate tries to rework the whole bill, the government would be better off to let it die and try again after this fall’s election.
“With these amendments it won’t be better than what we have now,” said Levin. She thinks the Senate’s major surgery is really a poorly-disguised attempt to kill the bill by delaying its passage. If the bill doesn’t get passed before the election, it will die. There are just five sitting weeks left this spring for that to happen.
wording changes will undermine the fight against extremism, saying Canadian security officials need the goodwill and support of peaceful, law-abiding members of diverse communities to do their work.
NDP public-safety critic Matthew Dube welcomed the wording changes.
Goodale offered another example of the effort to remove bias from national-security work: For the last several months, the security officials who decide whether someone should be added to Canada’s no-fly list have not seen the name or photo of the individual to ensure they do not influence the outcome, he said. Instead, the decision is made solely on the facts in the file.
NDP unveils parts of climate plan
OTTAWA — NDP leader Jagmeet Singh intends to cut Canada’s greenhouse-gas emissions almost in half over the next decade as he stakes out a claim to being a climate-change champion in the looming federal election.
Singh presented a motion in the House of Commons Monday, laying out eight broad strokes of the party’s climate-change platform.
The motion asks for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to declare “an environment and climate emergency” as well as pledge to cut emissions more deeply, eliminate government aid to the fossil-fuel industry and cancel the planned expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.
“We want to reflect the urgency people are feeling,” Singh said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
That urgency for him means a slow end to the Canadian oil sector, which Singh says is on its way out whether Canadians like the idea or not.
“This is the direction the world is headed,” he said.
The motion comes a week after the Green Party earned a resounding victory in a Vancouver Island byelection that most political observers Â- Singh included - believe was a message from voters to politicians to start taking climate change more seriously.
Singh, however, insisted Monday’s motion is not an attempt to beat back Green support, which would affect both NDP and Liberal fortunes in the fall.
In fact, he said whatever message voters were sending last week in Nanaimo-Ladysmith, it was to the governing Liberals, not the NDP, even though the NDP had won the seat in 2015.
“When voters want to send a message it’s to people making the decisions,” he said.
“It’s encouraging to see people sending a message on climate change.”
In question period Monday Singh said the Liberals are duking it out with the Conservatives over the carbon tax but the two parties are cut from the same cloth on climate change.
The Liberals’ existing targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, Singh noted, are the same ones the former Conservative government proposed six months before the 2015 election.
Liberal Sean Fraser, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of the environment, said the NDP motion to declare a climate emergency is well timed since the Liberals already have a plan to hold a debate on the “rising climate emergency” in Canada this week.
The Nova Scotia MP wouldn’t say whether the Liberals would support the motion because he didn’t know all the details of it.
“I expect, given that this motion was tabled just a few days after we had our own announcement that there would be a debate about climate change as an emergency, I expect that this is more political gamesmanship than it is actually an attempt at substantive policy debate,” he said.
Last October, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned drastic cuts to emissions are needed in the next decade to prevent global warming from becoming catastrophic.
That report suggested the Liberals’ target under the Paris climate-change agreement, which would mean cutting annual greenhouse-gas emissions by about 28 per cent compared to what they are now, is nowhere near enough.
Singh won’t put a specific number on his targets yet but he agreed the motion is “subtly suggesting” the NDP would aim for the UN targets, which would mean Canada has to cut emissions almost in half by 2030.
The Liberal government’s climate plan, including its carbon tax in four provinces, getting rid of coal as a source of electricity and subsidizing the purchase of electric cars, still leaves Canada nearly 90 million tonnes shy of hitting the existing goal.
To slash more deeply would require more drastic action in Canada’s energy sector. Producing and refining oil and gas accounts for about one-quarter of all Canada’s emissions, but also more than six per cent of the country’s economic activity and more than half a million direct and indirect jobs.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has warned of the separatist angst growing in Alberta as the energy sector has struggled in recent years, but Singh said the NDP would ensure there is a plan to transition Alberta workers to the new-age economy. “We need thousands and thousands of people to work to fight climate change,” he said.
CP PHOTO
Conservative public-safety critic Pierre Paul-Hus rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on May 7 in Ottawa. The federal conservatives have accused the government of politicizing a report on terrorism.
Mia RABSON The Canadian Press
CP FILE PHOTO
Pro-pipeline supporters rally outside a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources regarding Bill C-69 in Calgary, Alta., on April 9.
Mia RABSON The Canadian Press
Twins, twins, twins for Alta. couple
The Canadian Press
RED DEER, Alta. – After three sets of fraternal twins, Pam and Taylor Armstrong are closing in on reality-TV territory but trying for a fourth set isn’t in the cards for the couple from central Alberta.
“We are done. I said this is our grand finale. We’ll call it quits here,” laughed Pam Armstrong from the couple’s five-bedroom home in Red Deer on Monday.
The couple welcomed their first son Parker and daughter Emery nine years ago, girls Brynlee and Adileigh five years ago and the newest additions boy Maverick and girl Blakely three weeks ago.
It was a special Mother’s Day for Pam Armstrong who said her four older children are thrilled.
“They all made me special cards and told me all the things they loved about me, which was great. Then we spent some time with my family – my grandma and grandpa, my mum and dad, and some of my siblings,” she said.
“I didn’t have to cook or do dishes or laundry, which was lovely. We avoided all of those things for one day anyway.”
There had only been twins once in her family before when her grandmother gave birth to a set.
“I say it runs in our family now.”
Armstrong believes her work as a labour and delivery nurse before having children helped her cope. And after two sets of twins, news about a third wasn’t a total shock.
“We were very aware that this could happen but you don’t think that it actually would happen a third time,” said Armstrong, who turned 34 two days before the latest births.
“It was kind of, OK, this is our reality. We’re going to do this again. I have had much opportunity to perfect my ways in parenting and
mothering two babies.”
Her husband took a month’s paternity leave from his teaching job in nearby Blackfalds, Alta. He said it’s definitely easier to cope the third time around.
“I don’t know if I’d call us a well-oiled machine, but we know what we need to achieve. We don’t always achieve it in that well-oiled way. We run a few minutes late,” he said.
“We’ll keep doing just the same old thing. Just keep on trucking. We’ve got a few more critters in the bunch now.”
Tyler Armstrong said he realizes that the pressure will be on to
produce something more than just a card from the kids when the next Mother’s Day rolls around. “I might need to produce something of merit for a few years here yet. That’s for sure.”
Pam and Taylor Armstrong pose for a photo with their children, left to right, Emery, Adileigh, newborns Maverick and Blakely, Brynlee and Parker in this handout photo.
36
ing
Kings shut out Ottawa, improve to 2-0
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
So far, so good for the Prince George Spruce Kings.
They improved to 2-0 at the national junior A hockey championship with another dominating defensive display Monday night in Brooks, Alta., suffocating the Ottawa Senators 4-0.
The Kings are getting it done with defence, as they have all season long, and held the Senators to just 12 shots. The two Nicks – Poisson and Bochen – accounted for the first two goals for Prince George. Ben Brar and Dustin Manz also scored and their linemate Patrick Cozzi drew two assists. Dylan Anhorn also finished with two assists.
“I think we just came out really hard, were just building on the success of last game and we’re going to keep building every game,” said Cozzi. “We came out and competed hard, and good thing happen when you do that.”
Logan Neaton had a relatively easy night in net while collecting his first shutout of the tournament and ninth this season. Through two games at the tournament he’s allowed just one goal.
“He’s a beast,” said Cozzi, “and he really turned it up starting in playoffs. Our record without him wouldn’t be this good (the Kings are 22-3 in the playoffs). It gives us a lot of confidence to make plays knowing he’s back there to bail us out. He’s unbelievable.”
The win left the Spruce Kings tied atop the five-team standings with the Brooks Bandits, each with 2-0 records.
After a sluggish start for both teams the Kings found their groove and started dictating the play after the media timeout 12 minutes in. Right winger Chong Min Lee took the puck in the corner and played keepaway from a horde of Senators, spinning away from his check then circling behind the net. Lee’s wraparound put the puck right on the stick of linemate Poisson and he had plenty of time to flick his stick and beat goalie Francis Boisvert.
It was the first goal allowed in the tournament by Boisvert, who had a 20-save shutout in the tournament-opener, a 3-0 win over the Portage Terriers.
The Kings lost Ben Poisson a couple minutes later when he got clipped with a stick, which went unpenalized by the officials. The Kings’ captain was left with a cut on his face and had to leave for repairs but did return.
The Sens did get caught a few minutes later when Corey Cunningham was highsticked by defenceman Blair Battochio while Cunningham stood just off the goalpost with 55 seconds left in the first period. Cunningham was cut above the eye and just seven seconds into the double-minor penalty the Kings won the face-off and Bochen took a pass from defence partner Anhorn just inside the blueline and walked in with high wristshot that caught the corner of the net, with Nolan Welsh providing the screen in front of Boisvert for a 2-0 Kings’ lead.
Manz made it a 4-0 game late in the period. Kings defenceman Layton Ahac made a slick play at the blueline to hold the puck in the zone and chipped it log the wall for Cozzi, and he centred the puck into the slot for Manz, who buried it with a wicked backhander. That came just 1:36 before the second intermission.
Ahac saved a goal right after that when Neaton was out of position. Ottawa captain Darcy Walsh tried to score on a wraparound but Ahac got down on one knee in the crease to block the shot.
We came out and competed hard, and good thing happen when you do that.
— Patrick Cozzi
“In thought we defended a lot better than we did the night prior,” said Kings head coach Adam Maglio. “You defend better when you’re managing the puck a little bit better. We made some adjustments and I thought that was one of our better full 60-minute games in a while.
Prince George will wrap up round-robin play Thursday night against the host Bandits.
LOOSE PUCKS: Cunningham and Ben Poisson were taken to the hospital to get stitched up after the game… The Kings will visit Medicine Hat on their off-day today… Ottawa is the only returning team to the national tournament. They have eight returning players from the Senators team that lost in the semifinal round last year to the Chilliwack Chefs. The Chiefs went on to capture the title as the host team, after being eliminated in the first round of the BCHL playoffs by the Spruce Kings in a seven-game series… The Sens have been to the Central Canada Hockey League final the past four seasons… Senators centre Ethan Manderville is the son of former NHL forward Kent Manderville… The Kings opened with a 5-1 win over Oakville on Sunday.
Kings beat Blades
Brar added to that just 36 seconds into the second period with a one-timer from the face-off circle after a perfect feed from Anhorn while the Kings were on a 5-on-3 power play. Battochio still had 1:12 let on his second penalty for drawing blood on Cunningham with his stick when teams came out for the second period. Before the puck was dropped, Senators head coach Martin Dagenais got into a heated discussion with the officials and was handed a two-minute bench penalty, creating the golden opportunity Brar converted for his first of the tournament
The Kings kept their foot on the throttle and had one of their best chances of the period while killing a double high-sticking issued to Manz. Ben Poisson gained control along the right-side boards and spotted Nolan Welsh all alone behind the defence. Welsh got a hard shot away but it sailed high.
“Once we killed that first penalty I thought it gave us a bit of momentum. Playing a team that didn’t play the night before you know they’re going to come out hard on you and we just stuck to it.”
It was all Spruce Kings in the third period. They went on to outshoot Ottawa 29-12 in the game. Maglio said the Manz line, which was so potent during the regular season, is back on form, creating scoring chances virtually every shift.
“They’re bringing their A-game here,” said Maglio. “Tournaments like this, every player needs to give their best and they certainly were very good tonight for sure and that’s very positive for the group when they’re going.”
The power play finished 2-for-5, while Ottawa was 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
The Kings will have a day off to prepare for their next game Wednesday night (6 p.m. PT) against the Portage Terriers.
Portage (0-2) plays Oakville (0-2) today at 1 p.m. PT.
The Senators will face the Bandits tonight at 6 p.m. PT.
On Sunday afternoon, the Spruce Kings opened their portion of the round-robin Sunday, defeating the Oakville Blades 5-1. Chong Min Lee, who fired the gamewinner a week ago in the Kings’ Doyle Cup-clinching Game 6 win over the Brooks Bandits, tied the game 2:06 into the second period and the Kings did not let up while outshooting the Blades 20-3 in the period. Patrick Cozzi gave them the lead with the eventual gamewinner, 5:20 into the second, and Ben Poisson added a power-play goal midway through the period to give the Pacific regional champs some breathing space. Defenceman Jay Keranen made it a 4-1 game 41 seconds into the third period and Nick Poisson capped the scoring at 9:54, rifling in a cross-ice feed from defenceman Nick Bochen while Blades defenceman Jack Lyons was serving an interference penalty. Keranen missed four games of the Doyle Cup series with an upper-body injury and he and Liam Watson-Brawn, who got hurt in the Victoria series, added their years of junior experience to the blueline. The Kings dressed six defencemen and 12 forwards for Sunday’s game.
Ben Brar celebrates his power-play goal
seconds into the second period during the Prince George Spruce Kings game agains the Ottawa Jr. Senators on Monday dur-
the 2019 National Junior A Championship at the Centennial Regional Arena in Brooks, Alta.
The Shot...
... and the celebration
The Canadian Press
Kawhi Leonard squatted and watched as his moon shot from the corner bounced off the rim an agonizing once, twice, three times, then four before finally dropping through the hoop.
Leonard, acquired last summer for moments exactly like this, scored at the buzzer high over the outstretched hand of Joel Embiid and from in front of Toronto’s bench, lifting the Raptors to a thrilling 92-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers – and into the Eastern Conference Finals for just the second time in franchise history.
“It was great,” Leonard said.
“That’s something I’ve never experienced before, Game 7, game-winning shot. It was a blessing to be able to get to that point and make that shot and feel that moment. It’s something I can look back on in my career.”
Leonard had never experienced it because it had never happened.
According to the NBA’s Twitter account, it was the first buzzerbeater in a Game 7 in NBA history.
The normally stoic Leonard, who finished with 41 points, looked to the Scotiabank Arena rafters and let out a roar as the shot fell, and he was swarmed by his teammates.
“I’m a guy that acts like I’ve been there before. So probably the last time you’ve seen me scream was when we won,” Leonard said, in reference to San Antonio winning the 2014 Finals – Leonard was named MVP.
“So whenever it’s like a moment where I haven’t really experienced, I’ll probably try to give some emotion, show some emotion, and let it just come out.
Tonight was one of those nights.”
It was indeed. And now the Raptors face the Bucks, who
dispatched Boston in five games, in the Eastern Conference Finals, beginning on Wednesday in Milwaukee.
Serge Ibaka had one of the best post-season performances of his career in finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Pascal Siakam finished with 11 points and 11 boards, and Kyle Lowry had 10 points despite playing most of the night with a taped left thumb he sprained early in the second quarter.
“I fell, it popped out, I popped
it back in,” Lowry said. “It kind of was loose, I was just trying to figure out how to pass the ball, I couldn’t really pass the ball and grip the ball, but that doesn’t matter, I’m fine, I played, we won the game, we’ll get some rest and try heal it up as fast as possible.”
Marc Gasol grabbed 11 rebounds to go with seven points. Embiid led his team with 21 points, but broke into tears after Leonard connected, Gasol consoling the Sixers big man. All five Philadelphia starters finished in
double digits. JJ Redick added 17 points and Jimmy Butler had 16.
The see-saw series had some wild momentum shifts, with a couple of blowouts on both sides.
The Raptors set a franchise record for margin of victory in the postseason with their 125-89 Game 5 rout, but rather than comfortably close the series in six games in Philly, they dropped a 112-101 decision in Thursday’s Game 6 at Wells Fargo Center.
Sunday’s game certainly wasn’t pretty, particularly by post-season standards.
The Raptors shot 21 per cent in the first quarter, and the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the league since the Gasol trade in February, might as well have been masquerading as the worst. They missed their first eight three-point attempts before Ibaka finally connected a minute into the second. They shot 23 per cent overall from three. The Sixers weren’t much better at 33 per cent.
Neither team led by double digits, and when Gasol scored on a floater at 9:28 in the third quarter, Toronto took its biggest lead of the game – nine points. The Sixers responded with a 16-0 run to go up by seven, but the Raptors replied and Ibaka’s layup with 7.7 seconds left in the third gave Toronto a 6764 lead with one quarter left.
CP PHOTO
Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid fails to stop Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard’s last-second basket during Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal in Toronto on Sunday.
CP PHOTO
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard celebrates his last-second basket with teammates at the end of the Game 7 NBA Eastern Conference semifinal action against the Philadelphia 76ers.
St. Louis ties up series against Sharks
Josh DUBOW
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Defencemen
Vince Dunn and Robert Bortuzzo scored second-period goals that helped the St. Louis Blues overcome another big game from San Jose’s Logan Couture with a 4-2 victory Monday night that tied the Western Conference final at one game apiece.
Dunn’s second goal of the post-season gave the Blues a 2-0 lead and Bortuzzo then added his first career playoff goal late in the period after Couture had tied the score. Jaden Schwartz and Oskar Sundqvist also scored and Jordan Binnington made 23 saves to send the Blues home for Game 3 on Wednesday night tied in the series.
Couture scored his goals in a span of 1:59, giving him an NHL-leading 13 this post-season but the Sharks couldn’t get anything else and lost their third straight Game 2 after winning the series opener. Martin Jones made 21 saves.
Couture tried to take over the game for the sluggish Sharks after they fell behind 2-0 in the second period on Dunn’s point shot that beat Jones through a screen. The Blues were in position to add onto that lead after a questionable interference call against Marcus Sorensen when Couture single-handedly turned things around.
He took the puck from Alex Pietrangelo at the blue line and skated in on Binnington for the short-handed goal just 16 seconds into St. Louis’ man advantage, waking up the crowd.
Couture struck again shortly after the penalty was killed, taking a stretch pass from Timo Meier and firing a shot between the pads for the equalizer, giving him 100 career post-season points. The Blues then answered late in the period with a pretty goal from an unlikely source. Bortuzzo passed the puck from the point to Tyler Bozak and skated in behind Joe Thornton.
He then took a pass from Joel Ed-
11:08. Third Period No scoring. Penalties – Bays OTT (tripping) 2:51. Bochen PG (cross-checking) 14:45. Shots on goal by Prince George 10 12 7 -29 Ottawa 4 4 4 -12 Goal – Prince George, Neaton (W,2-0); Ottawa, Boisvert (L,1-1) Power plays – PG: 2-5; OTT: 0-4. Players of the game: Patrick Cozzi, PG; Owen Cole, OTT. SUNDAY’S RESULTS SPRUCE KINGS 5 BLADES 1 First Period 1. Oakville, Reeves1 (Kersten, Pyke) 13:59 (pp) Penalties – Jones OAK (holding), Brar PG (unsportsmanlike conduct) 6:10, Amanal OAK (hooking) 9:50,
mundson and beat Jones with a backhander into the top corner for his first career playoff goal.
Bortuzzo added a big blocked shot in the third when Kevin Labanc got a pass in the slot with time to shoot. The Blues then killed off a power play later in the period before getting the insurance goal with 3:08 remaining when Alexander Steen fed Sundqvist on a rush for the goal that made it 4-2.
Raiders claim WHL title
Darren STEINKE The Canadian Press
PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — The drought is over for the Prince Albert Raiders.
Dante Hannoun scored 18:25 into overtime as the Raiders downed the Vancouver Giants 3-2 on Monday in Game 7 of the Western Hockey League Championship to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup and advance to the Memorial Cup. The victory marked the first time the Raiders have won the WHL title since 1985. Prince Albert won the Memorial Cup that year under then head coach and general manager Terry Simpson. This year’s Memorial Cup starts Friday and runs to May 26 in Halifax. Prince Albert opens the tournament Friday against the host Mooseheads. Noah Gregor scored twice for the Raiders on Monday night while Milos Roman scored twice for the Giants.
Ian Scott, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, made 24 saves in goal for the Raiders. David Tendeck turned away 37 shots for Vancouver.
Monday’s game marked the first time Prince Albert clinched a playoff series on home ice since 2005, when the Raiders defeated the Medicine Hat Tigers 3-0 in Game 6 of a second-round series.
The Raiders and Giants were the WHL’s top two teams during the regular season.
Prince Albert topped the standings with a 54-10-4 record and was rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. Vancouver finished second overall in the WHL at 48-15-5 and ranked sixth. The Raiders eliminated the Red Deer Rebels, Saskatoon Blades and Edmonton Oil Kings on their way to the WHL final. The Giants eliminated the Seattle Thunderbirds, Victoria Royals and Spokane Chiefs.
Vancouver last won the WHL title in 2006 and last won the Memorial Cup in 2007 as the host team.
The Associated Press
AP PHOTO
St. Louis Blues player Ivan Barbashev and San Jose Sharks player Justin Braun fight for the puck during Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference finals on Monday in San Jose, Calif.
Hollywood icon Doris Day mourned
The Associated Press
Doris Day, the sunny blond actress and singer whose frothy comedic roles opposite the likes of Rock Hudson and Cary Grant made her one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in the 1950s and ‘60s and a symbol of wholesome American womanhood, died Monday. She was 97.
In more recent years, Day had been an animal rights advocate. Her Doris Day Animal Foundation confirmed her death at her Carmel Valley, Calif., home.
Day “had been in excellent physical health for her age” but had recently contracted pneumonia, the foundation said in a statement. She requested that no memorial services be held and no grave marker erected.
With her lilting contralto, fresh-faced beauty and glowing smile, Day was a top box-office draw and recording artist known for comedies such as Pillow Talk and That Touch of Mink, as well as songs like Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) from the Alfred Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Over time, she became more than a name above the title. Right down to her cheerful, alliterative stage name, she stood for the era’s ideal of innocence and G-rated love, a parallel world to her contemporary Marilyn Monroe. The running joke, attributed to both Groucho Marx and actor-composer Oscar Levant, was that they had known Day “before she was a virgin.” Day herself was no Doris Day, by choice and by hard luck. Her 1976 tell-all book, Doris Day: Her Own Story, chronicled her money troubles and three failed marriages.
“I have the unfortunate reputation of being Miss Goody Two-Shoes, America’s Virgin, and all that, so I’m afraid it’s going to shock some people for me to say this, but I staunchly believe no two people should get married until they have lived together,” she wrote.
A.E. Hotchner, who collaborated with Day on her memoir, said she had a “sweet and sour” existence and never let her personal difficulties “change her attitude toward people.”
“She was such a positive, absolutely enchanting woman,” he told The Associated Press on Monday. “And she was so loved.” Day received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004. Although mostly retired from show business since the 1980s, she still had enough of a following that a 2011 collection of previously unreleased songs, My Heart, hit the top 10 in the United Kingdom. The same year, she received a lifetime achieve-
ment honour from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
The Humane Society of the United States, of which The Doris Day Animal League is an affiliate, praised Day as a pioneer in animal protection.
In 1987, Day “founded one of the first national animal protection organizations dedicated to legislative remedies for the worst animal abuse,” said the league’s executive director, Sara Amundson. Her foresight “led to dozens of bills, final rules and policies on the federal level,” which helped end abusive videos, protect chimpanzees from invasive research and regulate the online sale of puppies.
“She is an icon in the animal protection world and will be sorely missed for her singular advocacy,” Amundson said.
Paul McCartney, a friend, called Day “a true star in more ways than one.”
“Visiting her in her Californian home was like going to an animal sanctuary where her many dogs were taken care of in splendid style,” he said in a statement. “She had a heart of gold and was a very funny lady who I shared many laughs with.”
He cited films like Calamity Jane, Move Over, Darling and others and said he would “always remember her twinkling smile and infectious laugh.“
Day “was kind and decent, onscreen and off; she maintained her friendship with Rock Hudson after his AIDS diagnosis, in a climate of fear and abandonment – one of his last appearances was on a TV show with her,” playwright Paul Rudnick tweeted.
Born to a music teacher and a housewife in Cincinnati, Day dreamed of a dance career but at age 12 broke her leg badly when a car in which she was travelling was hit by a train. Listening to the radio while
recuperating, she began singing along with Ella Fitzgerald, studying the singer and the subtleties of her voice.
Day began singing at a Cincinnati radio station, then a nightclub, then in New York. A bandleader changed her name to Day after the song Day after Day to fit it on a marquee.
Her Hollywood career began after she sang at a Hollywood party in 1947. After early stardom as a band singer and a stint at Warner Bros., Day won the best notices of her career with 1955’s Love Me or Leave Me, the story of songstress Ruth Etting and her gangster husband-manager. She followed with The Man Who Knew Too Much, starring with James Stewart as an innocent couple ensnared in an international assassination plot.
She sang Que Sera, Sera just as the story reached its climax.
Huffman pleads guilty in college admissions scheme
The Associated Press Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty Monday in the college admissions bribery scheme, the biggest name to do so in a scandal that has exposed the lengths to which some wealthy parents will go to get their children into top universities.
The Emmy-winning actress, 56, could face prison time after she admitted to participating in the nationwide scam, in which authorities say parents bribed coaches, rigged entrance exams or both to game the admissions system.
Huffman pleaded guilty in federal court to paying an admissions consultant $15,000 to have a proctor correct her older daughter’s answers on the SAT. She also considered going through with the plan for her younger daughter before ultimately deciding not to, authorities say.
The consultant, Rick Singer, arranged for the cheating by having students obtain permission for extra time on the exams through diagnoses for things like learning disabilities, and then taking the exams at his testing centre, prosecutors say.
In court, Huffman explained her daughter had been seeing a neuropsychologist for years and getting extra time on tests since she was 11 – an apparent attempt to explain that her daughter’s doctor had no part in the scheme.
“I just didn’t want to create the impression that neuropsychologists have any part in this,” a tearful Huffman said before stopping to collect herself.
Sentencing was set for Sept. 13. Because she agreed to plead guilty, prosecutors said they would recommend four months in prison, but the judge could also choose not to put her behind bars at all.
Huffman had apologized in a statement last month and said she will accept the consequences. She said she “betrayed” her 18-yearold daughter, who was not aware of her plan.
“This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty,” Huffman said.
AP FILE PHOTO
In this April 15, 1955, file photo, American actress and singer Doris Day holds a bouquet of roses at Le Bourget Airport in Paris after flying in from London. The Doris Day Animal Foundation confirmed Day died early Monday at her home in Carmel Valley, Calif. She was 97.
China slams U.S. with new tariffs
The Associated Press
Sending Wall Street into a slide, China announced higher tariffs Monday on $60 billion worth of American goods in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s latest penalties on Chinese products.
Duties of five per cent to 25 per cent will take effect on June 1 on about 5,200 American products, including batteries, spinach and coffee, China’s Finance Ministry said.
With investors worried about the potential economic damage on all sides from the escalating trade war, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 617 points, or 2.4 per cent, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq plunged 270 points, or 3.4 per cent, its biggest drop of the year. Earlier, stocks fell in Europe and Asia.
“We appear to be in a slow-motion train wreck, with both sides sticking to their positions,” said William Reinsch, a trade analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former U.S. trade official. “As is often the case, however, the losers will not
be the negotiators or presidents, but the people.”
Beijing’s move came after the U.S. raised duties Friday on $200 billion of Chinese imports to 25 per cent, up from 10 per cent.
In doing so, American officials accused China of backtracking on commitments it made in earlier negotiations. The same day, trade talks between the two countries broke up without an agreement.
On Twitter, Trump warned Xi that China “will be hurt very badly” if it doesn’t agree to a trade deal. Trump tweeted that Beijing “had a great deal, almost completed, & you backed out!”
The rising trade hostilities could damage the economies of both countries.
The tariff increases already in place have disrupted trade in such American products as soybeans and medical equipment and sent shockwaves through other Asian economies that supply Chinese factories.
Still, the two countries have given themselves something of an escape hatch: the higher Chinese tariffs don’t kick in for two-and-a-
half weeks. The U.S. increases apply to Chinese goods shipped since Friday, and those shipments will take about three weeks to arrive at U.S. seaports and become subject to the higher charges.
Also, both countries have indicated more talks are likely. Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday that China has invited U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to Beijing. But nothing has been scheduled. And Trump said Monday that he expects to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in late June at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan.
The president has repeatedly insisted that increased tariffs on Chinese goods don’t hurt American consumers. But Kudlow, head of the president’s National Economic Council, acknowledged over the weekend that U.S. consumers and businesses will bear some of the costs.
In the U.S., prices of soybeans, targeted by Chinese tariffs last year, fell Monday to a 10-year low on fears of a protracted trade war.
In a statement, American Soybean Association president Davie Stevens, a soybean farmer from Clinton, Ky., expressed frustration that “the U.S. has been at the table with China 11 times now and still has not closed the deal. What that means for soybean growers is that we’re losing. Losing a valuable market, losing stable pricing, losing an opportunity to support our families and our communities.”
Trump told reporters Monday that a new program to relieve U.S. farmers’ pain is “being devised right now” and predicted that they will be “very happy.” The administration last year handed farmers aid worth $11 billion to offset losses from trade conflicts.
Trump seemed to suggest that the aid will make up for or partially cover the $15 billion that he said represented “the biggest purchase that China has ever made with our farmers.”
In fact, U.S. farm exports to China approached $26 billion in both 2012 and 2013 and came in at $19.5 billion in 2017 before his trade war began taking a toll on agricultural sales to China.
Onex books WestJet ticket
Private equity firm Onex Corp. is making its long-coveted leap into aviation by signing a friendly deal to buy WestJet Airlines Ltd. in an all-cash transaction of $3.5 billion. Under the agreement announced Monday, Onex will pay $31 per share for WestJet, which will operate as a privately held company after two decades on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
The price represents about a 67 per cent premium to the shares, which closed Friday at $18.52 – roughly the same price it reached the year of its initial public offering. The stock closed up nearly 60 per cent or $11.09 at $29.61 on Monday.
The two companies said the deal, worth about $5 billion including debt, will be subject to a shareholder vote, likely in July, and close in the second half of 2019 or early 2020.
Tawfiq Popatia, a managing director at Toronto-based Onex, expressed confidence in the airline’s trajectory, which has seen it evolve from a low-cost regional carrier to a full-service international airline targeting higher-yield business passengers.
“The plan is what draws us. The plan is very much part of the appeal of this business... We’re very much investing in this management team,” he told The Canadian Press, saying that no major changes were afoot.
Popatia added that Onex will continue the current employee profit-sharing program that sees a portion of profits distributed twice a year to all 14,000 WestJet employees, on top of an annual bonus.
WestJet chief executive Ed Sims, who will remain CEO, said “there are no job losses planned as a direct consequence of this transaction.”
Industry consultant David Tyerman said “$5 billion is a lot of exposure” for the Torontobased Onex, which has some US$31 billion of assets under management.
“To me it looks like they’re trying to capitalize on a situation where a company is a bit down and out because of the impact of launching a lot of initiatives that have yet to pay off,
as well as the fallout from the pilot situation last year,” he said.
In the past six years, Calgary-based WestJet has created both regional and budget airlines –WestJet Encore and Swoop – and set its sights on long-haul routes with an order for 10 Boeing 787 jetliners set for delivery before 2022, receiving the first one earlier this year.
Intense competition remains a concern. A freshly expanded Flair Airlines, soon-to-launch Canada Jetlines Ltd., and Air Canada’s low-cost Rouge are all crowding the budget airspace that WestJet has flown into with its 11-monthold, ultra-low-cost Swoop subsidiary.
Tyerman and other analysts were skeptical the new deal would benefit passengers through lower airfares at a carrier that has posted quarterly profits for 14 years straight, with the exception of one quarter last year.
Sims said he expects airfares will “remain exactly as competitive as they are today.”
Popatia pointed to Onex’s history in aviation, with past investments in aerostructures manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems and in-flight catering company Sky Chefs.
Twenty years ago the firm teamed up with American Airlines parent company AMR Corp. in a hostile $1.8-billion bid plus the assumption of debt to acquire and merge Canadian Airlines – then the country’s second-biggest carrier – and Air Canada. The plan was dropped after being ruled illegal by a Quebec court.
Onex also failed in its effort in 2007 as part of a consortium to buy Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd.
Popatia said the new foreign ownership threshold – raised to 49 per cent from 25 per cent after amendments to the Canada Transportation Act – “had nothing to do with” its decision, stating that Onex Partners – the company’s flagship private equity fund – is the sole equity provider.
Analyst Benoit Poirier of Desjardins Securities said Onex might also look to acquire Transat A.T. The tour operator, which owns Air Transat, competes with WestJet for sun destinations and launched in 2017 a $750-million
plan to develop a hotel chain in Mexico and the Caribbean.
“We believe it would be easier for WestJet to acquire Transat once the company is integrated within Onex, as unlocking Transat’s full potential could take a few years (three to five years) – which might be less suited for a public entity,” Poirier said in an investor note.
The Quebec-based travel company has been in buyout discussions with several suitors since last August, including Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau, Montreal developer Groupe Mach and financial services company FNC Capital.
“We don’t speculate on any issues along those lines,” Sims said Monday.
WestJet’s current growth spurt could also generate profits to offset the rising cost of labour following the unionization of fight attendants and pilots.
“WestJet has been challenged by all this diversification that’s been crunched into this very short space of time,” said Robert Kokonis, president of Toronto-based consulting firm AirTrav Inc. “Shareholders were wondering whether WestJet could execute all these things.”
Private sector union Unifor said it would stand up for WestJet workers as it is sold to Onex, “a takeover specialist with a long history of cost cutting and restructuring at the companies it buys.” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney weighed in Monday.
“By moving to private ownership, it is our hope that WestJet will have greater latitude to make long-term strategic investments, growing its fleet and global network of destinations, including direct overseas flights from Alberta,” Kenney said in a statement.
Analyst Doug Taylor of Canaccord Genuity said the Onex deal likely will not “dramatically alter” the competitive landscape.
“WestJet was generally well-funded and was already embarking on a large and highly competitive expansion plan. In our view, a private equity owner of an airline is likely to remain rational with respect to its approach to yields and profitability vs. market share,” he said.
administration. Investors’ search for safety pushed up gold prices and shares in the materials sector, helping to trim some of the deep losses experienced across the border.
“You would expect that the TSX would get caught up in a global market sell off but certainly it’s not down as much as some of the other markets are today,” said Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 104.14 points or 0.64 per cent to 16,193.41 after hitting an intraday low of 16,111.26.
U.S. markets endured their worst day since early January. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 617.38 points at 25,324.99, just short of the 660-point drop on Jan. 3. The S&P 500 index was down 69.53 points or 2.5 per cent at 2,811.87, while the Nasdaq composite was down 269.92 points or 3.4 per cent at 7,647.02.
Markets have faced volatility since last week over trade talks between the world’s two largest economies, and while they largely recovered each day last week from deep early losses, there was little to cheer about on Monday. China announced Monday that it will hike tariffs on US$60 billion worth of U.S. imports, starting June 1. That’s in retaliation to the U.S. raising tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25 per cent from 10 per cent. Materials rose as the June gold contract was up US$14.40 at US$1,301.80 an ounce and the July copper contract was down 5.55 cents at US$2.72 a pound. Industrials gained as WestJet Airlines shares closed up nearly 60 per cent after Onex Corp. announced a friendly $3.5-billion takeover bid for the airline, plus assuming $1.5 billion of debt. The biggest losers on the day were the cannabis-heavy health-care sector, along with consumer discretionary, energy, technology and financial sectors.
The June crude contract was down 62 cents at US$61.04 per barrel and the June natural gas contract
The Canadian Press
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO
A Westjet plane makes its way to the terminal in February 2018.
WITHOFA2OR3 LedcorConstruction Limitedcurrentlyhas openingsinthePrince Georgeareafor CarpentersandLabourers withOFA2or3,safety experiencewouldalsobe anasset.Localapplicants willbegivenpreference. Pleasesendresumesto heather.taron@ledcor.com Wethankallapplicantsin advance,onlythoseshort listedwillbecontacted.
In Loving Memory of Carol Grace Gwendoline Maxwell
July 23, 1935 - May 5, 2019
It is with extreme sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Mother, Nana, and Great-Nana, Carol G. Maxwell. This Amazing, Beautiful, Kind, and Loving woman passed peacefully, with her entire family by her side, in Prince George, at the age of 83 years.
Carol was born and raised in Edmonton Alberta. She attended the Alberta College for Business Administration, and upon completion of her studies, the family moved west. In 1952 they settled in the Prince George area where Carol met her husband Herb, and their love story began.
Carol worked for Bryant Motors and then for the City of Prince George as assistant to the City Manager from 1956-1958. She further worked as an administrative assistant at the Prince George Regional Hospital.
In 1959 Carol started her 35 year career with Odeon Theatres. Starting as Manageress of the Princess and Strand theatres, as well as the Startime, and Moonlight drive-ins, she continued on to manage the Triple Odeon from 1978 - 1994. Most will remember her simply as “Mrs. M.” Carol gave many young people their first job opportunities at the theater. She was a supportive mentor and believed passionately in helping her young employee’s develop good work ethic.
In 1993 Carol trained as a RCMP Victim Services Caseworker. She excelled at supporting and consoling individuals and families in their time of need. She dedicated countless hours of her time helping those in crisis.
Carol joined the BC Corps of Commissionaires at UNBC in 1994 where she continued her work with young people as 2nd In-charge/Head of Security, harassment coordinator, and trainer of new commissionaires up until her retirement. Carol was extremely active in the community and was involved in many organizations throughout Prince George. As a President of the Canadian Mental Health Association Prince George branch, she presided and cofounded the Prince George Crisis Center. She also served on many boards of directors including Big Brothers/ Big Sisters, and Prince George Crimestoppers. Carol was elegant, wise, and a superb conversationalist. She would embrace any opportunity to sit down and chinwag over coffee with friends and family. She enjoyed spending summers at the family cabin and in retirement, cruising the world with her beloved husband Herb. She was extremely proud of her family and loved them immensely.
Carol was a pioneer who was far ahead of her time and she was loved and respected by all. Over the years she left an imprint on people’s lives in the most positive ways. The world has lost one of the “Great Ones” and she will be eternally remembered in our thoughts, memories and in our hearts for the Amazing woman that she was… a True Angel. Predeceased by her mother Grace Stephens, father Roy McDermid and Grandson Shawn Roy Dumonceaux. Survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Herbert J Maxwell, Son Shawn Maxwell, Daughter Grace Dumonceaux (Lowell), Grandchildren Lauren Apps (Cody), and Adam Dumonceaux (Hannah), as well as her Great Grandchildren Brynlee and Bentley Apps. The family wishes to say a heartfelt thank you to Dr. N. Bartell as well as the staff at Northern Home Care for their professional care and kindness over the past 5 years. There will be no formal service as per Carol’s wishes. Any monetary donations can be made in Carol’s memory to the Prince George Hospice House or the Canadian Diabetes Association.
myalgia, Irritable bowels, Overweight, trouble dressing and hundreds more. All ages & Medical conditions qualify. Have a child under 18 instantly receive more money. CALL BRITISH COLUMBIA BENEFITS 1-800-211-3550 OR send a Text Message
LODE Gerald Ernest (Gerry) September, 20 1962May 2, 2019
It is with great sadness that we have to announce the sudden passing of Gerry. He is survived by his loving family Stephanie, Mavra, (Kyle), Paul, (Cass), Sean and his little tootsie Autumn - his first granddaughter. Also his brother Kenny and sister Marilyn, numerous cousins aunts, uncles and friends. Gerry was predeceased by his father William, his mother Evelyn and brother Don. Thank you to the wonderful staff at the University Hospital of Prince George and the Rotary Hospice for taking care of him in his final days. Celebration of life to be held at The Eagles Hall, 6742 Dagg Road in the Hart Hwy on May 16th at 3pm. Everyone welcome.
We are so sad to announce the passing of our family patriarch, John Cain on May 3, 2019 at 84 years of age. John is survived by his wife; Dorrie, Sons; Brian (Rina), Terry (Amy), daughter; Brenda (Greg), Grandchildren; Kyla (Wes), Chris (LaSondra), Adam, Katie (Jon), Melissa (Ben), Ashlee, Ayla-Jo, Great Grandchildren; Austin, Haylee, Oliver, Sophie and Hazel Rose. Also survived by brother; Harold, sisters; Cathy, Marylyn; and sister in law; Temple. John was always “silently there”, supporting and giving to others. He spent his life caring for and spending time with his extended family, when not tending to his beloved garden and making wooden toys. We will miss his gentle and kind ways and his never ending patience and love.
Many thanks to the Hospice House nurses and care aids and the doctors who supported his peaceful passing. A service of Remembrance to be held at St. Michael’s Anglican Church on Sunday, July 7th 2019 at 2pm. Donations in memory of John can be made to the charity of your choice. No flowers please.
BCAUTHORPENS
