City to work with social agencies on downtown bathrooms
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
City council voted unanimously Monday night to direct staff to work with a trio of downtown social agencies on how best to make their washrooms available for public use. It was the least expensive of four options presented to council in answer to concerns about public urination and defecation in the area and the cost of providing security at the Prince George Public Library.
In a report to council, city council social planning manager Chris Bone recommended each of Saint Vincent de Paul, Positive Living North and Association Advocating for Women and Children be given a grant to pay for monitoring and maintaining their facilities. While washrooms are available at their spots, using them can depend on whether staff is available to monitor. Cost is estimated at $36,000 – or $12,000 for each of the agencies – but social planning manager Chris Bone said that is an estimate. Bone was given the go ahead to consult with the agencies and report back to council on the details.
The decision came after an extensive presentation from Bone who provided a survey of how other communities have tackled the issue. Results have been mixed
at best, council was told, with the washrooms becoming de facto drug injection sites and suffering extensive damage.
“This is a really tough topic,” Bone said.
“If I was able to pull some themes is that providing public washrooms to everybody that needs to access them and ensuring that they are clean and safe is challenging.”
Councillors generally agreed that while there is no perfect answer, it is still better than doing nothing.
Coun. Brian Skakun moved for council to select the option, noting it would provide more than one washroom.
In answer to a question from Coun. Garth Frizzell, city manager Kathleen Soltis said publicly-accessible washrooms will be looked at as part of the design process for the new Four Seasons Pool.
Coun. Murry Krause, who was the executive director of the Central Interior Native Health Society, said the agency had to impose more and more restrictions on the use of its facilities in answer to the trouble and damage some users had created.
Krause said the proposal needs to come with a budget adequate enough to pay for monitoring and maintenance and be conducted on a trial basis to see if it works for the community, the agencies and the vulnerable population.
“I think it would have to work for everybody or it’s just not working for anybody.”
Derelict house a neighbourhood scourge
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
A local homeowner is blaming city inaction for the trouble she and neighbours have been suffering as a result of a derelict house.
Located at 2126 Tamarack St., it has twice been the scene of fires that have damaged adjacent homes.
Lisa Mitchell estimates a blaze that broke out in October reaped $14,000 damage to the vinyl siding of her home. While her insurance covered the cost, she still had to pay a $2,500 deductible and expects to lose a further $1,500 in lost discounts on her premium.
Even before the fire Mitchell had a bad feeling. Thanks to hoarding, the property had become a mess and while the front yard was cleaned up in response to a city order, she said the back yard remained untouched.
Shortly after the fire, Mitchell learned the owner had died and the home was foreclosed by the bank. While the site was fenced off and the back yard was cleaned out, two outbuildings remained standing and Mitchell said they were ripe for squatters and more trouble.
“I told them it was not a matter of if, it was a matter of when,” she said.
In early May, and mere days after repairs to her home had been completed, the structures burst into flames and all five adjacent homes were damaged, according to Mitchell, who also said she lost her tenants as a result.
“They moved out immediately,” she said. “Wouldn’t you if you had two house fires next to you in less than six months?” She found new tenants but they’re paying lower rent.
Mitchell contends the city had the power through its unsightly premises bylaw to deal with the matter more quickly and thoroughly. She wants the home torn down and the property cleaned up.
“There were so many things the city could’ve done and nothing was not one of the options but that’s what they chose,” she said.
Bylaw services manager Fred Crittendon said that because the bank is not the owner of the property, it cannot be compelled to tear the structure down and has received legal advice to that effect.
However, he said a sale is awaiting court approval and should be completed by the end of this month and that the potential buyer is aware that the city wants the property remediated.
He said the City opened a file on the property last summer in response to the hoarding and were in the process of following through when the owner died. The fire broke out within just a couple days, Crittendon added.
He said bylaw services has been monitoring the site since the original fire and has spent more than $11,000 on cleaning up and securing the property.
“We know it’s urgent for the people who live down there,” Crittendon said.
LEFT: Tony Wyssen leaps off the final obstacle on Saturday morning during Mega Bounce Run. Nine inflatable obstacles were set up on a five-kilometre course at Moran Park. The event was held in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters Prince George.
BOTTOM LEFT: Participants make their way through one of the nine inflatable obstacles set up as part of the Mega Bounce Run course. BOTTOM RIGHT: A participant
They did not forget
Winners from the Remembrance Day Poetry and Literary Contest pose for a photo on Sunday afternoon at the Prince George Legion after a ceremony where they received their awards.
Council OKs overnight camping for Cariboo Rocks the North music fest
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
City council voted unanimously Monday night in favour of allowing overnight camping at this summer’s Cariboo Rocks the North.
The move came after city manager Kathleen Soltis confirmed staff’s opposition to the idea, citing concerns about noise in the neighbourhood, security and the possible need for an increased RCMP presence and whether the city would be liable if things go wrong.
Coun. Terri McConnachie led the charge in favour, noting she supported the proposal when it was brought to council last year saying the B.C. North-
ern Exhibition, who would be responsible for organizing that aspect of the event, is “very capable.”
About 300 people camp at the Exhibition Grounds during the BCNE, she noted.
“This would be nothing new to them, to host camping,” McConnachie said.
“In fact, this would be a holiday compared to what they organize for four or five days every year.”
Advantages would include drawing more people to the event and keeping drunk drivers off the road, she added.
McConnachie said the city will need to make sure the BCNE has adequate liability in place and that lights would be out within 60 minutes of the show end-
ing each night.
Noting she saw four or five contained fires burning when she walked through the site last summer, Coun. Susan Scott said any fire ban must be monitored and adhered to.
Mayor Lyn Hall noted council’s recent decision to reject the RCMP’s request for event organizers to pay a fee for their services.
“If the RCMP are called, then we’re in a position then to cover that cost,” Hall said.
BCNE will still need the city for permission to allow camping at next year’s version. Coun. Kyle Sampson, who works for Pacific Western Brewing Co., excused himself from the discussion.
Prince George court docket
From Prince George provincial court, May 17-24, 2019:
• Jesse Scott Ferris (born 1992) was sentenced to seven days in jail for possessing a controlled substance and to three days in jail for possessing a dangerous weapon and willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and to one year probation on the counts. Ferris was in custody for 16 days prior to sentencing.
• Ben Matthew Stonecipher (born 1965) was sentenced to one day in jail for breaching probation and to one year probation with a suspended sentence on the count as well as for public mischief.
• Shiana Lee Prince (born 1987) was sentenced to 18 months probation with a suspended sentence for two counts of theft $5,000 or under.
• Gina Fawn Leona Thomas (born 1972) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.
• Sonja Kristan (born 1975) was sentenced to 16 days in jail for two counts of theft $5,000 or under, to a six-month conditional sentence order for a further count of theft $5,000 or under, a count of disguising her face in an attempt
to commit a crime and two counts of breaching a recognizance or undertaking and to a three month conditional sentence for another count of theft $5,000 or under. Kristan was in custody for 64 days prior to sentencing.
• Timothy Donald Munroe (born 1969) was sentenced to 124 days in jail for fleeing police and to 94 days for driving while disqualified and issued a threeyear driving prohibition on both counts. Munroe was in custody for 55 days prior to sentencing.
• Marcia Ann Jones (born 1968) 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.
• Kevin James Wilson (born 1967) was fined $1,500 plus a $225 victim surcharge for providing false or misleading information under the Insurance (Vehicle) Act, committed in Fort St. James.
• Syryph Sycoraijan Tea Campbell (born 1991) was sentenced to one day in jail for breaching an undertaking and to 18 months probation on the count as well as on counts of assault and breaching an undertaking or recognizance.
• Tanner Lee Giesler (born 1991) 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.
• Davin Gray Jokinen (born 1991) was sentenced to one year probation for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and breaching probation. Jokinen was in custody for 47 days prior to sentencing.
• Dayne Thomas Light (born 1996) was sentenced to 133 days in jail for assault with a weapon and to 13 days in jail for theft $5,000 or under, to one year probation on both counts and ordered to provide a DNA sample on the assault count. Light was in custody for 30 days prior to sentencing.
• Taylor Ashley Josephine Forsythe (born 1996) 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.
• Robert Smith (born 1963) was sentenced to one year probation with a suspended sentence for mischief $,5000 or under and to zero days for breaching an undertaking or recognizance.
Permit came too late for Elks May Day Parade, organizers say
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff
fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
City of Prince George staff contends they provided the Elks May Day Parade organizers with the maps and permits required.
The parade was canceled when Elks Lodge 122 organizers felt they could not mount an adequate event, since they were unable to promise participants that they had the legal go-ahead.
A number of construction projects affected the final parade route, said city officials, and although dialogue was ongoing with Elks organizers, the revised maps and definitive permit were indeed not provided until mere days before the event was scheduled to take place.
“On April 4, the event organizer for the Elks’ May Day Parade contacted engineering services staff and met with them
later that day to discuss the parade and permit process. The parade was tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 18, 2019,” city spokesperson Michael Kellett said. “The last Elks’ parade was held in 2017 and the route used that year could not be used again because of the closure of Seventh Avenue/George Street due to construction of the new parkade and downtown residences. Because of this, staff offered to prepare a Traffic Management Plan (TMP) with a designated parade route. This TMP would include a conceptual outline of the parade route, including an identification of where barricades and signage would be installed. This would reduce the need for volunteers and flaggers to control traffic on the day of the parade and increase the safety of participants, attendees and motorists.”
According to the city, the following week, the Elks officially submitted a
P.G. Public Library chief librarian retiring
Citizen staff
After 13 years with the Prince George Public Library, chief librarian Janet Marren has announced her retirement.
Her last day will be on June 28.
Marren has held the role since 2013. Prior to that, her positions at PGPL have included community outreach librarian, public service coordinator and public service manager. She also served as chief librarian at the Houston Public Library from 1995-2006.
“It’s been an honour to lead this incredible organization for the last six years. I will sincerely miss working with a fantastic board, talented staff and wonderful community partners. This library helps to make Prince George a great place to live,” Marren said. Marren plans to continue to reside in Prince George where she’ll spend more time with her friends and family, including seven children and seven grandchildren. Milestones under Marren’s direction include completing the Knowledge Garden at Bob Harkins Branch, successfully fundraising for a library outreach vehicle, completing the digitization of more than 100 years of the Prince George Citizen, and increasing and diversifying its program and collection offerings.
Marren also has been a vocal advocate for the library entrance project, which received final approval at a recent city council meeting. The project is set to break ground in the coming weeks and will result in a safe and accessible entrance for all library users.
Under her leadership, PGPL received several accolades, including two Healthier You Awards, two provincial merit awards from the British Columbia Library Association, and most recently the Community Impact Award from the Chamber of Commerce Business Impact Awards.
Her community work includes involvement with the Prince George Council of Seniors, Success by Six Council of Partners, Prince George Literacy Advisory Committee, Advisory Committee on Enhancing Prince George, Local Immigration Partnership Council and the City of Prince George’s collective impact working group.
She also chairs the librarian advisory group for the North Central Library Federation.
“Janet has worked closely with the board and has been instrumental in helping fulfill the library’s mission to connect people and ideas, inspiring the community to read, learn and discover,” said PGPL board chair Mike Gagel.
“On behalf of the board, I would like to convey how much we will miss Janet and to thank her for her service and for leaving the library in such great shape for her successor.”
The board has appointed Paul Burry, manager of support and circulation services, as the acting chief librarian, effective July 2. Burry has been with the PGPL since 2011 and will remain in the acting role until the board appoints a permanent replacement.
parade permit application.
“Given the recent permanent closure of some downtown streets, city staff used the Elks application to develop a new parade route template for all parades to be held downtown. The route outline was provided to the Elks the week of April 15–18. This outline was subsequently revised to accommodate transit buses and maintain access to the Four Seasons Pool and Civic Centre. The event organizer was kept up to date throughout the process. The final route and TMP were provided to the Elks on May 14 and the permit was provided the following day.”
By that point, said Elks communications at the time, they had an inadequate number of confirmed participants. For many businesses, not-for-profit groups, agencies, bands and other groups, it takes more than three days to prepare a float or assemble their people.
Man charged with indecent act at Harwin Elementary School
staff
man who has previously been convicted of the offence has been charged with committing an indecent act in a public place. Kevin Mark Hamilton, 33, faces the
convictions for causing a disturbance. Hamilton also faces a count of breaching probation and was schedule to appear in court on Monday for a bail hearing after spending the weekend in custody.
In
MARREN
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Physiotherapy training program a good start
Friday’s announcement of physiotherapy training starting at UNBC in September 2020, followed by an occupational therapy program two years later, is a huge win for Prince George, UNBC and residents of the northern and central interior.
For Terry Fedorkiw and the other 104 physiotherapists in the region, it is a huge relief. While it won’t benefit their current patients, it will make a huge difference in the years to come.
As a Citizen story in late 2017 pointed out, Northern B.C. has the fewest physiotherapists per capita of anywhere in B.C., with nine communities offering no access to publicly-funded physiotherapists. Furthermore, B.C. is the worst province in Canada for annual investment in training seats per capita.
At that time, Fedorkiw and the members of Physiotherapists for Northern Communities were asking the new NDP government to increase UBC’s physical therapy program – the only one in the province – from 80 annual training seats to 100.
B.C. Advanced Education, Skills and Training Minister Melanie Mark exceeded that request. UBC will oversee 120 training seats, with 20 of them based in Prince George at UNBC.
Furthermore, the government pledge to add 20 more in the Fraser Valley, starting in 2022.
So much for the notion of inadequate provincial government investment by John Horgan’s government in the Prince George area, where a six-hour drive is required to reach the nearest NDP MLA.
Despite the fact that longtime Prince George Liberal MLA Shirley Bond, as well as Mike Morris and Pat Bell before him,
worked for years to get dollars out of the
Liberal government for physiotherapy training in Prince George, the credit for making it happen instead of just talking about it will go to the NDP.
That will be a bitter pill for the area Liberal MLAs, especially since they have been beat up for years about it every spring by the medical community at the annual Bob Ewert fundraising dinner to benefit the Northern Medical Programs Trust.
Now the trust will be able to offer scholarships for locally trained physiotherapists and occupational therapists, as well.
The investment will pay off huge dividends to Prince George in general and UNBC in particular.
Area students who looked at other health care career paths because of the inability to stay in the region to complete their education and build their practices can now pursue those opportunities far
YOUR LETTERS
Questioning council
It appears we have a crisis of confidence in regards to the municipal city council. This is plainly seen by the rising opposition to the $40 million spending plan from council. Currently facing a rising alternative approval process opposition, some are stating it’s because of a specific item that is unneeded while some just want some love to be given to the Hart. Everyone is right, everyone is wrong. The problem is trust and will the items be completed on budget.
If the pool shows us anything, the answer is no. Initially, it was approved by referendum for $35 million in debt. It was budgeted for $42 million, a 20 per cent increase in cost.
This translates to the $40 million Alternative Approval Process in debt and a possible budget of $40 million plus 20 per cent equals $48 million in cost and $8 million in non-debt.
Meanwhile, the city manager now has the option under the sustainable finance guidelines of being up to $1 million over budget, so with 11 projects, that’s $11 million in non-debt costs, so the total possible cost goes from $48 million to $59 million.
Then add the Willowcale Bridge, originally budgeted at $4.3 million and currently being proposed to cost a total of $11.1 million or 258 per cent overbudget.
For the Alternative Approval Process, this would amount to $59 million times 258 per cent to equal $152M dollars, with $133 million in debt.
I find that amount to be intimidating, do you? Does anyone else think this might happen?
Keeping an eye on the future, we can take a look at 2023. The city’s finance manager has highlighted a four per cent increase in property taxes from the pool to start in this year. When combined with the three per cent standard rate increase, this means a total of seven per ecent already on the books. With this new $40M in spending, it will be another per cent cost is comparable to the pool project. This will result in an 11 per cent increase, in 2023, the year after the next civic election.
Are we seeing politicians playing politics and sabotaging the next group to be elected in? Personally, just as I campaigned this past election that infrastructure was a significant expense for the future, we need to fund it. It is a different world now. Building a swimming pool across the street from our other swimming pool seems like a luxury we can no longer afford. I wish I had the confidence that our city council would reconsider, before it is too late.
Chris Wood Prince George
Physiotherapy program start good news for the North
We are so delighted to hear of the Northern Physiotherapy program coming to UNBC in 2020. It was an exciting event when Minister Melanie Mark came to
UNBC to make this long awaited announcement on Friday. This means career opportunities for local students as well as greatly improved services for our citizens.
Northern Health also announced they would step up to help with the training of these prospective students. It is a well known fact that graduating students tend to stay and work close to where they trained. UNBC will be training northern students in the north for the north.
This program will help, not only to provide services to Prince George, but also to all the northern and rural communities where the shortage is even more acute.
This program is also important for the further development of UNBC.
The announcement will lead to a joint program with UBC. Therapists will then graduate with a joint UBC/UNBC degree. This is important and enables UNBC to tailor the program to the north with more Indigenous and rural components to the program.
We should like to thank everyone who has advocated over the years for this program including MLA Shirley Bond.
We thank Minister Mark and the government for promising funds to bring this program to fruition.
This is certainly an exciting day for our community. We congratulate UNBC on securing this program for the north.
Hilary Crowley Physiotherapist
Summit Lake
LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. No attachments, please. They can also be faxed to 250-960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. Maximum length is 750 words and writers are limited to one submission every week. We will edit letters only to ensure clarity, good taste, for legal reasons, and occasionally for length. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes. Unsigned or handwritten letters will not be published. The Prince George Citizen is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Neil Godbout (ngodbout@pgcitizen. ca or 250-960-2759). If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.
SHAWN
cheaper and easier than having to relocate to Vancouver.
The health care outcomes will also be substantial. Doctors and nurses focus on primary care while physiotherapists and occupational therapists provide that essential ongoing care needed to help stroke victims and people injured on the job or in vehicle accidents – to name just a few – as they try to recover from their injuries and adapt to their temporary or permanent physical limitations.
As the local and regional population continues to age, with more and more of the Baby Boomer population retiring, addressing both the lack of area physiotherapists and the inability to train at UNBC will substantially improve the quality of life for area residents.
Now about that surgical tower at UHNBC...
–
Editor-in-chief
Neil Godbout
Senate puts tanker ban in jeopardy
The Senate Transportation Committee’s vote not to pass Bill C48 to ban tankers off B.C.’s north coast, a move effectively helping kill a piece of legislation by our elected government, was not as surprising as some might think. Many senators on the committee had already made up their minds before the redundant review of the bill began.
Sen. Dennis Patterson penned an editorial just as the hearings kicked off in Prince Rupert denouncing the bill, which was in line with the aggressive tone many of his conservative colleagues expressed publicly about the validity of the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act in favour of the oil and gas sector. Even Alberta independent Senators Elaine McCoy and Paula Simons expressed opposition and concerns during the hearings. Those sentiments echoed well-funded organizing by the likes of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and oil companies who lobbied hard to quash the tanker ban legislation. Most notably, Eagle Spirit Energy, a company registered in the tax haven Virgin Islands that wants to build a massive oil sands export facility near Prince Rupert, increased its lobbying efforts exponentially and managed to have multiple members secure limited spots to present when hearings finally started.
Despite positions made public, the Senate voted on spending more tax dollars to hold hearings in northwestern B.C. and oil rich Alberta and Saskatchewan. But what we heard at the senate hearings in Prince Rupert and Terrace in April were passionate reminders of why we need to ensure our coasts and in land watersheds will never be at risk from catastrophic oil spills.
Coastal First Nations spoke about how Indigenous communities have been stewards and managing coastal resources sustainably for thousands of years.
How many still rely on harvesting traditional foods from the ocean and how their vision for a conservation based economy with projects like Coastal Shellfish, a new CFN industry growing millions of scallops for a worldwide market, are just being realized.
Joel Starlund, who spoke for the Gitanyow First Nation, said that 90 per cent of their members still rely heavily on wild salmon for sustenance purposes and is a huge economic driver in the community and the Skeena region.
Community representatives highlighted the importance of clean water and wild salmon to all residents. Salmon are the lifeblood of the coastal communities and the Skeena watershed. Wild salmon stocks are already in crisis due to climate change. We live in a pristine ecologically sensitive
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region of the country that is still absent of oil pipelines and tanker ports, and for good reason. This is a salmon nation and we’d like to keep it that way, for the interests of all Canadians.
The fact is this bill should be law by now, but it isn’t. All thanks to the Red Chamber, at what appears to be an emerging trend. In 2017, Conservative senators obstructed the passing of Bill C-210, which would see a change in the language of O Canada to be gender neutral. The bill was held up for nearly a year-and-a-half because of partisan politics, but eventually did pass. Bill C-337, however, introduced by former interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose, which would require judges to undergo sexual assault education before being called to the bench has yet to pass, nearly two years since it passed through the House of Commons. Although it had strong support from all parties in the House, it was referred to committee once it reached the Senate in May 2018. It remains in committee.
Ironically one of the senators on the transportation committee, former pollster Donna Dasko, found that most Canadians hold a negative view of the Senate with many finding them “a pointless waste of money.” But it’s worse than that. They’re now rewriting legislation and preventing the passage of laws that went through our democratically elected government. And The Tanker Moratorium Act, as well as several other bills such as the Fisheries Act and the Impact Assessment Act, may all face a similar fate if the Senate doesn’t move fast enough and pass these bills before the summer recess and the October general election when all bills will die.
These are vital pieces of legislation that will protect sensitive environments and provide First Nations and coastal communities with greater economic certainty. The consequences of a major oil spill pose unacceptable risk to the livelihoods and people of the coast and watershed.
For nearly 34 years, there has been a voluntary oil tanker moratorium on the north and central coast. It’s time to formalize that moratorium into law and not let partisan politics and high priced lobbyists get in the way of our democratic processes. The pristine coastal ecosystems and marine life of B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest can’t be found anywhere else on the planet. We need the rest of the Senate to vote in favour of Bill C-48 to secure its future and respect Canadian voters. — Greg Knox is the executive director of the SkeenaWild Conservation Trust
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SPECIAL
KNOX
Sjohall returning to her roots for show
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff
fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
Success in the B.C. music industry never disconnected Vicky Sjohall from her northern wires.
The Vancouver-based singersongwriter loves living beside the ocean – her street is seaside – but she got her bonds with nature thanks to the lakes and forests around Prince George. That’s where she will be June 4 when she performs her favourite original tunes mixed with some choice covers.
Sjohall came to prominence in the B.C. music scene thanks to the big bang of her band Cherrybomb. She and rock star Jenny Galt formed a strong front duo with the support of Dave Gannett, Mike Magnussen and Cory Curtis. They put out four well-received albums and toured internationally.
The band faded away, but the music carried on for all the members. Sjohall formed up another band, Violet Finch, which semiregularly gigs around the Lower Mainland doing unique covers. She also has solo career that kicked off in 2009 with the album Simple Pleasures.
“I feel so fortunate that I’ve had as many opportunities as I’ve had,” she told The Citizen, tickled to finally be featured in her hometown newspaper. “Cherrybomb was a big launching pad for my career. I’d only been playing about a year at that point. I’d just finished university for health and wellness and kinesiology, and when graduated I got hit by a vehicle while I was on my bicycle. My wrist was broken, but other than that it was just my bike and helmet that got smashed.
But I couldn’t do anything physical for a very long time, I was in a cast for a year, two surgeries, and during that period is when I decided I would go wholly into music, I
loved music, so I went after guitar and singing and I met these girls. They had been playing a lot longer than me, I was the green one, but they got me going.”
Eventually Sjohall developed the skills, confidence and network to establish a band. It was 1999 and they were almost an instant hit.
“I couldn’t believe the traction we got,” she said. “I’d be walking down the street and strangers would wave and say ‘Cherrybomb’ which was kind of strange, but a lot of fun. The band got pretty well known, locally. We never got to the point of radio play because pop-rock with lots of harmonies was hard to be placed on any of the formats in those days, but we were gigging a lot, around Vancouver, nationally, and touring outside of Canada as well.”
Through thick and thin, Sjohall
has been able to keep music at the top of her career aspirations. She works it like a job, making herself write songs, rehearse on instruments, and getting up on stage as much as possible. Last fall was her last time in Prince George. She still has a lot of family and friends in the area, so it isn’t hard to get motivated to come up to P.G. and put on a show.
“Oh I love it. I have very fond memories and nostalgia for P.G.,” she said. “I’ve lived in Vancouver since ’92 and when people hear me say I’m from Prince George and sometimes they go ‘ugggh’ I say you know what, that’s not my impression. I love it.”
It’s still a place of inspiration, too, but instead of thinking back and using memories to infuse her songs, she gets to do the work right in her hometown, and in fact
her home neighbourhood.
“I have the opportunity to sit and write,” she said.
“I stay with my sister, and the kids are at school and everyone is gone during the day. Sometimes it’s nice to not be in your own house, where all your distractions are. My sister has a great place, and it’s on the street we grew up on, just down the road from the house I grew up in and from Pinewood Elementary where we went to school and my nieces and nephews went to school. So I can just feel that familiarity and work away at songs, half lazy and half work.”
Her circle of old friends and acquaintances can blend with new fans when Sjohall takes the stage at Nancy O’s on Tuesday. Showtime is 8 p.m. Cover is $8 at the door.
FULLJAMES
Man reported missing
Citizen staff
The Prince George RCMP is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing man.
Brent Allan Fulljames, 32, is described as Asian-Aboriginal, six-foot-two, 260 pounds with brown eyes, short, curly brown hair, beard and mustache and a scar on his right cheek under his eye. He was last seen on May 20 wearing a black hoodie, black Carhartt brand pants and work boots. He does not have access to a vehicle.
Anyone with information on where Fulljames may be is asked to call the RCMP at 250561-3300.
Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8047 or go online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca
You do not have to reveal your identity and if you provide information that leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward.
HANDOUT
Singer-songwriter Vicky Sjohall grew up in Prince George and will return for a concert at Nancy O’s on Tuesday.
Kids of Steel
Eli Bernard, above, gives it his all while crossing the finish line on Sunday morning during the 25th annual Integris Kids of Steel Triathlon. A swimmer, below left, takes to the pool on Sunday morning at Prince George Aquatic Centre as part of the competition while Caleb McIntosh, second below left, gets some help in the transition area at the Prince George Aquatic Centre. Christian Hickey, third bottom left, takes his bike from the rack at the Aquatic Centre while Asher Prosk, below right, pedals down 18th Avenue.
Sports
Bruins rally, beat Blues in Stanley Cup opener
Jimmy GOLEN
The Associated Press
BOSTON — Sean Kuraly scored to break a third-period tie and assisted on another goal to help the Boston Bruins rally from a twogoal deficit and beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Tuukka Rask stopped 18 shots for Boston, which fell behind 2-0 on goals from Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko. But the Bruins outshot the Blues 18-3 in the second period – and 38-20 in the game – to take the opener in the best-of-seven series.
Brad Marchand added an empty netter to clinch it.
Forty-nine years after Bobby Orr flew through the air following his Cup-clinching goal against St. Louis in the 1970 final, Boston defencemen Connor Clifton and Charlie McAvoy scored in the second period to tie it.
Jordan Binnington made 34 saves for the Blues, who haven’t been back to the final since then. Game 2 is Wednesday night. It had been 17,914 days since the Blues’ last appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, when they lost to Orr’s Bruins in four games. They ran into a familiar problem: the Boston defence.
After taking advantage of Boston’s slow start – the Bruins hadn’t played since sweeping the Caro-
Capitals investigate Kuznetso after video surfaces
Stephen WHYNO
The Associated Press
The Washington Capitals say they have confirmed star Evgeny Kuznetsov is shown in a now-deleted video on social media that appears to show him in a hotel room with lines of white powder on a table in front of him.
In a statement sent to The Associated Press by spokesman Sergey Kocharov, the team says it is in the process of gathering facts and will have no further comment at this time.
The video posted on Twitter carried a message saying it was why Russia lost in the world hockey championship semifinals. It showed Kuznetsov talking to someone and lines of white powder and American dollar bills can be seen on the table. Kuznetsov does not touch anything on the table in the 22-second video.
The 27-year-old Kuznetsov was Washington’s leading scorer in the playoffs when it won the Stanley Cup a year ago. This season, the Russian centre had 72 points in 76 games but just one goal during a first-round loss to Carolina.
lina Hurricanes in the conference final on May 16 – St. Louis jumped to a 2-0 lead.
Schenn made it 1-0 lead midway through the first period on a thirdchance shot. In the first minute of the second, David Pastrnak got sloppy behind the Bruins’ net and Schenn was there again, this time to pass it to Tarasenko in the slot to make it 2-0.
Don’t
But just 76 seconds later, Clifton tipped in a pass from Kuraly to cut the deficit to one goal. And in the middle of the second, on the Bruins’ fourth power play of the game, McAvoy came right up the middle and wristed it past Binnington’s glove to tie it. It was still tied five minutes into the third when Noel Acciari, on Binnington’s left, made a spin
move and swept the puck across the crease to Kuraly. He steadied it with his skate and then poked it in with his stick to give the Bruins their first lead of the game.
The crowd, which had previously been most excited to see the 2011 champions waving banners before the game, began a chant of Let’s Go Bruins! Although David Krejci’s penalty quieted the
building, it came back to life when Torey Krug, angry over a scuffle with David Perron in front of the St. Louis net, sped down the ice helmetless and flattened Robert Thomas.
After the whistle, fans chanted “We want the Cup!”
Notes: Lil Nas X and Chase Rice, who performed a concert in City Hall Plaza before the game, were in attendance. They both got big cheers when shown on the video board, and the crowd erupted when Rice chugged a beer... Members of the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup championship team took part in pregame banner ceremonies. Five players on the current roster were on that team: Rask, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Zdeno Chara... The Blues scored the first goal for the 14th time in 20 playoff games. They had been 10-3 when scoring first, and 6-1 when leading after the first period... Blues D Vince Dunn missed his fourth straight game with an unspecified injury... Binnington stopped 83 of the previous 85 shots he faced through one period, dating back to Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Up next
The Bruins would be halfway to their seventh NHL title with victory on Wednesday night at home. It would be their first since 2011. They lost to Chicago in the 2013 final.
underestimate Raptors heading into finals
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors might be one of the most unheralded teams to ever make the NBA Finals.
Several American media outlets dismissed the Raptors’ chances in the last two playoff rounds before Toronto came out on top over the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.
But being underestetimated is nothing new to the Raptors’ players, as no one on the roster was picked higher than 15th in the NBA draft.
Since the draft lottery was established in 1985 no team has made the NBA Finals without at least one player who was picked 14th or higher.
“I don’t know what it says about the draft,” laughed Toronto centre Marc Gasol, drafted 48th overall in 2007.
“I was at the back end of the draft, so I was already asleep when they picked me, so I can’t really tell you much.
“I think it tells you more about how much of a lottery the draft is and how much more important it is to put the work in every day and continue to improve as a player.”
Hard work was a theme among all the Raptors at the OVO Athletic Centre on Monday as they began preparations for Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Danny Green, selected 26th overall in 2009, thinks that being
underestimated has motivated him and his teammates at different points in their professional lives.
“A lot of guys have come from some good places, some good stories behind it, but they have a chip on their shoulder,” said Green.
“Guys that have been in the league, or guys that know what it’s like to be out of the league or be picked last or to have a point to prove. A lot of character’s built on this team coming from many different places.”
A compilation video of basketball commentators like Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith burying the Raptors chances against Milwaukee
circulated on Sunday, hours after Toronto won its fourth straight game to eliminate the Bucks.
All-star guard Kyle Lowry was quick to dismiss the pundits.
“I don’t even know who’s picking against us,” said Lowry, picked 24th overall in 2006.
“It doesn’t really matter. Everyone has their own opinion, as always. For us, we’ve just got to go out there and do our job. Regular season doesn’t mean anything.”
By contrast, the Warriors are heavily favoured by most commentators and have a nucleus of players who have been highly touted their whole careers.
Stephen Curry was a No. 7 pick, Kevin Durant was second overall,
and DeMarcus Cousins was fifth. That pedigree has gotten results, too: Golden State is making its fifth straight NBA Finals appearance, and the Warriors have won three of the past four championships.
Toronto’s four-day break was a welcome relief for the Raptors. Lowry has been nursing an injured hand, Kawhi Leonard – the topdrafted Toronto player at No. 15 in 2011 – has played some of the best basketball of his career on a sore knee, and much of the Raptors bench will need the time to improve their shooting.
Pascal Siakam, Gasol and Fred VanVleet have all struggled by moments in the post-season, but Green has laboured the most. Despite starting in all six games of the Eastern Conference final he only made 18.8 per cent of his field goals.
A career 42.4 per cent field-goal shooter, Green has a solution.
“Just keep shooting. Don’t think about it,” said Green.
“And it’s hard not to think about it because everybody in the world’s telling you don’t think about it – everybody you come across – keep shooting it. Trust me, I’m going to keep shooting.”
Head coach Nick Nurse announced on Monday that sophomore forward OG Anunoby had resumed practice with contact. He’s been out since April 12 after having an appendectomy.
Nurse predicted that Anunoby will need approximately 10 more days before he’s ready to play in a game.
AP PHOTO BY BRUCE BENNETT
Boston Bruins’ Sean Kuraly, left, scores a goal past St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington during Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final on Monday in Boston.
John CHIDLEY-HILl
CP FILE PHOTO
Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse speaks to the media after practice ahead of the Eastern Conference NBA playoff basketball finals against the Milwaukee Bucks in Toronto.
It is with our deepest regrets we announce the passing of Anton “Tony” Mulder on May 15, 2019. he is survived by his common-law wife Corrine “Cory” Black, his brother Robert Mulder, son David (Christine) Mulder, daughter Jennifer Mulder, grandchildren Kelsie and Alex, many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister. There will be no service by request, but will be a Black Flag Service in Quesnel on July 20, 2019 and everyone is invited.
Agnes Catherine Metz Nov. 17th, 1937May 21st, 2019
It is with much sadness that the family of Agnes Metz announces her passing at the age of 81. She is survived by her daughter Karen (Les), son Rocky (Korla), her sister Viola, six grandchildren Dustin (Christine), Ryan (Tina), Taryn (Grace), Adam, Ben (Alecia) and Brielle, one great grandchild Sebastian & her nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her loving husband John Metz on November 1st, 2017. Together they owned & operated the Eagle Crest Pub in Fort St. James for 21 years. Those who knew Agnes will always remember her with a smile because of her sassy sense of humour. She loved people, anyone she met she considered her friend. Music made her blue eyes light up; a glass of vodka & water she would never refuse. She lived her life by her favorite words “you always gotta have a laugh” and she did. She danced, she sang, she played, and she lived her life as she chose.
The family wishes to express their gratitude for the exceptional care provided by the amazing staff at Jubilee Lodge & Dr. McCoy.
A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, June 23rd, 2019 from 1-4pm at the Marriot Hotel.
ZORA VUKOVIC (PERKOVIC) May 9, 1939 May 24, 2019
Where flowers bloom, hope grows. Gdje cvijece cvjeta, nada raste.
Mom died at the age of 80 at home with family by her side. Her youthful and loving spirit will be dearly missed by her husband Vlado, and her children Mira (Fraser), Nada (Lorne), Kathy (Peter), and Tommy (Gina), 10 grandchildren Michael, Kevon (Chelsey), Nathan, Megan, Madison, Meredith, Grace, Arianna, Kalina, and 3 great grandchildren Peyton, Alivia, and Emmet. Mom was born in Antulic Village, Križpolje, Croatia to parents Ivan and Julka Perkovic and was predeceased by her parents and her 7 siblings. She was a busy, hard-working young girl and had the nickname Lolé. In 1966, she immigrated to Prince George with her daughter Mira, to join her husband who had been working in Canada for 4 years and had earned enough to buy their first home on McBride Crescent. 3 more children were born (Nada, Kathy, Tommy) and Mom also fostered a child, Wayne, for several years. Her love of children was unlimited, and she watched over her kids with warmth, pride, and a loyal Croatian fierceness. Her care for children continued with several grandchildren whom she adored. When Mom was not caring for children, you would find her in her garden caring for her beautiful flowers. In her senior years, her favourite place to be was in her yard, enjoying the sunshine, the birds, and her greenhouse. She was a good friend and always welcomed company with a kind and generous heart. Prayer Service on Thursday, May 30, 2019, 6:30 p.m. and Funeral Mass Service on Friday, May 31, 2019, 1:00 p.m., both services at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Prince George. Interment in the Prince George Memorial Park Cemetery. Reception to follow at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, St. Eugene Room.
Summer Student Innovations
The Urban Aboriginal Working Group is pleased to introduce the “Summer Student Innovations” program, an opportunity for ideas to be put into action that will support students to build skill, enhance their work experience, introduce small business concepts or engage them in community based projects in the City of Prince George.
Each applicant can apply for up to $5,000.
You are eligible to apply if you are an Indigenous student, non-profit organizations, industry or union.
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Adult & Youth Newspaper Carriers Needed in the Following areas:
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OTTAWA (CP) —
The markets today
TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index started the week by recovering some of last week’s losses on broadbased gains during a quiet day of trading.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 116.62 points to 16,346.66 as volumes were very low due to the Memorial Day holiday that forced the closure of U.S. markets.
“It’s hard to come to any significant conclusions given that the volume would be light today,” said Anish Chopra, managing director with Portfolio Management Corp.
All of the 11 major sectors were positive, led by energy, health care and industrials.
Energy gained 1.73 per cent with Canadian Natural Resources and Suncor Energy Inc. benefiting most as oil prices rose. The July crude contract was up 60 cents at US$59.23 per barrel and the July natural gas contract was down 3.4 cents at US$2.58 per mmBTU.
West Texas Intermediate rose as Kuwait’s oil minister said he sees more of a balanced oil market coming at the end of 2019 and Russian oil production continuing to fall.
“So between a balanced oil market and then falling supply coming out of Russia that’s positive for the price of oil,” Chopra said.
Industrials climbed on gains by Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, and the technology sector got a boost from Shopify Inc.
The Canadian dollar traded at an average of 74.39 cents US compared with an average of 74.37 cents US on Friday. The June gold contract was up 80 cents at US$1,284.40 an ounce and the July copper contract was up 1.45 cents at US$2.71 a pound.
“Strong performance in the sectors where you would expect them, some of the underlining commodities are doing quite well,” he added.
Data releases could guide markets over the coming days absent major developments on trade negotiations between China and the U.S. The Bank of Canada releases its latest rate announcement on Wednesday. Although interest rates aren’t expected to change, the central bank will provide an update on its outlook for the state of the Canadian economy.
On Friday, China’s PMI manufacturing numbers for May will be released, offering a window into the economic activities of the Chinese manufacturing sector.
Tech giants pledge support for electoral fairness
Joan BRYDEN The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Facebook, Google and Microsoft have signed onto a declaration promising a dozen initiatives to protect the integrity of the Canadian election this fall – including working to remove phoney social-media accounts and fake content.
But other tech giants, including Twitter, have not signed on.
The Canada Declaration on Electoral Integrity Online was announced Monday by Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould, just hours before an international committee of politicians was to begin a three-day meeting in Ottawa aimed at figuring out how best to protect citizens’ privacy and democratic fairness in the age of social media.
“I wish to stress that the Wild-West online era cannot continue,” Gould told the House of Commons.
“Inaction is not an option. Disinformation must not stand.”
She appealed to other digital platforms “who are operating in Canada and who care about protecting our election to join Microsoft and Facebook and publicly commit to meeting these expectations” laid out in the declaration.
She did not mention Google but the company later said it had informed the minister’s office prior to her statement that it was supporting the declaration.
Members of the international grand committee on big data, privacy and democracy are to grill representatives from a host of internet giants – Facebook, Google, Twitter, Microsoft, Amazon and Mozilla – on what they’re doing, or not doing, to prevent abuse.
Many politicians from all three major parties in Canada have come to the conclusion that government needs to regulate the tech giants because they can’t be relied upon to regulate themselves.
Indeed, the NDP’s new democratic-reform critic Daniel Blaikie dismissed Gould’s new declaration as meaningless “lip service”
because it does not compel any social-media company to comply with Canada’s privacy laws or do anything else to protect against foreign interference, disinformation and other cyberthreats during the coming election campaign.
Real protection would mean “taking a regulatory approach rather than going cap in hand to social media giants and asking them to pretty-please change the way they do things,” Blaikie said.
Gould later said regulation will inevitably come if tech giants don’t follow through on the commitments in the declaration.
“If that’s not the case then following the election they can probably count on the fact that there’s going to be regulation in place,” she said outside the Commons.
By signing onto Gould’s declaration, some of the largest internet companies at least signalled a willingness to voluntarily tackle some of the problems that politicians fear threaten democracies around the globe.
“Joining the Canada Declaration on Electoral Integrity reflects how deeply committed we are to playing a meaningful role in promoting a healthy and resilient democracy,” said Kevin Chan, head of public policy for Facebook Canada.
“We support principles aimed at affording all Canadians access to technology, control over their data and peace of mind when it comes to their online privacy and security,” said Colin McKay, Google Canada’s head of public policy. Among other things, Facebook, Google and Microsoft commit to:
• Intensify efforts to combat disinformation and promote transparency.
• Protect against cyberthreats and misrepresentation of candidates, parties and election officials, and ensure privacy protection.
• Ensure transparency for regulated political advertising, including helping users understand when and why they’ve been targeted by an ad.
• Assist users to better understand the sources behind content they see; block and remove
malicious bots.
• Work to remove fake accounts and inauthentic content.
For Facebook, Chan said that will mean going “over and above” the recently legislated requirement that digital platforms create an online registry for political ads.
Facebook will not just identify the source of each ad, it will also provide information on how much was spent on it and the target audience. It will also use artificial intelligence to try to seek out political ads that do not comply with the law.
Chan acknowledged eliminating cyberthreats poses a huge challenge.
“It’s a bit of an arms race, right? So as we find ways to prevent bad actors from doing certain things, they’re going to want to evolve and they’re going to want to find different ways to do it and then we then want to counteract by further evolving our systems and our processes,” he said in an interview.
Politicians initially embraced social media as an innovative and inexpensive way to engage and communicate with more voters. But their enthusiasm has waned since the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign, which was bedevilled by disinformation, fake social-media accounts and hacked emails aimed at sowing dissension and manipulating the outcomemuch of it engineered by Russia.
Their trust in social media evaporated following last year’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which it was revealed that the personal data of some 87 million Facebook users had been improperly shared with the political consultancy firm for use in the 2016 U.S. campaign and Britain’s Brexit referendum.
The international grand committee was formed after that scandal and held its first meetings in London last year. Politicians from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Morocco, Estonia, Ireland and Singapore are taking part in the second set of meetings in Ottawa this week.
Canada should ban oil imports, Greens say
Mia RABSON The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Green party Leader
Elizabeth May says saving the world from climate change requires Canada to get off oil before the middle of the century.
In the meantime, she wants Canada off foreign oil as soon as possible.
The promise to make Canada energy independent is – perhaps unexpectedly – in line with the economic and climate strategy of Conservative leader Andrew Scheer.
Scheer’s plan calls for Canada to import no foreign oil by 2030, partly by planning an energy corridor across Canada that could simplify the construction of pipelines able to move Alberta oil to any coast. He sees it as a way to find additional domestic markets for Canada’s oilsands, in a bid to increase their production.
May’s plan, to “turn off the taps to oil imports” is only a stop-gap
measure to keep foreign oil out until Canada can break its oil habit altogether.
By 2050, May wants bitumen to be used in Canada only by the petrochemical industry for plastics, rubber, paint, and other such products.
“As long as we are using fossil fuels we should be using our fossil fuels,” said May. May’s climate plan is likely to get more scrutiny than its predecessors in past elections.
The Liberals and NDP already proved they are paying close attention to the rising threat of Green support, with both pushing similar motions to declare climate change an emergency in the House of Commons earlier this month. Both motions were tabled less than a week after the Greens elected a second MP in a Vancouver Island byelection, and not long after a provincial wing of the party formed the official opposition in Prince Edward Island.
May said she’s perfectly fine with Green popularity pushing other parties to raise their games on climate.
While both the Liberals and NDP claimed their motions had been in the works before the byelection result, May said there is no doubt in her mind that Paul Manly’s winning and the NDP and Liberals finishing distantly third and fourth, “had almost everything to do with” the motions. The NDP motion failed because it called for Canada to drop plans to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline, a pipeline May also opposes. The Liberal motion hasn’t yet gone to a vote.
The Green climate plan also calls for Canada to double its cuts to greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030 and get emissions to zero by 2050. That plan includes no longer selling combustion-engine cars after 2030 and replacing all existing combustion-engine vehicles by 2040.
Canada imports about a million barrels of oil a day and produces four times that much. In 2017, Canada produced 4.2 million barrels of oil, and exported 3.3 million of those. Domestic refineries handled 1.8 million barrels.
Canada’s oil producers already pump enough product to meet domestic demand but there are two problems: there is no pipeline from the oil-rich west to refineries in the east, and even if there were, those refineries aren’t equipped to handle the heavier bitumen that is the Alberta oilsands’ trademark. For Canadian refineries in the east, bitumen from the oilsands must be upgraded to synthetic crude.
May’s plan is to invest in upgraders to do it.
She acknowledges weaning Canada off foreign oil won’t happen overnight, given existing contracts Canadian refineries have and figuring out how to build the upgraders and then ship the product.
AP FILE PHOTO
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes the keynote speech at F8, the Facebook’s developer conference, in San Jose, Calif. on April 30. Facebook is one of three major tech firms which have signed a declaration committing to initiatives to protect the integrity of the Canadian election this fall.
