Players hurt in team bus crash
Citizen staff
Five players were taken to hospital in Kamloops for treatment and one was airlifted with a serious but apparently non-life-threatening injury after a bus carrying the College Heights Secondary School senior girls volleyball team went off Highway 97 just north of Cache Creek early Tuesday afternoon.
“Our thoughts are with those involved, their families and their friends,” College Heights principal Randy Halpape said in a letter posted on the school’s website. Team members are Emily Motley, Reeyse Desmarais, Emily MacDonald, Morgan Johnson, Rachel Kidd, Justine Guillet, Natasha Kozlowski, Melissa Bell, Brooke Eberherr, Ashlee Hick, Alysha Madsen and Sydney Bazinet. Jason Olexyn is the head coach and the assistants are Jay Guillet, Laura Wagner and Griffin Olexyn.
It’s under investigation by police, so we really can’t comment on it.
— Head coach
Jason Olexyn
B.C. RCMP traffic services Cpl. Mike Halskov said two adults and 10 students were in the bus when it crashed at about 12:10 p.m.
The team was heading to the B.C. high school triple-A championships in Powell River.
Other than to say the incident is under investigation, head coach Olexyn declined to comment when reached by phone.
“It’s under investigation by police, so we really can’t comment on it,” he said.
The highway was reopened at 1:15 p.m.
Zimmer part of pressure play on Facebook founder
Citizen news service
Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies
MP Bob Zimmer and a cohort of international lawmakers turned up the pressure on Facebook Tuesday, grilling one of its executives and making a show of founder Mark Zuckerberg’s refusal to explain to them why his company failed to protect users’ data privacy.
The rare “international grand committee” of lawmakers from nine countries gathered in London to get answers about Facebook’s handling of personal data and made a point of leaving a seat with Zuckerberg’s name tag. Zimmer was at the meeting in his role as chair of the House of Commons committee on information, privacy and ethics.
Richard Allan, the company’s vice-president for policy solutions, said he volunteered to attend because Zuckerberg had already appeared before other committees this year, including in Washington and, briefly, Brussels.
Lawmakers from Canada, Ireland, Brazil, Argentina, Singapore, Belgium, France and Latvia joined their British counterparts at the parliamentary select committee hearing – the first such cross-border event in London since 1933. They want to scrutinize Facebook over its handling of data privacy, most notably involving consultancy Cambridge Analytica’s improper use of information from more than 87 million Facebook accounts to manipulate elections. British select committees are used to investigate major issues and have the powerful – from CEOs to government officials – explain their decisions in a public forum. They don’t have the power to make laws but the government takes their recommendations into account when formulating new policies. see SOCIAL MEDIA, page 2
Emily Albertson
Councillors speak in favour of changes to intersection
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
Support in general was expressed Monday when Prince George city council members commented on major changes in store for the vicinity of Highway 97 and 22nd Avenue in answer to the death of a College of New Caledonia student this past summer.
Timing of the lights for traffic and pedestrians will be adjusted to reduce the potential for conflicts but perhaps the most significant move will be closure of the northbound lane along Westwood Avenue.
To begin in January, it will reduce congestion at the intersection but will also mean drivers trying to get onto Highway 97 North will have to turn east onto Massey and then turn right onto the on-ramp just past the overpass.
About 1,800 vehicles each day pass through the area to be closed, peaking at about 180 per hour in the afternoon and 130 per hour in the morning, while the on-ramp is under-used, city engineering and public works general manager Dave Dyer told council.
The changes have been a source of controversy on social media with posters complaining they’re being penalized for the acts of jaywalkers crossing the highway and saying it will add time to their commutes. Coun. Brian Skakun echoed those comments on Monday night but the rest of council generally endorsed the plan when given a chance to comment following an update from Dyer.
Changes are coming for Westwood Drive at 22nd Avenue and how traffic
onto the highway.
The changes to the traffic lights is a Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure project while Westwood is a city road. Council had no say on whether the work can go ahead and the update was provided for information.
“There is no doubt we have to do some
improvements there but I don’t think we necessarily have to make such a major disruption to our traffic,” Skakun said and added an underpass or an overpass paid for by the province would have been a better option.
see DRIVERS, page 3
Special advisor was axed from previous job
Graeme WOOD Citizen news service
The man at the centre of a mysterious criminal investigation of the B.C. Legislature was terminated from his previous casino security management job after being drunk at the workplace, court documents allege.
Alan Mullen, special advisor to House Speaker Darryl Plecas, initiated a civil lawsuit for wrongful termination in August 2007 against his former employer Great Canadian Casinos Inc.
Mullen had claimed he was terminated without cause and without reasonable notice.
Documents show the case was either settled or dropped by Mullen prior to a hearing, and without costs to either party, in December 2007.
Mullen had claimed he was terminated without cause and without reasonable notice. The casino responded to the court that Mullen had, in fact, been suspended for four days, without pay, for “intoxication in the workplace.”
The casino said Mullen did not appeal the suspension, which occurred in September 2006. The two sides continued their working relationship until about a year later, in June 2007, when Mullen commenced an internal claim for 542 hours of overtime worth $11,465 (his salary was $45,000).
But the casino claimed Mullen was uncooperative when it attempted to investigate his claim.
— see MULLEN, page 4
Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer signs an agreed declaration of principles on disinformation and fake news at the beginning of a press conference in London on Tuesday. Eight different parliaments from all over the world, known as the International Grand Committee on Disinformation and Fake News, gathered for a special evidence session.
Social media giant has ‘lost the trust of the international community’
from page 1
Allan appeared after the committee’s chairman, Damian Collins, took the unusual move of seizing a trove of confidential internal Facebook documents from a visiting U.S. tech executive. The committee wanted the files, which have been sealed by a California judge, in the hope they would shed light on Facebook’s privacy policies.
Collins, who has not yet made the documents public, asked Allan about one item he said was of considerable public interest that suggests Facebook was alerted to possible Russian hacking years before it became a major issue. He said the document indicates a Facebook engineer notified his superiors in October 2014
that “entities with Russian IP addresses” were pulling more than three billion data points a day from Facebook.
Allan said that information was “at best partial and at worst potentially misleading.”
Facebook said in a statement that the “the engineers who had flagged these initial concerns subsequently looked into this further and found no evidence of specific Russian activity.”
The committee obtained the files from Theodore Kramer, CEO of app maker Six4Three, after they discovered he was in London, threatening him with prison if he refused. Kramer’s company acquired the files as part of a legal discovery process in a lawsuit against Facebook.
Allan apologized frequently but revealed little new about Facebook and its operations. He acknowledged that the company has not been without blame in how it handled various scandals.
“I’m not going to disagree with you that we’ve damaged public trust with some of the actions we’ve taken,” he said.
Allan was responding to Charlie Angus, an NDP MP on Zimmer’s committee, who said the social media giant has “lost the trust of the international community to self-police,” and that governments have to start looking at ways to hold the company accountable. Facebook accepts that a regulatory framework is needed, Allan said.
Drivers ‘need to slow down,’ says McConnachie
— from page 1
However, Coun. Murry Krause suggested an underpass won’t reduce jaywalking.
“If people won’t go to a crosswalk to cross, they won’t go to an underpass either,” he said and added many people, especially women, avoid such darkened places at night in the name of personal safety.
While she agreed that 1,800 vehicles is a lot, Coun. Terry McConnachie said the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks.
“Folks just need to slow down and plan for greater time for where they’re going,” she added. “I think that would much improve the situation throughout our whole city.”
Coun. Garth Frizzell noted Prince George Secondary School is in the area and CNC is growing by leaps and bounds and said the steps amount to a solution that is “probably going to save lives.”
Coun. Susan Scott said it’s already a scramble on Westwood as drivers dodge multiple lanes to get into the left lane on 22nd.
“It isn’t pretty,” she said. If the lane isn’t closed, Coun. Frank Everitt said the traffic along Westwood will be backed up even more once the new timing for the lights is in place and added the city’s population is growing.
“We’ve got more traffic on the road and we’ve got people who are in a heckuva hurry to go nowhere... and occasionally, we need to have changes that make us do things differently and this is one of them,” he added.
Coun. Cori Ramsay also spoke in favour, saying it’s going to be a benefit in terms of safety.
Coun. Kyle Sampson took the same position.
“It’s an inconvenience but if it’s going to add to the safety of our residents, it’s the right choice,” he said.
Mayor Lyn Hall said he remains concerned about the “pinch point” on the east side where it can be difficult to turn onto the highway from the frontage road and, for those heading east, getting onto Griffiths Avenue. He asked Dyer to raise the matter with the ministry.
Dyer said concrete barriers will be used to close off the lane over the short term while the city’s capital plan calls for permanent removal of the asphalt next year at a cost of about $200,000. A message board sign at Massey and Westwood will be used to alert drivers to the closure.
The flashing amber light alerting drivers that someone wants to cross Massey at the overpass – often used by PGSS students –will remain in place but will be “something we’ll definitely keep an eye on,” Dyer also said.
Evacuation test at pulp mill source of siren
Citizen staff
A test of the evacuation system at the Intercon Pulp Mill was the source of the siren heard around the Bowl on Tuesday morning, according to a Canfor official.
“It’s a regular drill that happens quarterly,” Michelle Ward said in an email.
Police were given notice on Monday the test would happen, Prince George RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass said.
ICBC redirecting funds
VICTORIA (CP) — ICBC is slashing its advertising budget in half and redirecting the funds toward police traffic enforcement.
Attorney General David Eby says high risk drivers are ignoring the corporation’s road safety messages. He says channelling advertising funds directly to enforcement will offer the chance to deliver the message directly to risky drivers.
Gouchie grateful for lessons in Nashville
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
Kym Gouchie is a singersongwriter any aspiring musician would be wise to learn from. One of the reasons she is so acclaimed for her work is the spirit of aspiration she keeps alive in herself. She strives to be better at her craft and she flew right to the top of the songwriter mountain for her next lessons. She journeyed to Nashville where she spent 10 days working with BC Entertainment Hall of Fame member Linda McRae on how to write a better tune.
McRae was a member of the Canadian Celtic act Spirit of The West; she has been called in to collaborate by such luminaries as Bruce Cockburn, Neko Case and Paul Hyde; her songs have been covered by acts like The Skydiggers and lauded by ultra-producers like Colin Linden; she was one of The Primary Colours, a limited duration trio act with fellow stars Kim Ritchie and Doug Cox; one, and she has a loaded magazine of solo albums.
McRae has worked as a mentor with many other songwriters, and recently even in Folsom Prison like another singing outlaw you’ve probably heard of. What she’s not done before is 10 days of in-house one-on-one work like she did with Gouchie, where the learning happened almost constantly. Some of it was guitar playing, some of it was lyric structure, some of it was storytelling, some of it was physical technique, and Gouchie drank it all in like a fountain in the desert.
“Linda said she could see my mental light bulbs going off, because yes, I did have a lot of moments of realization,” Gouchie said. “Song structure, rhyming schemes, patterns to follow, how to listen to and gather in other people’s music especially the lyrics, which is something I’ve never really done before. I get into the groove of the music, that’s what I go with, but where the rhymes are, where the story lives, that’s what’s been new for me. I’ve only ever done that before intuitively, not in control of it.”
Gouchie was able to spend this time mastering her craft thanks to a grant from the Canada Council
B.C. IN BRIEF
Mayor ‘dismayed’ by Surrey debt level
SURREY (CP) — Mayor Doug McCallum says he is “deeply dismayed” by the state of the finances in Surrey and has instructed staff to launch a “pay as you go” system to cut the city’s debt.
McCallum, who originally served as Surrey’s mayor between 1999 and 2005, was elected in October and said Tuesday he was “shaken to the core” when he learned about the red ink on city books.
He said the debt totals $514 million.
McCallum is confident the planned pay-as-you-go system will not affect programs and services across the city.
But he said in a statement that council must determine how to “responsibly proceed with capital projects.”
McCallum wants to see Surrey
“operate like a regular household” by saving and paying bills as they are due.
“When I was previously mayor
for the Arts. Gouchie was a viable candidate due to her own substantial body of work, like the song Sister Rain that hit No. 1 on the Canadian Aboriginal Music Charts, her developing stage play entitled Her Blood Runs Through My Braids, the music she’s composed using her native Dakelh language, and years of touring and performing her original recordings.
For any artist, especially one like Gouchie who grew up in a musical family steeped in goldenage country, Nashville is a Mecca.
“I’m just blown away by the amount of live music in this city. It’s like it comes out of every crack and corner. When you drive down Broadway, its one building to the next, the sounds bleeding into each other, but they are all so distinct.”
Her brother has been to Music City before. Mike Gouchie was an aspiring country star with his own
for nine years, I took great pride in running the city’s finances by saving first and avoiding debt. Council and I have agreed to immediately bring the city’s fiscal house in order,” McCallum said.
A budget report prepared by staff will be presented to Surrey’s finance committee on Dec. 11.
McCallum said he and council won’t comment further until they have reviewed that document.
Police make arrest in death of 87-year-old
(CP) — Vancouver police say they’ve arrested a 23-year-old man from Surrey in relation to the death of an 87-year-old woman.
The body of Elizabeth Poulin was found in her apartment on the weekend.
Police say the identity of the suspect can’t be released until charges have been approved by Crown counsel.
They say homicide investigators are working to establish a motive.
A relative discovered Poulin dead at around 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.
notice song lyrics and notice stories in song. When I first started playing songs, I would perform her music. To be there to feel the sadness and tragedy over how soon she was taken, but how she is still alive today through her music, it was very powerful. All over Nashville you can feel those early stars still alive in memory.”
She attended the Country Music Association Awards, which coincidentally took place during her visit, an event she called “sensory overload” and a perfect cap to the grassroots Nashville blitz she’d been engaged in.
She even got some of her own stage time.
“I hadn’t been here 24 hours and I was already on a stage singing,” she said, after a visit to Papa Turney’s, a live music barbecue house where the headliner that night was Daryl Wayne Dasher. Gouchie noticed his tattoos, styled on West Coast native art. She talked with him about that and before long, he had her up joining the band.
It was one of the few flashes of Aboriginal context she encountered on the trip. She was enthralled with Nashville and easily immersed in the music and its history, but she was aware that Canada is more attuned to the Indigenous component of definitive Western culture as we know it today.
momentum. Buddy Gouchie had a renowned stage command. Both have taken time off from actively pursuing this rare kind of career, but their sister couldn’t help dreaming on their behalf as she meandered around this capital city of western music.
It was a lot of work, focused on how to make better art, but it was also a lot of inspiration by visiting famed locations like the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, Robert’s Western World, Tootsies Orchid Lounge, the Bluebird Cafe, the Country Music Hall of Fame and her personal pilgrimage to the Patsy Cline Museum.
“It was pouring rain and there was no one there but me for two hours so I got a private tour and it felt like I’d walked in out of the rain into her house,” she said.
“Patsy Cline was the first artist that really grabbed my attention and through whom I started to
“I’ve never felt like such a minority in my life,” she said, as a matter of fact. She noticed a population of African Americans, but only encountered one other visibly Aboriginal American, an Apache server at a club she attended after the country music awards show.
“I was just so happy because I hadn’t seen anybody until then,” Gouchie said. “She completely made my day, to know she was there, she was visible, and had such beautiful confidence and personal energy and so proud.” Gouchie will be proudly turning her new creative knowledge towards her play and new music she is working towards with new production partner Rae Spoon. “Rae Spoon has done so much for me, and Rae is the one who wrote the grant proposal that got me this opportunity with Linda. I have fallen into the most amazing hands,” Gouchie said.
HANDOUT PHOTO
Local singer-songwriter Kym Gouchie was recently in Nashville, working to hone her craft. Here, she is pictured at the Patsy Cline Museum.
Mullen started at casino as security guard
from page 2
“The Defendant (casino) attempted to investigate and resolve the matter through dialogue with the Plaintiff (Mullen) but the Plaintiff steadfastly refused to provide the necessary or any back-up documentation or supporting information,” stated the casino in its statement of defence.
The casino claimed Mullen was “vexatious” after he commenced an action in provincial court to recover the overtime pay.
“The Defendant directed the Plaintiff to provide such documentation or supporting information to the Defendant if the Plaintiff wished to pursue the claim,” stated the casino. But Mullen instead filed his lawsuit, which the casino said was a “repudiation of the Contract of Employment.”
At this juncture the casino believed “by his actions, the Plaintiff had poisoned his relationship with the Defendant. It was no longer feasible for him to remain in the Defendant’s employ and he was dismissed for cause as a result.”
Mullen started working at the casino as a security guard in February 2004 and was promoted to a security shift manager position one year later. Mullen claimed he was diligent and faithful in his duties. He claimed his dismissal was “callous, abrupt and humiliating,” which caused him anxiety and loss of reputation for which he sought general and special damages.
Terms of any potential settlement were undisclosed and Mullen has not replied to multiple interview requests. Great Canadian said it does not comment on personnel matters.
Mullen was thrust into the political spotlight last week when House Speaker Plecas revealed Mullen had conducted a secret, seven-month long, private investigation into sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz and legislature clerk Craig James. The files were passed to the RCMP, which has stated two special prosecutors are now managing the investigation of claims, details of which have not yet been made public, related to Lenz and James’ administrative duties.
The BC Prosecution Service explained last week: “Given the potential size and scope of the investigation, the ADAG (Assistant Deputy of the Attorney General) determined that two Special Prosecutors would be appointed. The ADAG will consider appointing a Special Prosecutor where some aspect of an investigation, or prosecution file, carries a significant potential for real or perceived improper influence in prosecutorial decision-making. A Special Prosecutor works independent from government, the Ministry of Attorney General and the BCPS.”
David Butcher and Brock Martland were appointed special prosecutors on Oct. 1. Mullen was hired by Plecas as a special advisor for a reported $75,000.
After his job at the casino, Mullen reportedly volunteered on political campaigns and as a corrections official at Kent Institution, a federal maximum security prison in Agassiz, where he and Plecas (a prison judge) first met and later became friends.
Plecas suggested to House leaders last week that Mullen be appointed interim sergeant-at-arms — a suggestion that was met with quick refusal according to Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth. related story, page 5
Grizzly kills woman and infant
(CP) — A grizzly bear has killed a woman and her 10-month-old baby in the Yukon.
The Yukon Coroner’s Service says 37-year-old Valerie Theoret and infant Adele Roesholt died in the attack. The service says in a release it received notice of the deaths in the Einarson Lake area near the Northwest Territories border.
RCMP received a call at about 3:45 p.m. on Monday from a trapper, identified as Gjermund Roesholt. He was charged by a grizzly bear about 100 metres from a cabin he shared with his wife and infant daughter. He shot the bear dead, but when he returned to his cabin, he found the bodies of his wife and child just outside.
Safety on the big screen
RCMP officer felt betrayed by force, colleague tells inquest
BURNABY — An RCMP officer who took his own life was betrayed by the force and “hung out to dry” by superiors who used him to tell a false story about the death of a Polish immigrant at Vancouver International Airport, a former media strategist for the Mounties testified Tuesday.
“I saw the institutional betrayal that he experienced first-hand, and I saw damage it did to him first-hand,” Atoya Montague told a coroner’s inquest into Pierre Lemaitre’s death in July 2013. “It was really horrible.”
She said Lemaitre became a scapegoat for the Mounties after two decades of building his reputation and rising to the rank of sergeant. Montague said Lemaitre was told the inaccurate information he provided to the media about the incident involving Robert Dziekanski would not be corrected.
Montague said another officer was initially deployed to the airport to address the media after the confrontation between Dziekanski and four Mounties, who used a Taser to try and subdue the man on the night of Oct. 14, 2007. The officer called her at 4 a.m. to say dealing with the incident would be beyond his scope, Montague said, adding she advised him to contact Lemaitre, who received information from investigators when he arrived at the airport.
Lemaitre told reporters three offi-
cers approached a combative man and jolted him twice. But two days later he watched a video from a witness that showed Dziekanski was relatively calm when the Mounties arrived and that they used a Taser five times.
Lemaitre was so distressed that he approached managers to demand the information be corrected immediately, Montague said, but a decision was made to not take any action.
“He was helpless, helpless to correct it. He was so distraught,” she said through tears, recalling how Lemaitre worried he’d be considered a liar.
The RCMP refused to set the record straight despite her advice that the force was making a “huge mistake,” said Montague, who retired last year after a medical discharge.
“This is a national and international story,” she said, adding that Lemaitre was under more pressure after the video became public.
Deputy chief coroner Vincent Stancato reminded a five-member jury at the end of Montague’s testimony that the purpose of an inquest is not to cast blame but to hear evidence on recommendations that could be made to prevent similar deaths in the future.
Lemaitre’s former family doctor and
psychologist told the inquest Tuesday that officer had post-traumatic stress disorder from dealing with victims of crime but the Dziekanski incident increased his depression and anxiety.
His former psychologist, Georgia Nemetz, recommended the RCMP put more emphasis on resiliency training, including for supervisors.
“It’s not a normal job and people going in should not expect to have a normal life and they should not expect that their normal coping skills will protect them.” Nemetz, who last saw Lemaitre three days before his death, does critical incident de-briefings for the RCMP.
She said more debriefings are being provided for members since his death but still more needs to be done for officers.
“I don’t believe everything that is being done is being done equally at every division, and every detachment is different,” she said.
Lemaitre’s family doctor said his patient was prescribed antidepressants and anxiety medication but he was not suicidal.
Dr. Cameron Smith said Lemaitre was also dealing with stress at home and expressed concerns about caring for his disabled wife, saying she had indicated thoughts of suicide.
He described Lemaitre as a stoic man whose mental health issues began improving, only to worsen after Dziekanski’s death.
B.C. First Nations carry huge debts after fighting to save homes from wildfires
VANCOUVER — Chief Larry Nooski remembers the deafening sound of a wildfire racing toward Nadleh Whut’en territory in August, like a “low-level jet plane.”
The chief of the central British Columbia First Nation felt ambushed. His community scrambled to buy equipment, train firefighters, evacuate residents and set up an emergency operations centre – spending about $400,000 but saving most of the reserve’s buildings from the flames.
He said the province’s emergency management agency assured him it would coordinate reimbursement from various provincial, federal and non-governmental agencies. Months later, he’s still waiting.
“We are able to carry this debt, but we shouldn’t have to,” Nooski said. “My worry is more (about) those smaller communities that have to go through these emergencies and make those expenditures and are not able to carry the debts.”
Many B.C. First Nations that stayed to stop wildfires from destroying their communities in 2017 and 2018 are still wait-
ing to be reimbursed by the provincial and federal governments for hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses.
Indigenous groups say they’re in an impossible situation because they can’t afford to pay for training and equipment for firefighters before a crisis strikes, so they have to take on enormous debts to protect their homes as flames approach.
Nooski was set to meet with provincial officials today to deliver a report about his community’s struggle to stop the massive Shovel Lake wildfire near Fraser Lake. It burned through 922 square kilometres of the nation’s traditional territory, including two cabins and a smokehouse at a camp for substance abuse rehabilitation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in August to clear up the lines of communication between the provincial and federal governments to ensure First Nations had what they needed to fight wildfires. The same day, the deputy minister of Indigenous Services Canada visited Nadleh Whut’en land and surveyed the damage in a helicopter.
“We were hoping that their visit would ease any of the application processes... to help the area regenerate,” Nooski said.
Residents of his community moved back into smoke-damaged homes without any inspection for potential health effects, he said, and many of their freezers are empty for the winter because they couldn’t pick berries or fish in the summer.
Most B.C. First Nations that suffered an emergency in 2017 or 2018 have response or recovery funds outstanding, Brent Langlois of the First Nations Emergency Services Society said in an email.
“The scope does include literally dozens of communities,” he said. “Losses are extensive and include infrastructure, socio-economic (and) economic viability of a community, and mental and physical health concerns.”
He said reimbursement claims are onerous and time-consuming. In many cases, the outstanding funds significantly impact general operations of a community, he said.
Emergency Management BC said the province strives to reimburse valid claims within 30 days, but given the complexity of some of the claims received over the past two wildfire seasons, this objective is not always attainable.
— see CHIEF, page 5
Replica will replace historic house
MONTREAL (CP) — After a public outcry over the demolition of a historically significant house in Chambly, Que., last week, the town has announced plans to replace it with a replica. The house, built around 1820, had links to a civilian uprising against British rule. A town report said the Maison Boileau had suffered irreversible damage because it was poorly maintained. Historian Louise Chevrier likens the plan to a replica to Disneyland. She maintains the house could have remained standing for decades.
The importance of road safety is the highlight of a new joint education campaign being launched by ICBC, the RCMP and the College of New Caledonia and being geared toward international students in the city. The campaign kicked off Tuesday at CNC with a screening of three road safety videos featuring CNC international students.
Camille BAINS Citizen news service
Premier defends B.C. Speaker
Dirk MEISSNER Citizen news service
VICTORIA — Premier John Horgan says he has confidence in legislature Speaker Darryl Plecas even though he wishes the events of the last week at British Columbia’s legislature had unfolded differently. Horgan said he believes Plecas will continue to perform his impartial duties despite the disruptive events that resulted in two top officials in the legislature being placed on leave amid an RCMP investigation.
The premier made the comments Tuesday at a news conference marking the conclusion of the fall sitting of the legislature, which started Oct. 1.
The abrupt suspensions of sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz and clerk of the house Craig James, along with Plecas’s role in the ongoing drama, drew intense attention at the expense of the government’s achievement in passing legislation that will bring ride hailing to the province next year, Horgan said.
Horgan also said the announcement in October by LNG Canada that it was proceeding with a $40-billion liquefied natural gas export terminal in Kitimat and the current electoral reform referendum were also highlights for his government this fall.
More than 20 pieces of legislation were passed during the session, including a speculation tax on second vacant homes, a poverty-reduction plan and a new Human Rights Code.
While Horgan said he is proud of the work they do, the suspensions of the officials at the legislature following an investigation by the Speaker’s office has once again thrust B.C. on the national stage for its political episodes.
“Despite the challenges that have not just hap-
pened recently over the time I’ve been a member here, and also as a student of history, over many decades in B.C. This oftentimes is the centre of oddities in Canada and true to form here we are again.”
The premier said Plecas has a difficult job and suggested patience as the police conduct their investigation with the help of two special prosecutors.
“His impartiality is not in question as far as I’m concerned,” Horgan said.
But Opposition Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said Plecas appears to be empire-building after revealing he tried to have his special adviser Alan Mullen appointed acting sergeant-at-arms as Lenz was placed on administrative leave along with James.
The Liberals failed in their attempts to bring forward and rescind an earlier motion where the legislature voted unanimously to place Lenz and James on administrative leave.
“We’re very concerned about the events of the past week,” said Wilkinson. “There’s a much greater need for transparency. There should be nowhere to hide and we’ve seen the NDP hide all week.”
Lenz and James say they have yet to be told about the allegations they face and they have hired a lawyer who has demanded their reinstatement while the police investigation proceeds.
Plecas has said all three party leaders supported the motion to suspend the men and it would not be appropriate for the officers to continue to be at the assembly in the face of an active criminal investigation regarding their actions related to the assembly.
The RCMP has said it is investigating staff at the legislature, but it has not said who is the subject of the probe or described the investigation as criminal in nature.
Nobody noticed drowned teen for 38 minutes
MONTREAL (CP) — A Montreal teen who drowned during a high school gym class spent 38 minutes at the bottom of the pool without anyone noticing, a coroner’s investigation has found.
Dr. Louis Normandin’s report into the death last February of Blessing Claude Moukoko reveals a troubling lack of supervision.
“Blessing Claude Moukoko was left alone at the bottom of the pool... and this, because there wasn’t a lifeguard essentially dedicated to their function,” Normandin wrote in the report made public Tuesday.
Like many of the 19 Ecole Pere-Marquette students in the class, Moukoko, 14, was just learning to swim. He was taking part in his third swim class as part of a high school gym course the morning of Feb. 15. He was last seen struggling to do the crawl, and no
one noticed the Grade 8 student’s absence when the class left the pool deck. It was only when a second class arrived that they saw what they thought was a dummy at the bottom of the municipal pool, which is adjacent to the school in the city’s Rosemont district.
The coroner described security video of the pool from that morning as unsettling. “People are walking around the pool deck, the water is calm, so calm in fact, they have the impression – the students in the second course – that they see a dummy in the bottom of the pool,” he said at a news conference.
“The lifeguard understands, dives, calls for help.”
Normandin recommended that any gym teacher giving swim lessons receive the training required by the province and that a lifeguard provide full-time surveillance during all courses.
Chief of Tahltan Nation ‘very pleased’ with gov’t response
— from page 4
Indigenous Services Canada said it’s working with B.C. and First Nations to develop a tripartite approach to emergency management that recognizes First Nations as full partners. It also provided funding to 44 First Nations in the last year to update and exercise their emergency management plans and conduct mitigation projects, it said. The 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons were the worst on record in terms of land scorched in B.C. The Bonaparte Indian Band spent $600,000 to fight the Elephant Hill wildfire near Cache Creek in 2017 and have not been reimbursed about $150,000. Carrying the debt has a significant impact on essential services, said
Chief Ryan Day.
Day said a portion of their claim was rejected because their firefighters weren’t properly certified, and ideally, his band would have a fully certified crew and equipment. But its “persistent state of poverty” means it simply can’t afford these things, he said.
“The root of the issue is that... we’ve been prevented from having a land base where we could have adequate taxation and have adequate economic opportunities... so that we can provide basic services to our people, like fire protection,” he said.
He added that severe wildfires could be prevented with proper management of the forest, but his community has no control over the land surrounding it.
Pilots struggled to control plane that crashed in Indonesia
Citizen news service
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Black box data collected from their crashed Boeing 737 MAX 8 show Lion Air pilots struggled to maintain control as the aircraft’s automatic safety system repeatedly pushed the plane’s nose down, according to a preliminary investigation into last month’s disaster.
The investigators are focusing on whether faulty information from sensors led the plane’s system to force the nose down. The new 737 MAX 8 plunged into the Java Sea on Oct. 29, killing all 189 people on board.
Information from the Lion Air jet’s flight data recorder was included in a briefing for the Indonesian Parliament. Indonesian authorities released the findings Wednesday but were not expected to draw conclusions from the data they presented.
Peter Lemme, an expert in aviation and satellite communications and a former Boeing engineer, wrote an analysis of the data on his blog.
The MAX aircraft is the latest version of Boeing’s popular 737 jetliner. It is equipped with an automated system that pushes the nose down if a sensor detects that the nose is pointed so high that the plane could go into an aerodynamic stall.
Lemme described “a deadly game of tag” in which the plane pointed down, the pilots countered by manually aiming the nose higher, only for the sequence to repeat about five seconds later. That happened 26 times during the 11-minute flight, but pilots failed to recognize what was happening and follow the known procedure for countering incorrect activation of the automated safety system,
Lemme told The Associated Press.
Lemme said he was also troubled that there weren’t easy checks to see if sensor information was correct, that the crew of the fatal flight apparently wasn’t warned that similar problems had occurred on previous flights, and that the Lion Air jet wasn’t fully repaired after those flights.
“Had they fixed the airplane, we would not have had the accident,” he said. “Every accident is a combination of events, so there is disappointment all around here,” he said.
Boeing spokesman Charles Bickers said the company is “taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this accident.”
The company said last week that it remains confident in the safety of the 737 MAX and had given airlines around the world two updates to “re-emphasize existing procedures for these situations.”
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Lion Air Flight 610. We extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the families and loved ones of those onboard. We will analyze any additional information as it becomes available,” the company said in a statement.
Pilots at American Airlines and Southwest Airlines complained this month that they had not been given all information about the new system on the MAX. More than 200 MAX jets have been delivered to airlines around the world.
The Indonesian investigation is continuing with help from U.S. regulators and Boeing. Searchers have not found the plane’s cockpit voice recorder, which would provide more information about the pilots’ actions.
Man donates $1M to Paradise residents
CHICO, Calif. (AP) — A businessman pained over the destruction to the town of Paradise caused by a deadly Northern California wildfire on Tuesday gave $1,000 each to students and staff members from the local high school.
Real estate developer and restaurant owner Bob Wilson arrived in the nearby city of Chico with two suitcases stuffed with checks totalling $1.1 million for Paradise High School’s 980 students and 105 teachers and staff members.
Wilson is from the San Diego area and said he thought of the donation after reading a Los Angeles Times story about the high school still standing with
students scattered and separated from each other. One student told the newspaper he missed spending time with his friends at local hangouts and another said she cries constantly.
Wilson is 90 and said in an interview that his memories of high school in the 1940s inspired him to act. His intention was to make the kids smile and “give a little freedom to do whatever they wanted to do and maybe take their minds off what happened for a short period.”
He said reading about the hardships faced by the Paradise high school students broke his heart and he wanted them to know that someone cares about them.
The First Nation hardest hit by wildfires last summer was the Tahltan Nation in Telegraph Creek, where 21 homes were destroyed.
In contrast with other Indigenous leaders, Chief Rick McLean said the provincial and federal governments have been fully responsive from Day 1 of the crisis.
The federal government gave them $2 million to cover costs right away, and he’s confident that the $1.4 million they paid out of pocket will be reimbursed, he said.
“I’m very pleased with the federal government’s response,” he said. “I think they were looking for something to champion. We have the largest wildfire devastation to a community in Canadian history and the fastest recovery.”
HORGAN
Hard lessons from Lemaitre tragedy
Pierre Lemaitre’s job was never easy. As the officer in charge of speaking to the news media on behalf of the RCMP in B.C., he had to answer tough questions about a number of cases that didn’t reflect well on the force or on his fellow members.
When Clay Willey died in police custody in Prince George in 2003, 16 hours after being shot with a Taser and forcibly restrained, Lemaitre answered the questions.
When Ian Bush was shot and killed by a gunshot to the back of the head in the Houston RCMP detachment in 2005, Lemaitre answered the questions.
When the missing and murdered women on the Highway of Tears added up over the years to a number police could no longer ignore, Lemaitre answered the questions.
And when Robert Dziekanski died at the Vancouver airport on Oct. 14, 2007, after a Taser takedown by officers that was captured on video by horrified onlookers, Lemaitre answered the questions.
He told reporters Dziekanski had been combative. He told reporters the Polish immigrant was Tasered twice.
Both statements were wrong, as the video revealed when it became public a month later.
While clearly frustrated, Dziekanski was not violent towards the police officers be-
fore they Tasered him five times.
After being accused of misleading the public, Lematire wanted to set the record straight but he was ordered not to, his widow Sheila, a former RCMP officer, testified Monday at the coronor’s inquest into his suicide on July 29, 2013.
“It appeared our outfit didn’t give him all the right information,” retired Prince George RCMP officer and former media liason Gary Godwin told The Citizen in reaction to the news of Lemaitre’s death.
“He was a straightforward guy. He never would have told an untruth, and that was unfortunate.”
Godwin would know, having served with both Sheila and Pierre Lemaitre in the Prince George detachment during the 1990s.
What Godwin likely didn’t know was that Lemaitre was already fighting anxiety and depression. Lemaitre was first prescribed medication to deal with his conditions in 1993, nine years after first joining the force, his widow told the inquest Monday.
He kept his internal demons at bay for more than a decade after first taking antidepressants, continuing to rise through the ranks after postings that included Kamloops, Langley, Cranbrook and Bella Coola.
The Braidwood inquiry into Dziekanski’s death largely exonerated Lemaitre, laying the blame on higher-ranking officers for not
allowing him to correct his initial comments after the video became public.
Yet, in the immediate aftermath of the Dziekanski tragedy, Lemaitre was transferred to traffic, which his widow recalled him saying was like “being put out with the trash.”
His descent started there, Sheila Lemaitre recalled to the inquest, continuing through several stress leaves, changes in behaviour that included racking up credit cards, rage and abuse.
“It’s a whole other issue when... you don’t have that internal support, when the people you work with are the source of that pressure and pain,” she said. “That’s when Pierre could no longer pick himself up.”
That’s the tragedy of Lemaitre in a nutshell but the same phrase could also be used to describe so many other first responders and military veterans in Canada who have taken their own lives as the result of mental illness triggered by trauma suffered while on the job.
When things are going well, the sense of belonging, of being part of a team, of making a difference in the community, fills everyone who serves in uniform and puts themselves in harm’s way with purpose and pride. When they are physically wounded on duty, they are honoured for their heroism. When they are mentally wounded on duty, they are cast aside for their weakness.
YOUR LETTERS
Guns don’t kill people, gangs kill people
In saying that Andrew Scheer has missed the target on guns, I would have to agree with opinion writer Neil Godbout that Scheer has indeed missed the Liberal Party of Canada’s political target on the matter. And that is all.
Godbout is dreaming lazily if he truly believes that banning guns, any kind of gun, will cause a reduction in gun related violence. The vast majority of such violence is intimately linked to the drug trade and criminal gangs that thrive on it.
Last time I checked, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and the like were completely banned and “off the table” as it were; yet they are still there and sufficiently motivated people are still killing each other over them.
What logical reason is there to assume that taking guns from someone who shoots targets for recreation will stop these hoods in downtown Toronto? There is none. The illicit drug market and
it’s promise of easy money for those willing to deal in violence will still remain.
These individuals will continue to shoot each other and any innocents caught in their crossfire without even noticing that target shooting at the local range has come to a legislated end.
Similarly, the idea of banning guns or modifications that are “too powerful” for hunting is also a ridiculous notion.
Too powerful for hunting? Really? For hunting what? And who would decide this? Him? Groups like Polysouvient? Government bureaucrats? Unless I have missed the technological changes that have replaced the chemical propellant known as gun powder with phased plasma rifles, there is no such thing as too powerful when it comes to shoulder fired rifles for hunting or long range target shooting.
Can one be “over gunned” for hunting a particular species of game animal? Of course. But that same rifle or shotgun may be not enough gun for another; the individual hunter needs to decide what is best for his/her abilities and the game species pursued
and not some armchair quarterback. In the end, Scheer has likely proposed the best approach to combating gangs and their criminality in regard to firearms.
What the Liberals are proposing is simply punitive towards those who have been following the law all along while doing very little to discourage or hold accountable those who are guilty of actually breaking the law and causing unwanted mayhem.
George Fritz Garson, Ont.
Indigenous housing project is racist
Re: Province earmarks $10 million for Indigenous housing project.
Terry Teegee, First Nations Regional Chief, said “This will begin to make a difference but still have a long way to go.”
When will enough be enough? I would never deny anyone help but, why just an “Indigenous housing project?”
Sounds like major racism to me.
Carol Schwab Prince George
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.
Mailing address: 201-1777 Third Ave. Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7
Office hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 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
At the moment when they need the support of their brothers and sisters in arms the most, it is snatched away.
This is the culture, not just of our armed and police forces and our first responders, but throughout our society, running through our families and our workplaces.
Evolutionary psychologists have determined that this cruel and cold-hearted recoil response to suffering in our immediate vicinity has been a constant across cultures and times, a basic human fear of contracting whatever unseen illness plaguing those in our midst.
That’s no excuse, however. That merely explains why we have to work so hard to consciously override our default primitive response and care more for those in need, particularly those in organizations that must project confidence and strength as part of their mission. Health professionals and first responders are able to override this response as part of their daily duties to aid others but are often found lacking when it comes to helping their colleagues cope with the mental toll of their essential work.
Lemaitre did his duty and served with honour. Sadly, the RCMP did not treat him with the respect he had earned. If nothing changes, both within the RCMP and within the culture at large, his death will be in vain.
—
Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
Gov’t support for media a threat to independent press
Before carrying on to more colourful commentary, I want to state plainly that I really enjoy writing for the Prince George Citizen. Of course what makes it enjoyable is you, the readers; from the unbridled support of some to the well-written counterpoints of others. Being a part of our local media has brought me no end of worthwhile interactions. Thank you, everyone.
Now that we’re all best friends, I’ll ask you to turn your attention to the latest policy from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Merry Band of Cabineteers: bailing out print media across the country with $600 million of your tax dollars, not from efficiencies, but a brand new envelope.
Some might object they don’t mind their taxes going to print media – beats war machines or abortions, depending on your outlook.
Fair enough, but couldn’t your hard earned cash be surrendered voluntarily to ye olde Citizen in the form of a subscription without the state acting as a costly middle man? To be sure, some of our Dear Leader’s proposal includes tax credits for subscriptions, but that’s only a fraction of the budget, which is, again, over half a billion dollars.
I hope this objection can be taken up by readers of any political stripe. Yes, print media is in dire straits, but this policy will erode public confidence and create dependency.
Let me pose a question: have any of you ever considered unsubscribing from The Citizen because of what I’ve written, or perhaps one of my colleagues’ contributions?
Given that there’s no paywall online, some well could have and still be reading this – they’ll get what they deserve when the last trumpet sounds. But if you honestly take umbrage with any of us, you can berate us in these pages, demand we be fired, or even unsubscribe from this newspaper.
Yet if Trudeau gets his way, everyone will be forced, by the omnipotent Canada Revenue Agency and its many minions, to support our words, regardless of your private opinion. That support will be snatched from your paycheque without your consent or any effort on our part.
I have a right to express myself and to seek a publisher for those expressions, but I do not have a right to your money, full stop.
We already know where such
rentierism leads: undercutting private providers; mediocre entertainment; zero consequences for programing failures; unaccountable media personalities or political stances; and all the self-restraint of uninvited guests at an event with free alcohol and unguarded “thank you” tote bags. For proof, just look at our state broadcaster. But there’s something more fundamental at stake than the CBC’s delinquency becoming the norm throughout our media – it’s the core democratic values of electoral accountability and the freedom of the press. How can those coexist if media relies on politicians for their daily bread? In our Constitution, free expression is a fundamental freedom; historically, this has been defended by the free press, independently funded by the public and non-state entities; today, there is a crisis regarding revenues in print media, leading to a clamour for a solution to be found; but do any of us, in the media or public, really believe that journalistic integrity will survive as newspapers join the state in taking people’s money by force – and in the era of “fake news?”
A last point: do you remember what’s coming in less than a year to a polling station near you? I might be wrong to reason from policy to motive, yet isn’t it odd that $600 million is being offered to the papers that are often the opinion makers in our communities, just months away from a federal election? It might just be a coincidence but...
I hope this objection can be taken up by readers of any political stripe. Yes, print media is in dire straits, but this policy will erode public confidence and create dependency.
“You can’t believe everything in the newspaper,” used to be a fair warning to the overly credulous; if this policy goes forward, “you can’t believe anything in the newspaper” will be a categorical fact.
Display advertising, digital advertising and website inquiries: 250-562-2441 ads@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
NATHAN GIEDE
Right of Centre
Canadian auto industry at risk, union boss says
Jordan PRESS Citizen news service
OTTAWA — The head of the union representing workers at General Motors’ car plant in Oshawa, Ont., argued Tuesday that the company’s decision could lead to the collapse of the auto-parts industry in Canada and demanded a sharp response from the Trudeau Liberals.
Unifor president Jerry Dias said General Motors “just showed the president of the United States and the prime minister of Canada their middle finger” by moving production out of Canada and the U.S. and threatening the jobs of about 2,500 workers he represents at the Oshawa plant.
“We’re playing with a corporation that plays by their own rules. So we have to have governments that are going to play by very strict rules as well,” Dias said after meeting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Parliament Hill.
“I mean, if you’re going to have a company that’s going to show us their middle finger, then I think our government should show them their middle finger as well.”
Dias said GM has moved production of five models of vehicle to Mexico and the United States in the past few years, and if the Oshawa plant closes, the company will have only one left here.
He blamed low labour standards in Mexico, and called on Trudeau to work with U.S. President Donald Trump to keep manufacturing jobs from shifting south.
The revamped North American trade pact – which is set to be signed by the end of the week – should help eventually, but the parts that apply to the auto sector won’t kick in for years and by then it could be too late, Dias said.
In the meantime, Dias said, the Liberals should put tariffs on GM exports coming out of Mexico to dissuade the company from following through on its plans.
A General Motors Canada executive said the company isn’t planning to divest itself of its other Canadian enterprises as Dias claimed. David Paterson said the company is hiring 500 people for its technical centre in Markham, north of Toronto, to help write software for self-driving cars.
“We sell in Canada, we manufacture in Canada, and we’re actually the biggest and fastest-growing new technology automotive company in Canada,” said Paterson, the company’s vice-president of corporate and environmental affairs.
“We’re growing faster than anybody in the industry in new technology, at the same time as we’re unfortunately going through, next year, this really difficult change with regard to our manufacturing base in Canada.”
Dias’s tough talk underscored the union’s fury at the company’s decision to close plants and slash salaried and executive staff as part of a global restructuring meant to save the company US$6 billion annually.
Chantal Gagnon, a spokeswoman for Trudeau, said he and Dias discussed their respective talks with GM. Trudeau also told
Dias about his own call with Trump earlier Tuesday about the auto industry “and how best we can stand up for people affected on both sides of the border.”
Trudeau faced questions going into a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning about whether there was anything the federal government could do to keep the Oshawa plant open.
“Obviously our focus is on the families right now, making sure we are supporting the folks who are facing difficult times,” Trudeau said. Time and again during his press conference, Dias rejected any notion the plant will actually close when asked about possible employment insurance help for affected workers, or whether other automakers could fill the void in Oshawa.
“We are talking about keeping the plant open, period. Our members in Oshawa want their jobs. They’re not looking to be retrained,” he said. And he suggested that despite his talk of helping workers facing layoffs, Trudeau doesn’t believe the closure of the plant is a fait accompli, either.
Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, who was in the meeting with Dias, pointed to what the Liberals had already done to help the auto sector and said it was a “great opportunity” for GM “to step up.”
“We’ve stepped up as a government. We said we’d put forward policies and programs to support the automotive sector. Now, the onus is on the company to demonstrate that
they want a future in Canada,” Bains said after question period. When asked about tariffs, as Dias suggested, Bains would only say the government was interested in looking at all options to help the workers. Conservative MP Erin O’Toole said he didn’t think that tariffs on GM products would be prudent, and said the government should be focused on helping Canadian companies become more competitive.
O’Toole’s riding of Durham includes part of Oshawa.
He told reporters that even if the government can’t save the Oshawa plant by improving market conditions, officials had to make sure there won’t be “another community like Oshawa impacted.”
NDP MP Peter Julian backed Unifor’s call for tariffs and slammed the government for appearing to do nothing about the job losses.
Dias will meet his American counterpart Wednesday in Washington to decide what, if any, action the unions will take, such as having workers walk out at other GM plants alongside the ones slated to close.
Dias warned he was ready to have his members in Canada take job action unless the plant stays open.
Asked if anyone from Trudeau’s office tried to dissuade him from doing that, Dias bluntly said the Liberals were smarter than that. — With files from Ian Bickis
MONEY IN BRIEF
Currencies
OTTAWA (CP) — These are indicative wholesale rates for foreign currency provided by the Bank of Canada on Tuesday. Quotations in Canadian funds.
Trump fumes over GM closures
James McCARTEN Citizen news service
WASHINGTON — U.S. Presi-
dent Donald Trump tweeted a warning shot across GM’s front bumper Tuesday, threatening to pull all U.S. subsidies for America’s largest automaker if its plans to slash jobs and production at North American plants prove to be a precursor to building interconnected electric cars in China.
The U.S. president’s senior economic adviser was in the middle of a White House briefing when Trump delivered his latest broadside, a full 24 hours after General Motors announced plans to cut more than 14,000 jobs and end production at five plants, including one in Oshawa, Ont.
“The U.S. saved General Motors, and this is the THANKS we get!” Trump tweeted, noting that GM facilities in both China and Mexico appeared to escape unscathed.
“We are now looking at cutting all GM subsidies, including for electric cars. General Motors made a big China bet years ago when they built plants there (and in Mexico) – don’t think that bet is going to pay off. I am here to protect America’s Workers!” But it was hard to miss the fact that the bulk of the U.S. cuts came in the Midwest Rust Belt, a region that was instrumental in elevating Trump and his jobs-promising, “America First” agenda to the White House in 2016. They also cast a pall over this week’s signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the hard-won successor to NAFTA that Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, acknowledged Tuesday was designed to foster the growth of the auto sector.
“(Trump) believes – as, frankly the prime minister of Canada, (Justin) Trudeau, believes – that the USMCA deal was a great help to the automobile industry and to auto workers,” Kudlow said.
“There’s disappointment that it seems that GM would rather build its electric cars in China than the United States, and we are going to be looking at certain subsidies regarding electric cars and others, whether they should apply or not.” What that would look like wasn’t immediately clear: electric vehicles are eligible for a US$7,500 federal tax credit, but neither the president nor Kudlow provided additional details as to whether that’s what they’re reconsidering.
TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index fell again into the red Tuesday as it was weighed down by the key materials and energy sectors. North American markets were calm as investors take a “wait-and-see mode” ahead of the weekend’s G20 summit in Argentina when U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will try to hammer out a trade deal, says Patrick Bernes, a portfolio manager for CIBC Asset Management. He said materials underperformed on the day after a U.S. newspaper wrote that Trump could apply tariffs on imported cars and on more Chinese imports. “I think that’s setting off some weakness in various materials and autoparts makers,” he said. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 68.56 points to 14,944.09 after gaining slightly in a one-day reprieve Monday. Consumer discretionary fell the most, followed by materials, energy and health-care sectors. Magna International Inc. and Linamar Corp. were both down about 5.2 per cent while Martinrea International Inc. was off 1.4 per cent a day after General Motors announced it will close five plants in the U.S. and Canada.
CP PHOTO
General Motors announced it will close its car assembly plant in Oshawa, Ont., along with four facilities in the U.S. as part of a global reorganization that will see the company focus on electric and autonomous vehicle programs.
CITIZEN
On
the
puck
Northern Capitals forward Paige Outhouse battles for the bouncing puck against Thompson Okanagan Lakers player Makenna Howe on Saturday afternoon at Kin 2 in the second of three B.C. Hockey Female Midget Triple-A League weekend games between the teams. The Capitals won 5-4 on Friday, 3-2 in this game and skated to a 1-1 tie with the Lakers on Sunday. The Capitals (6-8-2) moved into second place in the five-team league. Meanwhile, in Nanaimo, the Cariboo Cougars won both their Major Midget League games, 8-2 on Saturday and 5-3 on Sunday over the North Island Silvertips. The third-place Cougars now sit at 11-4-3-0.
Kings poised for jump into first place
Must beat Cents tonight at RMCA
Citizen staff
After taking on the leagueleading Chilliwack Chiefs in a two-game series last weekend and gaining ground on them, the Prince George Spruce Kings have another stress test ahead of them on home ice tonight. They host the Merritt Centennials, who are neck-and-neck with the Penticton Vees in the race for first place in the B.C. Hockey
League’s Interior Division.
The Spruce Kings, who scored a 6-3 regulation win and lost 3-2 in a shootout on the road in Chilliwack, are now within one point of catching the Chiefs and could take over first place overall in the league with a win tonight as they begin a seven-game homestand at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
The Cents (18-9-1-1) trail Penticton by just one point and have a chance to leapfrog the Vees if they defeat the Spruce Kings tonight, depending on how Penticton does on the road tonight in Wenatchee.
The Cents boast the second-most potent offence in the BCHL, having scored 113 goals in 29 games,
an average 3.90 per game. Only the Victoria Grizzlies, with 116 goals in 28 games, have scored more than Merritt. Bradley Cocca, a 19-year-old Harvard recruit from Mississauga, Ont., leads the Cents in scoring with 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists in 29 games) and ranks third in the BCHL scoring race. Merritt has three other players producing a point or more every game, including Nick Grancowicz (Michigan University, 20-18-38 in 29 games), Mathieu Gosselin (13-30-33 in 29 games) and Matthew Kopperud (12-9-21 in 21 games).
The Spruce Kings are the toughest BCHL team to score against, having allowed only 63 goals in 29 games – a 2.17 average. Ben Brar (19-13-32 in 29 games) ranks 14th in league scoring and Dustin Manz (1318-31 in 29 games) moved into the top-20 after picking up three goals and an assist in the Chilliwack series. Spruce Kings starting goalie Logan Neaton continues to lead the league with a 1.98 goals-against average and his .913 save percentage is fifth-best. Game time is 7 p.m.
Ahac, Anhorn get Team Canada West invitations
Citizen staff
Prince George Spruce Kings defencemen Layton Ahac and Dylan Anhorn have earned the chance to try out for Team Canada West, which will compete at the upcoming World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alta.
Ahac and Anhorn are among 44 players (26 forwards, 14 defencemen, four goaltenders) who have been invited to a Canada West camp, Dec. 3-5 in Calgary.
Invitees were identified by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League, with assistance from NHL Central Scouting.
Ahac, a 17-year-old from North Vancouver, is rated as a ‘B’ prospect (potential second- or third-round pick) for the 2019 NHL draft. The six-foot-three, 195-pounder has already secured a U.S. college scholarship at Ohio State, an NCAA Division 1 school in Columbus. He’ll begin play with the Buckeyes in 2019-2020.
Cedars girls will soak up provincial experience
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
Fresh from clinching their ninth straight north central zone single-A girls volleyball championship, the Cedars Christian Eagles head to Nanaimo this week as underdogs – just like they were a couple weekends ago at the zone tournament.
The Eagles are ranked 14th at the 20-team provincial tournament which starts Thursday.
Cedars was seeded third in zones behind the Fort St. James Falcons and Lakes District Lakers but turned it on in the playoffs to retain the title.
“Going into the season we were really young with seven Grade 10s and just two Grade 12s on a nine-player team but they grew all season,” said Eagles head coach Jeff Ludditt.
“Going into the zone tournament we had lost a couple in a row to Fort St. James and they have a really experienced team and were top-ranked going in. We lost to them in the round robin and I was even more unsure but we ended up beating Northside in two (sets) pretty handily.”
The Eagles went the distance in the final over Fort St. James, winning the fifth and final set 15-8. Both teams snagged provincial berths.
“It was really a growing experience for the girls, I was really impressed,” said Ludditt. “I was a little shocked but also very happy and very proud of them. They did so well.”
Cedars middle blocker Abigail Worthington was the zone MVP and setter Hailey Gilkerson was an allstar, as was Grade 10 power hitter Maillee Taylor.
As unexpected as winning the zone title was, Ludditt is not going to rule out his team winning its share this week in Nanaimo.
“We’re going in 14th and I don’t know what to think and where we’ll be because they surprised me at zones,” said Ludditt. “We’re kind of thinking we’re playing for the next two years but we’ve got also got the two Grade 12s (Worthington and offside hitter/middle blocker Lindsay Hempstead) I want to play for this year too.”
The other team members are Anna Worthington, Jayden Bergstrom, Noelle Aitken, Eryn Isaac and Trinitee Orton.
So far this B.C. Hockey League season with the Spruce Kings, Ahac has 17 assists in 28 games. Anhorn is a 19-year-old from Calgary who stands six feet and weighs 182 pounds. In 29 outings with the Kings this season, he has four goals and 11 assists for 15 points. He has a U.S. college scholarship under wraps with Union College, an NCAA Division 1 institution in Schenectady, N.Y. Like Ahac, he’ll start his college hockey career in 2019-2020.
“We are proud of both Layton Ahac and Dylan Anhorn for earning the opportunity to attend Canada West World Junior A camp,” said Spruce Kings head coach Adam Maglio in a team release issued Monday. “They both are huge contributors to our team and I know both will be excited for the camp and tryout process.” The World Junior A Challenge runs from Dec. 9-16. Other teams are Canada East, the United States, Russia and the Czech Republic.
Academic All-Canadian
HANDOUT PHOTO COURTESY UNBC
Picture of dedication
UNBC honoured its U Sports Academic All-Canadians during a Tuesday gathering at the university. Academic All-Canadians must excel in their chosen sport and in the classroom. To be recognized, they must have achieved a grade point average of 3.67 (A-) or higher. UNBC’s Academic All-Canadians for 2017-18 are: Emily Aase, women’s basketball, Social Work; Whitney Anderson, women’s soccer, Biology; Francesco Bartolillo, men’s soccer, Business Administration; Daniela Bergendahl, women’s soccer, General Studies; Mikaela Cadorette, women’s soccer, Psychology and Education; Maddy Doucette, women’s soccer, Psychology; Rhianne Ferdinandi, women’s soccer, Outdoor Recreation; Saje Gosal, men’s basketball, Political Science; Clay Kiiskila, men’s soccer, Biomedical Studies; Madison Landry, women’s basketball, Biomedical Studies; Mitch Linley, men’s soccer, Biochemistry; Alexis Magrath, women’s basketball, Health Science; Brooke Molby, women’s soccer, Education; Jesse Rake, men’s soccer, Biochemistry; Fiona Raymond, women’s soccer, Biology; Tianna Rossi, women’s soccer, Human Resource Management; Alina Shakirova, women’s basketball, Psychology; Jonah Smith, men’s soccer, Business; Kyra Wallace, women’s soccer, Nursing; and Ashley Volk, women’s soccer, Business Administration. In total, 20 UNBC student-athletes made the
standard, most-ever in the school’s history.
Stampeders bask in Grey Cup glow
But off-season realities loom for CFL champs
Donna SPENCER
Citizen news service
CALGARY — When the crowd
chanted “one more year” at Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, head coach Dave Dickenson held up five fingers in an effort to up that demand.
“It’s good to feel wanted,” Mitchell said.
The Stampeders celebrated their Grey Cup victory Tuesday with a public rally in front of Calgary city hall. The players, Dickenson and general manager John Hufnagel were still savouring Sunday’s 27-16 win over the Ottawa Redblacks in Edmonton for the CFL championship.
But both those on stage with the trophy, and many among the 6,000 fans the City of Calgary said were gathered, knew it could potentially be the last time they saw Mitchell in the galloping horse jersey.
The 28-year-old native of Katy, Texas, was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player this season for the second time in his career before going on to earn his second Grey Cup title and game MVP award in four appearances.
Mitchell will be a free agent in February. With the CFL and its players bargaining a new collective agreement in the off-season, he is considering options which include the NFL.
“Things are brewing,” Mitchell said. “NFL-wise, it doesn’t mat-
ter if I have 20 workouts or five, you don’t know what’s going to happen, if anybody wants me after they see me. I’ll try things out. See what happens, but I’m going to have a talk with Huf and Dave and see what we can get done.
“At this point, if I sign a contract right now, it will be long term to commit to this city and this team
for a long time. Before I do that, I have to know. I’m an athlete, I’m competitive. I grew up in Houston, Texas, and I’ve got to know. If I come back to the CFL, I’m playing in red and white.”
The Stampeders have won three Grey Cups in six appearances in John Hufnagel’s decade as GM. He coached Calgary to its first
two titles before handing the reins to offensive co-ordinator Dickenson in 2016.
The heavily favoured Stampeders lost to underdog teams in the Grey Cup in both 2016 and 2017, so for Calgary to win it on a third straight try felt sweet to Hufnagel.
“You have to rank this as number one, just because of what
Senators ground Flyers with third-period rally
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers trudged off the ice to the familiar refrain of boos from the few thousand fans that stuck around to witness a collapse that capped one of the more arduous 48 hours in franchise history.
Ron Hextall: Fired as general manager after four-and-a-half middling seasons.
Dave Hakstol: On a white-hot seat and his uncertain coaching fate in the hands of the new GM.
And then a breakdown that has become too familiar for the Flyers: Blowing a twogoal lead in the third period to Ottawa in front of a fed-up crowd.
“Everything we touch, it just doesn’t work,” Flyers forward Jake Voracek said.
Brady Tkachuk had the magic tough for the Senators.
Tkachuk scored twice in the third period and Matt Duchene scored the eventual winner with 2:59 left, lifting the Senators to a 4-3 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday night in the Flyers’ first game since Hextall was fired.
The Flyers showed why Hextall is out of work and Hakstol’s job is in jeopardy. They coughed up a 3-1 lead over the final sixand-a-half minutes of the third period and lost for the sixth time in seven games.
“As soon as they got that second goal we kind of got scared. You can’t do that,” Voracek said.
Tkachuk made it 3-2 late in the third and he tied it on a tip-in with 6:31 remaining.
The Flyers turned it over in their end and Duchene batted the puck past Anthony Stolarz for a 4-3 lead.
“It felt like it was the only time I touched the puck all night,” Duchene said.
Voracek, Radko Gudas and Travis Konecny scored for the Flyers in front of scores of empty seats inside a home arena once among the most imposing in the NHL.
Flyers fans have turned away in droves and tickets were selling on the secondary market for $6 in the mezzanine level, a minorleague price for a franchise that traditionally averaged 19,000 fans a game.
Hakstol knows he’s in a precarious position with Hextall, who hired the coach with no NHL experience out of North Dakota in 2015, gone. Flyers President Paul Holmgren
transpired the previous two seasons,” the GM said.
“There was a lot of noise out there after two losses. I’d hate to think what it would have been after... I didn’t even say the word.” Mitchell is among a few prominent Stampeders heading for free agency, including league-leading tackler Alex Singleton and defensive end Micah Johnson.
Hufnagel will have to work some off-season magic to field team capable of defending the Grey Cup on home turf at McMahon Stadium in 2019. Retaining Mitchell could be difficult, the GM said.
“I don’t know,” Hufnagel said. “Obviously he said some things in the paper and whether that transpires, it’s out of my control, but obviously I’ll be talking to Bo and his agent and making sure they know we want him back.
“I had a chat with the players this morning. It might be a little different than previous off-seasons. We’ll sign players and hopefully have a good football team that can play winning football.” Mitchell threw a CFL-leading 35 touchdown passes in 2018. With 5,124 passing yards, he compiled over 5,000 for the second time in his career, but to a rotating cast of receivers this season because of major injuries at that position.
“When I signed the contract four years ago, I didn’t have this interest and this much buzz going,” Mitchell said.
said the next general manager would decide Hakstol’s fate.
“Given the scenario we are in, that’s a pretty reasonable process,” Hakstol said. “Whoever that is, he will come in and evaluate me as head coach and whether or not he likes what he sees and I’m the right guy to work with him.”
Hakstol, in his fourth season, has led the Flyers to pair of playoff berths and his job appeared to be on the line after the Flyers lost 6-0 to Toronto on Saturday. Instead, it was Hextall who was fired with the Flyers (11-11-2) mired in mediocrity and fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But it was more than the sagging record that sent Hextall packing; Holmgren said the former GM was “unyielding” in his philosophical approach of building the Flyers into winners through the draft and a lone-wolf style of management. Hextall had tuned out input from other decision makers in the organization and had yet to make a big splash with the type of trade that could transform the Flyers into instant contenders. Holmgren said the Flyers would like to hire a new GM within weeks.
They need a win sooner than that.
Konecny scored his seventh goal of the season just 4:23 in the game for the usually slow-starting Flyers.
“I think the main thing for us is getting in the offensive zone and even if it’s not your ‘A’ game, as long as we’re cycling the puck and doing the right things down low then we are going to get opportunities,” Konecny said.
Rob Maver of the Calgary Stampeders celebrates with the Grey Cup during a public ceremony in Calgary on Tuesday.
AP PHOTO
Philadelphia Flyers coach Dave Hakstol yells to his team during Tuesday’s home game against the Ottawa Senators.
New York on Jan. 31, 2015. Hillenburg died of ALS on Monday. He was 57.
Tears in Bikini Bottom
SpongeBob creator Hillenburg dies at 57
Andrew DALTON Citizen news service
LOS ANGELES — Stephen Hillenburg, who used his dual loves of drawing and marine biology to spawn the absurd undersea world of SpongeBob SquarePants, has died, Nickelodeon announced Tuesday.
Hillenburg died Monday of Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS, the cable network said in a statement. He was 57.
He had announced he had the disease in March 2017. His death comes just weeks after the passing of another cartoon hero in Marvel creator Stan Lee.
Hillenburg conceived, wrote, produced and directed the animated series that began in 1999 and bloomed into hundreds of episodes, movies and a Broadway show.
The absurdly jolly SpongeBob and his yellalong theme song that opened “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?!” quickly appealed to college students and parents as much as it did kids.
of fine arts degree in animation from the California Institute of the Arts in 1992.
That same year he created an animated short called Wormholes that won festival plaudits and helped land him a job on the Nickelodeon show Rocko’s Modern Life, where he worked from 1993 to 1996 before he began to build SpongeBob’s undersea world of Bikini Bottom, which showed off his knowledge of marine life and willingness to throw all the details out the window.
“We know that fish don’t walk,” he told the AP, “and that there is no organized community with roads, where cars are really boats. And if you know much about sponges, you know that living sponges aren’t square.”
His utterly original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination.
— Nickelodeon statement
“The fact that it’s undersea and isolated from our world helps the characters maintain their own culture,” Hillenburg told The Associated Press in 2001. “The essence of the show is that SpongeBob is an innocent in a world of jaded characters. The rest is absurd packaging.”
Its vast cast of oceanic creatures included SpongeBob’s starfish sidekick Patrick, his tightwad boss Mr. Krabs, squirrel pal Sandy Cheeks and alwaysexasperated neighbour Squidward Tentacles.
While Hillenburg introduced and popularized exotic creatures like the sea sponge (which in the real world is not square) Bikini Bottom was a realm like no other, real or fictional. SpongeBob can play his nose like a flute and could not possibly be happier to work his fast-seafood job of flipping Krabby Patties. But he has his troubles, too. He constantly fails his boat-driving test, forcing his frightened blowfish teacher to inflate. In one episode he suffers a broken butt and is afraid to leave his pineapple home for days. “I don’t want to face my fears,” SpongeBob, voiced by Tom Kenny, says in another episode. “I’m afraid of them!”
Born at his father’s army post in Lawton, Okla., Hillenburg graduated from Humboldt State University in California in 1984 with a degree in natural resource planning with an emphasis on marine resources, and went on to teach marine biology at the Orange County Marine Institute.
While there he drew a comic, The Intertidal Zone, that he used as a teaching tool. It featured anthropomorphic ocean creatures that were precursors to the characters on SpongeBob. Hillenburg shifted to drawing and earned a master
The show was an immediate hit that has lost no momentum in the nearly 20 years since its creation and helped define the culture of Nickelodeon.
“He was a beloved friend and long-time creative partner to everyone at Nickelodeon, and our hearts go out to his entire family,” Nickelodeon’s statement said. “His utterly original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination.”
Its nearly 250 episodes have won four Emmy Awards and 15 Kids’ Choice Awards, and led to an endless line of merchandise to rival any other pop cultural phenomenon of the 2000s.
“When you set out to do a show about a sponge, you can’t anticipate this kind of craze,” Hillenburg told the AP in 2002.
In 2004, the show shifted to the big screen with The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and a 2015 sequel, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
Intensely involved in every aspect of the show initially, Hillenburg after the 2004 film stepped back into an executive producer role on the show, where he remained for the rest of his life.
A musical stage adaptation bowed on Broadway in 2017, with music from such stars as Steven Tyler, Sara Bareilles and John Legend. It earned 12 Tony Award nominations, including one for best performance by a leading actor for Ethan Slater.
“I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Stephen Hillenburg,” Slater said in an email Tuesday.
“Through working on SpongeBob, I got to know him not only as a creative genius, but as a truly generous and kind person. He warmly embraced us on Broadway as the newest members of his wonderful SpongeBob family, and made it so clear from the get-go why he is so beloved: genuine kindness.”
Hillenburg is survived by his wife of 20 years Karen Hillenburg, son Clay, mother Nancy Hillenburg, and a brother, Brian Kelly Hillenburg.
National Board of Review picks Green Book for best film
Jake COYLE Citizen news service
NEW YORK — The National Board of Review has named the feel-good road-trip drama Green Book the best film of the year, and its star, Viggo Mortensen, best actor.
The awards gave Green Book a much-needed jolt. The film was an Oscar favourite after taking the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festi-
val, but it has struggled to latch on at the box office.
A Star Is Born also took several top awards, including best director for Bradley Cooper, best actress for Lady Gaga and best supporting actor for Sam Elliott. Barry Jenkins’ James Baldwin adaptation If Beale Street Could Talk took prizes for Jenkins’ screenplay and for Regina King’s supporting performance. The awards will be handed out in a gala in New York on January 8.
How about zombies for Christmas?
Holiday musical dead on its feet
Citizen news service
Consider it an early Christmas gift: Anna and the Apocalypse is the zombie horror holiday musical you didn’t know you needed.
Just imagining that first pitch meeting is entertainment in itself.
“It’s High School Musical meets World War Z! No no, it’s Glee meets Shaun of the Dead! Hold on... it’s Christmas! OK, Love Actually meets The Walking Dead!” Whatever its cinematic antecedents, Anna, which boasts an appealing cast of fresh-faced newcomers and a quirky Scottish sensibility, is charming, clever, and unexpectedly moving, too.
The film, directed by John McPhail with catchy original songs by Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly, has a sad backstory. It’s based on a BAFTA-winning short film, Zombie Musical, by Ryan McHenry, who died at age 27 of cancer in 2015 just as his project was on the way to becoming a feature film.
The new film has the undeniable asset of Ella Hunt in the lead role, charismatic and touching as teen heroine Anna. At 18, Anna is ready to graduate high school in her small Scottish town of Little Haven, and keen to experience the world. As we begin, she’s
informing her dad (the perfectly cast Mark Benton), who’s raising her alone, that she plans to postpone university and travel to Australia. He is NOT amused. Dad’s the janitor at Anna’s high school, which is run by a misfit headmaster, Savage (Paul Kaye). The first part of the movie – we’ll call it the High School Musical section – introduces us to the typical slate of teen characters and their struggles. What they don’t expect is, um, a zombie apocalypse. It happens suddenly one day. Heading out of the house, Anna puts her headphones in and sings cheerfully of a beautiful new morning. “What a time to be alive,” she sings, and dances, oblivious to the murderous zombie mayhem happening in the suburban streets around her.
Finally Anna and friend John, also dancing away the morning, meet up in a playground, where they have a head-spinning encounter with a zombie dressed as a snowman. Panicked, they head to the bowling alley where they both work. There, alas, they find a lot more zombies. The dialogue can be quite funny, as when the teens contemplate the fate of their favourite celebrities. The latter part of the film becomes a more traditional zombie narrative, a fight to the death for our band of teenagers seeking to escape the deadly bite and reunite with loved ones, if they’re alive.
SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg attends the world premiere of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water in
Bowman, Victor Frank, Born October 16, 1939 passed away peacefully after a very brief stay at Rotary Hospice House on November 13, 2018. Vic was a longtime member and past President of the Prince George Rotary Club, Past President and director of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce, Past Chair and board member of the Prince George, Northern BC & BC Construction Associations.
Vic is survived by his three sons Kevin (April), Ward (Diana), Bryan (Janice), Nephew Chris (Darlene), Sister Marion Perison, Mother-in-law Mary Westlake, Brothers-in-law Ray Westlake (Lois), Doug Westlake (Jetta), Grandchildren Jessica (Rob), Nickolas (Aisha), Oliver, Hamish, Ewan, Norah & Jordys, Great Grandchildren Tiani, Mckinley and Paisley, many nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends. Vic was predeceased by his wife Lenore, parents Bill and Mabel, brother Andy and father-in-law Ralph Westlake.
There will be no funeral service by request. There will be a Celebration of Life at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club Friday, November 30th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Thank you to the Northern Health Home Support team and to all the staff at Hospice House. And a very special thank you to Dr.’s Knoll, Butow and especially Dr. Boucher for her superior care and kindness. Donations in lieu of flowers to Rotary Hospice House or to the charity of your choice.
Robert Michael Russell Dec 30, 1954 - Nov 22, 2018
Robert departed this life on November 22, 2018 at the age of 63 years. He is lovingly remembered by his companion Susan Clermont, daughters Jennifer Negrin (Brad Negrin) and Tamara Russell (Clayton Gordon), his grandchildren; Brenden, Camryn and Brynlee Negrin as well as Van and Ava Gordon. Also, his beloved fur baby Becky-Lynne. Predeacesed by parents Virginia Faye Hook and John Lewis Russell. No service by request. In lieu of flowers, if you are wishing to make a donation in Robert’s memory, please consider the Prince George Shrine Club No. 17.
Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. Max Ehrmann, Copyright 1952.
Loretta McComber Kemp
It is with extreme sadness we announce the passing of a beloved mother, wife, grandmother, auntie, and friend. Loretta May McComber Kemp, born April 24, 1950, she passed away Nov 20, 2018 with her family by her side. Loretta is survived by her husband of 51 years Jim Kemp, daughters Donna Kemp (Tim). Jamette Kemp (Sam), her grandchildren Dustin, Samantha (Josh), Kolton, Aaron (Dani), Kenny (Jessica), Kristina (Dylan), her cherished great grandchildren Cohen, Brodie, Tyler, Brayden, Sierra and Jaxon. Her niece Bambi and many more family members and friends. A date for a celebration of Loretta’s life will be announced at a later date.
Edith Ann Cunningham March 9, 1953 - November 19, 2018
Predeceased by parents Alice Gauther, Francis Cunningham and step-father Richard Collins, husbands Fred Loyie and Michael Cunningham, sister Barbara Willier, nephew Alexander Holmes and brother-in-law Angelo Bortolon. Survived by sisters Rose, Gloria (Ron), Janie (Phillip), Angeline, Ruth (Bo), sons, Scott (Lisa), Robert (Sharon), Michael, Nick (Yvette), Derek (Trina), Shane (Cara) and Fred Jr. Grandchildren, Corey, Joel, Samantha, Patience, Georgia, Gracie, Milla, Breeze, Faith and Phoenix. Viewing will be on Thurs, Nov 29 from 7-9pm with a memorial service at 11am on Fri, Nov 30, both at PG Funeral Service at 1014 Douglas St. Potluck luncheon at 1pm at the Pineview Hall located at 6470 Bendixon Rd. Edith was strong woman who loved fiercely. She will be forever missed.
Pagnotta, Gaetano
It’s with great sadness and heavy hearts we announce the passing of Gaetano Pagnotta at the age of 70. He was born in Grimaldi, Cosenza, Italy on Jun 22/48 and passed away with his family by his side on Nov 21/18. Gaetano will be deeply missed by his loving wife of 51 years Santina and their three sons; John, Luciano (Sandra) and Michael (Andrea) and four grandchildren; Zoe, Martina, Giuliana and Giordano. His brothers; Franco (Michelina), Battista (Angela), and from Italy, Carmelo (Maria) and Mario (Francesca), also many family and friends in Canada & Italy. He had a big heart & great sense of humor. May he Rest in Peace. Prayer service at Assman’s Funeral Chapel on Nov 29th at 6:30pm & Funeral at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Nov 30th at 1:30 pm. Special thanks to Dr. McCoy and the Hospice for their exceptional care. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the PG Hospice.
McLennan,LeonardR. October5,1933-November21,2018
WearesadtoannounceLen’spassingonNovember 21,2018atSt.Paul’sHospitalinVancouver.Lenwas transferredtoSt.Paul’saftersufferingaheartattack athomeinPrinceGeorgeonNovember7th.
Lenwaslovedandwillbemissedbyhisstepson, GrantSmith;hisdaughter-in-law,IreneSmith;and theirextendedfamily.Heisalsosurvivedbyhis sisters,BarbTrimbleandPatGillingham,bothof NorthVancouver.Lenwassohappytohavevisited withthemlastweekaftermanyyears.
Lenwaspredeceasedbyhiswifeof39years,Jean McLennan,inFebruaryofthisyear.Hewasalso predeceasedbyhissister,ErlenePage;twinbrother JimmyMcLennan;andhisparents,EarlandEdith McLennan.
AfamilygatheringwillbeheldinlateSpringatPoint AtkinsonnearNorthVancouver.Len’swisheswere thathisashesbescatteredthereatthesamelocation ashisfather’s.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Established Franchise Tax Preparation BusinessMackenzieservicing and McLeod Lake area for over 30 years. Gross Revenues of $85,000 to $90,000 Annually and Potential to expand revenues in a growing economy. Transition support available for the right buyer. Serious Inquires Only Office (250)997-9003 Home (250)997-5538 Cell (250)990-0152
TakenoticethatWayneByram,fromGreenwood,BC, hasappliedtotheMinistryofForests,Lands,Natural ResourcesOperationsandRuralDevelopment (FLNRORD),OminecaRegionforaCrownGrantfor RuralResidentialpurposessituatedonProvincialCrown landlocatedinthevicinityofBearLake,describedasLot 3,DistrictLot292,CaribooDistrict,Plan28931. TheLandsfileforthisapplicationis7402313.Written commentsconcerningthisapplicationshouldbe directedtoSusanSpears,LandOfficer,OminecaRegion, FLNRORD,at5thfloor,499GeorgeStreetPrince George,BCV2L1R5orSusan.Spears@gov.bc.ca. CommentswillbereceivedbyFLNRORDupto2018-1227.FLNRORDmaynotbeabletoconsidercomments receivedafterthisdate.Pleasevisitthewebsiteat http://arfd.gov.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/Index.jspfor moreinformation.Beadvisedthatanyresponsetothis advertisementwillbeconsideredpartofthepublic record.Accesstotheserecordsrequiresthesubmission ofaFreedomofInformation(FOI)request.
Visithttp://www.gov.bc.ca/freedonofinformationtolearn moreaboutFOI.
Ahardcopymapshowingthelocationandextentofthe applicationareamaybeacquiredbycallingtheland officernamedaboveat(250)561-3479.
