Russell Peters listens to the legends. His comedy career was just wobbling to a newborn standstill when he encountered one of the all-time greats. George Carlin gave him some career advice, Peters heeded it, and in a matter of only a few years he had gone from reinvented suburban record deejay to international superstar of the stage. Peters is indisputably one of the world’s most successful standup comics, with sellouts from Air Canada Centre in hometown Toronto to Madison Square Garden in New York City to O2 Arena in London.
It makes a gig in Prince George seem a little off-course, but Peters told The Citizen that in Canada he likes to mix the markets, and it was Prince George’s turn. “What better place to be than Prince George, Alberta,” he said, chuckling.
You laugh, I said, but I’ve been there to hear a star performer walk on our local stage and proclaim “Hello Medicine Hat” to the uncharmed audience.
Peters moved the phone a little from his mouth and barked to some fictitious helper in the background.
“Get me booked in Medicine Hat immediately. Me and Prince George have a score to settle,” he said.
I asked him if this was turning into new material. He said he did not block of composition time to come up with new material.
“This is how I write,” he said of the directionless banter. “It just falls off the trees. Jokes hit me on the head like falling coconuts – jokonuts, if you will.”
It’s a simplification for sure. His bestselling shows like Outsourced, Notorious, Almost Famous, The Green Card Tour and mega-seller Red White & Brown certainly take careful crafting and plenty of rehearsal.
It doesn’t fall far from the aforementioned palm tree, though, in that it’s all rooted in Peters’ own life. Nothing seems sacred,
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
The bus that went off Highway 97 north of Prince George late Thursday afternoon was carrying employees working at Canfor’s Polar Sawmill in Bear Lake, the company has confirmed.
B.C. Emergency Health Services said 16 of the 32 people who were on the bus were transported to hospital.
Four were taken by ambulance with three of them suffering from life-threatening injuries and one in severe condition.
Another bus was brought in to transport the remaining 12 who were in stable condition. Those 12 were discharged by 10 p.m., Canfor spokesperson Michelle Wright said.
Among them was Brad Foster. According to his posting on Facebook, he was knocked around in what he called the “worst ride of my life.”
“When we took a 30-foot jump off the highway I tried to hold onto the armrests but we hit so hard I ended up kissing the roof of
behind his closed personal doors. He pokes fun at his family, he pokes fun at his own ethnicity as an Indo-Canadian, and then extrapolates out to pull the legs of every colour and creed on the planet. I told him of Prince George comedian Jon White’s personal rule about never making fun of traits that can’t be changed, so no grinding on someone’s nationality or sexual identity or physical traits. But haircuts? Clothes? Political views? Religion?
Crashed bus filled with sawmill workers
the bus with my ass before being slammed into the drivers seat, where the windshield used to be,” he said. “On top of the driver and another guy.”
Foster said he suffered severe bruising to his leg and a bump to his elbow and noted he was outside the windshield by the time the bus had stopped.
since 1916
Russell Peters bringing tour to CN Centre
“Religion you sorta can, because you can always change that, if you wanted to,” Peters jumped in. “And I have gay friends I make fun of, but in a loving way. Because you know what it is? It’s about the intent. The thing is, if you read a transcript of my act you would say ‘this man is a horrible human being’ but it’s about the tones and the inflections and the intent in the words. But if you just read the words you’d say ‘this guy is a piece of human garbage.’”
That’s the art of comic delivery. It’s about where your personal power is placed when you pull the trigger on punchlines. Sometimes it comes out badly. Peters was lambasted for an off-the-cuff remark he made while hosting the Juno Awards broadcast one year. But he’s been applauded for demonstrating how an ethnic or gender joke can actually be made, keeping in mind it doesn’t minimize or degrade.
— see ‘I SPEAK CHILD, page 3
“I think there were five people ejected from the bus, the guy in front of me went through the windshield and was about eight feet in front of the bus when it stopped.... he walked away!
“A few people with worse injuries than mine, some looked pretty severe.”
Emergency personnel were called to the scene at Mitchell Road, near Huble Homestead about 20 kilometres north of the city, at about 3:45 p.m.
RCMP said no other vehicles were involved in the crash.
A combination of rain and snow had fallen in the area for most of the day and while the cause remained under investigation, RCMP said weather conditions at the time may have been a factor.
The highway was reopened to single-lane, alternating traffic by 7:30 p.m. and completely reopened by 1 a.m., according to DriveBC.
Wright said Friday the sawmill was up and running. “Fridays are always maintenance days and that work is proceeding as normal today,” she said.
Duchess Park still above capacity
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
A handful of stopgap measures are being deployed to ease the pressure at Duchess Park Secondary School where the number of students attending the school remains significantly above its capacity.
As of Sept. 30, enrollment was 1,030 and although the count is 25 fewer than at the same point last year, it’s still above the capacity of 900 students as listed by the Ministry of Education, according to a staff report to school board trustees.
The report was included in the agenda package for the board’s Oct. 30 meeting. The newly-elected school board will be sworn in this Tuesday. Steps to deal with the excess have included a “creative use of space” such as establishing a mobile biology lab in the school’s theatre.
— see ‘THE SPACE, page 3
Russell Peters is pictured in Toronto on March 29. Peters will perform at CN Centre on Monday.
HANDOUT IMAGE
A bus carrying employees from Canfor’s Polar Sawmill in Bear Lake went off the road on Thursday.
The world’s last wilderness areas are rapidly disappearing, with explicit international conservation targets critically needed, according to an international team of scientists that includes a University of Northern British Columbia professor.
The team recently mapped intact ocean ecosystems, complementing a 2016 project charting remaining terrestrial wilderness.
Ecosystem Science and Management Associate professor Dr. Oscar Venter, a co-author on the study based at the UNBC, said the two studies provided the first full global picture of how little wilderness remains, and he was alarmed at the results.
“A century ago, only 15 per cent of the Earth’s surface was used by humans to grow crops and raise livestock,” he said.
“Today, more than 77 per cent of land – excluding Antarctica – and 87 per cent of the ocean has been modified by the direct effects of human activities.
“It might be hard to believe, but between 1993 and 2009, an area of terrestrial wilderness larger than India – a staggering 3.3 million square kilometres – was lost to human settlement, farming,
We need the immediate establishment of bold wilderness targets – specifically those aimed at conserving biodiversity, avoiding dangerous climate change and achieving sustainable development.
— James Watson
mining and other pressures.
“And in the ocean, the only regions that are free of industrial fishing, pollution and shipping are almost completely confined to the polar regions.”
Professor James Watson, the study’s lead author, said the world’s remaining wilderness could only be protected if its importance was recognized in international policy.
“Some wilderness areas are protected under national legislation, but in most nations, these areas are not formally
defined, mapped or protected,” Watson said. “There is nothing to hold nations, industry, society or communities to account for long-term conservation.
“We need the immediate establishment of bold wilderness targets – specifically those aimed at conserving biodiversity, avoiding dangerous climate change and achieving sustainable development.”
The researchers insist that global policy needs to be translated into local action.
“Canada is at the coal-face of this issue, as we have more wilderness remaining than any other country except Russia. One obvious intervention is to prioritize establishing protected areas in ways that would slow the impacts of industrial activity on the larger landscape or seascape in Canada,” Venter said.
“But we must also stop industrial development to protect indigenous livelihoods, create mechanisms that enable the private sector to protect wilderness, and push the expansion of regional fisheries management organizations.
“We have lost so much already, so we must grasp this opportunity to secure the last remaining wilderness before it disappears forever.”
The article has been published in the journal Nature.
Northern FanCon tickets on sale
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
Northern FanCon tickets are on sale. It’s a big discount, but it’s a short sale and it won’t be repeated later. This is the best time to buy passes to the big event.
“This is the only deal that will happen this year for FanCon tickets,” said event director Norm Coyne of UNLTD Media.
You can only get these discounted prices until Nov. 6 at midnight. Three-day passes are $50 (regular $69) and VIP Passes are $175 (regular $225). They make popular Christmas stocking stuffers, staff incentives, neighbourly gifts, thank-you items for the people in your life, and most of all a lot of unique fun for yourself and your loved ones.
Those who buy early are also helping their own entertainment cause. Ticket sales are linked to the VIP talent the organizers can bring in for the 2019 edition.
“The more ticket sales we have in advance, the bigger the guests are we can attract to Prince George for #fancon5,” Coyne said. “If we hit our first sales target, we will be submitting an offer on a guest so big that no one will believe it.”
The fifth anniversary of the event is an occasion Coyne and the The Citizen hope to elevate.
A tall bar has been set in the past, with the likes of Sean Astin, Kevin Smith, Tia Carrere, Karl Urban, Alicia Witt, Nichelle Nichols, Denise Crosby, Giancarlo Esposito, and the debut guest star William Shatner.
This year the leadoff celebrity announcement is Alan Tudyk, who, said Coyne, “was in Con Man, he was in Firefly, he was K-2SO in Rogue One, his list of credits is just amazing. The collective gross for his films is more than $2 billion.”
Cosplayers, visual artists, screen arts professionals, writers and a number of other special guests will be in attendance at the CN Centre-based popculture extravaganza coming up May 4-5.
“Whether you have been to FanCon before or not, this is the year that you will not want to miss,” Coyne said. “Come celebrate the FanCon legacy and be a part of arts and culture growing our city.”
Smile Cookie campaign raises nearly $36,500
Citizen staff
The Smile Cookie campaign has raised $36,448 for the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation. It was held Sept. 17-23 at all eight Tim Horton’s locations in Prince George and centred on sales of cookies with a smiley face.
“These cookies brighten everyone’s day,” said Spirit of the North CEO Judy Neiser.
“We truly appreciate everyone who supports this campaign and Tim Hortons for designating these funds to be used to help bring the best of care closer to home in the North.”
This year’s proceeds will go to a dedicated maternal operating room at University Hospital of Northern British Columbia.
This map shows the distribution of wilderness around the world.
Sculpting a new friend
‘The space has actually become popular’
— from page 1
“Movable and adjustable tables, portable microscope collections etc. are being utilized,” staff says in the report. “The space has actually become popular with teachers and students.”
As well, a Grade 10 Math class is being held in the school’s art room, “with little or no impact on instruction,” and a French Immersion Math 10 class is meeting in the conference room.
“The teacher likes the space as it aligns with the ‘Thinking Classroom’ approach. Students write on glass walls instead of whiteboards.”
During the second semester, social studies and math classes will be meeting in the conference room as an additional classroom has been created in the space.
On top of that, several courses are being offered in so-called X and Y blocks at times outside the regular day: Band 8-12, Soccer 8-12, Work Experience 12, Personal Fitness, Leadership and Volleyball during the first semester and Band 8-12 during the second.
As for longer-term solutions, moving French Immersion to Prince George Secondary School received a hard no from parents who responded to a survey in May and June, with 60 per cent saying they would not support the move.
In an interview this week, school board chair Tim Bennett disagreed when asked
if making the move would be the “quickest and easiest” way to bring enrollment at DPSS down to its capacity.
“We’re soon to be facing capacity issues at a lot of our high schools,” he said and noted College Heights Secondary School and a number of elementary schools are nearing or at capacity.
“Looking at Prince George as a whole, many of our schools are going to have to be part of that conversation,” Bennett said.
The situation represents a remarkable turnaround from 2010 when the school district endured a round of school closures due to declining enrollment.
As it now stands, the school district’s total enrollment is just over 13,000 – noticeably above the 11,900 it was expected to be this year in a report presented to trustees in 2015.
Bennett called the unexpected growth a “great news story” and added it looks like the upward trend will continue for awhile. So-called capacity issues will be top of mind for the new school board, he said.
“We heard during the election that catchment capacity was a big issue,” Bennett said. “So the board is going to have to sit down and look at that very early into our mandate.”
A committee established to tackle the issue will deliver a report to trustees early in the new year.
‘I speak child, and I’m immature to begin with’
— from page 1
That’s why he gets phone calls from the likes of Dan Akroyd to be his co-host in a vignette promoting the Bloody Caesar as Canada’s official cocktail, or the audition he won to co-host the children’s comedy show A Little Help With Carol Burnett that’s running now on Netflix.
“You’re conscious that you don’t want to take away from (comedy legend Burnett), but you’re also conscious that ‘you really think you’re going to take away from her?’ It’s an adjustment because you want to do your best but you don’t want to look like you’re trying to outshine anybody, and I want to be respectful, and then you find your ground, and it works,” he said, practically babbling over the chance to work with such a performing arts icon.
“She’s really amazing, she encourages you to do well, she wants you to do well, she wants everyone to laugh. And that made it so much easier.”
Calming the nerves of performing with Burnett was one challenge, but the show also stars a panel of children offering life advice to the adults on stage, all in front of a studio audience.
“I’m a father so it wasn’t that difficult for me. I speak child, and I’m immature to begin with so I wasn’t that far ahead of them
from the jump,” he said.
Some other legends he got to recently work with were Anupam Kher and William Shatner on the unique television creation
The Indian Detective with Peters in the lead role. Broadcaster CTV did not renew the acclaimed show for a second season, but Peters said he harboured hopes that it could be revived. He and the cast were excited and proud about that project’s future.
His various projects also include the docu-series Hip Hop Evolution. His role in that project was executive producer, as he mapped out the rise of his first stage love, music, and hiphop in specific. The show called together artists like Ice-T, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane but also spotlighted some Canadian talent in the mix.
The entire series was hosted by popular Canuck MC and broadcaster Shad.
It all goes to show that Peters built an international career out of the Canadian suburbs by paying attention and paying respect to legends of the performing arts.
He centred the creation and sustainability of his career on an affinity for people, and none more so than his audience.
Peters performs at CN Centre on Monday night. Get tickets at the box office or online anytime from the TicketsNorth website.
Theatre, art team up
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
Theatre Northwest and Mills Office Productivity are partnering for art.
The downtown arts supply store and the professional theatre company are working together to use TNW’s plays as a conversation and demonstration point for the visual arts.
“Mills and TNW have partnered to further promote both visual and dramatic art in the city,” said Michael Kast, one of the city’s acclaimed multimedia artists and the art department manager at Mills, as well as a crew member for the theatre company. In that way, Kast embodies what the two arts entities are achieving with this collaboration.
“We are doing this by putting out a call for submissions by local visual artists,” Kast explained.
“The submissions will be based on the theme of each show that TNW produces for it’s mainstage season and perhaps beyond.”
The show getting this focus right now is Million Dollar Quartet. The new production runs at TNW from Nov. 22 to Dec. 12. It tells the story, using fictional imagi-
nation, of the real-life jam session that actually occurred with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. If you could be a fly on the wall in the studio, that night, this play shows what might have happened. It also splatters the audience with some of the best golden-age rock ‘n’ roll ever created. The soundtrack of this quasi-musical drama includes Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes, Folsom Prison Blues, Great Balls of Fire and many more. With that as your guide, said Kast, the artists of the city are called upon to submit new or existing works to form the downtown display that will shine out from the Mills showcase window at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Brunswick Street.
“The submissions will be juried by myself, (TNW general manager) Marnie Hamagami and (TNW production manager) John Reilly,” said Kast.
“Successful submissions will be displayed in the corner window at Mills along with thematic props and of course promotional material.”
Send digital submissions by email to beuverman@mills.ca with Million Dollar Quartet in the subject line. Submissions will be accepted up until Nov. 10 with successful artists notified by Nov. 15.
Jail time issued for break and enter
Citizen staff
A man who failed to evade a homeowner while trying to break into a shed was sentenced Thursday to 43 days in jail.
Jordy Martin Visser-Hayne, 22, was also sentenced to one year probation during a hearing in Prince George provincial court. He was issued the sentence on a count of break and enter with intent to commit an offence.
Visser-Hayne was arrested Wednesday morning after RCMP were called to a
Moyie Street home about 8:15 a.m. and found the homeowner holding down the suspect. An alert neighbour called police after hearing a scuffle, RCMP said. RCMP also urged homeowners to make sure their sheds, garages and compounds are properly secured.
Visser, who has an extensive criminal record for property offences committed in Prince George, Quesnel and Kamloops, was also sentenced to seven days in jail for breaching probation.
Local sculptor Elmer Gunderson works on a piece during Studio
PGSO kids show to bring on the beat
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
It might sound like a hockey game over the Prince George Symphony Orchestra concert this afternoon. It is all about crashing and banging.
The city’s symphony orchestra is presenting Hide & Seek, a show especially for kids and especially about the instruments that shake, rattle and roll.
“This is all about percussion,” said PGSO timpani player (that’s their big thunder drum) Barbara Parker, who is a experienced as an ensemble director, conductor and music teacher.
“What we want the kids and their families to learn is what percussion instruments are, and they aren’t always what comes to mind right away,” said Parker.
“They are all the instruments you hit to create rhythm, sound effects, even melody sometimes, and sometimes musicians will find unusual objects to use as percussion instruments.”
Parker said the show has been assembled as a set of skits, song snippets and familiar selections of music that will easily engage the kids and feel energetic and
fast-paced from beginning to end.
It will also be visually pleasing for the kids, because percussion instruments are often interesting to the eye, especially when they are gadgets and innovations used for rhythmic sound.
“This is the first of three kids concerts this year,” Parker said.
“The next one will be in January. It’s called String Beans and it’s all about strings and woodwinds, told through a great garden story.
“There will be another kinderconcert in April for brass instruments, and it will be Captain Klein’s Next Adventure because the kids first met Captain Klein last year when they went to the moon with him at a kid’s concert.”
Tickets to see Hide & Seek are going fast. The concert happens at the Prince George Playhouse at 2 p.m. Advance tickets are for sale online at the PGSO website (look under the Concerts & Events tab, then click the KinderConcert button) or at the door while supplies last. Prices are approximately $25 for adult, $22 for seniors, $14 for students and free for kids under three years old.
Space centre bringing travelling program
Some entertaining and informative space is being filled in Prince George.
One of Canada’s great celestial bodies, the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre (HRMSC), is coming on Tuesday as a special guest of The Exploration Place.
The Vancouver-based facility has a travelling program that will touch down at Prince George’s premier museum and science centre.
“Budding young astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts alike will get the opportunity to immerse themselves amongst the stars,” said Trish Pattison, outreach programmer with the HRMSC.
The event is free of charge and is designed to promote interest in the STEAM subjects: science, technology, arts, engineering and math.
“The Space Centre is also setting up the star of their outreach program: their portable planetarium,” said Pattison. “Event attendees can crawl inside this inflatable planetarium and go on a journey to the far corners of the Universe where they can see planets, constellations and other celestial bodies that are only a blur from here on Earth.”
The Two Rivers Gallery will
The event is free of charge and is designed to promote interest in the STEAM subjects: science, technology, arts, engineering and math.
have some family-friendly crafts and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Prince George branch will bring their collection of telescopes for display and viewing the night sky.
The space centre is stopping into Prince George as part of the free programming it does year-round to boost provincewide STEAM education for kids, teacher training, family knowledge and more. Their unique field trips come with a number of professional development and take-home support materials for added information and entertainment. Since most of B.C. cannot easily drop in to see the planetarium, the planetarium can come to B.C.
This event runs from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Exploration Place on Tuesday night.
Show home
John Hopson from Hopson Construction stands in the living room of this year’s Spruce King Show Home his company built. Tickets for the show home lottery go on sale today. The home is located on Links Drive in the Aberdeen Glen subdivison.
London Drugs accepting Halloween candy wrappers
London Drugs is taking in candy wrappers trick-or-treaters collected on Halloween.
Along with chocolate bar and candy wrappers, the retailer is also accepting potato chip bags as part of its Other Flexible Plastic Packaging recycling program.
The intent is to keep Halloween snack packaging waste out of city landfills.
“We want to help British Columbians celebrate Halloween with a bit less waste by making one simple suggestion: instead of throwing out your candy wrappers and chip bags, bring them to London Drugs for recycling,” said Maury McCausland, the chain’s retail operations sustainability specialist.
The items collected will be sent to Merlin Plastics, a post-consumer
processing company in Delta, and used for research and development as the company works to develop a commercially viable process for recycling these common but tough-to-process items.
Material that cannot be recycled will be used to produce engineered fuel for commercial operations such as concrete plants. According to Statistics Canada, over $550 million worth of cookies, confectionery, and snack foods were sold across Canada last October, contributing significant amounts of packaging waste to landfills and the environment.
Food wrappers are also a common source of marine litter and were among the top five items found in the Ocean Conservatory’s International Coastal Clean-up last year.
“This is really a big problem; the volume of wrapper waste is
significant. That’s why we’re making a commitment to help address it – not just at Halloween but yearround,” said McCausland.
London Drugs is now accepting all sorts of items in the Other Flexible Plastic Packaging category including: stand-up and zipper lock pouches, like pouches for granola, frozen berries, etc.; crinkly wrappers and bags, like coffee bags, or cellophane; flexible packaging with plastic seal, like packaging for fresh pasta or pre-packaged deli meats; non-food protective wrap like bubble wrap or plastic envelopes; and net bags used for fruits and vegetables like onions, avocados and lemons.
“Last year, with the help of our customers and staff, our stores celebrated a 93 per cent waste diversion rate. This program will help get us one step closer to zero waste,” said McCausland.
LNG topic of anthropology talk
Citizen staff
The launch of the B.C.’s liquefied natural gas industry and what it means for Northern B.C. is the topic of the next Anthropology in our Backyard Series talk organized by the University of Northern British Columbia.
Dr. Marieka Sax, the research lead at UNBC’s Cumulative Impacts Research Consortium, will be giving the lecture, entitled The Open Veins of British Columbia, on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at
ArtSpace (above Books & Company) in downtown Prince George. Her talk will consider the uneven distribution of advantages and disadvantages of resource development, exploring the farreaching impacts that LNG will have for families, local businesses, health and social services providers, municipal planners and First Nations.
A $40-billion project launched by LNG Canada will bring natural gas from Dawson Creek to a processing plant and export terminal
in Kitimat where it will be transported to Asian markets.
“Natural resource development is vital to the lives of many people throughout Northern B.C.,” said Sax, a postdoctoral fellow with UNBC’s geography program.
“It is important to consider a wide range of social impacts that LNG development will have now and in the future.”
Anthropology in our Backyards is a public speaker series organized by UNBC’s Department of Anthropology.
BC Bus North winter schedule in effect
Citizen staff
BC Bus North will be running on a new schedule for the winter.
The travel days during the week will remain the same but starting Monday, they will arrive earlier and waiting times at layover points are being reduced to make sure trips are completed as much as possible during daylight hours, BC Transit said.
The trip from Prince George to Valemount will begin at 8:30 a.m., or 90 minutes later, and arrive in Valemount at 12:25 p.m.
The return trip departs at 1:25 p.m. and arrives in Prince George at 12:25 p.m.
For Prince George-Fort St. John and Dawson Creek-Fort Nelson, all times will be on Mountain Standard Time and departure times at most points en route will be earlier, reducing overall travel time by a half hour. As for Prince George-Prince Rupert, the bus leaves at 8 a.m. at each end but arrives at 7:25 p.m. or 25 minutes earlier and some departure times en route are earlier. Customers are urged to visit bcbus.ca to get the full details and to be at their stops at least 10 minutes ahead of the arrival times. Reservations are required. They can be booked online at bcbus.ca or call toll-free: 1-844-564-7494.
Citizen staff
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff
Carbon tax won’t hit all coal plant emissions
Mia RABSON Citizen news service
OTTAWA — Coal-fired power plants in Canada will pay to keep polluting once the federal government imposes a carbon price but, like other heavy emitters in Canada, they won’t pay for every tonne of greenhouse gas they produce.
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna says the final regulations for the emission-pricing system for big industry are still in development but insists coal plants will pay a carbon price until national regulations force the plants out of existence by 2030.
“We’re absolutely committed to phasing out coal,” McKenna said Friday.
“We’ve said that. We’re taking practical measures to do that.”
The government’s aim is by 2030 to ensure all of Canada’s 17 existing coal plants will either stop operating entirely, be converted to natural gas, or use technologies like carbon capture and storage to make their net greenhouse gas emissions virtually zero. However, Ottawa is still negotiating with provinces that have coal plants on how they will be phased out and whether they will be allowed to keep operating any of them by reducing equivalent emissions elsewhere.
In 2016, Canada had 16 coal generating stations, which operated 36 generators in five provinces. At least 20 of those generators are scheduled be taken offline by 2030. Alberta, which has 18 generators and accounts for almost half of the emissions from
Steam billows from the Sheerness coal fired generating station near Hanna, Alta.
coal plants, is building new solar and wind generators to replace about two-thirds of its coal plants. The others will be converted to natural gas, which produces about half the carbon dioxide produced by burning coal.
Under the carbon price system for big emitters, plants will not pay the $20-pertonne carbon price on all of the coal they burn to generate electricity.
Rather, they will be affected by the carbon pricing system for big emitters, which applies the price only to a portion of the emis-
Feds to purchase sixth Arctic patrol vessel
Keith DOUCETTE Citizen news service
HALIFAX — Concern over a potential lack of work for Halifax’s Irving Shipbuilding turned to cheers Friday as the federal government announced it would purchase a sixth Arctic and offshore patrol vessel for the Royal Canadian Navy.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan told hundreds of workers gathered in the vast facility on the Halifax waterfront that the vessel would be built in Halifax.
His announcement came a day after Ottawa revealed plans to divvy up $7 billion in maintenance and repair contracts for navy frigates among three shipyards – a move that set off alarms for workers at the Halifax yard.
The federal government had previously committed to five Arctic and offshore patrol vessels and had been considering a sixth, before Sajjan made his announcement.
He told the assembled workers the decision would boost Canada’s naval capabilities at home and abroad “for decades to come.”
“By adding a sixth Arctic and offshore patrol vessel we are ensuring that our Royal Canadian Navy remains an agile and responsive naval force for years to come, so that Canada can continue to assert and enforce our arctic sovereignty.”
Sajjan’s announcement brought an end to Irving’s fight to land at least six of the vessels.
In October 2014, The Canadian Press reported that the former Conservative government had scaled back its original plan to buy between six and eight vessels, choosing instead to buy five with an option for a sixth.
Irving president Kevin McCoy said at the time the company still fully expected “to sign a contract to build the first six ships exactly as planned and scheduled.”
“There should be no concerns about that. It’s all systems go from that perspective.”
On Friday, Sajjan wouldn’t tell reporters when the decision to proceed with six ships was made.
“We had to go through our own analysis to determine if a sixth Arctic patrol vessel was going to be needed,” said Sajjan. “A determination was made, advice was given and we made a decision as a cabinet.”
The company is set to deliver the first of the vessels next summer and is in the process of building three more. The ships will be tasked with patrolling Canadian waters including the Arctic.
Irving said construction of the second and third vessels – to be known as HMCS Margaret Brooke and HMCS Max Bernays – is already well underway, and construction of
a fourth is set to begin later this year.
McCoy said a sixth vessel means help in retaining jobs at the yard because it represents a significant narrowing of a gap between when the last of the vessels are completed sometime in 2024 and work begins on the Canadian Surface Combatant program.
McCoy said although no layoffs are planned at this point, a number of things have to happen to ensure steady work.
“What the minister announced today solves about half of a three-year problem and we are continuing to have dialogue on how we collectively solve the other half,”
McCoy said.
He said company officials met with Sajjan and the federal minister of procurement Carla Qualtrough in Ottawa on Thursday. McCoy said a number of options are under consideration in terms of finding work for the yard.
“We are looking at other options together, maybe some international sales, additional arctic ships, potentially even accelerating construction of the Canadian surface combatant. And along with that we got a very good commitment to keep Halifax class maintenance here as well.”
On Thursday, Ottawa said the maintenance and repair contracts for the existing frigates would be shared by Irving Shipbuilding, Seaspan Victoria Shipyards in Victoria, B.C., and Davie Shipbuilding in Levis, Que.
Sajjan deflected questions about how much frigate maintenance work would remain in Halifax, choosing instead to stress the importance of his announcement.
“This is about sending a tremendous message to Atlantic Canada, Halifax and the rest of Canada as well,” Sajjan said.
sions they produce.
Conservative Finance Critic Pierre Poilievre says this plan exempts the biggest polluters from paying their fair share of the carbon price, and instead saddles soccer moms and grandmothers on fixed incomes with a far bigger burden. In question period this week, he demanded the government explain why they are “charging more to grandmothers driving to get groceries but almost nothing to coal-fired plants.”
“If the carbon tax really was about saving
the world, we would presume the largest industrial emitters of carbon would have to pay it,” Poilievre said.
The big emitters’ pricing system will see an emissions cap set for every industry based on the average emissions produced by that sector, with industry paying the carbon tax on emissions over that cap.
For most industries, including coal plants, the cap will be 80 per cent of the average. For industries that are more exposed to foreign competition, like cement, steel, nitrogen fertilizer and lime, the cap will be 90 per cent. Additional industries, like oil and gas, are lobbying to be included in the 90 per cent group and final decisions on that are to come early in 2019.
The system for big industry affects any facility that produces at least 50,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year and all of Canada’s remaining coal plants are well above that marker. Together, Canada’s coal plants produce almost one-tenth of Canada’s total emissions.
Poilievre is concerned that while an individual will pay $20 a tonne for the pollution for which they are responsible, industry in some cases will pay less than $1 a tonne – a figure he arrives at by dividing the total carbon pricing cost to coal plants by their total emissions. But McKenna said attention must be paid to the impact on rate payers. Rate payers in provinces where coal is being phased out are already going to be bearing some of the costs of either replacing or converting those plants.
SAJJAN
Welcome to the sugar bowl
Citizen columnist Kathy Nadalin has a line she uses to describe longtime single men in their retirement years who are anxiously trying to find a new lady friend. She says they’re almost always “boozers and losers” looking for nothing more than “nurses and purses.”
But for the rest of the older men, they’re probably living in a sugar bowl.
An email arrived at The Citizen this week from Seeking.com, the self-proclaimed world’s largest “Sugar” dating site, looking for some free press coverage. According to the website, there are more than a million “Sugar Babies” in Canada, including more than 200,000 “Sugar Daddies” and 30,000 “Sugar Mommas.”
There’s nothing new about these kind of relationships, of course. In particular, older men and younger women have gravitated to one another for many years, in many cultures and for many reasons, with sex (in many forms) being only one.
Wealth, power and status are often a factor for both parties. Look no further than the current president of the United States, who is 24 years older than his (current) wife.
The prevalence of these relationships, along with the increasing number of mature, successful women eager to project their stature by having a much younger
man on their arm in public, has led to the specialization of dating websites like Seeking to help foster these sugar connections. In past times, the older person in the relationship dictated terms, holding all the cards on money and experience while the younger person offered beauty and vitality but mostly had to go along with whatever their older partner wanted. At least on the surface, dating websites have levelled the playing field, paving the way for “mutually beneficial relationships.” Both men and women get to say in their online profiles exactly what they want and what they’re prepared to offer, in the hopes of connecting with like-minded partners. For example, a young, handsome 25-yearold university graduate can say he’s interested in up to three dates per month with a Sugar Momma between the ages of 45 and 60. She will provide a clothing allowance (and he will dress as she instructs to suit the social occasion) and pay for everything on the date. He is open to dates that involve national and international travel for up to two weeks at a time. No dates without at least one week’s notice and all communication between dates is by text only. Sex during (and between) dates is optional and by mutual agreement. There is no expectation of exclusivity.
In other words, the arrangement is purely transactional (I give this, you take that, I take this, you give that) but carefully steers
clear of anything that implies prostitution.
It sounds so cold and modern, stripped of romance, treating people as if they were mere objects of clothing – something that fits, feels comfortable and looks good out in public.
Yet this kind of affair is actually far older than today’s typical monogamous romantic relationships.
Most cultures arranged marriages at a suitable age for young men and women, where parents shopped around their children shamelessly as desirable mates who could provide children and economic security. Dowries – payment from one family to another, usually but not always from the family of the bride to the family of the groom – remain common in numerous societies. Families, from a country’s royalty to the trades specialists in a small village, would form alliances, make peace and consolidate wealth and power by exchanging sons and daughters.
For example, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was born on the Greek island of Corfu as Prince Phillip of Greece and Denmark, the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. As is the case with much of European royalty, Phillip and Elizabeth are distantly related as Princess Alice was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
In the modern setting, however, the adult
YOUR LETTERS
Taking away of choice a slippery slope
I can agree that consent should probably be restricted to those who can actually express it when it comes to assisted dying. I just don’t see the same slippery slope in this issue that you seem to, Mr. Schouten.
Using terms like “the sanctity of life” as a pretext by which to demand control over other people’s choices is a vastly more dangerous slope to be slipped on, in my opinion. What could be more damaging to the sanctity of my own life than to have someone else making my decisions and demanding a particular set of values from me?
As mentioned in my first letter, those pesky perceptions, limitations and beliefs of ours don’t have any say in deciding what other individuals choose to live for or the reason(s) they may choose to die.
Ours is not simply a society where “life is always encouraged,” as you say. It is a society wherein the desire to die is systematically demonized and dismissed. As soon as such a desire is expressed, you can expect to be tossed in the psych ward and treated like a child who can’t make their own decisions. Those who are not interested in
a continued existence have no peaceful and reliable way out. Their only option is to go it alone, with no way of knowing if they’re really going to achieve their end, or just risk submerging their unwanted life deeper into misery and despair.
Worst of all, they can’t properly say goodbye to loved ones. I don’t think anyone’s last message from a loved one should ever have to be a tear-stained note filled with grief.
Assisted dying won’t be causing anywhere near the amount of suffering that its absence has.
Scott Harris Prince George
We remember
Nov. 11 is fast approaching. It is a date that has significant meaning and history behind it. This is the day that hostilities stopped between warring nations in 1918 at 11 a.m., effectively ending the First World War.
Despite what many history books say, Canada played a major part in not only this war but the Second World War and many other conflicts since then. Along with the glory comes the sad reality that war causes casualties with many men and women never returning home buried in a faraway land they gave the ultimate sacrifice for something
they believed in. We honour those who did not return and pay our respects to them. We thought we would not have to do this anymore after the Second World War ended but war still happens, peacekeeping still happens and like it or not we have new generations of fallen to remember but we also honour the living. They went sometimes not knowing why they were going but they were sent and sometimes even volunteered to go.
For my generation, we grew up with the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War and Vietnam and honoured those that went and those that didn’t come home. For today’s generation, those wars do not have the same meaning for them as it did for us and for them the Gulf War, Rwanda, Bosnia and Afghanistan have more meaning for their generations but the tone remains the same. We honour the fallen and we remember their sacrifices and we must never ever forget those that paid the ultimate price. The poppy we wear is a symbol and it is a reminder to us as to why we stand and honour those who never made it home and why we cannot forget. Lest we forget.
Dean Soiland 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.
participants, rather than their parents, set the terms. As a result, relationships can be as traditional or non-traditional as the two parties desire. Sex, romance, money, time and the quantity of each – in the sugar bowl, it’s all negotiable up front, even before the two sides meet face-to-face.
To borrow Nadalin’s phrase, the boozer, loser and nurse parts of the equation are all in play, depending on the purse and the individual preferences at play.
It may sound sweet but too much sugar isn’t good for anyone, whether it’s nutrition or in relationships.
Personal relationships – romantic partners, family, friends, colleagues – thrive with ample helpings of respect, loyalty and trust from all parties. A transactional arrangement, even with the spiciness and thrill of a sugary scenario, puts all of these relationship essentials aside in favour of the terms of the deal.
For some, that’s perfect. After too many unwanted surprises, unreasonable expectations and disappointments, a mutually beneficial relationship makes perfect sense.
For others, relationships need to be more organic, more spontaneous and far less formal than renting an apartment or leasing a car.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of sweetness to go around and in enough forms and variety to suit most everyone.
— Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
Identity crisis? Not in B.C.
Over the past few years, British Columbia and Quebec have had their share of common goals. The two provinces consistently outrank all others as places where environmental concerns are paramount. Discussions related to pipelines and energy projects have been different in these provinces than anywhere else in Canada.
While Quebec has long been regarded as a unique region within Canada, British Columbia is starting to show some differences when compared with other western provinces. In a Research Co. poll conducted earlier this year, a whopping 66 per cent of British Columbians said they had more in common with the people of Seattle and Portland than with other Canadians. Even at a moment when views of the United States have soured considerably over the presidency of Donald Trump, British Columbians appear to keep the dream of “Cascadia” alive.
However, the expressions of fondness for the people of Washington state and Oregon did not create a drastic change in how British Columbians perceive themselves and Canada. Three in five residents (61 per cent) believe the views of British Columbians are different from the rest of Canada, and only 17 per cent thought the province would be better off as its own country.
A question on identity also showed that 60 per cent of residents consider themselves “Canadians first, British Columbians second” while 22 per cent placed their province ahead of their country.
A few weeks have passed since voters in Quebec elected a new government, led by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ). The democratic process ended with the lowest voting percentage for the province’s traditionally dominant political organizations: the federalist Liberal Party of Quebec and the sovereignist Parti Québécois (PQ).
The early actions of the new government provided an opportunity to ask Quebecers about themselves, their place in Canada and their identity.
For starters, the notion of sovereignty has become unpopular.
A majority of Quebecers (53 per cent) disagreed with the notion of Quebec being better off as its own country. Only 34 per cent of Quebecers still dream of an independent Quebec, most of them supporters of the PQ.
In Quebec, two thirds of residents (68 per cent) think their
views are different from the rest of Canada – seven points higher than what was observed in British Columbia this year. Residents of these two provinces are looking at things differently, especially after recent political changes in Ontario and an at times unfriendly relationship with Alberta. More than half of Quebecers (51 per cent) disagreed with the idea that Quebecers have more in common with the people of France than with the residents of other parts of Canada. British Columbians may find Cascadia compelling, but few Quebecers are looking at the other side of the Atlantic Ocean for a sense of brotherhood.
However, the main issue that could change matters in Quebec is identity. Almost half of residents (48 per cent) consider themselves “Quebecers first, and Canadians second” while just over two in five (43 per cent) place country ahead of province.
This might be the biggest hurdle for federalist forces in Quebec. Outright support for sovereignty is at one of its lowest points, but identity continues to be a more contentious topic here than in any other province. Men, Quebecers over the age of 55 and those who reside outside of the Montreal metropolitan area are more likely to eschew Canada and refer to themselves as Quebecers.
It is not a surprise to see a huge majority of PQ supporters say they consider themselves “Quebecers first” and very few Liberal voters share this view. The problem lies in the 57 per cent of CAQ voters and the 74 per cent of Québec solidaire voters who also put Quebec ahead of Canada. These are newly engaged citizens who are fond of their leaders and policies.
At this point, British Columbia is not having an identity crisis, in spite of the acrimonious tone that the electoral reform referendum is taking. New political parties are not expected to dominate the provincial agenda.
There could be a very different story developing in Quebec. If the CAQ government falters, the prospect of another “us versus them” debate that engulfs provincial and federal administrations could be devastating. Yes, federalist Canadians can breathe easier after seeing that only a third of Quebecers currently want to leave Canada. But the fact that almost half of them do not see themselves primarily as Canadians should be concerning.
— Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., writes an exclusive column for Glacier Media newspapers
Legal cannabis rollout needs to be fair
The date for legalization of cannabis has come and gone in Canada and touched every community, including Prince George. Legalization marked a big shift in how our society operates, touching upon many institutions of Canadian life. From public safety, to retail services, to transit and labour law, the impact of legalizing cannabis will continue to require coordination among all levels of government.
Prince George’s city council is the level of government closest to your daily lives and as a result, we’re on the front lines of cannabis legalization. Our city is a member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), which has been helping communities get ready locally while engaging with the federal government in Ottawa. Municipalities cannot manage the impacts from this national change alone.
The key elements of a safe and effective rollout of cannabis legalization require clear costsharing of a potentially hefty bill. While much has been said about the revenue potential of can-
nabis sales in Canada, too often we forget about the new costs. Legalization has real operational and cost implications for a wide variety of municipal departments. Right now, in Prince George, you as local taxpayers are on the hook for all these new bills, and that’s not fair.
Among the new costs Prince George city hall will be responsible for are the cost of the police resources required to manage this new reality. Local governments already pay for more than 60 per cent of all policing costs in Canada. In Prince George, as in most of B.C., 100 per cent of our policing is contracted to the RCMP.
Fortunately, the federal government recognized the key role of municipalities in a successful transition to a legalized cannabis regime. In September of 2017, the Government of Canada committed $81 million towards helping police services prepare for legalization in-
cluding training and technology to tackle drug-impaired driving. That said, we are still waiting on details of how this $81 million will be allocated from the provincial level to our local level, despite the fact that local costs have started to be incurred and continue to mount. Through our nationwide efforts with the FCM, the federal government released half of its own cannabis excise tax revenues to the provinces, specifically to support municipal governments on the front lines of legalizing cannabis. To date, however, B.C. has not revealed plans to share those funds with local governments. Too many communities like ours do not yet have any clarity on how cannabis costs will be covered through provincial revenue-sharing frameworks. As the lead on cannabis legalization, the Government of Canada will need to ensure adequate revenue-sharing plans are in place and municipalities are made whole for the costs of this federal policy. Clearly, there is still more work to do and the lack of information on revenue-sharing for many local governments is worrying. Worse yet, some provinces have even
Sustainable forestry practices advancing in B.C.
When delegates arrive in Vancouver this coming week from member countries around the world for a high-level United Nations session on forests, B.C. will have a rare opportunity to showcase the progress it’s made on sustainable forest management.
Foresters understand that forests are so much more than simply a collection of trees. In practical terms, forests are a system that sustains myriad species, protects soil, cleans the water, purifies the air, and provides spiritual respite as well as important economic opportunities to a wide range of communities through the generation of countless goods and services.
Within that broad context, and taking into account long-term, cradle-to-grave thinking, delegates will discuss ways to minimize waste and maximize value in the context of our forests, and to rethink entire supply chains from the perspective of sustainable forests, the re-use of materials and the elimination of waste and pollution.
A key theme policy-makers will discuss is the concept of the circular economy and forests. You’ll be familiar with the circular economy concept, although perhaps under different terms. It describes a regenerative system where resource inputs, waste, emissions, and energy leakage are minimized through narrowing or closing energy and material loops.
In other words, the circular economy is focussed less on “taking, making and wasting” and more on reducing, re-using and recycling without a resulting loss in either revenues or in consumer satisfaction.
Think of it as a basic tenet of sustainability. If you’ve followed discussions on forests and the changes that have occurred in how they’re managed, you’ll understand how well-suited forests are to the UN’s coming session on the topic.
The fact is, the circular economy holds real opportunity for growth and trade; but it will also require continual innovation.
My organization has been a leading voice in this discussion for decades, having participated in the process from its early stage when the circular economy was little understood, to today when international bodies are pushing the concept forward with gusto. And yet, for forest managers the discussion is second nature. For example, some will recall Richard Branson’s Earth Challenge to award $25 million to the individual or group that demonstrated a commercially viable design for the net removal of humancaused, atmospheric greenhouse gases – without causing harmful effects.
In a way that solution already exists. While forests can contribute to climate change through wildfires, insect infestations and disease, forest managers know that a well-managed forest stores carbon, which is sequestered in the resulting forest product’s life cycle. Wood construction, furniture, flooring, dimensional lumber – even paper products such as books in libraries – are carbon banks, and maintain the CO2 in place. Regenerating the trees on the managed land sequesters even more carbon, and the cycle continues virtually in perpetuity.
More exciting is that, through new ways of approaching forests and the economy – whether that’s nanotechnology, renewable energy, advances in durable building materials or further developments in other higher value forest products, the UN discussion will place forestry even further ahead of the sustainability curve.
The majority of trees (about two thirds) in Canada and the U.S. are used for lumber, storing carbon for the medium to long term. Equally important, paper is recycled more than any other commodity, extending supply, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and saving landfill space – all attributes of a circular forest economy.
Further, today’s sustainable forestry allows for all parts of a tree to be used and re-used, creating products beyond saw logs, pulp wood and paper. For example, residual fibre from sawmills is converted into products from fuel pellets to textiles – so virtually nothing is wasted. And forest products are increasingly seen as a solution to other environmental issues facing communities – plastic waste and its effects on ocean health.
Products from well-managed, renewable forests are the perfect input for this circular economy. That’s why the forest sector is well-positioned at the leading edge globally. The sector will continue to identify ways in which the re-usable and recyclable nature of forest products can combine with other manufacturing processes, resulting in new products from what
once was considered “waste.”
— Kathy Abusow is president & CEO of SFI Inc., which works to show how responsible forest management enhances the environmental, economic and social values that matter to all of us. She will chair a panel discussion during the 76th session of the Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry, convened in Vancouver Monday through Friday by the UN Economic Commission for Europe.
Legalization has real operational and cost implications for a wide variety of municipal departments. Right now, in Prince George, you as local taxpayers are on the hook for all these new bills, and that’s not fair.
indicated that they will not allow the portion of federal excise tax revenue designated for municipalities to flow to communities. This is unacceptable! Municipalities are calling on the provinces to bring forward a clear path to uphold their end of the deal. They must provide support to municipalities to address local challenges around cannabis legalization. This also means the federal government needs to ensure provincial plans for revenue sharing are finalized and implemented. Prince George has been hard at work changing bylaws, ensuring local police services are equipped and engaging citizens. But getting this right requires municipalities getting all the committed resources they need.
In summary, while cannabis le-
galization moves forward, you can count on Prince George to continue moving forward to adapt to the challenges ahead. Across Canada, citizens can count on their local governments to respond. But the one challenge we can’t fix alone is ensuring local costs incurred by the new legalized cannabis regime are fully and sustainably covered as committed.
Successful rollout of legalization requires collaboration across all levels of government. Prince George and communities large and small are ready to do our part. Let’s work together to get this right.
— Garth Frizzell is a Prince George city councillor and second vice-president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
FROM THE WEB
Re: Low-flowing rivers linked to climate change
With this water problem I hope they do not start fracking in the Nechako basin. — dartboard47
What do you think fracking has to do with the low river levels, and how will fracking affect rivers? Do you understand what fracking is? — NDPhack
Do you understand what fracking can do to underground aquifers?
Do you understand if the Nechako dries up more we may need those aquifers? — dartboard47
I hope we can get a campaign going to plant trees in the area and we need to do this now while there is some water left. Come on Prince George!! — doloresbazil7
Climate is changing? yes it is. Can governments to anything about it? No, they can’t unless they can stop the phases the world has been going through since the beginning of time. This is not the first warming of the earth, nor will it be the last, and get ready another ice age is on the way as soon as this warm up is finished.... and then it will still be called climate change. If Trudeau is around he will no doubt try and tax that too... — Iam Noone
GARTH FRIZZELL Special to The Citizen
Guest Column
KATHY ABUSOW Special to The Citizen
Guest Column
Province to allow gender-neutral identification cards
VICTORIA — People who consider themselves neither male nor female now have the right to use an X to designate their gender on British Columbia-issued identification including a driver’s licence, birth certificate, identity card and BC Services card.
The ministries of Health, Attorney General and Citizens Services say they have worked together on changes to government documents as a way to
respect issues of gender identity. Attorney General David Eby says in a news release a lack of an alternative for people who do not identify with the male or female designation has resulted in cases that were being considered at the Human Rights Tribunal. Gwen Haworth, a member of the trans community and project manager for Trans Care BC, says in a statement having identification documents that reflect who they are positively affects access to services, such as education, employ-
ment and housing. People born in B.C. can change their gender designation on an identity document by submitting a Change of Gender Designation application, along with a copy of their doctor’s or psychologist’s confirmation form, to the Vital Statistics Agency. Those who were born outside of B.C. but are now residents of the province can submit a BC Services Card Change of Gender Designation application, with a copy of a doctor or psychologist’s confirmation form, to Health Insurance B.C.
Referendum challenge quashed
VANCOUVER (CP) — British Columbia’s top court has dismissed an application by a group trying to halt the province’s referendum on electoral reform. The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association asked for leave to appeal a lowercourt decision that in August denied an interim injunction after allegations the B.C. government undertook a rushed process for fundamental changes to the democratic system.
B.C. Appeal Court Justice Gregory Fitch says there was no merit to the association’s argument that disputed the lower court’s ruling.
Quick start pushes Cats past T-birds
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
On a night when the Prince George Cougars built an early lead and got to let off some steam late in the game knowing they were about to end a four-game winless streak, there was no relief in sight for goalie Isaiah DiLaura. He was trapped in a pressurecooker for 59 minutes and 21.6 seconds, trying to keep his gooseegg intact.
Seattle Thunderbirds centre
Samuel Huo came up with the shot that cracked it, scoring his team’s only goal with 38.4 seconds left in what turned out a 4-1 Cougars victory.
The 19-year-old DiLaura, playing in his 19th career Western Hockey League game, was vying for his first career shutout and had it in the bag until T-birds forward Jaxan Kaluski cut across the high slot and let go a high shot that gave the Lakeville, Minn., native trouble. The rebound was left in the crease for Huo, who had an easy tap-in for the spoiler in front of 2,372 witnesses Friday at CN Centre.
The Cougars came in on a fourgame skid and in three of those games they had leads to lean on after the first period. But not once this season have they had a fourgoal cushion to work with after 20 minutes like they did Friday. It was by far their best period of the season. They blocked shots like they were going out of style, they stood the T-birds up at the blueline and they scored on their opportunities.
Josh Maser got them kickstarted with a nice individual rush up the left wing. He blocked a shot from pointman Owen Williams and took the puck all the way to the house, scoring on a wrist shot from the face-off circle just 41 seconds in.
Joel Lakusta made it 2-0 with a wicked blast from the point on a Cougars’ power play. Vladislav Mikhalchuk added to the count when he rifled off a backhander that sailed in behind rookie netminder Cole Schwebius. The Cougars made it 2-for-3 on the power play late in the period. Cole Moberg took a shot that produced
In the first game of a weekend doubleheader, the Cougars won 4-1.
a fat rebound and Tyson Upper was in the right place just off the post to dump the puck in the open side for a 4-0 lead.
The Cougars were full value for their big lead, starting the second period on their fifth power play of the game, but needed a couple of huge saves from DiLaura to keep the T-birds’ offence stifled.
Zack Andrusiak stripped the puck from the Cougars and broke in on a 2-on-1 rush, forcing DiLaura to make a pad save and he also stopped the rebound. Not long after that, Kaluski stole the puck from Lakusta and DiLaura had to kick out his leg to block Kaluski’s breakaway shot.
DiLaura was even better in the third period, and he had to be sharp when Seattle’s seventhranked power play was given a couple two-minute opportunities. To the Cougars’ credit, their penalty-killers were quick to react
and physical in their own zone, clearing away the loose pucks DiLaura was unable to squeeze. Cats’ 17-year-old defenceman Rhett Rhinehart was a standout on the blueline banging bodies and keeping DiLaura’s view of the puck unobstructed. The six-foot-three, 200-pound Rhinehart came up with the hit of the night 11 minutes into the second period when he levelled forward Noah Philp along the boards with a clean shoulder-to-shoulder check. Schwebius struggled with rebound control in the first period but steadily improved as the game went on, coming up with showstopping saves to deny Mikhalchuk, the Cougars’ leading pointgetter, and Moberg, who joined the rush looking for his fifth goal of the season late in the second period. Moberg finished the game with two assists. Maser kept up his hot touch
around the net. He’s scored in each of the last four games since serving a four-game suspension and has points in his last six games. He was a physical force who kept his feet moving to draw a couple penalties and was worthy of his first-star selection.
The win moved the Cougars (67-1-2) back into third place in the B.C. Division. Seattle (7-5-2-0) remained forth in the U.S. Division.
LOOSE PUCKS: Tonight’s rematch with the T-birds is the first of the P.G. Cougars Society Mega 50-50 jackpots. Sponsored by the Northland Auto Group, the first 2,000 fans aged 19 or older will receive a $10 strip of 50-50 tickets as they enter the building…. The Cougars will be wearing special black and pink jerseys tonight for their Pink in the Rink breast cancer fundraiser and 30 jerseys will be auctioned to fans through the Cougars’ website. The game-worn jer-
Hot-handed T-wolves down Wesmen
Citizen staff
The UNBC Timberwolves are enjoying the view from the top.
In their women’s basketball home-opener Friday at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre they locked away their third win in three games this season with a 75-68 victory over the Winnipeg Wesmen.
The T-wolves big-three point producers –Vasiliki Louka, Maria Mongomo and Madison Landry – picked up where they left off last weekend in a two-game sweep of the Mount Royal Cougars, teaming up to give the Wesmen a pounding headache that never subsided.
Louka led the UNBC cause with 22 points and 14 rebounds, Mongomo collected 15 points and Landry picked up 13 points and five assists.
The T-wolves led 25-16 after 10 minutes and 40-28 at the half. They made half of their shots from the field (31-for-62) and were equally accurate from beyond the three-point line (9-for-18).
Second-year T-wolf Abby Gibb struck for 12 points and fourth-year point guard Emily Holmes sunk six points and had five assists.
“It felt great to be out in front of the home crowd today, it’s been a while and the fans were great,” said Landry. “They really help with our intensity and we feel stronger with them behind us.”
The Wesmen had four players reach double figures point-wise, led by Robyn Boulanger’s 14 points. Faith Hezekiah hit for 13 points, Jessica Dyck had 11 and Farrah Castillo put up 10 points and had six assists.
The win kept the T-wolves (3-0) tied for first place with Manitoba and Trinity Western atop the U Sports Canada West standings. Winnipeg (0-3) dropped to 15th in the 17-team league.
The same teams meet again today at the NSC. Game time is 5 p.m. Meanwhile, in the men’s game that followed on the same court, the Timberwolves pulled
three University
off a dramatic 84-82 victory. Fifth-year guard Jovan Leamy finished with 34 points and 10 rebounds to lead the UNBC cause.
The Timberwolves – also 3-0 on the season – were up 44-37 at the half and had a 65-63 advantage after three quarters.
The Winnipeg and UNBC men will also play again today. Opening tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
on Friday night at CN Centre.
seys of Josh Curtis, Taylor Gauthier and Lakusta will be part of a silent auction open for bids in the CN Centre front lobby starting at noon today… Cougar forward Josh Curtis was selected the Jim’s Clothes Closet player of the month for October. He had five goals and four assists in 10 games last month… Cougars centre Ethan Browne was scratched after sustaining a lowerbody injury in Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to Brandon… Season subscribers Terry and Andrea Hall won the 25 To Life contest and will receive Cougar tickets for life… Team WHL will gather Monday in Kamloops and Tuesday in Langley for the CIBC Canada-Russia Series. The OHL all-stars will play the Russian selects Thursday in Sarnia, Ont., and next Saturday in Oshawa, Ont. The series wraps up with games Tuesday, Nov. 13 in Sherbrooke, Que. and Wednesday, Nov. 14 in Drummondville, Que.
P.G. boys key for Kings
Citizen staff
The P.G. connection was in fine form Friday night for the Prince George Spruce Kings. Corey Cunningham and Craig MacDonald, the two local products in the Kings’ lineup, each fired daggers that struck at the heart of the visiting Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
Cunningham’s power-play goal late in the first period and MacDonald’s even-strength marker 4:53 into the third period – his first goal of the season – proved the difference in a 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs, with a crowd of 907 watching at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
The Kings poured 45 shots at Bulldogs’ goalie John Hawthorne. Logan Neaton had a relatively easy night by comparison, blocking 18 of 19 shots. Grayson Valente scored for the Bulldogs with 19 seconds left in the second period. The win allowed the Kings (13-6-0-1) to keep pace with their BCHL Mainland Division rivals, the league-leading Chilliwack Chiefs and second-overall Coquitlam Express.
Prince George Cougars forward Josh Maser muscles his way past Tyrel Bauer of the Seattle Thunderbirds
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
UNBC Timberwolves guard Vova Pluzhnikov drives to the basket against
of Winnipeg Wesmen defenders on Friday night at Northern Sport Centre.
were nearly unstoppable and rolled to a 49-8 victory.
Canada-Russia Series brings together current and future stars
Citizen news service
TORONTO — There’s more on the line than just winning for some players at the 2018 CHL Canada-Russia Series. A standout performance could be the difference between watching or playing in the upcoming IIHF world junior hockey championship.
The annual series showcasing the Canadian Hockey League’s top talents begins Monday when the 22 skaters representing the Western Hockey League face Russia’s national junior team in Kamloops.
Tim Hunter, head coach of Canada’s under-20 squad, will be behind the WHL bench for a first-hand look at players that could potentially crack the Canadian team preparing to defend their gold medal.
“We’re looking to reward guys that have had good starts to their season, with also an opportunity for us to watch them, coach them, get to know them for the Hockey Canada side to see if they’re capable of selection camp in December,” said Hunter, who coaches the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
The Canada-Russia Series started in 2003 and consists of six games against the Russian junior national team. Each of the three leagues making up the CHL – the WHL,
Raptors improve record to 8-1
Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – will face off against Russia twice.
Many of the WHL players chosen this year have had past experience with Hockey Canada at various levels, and some were invited to this past summer’s World Junior Showcase led by Hunter.
Goaltender Ian Scott of the Prince Albert Raiders, however, was passed over in June and wasn’t sure if playing at the world juniors was realistic. But a strong start to the season, including being named WHL goalie of the month for October, earned him another look from Hunter at the Canada-Russia Series.
year’s team has four draft-eligible 17 year olds, including Vancouver Giants defenceman Bowen Byram, who was surprised to be picked by Hunter.
“It’s definitely one of the steps to crack that squad,” Scott said. “It was one of my goals that I worked for.”
“We never close our doors to guys that didn’t make it to summer camp,” said Hunter. “Players develop and mature at different rates and you have to give guys a chance.”
The six-game series has largely been made up of veteran junior players already drafted to NHL clubs in years past, but this
PHOENIX (AP) — The Toronto Raptors weren’t at their best, but good enough to pull away from the Phoenix Suns for another victory in the best start to a season in the Canadian franchise’s history.
Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points and the Raptors used a 14-2 fourth-quarter run to finally put away the pesky Phoenix Suns 107-98 on Friday night.
“I kind of had it as a goal in my mind. I didn’t put too much emphasis on it though because it was a bit of a lofty goal,” Byram said.
“It’s pretty cool to be recognized especially being a younger guy. I still have to prove that I belong to be there but I’m excited for the opportunity.”
Forwards Kirby Dach of the Saskatoon Blades, Dylan Cozens of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Nolan Foote of the Kelowna Rockets join Byram as NHL draft-eligible prospects on the WHL squad.
“You always try and have some of the younger players in the mix, a lot of these guys have been in the Hockey Canada program and this is just another step for them,” Hunter said. “Part of passing the torch on and also they’re all pretty capable players.”
Dach leads all 17-year-old WHL skaters in scoring and is fourth overall in the league
Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and Serge Ibaka 14 for the Raptors, who improved to 8-1, the best nine-game start in franchise history. Kyle Lowry had 11 points and 12 assists.
“It is a 48-minute game and I think we are playing pretty good basketball for about 28 minutes right now,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “We got to stretch that. I don’t think we will ever get to 48 minutes, but we want to get in the 40s probably after the new year.”
Deandre Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, had 17 points and 18 rebounds for the Suns, losers of seven in a row since winning
with 10 goals and 27 points in 16 games, but he doesn’t know if his skills will be enough to take a spot away from an older guy come December.
“It’s a far-fetched goal I’d say but if I get invited to world junior camp it would be a huge honour as a 17-year-old going to camp,” said Dach.
Warriors defenceman Josh Brook will captain Team WHL, while Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Jordy Bellerive, Everett Silvertips forward Connor Dewar and Portland Winterhawks forward Cody Glass will serve as alternate captains.
All 22 players are in action with their WHL clubs this weekend and will join in Kamloops Sunday night for a team meeting, followed by a Monday morning skate. Game 2 will go Tuesday in Vancouver before the series shifts to Ontario on Thursday for games in Sarnia and Oshawa between Team OHL and Russia. Russia’s final two games will be against Team QMJHL starting Nov. 13 in Sherbrooke, Que., and Nov. 15 in Drummondville, Que.
CHL teams have played to an overall record of 61-22-7, with the WHL splitting last year’s two-game set to see its record go to 20-7-3.
their season opener. Isaiah Canaan scored 19 and Devin Booker 18 for Phoenix. Booker returned after missing three games with a strained hamstring.
Phoenix trailed by only four early in the fourth quarter before Toronto’s decisive 14-2 surge.
“Well, our effort was better,” Suns first-year coach Igor Kokoskov said. “Having Book and Canaan back, I mean that helps a lot. We have to sustain playing a physical, strong team like Toronto.”
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Brayden Michell of the PGSS Polars tries to fight his way through a pair of Kelly Road Roadrunners tacklers on Friday night at Masich Place Stadium during the PG Bowl high school football championship game. The Polars
Last shot wins
wild affair 7-6 in overtime, with Derrick Pouliot getting the winner.
Luongo leads Panthers past Jets
Citizen news service
HELSINKI — Roberto Luongo was just happy to finally be back on the ice for the Florida Panthers.
“It’s just nice to be back part of the team,” Luongo said. “It’s never fun to be on the sideline watching the game. I put in a lot of work and I’m happy I was able to play a game.”
Returning from a knee injury that sidelined him since the season opener, the 39-year-old Luongo stopped 32 shots to help Florida beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 on Friday night for a two-game split in the Finnish capital.
“That was huge for us,” Florida coach Bob Boughner said. “Watching him play so composed after being off for a month, he is a big reason why we won the game tonight.”
Luongo was hurt Oct. 6 against Tampa Bay.
Luongo stopped all 17 shots in the final period as the Jets pressed.
“He gives us a lot of confidence and he’s telling us what to do, talks a lot on the ice and off the ice,” said captain Aleksander Barkov, who is Finnish.
Keith Yandle and Evgeni Dadonov had a goal and an assist each for the Panthers. Mike Hoffman and Frank Vatrano also scored a goal apiece and Jonathan Huberdeau added two assists. The Panthers overcame an early 2-1 deficit for their first regulation victory and third overall win in the first 11 games.
“Our start wasn’t very good – actually it was pretty awful, our start,” Boughner said. “They tested him (Luongo) early and he was really good and I think that gave us time to get feet underneath of us and start rolling a little bit. That’s what good goalies do, they make the saves at the right time.”
Coming off a hat trick Thursday night in Winnipeg’s 4-2 victory, Finnish star
goal during the NHL
Friday
Patrik Laine scored again in front of a capacity crowd of 13,500 at Hartwall Arena. Nikolaj Ehlers also connected, and captain Blake Wheeler had two assists.
“Overall, it’s been an unreal trip,” Laine said. “I’m going to remember every second that we spent here for the rest of my life. The atmosphere at the ring was unreal for the both games. It was a pleasure to play in front of the Finnish fans, friends and family.”
Yandle broke a tie on a power play with 26 seconds left in the second period, driving a slap shot past goalie Connor Hellebuyck Hoffman tied it on a power play at 4:59 of the second.
Maser PG (boarding) 2:30, Bauer SEA (interference) 8:23, Wood SEA (hooking) 16:37, Lee SEA (interference) 18:33, Bauer SEA (tripping, unsportsmanlike conduct), Crossley PG (unsportsmanlike conduct) 19:09. Second Period No scoring. Penalties – Leppard PG (tripping) 3:09, Hamaliuk SEA (roughing), Maser PG (roughing) 11:40, Kubicek SEA (roughing) 18:46. Third Period 5. Seattle, Huo 2 (Kaluski, Bauer) 19:22 Penalties – Kaluski SEA (tripping) 0:36, Lakusta PG (interference) 4:57, Rhinehart PG (roughing) 7:31, Williams SEA (slashing) 12:41, Volcan SEA (roughing), Perepeluk PG (roughing) 16:07. Shots on goal by Seattle 7 6 9 -22 Prince George 17 8 8 -33 Goal – Seattle: Schwebius (L,0-2-1-0); Prince George: DiLaura (W,2-2-0-0). Power plays – SEA: 0-4; PG: 2-7. Referees - Sean Raphael, Brett Roeland; Linesmen – Anthony Maletta, Tarrington Wyonzek. Attendance – 2,372. Scratches – Seattle: D Jarret
Vatrano scored off a turnover midway through the third.
NOTES: The games were part of the NHL Global Series. It was the 25th NHL regular season game played on the European continent, and the seventh in Finland. In October, New Jersey beat Edmonton Gothenburg, Sweden.
Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL is planning to play a season-opening game in Prague and another two games in Stockholm next season.
Laine, who had 44 goals last season, had three goals in 12 games this season before adding four in the two games in Helsinki.
Hoffman has a point in each of the past nine games.
Busch in running for second Cup title
Citizen news service
FORT WORTH, Texas — Kurt Busch knows he took his first and only NASCAR Cup Series championship for granted.
The one that came 14 years ago with another team.
“If it happens again, I’ll appreciate it that much more,” Busch said Friday.
Now 40 years old and with an uncertain future after this season with Stewart-Haas Racing, Busch arrived at Texas just outside the top four with two races left before the finale at Homestead, where four drivers will race for the championship. Three of those spots are still up for grabs.
“We have all the confidence in the world, we have all the right to be in the position we’re in,”
said Busch, fifth in the standings and 25 points out of fourth.
“Black and white is we have to win. That way we control our destiny. We can still point our way in, and that’s been our strength, the consistency of our team this year.”
While Busch is still trying to clinch a spot, Joey Logano is the only driver already locked in for Homestead after his bump-and-run to get past defending Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. at Martinsville last weekend.
Truex was clearly upset after the race, when he vowed to prevent Logano from winning the title: “He may have won the battle, but he ain’t winning the damn war.” He sent a text to Logano later Sunday night.
“I didn’t expect to hear from him, so I wanted to tell him how I felt,” Truex said Friday in Texas. “I wanted to get his point of view and what he was thinking. What he thought about it. Now I know.” Logano said he wasn’t surprised to hear from Truex.
“I am glad he did. It kind of broke the ice,” he said Friday. “I was planning on waiting a couple days to let things settle. It got a lot of things out of the way. We both know where we stand. We know where it is at. It is what it is and we move on.”
Seven other drivers are still competing for the final three spots. All four Stewart-Haas drivers – Busch, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola – are alive in the playoff chase, along with Truex, Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott.
While Kurt Busch has no contract yet for 2019 – he said there is “no movement on that” at this point – he is focused on trying to get another championship with the No. 41 Ford.
“It hasn’t been a distraction because I think the team and myself, we’ve all pushed that aside, and said let’s focus on the now and getting the best that we can with the mindset, the crew guys, just the overall atmosphere,” he said.
At Texas, Busch has 18 career top-10 finishes. He finished seventh here in April after winning a second consecutive pole at the 1 1/2-mile track. His was going for a third consecutive pole Friday, but instead qualified seventh – the lowest of the four Stewart-Haas drivers.
Busch was driving for Jack Roush when he won his Cup title in 2004, having made his debut with that team in 2000. He went to Roger Penske in 2006, and drove for James Finch and Barney Visser before joining Gene Haas in 2014.
“When I chose to leave Roush Racing, I was young and I felt like the driver had more control over the situational events, and the way that a championship was brought together,” Busch said. “I realized quickly it’s more of a team that brings everything together, and then beyond the team is the connections and the overall health of your program with NASCAR and the way that things work.”
Brock Boeser, left, and Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks celebrate Boeser’s first-period goal against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night in Vancouver. The Canucks won a
AP PHOTO Aleksander Barkov of Florida Panthers celebrates a
Global Series Challenge game against the Winnipeg Jets on
in Helsinki, Finland.
BUSCH
Stamps seeking winning feeling against Lions
Gemma KARSTENS-SMITH Citizen news service
Dave Dickenson wants his Calgary Stampeders to taste victory one more time before they head into the playoffs.
The squad started the year strong but has dropped its last three games in a row and Calgary’s head coach said it’s important to generate some “good feelings” ahead of the post season.
Calgary’s last win was on Oct. 8, when it beat the Montreal Alouettes 12-6.
“A lot of time, winning breeds winning, losing breeds losing,” Dickenson said. “If we want to make an impact in the playoffs, we have to have a better feeling coming out of this game.”
The Stampeders (12-5) will be in Vancouver tonight to take on the B.C. Lions (9-8) in their final regular-season game.
Both teams have secured a playoff spot, but Calgary needs a win or a tie to clinch first in the West and secure a bye in the first round.
Micah Johnson said having a week off would be huge.
“We’re not machines,” the defensive lineman said. “Any time you can get rest it’s always good, so I feel like that bye week is huge, especially with the type of injuries, the kind of banged-up team we’ve been.”
But to win, the Stamps will have to get past the Lions’ defence, which has been strong in the second half of the season.
Dickenson said B.C. has a good pass rush and is very physical.
“We’ve just got to take what’s
there,” he said. “We’d like to establish control at the line of scrimmage with our offensive line. I feel like that’s where games are won – up front.”
Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell will be looking to mix things up in order to compete with the B.C. defence.
“Sometimes when you’re playing a good defence you try to force things to prove they’re not as good as they are. And I think you have to understand that good defences are who they are for a reason,” he said. “So exploit what you can, but
be smart, take care of the football. Because when you win the turnover battle you win the game.”
Mitchell has played in all of Calgary’s 17 games this year and leads the league in touchdowns throws with 34.
He’s also tossed for 4,846 yards but said he isn’t thinking about potentially breaking the 5,000 yard mark tonight.
“It’s one of the things that at the end of your career you can look back and say you did it a couple of times and what not,” Mitchell said. “But it’s a testament to what
everybody’s done this entire year. A lot of different guys have had to catch footballs this year.”
The Lions are cemented in the cross-over spot, but the squad still has a lot to play for tonight, said quarterback Travis Lulay. He added that they’re keen to recover from last week’s ugly 3516 loss in Saskatchewan.
“As a pro, no one in that lockerroom feels good about that performance a week ago. We want to build that confidence back up,” said Lulay.
“It’s taken so much work for
As a pro, no one in that locker-room feels good about that performance a week ago.
— Lions quarterback Travis Lulay
us to get back in position to be a playoff team that we don’t want to let that go to waste. We don’t want that to continue to slide, we don’t want to let doubt creep in. We want to go out and play a good, tough football game.”
Tonight will also mark head coach Wally Buono’s last game at B.C. Place.
The winningest coach in CFL history said he’s appreciative of what’s being done to commemorate the occasion, but is still focused on winning, especially in light of last week’s loss.
“We were so bad. For me not to treat (tonight) like another game would be sending the players the wrong message,” Buono said.
“We’re at the time of the year where all the work that you’ve done, all the hours that you’ve put in, all the sacrifices, it comes to reality.”
The fact the Lions are playing the Stampeders is fitting, considering that Buono spent 13 years in Calgary.
Facing Dickenson – who previously played for the Lions – also provides a little extra motivation.
“If I kick Dave’s butt will I be happy? I’ll be very happy. But I’ll still love him,” Buono said.
Kershaw sticking with Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw has heard the chatter that he’s in decline. He’s eager to prove the doubters wrong while wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. The ace pitcher agreed to a $93 million, three-year contract Friday after initially opting out of his previous deal and choosing free agency.
“There’s been a lot of people saying that I’m in decline or not going to be as good as I once was,” he said. “I’m looking forward to proving a lot of people wrong with that.”
Kershaw opted out of a $215 million, seven-year contract that had two seasons remaining at a total of $65 million. Signed in January 2014, it called for salaries of $32 million next year and $33 million in 2020.
The new deal involves a $23 million signing bonus, payable in equal installments on June 30 in each of the next three years, and annual salaries of $23,333,333.
“I wanted to stay here, so financial, everything aside, it was more valuable to me to just stay here,” he said.
Also Friday, the Dodgers made $17.9 million qualifying offers to two of their other free agents: pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and catcher Yasmani Grandal.
Kershaw gets an additional $28 million in guaranteed money. The new agreement includes $4 million annually in performance bonuses, in four $1 million increments for 24, 26, 28 and 30 games started, which could raise the deal’s value to $105 million over three years.
The left-hander also can earn award bonuses of $1.5 million for winning the NL Cy Young Award or $500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting.
Kershaw, his wife Ellen and their two young children make their offseason home in the Dallas area, and if the Texas Rangers had had a winning season “it would have been something to consider for sure,” he said.
“It really wasn’t as much of a question for me this time around,” he said. “My kiddos love it here. Ellen loves it here. I love it here. I love the team here, and there’s not many opportunities that meet all the criteria that Ellen and I would be looking for. And myself personally, a chance to win every single year, it doesn’t come around like this in LA very often.”
Winner of the NL Cy Young in 2011, ’13 and ’14, Kershaw was limited to 26 starts this year because of a back injury and went 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA while striking out 155. The Dodgers lost in the World Series for the second straight season, with Kershaw taking the loss in Sunday’s seasonending Game 5 defeat to Boston.
PHOTO
Calgary Stampeders coach Dave Dickenson, right, speaks with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell during a game in Hamilton on Sept. 15. Calgary (12-5) visits the B.C. Lions (9-7) tonight, needing a win or tie to clinch first in the West Division.
Rabbis oppose death penalty in synagogue shooting
Judaism has traditionally been of two minds about capital punishment. It exists in Jewish law, but has rarely been used and is strongly discouraged.
The Torah and other texts of rabbinical Judaism say it’s okay, but under only limited circumstances.
In the wake of Saturday’s shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, both state and federal prosecutors plan to move forward with capital murder charges against suspect Robert Bowers. Federal death sentences are relatively rare, and most death-penalty activity is carried out at the state or local level. There have been only three executions since the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988.
Many would say that Bowers, 46, who police say left 11 dead and many others wounded, undoubtedly deserves the death penalty. But not all rabbis from the three major Jewish movements agree.
The Torah has capital crimes from murder to profaning the sabbath; there’s a section where a man was put to death for gathering wood on Shabbat.
But Jewish law doesn’t start and stop with the Torah’s text.
Like the American criminal justice system, the Torah draws a distinction between intentional homicide and non-intentional homicide, instructing that capital punishment is appropriate only in the former.
The text creates a set of Jewish evidentia-
ry standards to prove that the accused truly intended to commit murder.
Capital cases were once heard by a Jewish court known as the Sanhedrin, made up of either 23 or 70 rabbis. Unanimous verdicts were forbidden, for someone always needed to speak on behalf of the accused.
Although the tribunal typically rendered a verdict when there was a margin of one vote, capital cases required a majority of plus-two.
The tribunal could not impose a death sentence unless and until they heard from two eyewitnesses. Both needed to see each other at the time of the offense and have warned the assailant of the consequences of his action. Both also needed to hear the perpetrator’s verbal assent.
Officially, all prominent Jewish movements oppose capital punishment, most of them in all cases, according to Pew Research Center.
Although many rabbis soft-pedal those positions when an individual commits a horrific act, the proper religious response, they say, is neither to take another person’s life nor decide for the state to do so.
Even the synagogue gunman, according to them, does not deserve the death penalty.
Barbara Weinstein, associate director of the Religious Action Center, the lobbying arm of Reform Judaism, said the movement opposed the state’s use of the death penalty as a matter of principle. Moral concerns have led the movement to worry the justice
system applies punishments unequally.
“It’s hard to find words to capture the pain felt across the Jewish community, but as broken as our hearts are, we continue to believe there are no crimes where the taking of a human life is justified,” she said.
Yet, she added, the gunman should still be held accountable.
According to Shmuly Yanklowitz, a modern Orthodox rabbi and founder of a progressive-minded Orthodox rabbinical association, the Orthodox movement “is certainly in opposition toward capital punishment, with exception.”
But, he said, “when dealing with a gentile society and government, we’re no longer dealing formally with the Jewish legal system and largely move from law to ethics. There, they become somewhat intertwined with our personal politics. It breaks down more on party lines than denomination lines.”
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, chief executive of the Rabbinical Assembly, the premier international membership organization of Conservative rabbis, similarly told The Washington Post that for decades the organization maintained the committee on Jewish laws and standards, which debates how to apply law and tradition in an evolving contemporary society. A more recent opinion shifted its stance to allow sitting on a jury where the death penalty was being debated.
Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, a Conservative rabbi and member of the committee,
reiterated, “the death penalty has not existed as a judicially appropriate outcome for more than 2,000 years. It is bad policy. In modern states, we shouldn’t put people to death unless it’s the only way to prevent them from causing more crime,” he said. Kalmanofsky highlights the complex relationship Jews have with the idea of capital punishment through the execution of Otto Adolf Eichmann, a high-ranking member of Nazi leadership responsible for Jewish extermination camps. Eichmann, who was hanged in 1962, is the only person that the state of Israel has ever executed judicially.
“As a Jew, it’s hard to argue that Eichmann didn’t deserve execution. Killing Nazis in the wake of the Holocaust makes for rough justice,” Kalmanofsky said, yet Eichmann no longer presented a threat of future crime.
Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers told The Post that in light of the horror to his congregation, he was not yet ready to talk about Bowers, adding that “in the Conservative movement, each rabbi will make a decision in an individual congregation.”
In one sense, that this happened in the open and diverse community of the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh was shocking, but in another sense, this surprises few. American Jews have always been aware that anti-Semitism is a part of Western civilization, Yanklowitz said.
“When you have a moment to step back, you’ll have difficulty finding mainstream Jewish rabbis endorsing death,” he said.
Catholic Church ordered to keep documents in abuse investigation
Michelle BOORSTEIN
Citizen news service
The U.S. Justice Department, which last month launched a federal probe into clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church, has sent a sweeping call to Catholic dioceses across the country to preserve documents related to abuse.
The Catholic news site whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com
Friday posted an Oct. 9 letter to Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, noting that the Justice Department “is investigating possible violations of federal law.” It requested to DiNardo that the nearly-200 U.S. dioceses “not destroy, discard, dispose of, delete or alter” documents related to its probe.
Rocco Palmo, the author of the site, only published the first page of the letter to DiNardo from Wil-
liam McSwain, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, so details of what McSwain is seeking weren’t detailed. However, Palmo wrote in his Friday post that he has the full document and it references “a host of records pertaining to personnel in general, and abuse – and its related claims – in particular.”
The report comes a few weeks after the Justice Department confirmed it is investigating alleged sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy across the state of Pennsylvania – a major escalation of government scrutiny of the church long sought by victims of pedophile priests. The list of state attorneys general announcing investigations grew last week to 13, plus Washington, D.C.
The federal and state investigations were sparked by a scathing report from a Pennsylvania grand jury in August that found
It requested to DiNardo that the nearly-200 U.S. dioceses “not destroy, discard, dispose of, delete or alter” documents related to its probe.
more than 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania had sexually abused about 1,000 children over seven decades, protected by a hierarchy of church leaders who covered it up. Palmo said that the letter is asking all U.S. dioceses to preserve all documents pertaining to personnel and abuse – not only those pertaining to the Pennsylvania dioceses being investigated.
Such a preservation request does not decisively mean that federal prosecutors will ultimately seek or review documents from dioceses outside Pennsylvania, but it does mean that bishops around the country are now on notice not to destroy any such records, because federal prosecutors could seek them at a later date.
A person familiar with the Pennsylvania investigation told the Post last month that federal subpoenas seek records including any evidence of church personnel taking children across state lines for purposes of sexual abuse, any evidence of personnel sending sexual material about children electronically and any evidence that church officials reassigned suspected predators or used church resources to further or conceal such conduct.
Illinois state Supreme Court Justice Ann Burke, who chaired the
bishops’ National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People in the early 2000’s, said Wednesday that the request to retain documents appears to “mean they’re looking at a larger criminal enterprise.”
Burke said she believes the Justice Department may be looking at whether the Bishops’ Conference itself is a criminal enterprise. The Conference oversaw the creation of a charter, or set of procedures, in 2002 to address allegations of sexual abuse by clergy of young people.
The bishops’ conference declined to comment in detail, issuing only a statement from its general counsel, Anthony Picarello. “We have transmitted the U.S. Attorney’s letter at his request and in the spirit of cooperation with law enforcement.”
Devlin Barrett contributed to this report.
Deanna PAUL Citizen news service
AP PHOTO
A person brings flowers to a makeshift memorial at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
MONEY IN BRIEF
Currencies
OTTAWA (CP) — These are indicative wholesale rates for foreign currency provided by the Bank of Canada on Friday. Quotations in Canadian funds.
No U.S.-China trade deal on horizon
David J. LYNCH, Gerry SHIH Citizen news service
Stocks sank after the White House denied a report that U.S. President Donald Trump had directed aides to draw up a deal to resolve the escalating trade conflict with China.
The Dow Jones industrial average jumped nearly 200 points in early trading before surrendering those gains and sinking an additional 300 points. The benchmark index declined almost 110 points, a 0.4 per cent loss.
Investors were cheered earlier by a Bloomberg News report that Trump had directed his aides to flesh out a bargain for him to bring to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires. That report came after Trump said in a Thursday morning tweet that he had a “long and very good conversation” with Xi that included a “heavy emphasis on trade.”
Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, disappointed investors Friday by denying that Trump had directed any new action. “There’s no massive movement to deal with China,” Kudlow told CNBC. “...We’re not on the cusp of a deal.”
The markets today
TORONTO (CP) — North American markets broke a three-day winning streak but ended the week higher on mixed jobs reports on both sides of the border. While the U.S. unemployment rate dipped to a 40-year low that has spurred wage pressure, that’s not the case in Canada even as the jobless rate continues to ease, said Jonathan Pinsler, a portfolio manager and senior vice-president at TD Wealth.
He said there’s concern that wage increases may bolster the U.S. Federal Reserve’s confidence about raising interest rates, while rates aren’t expected to rise in Canada until the new year. Corporate reports and geopolitical issues also presented their own signals.
The world’s largest company reported good results late Thursday, but Apple’s softer outlook over the holidays and in China spooked investors. Apple’s shares fell nearly seven per cent and took the U.S. technology group with it.
“There’s a lot of data that’s coming out that is continuing to provide trepidation about the market environment,” Pinsler said in an interview. Fears of waning global demand and softer consumer spending in China is an ongoing concern of investors, he said.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 30.87 points to 15,119.28 after hitting a high of 15,222.91 on 264.1 million shares traded. After three strong days, it closed the week up 1.5 per cent. Energy, telecommunications and technology led on the downside.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 109.91 points at 25,270.83. The S&P 500 index was off 17.31 points to 2,723.06, while the Nasdaq composite was down 77.06 points at 7,356.99. Pinsler said markets are still very fragile despite decent earnings reports.
“It’s the outlook that’s creating some angst in the market, so I think this week has just been a week of a little bit of a rebound from a terrible month,” he said.
The Canadian dollar traded at an average of 76.31 cents US compared with an average of 76.41 cents US on Thursday.
The December crude contract was down 55 cents at US$63.14 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was up 4.7 cents at US$3.28 per mmBTU. Oil prices fell because of oversupply of energy around the globe.
Michael Pillsbury, a China expert at the Hudson Institute and occasional White House adviser, also said talk of a potential deal was exaggerated. “Friends in the White House tell me President Trump still wants the Chinese to make the initial offer and that it better be sincere and comprehensive,” Pillsbury wrote in an email.
Even late-afternoon comments by the president, suggesting that unspecified progress has been made with the Chinese were not enough to rescue the market from its latest decline.
“We’re getting very much closer to doing something,” Trump told reporters before leaving the White House for a campaign rally in West Virginia. “They very much want to make a deal.”
Still, the two leaders will confront a long list of tough issues when they meet. Since Trump began imposing tariffs on Chinese imports several months ago, the United States has broadened its complaints about Chinese behavior to include its military buildup and the treatment of religious minorities in Xinjiang
Fresh trade data on Friday, meanwhile, showed that Trump has made no progress on his campaign to narrow the U.S. trade deficit.
Through September, the United States imported $445.2 billion more goods and services than it sold abroad, up from a $404.4 billion deficit during the same period in 2017.
As importers rushed to beat the scheduled Jan. 1 increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, the monthly goods deficit in September with China rose to $37.4 billion, up $3 billion from the previous month. Through the first nine months of the year, the United States has incurred a $301.4 billion deficit with China - up 10 percent from the same period last year.
On Thursday, the Justice Department unsealed the latest in a series of spying charges against Chinese companies and individuals.
The unusual slew of indictments are meant to be a stern warning to Beijing about pilfering U.S. tech secrets that, beyond the trade imbalance, illustrate Washington’s grievances about Chinese commercial behavior.
In a lengthy readout published by Chinese
state media, Xi said he was “very happy” to talk to Trump and attached “great importance to the good relations with the president.”
But the Chinese assessment also betrayed frustration with the on-again, off-again nature of negotiations between Washington and Beijing. “China sees the US administration under Trump as inconsistent and untrustworthy,” wrote analysts at Trivium, an economic consultancy in Beijing. Many analysts were skeptical that anything fundamental had changed in the U.S.-China standoff. There has been no indication, for instance, that Xi is willing to abandon the “Made-in-China 2025” program of state subsidies aimed at securing Chinese dominance of advanced technology industries.
The proximity of Trump’s sudden warming toward China and Tuesday’s congressional elections also drew comment. In recent days, as Republicans confront the possibility of losing their majority in the House of Representatives, Trump has unveiled a flurry of high-profile initiatives – including a promised middle-class tax cut and a military deployment to the southern border – designed to woo his voters.
“There is good reason to be skeptical of this kumbaya moment,” analyst Chris Krueger of the Cowen Washington Research Group wrote in a research note Friday.
China will host an import fair in Shanghai next week that Xi said will demonstrate Beijing’s commitment to “increase imports and expand openness,” according to the Chinese readout.
Xi is expected to make a major speech at the convention’s opening on Monday, where he could potentially discuss his vision for further market access reforms or the government’s role in steering industries – other areas in which Washington and U.S. businesses are demand-
ing more Chinese concessions.
After months of fitful negotiations through intermediaries and lower-level officials, U.S. and Chinese officials hope that a meeting of the two presidents on the sidelines of the Buenos Aires summit will yield a breakthrough.
The months-long spat has weighed on worldwide markets at politically crucial junctures for both presidents: Trump is facing a key midterm test on Tuesday, while Xi has been navigating economic head winds and growing middleclass anxieties.
Kudlow said at a Washington Post Live event earlier Thursday that he wasn’t sure that trade would be discussed when the two presidents meet in Argentina but confirmed that the two men will sit down.
“The agenda is being discussed and worked on in both camps,” Kudlow said. “I think it will include trade, but I’m not 100 per cent sure.”
It’s unclear how the progress in high-level talks will affect a new U.S. push to confront China on other thorny aspects of the trade relationship. Federal prosecutors have accused Chinese companies and individuals of spying in three cases in the past two months and pledged more to come this week.
Hours after Trump’s tweet, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the indictments are part of a new initiative to beef up the Justice Department’s “strategic priority of countering Chinese national security threats.”
The department unveiled an indictment Thursday accusing Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit, a Chinese state-owned semiconductor company, of conspiring to steal secrets from the Idaho-based chipmaker Micron.
And earlier this week, prosecutors unveiled charges against Chinese intelligence officers who they said conspired to hack into aviation firms to obtain engine designs on behalf of China’s jetliner industry.
Daylight savings not a big issue for business
Dirk MEISSNER Citizen news service
VICTORIA — Of all the issues facing businesses, getting rid of daylight time doesn’t come up in boardroom discussions about how to improve Canada’s economy, says the president of the Business Council of British Columbia.
Greg D’Avignon said Friday businesses spend little time considering the pros and cons of moving clocks backwards and forwards by one hour in the fall and spring.
“It’s not even in the same constellation of issues that are of concern to businesses at this point,” he said.
“I talk to a great many business leaders that are international, national and local and the barrier caused by daylight savings time is the least of the concerns around how we can become more efficient as a country.”
The time change occurs Sunday at 2 a.m. when clocks roll back one hour in much of Canada, except in most of Saskatchewan, parts of northeast B.C., and small pockets of Ontario and Quebec.
Premier John Horgan said he receives many requests from people to drop the time change to allow for more normal sleep patterns, but discussions with local businesses and trading partners convinced him to maintain the status quo. He said it doesn’t make sense to stop the time changes when B.C.’s neighbours and trading partners in the United States, including Washington, Oregon and California, use daylight time.
“I’ve received literally thousands of interventions from the public on this question,” Horgan said. “I know it’s a passionate issue, but there are complications to our trading arrangements. We have not heard overwhelming support for this from the business community.”
Members of the Union of B.C. Municipalities, the body that represents local governments in the province, narrowly voted last September to lobby the provincial government to eliminate the time changes.
President Arjun Singh said the issue is often a major topic of debate at the annual conventions and he expects the debate to continue in
future despite the premier’s strong comments this week rejecting change.
“It’s a fluid situation,” said Singh. “Ultimately, if the U.S. decides to change for whatever reason... then I think the premier might decide if they change we can change.”
The northern B.C. community of Hudson’s Hope introduced the motion at the group’s convention last September calling for an end to the time change, saying it no longer served a purpose and people’s health is affected whenever the time is changed.
The change dates back to 1908 in Canada when the community of Port Arthur, Ont., now Thunder Bay, was the first to institute a time change. Other cities and towns soon followed, with Regina in 1914 and Winnipeg and Brandon, Man., in 1916.
Daylight time was adopted to make better use of daylight hours in Canada’s fall and summer months.
Moving the clocks forward an hour in the spring provides an extra hour of daylight in the evenings and setting clocks back in the fall gives more morning light.
“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.” — Mark Twain
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping participate in a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, in 2017.
Uber wants to resume self-driving car tests
Tom KRISHER Citizen news service
DETROIT — Nearly eight months after one of its autonomous test vehicles hit and killed an Arizona pedestrian, Uber wants to resume testing on public roads.
The company has filed an application with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to test in Pittsburgh, and it has issued a lengthy safety report pledging to put two human backup drivers in each vehicle and take a raft of other precautions to make the vehicles safe.
Company officials acknowledge they have a long way to go to regain public trust after the March 18 crash in Tempe, Ariz., that killed Elaine Herzberg, 49, as she crossed a darkened road outside the lines of a crosswalk.
Police said Uber’s backup driver in the autonomous Volvo SUV was streaming the television show The Voice on her phone and looking downward before crash. The National Transportation Safety Board said the autonomous driving system on the Volvo spotted Herzberg about six seconds before hitting her, but did not stop because the system used to automatically apply brakes in potentially dangerous situations had been disabled.
A Volvo emergency braking system also had been turned off.
“Our goal is to really work to regain that trust and to work to help move the entire industry forward,” Noah Zych, Uber’s head of system safety for self-driving cars, said in an interview. “We think the right thing to do is to be open and transparent about the things that we are doing.”
Among the other precautions Uber will take are keeping the autonomous vehicle system engaged at all times and activating the Volvo’s automatic emergency braking system as a backup.
In addition, Uber is requiring more technical training and exper-
March 18, 2018, in Tempe, Ariz. Uber now wants to resume testing on public roads. Company officials acknowledge they have a long way to go to regain public trust after the March 18 crash in Tempe, Ariz., that killed Elaine Herzberg, 49, as she crossed a darkened road outside the lines of a crosswalk.
tise of employees sitting behind the wheel of the vehicles, calling them “mission specialists,” according to a 70-page safety report the company released Friday.
The report comes after the ride-hailing company shut down autonomous vehicle testing to do an internal review of its safety procedures, as well as an outside review by risk management firm LeClairRyan.
Uber said that new autonomous vehicle guidelines from Pennsylva-
nia prohibit testing of autonomous vehicles without human backups. Google’s Waymo already is carrying passengers in the Phoenix area without human drivers, and General Motors’ Cruise Automation expects to do that next year.
Messages were left Friday seeking comment from Pennsylvania and from Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto.
The company said it is focused on restarting tests in Pittsburgh, where it has an autonomous
vehicle development centre. Later it will discuss resumption in Arizona, California and Toronto, its other test sites. Arizona suspended the company’s permission to test after the crash.
Herzberg’s death was the first involving a fully autonomous vehicle, raising questions about the safety of computer-controlled cars being built by Uber and dozens of other companies, including Google spin-off Waymo.
Uber took the first step toward resuming tests in Pittsburgh back in July when it put vehicles on the road with safety modifications and additional driver training. But the cars were not free of human control, nor did they respond to ride-hailing calls.
“We are engaging with the city, with the officials, and are very eager, I think, to ensure that we make a return to the road in self-driving
mode in consultation and close partnership with them,” said Miriam Chaum, head of public policy for Uber’s self-driving vehicles.
The company also promised in its reports that it would reduce the time delay between when its autonomous vehicle sensors spot a person or object and action is taken by its computer system. Uber said it improved its performance of its system so it can better predict what a person, vehicle or other object will do as the autonomous vehicle approaches. “We are now able to detect objects and actors sooner and execute safe reactions faster,” the company said in a report. Backup drivers will now be interviewed about safety before they’re hired. They’ll also be monitored by a camera in real time to ensure they’re paying attention, Zych said. The company, he said, did a lot of work to make sure the Volvo braking system could operate at the same time as the Uber self-driving system.
Although Uber has announced a partnership with Toyota to develop autonomous vehicles, only Uber’s system would be active in Pittsburgh, Zych said.
The company, he said, wants to resume testing in a “responsible manner,” and is not looking at carrying passengers with autonomous vehicles at this point. If approved, the company would start slowly in Pittsburgh with a small number of vehicles, Zych said.
In the Tempe crash, police wrote in a report that the driver, Rafaela Vasquez, had been streaming the musical talent show via Hulu in the 43 minutes before Herzberg was killed. The report said the crash wouldn’t have happened had the driver not been distracted. Tempe police are looking at a vehicular manslaughter charge in the crash, according to a March 19 affidavit filed to get a search warrant for audio, video and data stored in the Uber SUV. A prosecutor has yet to make a decision in the case.
Regulators subpoenaed Tesla production data, company says
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. securities investigators have subpoenaed information from Tesla about production forecasts for the Model 3 electric car that were made last year, the company acknowledged in a regulatory filing Friday.
The disclosure in Tesla’s quarterly financial report also says the Securities and Exchange Commission subpoena covered other public statements made about Model 3 production.
The filing adds that Tesla is cooperating with a Justice Department request for information about Model 3 forecasts.
It’s the first time Tesla has formally disclosed the SEC subpoena in a regulatory filing, but there have been widespread news reports about its investigation into production forecasts.
The Model 3 is a central part of Tesla’s plan
to expand from a niche player in the luxury segment to a car maker with broader appeal. It’s also key to the company’s cash flow and pledge to make quarterly net profits into the future. In 2017 and this year, Tesla had trouble producing the cars, drawing a lawsuit from investors who said they were misled by CEO Elon Musk’s production targets.
Early last year the Palo Alto, Calif., company announced plans to produce up to
Labour growth flat, but jobless rate dips
Andy BLATCHFORD
Citizen news service
OTTAWA — Canada’s unemployment rate edged back down to its four-decade low of 5.8 per cent last month as job growth was essentially flat and fewer people searched for work, Statistics Canada said Friday.
The latest labour force survey says the country added 11,200 net new jobs in October – including a gain of 33,900 fulltime positions – but the numbers were too low for the agency to consider them statistically significant.
A dip in the labour force participation rate helped nudge the jobless rate down from its 5.9 per cent reading in September to match the reading’s 40-year low for the seventh time in last 12 months.
Unemployment rates, by province
OTTAWA — Canada’s national unemployment rate was 5.8 per cent in October. Here are the jobless rates last month by province (numbers from the previous month in brackets):
• Newfoundland and Labrador 12.7 per cent (13.6)
• Prince Edward Island 7.2 (8.7)
• Nova Scotia 7.7 (7.8)
• New Brunswick 7.2 (7.9)
• Quebec 5.2 (5.3)
• Ontario 5.6 (5.9)
• Manitoba 6.1 (5.8)
• Saskatchewan 6.2 (6.4)
• Alberta 7.3 (7.0)
• British Columbia 4.1 (4.2) — The Canadian Press
Economists had expected an increase of 10,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 5.9 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon. But even in the strong labour market, wage growth continued along its downward trajectory. Year-over-year average hourly wage growth, which is closely watched by the
Canadian apparel retailer closing doors
Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — Canadian apparel retailer Jean Machine Clothing Inc. will close down all of its stores by the end of winter because of losses.
Jean Machine’s president Lisa Hryciuk announced in a letter posted on the company’s social media channels that 20 of its locations will be shuttered by Jan. 31 and another four will be gone by Feb. 28. All of Jean Machine’s locations are in Ontario and it stocks apparel from Guess, Levi’s, Jack and Jones and Buffalo David Bitton.
Hryciuk says Jean Machine’s e-commerce offerings will remain open, but there will be no exchanges permitted for purchases made since Nov. 1.
Jean Machine filed for bankruptcy protection in January amid increased competition from Uniqlo, H&M, Nordstrom and other newer retail chains.
Jean Machine has been in business for 42 years and is owned by Vancouver-based Stern Partners Inc. through Comark Service Inc., which also owns apparel brands Bootlegger, Ricki’s and Cleo.
Comark’s chief executive officer Gerry Bachynski tells The Canadian Press that the company’s poor performance, despite recent restructuring is to blame for the closures.
Bank of Canada, continued its steady decline in October to 2.19 per cent – its weakest reading since September 2017.
Experts have predicted wage growth to rise in the tightened labour market, but it has dropped every month since May when it was 3.94 per cent.
For employee work, the private sector added 20,300 positions last month, while the public sector lost 30,800 jobs.
Compared with 12 months earlier, national employment was up 1.1 per cent following the addition of 205,900 positions, including 173,000 full-time jobs.
Saskatchewan added 2,500 jobs in October, but employment levels were largely unchanged in the other provinces.
By industry, the goods-producing sector lost 12,000 jobs last month in a decline led by a notable loss of 7,100 positions in natural resources work.
The services sector added 23,200 jobs in October following a gain of 22,000 positions in business, building and other support services.
5,000 Model 3s a week by the end of 2017. But the company fell far short due to problems with automation at its Fremont, Calif., factory, making just 793 in the last week of 2017 and 2,700 for the entire year. It didn’t hit the 5,000-a-week target until June 2018. The Wall Street Journal reported last month the FBI is doing a criminal investigation into whether Tesla misled investors by overstating Model 3 production forecasts.
This photo provided by the Tempe Police Department shows an Uber SUV after it hit a woman on
Trudeau apologizes to Tsilhqot’in for hanging of chiefs in 1864
Amy SMART Citizen news service
CHILKO LAKE — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized to the Tsilhqot’in community for the hanging of six chiefs more than 150 years ago in an emotional ceremony Friday that one chief says brought an end to a “difficult journey.”
Speaking to hundreds of the First Nation’s members in British Columbia’s central Interior, Trudeau said the colonial officials of the day erred in inviting the chiefs for peacekeeping talks where they were instead arrested, tried and hanged. He said the chiefs are fully exonerated without any wrongdoing because they were acting as one independent nation engaged in war with another when they attacked a road crew that intruded on their territory.
“These are mistakes that our government profoundly regrets and are determined to set right,” Trudeau said of the incident during the so-called Chilcotin War.
Chief Joe Alphonse, tribal chairman of the Tsilhqot’in Nation, said the apology was significant not only because it was the first time that a prime minister visited title lands, but because it was made directly to community members.
Trudeau made a “statement of exoneration” in the House of Commons in March and agreed to visit the title lands then.
“For me as chief last March it was a very emotional journey, a spiritual one. It took its toll physically, mentally. So I’ve been through that, I’ve gone through that,” Alphonse said.
“Today it’s about our membership, and our membership all these years not believing that a prime minister would acknowl-
edge that. So it’s a powerful day.”
Trudeau rode into the valley on a black horse, symbolizing the one the historic chiefs rode into what they believed were peace talks. The day also included a smudging ceremony and Trudeau was given a buckskin jacket matching the iconic one his father Pierre Trudeau wore.
The Tsilhqot’in have long disputed the government’s authority to execute the six chiefs as criminals, describing the confron-
tation as an altercation between warring nations.
When Trudeau read the statement in the Commons, members of Parliament broke into applause, prompting the Tsilhqot’in chiefs to hold up eagle feathers in salute.
Trudeau told MPs the chiefs acted in accordance with their laws and traditions and that they are well regarded as heroes of their people.
The deadly confrontation began when
a white road-building crew entered Tsilhqot’in territory in 1864.
Five chiefs were hanged when they travelled to the supposed peace talks at the invitation of government representatives. A sixth chief was executed the following year in New Westminster.
The British Columbia government apologized for the executions in 1993 and installed a commemorative plaque at the site of the hangings.
CP PHOTO
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau receives a water cleansing by spiritual leader Cecil Grinder along with Chiefs of the Tsilhqot’in National Government near Chilko Lake on Friday. The prime minister was in the area to apologize to the Tsilhqot’in people for the hangings of six chiefs during the Chilcotin War over 150 years ago.
Doctors upbeat about this year’s flu shot
Citizen news service
Cases of seasonal influenza have already begun to show up in Canada, and public health officials say that means it’s time to get that jab in the arm – not only to prevent the flu for yourself but also to help avoid spreading the nasty respiratory bug to others.
This year’s flu shot is expected to be much more effective than last season’s, which ended up being a poor match for the predominant circulating strain, known as AH3N2, said Dr. Michelle Murti of Public Health Ontario.
Murti said the 2018-2019 vaccine should be a better match, as the H3N2 component has been changed to reflect what’s predicted to be this season’s dominant type of that strain.
The standard flu shot provides protection against H3N2, another A strain called H1N1, and two B strains – Victoria and Yamagata. The vaccine is intended for most adults, as well as children six months of age and older.
For needle-adverse kids, parents can instead opt for immunization with FluMist, a nasal product that targets the same four strains.
A high-dose shot is available for seniors aged 65-plus, who are often at higher risk for severe complications from influenza, which in some cases can be fatal.
“Mostly what we’re concerned about is that H3N2 component. That’s the one that can be quite severe for seniors particularly,” said Murti.
“The question is what kind of a season are we going to see this year? We’ve had two years in a row of H3N2 seasons. So I think some of the predictions around what we might be seeing this year is that we might be back to an H1N1 season.”
That’s been the experience in Australia, as the Southern Hemisphere comes to the end of its influenza season.
“They’ve had a predominantly H1N1 season – very, very mild,” she said, a massive change from the previous year, when Australia recorded more than 250,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and 1,255 deaths due to flu, up from about 90,000 cases and 464 fatalities in 2016, mostly driven by H3N2 infections.
“We hope that we might follow them this year,” Murti said of this
year’s experience Down Under.
“We think that people do have a good amount of immunity against H3N2, which we’ve had for the last two seasons.”
The 2017-18 season in Canada was a bit of an anomaly, surprising even some influenza experts. Not only was there a high number of cases of H3N2 starting in the fall, but there was a late winter-early spring surge of influenza B cases.
Despite the hope that this country may duplicate Australia’s flu season, Murti said Canadians shouldn’t assume there’s no point in getting vaccinated.
“We never know exactly what we’re going to get,” she said. “Was it milder in Australia because people also got vaccinated and they got vaccinated against H1N1?
“So I think we can’t be complacent around trying to get the best protection we can. No matter what type of flu you get, it can be quite severe for many people
and especially if you’re somebody who’s at risk for complications of influenza.”
Complications include sinus and ear infections, pneumonia, and inflammation of the heart or brain, which can land an infected person in the hospital and in some cases even result in death.
Those most vulnerable to complications include very young children, the elderly, people with underlying heart and respiratory conditions, and those with weakened immune systems. But there are always those who choose not to get vaccinated out of fear.
For kids – and even some adults – with an aversion to needles, one pharmacy chain has come up with a way to help take the sting out of the flu shot.
Whole Health Pharmacy Partners, a national network of independent pharmacies, has introduced a virtual reality program to provide a distraction while baring
one’s arm for the dreaded jab.
Participating pharmacies offer a list of 10 YouTube videos that can be accessed via the patient’s cellphone and viewed through virtual reality goggles provided by the stores.
“The patient chooses whether they want to be immersed in a room full of puppies or they want to go into a diving experience with dolphins or space exploration or a beach in the Maldives,” said Saleema Bhaidani, director of pharmacy innovation and professional affairs for Whole Health.
“The good thing about virtual reality is that you put this headset on them, they’re completely immersed, so they can’t see the needle,” she said.
“So if you distract them from looking at (the needle), that can decrease the perception of pain quite dramatically.”
Ontario, which began rolling out its publicly funded flu im
Follow the basics for family health
Lisa KANAREK Citizen news service
During grade school and middle school, I envied my friends who were snuggled in their warm, fluffy beds as they recovered from a cough, a virus or a suspicious “get out of a test” illness. Less than a mile away, I sat at my cold classroom desk with the wooden seat, seething. As the daughter of a pediatrician who always seemed to cure my siblings and me by morning, I rarely missed a day of school. It wasn’t until I had my own children and was able to use his techniques myself to keep them healthy, that I appreciated these habits my dad had passed along.
To each his own cup
My dad’s medical office often overflowed with families who passed colds, coughs and the flu to one another, simply by drinking from the same glass. He asked little of my siblings and me, but the ban on sharing a cup was nonnegotiable. He gave the same advice to his patients’ parents. “Certain germs may not affect you,” he would tell them, “but they can affect others.” Some listened. Others ignored his recommendation and soon after found themselves carting their entire infected brood back to his office for treatment.
Heeding my dad’s rule, I gave my two toddler sons different colored cups from which to drink, to eliminate confusion. My sons didn’t hesitate to share their books and
toys with friends, but they understood that sharing a glass was off limits. Both boys were rarely sick, and if either one caught a cold or a stomach bug, it was never at the same time.
Take what you want, eat what you can
My dad didn’t believe in forcing children to eat. There were no Mommie Dearest finish-your-liver episodes at my house. My mom placed the food on the table, then we served ourselves and finished what we could. When anxious parents complained to my dad about a finicky child, he said, “Include at least one food they like at each meal, or let them make a sandwich.” He assured them their child wouldn’t starve.
One of my sons was a pickier eater than the other, yet mealtimes typically weren’t a battle. If they didn’t finish what was on their plate, no one muscled them into it. Most of our meals were simple – I was no gourmet cook – yet as my sons grew, so did their range of acceptable foods.
Don’t ban treats
My dad always encouraged parents to make healthy snacks available to their children, but to allow occasional treats as well. “If you deprive your child of treats,” he would tell them, “they’ll crave them more or find them somewhere else.” My parents kept a large ceramic bowl on our kitchen table stocked with fruit, while at least one
pantry shelf held our most-desired chocolate treats from the Hostess or Little Debbie families. The cream-filled, chocolate snacks were readily available, but my siblings and I didn’t overindulge because our favorites weren’t restricted or hidden.
Taking a cue from my childhood, I kept fruit in a bowl on the table and stored the chips, cookies and snacks within reach in the pantry. My little guys didn’t understand their friends’ fascination with forbidden fruit roll-ups or banned baked chips they sought every time they visited our house. Within minutes of walking through our door, they headed straight for the pantry. My sons, as my siblings and I, didn’t load up on unhealthy snack food because they always had access to it.
Get a flu shot
As adamant as my dad was about not sharing a glass, he was even more persistent about recommending the flu vaccine. “The vaccine is not 100 percent,” he explained to his patients’ parents, “but it could minimize the symptoms of the flu and potentially prevent other complications.” Until we were old enough to drive ourselves, my mom shuttled us to my dad’s office annually, where the dreaded “shot nurse” wiped our arms with an alcohol pad and administered the flu vaccine.
One of the times I took my then-toddler sons to get flu shots was particularly stressful and emotional, mostly for me. My elder son climbed on the exam table and voluntarily held out his arm for the nurse.
munization program Oct. 22, is already receiving reports of influenza cases in some regions of the province and has recorded its first few outbreaks in long-term care facilities.
In its latest FluWatch report ending the week of Oct. 20, the Public Health Agency of Canada says there was increasing influenza activity across the country, although the case numbers were at what’s called “interseasonal” levels, with H1N1 the most common circulating strain.
But as the country moves closer to winter, Canadians can expect the sounds of sneezing and hacking to ratchet up as the annual flu fest gets fully underway, say public health physicians, who would like to see the number of Canadians laid low by the virus dramatically curtailed.
And that means getting the flu shot, stressed Murti. “It’s the best protection you can have.”
Behind him, my younger son yelled repeatedly, “I don’t want a shot!” He stood with his arms crossed and protested until his brother hopped off the table and said, “That didn’t hurt.” His older brother’s nonchalant attitude – and my promise to visit the toy store on the way home – helped his brother calm down.
Be prepared
Although he wasn’t a Boy Scout, my dad kept the narrow hall closet stocked with adhesive bandages, ointment, eye drops and other basic first-aid supplies.
While my sons no longer run through boxes of bandages, I continue to follow my dad’s lead and keep bug-bite lotion, pain relievers and allergy medicine, among other supplies, in a container tucked in a kitchen cabinet. I, too, want to be prepared. I also want to avoid searching for a 24-hour pharmacy at midnight.
My dad, now 92, retired from his practice four years ago. He continues to feed his deep love of medicine with articles he finds online and in the medical journals stacked in a basket near his reading chair. He especially enjoys discussing the latest research and clinical findings with my youngest, who will start medical school in a year. I imagine that at some point when my son has his own children, they’ll complain about their (almost) perfect attendance record and blame their physician dad for being able to cure them overnight. I’ll be disappointed if they don’t.
CITIZEN
child wearing virtual reality glasses receives a flu shot in a handout photo.
It’s not Christmas without Shatner Claus
Citizen news service
When it comes to talking about his new album, William Shatner is like a kid on Christmas morning.
“I’m scared, I’m frightened, by how good I think the album is,” says the 87-year-old TV icon.
Shatner made the comments last August when he was in Toronto guest starring on the Jason Priestley/Cindy Sampson detective drama Private Eyes. He reprises a role he previously played on the Global series as a rival private investigator. The episode will air next year.
The new Christmas CD, Shatner Claus, features mainly holiday standards such as Jingle Bells, Little Drummer Boy and White Christmas. Earlier this year, he released a country album – Why Not Me? – a collaboration with Alabama’s Jeff Cook.
Two albums in one year? Not bad for a guy who admits he can’t really sing. What the Montreal native does is interpret song lyrics as if they were poetry, wringing out meaning while surrounded by talented musicians and singers who carry the melodies. In the case of What About Me? it is a blend of Shatner’s urgent, spoken-word style, infused with Cook’s country twang. It’s an experiment in music that began in 1968. That’s when Shatner, then rocketing to fame as the captain of the starship Enterprise on the original Star Trek, recorded The Transformed Man. To reviewers at the time, his halting, high-volume take on Bob Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man and The Beatles’ Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds sounded like bad trips.
Shatner wasn’t the only Star Trek actor to release what would later be considered a camp classic. His cast mates Leonard Nimoy (who took a wild whack at If I Had a Hammer) and Nichelle Nichols (who can actually sing) also recorded albums. It was 36 years before Shatner tried again. His collaboration with producer Ben Folds on 2004’s Has Been, however, was warmly received by many critics. That was four albums ago, as the actor continues to boldly
go on a musical mission that has lasted 50 years and counting.
If anything, Shatner’s voice sounds better with age, or, as one reviewer put it, “as soothing as a warm cup of eggnog.” On the new album, Shatner says he’s tried to “bend the Christmas music a little bit, give it a little slant that an actor might give it.”
That includes teaming with Iggy Pop on a not-so Silent Night, amplified on a robust punk rock reprise of the same tune with ac-
tor/singer/commentator Henry Rollins.
Giving punk rock spins to Christmas classics might not be on everyone’s Christmas list. Some might prefer listening to Judy Collins take over on vocals on White Christmas. Shatner also gets festive with ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons on Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and does jingle jam sessions with keyboardist Rick Wakeman (from Yes), guitarist Todd Rundgren, flutist Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) and singer Brad Paisley on a countrified Blue Christmas. The all-star collaborators are as eclectic and unique as snowflakes. “We get into rock and roll,” says Shatner, “and I have these great artists, working with me, great musicians working on each song.”
The actor is most proud of one song that came about through a random charity connection. Shatner, who breeds and shows American Saddlebreds and Quarter horses on his Kentucky ranch, met a former marine at The Hollywood Charity Horse Show.
“This guy wrote incredibly beautiful poetry,” says Shatner, “but they were all about how ugly battle is and how fearful it is.” Shatner asked the soldier if he could write something for a Christmas album. He did, and Shatner took the poem to his producers at Cleopatra Records. He said to the orchestrator, “There’s a military thing here, and then, he has sadness and there’s a battle.”
The result is the album’s sole original track, One for You, One for Me.
And that is how, says Shatner, “there is embedded in this Christmas album, an epic poem.”
Throw a captain’s log on the fire and listen.
Baldwin arrested for assault
Alec Baldwin was arrested Friday after allegedly punching a man in the face during a dispute over a parking spot outside his New York City home, authorities said.
Police said the actor claimed he had a family member holding the spot for him as he attempted to park his black Cadillac Escalade around 1:30 p.m. when a man driving a black Saab station wagon pulled up and took it. Police said the men were arguing and pushed each other before Baldwin, 60, turned violent. Baldwin was taken into custody and is expected to face an assault charge. He’s being processed at a nearby precinct in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighbourhood.
The driver of the station wagon, 49, was taken to a hospital with jaw pain, police said.
A representative for Baldwin did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.
Baldwin portrays President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live and recently started a talk show on ABC. An ABC spokeswoman had no comment about Baldwin’s arrest, other than to say his talk show will air Sunday night as scheduled.
The most recent episode, with less than 1.5 million viewers, had the smallest audience of any prime-time program on the top four broadcast networks over the past week, the Nielsen company said.
Baldwin’s past scrapes with the law include a 2014 arrest in New York City for bicycling the wrong way on a one-way street and a 1995 arrest for allegedly slugging a paparazzi photographer in Los Angeles, one of several such run-ins.
Asked about Baldwin’s arrest, Trump said: “I wish him luck.”
Bruce on Broadway coming to Netflix
Citizen news service
Now you don’t even have to go to Broadway to hear Bruce Springsteen’s sold-out show.
Columbia Records said Friday the official two-disc soundtrack of Springsteen on Broadway will be released Dec. 14.
A few days later, on Dec. 16, a filmed version of the show debuts on Netflix. Springsteen on Broadway has been extended three times. He had previously planned to end in February, then pushed it to June 30, then pushed that to Dec. 15. In the show, Springsteen performs more than a dozen songs and tells stories about growing up in New Jersey.
Tickets for the show at the Walter Kerr Theatre have been reselling for more than $1,000.
Call 250-562-2441
CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTO
William Shatner smiles while taking questions from reporters in Providence, R.I., on May 6.
Citizen news service
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms falls flat
Mark KENNEDY Citizen news service
So Disney has gone ahead and made a Christmas movie from The Nutcracker. Is this what we’re doing now? We’re making big Hollywood movies from 19th century ballets? Anyone have any fresh ideas at all?
Talk about low-hanging fruit: it’s a sugar plum.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is visually marvelous, inconsistently acted and rather incoherent in that fantasy genre way. There’s not even that much dancing, to tell the truth. Little kids might end up too scared and adults may need several shots of insulin.
There’s a lot of stuff going on here so hold onto your popcorn. The story is based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original 1816 tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which went on to become a celebrated ballet with stirring music by Tchaikovsky. (One likely selling point for Disney is the soundtrack to the film is royalty-free.)
Screenwriter Ashleigh Powell has spun a tale of a spunky and brainy 14-year-old Clara who adores elaborate gear mechanisms and quotes Newton’s Third Law. One morose Christmas, she gets a present from her late mother that sends her on a quest to the Land of Snowflakes, the Land of Flowers, the Land of Sweets and the Land of Hokum – sorry, that last one is the ominous Fourth Realm, which is overrun by rodents and fog and demented Cirque du Soleil performers.
Clara must unite all these divisive parallel worlds in time to return to her sad family and celebrate, well, being together. There are elements of Lara Croft, The King and I and The Chronicles of Narnia here, and it’s safe to say the whole film would fall apart if not for a brilliant performance from Mackenzie Foy (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) as Clara. Soft, angry, tender, pained and regal – Foy is absolutely luminous, both a tomboy and a princess. She speaks through her eyes and really digs into lines like “The real world doesn’t make sense anymore.”
The rest of the cast is uneven, to put it politely this Christmas period. Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy seems to have modeled her character on Elizabeth Banks’ role in The Hunger Games but thought the other actress was underplaying it and so has brought twice as much irritating energy, including saying things in squeaky voice like “Isn’t it magnificent?” “banish’d,” “tres chic” and “oh, poo.”
At the other end of the spectrum is Jayden FoworaKnight – he’s awfully wooden and just because he plays a former nutcracker is no excuse. There’s also Helen Mirren, who portrays the leader of the Fourth Realm with such a swashbuckling style that she’s missed when not on screen. Plus, poor Morgan Freeman tries to bring dignity to Clara’s eccentric godfather, but he’s had better lines in Mountain Dew commercials.
Directors Joe Johnston and Lasse Hallstrom also called on Misty Copeland, principal dancer for American Ballet Theatre, to play the main doll in a ballet within the movie, which was a wise move. But other poor decisions mar the film, including dressing Eugenio Derbez and Richard E. Grant in over-the-top costumes and telling them to act as if they just snorted a case of Snickers bars.
And there’s a moment late in the film when you realize that some of the best acting has been delivered by a digital mouse. (Hey, this is Disney, remember?
The Mouse always rules.)
The real stars of this film are the hundreds and hundreds – sit through the credits and marvel at the number – of visual effects folk who have let us swoop over these snowy cities and forests on the wings of a bird, who use thousands of wriggling mice to come together to make one big Mouse King, and who make a legion of tin soldiers marching look positively frightening.
And the lush orchestrations of Tchaikovsky, with sections repeated in different styles, show off this classic work well.
Disney has potentially opened the door with a sequel if this one succeeds. But, to be frank, it rather limps to the goal line: Clara’s relationship with the nutcracker soldier ends chastely and she offers a vague promise to return – hopefully with an acting coach – to the land of sweets, flowers and snowflakes. But take your time, Clara. Don’t rush on our behalf.
– One and a half stars out of four
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES HANDOUT IMAGE BY LAURIE SPARHAM
Mackenzie Foy stars as Clara in Disney’s The Nucracker and the Four Realms.
A feast nearly 140 years in the making
Ron CHARLES Citizen news service
Nick Offerman, the deadpan comedian from Parks and Recreation, has long been a fan of Mark Twain, the cigar-chomping master of deadpan comedy.
And once you catch the similarity between these two Midwesterners with their unhurried pacing and straight-faced absurdity, you can’t unhear it.
“I would be flattering myself to claim any genealogy,” Offerman says by phone, “but he’s definitely one of the main thumbtacks on my chart of inspirations.”
Offerman’s affinity for Twain has made him the perfect narrator for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. But his latest project delivers an even more delicious partnership: an audiobook about Samuel Clemens’ favorite foods.
The recipe for this project is more than a century old. In 1879, Clemens was touring Europe and feeling ravenously homesick for American delicacies.
To quell his hunger, he wrote up a menu of 80 dishes he would enjoy as soon as he got off the boat: a vast banquet of everything from hot buckwheat cakes and green corn to Sheepshead and San Francisco mussels. That fantasy dinner eventually became the basis of Twain’s Feast, a charming work of biography and cultural history published by Andrew Beahrs in 2010. And now, finally, dinner is served.
Rather than record a straight narration of Beahrs’ book, Offerman hosts an elaborately constructed production that mixes his readings and reflections with interviews with Beahrs and other Twain scholars.
What’s more, it includes a fully realized version of Twain’s pipe-dream meal prepared by chef Tyler Anderson at the Twain House in Hartford, Conn. Wanda Sykes and Jeff Tweedy are among the guests who sit down with Offerman for the dinner of a lifetime.
The result is as close as you’ll ever get to eating with Mark Twain without a time machine. What starts as a tasty meal becomes a rich exploration of American history. As Offerman and Beahrs cut into various meats and vegetables, their conversation moves into all kinds of surprising, sometimes tragic avenues of our heritage. Coon, for instance, is not just an unusual entree, it’s a racial slur that evokes Twain’s complex relationship to African-Americans.
“Since we had that dinner at Twain’s house,” Offerman says, “I’ve managed to survive without another taste of raccoon.”
Less fraught ingredients lead to more whimsical considerations. A chapter on maple syrup, for instance, reveals that Twain owned a large collection of electric vibrators. I don’t exactly remember the connection; I may have blacked out.
Given all the genuinely mouthwatering items in Twain’s feast – baked apples, Porterhouse steak, soft-shell crabs – Offerman’s favorite is something of a surprise.
“I really enjoyed, both in the writing and in the gustatory consumption, the terrapin soup,” he says.
“I’m a sucker for local bucolic flavor. And so the history of the Chesapeake Bay region and all of the food items that we have exhausted from that incredible source of life I found fascinating – particularly that Philadelphia and Baltimore each had their own competing terrapin soup recipes.”
He warns would-be chefs, though, that preparation is not easy.
“The bummer about turtle is cleaning the turtle out of the shell. That’s just a drag,” he said.
And besides, he admits, they’re cute.
“If you can keep the turtle around and find some quinoa instead, I recommend it.”
An ardent fan of Wendell Berry, Alice Waters and Michael Pollan, Offerman discovered that Twain’s feast was spiced with sadness. The rumors of the death of American fauna and flora have not been greatly exaggerated. He recalls Twain’s description of Lake Tahoe: “The clarity with which you can see to the bottom and the incredible, almost fairy-tale trout that no longer live in that lake, I found that particularly heartbreaking.”
What’s needed is a wholesale rethinking of how we produce our food.
“Corporations have sort of gaslit our population into eating things that aren’t necessarily the most wholesome,” Offerman says, “so that those people might derive the greatest profits instead of thinking about serving us the healthiest fare.”
Beahrs’ book served to bolster his “predilection for the farmers market and sustainable local produce that we can all enjoy.”
But finding sustainable food isn’t the only challenge nowadays for meals in Offerman’s family. He’s in England working an upcoming new series called Devs; his wife, Megan Mullally, is in L.A. filming the revived Will & Grace. But they insist on seeing each other every two weeks.
For this Thanksgiving, he’s looking forward to a huge family dinner in Mobile, Ala., where a niece is attending college. The menu, he predicts, will be strictly traditional.
“My mom and dad are amazing producers of food and also cooks,” he says.
“But they’ve never been terribly experimental because their old favorites have never drawn any complaints. I have traveled many arduous miles over the years just for the turkey and the mashed potatoes and the stuffing. And then an embarrassment of pies.”
Mark Twain would approve.
TWAIN HOUSE HANDOUT PHOTO VIA THE WASHINGTON POST
Nick Offerman sips wine while enjoying a full recreation of Twain’s Feast at the Twain House in Hartford, Conn.
A little bit of France, just off the Newfoundland coast
Rich MORIN Citizen news service
On a clear day, stand on any westward-facing beach near Point May on Newfoundland’s windscoured Burin Peninsula and gaze seaward.
You can see France from there. While Paris lies 4,345 kilometres to the east, the eight small islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, a French possession and the last remnant of France’s oncevast colonial empire in North America, float like rocky lily pads just more than 25 km off the Canadian coastline.
But this wasn’t a clear day. Thick fog, a constant presence in June and July, obscured the islands as my wife, Roxanne, and I prepared to board the ferry at Fortune, Newf., that would take us to St. Pierre. The only hint of what lay ahead were a pair of eyebrow-raising signs, one in English and the other in French, that hung over the entrance to the customs office in the ferry building advertising the Canada-France Border Crossing.
In fact, a little more than an hour after the ferry left the dock we were in France. Hello baguettes and smelly cheese; goodbye poutine and Tim Hortons. The 5,500 residents here are French citizens and can vote in French elections. French license plates adorn the Peugeots and Renaults that share the narrow, hilly streets with Fords and Chevys. Flagpoles bear the French Tricolor. The signs are in French, the official currency is the euro (though Canadian dollars are cheerfully accepted) and the local patois is closer to the French spoken in Brittany than in Montreal.
The center of tourism here is the Musee de l’Arche just off downtown St. Pierre, the largest of four museums on the islands. Seven walking tours organized by the museum explore the town and its colourful history. The most popular chronicles St. Pierre’s architecture and its French roots. Another highlights the town’s notorious Prohibition years. Visitors can opt to take a motor launch across the narrow harbor channel to a restored fishing village on L’Ile-auxMarins – Sailor’s Island. Private tour operators offer the more adventurous dory tour of the island or a trip on a 30-foot sailboat to the smaller nearby islands. Or they can take the ferry to Miquelon, St. Pierre’s nearby sister island, for a Zodiac boat ride to the breeding ground of seals and seabirds. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, visitors can stay inside the museum and view the exhibits, which include the only guillotine ever used in North America. It was shipped from Martinique to St. Pierre and sent murderer Auguste Neel to his just reward on Aug. 12, 1889.
Local colour
“Hallo, Bonjour!”
Tour guide Hélène Girardin rounded the corner of the reception desk on the third floor of the Musee de l’Arche and introduced herself to her charges for the day. Like the village itself, Girardin, 27, makes a striking first impression. She smiles easily
and often through multiple lip piercings.
Her hair is dyed fluorescent blue, green and yellow, and pulled back into a relaxed bun. Her black coat and loosely fitting pants with their black and white vertical stripes, tucked into black combat boots, bespoke her formal training as a costume designer.
We left the museum and walked past wooden houses painted purple, yellow and pumpkin orange that lined a narrow terraced street above the harbor.
“These two are typical fisherman’s houses,” she said, pointing to two striking clapboard and shingle houses that stood side by side, one gray and one painted plum red, that were built in the last half of the 19th century.
“In the basement of this gray house,” she said, “we found the hull of a ship.”
Beaten by the North Atlantic winds, trees on these islands rarely grow taller than head-high. To build their houses, residents imported wood from Canada or scavenged it from shipwrecks; more than 600 ships have been lost in these treacherous waters since 1816.
“All the houses were built together,” Girardin said as we passed a striking, grapecolored house shoehorned between yellow and coffee-brown ones. (Perhaps to defy the dreary winters, locals favor an extravagant palette.) “With all the houses made of wood and so close to one another, you can easily guess that it catches fire easily.”
The most destructive fire broke out in September 1867. It burned 177 buildings to the ground; villagers destroyed another 50 in their frantic attempts to contain the flames.
We turned right on Rue Maréchal Foch
up the steep hill to an imposing dark-brown stucco house. A statue of the Virgin Mary looked down at the traffic from a large window box just beneath the roofline.
“The fire stopped right here,” Girardin said. As the inferno advanced, the homeowner had placed a statue of the Virgin Mary in the window facing the oncoming flames.
“It worked,” she said. In gratitude, “he made a special window just for the Virgin Mary on top.”
Cod and rum-running
Cod fueled the St. Pierre economy for more than 200 years. The rich waters of the Grand Banks are just offshore. Acres of gutted cod once lay split and drying in the sun where downtown shops, restaurants and the La Place du General de Gaulle waterfront park now stand.
Overfishing sent the cod population crashing. By the turn of the 20th century, the fishery had largely collapsed, and along with it the island’s economy.
Prohibition temporarily rescued St. Pierre from decades of economic decline, Girardin said. Canada did not ban alcohol, but it did prohibit distillers from selling booze to countries that did.
“St. Pierre was French. There were no laws – they could sell all the alcohol they wished and it was completely legal.”
So the liquor flowed to St. Pierre, where it was stored before being loaded aboard smugglers’ boats bound for the United States. In 1922 alone, more than seven million liters of alcohol were delivered to St. Pierre, she said.
“Before Prohibition, people basically had nothing,” Girardin said. “When Prohibition started, all they had to do was store alcohol in their basement and they had money flowing. Even the big leading fish company turned its back to the sea to import alcohol.”
Deserted island
The morning fog had lifted when we boarded a motor launch for L’Ile-auxMarins. Lying at its closest point just a few hundred yards off St. Pierre, the island protects the harbor and town from the worst of the North Atlantic’s fury. In its heyday in the 1900s, 600 fishermen and their families lived on the island. Today, there are no permanent inhabitants. The old homes and buildings, including the city hall, school (now a museum and cafe) and the magnificent but seldom-used Notre-Dame-des-Marins Catholic church are maintained as a tourist site. A few St. Pierre residents have weekend retreats or vacation homes on the island As the cod stocks declined, so did L’Ileaux-Marins. One by one, residents dismantled their homes and rebuilt in St. Pierre. Few people remained by the 1950s. When a boat accidentally cut the cable that carried electricity to the island, they didn’t bother to repair it. The city forcibly removed the last resident from the island in 1964. Girardin said the islanders have a phrase to describe the attraction that locals feel for their island home. They are attached to it “comme une vignette sur son caillou” – “like a sea snail on its pebble.” For more information, go online to: spm-tourisme.fr.
WASHINGTON POST BY RICHARD MORIN
Guide Hélène Girardin, 27, points across a dory painted the colours of the French flag to some of the other remnants of a fishing family’s life in the basement of a house on L’ Ile-aux-Marins, across the narrow channel from St. Pierre.
WASHINGTON POST BY RICHARD MORIN
Treats and more than 50 varieties of tea await patrons at Patricia Detcheverry’s Les Delices de Josephine in St. Pierre.
At Home
“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”
— Mark Twain Call
Designer offers tips for holiday decorating
Jura KONCIUS Citizen news service
Greg Lehmkuhl, the creative director of the garden, home and outdoor lifestyle brand Terrain, joined staff writer Jura Koncius last week on The Washington Post’s Home Front online chat. Here is an edited excerpt.
Q: I’m looking to buy winter planters. What’s your favourite tree or bush that will last?
A: My favorites are varieties that have interesting sculptural character. For example, atlas cedars or deodar cedars. Weeping Alaskan cedars also make a dramatic statement. Often you can get young trees for a great deal at the end of the season, so now would be the time to look.
Q: I always hang wreaths on my front windows for the holidays. I change the ribbons occasionally, but do you have any other ideas to jazz up this classic look?
A: If you’re looking for an alternative to classic ribbon, I use red-striped upholstery banding or torn strips of cotton velvet. Anything with more humble origins is nice. In our travels overseas, I have noticed fewer looped bows, which I find refreshing. The flourish of a simple ribbon wrapped once around a wreath is quite elegant.
Q: What wreath materials do you think will
be popular this year?
A: We have some unusual fresh bunches coming in this year. I’m excited about the rose gold eucalyptus and bleached pine cones, and – for a more dramatic focal point – dried protea blossoms are making a strong showing.
Q: We’re hosting a big dinner. What’s your favorite way to make a dining table feel festive without cluttering it?
A: One of my favorite displays in the Terrain store uses our wreath hanger suspended above the table, so you’re not overcrowding the actual table. I also like to start with a wreath with a simple base of honeysuckle vine, dried and fresh festive greenery, and some battery-operated lights.
Q: The deer in my front yard eat everything. What can I put on my steps that would look festive for the holidays and not get eaten?
A: There’s always boxwood, but if you want to go with something in the pine family, deer typically stay away from firs. I like Korean fir, which is known for having many cones on a juvenile tree.
Q: I order amaryllis bulbs every November for the holidays. Any ideas for showcasing them?
A: Pair blooming amaryllis with armatures of various winter stems. I like “Midwinter Fire” dogwood, because of its orange-to-red colors, and curly willow for its bright orange. These stems add a grow-
ing structure that prevents the flowers from falling over, and also incorporate color to the arrangement before your bulbs bloom.
Q: I’ve bought myrtle topiary trees several times for my mantel. What is the best way to keep these alive? They dry out so easily.
A: Keep them in a shallow tray of water to maintain hydration. I also recommend a self-watering pot that has a reservoir with a wicking system. You can actually make your own with torch wicks and a pot that sits elevated inside a larger pot.
Q: How can I convince clients that they will enjoy the holidays more if they simplify their food, decorations, parties and gifts?
A: The season is about sharing and finding a happy medium. In my family, the way we navigated through those situations was to compromise. One year my dad would get to display his over-the-top collection of family heirloom German glass ornaments (there were at least 1,000), and the next year my mom would get to display her Scandinavian birch-bark ornaments for a simpler tree. As kids responsible for putting up and taking down all of the ornaments, we always liked the simpler tree.
Q: What are some holiday ideas for our empty window boxes?
A: If you’re feeling adventurous, try making a miniature forest with a row of black spruce tips.
Q: What family tradition do you most look
forward to around the holidays?
A: When I get home to Wisconsin on Christmas Eve, it’s my job to put lights on a fresh-cut Christmas tree outside near the road.
Q: I like to start planting amaryllis bulbs that will bloom during Christmas week. How many days before Dec. 25 should I start ?
A: Generally, the rule is six weeks before Dec. 25, so you would want to start them on or around Nov. 11.
Q: I bought some battery-powered candles for my windows last holiday season, and they ended up looking pretty lame. Do you have any recommendations for this look? I’d prefer not to have to plug them in, but I do have outlets available near the windows.
A: We have a battery-operated moving flame that’s beautiful but best experienced up close. But I find that a cool-burning 4-watt night-light bulb is the best from a distance to give the most realistic color of a real flame. I also would avoid anything orange.
Q: What is your favorite way to decorate outside for the holidays – especially if you want your house to stand out?
A: The good news is that it can be fun and rewarding to come up with a different approach each season. The important thing is to look at the materials you have differently and remember that nature provides the best ingredients.
Not raking your leaves is good for the environment, group says
Kevin BISSETT Citizen news service
FREDERICTON — Good news for the lazy: Canada’s leading conservation group is asking people not to rake their lawn.
“It’s good news if you don’t like raking the leaves because leaving them on the ground is the environmentally friendly thing to do,” said Andrew Holland, a spokesman for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He said the leaves provide a space for many small creatures to survive the winter.
“They provide habitat for butterflies, moths and different kinds of insects that can overwinter under the leaves. It’s also good for frogs and toads. The insects that
overwinter provide food for birds in the spring,” he said.
Dan Kraus, the NCC’s senior conservation biologist, said people can also help migratory and resident birds survive winter by not clearing up their gardens.
“Fruits and seeds that remain on flowers and shrubs are a crucial food source that sustains many songbirds, such as goldfinches, jays and chickadees,” said Kraus.
“Overwintering insects in our yards also provide an important food source for birds.
“Providing winter habitats for our native birds and insects is just as important as providing food and shelter during the spring and summer.”
Holland said if you’re worried about
smothering the lawn or having clogged gutters, the leaves can be tucked under bushes or in other areas away from your house.
“These leaves provide good mulch for scrubs and help prevent the freeze/thaw cycle in the roots through the winter,” he said.
Lawn care company, Scott’s Canada, recommends using a lawn mower to mulch leaves into tiny pieces on your lawn and applying a fall fertilizer that’s rich in nitrogen.
“You want to reduce your leaf clutter to dime-size pieces. You’ll know you’re done when about half an inch of grass can be seen through the mulched leaf layer. Once
the leaf bits settle in, microbes and worms get to work recycling them,” the website states. For those who do like the look of a wellraked lawn, many cities across the country collect and compost leaves for use in gardens and flower beds.
In parts of Toronto, homeowners are even allowed to rake the leaves to the edge of the roadway on specific dates, where specialized equipment will come along and remove them. In Prince George, leaves and yard waste can be dropped off free of charge at the Foothills Regional Landfill, and the Quinn Street and Vanway transfer stations – only compostable bags will be accepted.
This undated photo shows the wreath being constructed in New Paltz, N.Y. Wreaths are a staple of holiday decor, which you
materials for ribbons and the boughs of the wreath, Terrain creative director Greg Lehmkuhl says.
William Edward (Bill) Brand
After his long painful struggle with dementia Bill finally went to a peaceful place. Bill was born in Carragana, Saskatchewan in 1930. He came to BC as a telegrapher for the CN Railway where he worked for 14 years. An opening came up at Northwood Pulpmill for the startup in 1966 where he ended up working until retirement at 1992. Bill was a loving father and husband and those that knew him understood under that gruff exterior was a kind warm heart. He is survived by his loving wife Lora, 3 children - Brian, Sherri and Terry and 6 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed and always loved - but he is in a better place now and free…
ARLENE LAUZON July 23, 1945October 23, 2018
Linda Jane MacNutt 1951 - 2018
Died peacefully at Prince George Hospice October 16. Linda is survived by her husband Jack MacNutt, and sister Patty Huber. Most at peace among all the worlds animals, Linda found her calling working with her best friend Florence Barton DMV in Penticton. A pilot, painter, potter and life partner, she is greatly missed. A memorial will follow. In lieu of flowers, consider the BCSPCA, and Hospice House.
Arlene Mary Lauzon passed away at age 73 due to complications from COPD. In the arms of her family, she left us to go be with our dad, Jack, the love of her life. Her infectious laugh, sense of humor and kind, loving, accepting soul will be fondly remembered by those she leaves behind. Her two children, Angie and Terry, daughter-in-law Treema, grandchildren: Donovan and Addison and their father Brett and numerous other family, friends and acquaintances.
Special thanks to the doctors at Aspen Medical Clinic, particularly Dr. McNichol for your kindness and compassion in our mom’s last day. No service by request. Donations can be made to Rotary Hospice House.
“May I have this dance for the rest of my life” - Anne Murray
Christine Vera Nicholls
Jan 9, 1960- Oct 23, 2018
It is with broken hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our beautiful Christine. Chris was vibrant, funny, kind, loving and the best perogy maker. Left to mourn in her loss is her husband Don, sons Adam (Tara), Rob (Sheena), 4 adored grandsons, 2 sweet granddaughters, mother in law Rose, sisters and sisters in law, brothers and brothers in law, nieces, nephews and many cherished friends. Predeceased by her beloved daughter Lesia, father Walter, mother Anna, sister Jeanette and father in law Gordon. A celebration of life will be held November 10, 2018 at 1pm First Baptist Church.
Cross Ron Paul Oct 2, 1956 to Nov 1, 2018
Passed away peacefully at Vancouver General Hospital. Survived by daughter Jade Cross (Ken Ziemer), son Ron Jr, grandchildren Xander and Maeve, Mom Edna Elvertorp, siblings Norman (Kelly), David, Alan (Linda), Robert and Kathleen (Randy). Predeceased by daughter Angela, wife Alma, father Ken, siblings Doreen and Rick. Ron loved spending time with his children and grandchildren, fishing, hunting and playing cards with his Mom. Ron worked for Winton Global The Pas until their closure. Date to be determined for Celebration of Life.
On Saturday, October 27th, Frank (Francois) Marcel Kerbrat made his final journey home to be with the Lord. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Nurse Next Door for the compassionate care they provided during this past year. Frank had just celebrated his 99th birthday on October 21st, and spent his last days at home, with his family. Frank is survived by Joyce, his loving wife of 67 years; 8 children, Roger (Lynne), Karen, Holly (Tony), Geoff (Dorothy), Lauren (Dean), Martin (Shelley), Jeannette (Derek), and Michelle (Brandon); 27 grandchildren, and 29 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Marshall (Lenore), and his grandson, Asher. To his last breath, Frank was a kind hearted, generous, intelligent, good natured, gentle, man of integrity, much loved by his family, his extended church family, and the community whose lives he touched. He lived life to the fullest, enjoying golfing and family vacations until the final year of his life when he reluctantly watched the dust collect on his golf clubs and never gave up hope that he would one day be back out on the fairway. An obituary could never begin to describe Frank’s many wonderful attributes or his innumerable accomplishments spanning almost a full century. Please join us for a celebration of Frank’s long and abundant life; a life well lived... a race well run. This celebration will take place Saturday, November 10th, 6:00 pm at First Baptist Church on Gillette Street. All guests are invited to join us for a reception following, at the church.
