Prince George Citizen October 24, 2018

Rotating postal strikes causing delays

Airport gets runway cash

Citizen staff

The federal government announced a $2.3 million investment Tuesday to fix up the main runway at the Prince George Airport.

Terry Beech, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transportation, said the work will have significant economic benefits since the airport is located in a corridor linking North America to Asia.

“Transportation systems are a vital part of Prince George’s economy and the investment announced here today will foster long-term prosperity for the city,” Beech said. “These improvements to the Prince George Airport will increase transportation options for the community while helping businesses get more products to market.”

Announced in February, Prince George was the first city in B.C. to receive the Foreign Trade Zone Designation in Canada and the improvements made to the runway and two aprons will improve the way Prince George does business with the rest of the world.

The project itself will create about 40 jobs during construction and allows Prince George to maximize airport capacity when repairs are complete.

John Gibson, president and chief executive officer for the Prince George Airport Authority, showed his support of the funding for the runway rehabilitation with a boisterous cheer.

“The project will be tendered in January and completed by October 2019,” Gibson said.

The funds come from a $2 billion National Trade Corridors Fund provided by the Government of Canada.

Boot, sock drive seeks donations

Christine HINZMANN Citizen staff chinzmann@pgcitizen.ca

Remembering a childhood where going without at times is fresh in her memory, Alisha Tobin, organizer of the Fire Pit Winter Boot and Sock Drive, is asking Prince George residents to donate to the cause.

Those who are considered at-risk, vulnerable and living on the streets of Prince George are in need of winter footwear to protect against the elements during our harshest season.

Distribution of winter boots and socks for men, women and children takes place in the afternoon of Nov. 7 and donation of all gently-used items takes place on Saturday at the Fire Pit Cultural Centre, 1120 Third Ave., between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and before noon on the day of the main event.

Tobin said she doesn’t like to see anyone go without.

“My grandfather (Omar Hason) had a store (Honest Omar’s) downtown many years ago,” said, Tobin explaining the inspiration behind the event.

“Some of his favourite stories were of the people who would come in that he would give a sandwich to or even something like toothpaste and he would always say that if you could even help one person a day, you were doing a good job.”

Tobin talked about being raised by a single mom and at times it was a bit of a struggle. She said her extended family was a large one and hand-me-downs were part of life until she got taller than everyone else and then her family turned to the Salvation Army to get clothes that would fit her.

“There was no Facebook or social media to ask for help like there is now so we had to go to any outlet we could find,” she said. “So that’s what inspired me the most. Every year when it starts to get colder I always ask myself what can I do that would benefit people.”

Tobin said she didn’t know where to start until she brought up the subject with mother-in-law Judy Mitchell, who works for Positive Living North, the community service organization which runs the Fire Pit for those at risk in the community.

“I was spitting out ideas and we were

talking about it and it became a thing,” she smiled.

Between Mitchell reaching out to the people she knew and Tobin reaching out to the people she knew, the event took shape.

“The support shown throughout the community has already been great,” Tobin said.

“Prince George is a great town for this sort of thing.”

since 1916

B.C. to subsidize health care for international students

British Columbia is poised to fully subsidize health care for international students at a potential cost of more than $100 million annually. B.C. will become one of just three provinces and territories in Canada to extend, free of charge, public health care insurance coverage to international students residing here for less than one year, once it fully eliminates Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums on Jan. 1, 2020. Most international students across Canada do not receive public health care. In B.C., in addition to the loss of an estimated $100-plus million in premiums from international students, taxpayers will continue paying hundreds of millions of dollars to cover overall health care costs of the students.

It’s a cost some say is worth it, to draw international students from a competitive global market. Meanwhile, others have questioned the full subsidy, given Canada’s already competitive position.

Presently, international students in B.C. are legally required to pay MSP premiums under the Medicare Protection Act, if they are living and studying here for more than six months.

While the number of international students continues to grow, and B.C. aims to eliminate all premiums, “there are currently no plans to change the eligibility requirements for the MSP program as outlined by the Medicare Protection Act,” said Ministry of Health spokesperson Laura Heinze.

International students now pay $37.50 per month after the BC Liberal government announced in 2017 it was cutting the premium in half, in hopes of eliminating it.

Although there was no apparent consideration from the BC Liberals to consider international students when fees were slashed in half, current finance critic and Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond says the NDP government ought to ensure international students pay into the system.

— see ‘IF THEY, page 3

Weeds grow in cracks in the apron that leads to runway 0119 at the Prince George Airport.

Graeme WOOD Citizen news service

CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE HINZMANN

Alisha Tobin, pictured with husband Josh and son Heller, 3, is organizing the Fire Pit Boot and Sock Drive for vulnerable people living on the streets of Prince George.

Wacky waving inflatable arm tube man

Glen Mikkelsen from CN Centre and Andy Beesley from the Prince George Cougars introduced their new wacky waving inflatable arm tube man – or air dancer for short – to help tell people that it is Event Day at CN Centre. They are running a contest to name it. From now until Nov. 9 people can submit their choice of name to the Prince George Cougars Gift Shop, or phone 250-561-0783. Opportunities will also be available online on the CN Centre and the Cougars Facebook pages. The person who submits the winning name will win 11 tickets and access to a luxury suite for the Nov. 23 Cougars game against the Red Deer Rebels.

Prince George provincial court docket

From Prince George provincial court, Oct. 15-19, 2018:

• Duane Tyler Vallee (born 1988) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance for causing fear of injury or damage and assessed $200 in victim surcharges for two counts of breaching an undertaking or recognizance, all committed in McLeod Lake. Vallee was in custody for 11 days prior to sentencing.

• Shayne Alexander Davis (born 1996) was sentenced to one year probation and assessed $500 in victim surcharges for theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property and two counts possession of stolen property under $5,000. Alexander was in custody for 32 days prior to sentencing.

• Wesley Eugene Mitchell (born 1977) was fined $1,000 plus a $150 victim surcharge for driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act.

• Brian Scott Murray (born 1976) was sentenced to 60 days in jail, prohibited from driving for 18 months and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for driving while disquali-

fied under the Criminal Code, committed in Valleyview, Alta.

• James Cyril Clarke (born 1972) was sentenced to nine months probation and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for assault. Clarke was in custody for one year 22 days prior to sentencing.

• Roger Todd Creuzot (born 1967) was fined $368 plus a $55 victim surcharge for driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act and fined $750 plus a $225 victim surcharge for breaching probation.

• Stephen Daniel Johnstone (born 1978) was sentenced to 138 days in jail and 18 months probation for robbery, to 14 days in jail for two counts of breaching probation and fined $500 for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act and assessed $475 in victim surcharges on the counts. Johnstone was in custody for 26 days prior to sentencing.

• Sherrelle Kathleen Leckie (born 1978) was sentenced to one year probation and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer

and assessed $300 in victim surcharges for failing to appear in court and two counts of breaching an undertaking or recognizance.

• Sharon Patricia Mickey (born 1971) was sentenced to seven days in jail and assessed $200 in victim surcharges for theft $5,000 or under and breaching an undertaking and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for theft $5,000 or under. Mickey was in custody for 30 days prior to sentencing.

• Kama Kay Sills (born 1966) was sentenced to six months in jail and 18 months probation, ordered to pay $6,400 restitution and assessed a $200 victim surcharge for theft over $5,000.

• Paul Frank Alec Jr. (born 1988) was sentenced to eight months probation and assessed $400 in victim surcharges for being unlawfully in a dwelling-house and breaching an undertaking or recognizance.

• Bryn Davis Antoski (born 1997) was sentenced to one year probation for theft $5,000 or under and possessing a weapon for dangerous purpose. Antoski was in custody for 62 days prior to sentencing.

From B.C. Supreme Court in Prince George:

• Manjeet Singh Bhatti (born 1975) was sentenced to a four-month conditional sentence order and assessed $400 in victim surcharges for two counts of possessing a controlled substance.

• James Cyril Clarke (born 1972) was sentenced to three years probation, assessed a $200 victim surcharge and issued a 10-year firearms prohibition for uttering threats.

• Andrew Jospeh Bazinet (born 1983) was sentenced to seven days in jail for breaching probation, to a 60-day conditional sentence order for possession of stolen property over $5,000, to a four-month conditional sentence order and one year probation for mischief $5,000 or under and to a three-month conditional sentence order and for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and a separate count of mischief $5,000 or under and assessed $600 in victim surcharges. Bazinet was in custody for 21 days prior to sentencing.

• Shiana Lee Prince (born 1987) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $1,000 plus a $300 victim surcharge for driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08.

Oktoberfest coming to Senior Activity Centre

fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

The golden nectar is cascading down the side of the stein. The early echoes of yodeling are warming the chill autumn air.

All across the northern hemisphere, the harvest has been gathered and the goodness of the yield has been salted, dried, canned, pickled, smoked, sealed, frozen, boiled and bottled.

It is now time to raise a glass and celebrate the blessings of the season.

All over the northern world, it is October but only in certain places is it Oktoberfest. The Senior Activity Centre in Prince George is one of those bountiful places.

The star of the Oktoberfest show is Sound of the North, the longtime local band that had gone dormant in the mid2010s but came out of hibernation a few years ago when October came calling.

“The Mackenzie Rotary Club found us through our old band website,” said cofounder Beth Bowman-Bressette. “They made contact about doing an Oktober-

fest event for them. We hadn’t thought of reviving the band until they asked, but for that, we did it. That was October 2016.”

The band did not get fully revamped, but a habit formed around the Oktoberfest theme, said band member Heidi Burtenshaw who comes from the German state of Bavaria, not far from Munich where Oktoberfest is a way of life.

“It’s all about having fun, relaxing, celebrating the harvest, and appreciating the joys of life,” said Burtenshaw, who is so committed to Sound Of The North’s new autumn tradition that she commutes back to Prince George for it every year.

She has lately been living on Gabriola Island. Her old-time music stylings, including an ability to yodel, has made her as much of a mainstay of the busy Gabriola arts scene as she is around here.

Burtenshaw is one of more than 20 acts included on the soon-to-be-released double album of Gabriola Island musicians, along with name players like Nathan Tinkham and another ex-northerner Gary Fjellgaard.

“I love coming back to do these shows,” said Burtenshaw. “I enjoy Gabriola and I like living there, but my heart is still in the north country. This always feels like coming home.”

These Oktoberfest concerts are more than a standard band performance. Many of the songs are polkas and other authentic German party tunes, with a blend of familiar old-style dance favourites from this continent. There is a lot of food (a hearty German-style evening lunch will be available), toasts, and interaction.

Bowman-Bressette and Burtenshaw will be supported on stage Friday night by bandmates Terry Receveur, Ken Maddox and Ken Ogilvie. Everyone in the audience is encouraged to dress up in traditional German clothes like dirndls and lederhosen, or at least dress in your finest happy mood. Tickets are available now at the Senior Activity Centre located in the old library building at 425 Brunswick Street. For a yodeling good time pick your up for $25 while supplies last. Call 250-563-1915 for more information.

‘If they use those services they need to carry some of those costs’

— from page 1

“From my perspective, I think (British Columbians) would expect international students to pay for their costs,” said Bond.

A contentious Employer’s Health Tax (EHT) on medium-sized to large businesses will help offset the elimination of the personal and family premiums, according to the BC NDP.

Bond said the free pass to international students is an example of the poor rollout of the EHT.

B.C. Finance Minister Carole James declined an interview request from Glacier Media.

Only two other jurisdictions – Saskatchewan and New Brunswick unconditionally enrol international students in public health care. Meanwhile, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Nunavut provide health care for students in or beyond their second year of studies. These six jurisdictions represent only 11.3 per cent of the study permits currently issued in Canada.

Conversely, Ontario, Quebec (with exceptions for some countries of origin), Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Yukon and Northwest Territories – comprising 65 per cent of international students with study permits – do not extend public health care insurance to international students.

It was just last month that Manitoba eliminated health care eligibility for international students. Prior to the change, Manitoba extended coverage to stays of six months or longer, as is planned in B.C, where 23.7 per cent of all

The final results for the election of a School District 57 trustee in the Robson Valley had Bob Thompson winning with 514 votes over Harold Edwards, who received 453 votes. In Tuesday’s print edition, The Citizen reported that Edwards won the trustee position, based on preliminary numbers.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Guilty pleas entered for Moore’s Meadow shooting

A Prince George man pleaded guilty Monday to lesser counts in relation to the shooting of a woman in Moore’s Meadow 2 1/2 years ago. During a hearing at the courthouse, Jeff John Lapier pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm with attempt to wound and aggravated assault for the Feb. 15, 2016 incident.

A charge of attempted murder against Lapier was stayed.

All counts against co-accused Ashlynn Noel Ruth Forrest, who was facing counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault, were also stayed. Just after 5 a.m. on the day in question, RCMP were called to the Moore’s Meadow area and found the woman a short time later off Foothills Boulevard.

She was taken to hospital with serious injuries from what was termed a targeted shooting. By the end of February, Lapier and Forrest had been arrested and charged. Both had Facebook pages at the time and in an ominous Feb. 10 posting, Lapier said “someone’s going to learn” but did not elaborate. — Citizen staff

Former Mackenzie mayor joins regional district board

It’s a group of familiar names and faces that will represent the electoral areas on the Fraser-Fort George Regional District board for the next four years.

Six of the seven electoral areas were won by the incumbents while former Mackenzie mayor Pat Crook defeated James Clefstad 55 to 48 to represent Area G (Crooked River-Parsnip).

In Area A (Salmon River and Lakes) Warren Wilson was acclaimed.

In Area C (Chilako River-Nechako) Lara Beckett was re-elected with 292 votes, while challenger Colin Clyne got 124 votes.

In Area D (Tabor Lake-Stone Creek) Bill Empey was acclaimed.

In Area E (Woodpecker-Hixon) board chair Art Kaehn was acclaimed.

In Area F (Willow River-Upper Fraser), Kevin Dunphy was re-elected with 184 votes, while challenger Joe Rositano got 41 votes.

In Area H (Robson Valley-Canoe), Dannielle Alan was re-elected with 242 votes, while challenger Ben Hunter took 85 votes.

Citizen staff

study permit holders are located.

The Ministry of Health has no records on how many international students are enrolled in MSP, said Heinze.

There are currently 142,390 international students with study permits in B.C., according to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Study permits are not required by IRCC for any students studying in Canada for less than six months, which is the threshold for enrolling in MSP.

That said, not all of students with study permits may stay for six months. For example, in 2016 Global Affairs Canada reported 408,000 “long-term” international students (those staying over six months) were in Canada, but IRCC data showed 516,485 permit holders, meaning 21 per cent of study permit holders were not counted as long-term students.

So if B.C. has an estimated 112,482 long-term international students, it will cost the provincial government an estimated $101.2 million in revenue by including

international students in the elimination of its $75 MSP premiums – which amounted to $2.5 billion in 2016-2017, prior to the 50 per cent reduction.

The actual cost could be higher, given that many international students bring dependents, who are also eligible for MSP.

“I think it’s a reasonable assumption when international students come here, there needs to be recognition if they use those services they need to carry some of those costs,” said Bond.

Aran Armutlu, chairperson of the BC Federation of Students (BCFS), however, challenges this assumption. Armutlu says international students should be afforded the same access to social services as domestic ones – after all they pay roughly four times more in tuition fees, to cover the cost of education. In 2016-17, the average annual undergraduate tuition fees for domestic students were $5,534 whereas international students paid $21,486, according to Statistics Canada.

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff

Scavenger hunt prize to be re-gifted

Citizen staff

Lac des Bois student Danica McArthur won the scavenger hunt draw held during the Healthier You Expo on Sunday at CNC. The bike Danica won will be re-gifted for the Adopt-A-Family program her elementary school participates in every Christmas. Danica, who just got a brand new bike, is

sure there will be a child who will appreciate getting the bike, which was donated by Canadian Tire. The rest of the draw winners at the Healthier You Expo include Carol Stewart who won a $50 Boston Pizza gift card, Penny Der who won two tickets to the Russell Peters show, Hana Stephen who won two tickets to the Spruce Kings, and Dale Hamilton who won a first aid kit.

Warrant issued for parolee at large

Citizen staff

The Prince George RCMP are on the lookout for a parolee on the loose.

Ravinesh Jason Sharma, 31, is described as a South Asian man, six-foot-two and 170 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He is known to wear all red clothing, a hat and usually wears glasses.

Sharma has been missing since Aug. 8 when he failed to return to his halfway home in Prince George.

“Extensive checks have been made throughout the Prince George area, without success,” RCMP said.

“Although there have been unconfirmed sightings of Sharma in the Prince George area, he has likely made his way to the Lower Mainland or another community.”

Sharma has an extensive criminal record for offences committed exclusively in the Lower Mainland and is considered violent. Do not confront Sharma if you see him. Instead, contact the RCMP.

Anyone with information on where Sharma may be is asked to contact the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www. pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca (English only). You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information that leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Business Excellence award winners announced Friday night

Citizen staff

The 2018 Business Excellence Awards from the Prince George Chamber of Commerce were awarded Friday night during a gala event at the Prince George Playhouse.

The winners were:

• Business of the Year: Sonar Comedy and Nightclub

• Business Person of the Year: John Allen French (Takla Nation)

• Community Impact Award: Prince George Humane Society

• Entrepreneur of the Year: Angela McLaren (Prince George Humane Society)

• Environmental Awareness: Northern

style

• Micro Business of the Year: Cakewalk Desserts

• Outstanding Corporate Culture: Team Powerhouse Realty

• Remarkable Visitor Experience: Northern Lights Estate Winery

• Service Excellence Award: Birch and Boar Butchery

Sinclair Mills man missing

Citizen staff

Police are asking for the public’s help in their search for a missing Sinclair Mills man. Jeremy Shipley Bekken, 37, has not been seen since Oct. 16 and was reported missing on Sunday.

RCMP responded by going to his home, about 100 kilometres east of Prince George, where they found his vehicle and wallet along with his two dogs. But a search of the area with the help of a service dog was without success.

He is described as Caucasian, six feet tall and 140 pounds with blue eyes, long dark blonde hair with scruffy facial hair and was wearing black jeans, a black jacket and a toque when he was last seen.

Although his disappearance is unusual, foul play is not suspected.

Anyone with information on where Bekken might be is asked to call the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-

Singh calls on feds to fund basic income pilot project

Citizen news service

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet

Singh is calling on the federal government to pick up the tab to continue a basic income pilot project scrapped by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

The $150-million, three-year project was initiated by the province’s previous Liberal government but Ford announced last summer that his Conservative government will end the project in March, a year ahead of schedule.

Singh says the premature end of the pilot will make it impossible to amass enough data to determine how effective a basic income program could be in lifting Canadians out of poverty. And he says it leaves in the lurch the 4,000 Ontarians who are involved in the pilot.

sic income pilot project in Ontario,” Singh said Tuesday in a speech to the Council of Canadian Innovators.

“Vital data” will be lost if the pilot is not allowed to run its course, he added later.

Single individuals receive up to $16,989 a year while couples receive up to $24,027 – with 50 cents clawed back from the benefit for every dollar earned from a job.

The pilot project provides payments to low-income people in a number of communities, including Hamilton, Brantford, Thunder Bay and Lindsay.

Single individuals receive up to $16,989 a year while couples receive up to $24,027 – with 50 cents clawed back from the benefit for every dollar earned from a job.

“I would like to take this opportunity today to call on the federal government to step in and fund the remainder of the ba-

“We can actually have a wholesome data set ... and we can look at some of the challenges and some of the benefits that are raised (from a basic income program). We can actually have evidence to make a decision as opposed to just what the Conservative government in Ontario is talking about, just hypotheses or just stereotypes.” More importantly, Singh said it’s “morally very reprehensible” to abandon the 4,000 low-income individuals who signed on for a three-year pilot project.

“People make plans, they make life decisions around knowing what’s going to happen and having this project stripped away from those 4,000 low-income recipients I think is the wrong thing to do, I think it’s hurtful.”

In the House of Commons later, New Democrat MP Peter Julian repeated the call for the federal government to fund the final year of the pilot project.

Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, parliamentary secretary to the social development minister, said Liberals “share the disappointment” over Ford’s decision to scrap the pilot a year early.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Danica McArthur won the scavenger hunt draw held during the Healthier You Expo on Sunday. McArthur plans to re-gift the bike to the Adopt-A-Family program her school takes part in every year.

SHARMA

BEKKEN

Water fall

NEWS IN BRIEF

Horgan, Weaver support electoral reform

VICTORIA (CP) — Those for and against changing British Columbia’s provincial voting system to a form proportional representation will soon have a say as residents begin receiving referendum ballots in their mail boxes.

Debate started to heat up Tuesday in the legislature, with the Opposition Liberals calling the vote a “sham,” but it was all cheers at an evening rally in support of the change side.

About 1,000 people attended a campaign-style event that featured speeches in favour of electoral reform by Green Leader Andrew Weaver and New Democrat Premier John Horgan. Horgan told the crowd he is a late convert to proportional representation, but having his ideas constantly dismissed because he was not part of government convinced him to support electoral reform.

Wilkinson says proportional referendum will make one party majority governments a rarity in B.C. Ballots for the vote were placed in the mail this week and must be received by Elections BC by Nov. 30, with a result expected several weeks later.

Engine malfunction forces rescue of whale watchers

VANCOUVER (CP) — Dozens of people aboard a whale watching boat in the Georgia Strait off Vancouver needed to be rescued Tuesday. Zoe Ward with Wild Whales Vancouver says 33 passengers were on board their vessel when the engine malfunctioned, setting off a call for help. Lt. Tony Wright from the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre says it received a mayday call from the vessel Jing Yu at about 11:45 a.m. Wright says the centre’s hovercraft and another ship were dispatched, but a BC Ferries vessel and Royal Canadian Navy patrol craft were first on the scene.

He says the Jing Yu’s operators managed to put an engine fire out and the hovercraft transferred the passengers back to shore.

No one was hurt, and Wright says Wild Whales Vancouver is sending out another boat to tow the damaged vessel back to Vancouver.

Ward says those onboard will be getting a refund.

Canadian troops, families take shelter in hotel after hurricane

OTTAWA (CP) — Thirty Canadian military members and their families were forced to evacuate their Florida homes and are now living in a hotel after a hurricane ripped through the U.S. air force base where they are stationed.

The ordeal began earlier this month when the Canadians were moved to Mississippi before Hurricane Michael slammed into Tyndall Air Force Base, where Canada has a small contingent of service personnel.

Tyndall is home to the U.S. headquarters of the North American Aerospace Defence Command, the joint Canadian-American early warning system that is charged with protecting the continent from airborne threats.

While the Canadians were able to escape injury, NORAD deputy commander Lt.-Gen. Chris Coates said the hurricane damaged much of the base – including the Canadians’ rented accommodations. It also knocked out the base’s electricity, water and sewage and forced NORAD to shift some of its operations to an alternative site in Virginia, where the Canadians are working on a rotation. While the focus is on getting them back into their homes, Coates said some are too damaged and “interim” accommodations will found. Officials, meanwhile, are now assessing each families’ needs.

Ottawa woman believed to be first trans school trustee

OTTAWA — A woman who was once homeless in Ottawa is believed to be the first openly transgender school trustee to be elected in Ontario and possibly in Canada.

Lyra Evans, 26, will become the school trustee for a downtown Ottawa district after garnering 55 per cent of the votes cast Monday as part of Ontario’s municipal elections. Evans says she felt compelled to join the race after the Doug Ford government in Ontario announced it would revert the province’s sex-education curriculum to the 1998 version.

“I was outraged, I was disappointed they were going to be doing this to students who, I think, should be learning the things the 2015 curriculum teaches,” she said. “So I got engaged because I wanted to be a voice for people who didn’t feel like their voices were being heard.”

But the journey to her election victory has been far from easy.

Evans became homeless while still in high school and struggled for several years — couch surfing or living in the streets.

Transitional housing, volunteering and advocacy work helped to lift Evans onto another path, even as she faced discrimination by

coming out first as gay and later as transgender. A lack of education, understanding and nuanced language regarding LGBTQ issues in the school system and the community at the time contributed to this, she says.

That’s why she wants to see schools continue with the sex-ed curriculum developed in Ontario in 2015, which included more inclusive education about gender identity and relationships, consent as well as warnings about online bullying and sexting.

“There was so much that I wasn’t taught and that’s one of the reasons I’m a huge advocate for LGBTQ issues being taught in schools and diverse families being taught in schools – to give people the language, to give people the capacity to be who they are without having to go through this giant discovery phase, without having to learn all the words themselves.”

Many voters on the doorstep expressed deep concern and anger over the Ford government’s decision to scrap the 2015 sex-ed curriculum and revert to the 1998 lesson plan, Evans said.

It’s a big reason she believes she was successfully elected as a school trustee.

She hopes her lived experiences will help to offer a more progressive approach to policies regarding sexual and LGBTQ rights education in the Ottawa school system.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Leaves float along the shore at Cottonwood Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Teresa WRIGHT Citizen news service

The race for eighth

Cori Ramsay finished eighth in the city council election on Saturday, earning 5,693 votes or 43.2 per cent of the votes cast. She was the only elected councillor to receive support from less than half of the voters. Frank Everitt was next at 50.7 per cent while Brian Skakun led the way at 71.9 per cent.

That means that nearly three out of every four voters filled in the oval next to Skakun’s name.

The real story, however, is Ramsay. She defeated two local businessmen – Dave Fuller and Cameron Stolz – with much higher community profiles than her by nearly 700 votes. Fuller finished ninth with 5,001 votes, while Stolz was right behind with 4,971 votes. Fuller’s Business Coach column returns to The Citizen on Friday, with his analysis of the business lessons he learned from his defeat. One of them was underestimating his competition, which speaks directly to Ramsay’s victory. She tied Stolz and both of them were five votes behind Fuller after the first advance voting day at the Civic Centre on Oct. 10.

She finished third (215) to Fuller (218) and Stolz (236) at the second advance voting day at Pine Centre, as well as the special voting day on Oct. 12 at University Hospital of Northern B.C. What a difference a week makes. On advance voting day on Oct. 16 at the Civic Centre, Ramsay beat Fuller by 40 votes and Stolz by nearly 50 votes. The following day at UNBC, she crushed both of them, beating Fuller by exactly 100 votes and Stolz by nearly 160. With that wind in her sails, she defeated both men at six of the nine polling stations on Saturday and ended up in a virtual three-way tie at Edgewood school, which gave 257 votes to both Fuller and Ramsay, while backing Stolz with 248 votes.

As a result, her third place finishes among the three at Blackburn (Stolz 82, Fuller 76, Ramsay 69) and Vanway (Fuller 302, Stolz 280, Ramsay 257) weren’t nearly enough to overcome her significant lead.

With that wind in her sails, she defeated both men at six of the nine polling stations on Saturday and ended up in a virtual three-way tie at Edgewood school...

Ramsay’s huge wins were at D.P. Todd, Ecole Lac Des Bois and Ron Brent. At Lac Des Bois, Ramsay’s 544 votes were nearly 200 more than Stolz’s 353.

From a geographical standpoint, Ramsay’s support was strongest in the Bowl and declined in the outlying areas. She beat Fuller handily at Kelly Road in the Hart (731 to 633) but Stolz was just seven votes back at 724. At Malaspina in College Heights, her margin of victory was 42 votes over Stolz and 54 over Fuller.

The only Bowl location that didn’t give a large margin of victory was at John Mcinnis, where she beat Fuller and Stolz by 31 and 30 votes respectively.

But in an election that saw 13,184 ballots cast, with just 24 per cent of the total number of eligible voters participating, the candidates who motivated their supporters to take time out from a sunny and warm fall

YOUR LETTERS

Form of PR would serve us better

Todd Whitcombe has written three rants now on proportional representation and still does not seem to see any advantages of the system so I feel compelled to write.

Some years ago I spent seven months in New Zealand and talked to numerous Kiwis about their mixed member proportional representation (MMPR), introduced in 1996. Permit me to explain how it works. As the name implies, there are two types of members: riding MPs (or in our case, MLAs), and list MLAs. The first are nominated in the usual way and voted for in the usual way. However, for the second, each party makes public a list of candidates at a set time before election day. On election day, each voter is presented with two ballots. The first is for the riding MLA; in each riding the one with the most votes wins. The second ballot asks which party the voter wishes to govern. It is thus the popular vote and is totalled province-wide. After the ballots are counted, a party whose percentage of riding members less than its popular vote receives members from its list and in order. Thus, if party A receives, say 39 per cent of the votes from the second ballot, it will receive approximately 39 per cent of the members (both riding and list). In order to avoid unnecessary proliferation of political parties, there is a threshold of five per cent of the popular vote; a

party which gets below this is not entitled to list members.

Here are the advantages of MMPR: 1) A political party that receives less than 50 per cent of the popular vote cannot receive an absolute majority of members (“one day of democracy and four years of dictatorship” which is what we have now).

2) Smaller parties would get the number of representatives appropriate for their popular support. It was patently unfair for the Green Party in the last federal election to receive almost a million votes nationwide and elect only one member. Under MMPR, the Greens would have received by my calculation about 15 members, which is much more appropriate, given their wide support. A similar situation occurred some years back when the federal Conservatives received two million votes and two MPs.

3) Another benefit, recently pointed out by a Green Party MLA is that, under MMPR, there are no “swing ridings.” Think about it: governing parties very much want to stay in power and, as such, pay attention to their support in the ridings. Their own strongholds are not of great concern, and neither are the opposition strongholds as voting patterns will not change much with government decisions. However, it is the ridings that could go either way that are of the greatest concern. These ridings tend to “get the goodies” to the detriment of everyone else. Under MMPR, this will not happen.

4) Every vote counts. For a given voter under the present system, if the riding always goes to the other party, there is not a lot of incentive to vote, as his/ her vote does not really matter. Under MMPR, all votes count towards the popular vote, which determines the government. Now it is time to address the disadvantages of MMPR. The most obvious charge is that supposedly it gives minority parties too much power. However, I would assert that the voters are not stupid, and any minority party that overplays its hand gets punished at the next election. True democracy is the art of compromise and that is what happens with minority governments.

Another supposed weakness of MMPR is that the list MLAs are not directly elected by anyone. However, I would claim that any non-effective list member would reflect poorly on that party at the next election and the party would suffer the voters’ wrath. All in all, I would assert that MMPR would serve us much better than the present “first past the post” system which has many defects. It is my information that Canada and the U.K. are the only parliamentary democracies still clinging to this outdated system. From Wikipedia, we find that the following countries use proportional representation: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Bob Nelson Prince George

day to vote at one of nine local schools. The other three quarters exercised their democratic right not to vote Saturday but that doesn’t mean they didn’t care at all. It just means they didn’t care enough to step inside a polling station to cast a ballot on a beautiful Saturday in October. Over the next four years, none of this matters, of course. Ramsay has a seat at the table and Fuller and Stolz don’t. More significantly, despite finishing with nearly 3,800 fewer votes than Skakun, Ramsay’s vote at the council table will have the exact same weight as his. What she does with that vote will be up to her.

Making it right

Tuesday’s editorial stated that the senior management team at the City of Prince George increased from seven to nine individuals between 2015 and 2018. An alert reader pointed out that the city’s management team is now actually 10, with the promotion of Adam Homes, the city engineer, to a director level position in the engineering and public works department. — Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout

A second kick at the can?

On Sunday, we entered the last 52 weeks before the next federal election. This brings up the penultimate question in any democratic country: can the current government stand by its record and earn another term in office from the electorate? That query will be answered by the voters next Oct. 21, after untold millions of dollars have been spent on ads, whistle stops and campaign office logistics by all the major parties between our three coasts.

Canadians have a proclivity for giving most governments two kicks at the can. And many would argue that for all his foibles, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remains popular enough to get his party re-elected, albeit with a greatly reduced majority, in 12 months time. Yet I am growing hopeful that the Dauphin and his merry band of Cabineteers won’t get a second term. If they are to win again, the Grits will have to overcome the deep disappointment felt by many Canadians.

also encouraged by the change in mood I am seeing on the ground from many key demographics of swing-voters.

If they are to win again, the Grits will have to overcome the deep disappointment felt by many Canadians.

The policy failures of this government include: electoral reform, renovating the tax code, social license, infrastructure investment, a reset with First Nations, etc.

The Liberals have been in office for 36 months – in that time only two policies are worthy of note: a renegotiated NAFTA, worsened by Trudeau’s personal insult of U.S. President Donald Trump, and legalized cannabis, which will never earn the revenue that just one out of the now three failed pipeline projects would have.

“Canada is back,” was a rallying cry in this government’s early days. They certainly have managed to turn back the clock – nearly all the way to a state of pre-Confederation chaos, with our provinces in fratricidal strife over trade barriers and the blocking of new infrastructure. The carbon tax constitutional challenge against Ottawa is the only thing provinces do agree on. And allies of Trudeau’s Sunny Ways agenda have either lost power or will soon face angry voters.

However, this is not the United States, and provincial elections do not necessarily spell out the same kind of judgments that midterms do down south. But I am

Earlier this fall I tried to write an open letter to the “square glasses people” – a moniker I coined for the middle-class Canadians who make up the bourgeois swing voters that all parties court for power: their households have mortgages which they pay with public sector/contractor or medium-sized business salaries; they are suburban, fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Furthermore, while their institutional job security has shielded them from the worst Grits blunders, their familial connections tell them another story: a cousin who used to make big cash in the oil field has been out of work for months; the distant aunt on assistance has expenses she can’t meet; the family tax rebalancing cost them money; and their children, young or full grown, are coming home with more social engineering than traditional homework in math and English. Most reassuringly, when I meet the “square glasses people” of a particularly liberal bent or who are employed in environments that would likely push them into a sympathetic mindset regarding Trudeau’s politically correct ideals, I don’t have to say a word or pile on: their anger for this ineffectual government and a prime minister who is clearly arrogant – perhaps as much so as the other Mr. T – is palpable. As they carry on, I can barely contain my overwhelming glee.

To be clear, I’m well aware that this isn’t the stuff of hard punditry, with graphs and polls put in bright colours to tell the reader what he ought to believe. But Canadians aren’t fools and the lack of achievement and growth in this Dominion since the rise of Mr. Dithers doesn’t take a hardened cynic to suss out. In the end, it is likely that Election 2019 is Justin Trudeau’s to lose: but so it was with Brexit’s “remainers” and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Aren’t we due for an upset?

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NATHAN GIEDE

Right of Centre

Jury hears police-sting audio of man accused of killing girl

Camille BAINS Citizen news service

VANCOUVER — Jurors in the trial of a man charged with killing a 12-year-old B.C. girl have heard an audio recording of the accused being fired for lying to the head of a supposed crime group as police conduct an undercover operation.

Garry Handlen is heard repeatedly apologizing to the “boss” as he is confronted at a bar in Quebec in front of other members of the fictitious organization.

Handlen has pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of Monica Jack on May 6, 1978.

A Crown attorney has told the B.C. Supreme Court trial that the girl was riding her bike on a highway near Merritt and Handlen confessed to an undercover officer that he abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled her.

The court has heard that witnesses saw a truck and camper and a bike near a pullout on the highway where a girl was heard crying out the day Jack disappeared.

Her skull and some bones were found 17 years later and linked to her through dental records.

In May 2014, the trial heard the RCMP began an undercover operation targeting Handlen while he was living in Minden, Ont., where he was lured by a group whose boss demanded honesty “no matter what.”

The scenario heard in court Tuesday involves the supposed boss firing Handlen for saying he’d completed the task of meeting a particular woman in Quebec even though he hadn’t gone there.

“Let me explain,” Handlen is heard saying in a recording at the bar on Oct. 16, 2014.

HANDLEN

“I already know the truth, I already know what happened,” says the boss, an undercover officer who testified about his role in the sting.

“I’m sorry,” Handlen says, sounding increasingly rattled at the boss’s angry outburst.

“You lied to my face!” he tells Handlen, who says he’d had a few drinks and hit a deer in the fog on the way to his job.

“I wanted to do it,” he says, his voice cracking.

“Everybody, go to your phones, delete his numbers,” the boss tells the other group members, all undercover officers.

“Let that be a lesson to any who need it,” the boss says. “He’s finished!”

The boss tells the others not to contact Handlen, who is told to turn in his cellphone and the keys to a vehicle.

“The only thing that keeps everything tight is if we all tell the truth,” the boss says.

“Get out of here!” he yells at Handlen.

However, the trial heard that the boss accepted Handlen back into the group a week later after he’d stepped up “for one of the brothers” in another task for the organization.

The boss tells Handlen in the audio that he could have opted out, but Handlen says he wanted to do what was asked of him.

“I knew you were a straight up guy and I like that,” Handlen says to the boss at a restaurant in Thornhill, Ont., where the two have dinner with other undercover officers also pretending to be group members.

Handlen is then told in a recording that his elevated role in the organization will require a deeper background check on him.

The supposed boss told the trial the next stage of the sting involved a covert interview of Handlen, which would involve trying to convince the suspect that police were investigating him.

“There’s still a lot of heat, police interest and public interest into that homicide and that concerned me,” the “boss” told court about what he wanted to convey to Handlen.

He said before the interview, set for Nov. 14, 2014, he reviewed some “props” he’d be using.

The props included a fake RCMP memo about DNA analysis in Jack’s murder and a letter from the supposed Houston-based company that would be doing further analysis to prove a 99 per cent match between the crime scene and Handlen’s DNA.

The court has heard Handlen was arrested and charged in November 2014 after confessing to the “boss” about his involvement in Jack’s murder.

Opioid crisis reducing B.C.’s life expectancy

Janice DICKSON Citizen news service

OTTAWA — Canada’s chief public health officer says the opioid crisis is responsible for limiting Canadians’ life expectancy.

In a report released Tuesday, Dr. Theresa Tam says life expectancy has been steadily on the rise in Canada but she warns that life expectancy in B.C. is decreasing – the province hit hardest by the opioid crisis.

Tam said that there has been about 1,000 deaths related to the opioid crisis in the first quarter of 2018, saying it’s on track to see the same numbers as last year, which saw nearly 4,000 Canadians die from apparent opioid overdoses.

The significant number of B.C. deaths caused by opioid overdoses, particularly among men, is going to have an impact on broader life expectancy rates, she said Tam said the department is still working on national calculations, to get a broader view of the statistics that have

been revealed in B.C., and added that one might expect to see similar numbers at the national level.

“Every province in Canada has experienced the impacts of the opioid crisis, so I think we would expect that dip in life expectancy gains that we see in B.C., maybe not in the same level of magnitude,” said Tam.

Tam’s report, focusing on alcohol, cannabis and opioid use among youth, also says the drop in life expectancy is more prominent among men and Canadians living in poorer neighbourhoods.

Men in their 20s, 30s and up to age 49, particularly in B.C., are particularly vulnerable, she said.

Tam said Canada needs to apply a gender-based approach in analysing why men are disproportionately impacted.

“I think we do need different approaches to address the gender-based uniqueness of the impact,” said Tam.

Tam said in the report that Canadian regulations coming soon that will restrict

Feds unveil rebate plan for

Mia RABSON Citizen news service

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged more than $2 billion in annual carbon tax rebates Tuesday as his Liberal government tried to persuade Canadians that putting a price on pollution is the best way to halt climate change.

Trudeau’s plan to slash Canada’s emissions was scoffed at by critics on both sides of the carbon tax argument. Groups that favour carbon prices argued Canada’s proposed cuts were nowhere near big enough with opponents accusing the government of buying votes to outright lying about whether the rebates will really offset the increased cost to families.

Trudeau said there is both a “moral and economic imperative to act” to manage climate change so the next generations of Canadians aren’t left in a world where monster storms and massive droughts burn up or flood out major portions of the planet.

“Will we kick this can down the road yet again to be dealt with in another place or at another time, or will we show some courage and do what needs to be done for this generation and the next?” he said, addressing students at Humber College in Toronto.

Trudeau promised a national price on carbon in the 2015 campaign. In 2016, he told provinces if they didn’t introduce their own price on carbon Ottawa would do it for them.

marketing and advertising of opioids to health-care practitioners, “may help” reduce over prescribing of the drugs.

What Canada learned from tobacco in terms of regulation, restricting access and denormalizing its use needs to be applied to cannabis to ensure it isn’t further normalized, Tam added.

“We need to monitor that,” she said, adding that alcohol may be the most neglected drug that is overly normalized, especially among teens.

Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said Tuesday that she supports Tam’s call for a co-ordinated approach across departments to prevent substance abuse among youth.

Tam said it’s important to ensure cannabis isn’t attractive to youth, and especially to those who use the drug to cope with stress.

“Tackling every drug issue at the time of a crisis is not where I want to go and we need to go upstream and get to prevention.”

carbon tax

Four provinces did not, and so on April 1, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick residents will start paying a $20 per tonne carbon tax on fossil fuels.

It will add around $2 to a tank of gas, or $8 to a monthly natural gas bill. The prices of many consumer goods and services will also go up to reflect the carbon tax that businesses pay. Ottawa estimates people in those provinces will pay between $202 and $403 more, on average, because of the carbon tax in 2019-20. To minimize the impact of those costs, residents in those provinces will get carbon price rebates when they file their income taxes that range from an average $248 in New Brunswick, to $598 in Saskatchewan.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Race for Peachland mayor tied

PEACHLAND (CP) — There is intrigue in the mayor’s race in the small town of Peachland where a verification process from Saturday’s vote revealed a tie of 804 votes for each of two contestants. Harry Gough was declared the winner by just one vote over Cindy Fortin on Saturday night, but an election official had reported that one ballot was not properly fed when a voting machine jammed. Polly Palmer, the district’s chief election officer, says in a statement that a verification of the ballots on Monday revealed a tie between Gough and Fortin.

Palmer says she will be applying for a judicial recount of the mayor’s ballots.

If the tie is confirmed, Palmer says the winner must be determined by a provincial court judge drawing a lot, essentially pulling one of the two names at random.

Gough says that it sounds like a crazy way to settle the matter if it’s a tie and suggested that he and Fortin should have a runoff election instead.

Water reservoir break-in in Trail prompts warning

TRAIL (CP) — A break-in at a water reservoir in southeastern British Columbia has prompted an advisory for residents in one Trail neighbourhood.

Residents of Columbia Heights in West Trail are being told to switch to bottled water.

The notice, posted online on Monday, says a break-in occurred over the weekend at the Lower Lookout Reservoir. Because of the unauthorized access, the city says it has decided to warn all homes and businesses served by the reservoir to switch to other water sources.

The city says there are “no signs of nefarious activity,” but crews have isolated the reservoir from the rest of the system while any possible risk is assessed.

Water samples are being taken, but the notice to residents says a boil water advisory is not being issued.

Federal deficit bigger than expected, watchdog says

OTTAWA (CP) — A new analysis by the federal budget watchdog says the government is on track to run deeper-than-expected deficits in each of the next few years.

The parliamentary budget officer also says there’s only a 10 per cent chance the federal books will return to balance in 2021-22 and a 30 per cent chance of seeing black ink in 2023-24.

The report predicts Ottawa is on pace to show $19.4 billion deficit this year, which is $1.3 billion higher than the Liberal government’s projection in its budget last February. Beyond this year, the watchdog says Ottawa will post annual shortfalls between $500 million and $2.8 billion bigger than the government’s predictions.

The report points to recent changes in how the government calculates its pension liabilities as key factors behind the higher deficits.

The fate of the budgetary balance is expected to be a major campaign issue ahead of next year’s election. The Trudeau government has frequently come under fire from political rivals for abandoning its 2015 vow to run only modest shortfalls and to eliminate the deficit by 2019.

OTTAWA

Postal strike expected to cause delays

Terry PEDWELL Citizen news service

The markets today

TORONTO (CP) —Canada’s main stock index partially rebounded Tuesday after falling to a six-month low in early trading, while oil prices closed at a two-month low. Markets on both sides of the border were on a roller coaster ride, initially sinking deep into the red on geopolitical concerns out of Italy and Saudi Arabia and in response to a corporate earnings reports from Caterpillar Inc. and 3M Co.

The weak opening followed a European Commission’s rejection of Italy’s budget, which will force the government to revise and re-submit it over the next three weeks or so.

Risks from the fallout from Saudi Arabia’s alleged involvement in the death of a journalist at its consulate in Turkey also caused concerns, along with the repercussions from the upcoming presidential vote in Brazil, says Dominique Barker, portfolio manager at CIBC Asset Management.

Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro, who is the front-runner in polls, has vowed to purge the country of left-wing “criminals.” That raises questions about the post-election outcome of a government headed by a former military leader.

“So Brazil continues to be a risk that I am personally monitoring from a geopolitical perspective,” she said.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 127.53 points to 15,285.17 after losing two per cent or 318 points in morning trading. Gold, consumer staples, utilities and consumer discretionary sectors rose while health care, base metals and key sectors of energy, industrials and materials led on the downside. The biggest names in the marijuana business extended recent weakness early in the day but trimmed their losses in final trading.

Aurora Cannabis Inc., which debuted on the New York Stock Exchange, was down as much as 19.3 per cent on the U.S. market and closed off 99 cents or 11.39 per cent to US$7.70. Aurora shares lost $1.34 or 11.7 per cent to $10.08 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Canopy Growth Corp. closed down 1.5 per cent, after being down as much as 11.6 per cent on the day. Aphria Inc. rose 0.7 per cent after initially losing 12.7 per cent.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 125.98 points at 25,191.43 after being down as much as 548.62 points.

OTTAWA — A 24-hour strike at two of Canada’s busiest postal sorting plants Tuesday forced delays in shipments of tens of thousands of letters and parcels across the country as Canada Post employees stepped up pressure to back their contract demands.

The one-day job action virtually shut down the Crown corporation’s sorting hubs in the Greater Toronto Area – the giant Gateway parcel facility in Mississauga, which processes roughly two-thirds of all parcels mailed in Canada, and the South Central mail plant in the city’s east end.

The walkout came on day two of rotating work stoppages by members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers that the union has threatened to continue until Canada Post sweetens its contract proposals for rural and urban carriers.

The union and postal service have been unable to reach new collective agreements for the two bargaining units in 10 months of negotiations. On Monday, walkouts shut down postal

operations in Victoria, Edmonton, Windsor, Ont., and Halifax, causing few delivery disruptions outside of those cities.

But Tuesday’s job action in Toronto, where nearly 9,000 CUPW members walked off the job a minute after midnight, was expected to have a “significant impact” on Canada Post operations across the country, said corporation spokesman Jon Hamilton.

The agency said a “fair” estimate of delivery delays resulting from the walkout would range in the tens of thousands.

CUPW, which represents 50,000 postal employees, has called on Canada Post to address issues that have stemmed from the explosive growth of parcel deliveries, including health and safety concerns and precarious work.

The agency said Tuesday it has made overtures to the union with the aim of mitigating some of those concerns.

“We value the relationship with the union and have been able to find common ground on some issues and have also committed to work together constructively on several important files,” Hamilton said in a statement.

“Those include working together to address employees workload concerns caused by parcel growth, additional financial services and going beyond pay equity for Rural and Suburban employees by extending job security and moving to one uniform for all delivery employees.”

But a big issue for CUPW is the perceived overuse of temporary workers.

The union wants Canada Post to provide greater job security through the creation of more full-time positions, arguing that temporary workers are consistently paid less, are not covered by health, dental and sick or disability insurance plans, have no guaranteed hours and cannot plan their futures.

Both sides have so far vowed to continue negotiating new agreements.

CUPW said its key demands also include an end to forced overtime, service expansion and equality between urban and rural and suburban carriers, known as RSMCs.

Toronto-area Canada Post employees were to return to work at midnight with rotating walkouts expected to continue today in other locations.

Luxury home sales down in Vancouver, Toronto

Linda NGUYEN Citizen news service

TORONTO — Sales of luxury homes in two of Canada’s most expensive cities fell this year, as the high-end real estate market continued to feel the impact of foreign buyers taxes.

Realty brokerage Re/Max says sales of single-detached homes priced from $1 million to $2 million fell 35 per cent from a year ago in Toronto and Vancouver.

According to the annual report, released Tuesday, sales of singledetached homes in the $2-millionto-$3-million range were down 50 per cent in Toronto and 22 per cent in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, homes that were sold for more than $3 million dropped 44 per cent in Toronto and 45 per cent in Vancouver.

Re/Max says homebuyers have been grappling with the introduction of foreign buyers taxes in Ontario and B.C., along with increased property transfer taxes and school taxes on B.C. homes over $3 million.

“All the new rules that the government implemented, along with the foreign buyers tax and the new lending regulations, it all just put a crunch on the most expensive part of the market,” said Christopher Alexander, executive vice-president and regional director of Re/ Max Integra’s Ontario-Atlantic business.

He says luxury homeowners may have also been hesitant to list this year amid signs that the country’s housing market may be cooling, choosing instead to “wait it out.”

Although luxury home sales are weakening, sales in the low-end

of the luxury condo market saw increases driven mainly by millennials who are using their inheritances and baby boomers looking to downsize, the report said.

Alexander says condos appeal to baby boomers because they can get more value for their money, especially in the major cities.

“Most of them have put all their kids in school. They don’t need so much space anymore. Their singledetached home is worth a fortune and now they can buy a really nice luxury condo that is not as big in a really great urban area where they have access to a more urbanized lifestyle, more action,” he said.

“Luxury is not just about price. A lot of it has to do with pedigree. If you buy with a million in Toronto or Vancouver, it doesn’t get you a luxury home. But if you get a suite in the Four Seasons or the Shangri-La or the Ritz-Carlton

you’re going to get a small condo in a luxury building with all the luxury amenities. You’ve got that pedigree piece that is appealing to the higher end of the market.”

The report says condo sales in the $1-million-to-$2-million range were up two per cent year over year in Toronto and six per cent in Vancouver.

Calgary saw its condo sales in this price range jump by three per cent, while Victoria sales climbed 19 per cent.

The most expensive condominium sold in Toronto in 2018 so far was priced at $11.5 million, topping the $8 million that was paid for the most expensive condo sold in 2017.

The priciest condo sold in Vancouver so far this year was $11.7 million, up 34 per cent from the top price of $8.7 million paid last year.

Indigenous leaders threaten legal battle against Trans Mountain project

Citizen news service

VANCOUVER — Indigenous leaders in British Columbia are threatening future court challenges of the National Energy Board’s review of the marine shipping effects of a project to expand the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, says the project is a “stinker” that will worsen climate change, which is already contributing to devastating wildfires and flooding in the province.

The Federal Court of Appeal ruled in August that the energy board failed to examine the project’s impacts on the marine environment, including B.C.’s endangered southern resident killer whales, and the federal government ordered the board to reconsider that part of the process by Feb. 22.

Eugene Kung of West Coast Environmental Law says the review is rushed and too limited in scope, as it only covers up to 12 nautical miles off the B.C. coastline, and is likely to

prompt fresh court challenges from the project’s opponents.

Kung says the National Energy Board seems to have learned nothing from the court ruling and is repeating many of the same errors that landed it in court the last time.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has purchased the existing pipeline and expansion project for $4.5 billion, and Phillip accused Trudeau of lacking a conscience or any concern for future generations of Canadians.

“Many

Canadian Union of Postal Workers members stand on the picket line in front of the Canada Post regional sorting headquarters in Halifax on Monday as part of a series of rotating strikes.

Court clash

Jacob Hoskins of the Duchess Park Condors

Jr. A boys volleyball team goes high at the net for an attempted kill shot against PGSS Polars blocker Tom Istok on Saturday afternoon at the College Heights Secondary School gymnasium. The Condors and Polars squared off during the College Heights Cougars Junior Boys Spooktacular tournament.

Minor Cougars play tough at home

Citizen staff

In its first-ever set of home games, the Cariboo Cougars minor midget hockey team skated to a tie and a pair of victories.

The Cougars, under the guidance of head coach Brian Toll, started a B.C. Hockey tripleheader against the South Island Royals on Friday night at Kin 1. The Cats and Royals opened with a 2-2 overtime tie, a game in which local forward Jaydon Merritt scored just 22 seconds after puck-drop. Defenceman Ashton Underhill of Whitehorse had the other goal for the home side.

On Saturday night, the Cats took control and posted a 4-0 victory. P.G.’s Landon Ingham paced the Cougars offensively with two goals while netminder Kenny Gerow – another Prince George product –was flawless between the pipes.

On Sunday, the Cats kept rolling

and were rewarded with a 4-1 win.

The major midget Cougars, meanwhile, played games in Kamloops and Salmon Arm against the Thompson Blazers and followed a 3-2 Saturday loss with a 5-4 Sunday victory.

The next league games for the minor Cougars are Nov. 2-4 in Richmond against the Vancouver Northwest Hawks.

The major Cougars are home to the Kootenay Ice this weekend. Games are slated for 4 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday, both at Kin 1. • Defenceman Jeremy Gervais, a graduate of the Cariboo Cougars program, has been named the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s player of the week.

Gervais, a 19-year-old from Prince George, is now skating for the Bonnyville Pontiacs. On a five-game road swing through the AJHL’s South Division, he posted an impressive nine points (one

goal, eight assists) and helped the Pontiacs to wins against the Olds Grizzlys, Calgary Canucks, Calgary Mustangs and Canmore Eagles.

Pettersson ‘feeling good’ after concussion

Citizen news service

VANCOUVER — Elias Pettersson hopes he never has to go through the NHL’s concussion protocol again.

“It’s been very boring. I’d like to not do it again in my career,” the Vancouver Canucks rookie said on Tuesday after practicing with his teammates for the first time in more than a week.

“To be honest it sucks to not play games and I want to get back as quick as possible.”

The 19-year-old has been out of the lineup since he suffered his first-ever concussion on Oct. 13 on a hit by Florida’s Mike Matheson.

Pettersson said he was trying to make a play along

the boards at the time.

“I knew I was going to get hit. I was standing still and he came in with speed,” said the Swedish centre, who was drafted fifth overall by the Canucks in 2017.

“He’s a bigger guy than me. So yeah. It is what it is.”

The young player declined to comment on how Matheson finished the hit, slamming Pettersson into the ice.

There was no penalty on the play but the league later suspended Matheson for two games following a hearing. The Panthers defenceman also got in touch with Pettersson personally.

— see ROOKIE, page 10

The only blemish of the trip was a Saturday loss to the Okotoks Oilers. The string of success moved Bonnyville into first place in the

AJHL North Division with a record of 13-3-0. Individually, Gervais now sits third in Pontiacs scoring with one goal and 13 points.

Judo athletes shine in Regina

Citizen staff

Asher Young fought to a pair of medals at the Saskatchewan Open judo tournament in Regina on the weekend.

Young earned gold in the under-16 minus 50 kilogram class, then stepped up a division to under-18 minus 50kg and picked up silver. Young was representing the Hart Judo Academy, and several of his clubmates also had successful weekends in Regina.

One of them was Brooke Corbett, who battled to gold in the under-21 minus 52kg class. As well, Koen Heitman (under-18 minus 66kg) and Andries VanZyl (under-16 minus 46kg) ended up as silver medalists. Bronze medals went to Maxwell Young (under-21 minus 60kg), Lochlan Young (under-18 minus 73kg) and Gabe Paterson (under-16 minus 60 kg). The next tournaments for HJA athletes are the Quebec Open and Ontario Open.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE

Brody Johnston of the Cariboo Minor Cougars tries to break free from a pair of South Island Royals checkers during a weekend series at Kin 1.

Rookie will be on Canucks’ road trip

— from page 9

“He sent me a text and apologized,” Pettersson said. “That was a very good move by him. I respect it.”

Pettersson leads Vancouver in scoring with five goals and three assists in five games and the team’s offence has stalled since the injury. The club has a total of six goals in its last four games.

“We’ve missed (Pettersson),” head coach Travis Green said Tuesday. “He’s our leading scorer to date. When your leading scorer at the time isn’t in the lineup, you’re going to miss his offence.”

Working on getting healthy instead of being out on the ice has been frustrating, said Pettersson. The most serious injury he’d previously suffered in hockey was a broken thumb, which didn’t stop him from leading the Swedish Hockey League in scoring last season.

Working on getting healthy instead of being out on the ice has been frustrating, said Pettersson.

The key to recovering from his first concussion has been taking it “day-by-day,” he said.

“Work out slow then try to do more and more each and every day. And it felt good each and every day.”

Vancouver was in the midst of a sixgame road trip when the injury occurred and Pettersson said it helped that he continued to travel with the team.

“If I would be alone all the time, I think I would probably get crazy about that,” he said. “So it’s nice to be with the guys even though I couldn’t play.” He’ll also join the Canucks on their upcoming road trip to Vegas and Arizona, but there’s no timeline yet for when he’ll be slotted back into the lineup.

“He’s still in the protocol. The next step was getting in a practice, a full practice,” Green said. “Obviously he’s getting a lot closer to playing.” Vancouver may be down another star on the trip. Right-winger Brock Boeser didn’t practice on Tuesday and Green said he’s “day-to-day” with a sore groin that he’s been dealing with since last Thursday. The coach said Boeser, who has six points in nine games, will travel with the team. The Canucks have called up right winger Darren Archibald from the Utica Comets. Archibald has six points in eight AHL games this season.

Ams pull away from Cougars

Citizen staff

The Tri-City Americans pushed a winning streak to three games at the expense of the Prince George Cougars on Tuesday night at CN Centre.

The Americans defeated the Cougars 5-1 and improved their Western Hockey League record to 7-4-0-0. The Ams were coming off a pair of weekend victories against the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-2 on home ice on Friday and 3-2 in overtime in Seattle’s building on Saturday. With Tuesday’s result, the Cougars saw their two-game win streak come to an end. Their overall record dropped to 5-6-0-1 but they remained in third place

in the B.C. Division.

In the game, the Americans broke a 1-1 first-period tie with an unanswered goal in the middle frame by Brett Clayton. Parker AuCoin, with his seventh of the season, added to Tri-City’s lead early in the third period. Before the final buzzer sounded, Blake Stevenson and Riley Sawchuk also scored for the visitors.

In the opening 20 minutes, Will Kushniryk of the Americans and Josh Curtis of the Cougars exchanged goals. Curtis now has five so far this season.

Beck Warm was the winning goaltender and Taylor Gauthier took the loss. The Cougars outshot the Americans 36-28. Both teams went 0-for-4 on power plays.

Red Sox hot at home in World Series opener

Citizen news service

BOSTON — The Fenway Funhouse proved too tricky, too cold and just too much for the beach boys.

Andrew Benintendi, J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox came out swinging in the World Series opener, seizing every advantage in their quirky ballpark to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 on a chilly, windy Tuesday night. Benintendi had four hits, Martinez drove in two early runs and pinch-hitter Eduardo Nunez golfed a three-run homer to seal it. The 108-win Red Sox got a solid effort from their bullpen after an expected duel between aces Chris Sale and Clayton Kershaw never developed.

From the get-go, Fenway Park caused all sorts of problems for the Dodgers.

Mookie Betts led off for the Red Sox with a popup that twisted first baseman David Freese as he tried to navigate the tight foul space near the stands. Lost, he overran the ball and it dropped behind him. Given a second chance, Betts lined a

single that set up a two-run first inning.

“It was important for us to score first and kind of put some pressure on them,” Betts said.

In the seventh, left fielder Joc Pederson looked hesitant as he chased Benintendi’s soft fly, rushing toward the seats that jut out down the line. The ball ticked off his glove for a double, and soon Nunez connected to break open a 5-4 game.

The crowd and cold temperatures were no picnic for Los Angeles, either.

The oddly angled ballpark became an echo chamber even before the first pitch.

Chants of “Beat LA!” began early, Kershaw got heckled with a sing-song serenade and Dodgers villain Manny Machado heard loud boos all evening.

Only one person wearing Dodger blue drew a cheer: Manager Dave Roberts, saluted in pregame introductions for the daring steal that turned the tide in Boston’s 2004 playoff comeback against the Yankees.

It was 53 degrees at first pitch, the coldest game for Los Angeles this year and quite a contrast from last year’s World Series, when

Lakusta) 17:57. Penalties - Bouchard Tc (holding opp. stick) 6:05; Perepeluk Pg (charging) 14:47. Second Period 3. Tri-City, Clayton 1 (Yaremko) 3:52. Penalties - Bouchard Tc (hooking) 1:13; Moberg Pg (slashing) 6:22; McAndrews Tc (tripping) 10:43; Schoettler Pg (tripping) 15:46. Third Period

4. Tri-City, AuCoin 7 (Hrabik, Mutala) 1:41. 5. Tri-City, Stevenson 2 (Bouchard, Sawchuk) 15:23. 6. Tri-City, Sawchuk 7 (Bouchard, Stevenson) 17:57. Penalties - Crossley Pg (slashing) 6:27; Bouchard Tc (hooking) 9:09; MacLean Pg (boarding) 15:38; Clayton Tc (unsportsmanlike cnd.) 15:38; Clayton Tc, MacLean Pg (major, major-fighting) 15:38.

-

(goals-chances) -

it was a record 103 degrees for the opener at Dodger Stadium.

Game 2 is tonight, when it’s supposed to be even colder. David Price, fresh from beating Houston in the ALCS clincher, starts against Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Benintendi scored three times for Boston, trying for its fourth championship in 15 years.

Matt Kemp homered and Justin Turner had three hits for the Dodgers, aiming for their first crown since 1988. Machado drove in three runs, and his RBI grounder in the fifth inning made it 3-3.

Boston retook the lead in the bottom half when Xander Bogaerts hustled to beat out a potential inning-ending double play –Dodgers reliever Ryan Madson seemed to celebrate a little too early.

Rafael Devers followed with an RBI single, giving himself an early birthday present. He turned 22 at midnight, three minutes before the game ended.

Martinez led the majors with 130 RBIs, and gave the crowd a scare when his foot slipped rounding second base on a runscoring double in the third. He fell hard,

The Cougars and Americans will meet again tonight at CN Centre. Opening faceoff is at 7. • Former NHL defenceman Adam Foote has been named new head coach of the Kelowna Rockets. Foote, whose son Nolan is a third-year member of the Rockets and a current assistant captain, takes over a club that is in rebuilding mode. The Rockets sat at 4-10-0-0 heading into a Tuesday night home game against the Swift Current Broncos. Kelowna will host the 2020 Memorial Cup. Foote played 1,158 regular-season NHL games for the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets.

but soon got up. A day before this opener, Kershaw and most of the Dodgers pooh-poohed the prospect that Fenway would cause them problems. Most of them had never played at the oldest park in the majors, built in 1912, but said they were sure they’d be OK. It didn’t quite turn out that way in their first trip to Fenway since 2010.

Besides, clubs coming to Beantown have other things to worry about.

“I think the biggest challenge for a team coming in here is you’re playing the Boston Red Sox,” pitcher Nathan Eovaldi said Monday.

The only other time the Dodgers and Red Sox met in the World Series was 1916, when Babe Ruth helped pitch Boston to the championship. Those games were at Braves Field, the bigger home park of the city’s National League franchise.

Kershaw and Sale each started out wearing short sleeves, but neither warmed to the possibility of the marquee matchup. In similar outings, both were pulled before getting an out in the fifth.

Prince George Cougars defenceman Jack Sander cuts hard to the net guarded by Tri-City Americans goaltender Beck Warm during Tuesday night’s WHL game at CN Centre.

Cosby judge rejects bid for new trial

Maryclaire DALE Citizen news service

PHILADELPHIA — A judge on Tuesday rejected Bill Cosby’s bid for a new trial or sentencing hearing, leading the comedian’s wife, Camille, to again accuse the judge of bias against her husband.

The ruling by the same judge who presided over Cosby’s trial also led the entertainer’s lawyers to file their appeal with the state Superior Court, the next step in trying to reverse his felony sex assault conviction.

Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year state prison term after a jury this year found he drugged and molested a woman in 2004. The defence wants the legally blind, 81-year-old actor released on bail while he appeals over alleged trial errors.

Camille Cosby continued to issue searing attacks against Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill, as she has done since the first trial ended in a jury deadlock in June 2017.

Cosby, in the meantime, is living in a single cell near the infirmary at the State Correctional Institution-Phoenix in suburban Philadelphia and has access to a day room, where he can watch television or eat meals, a state prisons spokeswoman said.

For now, he is the only person using that day room, spokeswoman Amy Worden said. Several inmates are assigned to help him as part of their prison jobs, she said. He has also had several visitors.

Camille Cosby continued to issue searing attacks against Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill, as she has done since the first trial ended in a jury deadlock in June 2017. In the latest missive Tuesday, she again said he should have stepped down from the case because his wife has advocated for sex assault victims. O’Neill has heard the argument before and said his wife’s work has no bearing on his legal rulings.

A&E IN BRIEF

Chapman sues Minaj for copyright infringement

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rapper Nicki Minaj is being sued for sampling a Tracy Chapman song without permission. Chapman filed a copyright infringement lawsuit Monday in a Los Angeles federal court. The Grammy-winning singer says Minaj’s unreleased track Sorry incorporates

The defence also renewed attacks on the judge over what they call his feud with a key pretrial witness, former county District Attorney Bruce Castor.

Castor had declined to arrest Cosby when the accuser first came forward in 2005 and said he’d promised Cosby he would never be charged. When a successor did, O’Neill

the lyrics and vocal melody from her 1988 single Baby Can I Hold You. The lawsuit states the Fast Car singer repeatedly denied multiple requests to sample her song for Minaj’s fourth album Queen. Minaj’s representatives did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Sorry was not included on Minaj’s album but Chapman alleges the rapper gave it to a popular New York disc jockey who played the song on the radio and posted it to his social media accounts in August. Chapman is suing for unspecified damages

Swank took fresh perspective into new movie

Victoria AHEARN Citizen news service

TORONTO — Hilary Swank has never seen a loved one suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, which is the basis of her new film What They Had.

But she does know what it’s like to care for someone fighting for their life.

The two-time Oscar-winning actress, who stars as the daughter of Blythe Danner’s Alzheimer’sstricken character, says she largely stepped away from the spotlight for the past three years to be the sole caretaker for her dad as he recovered from a lung transplant.

“It was one of the best things I could have done for myself, for a lot of reasons,” Swank said in an interview at last month’s Toronto International Film Festival, where What They Had screened.

“It made me realize that I’m so much more than just an actor. I’ve been an actor since I was 15 and I’ve worked every single year. And to step away from it and to know that that’s not who I am – it’s a part of who I am, but it’s not who I am – was really important for me as a woman.”

It also gave her more appreciation for her career, added Swank, who won an Oscar for her leading role as a transgender man in 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry, and another for playing a boxer in 2004’s Million Dollar Baby.

“I realized how much I love this craft, how much I love telling stories about people who enrich my life and make me see the world in a deeper, more thoughtful way,” said the Nebraska native.

“Now, strangely, I’m getting more opportunities than I’ve ever gotten. I think that’s an exciting time for women.”

In theatres Friday in Toronto and Vancouver, What They Had is from first-time writer and director Elizabeth Chomko, based on her own experiences with her grandmother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Swank and Michael Shannon play the children of Danner’s character, while Robert Forster plays her husband and Taissa Farmiga plays the grandchild. Forster’s character resists putting his wife into assisted living, and the children grapple with their mother’s condition while also facing their own personal struggles and family dysfunction.

Signing on to a project from a first-time filmmaker was a risk, Swank said, but Chomko told her, “If it’s not authentic, then don’t do it.”

The actress also heeded advice she got long ago from Million Dollar Baby writer-director Clint Eastwood in making her decision.

“He said, ‘You always aim for the bull’s eye but you don’t always hit it,’ and that can be with an esteemed director as well,” Swank said.

“Certainly you have a little bit more of a cushion and a protection around somebody who has experience. But I think when you sit down with someone, you get an essence of who they are really quickly,

ruled that any verbal promise Castor made wasn’t legally binding. In an affidavit attached to Tuesday’s appeal, Castor said he believed O’Neill’s ruling was influenced by a long-ago feud between them.

“Mr. Cosby had a right to have his petition reviewed and decided by a judge who could make a decision free of bias, or even the perception of bias, where the ability to prosecute hinged on the testimony of the

and wants to prevent Minaj from releasing Sorry commercially.

Japan honours Deneuve

TOKYO (AP) — French film star Catherine Deneuve received Japan’s most prestigious art award on Tuesday at a ceremony in Tokyo, where she was greeted by Emperor Akihito.

Deneuve received the Praemium Imperiale for her achievement in film and theatre performances. The 84-year-old Akihito, who is abdicat-

and Elizabeth is very articulate and very smart and she’s ego-less.” Making the film, and facing her father’s condition, made Swank realize: “All we have is our health.”

“It puts everything into perspective, really, that life is fleeting and you really have to seize the day and be in the moment and be there for one another, and really not stress about things that aren’t important,” Swank said.

“That was an important lesson for me and I haven’t lost it. It wasn’t something that was fleeting and just came to me in that moment and then went away. I think the same thing with anyone dealing with an illness and a disease that threatens your life – and our memories are certainly our life.”

Swank is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and always has been, she said, calling it “a fundamental way of being.”

“It’s just who I am,” she said. “To me, being active is kind of like the air that I breathe and the food that I eat. Without it, I don’t feel good and I don’t like to not feel good.”

2005 district attorney,” his new lawyers, the latest of about 20 to work the criminal case, wrote in the appeal.

The defence also challenged O’Neill’s decisions to let five other accusers testify; let the jury hear portions of Cosby’s damaging deposition in the accuser’s related lawsuit; and declare Cosby a sexually violent predator who remained a threat to the community.

ing at the end of April, shook hands with Deneuve at a reception afterward and congratulated her, according to Japan’s Kyodo News agency. Deneuve has appeared in more than 100 films during a career spanning over 60 years.

Deneuve, 75, is currently working on a new film by Japanese award-winning director Hirokazu Koreeda in Paris.

She said at a news conference Monday that she’s lucky to be able to work with Koreeda and thanked him for giving her a break to pick up her award.

Bill Cosby is escorted out of the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville, Pa., on Sept. 25 following his sentencing of three to 10 years in prison for sexual assault.

SWANK

“Cita” Princicita Mercader Bjorklund July 9, 1959October 18, 2018

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Cita who passed away at the UHNBC, surrounded by her loving family and will be greatly missed. She is survived by her husband Carl Bjorklund, children Sharon Skibinski (Bill), Lloyd Bjorklund (Ruby), Vince Murphy, Karl Bjorklund, Donna Bjorklund, Duwayne Bjorklund, Cheryl Ryan (Mike), and Curtis Bjorklund, many grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, numerous family in the Philippines and her good friends. Cita was predeceased by her parents Felino and Paciencia Gaspan. Cita left the Philippines and moved to Canada on her own at a very young age. She worked very hard and dedicated her time to helping others. She enjoyed her life to the fullest but most of all she loved to be surrounded by her family and friends whom she cherished so much. A funeral service will be held on Friday, October 26, 2018 at 1:30pm at St. Mary’s Parish, with a viewing held prior starting at 12:30pm, 1088 Gillett Street, Prince George, BC, with Father Gilbert Bertrand OMI and Father Ken Anderson OMI officiating. Cita will be laid to rest in the Prince George Memorial Park Cemetery. Following the interment, friends are welcome to join the family at St. Mary’s Parish for some snacks and refreshments.

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Phillip Sophonow (Van Damme)

January 16, 1986October 15, 2018

It is with great sadness that the family of Phillip Sophonow (Van Damme) announce his sudden passing on Oct 15, 2018.

Predeceased by his loving mother Darlene Sophonow. She had her arms open to receive her fun loving smiling boy. Phillip leaves behind his best friend and brother Christopher, his big brother Donald (wife Chu) and his little brother William. He is also survived by his father Phillip Sophonow Sr. He also left behind his second mother Marilyn Van Damme and many brothers & sisters, nieces & nephews and aunts & uncles who will miss Phillip with hearts hurting.

Phillip was very well known for his score keeping at the baseball field and at the hockey rink. He was such a joy to have at these venues. Phillip was a great Volunteer. If you asked him to help out he would put you on his schedule. He loved meeting and talking to people. He loved his sports so much. Phillip also helped out the Hospice House Society selling house tickets. He did this in honour of his mom Darlene. Celebration of Life will be on Oct 27th at 2pm At the Salvation Army church on Ospika.

Please wear a baseball, hockey or referee jersey in honour of Phillip.

Donations to the Hospice House Society in Phillip’s honour will be greatly appreciated.