Local RCMP officer doing fourth Tour de North
Christine HINZMANN Citizen staff chinzmann@pgcitizen.ca
When she and a girlfriend made a big fuss over a little boy’s bucket of ocean treasures in a waterfront cafe in Prince Rupert a couple of years ago, Jen Collins had no idea what an impact it made until she talked to the boy’s mom and dad.
Collins, a Prince George RCMP officer who transferred from Prince Rupert in November, said after she spoke to the six-year-old at length about the contents of his bucket his parents came over to express their gratitude for showing such enthusiasm.
The boy was on his sponsored wish trip because he had an aggressive form of leukemia and all he wanted to do was go to the ocean, collect shells, explore the beach and share that experience with his family.
“His parents couldn’t afford the trip without the support of community people,” Collins said.
Collins – almost afraid to ask – took the time to see how the little boy’s parents were doing. Being a parent herself she couldn’t imagine the pain, anxiety and outright fear the family was going through and how extensively those feelings could carry through to not only parents but siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents and everyone else who loved that little boy.
“It was in 2016,” Collins remembered. And it’s the reason she kept doing the 850-kilometre bike ride known as the Cops for Cancer Tour de North where 80 per cent of the money raised goes to pediatric cancer research and 20 per cent goes to send kids with cancer to Camp Goodtimes, where children can forget for a short time, they’ve got cancer and just be kids. Collins father, Bob Killbery, has done each ride with his daughter and actually got her started on her cycling journey as he wanted to do the ride before he retired as an RCMP officer. They started in 2012 and took part in 2014 and 2016 and are now are preparing for the 2018 ride that starts Friday and goes until Sept. 20 from Prince George to Prince Rupert. Collins and Killbery will be joined by 34 other riders this year and alumni of the ride are invited to join for a day of riding during the Tour de North.
“We really didn’t know a whole lot about the ride,” Collins said. “We’d always done stuff with the cancer society before. We’d done the Run for the Cure and Relay for Life and lots of other events like that. Like everybody else we’ve all known people who have died from cancer or who have had cancer and survived as well, right? But nobody in my family has lost a child to cancer or even had cancer. So we did the ride in 2012 and we had a really great time and it was a really great experience.”
Because of the poor air quality, training for five hours at a time in the saddle of the bicycle
Collins will be riding during the fundraiser was limited to those less smoky days. Other training included hours on her windtrainer inside her home.
Collins’ family has made the fundraising efforts for pediatric cancer patients and research a family affair and not only does her father ride, her mother, Bev, organizes part of the welcome celebration as Tour de North riders come into Prince Rupert after their long journey. In the past Collins’ daughter Olivia, 11, has donated nine and a half inches of her hair to kids who have cancer, as well as made Christmas cards she sold to raise $750.
Collins husband, Jay, also helps out with all the events.
“This is a real family thing for us,” Collins said. “Everyone has some sort of part in it. It’s
just the right thing to do and you know that when you hear that children are getting better and surviving cancer at a better rate than ever before.”
Each day the riders will travel between 75 and 175 km, with the 175 km day finding the riders in the saddle for about eight hours. Challenges include Hungry Hill outside of Houston and the hill that is on the approach to Prince Rupert. Each rider is asked to fundraise $3,500 as the individual goal, and the team would like to beat their total from 2016 which was $353,000. There are four tours in B.C. and so far the provincial effort has raised more than $2.2 million. To donate visit the Canadian Cancer Society, Cops for Cancer website.
UNBC workers in strike position
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
Cafeteria workers at UNBC have put themselves in a legal strike position.
Although these workers do their jobs at UNBC, they are employees of the Chartwells food services company.
According to Octavian Cadabeschi, research analyst for the Unite Here Local 40 union, the staff at both the Agora Dining Hall and the in-house Tim Hortons outlet “have overwhelmingly voted in favour of authorizing a strike action on campus.”
He did not specify how many workers were affected, nor what the voting percentage was in favour of a strike.
“The university’s cafeteria workers are preparing to strike over persistent low wages and job insecurity,” said Cadabeschi. “Many UNBC cafeteria workers earn wages below, or barely above, the poverty line. They earn significantly less than their counterparts at other top B.C. universities like UBC and SFU. Workers want living wages and a commitment from UNBC to retain all food service staff should the university decide to select another food service contractor.”
The contract between Chartwells and UNBC expires at the end of the school year. The union’s concern is cafeteria workers could lose their jobs should this happen without the university’s administration helping their cause.
“We have always been there for UNBC when they needed us,” said Jeannie Gilbert, a cook at the Agora Dining Hall. — see ‘WE ARE, page 3
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
The Prince George Community Foundation announced the 2018 Citizens of the Year Honourees on Tuesday at the Coast Inn of the North. From left to right, Charles Jago, Les Waldie and Pat Harris. Not able to attend was Nancy Harris. See editorial, page 6.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Jen Collins, a local RCMP officer, is participating in the Cops for Cancer Tour de North.
Prince George provincial court docket
From Prince George provincial court, Aug. 30 to Sept. 7, 2018:
• Kenneth Raymond Bishop (born 1980) was sentenced to 733 days in jail for possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm, to one year in jail for possession of a firearm without a licence or registration and two counts of possession of a firearm contrary to an order and to 90 days in jail for possessing a weapon for dangerous purpose. Bishop was also issued a lifetime firearms prohibition and assessed $1,000 in victim surcharges. Bishop was in custody for a total of 216 days prior to sentencing.
• Christopher Allan Clark (born 1981) was sentenced to 30 days in jail, served on an intermittent basis, prohibited from driving for three years and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Brent Terence Baker (born 1974) was sentenced to two days in jail and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for causing a disturbance and assessed $300 in victim surcharges for three counts of breaching probation. Baker was in custody for 27 days prior to sentencing.
• Dylon Antoine Felix John (born 1995) was sentenced to 16 days in jail and assessed $200 in victim surcharges for two counts of breaching probation. John was in custody for three days prior to sentencing.
• Michael Nicholas Kirkpatrick (born 1967) was sentenced to nine days in jail and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for theft $5,000 or under and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for a separate count of theft $5,000 and sentenced to one year probation
Wigs for cancer patients stolen in Vancouver
on both counts.
• Ivan Christopher Skin (born 1990) was sentenced to one year probation for possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and two counts each of willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, breaching probation and breaching an undertaking or recognizance. Skin was in custody for 85 days prior to sentencing.
• Scott Kenneth Swett (born 1977) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Terilyn Rose Haskell (born 1989) was sentenced to 30 days in jail and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for breaching an undertaking or recognizance, committed in Chilliwack.
• Mandi Lee Zacharuk (born 1988) was sentenced to 15 days in jail and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for breaching an undertaking or recognizance, committed in Fort St. John.
• Keith Alexander Barnes (born 1993) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $1,000 plus a $150 in victim surcharge for two counts of driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Benjamin Edward Cardinal (born 1983) was sentenced to 27 days in jail and assessed a $200 victim surcharge for mischief $5,000 or under. Cardinal was in custody for five days prior to sentencing.
• Jose Da Silva (born 1956) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation for causing fear of injury or damage.
• Gordon Thomas Garnot (born 1960) was sentenced to 18
Citizen news service
months probation with a suspended sentence, issued a five-year firearms prohibition and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for assault causing bodily harm. Garnot was in custody for six days following his arrest.
• Garrett Daniel Stead (born 1970) was sentenced to nine days in jail and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for breaching probation. Stead was in custody for six days prior to sentencing.
• Joseph Randolph Peter Trepanier (born 1968) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Vojtech Kovac (born 1984) was issued a one-year $1,000 recognizance after allegation for causing fear of injury or damage.
• Joseph Albert Michel Fleurant (born 1965) was sentenced to 18 months probation with a suspended sentence and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for possession of stolen property under $5,000.
• Tyler Dillon Toop (born 1995) was sentenced to 18 months probation, issued a 10-year firearms prohibition and assessed a $200 victim surcharge for possessing a weapon.
Toop was in custody for eight days following his arrest.
• Keghan Samuel Cosh (born 1982) was sentenced to 60 days in jail for theft $5,000 or under, to 45 days in jail for a separate count of theft $5,000 or under, to 33 days in jail for breaching probation and to time served for a separate count of breaching probation.
Cosh was also sentenced to one year probation and assessed $400 in victim surcharges on the counts. Cosh was in custody for a total of
VANCOUVER — A collection of wigs worth more than $350,000 that was intended for cancer patients at BC Children’s Hospital has
36 days on the charges prior to sentencing.
• Joseph Patrick Courtoreille (born 1990) was sentenced to nine months probation with a suspended sentence and assessed $200 in victim surcharges for mischief and failing to appear in court and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for breaching an undertaking or recognizance, all committed in Mackenzie, and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, committed in Prince George. Courtoreille was in custody for three days prior to sentencing.
• Cody Allan Jerome (born 1984) was sentenced to six days in jail and assessed $300 in victim surcharges for failing to appear in court and two counts of breaching probation. Jerome was in custody for two days prior to sentencing.
• Olivia Marie Johnny (born 1996) was sentenced to one year probation, issued a 10-year firearms prohibiton and assessed $300 in victim surcharges for breaking and entering and committing an indictable offence and failing to appear in court, both committed in Vanderhoof, and breaching an undertaking or recognizance, committed in Prince George.
Johnny was in custody for 26 days prior to sentencing.
• Leonard Douglas Kinney (born 1975) was sentenced to 18 days in jail and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for breaching probation. Kinney was in custody for seven days prior to sentencing.
• Rory Patrick McAllister (born 1985) was sentenced to time served, issued a 10-year firearms prohibition and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for possession for
been stolen from a store in Vancouver.
Police say at least 150 wigs worth about $2,500 each were taken from Eva and Company Wigs on Friday morning. Officers responded to an alarm at the store
the purpose of trafficking. McAllister was in custody for 93 days prior to sentencing.
• Anthony John Patrick (born 1948) was sentenced to time served and one year probation, issued a 10-year firearms prohibition and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for assault with a weapon, committed in Vanderhoof. Patrick was in custody for 213 days prior to sentencing.
• Kohl Anthony Timms (born 1986) was sentenced to 206 days in jail for flight from a peace officer, to six months in jail for theft over $5,000 and two counts of theft under $5,000 and to seven days in jail for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act, all committed in Hixon. Timms was also prohibited from driving for five years and assessed $1,000 in victim surcharges on the counts. Timms was also sentenced to 45 days in jail, prohibited from driving for one year and assessed $300 in victim surcharges for dangerous driving, possession of stolen property under $5,000 and willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, all committed in Kamloops. Timms was in custody for 107 days prior to sentencing.
• Shayn Robert Bulmer (born 1997) was sentenced to one year probation with a suspended sentence and assessed a $100 victim surcharge for mischief $5,000 or under.
Bulmer had spent 29 days in custody prior to sentencing.
• Natrone Andrew Prince (born 1998) was sentenced to 18 months probation and assessed $200 in victim surcharges for assault and mischief $5,000 or under. Prince was in custody for three days prior to sentencing.
on Vancouver’s west side at 3:30 a.m. and discovered the theft.
Police say they are looking for a man with long, curly black hair. He was seen leaving the store wearing a denim or blue jacket.
Working the angles
tries some casting in the Nechako River Tuesday afternoon.
Judge rejects review of complaint against McBride real estate agent
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
B.C.’s Superintendent of Real Estate will not be able to force the industry regulator to hold a new disciplinary hearing for a McBride real estate agent accused of misleading a couple about the size of property they were interested in purchasing, a B.C. Supreme Court Justice has found.
Although Justice Elliott Myers has ruled the superintendent, Michael Noseworthy, has the power to issue such an order in general, he said it could not be applied in the case at the centre of a long-running dispute with the B.C. Real Estate Council.
In October 2016, in answer to a series of scandals that struck the industry, particularly in the red-hot Lower Mainland market, the provincial government ended the industry’s ability to self-regulate through the BCREC and Noseworthy was appointed to oversee the council.
Matters between the two reached the courts when, in January, the superintendent filed a lawsuit against the BCREC after it refused to reopen a case against Rodger Peterson.
The couple, Garry and Wendy Lowe, allege Rodger Peterson, while acting as a dual agent, led them to believe they were buying a 160-acre plot near Crescent Spur only to discover it was much smaller and lacked the field they had intended to use for organic farming.
The Lowes subsequently refused to complete the transaction and the property’s owner took them to small claims court.
In November 2016, a provincial court judge dismissed the claim and found Peterson “was careless in not fully discussing the interest of the Lowes in the farming project.”
At the least, Peterson “should have insisted on walking the property before any offer was presented,” the judge added.
Three months later, the Real Estate Council of B.C. told the Lowes they would not pursue any disciplinary action against Peterson, although it cautioned him about his future practices.
The Lowes appealed to the superintendent, and according to Myers’ summation of the facts in a written decision issued August 31, Noseworthy found the BCREC had not issued a written decision so he had to review the minutes of the complaints committee in which the decision was made.
“He identified concerns with the manner in which the evidence was presented to the complaints committee, and concluded that the lack of reasons prevented him from confirming that the complaints committee fully and fairly considered all of the evidence presented to it,” Myers said.
“The Superintendent determined that in order to best serve the public interest, the matter should be considered further.”
When the BCREC refused to comply with the re-
The couple, Garry and Wendy Lowe, allege Rodger Peterson, while acting as a dual agent, led them to believe they were buying a 160-acre plot near Crescent Spur only to discover it was much smaller and lacked the field they had intended to use for organic farming.
quest, the superintendent filed a lawsuit against the council in January.
At issue was how a section of the Real Estate Act, as amended in 2016 to give the superintendent further responsibilities over the BCREC, should be interpreted.
In defending its position, the BCREC relied on the doctrine of functus officio, that it had fulfilled its statutory duty and, as such, had no further ability to revisit the decision. Counsel for the superintendent countered that the BCREC had misapplied the doctrine and the BCREC’s interpretation would render meaningless the legislation setting out the superintendent’s authority over the council.
Myers agreed with the superintendent on the larger issue.
“The plain wording of the statute indicates that the Superintendent may direct a notice of discipline hearing even if the Council has previously determined otherwise,” Myers wrote.
“That interpretation is within the objective of the Act to give broad supervision powers to the Superintendent.”
But Myers found the superintendent failed to provide Peterson with a proper level of procedural fairness, saying that at the minimum Noseworthy’s office should have given him notice that the matter was being considered.
“That at least would have made him aware that the matter was not fully concluded, something I think he was entitled to particularly because of the attenuated time frame of this case,” Myers said.
Further, Myers noted that Noseworthy had been provided with the Lowes’ complaint and so, Peterson should have been given a chance to provide a written response.
In filings related to the case, Peterson has contended the property’s size was accurately listed, that he provided the Lowes with accurate maps of the land and twice offered to drive them to the site to walk the property only to see them decline the offer both times.
The full decision is posted with this story at www. pgcitizen.ca.
‘We are struggling with the rising cost of living’
— from page 1
“But where is UNBC when we need them? We are struggling with the rising cost of living and are worried about being fired at the end of this school year. Will UNBC stand by and do nothing?”
The Chartwells workers have been operating for a year on the terms of an expired labour agreement.
U.S. officials capturing sick orca for treatment
SEATTLE — American officials are considering removing an extremely ill endangered orca from her family unit for a hands-on physical exam, saying field treatment has been unsuccessful. The orca known as J50 is one of only 75 remaining southern resident killer whales, and has declined over recent months to the point where she is emaciated and often lagging behind her family. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Tuesday veterinarians believe they have exhausted all reasonable remote treatment options and the whale’s survival is unlikely. The administration says response teams would only act to rescue J50 if she becomes stranded or separated from her family group.
“I don’t want to go on strike, but I will if I have to,” said Melody Danchuk, a deli cashier.
“I provide a home away from home for students who live on campus, and I love being able to do that. I hope that UNBC is able to resolve this issue before it turns into a drawn out labour dispute that has a major impact on campus life.”
Singer returns to jazz scene
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
A local singer is reviving her chanteuse habit after a long absence and is injecting new life into the jazz scene at the same time.
Darlene Shatford has been a staple of the Prince George entertainment industry for years, but other pursuits drew her attention and pulled her out of the spotlight. She steps back up to the microphone on Saturday at Artspace.
“I’m singing, and Curtis Abriel will be with me on piano. W are pulling Barry McKinnon out of the woodwork to do some tasty drumming, and we have Brin Porter on bass. Well, he and Curtis will be switching instruments, they are both really versatile players,” said Shatford.
Her hiatus was unintended, and it was Abriel who caught her drift. He was coordinating some live performances at Winston’s Resta-Bar at the Coast Inn of the North and thought to ask Shatford to sit in with him for some casual music making.
“Curtis got me developing my chops again, I was having fun, and people have been bugging me to get back out there,” said Shatford.
She laughed that the last time she was on stage was probably the last time McKinnon was on stage too. He was also a longtime local music veteran, one of Shat-
ford’s most consistent collaborators, and had eased back from the music scene.
“My last show? Well, hmmm, I’m trying to remember when that was. Three years? Five years? It’s been a long while,” she said.
She has looked to one of her favourite artists as a theme for the Saturday concert. Canadian jazz great Holly Cole is the event’s muse, which counter-intuitively means all kinds of jazz standards are possibly on the table.
“I love Holly Cole, I’ve been listening to her for 20 years, and its kind of funny because she does covers, she is most famous for her variations of other people’s songs, and what I’m doing is my interpretation of her interpretations,” Shatford said.
Showtime is 8 p.m. at Artspace on Saturday. Tickets are on sale now downstairs at Books & Company for $15.
Cyclist killed in collision with truck
Citizen staff
A woman was killed Monday afternoon when she struck a tractor trailer at the corner of Queensway and First Avenue while riding a bike.
Police, who were called to the scene at 4:40 p.m., said the truck was turning onto Queensway off First when the collision occurred.
The woman was traveling on the wrong side of the road and on the sidewalk, police added.
The B.C. Coroners Service, Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement and a RCMP traffic reconstructionist attended the scene and the investigation is continuing.
The deceased has not yet been identified and investigators would like to speak with anyone who has information about this incident or who the cyclist may be.
RCMP are asking anyone who can help to call the detachment at 250-561-3300.
An angler
SHATFORD
Immigration fuelling French-immersion demand
Camille BAINS Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — Back-to-school buzz only led to worry for a Vancouver father fretting about his daughter’s chances of getting into French immersion – a year before she starts kindergarten.
Prokopi Klimos said hearing about parents having to put their kids’ names on long wait lists at multiple schools has him concerned about whether his family will have to move if Helen, who is 3 1/2, gets a spot far from their home.
“It’s so competitive and that’s why this September has spurred me to start thinking about it,” he said, adding an English-only school is two blocks from their home, but he’s determined to get his daughter into French immersion.
“We’re worried. We’re planners. We like to be organized and we like to have a plan,” Klimos said of himself and his wife Ellisa as they consider how they’ll manage school drop-off and pick-up schedules if their daughter is accepted at a far-off school and their younger son’s daycare is in the opposite direction.
Rahel Staeheli, who lives in Surrey, B.C., had her daughter on three wait lists last spring but Milani didn’t get into any of the schools when she started kindergarten this year.
“I spoke at the school board meeting. I emailed the education minister. I emailed the chairperson of the Surrey School Board,” Staeheli said of her efforts.
“I was shocked initially and now that I understand how insane the wait lists are I’m not shocked anymore, but I’m disheartened for sure. We’re just hoping that maybe by Grade 1 she’ll get in.”
Staeheli said Milani may even have to wait until Grade 6 to get into what is known as late French immersion, but that would mean leaving her peers to attend a different school “at a pretty tricky age, socially.”
Nicole Thibault, national executive director of Canadian Parents for French, said demand for French immersion is at an all-time high but a lack of teachers in most jurisdictions has parents vying for limited spots.
Immigration is fuelling the popularity of French-immersion programs in some provinces and
territories as parents across the country increasingly consider bilingualism an important national value tied to lifelong cultural opportunities for their children, Thibault said.
School boards and employers in Alberta have offered French immersion programs in areas such as Fort McMurray in order to retain immigrant employees, she said from Ottawa.
“You start to realize how the changing demographic is solidifying that Canadian value, that being bilingual is important.”
While demand for French immersion programs has traditionally been highest in Eastern Canada, their popularity is gaining in the West, and Yukon and the Northwest Territories are now also pushing to recruit teachers, Thibault said. She said Quebec, usually a target of recruiters, is dealing with its own shortage of French educators. Some Canadian school districts use lottery systems to accept students, while others cap the number of students they’ll take or provide time-limited online registration, as is the case in Ontario, she said.
“You can imagine within 10 minutes classes are full and you may have gotten one kid in and not their sibling. So there’s those what we call ‘crazy’ systems.”
Federal funding of $31 million announced earlier this year for provinces and territories to recruit French immersion teachers is allowing jurisdictions to co-operate instead of compete with each other, Thibault said.
She said she participated in a meeting of Canadian education ministers in June when they expressed concerns and discussed strategies.
“One was looking at increasing the pool of teachers, not just stealing from each other,” she said. Other ways to recruit teachers included high schools identifying students who could train as teachers, removing barriers for those wanting to move between jurisdictions to teach French, and using technology to deliver programs differently, Thibault said.
“To me, those are good signs that everybody’s aware of the challenges they’re facing. Everybody’s having a similar scenario, even though it’s more acute in some provinces than others.”
British Columbia’s recruitment challenges have been exacerbated by a Supreme Court of Canada decision in November 2016, when smaller class sizes were restored, requiring more teachers in all subjects.
Education Minister Rob Fleming travelled to France and Belgium earlier this year to recruit teachers.
The Education Ministry said so far in 2018, it has certified 15 people from France to work in B.C., and 12 of the certifications came after Fleming’s trip.
Another eight applications received from France this year are being processed for those who completed a teacher education program there, Fleming said.
The applicants would require further training in B.C. before being qualified to teach, unless they can demonstrate proficiency in the provincial curriculum, the minister said.
“The Ministry of Education doesn’t usually fund seats that are in post-secondary institutions but we’ll be looking to do more of that,” Fleming said.
Nearly one in 10 students in B.C., or about 58,000, are in French-immersion programs.
Work underway to release gas from barge
Citizen news service
QUEEN CHARLOTTE — The Canadian Coast Guard says crews are working carefully to release gas that accumulated inside a barge carrying a fishing lodge that beached after it broke away from its anchorage at Haida Gwaii.
Westcoast Resorts’ Hippa barge came loose from its mooring Saturday night and drifted for several hours toward Skidegate Inlet near the village of Queen Charlotte.
Canadian Coast Guard Incident Commander Tim McCann says crews inspected the barge hull Tuesday and used air quality monitors to ensure their safety because some potentially explosive gas is trapped in the body of the vessel from a possible ruptured fuel line.
John Kervel, incident commander with the B.C. Environment Ministry, says crews are also planning to open up hatches on the barge to create natural vents and will use forced air to ventilate the vessel.
Time and air quality permitting, McCann says they planned to secure the barge to the beach on Tuesday. While no pollution was initially detected, a “small” amount of fuel sheen has appeared on the water, however Kervel says they do not believe there will be significant environmental impacts.
The ministry is working with Transport Canada on a salvage plan.
Kervel couldn’t speculate on the likelihood of an explosion, but says trained personnel with appropriate equipment to deal with such a case are on scene.
A unified command is overseeing the incident with representatives of the Haida Nation, Village of Queen Charlotte, B.C. Environment Ministry, the Canadian Coast Guard and HaiCo, which owns the lodge.
Emergency preparedness under ‘continuous improvement’ MLA says
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
One of the elected officials in the eye of the firestorm, as the forests have burned in B.C., is Jennifer Rice.
The two-term MLA for North Coast is also the parliamentary secretary for Emergency Preparedness. She was in Prince George when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with fire officials and toured some of the burning forests of the region. She has been involved in the overall firefighting effort throughout the fire season, and is already looking towards the winter months when she expects to be involved in both the analysis of what just happened and the actions taken to reduce future forest fire problems.
“It is continuous improvement,” said Rice, describing how the provincial emergency system responds to the systemic incidents
on our landscape – fires, floods, earthquakes, storms, etc.
“Around preparedness we (as government) know we certainly have to look at fuels management, but we also need to do a better job of reaching out to individual British Columbians about upping their own personal preparedness game,” Rice said. “Fortunately 25 per cent of British Columbians have those personal preparedness things in their repertoire. That’s a big number that doesn’t, so we’ve been focusing on some organizational learning, some public engagement around trying to get people to think about their own role, because in emergencies we all have a role to play – all levels of government but we also count on individuals to play a role.”
She was pleased that the Prime Minister made the trip to the area.
She said elected officials have to balance the importance of showing their personal commitment
to people in hard times and their interest in the crisis, but also not getting in the way of the actual emergency response efforts or distracting resources.
She does see a role for the federal government to play in B.C.’s forest fire situation, but recommendations have not been solidified yet and that will be the focus of discussions over the winter.
“For some of these communities, particularly in the north, while we have an immanent issue right now, the recovery is going to be a very long time. The economy in the north is very resource-based; the resources are so compromised. We are going to feel the economic impacts for a very long time,” she said, and that is part of what all levels of government can work on together, in her view, not just the practicalities of forest management and firefighting.
When asked about those residents in the Central Interior who defied evacuation orders in order to defend their homes, Rice saw two clear points.
“I live along Highway 16. Those of us who live in the north, along
that corridor, we are intrinsically resilient, we are self-sufficient, we are independent, and I understand and I’m sympathetic to that culture of wanting to defend your home, and defend your property and your territory, and doing that quite often on our own without the assistance of government,” she said. “But I am really concerned about their safety. There are wildfire professionals who make decisions about how we fight these fires, what resources need to be deployed and where. I trust their leadership. They are very concerned about lives being jeopardized. While I sympathize, I really wish they were heeding the advice of the professionals.” It isn’t too late and never ill advised to put together a household readiness kit. Whether there are fires near you or not, those can be assembled and kept at the ready for whatever emergency may come.
Milani Staeheli-Hildebrand, 5, is pushed on a swing by her mom Rahel Staeheli at a playground near their home in Surrey on April 11. Staeheli has been trying to register her daughter, who begins Kindergarten in September, for French immersion school without success due to a shortage of French immersion teachers in the province.
Costs and benefits
Donna SPENCER Citizen news service
CALGARY — A draft plan for Calgary to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games states the total cost will be approximately $5.23 billion.
But that figure was calculated in 2018 dollars and did not include the potential rate of inflation over the next eight years until the games.
Calgary 2026 bid corporation chief executive officer Mary Moran told city council Tuesday the total could be $5.99 billion in 2026 dollars.
By comparison, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler cost roughly $7.7 billion.
Calgary 2026 said the required public investment from taxpayers – the city, province and country – would be about $3 billion.
The remainder would be paid for privately via ticket sales, corporate sponsorship and a contribution from the International Olympic Committee in cash and services.
How much each level of government would contribute has yet to be announced.
The Government of Canada’s policy for hosting international sporting events allows for a contribution of up to 50 per cent, or $1.5 billion in this case, of public sector costs.
A new fieldhouse, which has long been a priority for Calgary, and a mid-size arena seating up to 6,000 were the only new venues proposed in the plan, although a curling venue has yet to be identified.
Existing facilities from the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary and Canmore, Alta., as well as the ski jump in Whistler from the 2010 Games would be used again in 2026.
“Our responsibility is to develop and promote a responsible bid,” Moran said. “We’re about four and a half years in advance of when most (bid packages) have this level of budgeting detail.
“We’re very confident with the number we’ve put forward to the community.
“We’re anticipating we will use eight existing venues and only build two new venues, which is a different approach than what most cities take, including some of the recent games.”
Edmonton is under consideration as a possible site for curling.
The economic impact on Alberta’s gross domestic product was estimated at $2 billion.
“This is the one initiative that will put people back to work right away,” Moran said. “It will leave us with legacy infrastructure we can use for generations to come.
Calgary has not yet committed to bidding for the 2026 Winter Games. City council has reserved the right to pull the plug on the process at any time.
A plebiscite asking Calgarians if they want to host the 2026 Winter Games is scheduled for Nov. 13, although the vote would be
Calgary bid corporation presents the numbers behind hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics
cancelled if council bails on a bid.
“The question council has to ask itself today is there enough information here to go to the people and let the people decide in a plebsicite?” Mayor Naheed Nenshi said.
“Based on what I’ve heard today I certainly think that with the exception of the piece on the actual share from the provincial government, we’re ready to go to a plebiscite.
“The province has promised that they will come forward with those provincial numbers in plenty of time for the vote.”
The IOC’s deadline to submit a bid is January. IOC members will vote on a host city in September 2019.
A Calgary Bid Exploration Committee pegged the price of the 2026 Games at $4.6 billion in June 2017.
Calgary’s draft plan proposes spending just over $500 million on upgrading and improving McMahon Stadium, Scotiabank Saddledome, the Olympic Oval, Canmore Nordic Centre, the sliding track and ski hill at WinSport and the alpine ski hill at Nakiska. The plan does not include a new NHL-sized arena.
Bernier says he’s done talking to far-right leader
Janice DICKSON Citizen news service
OTTAWA — Quebec MP Maxime Bernier says he will have no further discussions with the leader of the Canadian Nationalist Party. Travis Patron, the leader of the far-right group, says he called Bernier’s office last week because he wanted to “jump on the phone” with him to see if he could find out any details about his new political venture.
“I inquired with Mr. Bernier’s office about his plans for his new party, trying to get some details about what his platform is and to see if there would be any interest in possibly co-operating with the Canadian Nationalist Party. So I reached out to him,” he said. Bernier organizer Martin Masse confirmed that the phone call took place, and said it would be the last. The Canadian Nationalist Party is a fringe party that is not registered with Elections Canada. The group proposes banning burqas, and deporting asylum seekers. In a recent video Patron tells supporters that the party supports “traditional gender roles,” and says, “We want our men being strong and we want our women being beautiful.”
Patron said he likes that Bernier is willing to debate multiculturalism because his own party has been discussing whether multiculturalism is beneficial in the long term. But their phone call, he said, focused primarily on immigration. Patron said they agreed that the Liberal government is not doing enough to curb the number of asylum seekers crossing the U.S. border into Canada. But Patron said he and Bernier disagreed on the number of newcomers to welcome to Canada, saying he would
like number to be much lower than what Bernier proposed.
Patron said Bernier asked for his support and he responded that he was looking forward to learning more about his party. Bernier is expected to announce his party’s name and logo on Friday and Patron said he hopes the party’s name doesn’t have “nationalist” or “nationalism” in it because it will overshadow his work.
Masse said Bernier “welcomes everyone in his party who shares the fundamental values and supports the clear policies he has put forward over the past years,” adding, “That’s what he tells everyone he meets and talks to who is interested in his new party. Those who don’t share these fundamental values should support other parties.
“Mr. Bernier will have no further discussion with Mr. Patron,” he said.
Bernier spent much of the last year butting heads with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer over party policy on supply manage-
CALGARY — A draft plan for a potential Calgary 2026 Olympic bid says the event could create more affordable housing in a region that badly needs it and provide a welcome jolt to the provincial economy.
“Calgary has one of the lowest stocks of affordable and social housing in the country relative to the size of the city,” the Calgary 2026 bid corporation said in a report presented to city council on Tuesday, noting a shortfall of 15,000 affordable housing units.
The plan envisions spending $600 million on about 2,800 units that would temporarily house athletes and officials during the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games and
The city and Calgary Sports and Entertainment – owners of the NHL’s Calgary Flames – have been in a stalemate for several months over who should pay how
ment, and announced last month he was leaving the Conservatives to start his own party. He has touted having several prominent people behind him, and now they are starting to come forward publicly.
Former Dragon’s Den personality and merchant banker Michael Wekerle said he is impressed by Bernier because he is reliable.
“What he says is what he does is what he believes in. He’s a politician yet he doesn’t wade outside his core principles and for me, I thought that was very impressive,” said Wekerle.
Bernier said he raised more than $90,000 in less than two weeks to support his new party. He hopes to have the signatures and other paperwork required to register the new party with Elections Canada later this fall, with a view to being prepared for the 2019 federal election.
Gurmant Grewal, a Conservative MP between 1997 and 2006, said while he played a key role in merging the Reform Party and the federal Progressive Conservative party, the new party has “lost touch” with grassroots members and is run by “inexperienced kids.”
“They became arrogant, the leadership became arrogant,” he said.
Bernier, said Grewal, is a grassroots member with good leadership qualities and vision. He said if Bernier asks him to run as a candidate, he will.
Grewal’s political options may be limited. The Conservative party did not give him the green light to run in the 2015 federal election.
Prominent pot activist Marc Emery, another supporter of Bernier’s leadership bid, said that he donated $1,000 to Bernier’s campaign and that he endorses everything Bernier says and does.
then be turned over to long-term housing. About 20 per cent would be at market rates, with the rest set aside for affordable housing and other non-market uses. There is a plan for three to four new affordable housing projects that would yield at least 600 units, as well as a new 200-unit seniors’ complex. It also said there could be new housing for urban Indigenous people and students. An athletes’ village planned near the Stampede Grounds would accommodate 3,100 people during the Games. After, that would be converted into 70 affordable, 140 attainable or near-market and 500 market units.
much for a new arena.
The security budget is $610 million, which is less than the $900 million required in Vancouver and Whistler.
CP PHOTO
Mary Moran, Calgary 2026 Bid Corporation CEO, delivers a Tuesday briefing on the technical elements of the organization’s plan for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games prior to the plan being presented to Calgary city council.
BERNIER
Transformative citizens
This year’s inductees as Citizens of the Year by the Prince George Community Foundation truly are four of the best this city has to offer. Every year, the Citizens of the Year are accomplished and dedicated residents but the 2018 group is particularly impressive because they have changed the city’s landscape for the better.
Nancy and Pat Harris, Charles Jago and Les Waldie have not just made Prince George better, they were behind permanent additions to the city that continue to benefit local residents.
For those with physical challenges that limit them from access to certain buildings and places in the community or restrict them from doing certain things, Nancy and Pat Harris have been the fiercest advocates for fairness. They have always emphasized that they don’t seek special treatment for themselves or others, they simply want fair and equal access for everyone.
They have championed improved access for public facilities and outdoor trails in particular. Their work has directly or indirectly
inspired the elevator access to the airport’s main terminal from the long-term parking lot, the boardwalk at the Ancient Forest and the universal access trail at Tabor Mountain. They took part in an accessibility audit of local, regional and provincial parks, identifying barriers for individuals with mobility challenges, such as steep trails, soft, uneven ground and the lack of curb drops from paved trails and sidewalks. Changes are being made to many of those parks, including Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park, thanks to that audit. They have fearlessly spoken up and challenged architects, engineers, city planners and bylaw enforcement officers. The Wood Innovation and Design Centre may be an engineering marvel but they called out those who created and approved a new local building that did little for accessibility beyond the minimum standards of the
Waldie, Jago and the Harrises have certainly inspired so many other residents with their service but it’s how they transformed Prince George, helping the city evolve, that endures.
building code. Like the Harrises, Jago has also challenged authority and those who told him it couldn’t be done. While he was UNBC president, Prince George held an emergency health care rally in 2000 to demand the provincial government do something about the horrible shortage of doctors and specialists in the city and across the region. Jago led the charge on a long-term solution to the problem in the form of the Northern Medical Program, where doctors could be trained at UNBC under the auspices of the UBC medical school. UBC and the Ministry of Advanced Education resisted the idea but Jago, with community and political backing, made them believe.
The Northern Sport Centre at UNBC bears his name in thanks for that accomplishment.
Waldie has also paid no mind to naysay-
An abuse of power
The ceiling that women of colour face on their path to leadership never felt more impenetrable than it did at the women’s U.S. Open final on Saturday. Ironic, perhaps, that the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium was closed for the championship match.
What was supposed to be a memorable moment for tennis, with Serena Williams, perhaps the greatest player of all time, facing off against Naomi Osaka, the future of the sport, turned into another example of people in positions of power abusing that power.
Lost in the craziness of the evening was the fact that Osaka played excellent tennis and won her first major title. Competing against her childhood idol, she summoned her ‘A’ game and earned her championship – no need for any asterisk in the record book. She was the best player on the court on Saturday. But that’s not what many will remember. For fans, Osaka’s stellar play was overshadowed by an archaic tennis rule that eventually led to an abuse of power. The cause and effect of this unsatisfactory sequence of events are pretty clear. The cause was the inconsistent application of a rule – and the rule itself – that led to the warning that chair umpire Carlos Ramos gave to Williams for coaching coming from her player’s box: if tennis would catch up with the 21st century and allow coaching on every point, the situation on the court would never have escalated to the level of absurdity that it did. Every player, after all, still has to play the match – she has to execute on every point, and she
should never be held responsible for the actions of a coach. Coaching happens all the time, at all levels of tennis. So why not just allow it?
The effect was an abuse of power: Ramos crossed the line. He made himself part of the match. He involved himself in the end result. An umpire’s job is to keep control of the match and he let it get out of control. The rules are what they are, but the umpire has discretion, and Ramos chose to give Williams very little latitude in a match where the stakes were highest. Granted, Williams could have taken some responsibility and moved on after the first warning (and, speaking from experience, it’s debatable whether she knew this was a warning or not), and before the point and game penalties started flying.
But, for her, and for many other women who have experienced an abuse of power at their workplaces, there was more at stake. Did Ramos treat Williams differently than male players have been treated? I think he did.
Women are treated differently in most arenas of life. This is especially true for women of colour. And what played out on the court Saturday happens far too often. It happens in sports, in the office and in public service. Ultimately, a woman was penalized for standing up for herself. A woman faced down sexism and the match went on.
Women have a right, though, to speak out against injustice –as much right as a man. I found myself in similar situations in
my career; once I even walked off the court in protest. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but it may have been one of my more powerful ones. I understand what motivated Williams to do what she did. And I hope every single girl and woman watching Saturday’s match realizes they should always stand up for themselves and for what they believe is right. Nothing will ever change if they don’t.
Women are taught to be perfect. We aren’t perfect, of course, and so we shouldn’t be held to that standard. We have a voice. We have emotions. When we react adversely to a heated professional situation, far too often, we’re labeled hysterical. That must stop. Tennis is a game, but for Williams and Osaka, it’s also their job, their life’s work. Yes, Williams was heated during the match, because she felt Ramos wasn’t just penalizing her, but also attacking her character and professionalism. Her true leadership and character were revealed after the match, in the trophy presentation, when she shifted the spotlight to Osaka. She didn’t have to, but she did. I know her – that’s who she really is, and she knew it was the right thing to do.
Serena’s a champion. She has done and continues to do the hard work. She was right to speak her mind, to put a voice to the injustice, and she was right to know when to call for the controversy to end.
— Billie Jean King, a former world No. 1-ranked tennis player, founded the Women’s Tennis Association and is co-founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, a not-for-profit focused on fighting for equality in the workplace.
Mailing address: 201-1777 Third Ave.
Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7
ers during his four-plus decades of community service. The highlight of that record is co-chairing the successful bid for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, beating out strong pitches from Kamloops and Kelowna. Held the same year as Prince George’s centennial, the Games were focused on developing the facilities and community capacity necessary for a successful second century.
Same goes for his work lining up major supporters for the Kordyban Lodge. That accommodation facility for those receiving ongoing cancer treatment may have the Kordyban family name but it has Waldie’s fingerprints all over it.
Waldie, Jago and the Harrises have certainly inspired so many other residents with their service but it’s how they transformed Prince George, helping the city evolve, that endures.
To celebrate their accomplishments, the Prince George Community Foundation’s annual Citizens of the Year dinner is set for Friday, Oct. 12 at the Coast Inn of the North. Tickets are now on sale at the hotel and on the community foundation’s website.
— Editor-in-chief
Neil Godbout
There and back again
No! There’s the land. (Have you seen it?) It’s the cussedest land that I know, from the big, dizzy mountains that screen it, to the deep, deathlike valleys below. Some say God was tired when He made it; some say it’s a fine land to shun; maybe; but there’s some as would trade it, for no land on earth – and I’m one.”
The Spell of the Yukon by Robert Service By way of explanation, the stanzas above show where I’ve been the last two weeks. I wanted to send notes from the field, in the spirit of Mr. Service, but unfortunately the trees in Tombstone Park don’t produce WiFi. So instead, I was sequestered with my old university buddies in a land that still enchants and tests those who wander into it; we had hoped to get to Tuktoyaktuk on the Dempster Highway – but the Yukon and her Arctic Ocean had other plans. If you ever have the chance to go North of 60, drop everything and do so. Of course you must be prepared – four-wheel drive, spare tires, and enough extra fuel to make the Transport Canada people furrow their brows are bare requirements; if you’re driving an older vehicle, let this be the moment you splurge on the LED lights for which you’ve long lusted.
“There are strange things done in the land of the midnight sun,” but old firefly halogens are not one of them.
Other supplies are required as well, not least of which are reliable teammates; without a doubt, you will threaten physical harm to each other at some point, but so long as all can trust that no one will actually follow through on their slightly tipsy promise to gut another of your party, you should survive. Like the Yukon Trail game, it’s wise to bring chums with attributes that will help, from bushcraft knowledge to the deep pockets needed for fun at the Dawson City Casino.
Do test your gear before venturing into a land that has taken many of the toughest human souls back to their Creator. For example, it’s good to take a four season tent along, especially considering the snow you find falling the next
morning at the campsite; but it will do you no good to be warm but entombed in your own CO2. Pithy as it sounds, no one wants “He read of Sam McGee’s Cremation, but failed to predict His own Suffocation” as their epitaph. How about food? Well the fare up there is beyond excellent, with much wild game and fish on the menu. However, to save cash or save face given your inability as hunter or angler, I’d make like the first prospectors, packing whiskey, bacon, tobacco and lard. For ruffage, the best solution is bannock or sourdough cakes, a regional specialty originating from when cultures would start in old flour. Whatever you do, don’t bring kale –not even the caribou will eat that. It is also important for alternative plans to be on hand. For example, if you wish to get to Tuk, but God’s green earth conspires against you with early winters, washed out ferry landings and gale force winds, it might be wise to settle for some day hikes in Tombstone and the many tourist traps along the highways. It’s not as romantic as facing the elements, but as the poet tells us in Law of the Yukon, “Send not your foolish and feeble...(them) I trample under my feet!” And what of love? For make no mistake, you will fall in love with the place or the people or both –losing a member of one’s party to either is all but certain. Those of us who cannot simply pick up and move to the North will have to live in unrequited desire, returning as often as we can. But for the few lucky ones who learn to never leave, there is no end to the adventure that can be had: if there is nothing else in the Yukon, there is absolute freedom for its beloved. Clearly I survived my journey there and back again. A part of me wishes I could have stayed forever in that rugged place and lived out its promise: “...men with the hearts of vikings, and the simple faith of a child ...them will I gild with my treasure, them will I glut with my meat.”
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 250960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. Maximum length is 750 words and writers are limited to one submission every week. We will edit letters only to ensure clarity, good taste, for legal reasons, and occasionally for length. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes. Unsigned letters will not be published. The Prince George Citizen is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Neil Godbout (ngodbout@pgcitizen.ca or 250960-2759).
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BILLIE JEAN KING
Guest Column
NATHAN GIEDE
Right of Centre
Pot plans
Military seeks to reassure allies as legalized marijuana draws near
Lee BERTHIAUME Citizen news service
OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces has sought to ease the minds of allies about the pending legalization of marijuana amid questions in other capitals about the potential impact on future military operations.
The outreach follows last week’s release of a new military policy that limits cannabis use to within Canada and imposes various time limits and other restrictions depending on a service member’s current job and responsibilities.
The military’s chief of personnel, Lt.-Gen. Charles Lamarre, said allies in particular watched with extreme curiosity as Canada and the Forces have marched toward legalization on Oct. 17.
The real question for many, he told The Canadian Press following a panel discussion hosted by the Canadian Defence Associations Institute: “How is it going to affect you operationally?”
To that end, Lamarre said he has laid out the Forces’ new policy to counterparts from the so-called Five Eyes – the U.S., Britain, Australia and New Zealand, who represent Canada’s closest military and security partners.
One did question why the Forces didn’t ban marijuana entirely, to which Lamarre explained the military was required to balance service members’ rights as citizens with the safety and security of people, equipment and missions.
Otherwise, he said, they appeared satisfied the policy would ensure Canadian military operations, many of which are conducted alongside allied troops, would not be affected by the legalization of marijuana.
“They can see the operational impact is nil, if you will,” Lamarre said. “We have had absolutely no negative comments come back on this thing.”
That doesn’t mean there won’t be debate and even resistance to the idea of service members using marijuana, including within the Canadian military itself.
“We’re ready from a policy perspective,” said Kevin West, who helped craft the new marijuana policy, during Tuesday’s panel discussion.
“But from a leadership and cultural context, the Canadian Forces isn’t ready.”
The challenge won’t be from the top brass as they largely understand the need to align the military’s policies with the significant societal shift currently underway, West added, but rather from mid-level commanders.
There was visible resistance to the idea of troops consuming marijuana during the year-long effort to devise the new policy, particularly from older service members who had grown up with a different view of the drug.
“I travelled around the Forces for 200 days a year, and when we had these conversations, there were mental barriers being put up with people saying, ‘I don’t care if it becomes the law, my troops aren’t going to use it,”’ said West, who recently retired as the military’s top non-commissioned officer.
“What we need to have is informed opinions versus personal opinions.”
Set to take effect on Oct. 17, the same day recreational marijuana becomes legal nationally, the policy represents the first of its kind in the federal government, though the RCMP is finalizing its own version.
The new rules will apply to all 100,000 uniformed members of the Canadian Armed Forces as well as the roughly 25,000 civilians currently employed by the Department of National Defence.
The new policy isn’t set in stone: not only can commanders ask for more restrictions based on individual unit needs, but Lamarre said there is an automatic 12-month review included to ensure the policy meets the military’s needs.
Florence could rival 1954 ‘benchmark storm’
RALEIGH, N.C. — The last time the midsection of the East Coast stared down a hurricane like this, Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House and Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were newlyweds.
Hurricane Florence could inflict the hardest hurricane punch North Carolina has seen in more than 60 years, with rain and wind of more than 209 km/h.
North Carolina has been hit by only one other Category 4 storm since reliable record keeping began in the 1850s. That was Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Hurricane Hugo made landfall in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane in 1989.
In comparison, Florida, which is closer to the equator and in line with the part of the Atlantic where hurricanes are born, off the African coast, has had at least five hurricanes in the past century of Category 4 or greater, including Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Hazel’s winds were clocked at 240 km/h at the North Carolina coast and kept roaring inland. They were only slightly diminished by the time the storm reached Raleigh, 240 kilometres inland. Nineteen people died in North Carolina. The storm destroyed an estimated 15,000 buildings.
“Hazel stands as a benchmark storm in North Carolina’s history,” said Jay Barnes, author of books on the hurricane histories of both North
Carolina and Florida. “We had a tremendous amount of destruction all across the state.”
Twelve hours after its landfall, Hazel was in Buffalo, New York, and had ripped through seven states with winds still swirling at 160 km/h or more.
Few people have experienced the ferocity of a storm like Hazel, which also was blamed for at least 60 deaths in Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York state.
Jerry Helms, 86, was on his honeymoon on a barrier island off the North Carolina coast when Hazel hit on the evening of Oct. 14, 1954. He and his new bride had been to a roller skating rink and missed the evacuation warnings from police officers who went door to door.
Hazel obliterated all but five of 357 buildings in the beach community now known as Oak Island. The Helmses barely survived.
As the storm crashed ashore, they abandoned their mobile home for a two-storey frame house. Before long, it was collapsing under the waves and “the house was falling in, and all the furniture was falling out through the floor,” Helms recalled Monday.
He thought the roof of a neighbouring cinderblock house might be safer, but soon a big wave went over that house. When the wave went out, the house was gone, Helms said.
“There was another house – a wooden house that was coming down the road more or less – and it had some guy in that thing and he’s
hollering for help,” he said. Helms pushed a mattress through the topfloor window, and they hung on as it bobbed in the raging water. What lessons is he applying now that a similarly powerful hurricane is coming?
“I didn’t feel like it was going to be bad enough to leave,” Helms said. “I don’t know. I just felt better about staying here than I did leaving.”
He doesn’t have a safer destination in mind and, having recently broken ribs in a fall, Helms fears getting stuck as thousands abandon the coast.
Meanwhile, Aida Havel and her husband, John, made preparations Monday to evacuate their home in the Outer Banks village of Salvo, where they’ve lived for about a year. They are heading about 320 kilometres inland to their former hometown of Raleigh, where Hurricane Fran hit in 1996. Fran took a similar inland path to what forecasters predict for Florence. “I had a tree that smashed my car down in my driveway,” Aida Havel said. “Even though that was 22 years ago, I have never gotten over it.”
The throngs of vehicles heading inland demonstrate the big difference between Hazel’s impact and the damage Florence could cause, Barnes said.
“Today, we have thousands and thousands of permanent residents on our barrier beaches,” he said. “It’s a totally different scenario with regard to human impact.”
Hurricane has ingredients that make experts worry
To whip up a monstrous storm like the one chugging for the Carolinas you need a handful of ingredients – and Florence has them all.
Warmer than normal sea temperatures to add energy and rain to a storm. Check.
A wind pattern that allows a storm to get strong and stay strong. Check. Higher sea levels to make a storm surge
worse. Check.
A storm covering enormous area, to drench and lash more people. Check.
And an unusual combination of other weather systems that are likely to stall Florence when it hits the Carolinas, allowing it to sit for days and dump huge amounts of rain. Check.
“The longer it stays, the more wind, the more
Storm response in Puerto Rico ‘incredibly successful’: Trump
Citizen news service
WASHINGTON — With a powerful hurricane bearing down on the Southeast coast of the United States, President Donald Trump on Tuesday turned attention back to the federal government’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico a year ago, deeming it “incredibly successful” even though a recent federal report found that nearly 3,000 people died.
The administration’s efforts in Puerto Rico received widespread criticism. But after visiting the island last September, Trump said that Puerto Ricans were fortunate that the storm did not yield a catastrophe akin to the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast.
All told, about 1,800 people died in that 2005 storm. Puerto Rico’s governor last month raised the U.S. territory’s official death toll from Hurricane Maria from 64 to
2,975. The storm is also estimated to have caused $100 billion in damage.
“I actually think it was one of the best jobs that’s ever been done with respect to what this is all about,” Trump said Tuesday of the response in Puerto Rico, suggesting that it was made more difficult by the “island nature” of the storm site.
The president praised the response to the series of storms that battered the United States last year, saying, “I think Puerto Rico was an incredible, unsung success. Texas, we’ve been given A-pluses for. Florida, we’ve been given A-pluses for.”
The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, seized on Trump’s use of the word “successful” and said in a statement issued later Tuesday: “No relationship between a colony and the federal government can ever be called ‘successful’ because Puerto Ricans lack certain inalienable rights enjoyed by our fellow Americans in the states.”
rain. That means the more trees that could fall, the more power outages,” National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said. “This one really scares me,” Graham said. “It’s one of those situations where you’re going to get heavy rain, catastrophic, life-threatening storm surge, and also the winds.” — Citizen news service
Emery P. DALESIO Citizen news service
Emmett West pulls his boat from a nearby marina to secure it at his home before the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Florence in Morehead City, N.C., on Tuesday. Winds of up to 209 km/h are expected.
Down to the wire
Labour minister calls on post office, union, to keep talking as strike threat looms
Terry PEDWELL Citizen news service
OTTAWA — Canada’s labour minister called on Canada Post and its biggest union Tuesday to continue bargaining with the help of a third party after postal workers across the country voted in favour of strike action that could see them off the job before month’s end.
Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of job action in several weeks of polling that wrapped up Sunday.
CUPW said Tuesday that 93.8 per cent of urban letter and parcel carriers and 95.9 per cent of rural and suburban members provisionally signalled their willingness to walk off the job.
The two sides have been negotiating separate contracts for urban and rural employees since late last year without success.
If no agreements are reached by Sept. 26, there could be a strike or lockout.
“The minister has appointed federal mediators to assist the parties in their negotiations and encourages both parties to continue their discussions in an effort to reach an agreement and renew their collective agreements,” Labour Minister Patty Hajdu’s press secretary Veronique Simard said in an emailed statement.
“Our government believes in a fair and balanced approach to labour relations.”
Canada Post said it tabled offers on Friday which reflected recent growth in the agency’s parcel business “and the important role employees have played in this success.”
CUPW said Tuesday that 93.8 per cent of urban letter and parcel carriers and 95.9 per cent of rural and suburban members provisionally signalled their willingness to walk off the job.
It said the offers contained wage increases and benefit improvements, but the union described the proposals as “unacceptable.”
“Over the last decade, the working conditions of all our members has deteriorated, leaving many overburdened with little time for their home life,” CUPW national president Mike Palecek said in a statement.
“Our members have spoken – this is the time to address serious workplace problems.”
Besides coming to grips with work-life balance issues, the union said it also wanted Canada Post to expand services to include postal banking and grocery delivery, and to invest in an environmentally friendly fleet of delivery vehicles.
Before the strike vote results were made public, CUPW posted a statement to its website urging its members to stock up on prescription medications because health benefits
could be cut off during a strike or lockout.
“Members would then have to pay 100 per cent of the cost of any prescription,” the union said.
Canada Post has not indicated publicly that it is prepared to lock out its unionized employees, instead maintaining that both sides were working hard to find common ground.
CUPW represents about 42,000 urban carriers and 8,000 rural employees. Collective agreements for both sets of workers expired last December.
An arbitrator has been aiding both sides in trying to reach settlements since early June.
Palecek warned early last month that, should talks fail, his members should be prepared for “some type of job action.”
Canada Post employees were last locked out in 2011 but were legislated back to work.
Job action was also averted in 2016 through a last-minute agreement that sent a pay equity dispute to arbitration.
In May, arbitrator Maureen Flynn gave both sides until the end of August to reach a settlement on pay equity, calling pay discrepancies at Canada Post “fundamentally flawed.”
Flynn is now expected to impose a settlement but has not indicated when that might happen. That settlement is distinct from the current contract talks.
Canada Post has already written off the potential cost of that settlement in its second quarter financial results, estimating it could exceed $200 million.
Hudson’s Bay Co., Signa form joint venture
Tara DESCHAMPS Citizen news service
TORONTO — Hudson’s Bay Co. has struck a deal to merge its German department stores with its biggest rival in the European market.
The Toronto-based retailer, which owns Galeria Kaufhof, announced Tuesday an agreement with Signa Retail Holdings, the Austrian-based brand behind Karstadt, a competitor department store in the market.
HBC chief executive Helena Foulkes said the deal will earn HBC $616 million that will be funnelled into reducing debt.
“It has been a tough German market and that has been true for every player in the market, so this deal allows both of us to be stronger together,” she told The Canadian Press.
“We have an opportunity to create a much better retail business.”
The deal, she added, will set the stage for the company to turn its attention to North America.
“It really allows us to focus on North
America, where I see a tremendous amount of opportunity to create real operational improvements,” she said.
Beyond the merger of Karstadt and Galeria Kaufhof, the deal will also involve the European arm of HBC’s Saks Off Fifth brand, Hudson’s Bay in the Netherlands, Karstadt sports stores, Signa’s Galeria INNO stores and both companies’ food and catering businesses.
The agreement will also include the creation of a 50-50 real estate venture with 3.25 billion euros in assets.
HBC will nab a 49.99 per cent interest in the combined businesses, while the new company will be led by Stephan Fanderl, Karstadt’s chief executive.
HBC’s operations in North America have come under fire in recent months, in part because of outspoken stakeholder Jonathan Litt.
The chief investment officer and founder of activist investor Land & Buildings Investment Management has complained that HBC is re-
ally a real estate company, not a retailer.
Foulkes said at the company’s annual general meeting in June that the company was looking at selling certain properties, but was not in a hurry to sell everything quickly.
On Tuesday, she said “everything is always on the table,” but that now she is focusing on “driving the banners that we do have... I do see a lot of opportunity to get more value out of them.”
Following news of the European deal, Litt said in a statement the $8.71 cash and implied asset value Foulkes expected confirms his feelings that HBC’s real estate value is “likely more than double that of its current share price of $10.78.”
“We urge the HBC board to remain vigilant in monetizing assets as long as the company’s shares continue to trade at a material discount to net asset value – as the shares do today –including selling HBC’s remaining interest in the European business, after synergies are realized, in the near future,” he said.
day of trading as investors await important news about trade and political decisions on both sides of the border. The 17th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States was basically flat but marked the first TSX gain since Aug. 29, said Catharine Sterritt, portfolio manager for CIBC Asset Management. “It’s as if the market is just holding its breath because we are in front of a lot of news,” she said in an interview.
Sterritt pointed to the prospect of important details coming out of Liberal caucus meetings in Saskatoon about the government’s response to the Trans Mountain judicial pipeline decision and the federal response to the U.S. competitive advance from its adoption of accelerated depreciation. Markets are awaiting the conclusion of NAFTA negotiations in the coming weeks as well as China’s response to further potential trade tariffs imposed by the U.S.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 37.16 points to 16,094.25, after reaching a high or 16,111.65 on 215.6 million shares traded. The market recovered some of the losses over the past seven trading sessions but was still down 1.8 per cent from when it began to lose ground. All sectors except for energy, utilities, gold and base metals rose on the day. It was led by health care even though many cannabis stocks were down.
Canadian transportation companies including railways and airlines drove an increase for the industrials sector while the important financial, materials and energy sectors were essentially flat.
Recreational products company BRP Inc. was the biggest loser of the day on the TSX after it launched a marketed secondary offering for 8.7 million shares by its largest shareholders and also filed to list its shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. It closed down $5.98, or 8.41 per cent, to $65.13.
The Canadian dollar was trading at an average of 76.22 cents US compared with an average of 75.97 cents US on Monday. It rose as Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland briefly resumed NAFTA negotiations in Washington. The October crude contract was up US$1.71 to US$69.25 per barrel.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 113.99 points to 25,971.06.
The Canada Post logo is seen on the outside of the company’s Pacific Processing Centre in Richmond.
‘It’s a road trip
Sports
that we never finished’
Humboldt Broncos stepping back into game action tonight against Nipawin Hawks
Ryan McKENNA Citizen news service
Brayden Camrud says he’s looking forward to hitting the ice again when the Humboldt Broncos open their season tonight in front of a sold-out hometown crowd.
But it’s the bus ride back to Nipawin on the team’s schedule Friday that he’s tried not to dwell on.
“It’s a road trip that we never finished,” Camrud said Tuesday. “It’s hard to think about.”
The opponent tonight is the Nipawin Hawks, the same Saskatchewan junior A hockey team the Broncos were on their way to play April 6 when their bus and a tractortrailer collided at a rural intersection.
Sixteen people, including 10 players, were killed and 13 players were injured. Only two of the survivors – Camrud and Derek Patter – are back on the team this season.
On Friday, the team is to hit the road for a rematch in Nipawin.
Born in Regina, Oystrick spent 10 seasons as a pro hockey player, mostly in the minor leagues. He played 65 games in the NHL for the Atlanta Thrashers, Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues. He was coaching for the Colorado Academy, a private high school in Denver, when he took the Broncos job.
Oystrick takes over as coach from Darcy Haugan, who was killed in the crash. He said he shares Haugan’s values of respect and building good relationships, but he’s trying to bring different aspects to the job.
“I’ve said it time and time again, I’ll never be Darcy Haugan. I’m not trying to be Darcy Haugan. I’m trying to be myself,” he said.
“I’m trying to bring my own elements here, my own thoughts and ideas. I’m not trying to take his spot, that’s for sure.”
I had a bad concussion, I had some bleeding in my brain, some loss of feeling in my left arm, I just have some neck problems too but eventually I overcame everything and I’m here now.
— Brayden Camrud
Camrud doesn’t know how he will feel about getting back on the bus or if he will even take the bus at all. He doesn’t think the team will take the same route.
“It’s definitely going to be interesting,” he said. “It’s something that never should happen. All these boys should be here with you.” Camrud is not alone in his uncertainty.
Broncos head coach Nathan Oystrick said he has no idea what the first trip will be like but thinks it will be emotional.
“To even pretend that I know what it’s going to be like, I can’t, because I’m not sure,” Oystrick said. “I don’t know how I’m going to feel.
“We’ll get on the bus and go and if something needs to be taken care of, we’ll take care of it for them.”
This year’s team includes four players who weren’t on the bus but had played some games with the Broncos during the 2017-18 season. The remaining 16 players on the 22-player roster, as well as most of the coaching staff, joined the team after the crash.
Michael Clarke, a junior A veteran from southern Alberta, is one of the new players.
“For me, getting the opportunity as a 20-year-old to come in and try to follow what that team set as a building block for the teams to come and try to get the younger guys up to that standard that those guys have left for us is obviously pretty special for me,” he said.
Camrud, who’s also 20, said he is almost fully recovered physically from the crash.
“I had a bad concussion, I had some bleeding in my brain, some loss of feeling in my left arm, I just have some neck problems too but eventually I overcame everything and I’m here now,” he said. “I’d say I’m close to 100 per cent now and good to go.”
Emotionally, however, Camrud paused
when asked about climbing aboard the bus again.
The team played some exhibition games in Peace River, Alta., earlier this month, but flew to those.
Camrud knows a plane won’t always be an option.
Yzerman vacates post as Lightning GM
Stephen WHYNO
Steve Yzerman stepped down Tuesday as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning after building them into a perennial contender, handing the reins to longtime assistant Julien BriseBois just two days before training camp. Yzerman will move to a senior adviser role working under BriseBois and he said he is “100 per cent committed” to the Lightning this season. Beyond that, Yzerman’s future is cloudy and BriseBois is now in charge.
“I feel this change in role is important for me to allow me to spend more time with my family and to still make sure the Lightning is managed to the level everyone has come to expect,” Yzerman said Tuesday. “We are all delighted that Julien is our next GM. He is more than ready.” It was a surprising move for a powerhouse team, one that reached the Eastern Conference final last season.
late July not to sign another contract as GM and that it took until now to iron out details on what to do next. Yzerman’s family has remained in Detroit, and he commuted during his time on the job.
“We felt it was important to let everyone know what we were doing, end any potential speculation,” Yzerman said. “We have a plan here. We came up with a plan, we like our plan, let’s put it in place.”
The plan is the 41-year-old BriseBois, who had been an assistant to Yzerman since they joined the Lightning in 2010. For a number of years, he has been considered a future NHL general manager, and owner Jeff Vinik said the Lightning were lucky BriseBois wasn’t hired by someone else.
Instead, BriseBois takes over a team that should contend for years to come.
“It will be business as usual for the Tampa Bay Lightning,” BriseBois said. “The mission is going to be the same. That mission is to win the Stanley Cup.”
— see YZERMAN, page 10
Junior hockey is about long hours on the bus.
“The bus is our second home essentially, you play half your games on the road,” he said. “It’s a safe haven. Just thinking about the reality of it is a lot. Sometimes I just try not to think about it.”
Cats sign Kohner
Citizen staff
Mitch Kohner is officially in the mix. Kohner, a 2002-born forward from Rosemount, Minn., has signed a standard Western Hockey League player agreement with the Prince George Cougars. The Cats secured Kohner’s rights when they selected him in the 10th round (121st overall) in the 2017 bantam draft.
“Mitch plays a WHL style of game which is impressive for his age,” said Cougars general manager Mark Lamb. “He skates well, he’s physical and has the potential to be a very good player at this level.”
Kohner was in the lineup last weekend when the Cougars picked up preseason wins against the Vancouver Giants (7-3) and Victoria Royals (3-2).
For the past two seasons, Kohner was a member of the Lakeville North High School Panthers. In 49 career games with the Panthers, he had nine goals and 12 points. Physically, he’s listed at five-foot-11 and 193 pounds. The Cougars, holders of a 3-1 record in the preseason, will play their final exhibition game on Saturday (7 p.m. faceoff) at CN Centre against the Kamloops Blazers.
The Cats will open the regular season – their 25th in Prince George – on Sept. 21 against the host Royals. The teams will also do battle the next night and then the Cougars will visit Kelowna for a tilt with the Rockets on Sept. 26. The home-opener for the Cougars is Sept. 28, with the Rockets as the opponent.
CP PHOTO
ABOVE: Humboldt Broncos returning player Brayden Camrud looks out over the rink following a team practice on Tuesday. The Broncos will host the Nipawin Hawks in the team’s home- and season-opener tonight. INSET: Camrud displays wristbands he wears in memory of his fallen teammates.
CP PHOTO
Derek Patter, a returning member of the Humboldt Broncos, goes through a drill during practice on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old Yzerman spent the past eight seasons as Tampa Bay’s GM, a tenure that included five playoff appearances, three trips to the conference final and an appearance in the 2015 Stanley Cup final. He said he came to the decision in
YZERMAN
Sports
Red Sox clinch playoff spot by downing Jays
Citizen news service
BOSTON — The Red Sox became the first team in the major leagues to clinch a playoff berth and did not celebrate.
“Any time you make the playoffs and give yourself a chance to be that last team, it’s a pretty special thing,” Brock Holt said. “We’re excited by that, but we’ve got more work to do.” Holt pinch hit in the seventh inning and hit a go-ahead, threerun homer in a 7-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night that guaranteed Boston no worse than a wildcard berth.
At a major league-best 99-46, the Red Sox lead the AL East by nine games with 2 1/2 weeks left. Their postgame celebration was lining up for routine high-fives and heading back to the clubhouse.
“We’re in great position to win the division and then to accomplish other things,” first-year manager Alex Cora said. “As I told the group, I’m very proud of them.”
Starter Chris Sale came off the disabled list and pitched one scoreless inning, striking out two and throwing 26 pitches. Sale has been slowed by inflammation in his left shoulder, and the Red Sox had said they would ease their ace back into action.
“We’re taking care of the guy,” Cora said.
Boston assured its third straight post-season team, matching the Red Sox teams of 2003-05 and 2007-09.
Ryan Brasier (2-0) pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings as Boston used seven relievers.
Toronto led 2-0 in the seventh, when Steve Pearce hit a tying triple and Holt followed with a two-out home run off Ryan Tepera (5-5).
Kevin Pillar had an RBI single for Toronto during a two-run sixth, when Devon Travis scored the game’s first run on a doublesteal and botched defensive play by the Red Sox.
Starters
Toronto starter Ryan Boruki, who allowed seven runs and eight hits July 13 at Fenway Park, held
an opponent to two runs or fewer in at least six innings for the third time in four starts.
“He was tremendous today,” manager John Gibbons said. “He’s done a tremendous job for a rookie call-up.”
No rush
Sale continued tossing in the bullpen after he was pulled, trying to rebuild his arm strength for the post-season. He was hoping to get a second inning, but Cora said it didn’t make sense because the Red Sox weren’t going to let him
throw more than 40 pitches.
“This is the first step in the right direction,” Sale said, crediting the Red Sox medical staff.
“There was a lot of work by a lot of people that went into this.”
Mr. Clutch
Holt also homered as a pinch hitter on Aug. 13 at Philadelphia.
“I guess I would rather be in there from the start than to come in and pinch-hit,” Holt said, “but if I keep on hitting homers then I’ll take it.”
Homan fills vacancy by turning to coach from team’s past
Citizen news service
Marcel Rocque makes no bones about his coaching technique: he’s an intense, resultsoriented instructor who’s not afraid to be blunt and direct when needed.
His style meshed with Team Homan in the past and the 2017 world champions hope it will work for them this season.
Rocque, a member of the legendary Ferbey Four team in his playing days, has committed to serve as coach of the Homan rink for the 2018-19 campaign.
“They know who I am, I’ve never changed,” Rocque said. “I’m in your face. I’m happy but when things aren’t good, I’m in your face. I’m in your face and demanding.”
The 47-year-old previously worked with skip Rachel Homan, third Emma Miskew,
second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle before leaving for a two-year coaching stint in China that ended last season.
Rocque succeeds Adam Kingsbury as Team Homan coach. Kingsbury guided the Homan rink to its third Scotties Tournament of Hearts title and an Olympic Trials victory last year.
Kingsbury never curled at an elite level but the PhD candidate in clinical psychology specialized in helping the team with its mental preparation. He recently joined Curling Canada as a mental performance consultant and information/technology manager.
Homan settled for a sixth-place finish at the Pyeongchang Games, but finished the campaign ranked second in Canada behind 2018 world champion Jennifer Jones.
“They’re obviously talented and that talent doesn’t just go away,” Rocque said in a recent
interview from Edmonton. “Now it’s a question of how to bring it out again on a consistent basis.”
Team Homan will represent Canada in the first leg of the inaugural Curling World Cup this week in Suzhou, China.
“We want to continue to push ourselves to be the absolute best version of this team and continue to strive to be one of the best teams in the world,” Courtney said. “I think the motivation is high.”
Rocque, who teaches and runs a culinary program at an Edmonton high school, won four national titles and three world crowns as a lead for Randy Ferbey’s team.
“For me personally, he was my inspiration as a young front-end player,” Courtney said.
“A lot of what I do is from what I learned from watching him and also working with him.”
NHL in mediation on concussion suit
Citizen news service
BUFFALO, N.Y. — NHL commis-
sioner Gary Bettman downplayed the significance of entering mediation with former players in a bid to settle a concussion lawsuit, saying Tuesday the league is simply following a judge’s order.
“The judge asked us to go into mediation and so we’re complying with the judge’s request,” Bettman told The Associated Press. He said he had nothing to add when asked if there has been progress, and Bettman reiterated the NHL’s position on the lawsuit hasn’t changed, by saying: “We also think the lawsuit doesn’t have merit.”
Bettman spoke to the AP while attending the NHL officials training camp in Buffalo, N.Y. Stuart Davidson, one of the attorneys representing the players, disputed Bettman’s assertion on the merits of the lawsuit, while confirming the two sides were asked to enter mediation by U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson in Minnesota.
“While we obviously disagree with the commissioner’s views on the merits of these important cases, and continue to work very hard to obtain justice for our clients, the commissioner is correct that Judge Nelson requested that the parties try to work out their differences with a mediator, if they are able,” Davidson wrote in an email.
More than 100 former players are part of the lawsuit in accusing the NHL of failing to better prevent head trauma or warn players of such risks while promoting violent play that led to their injuries.
In July, Nelson denied a bid for class-action status, which would have created one group of all living former NHL players and one group of all retired players diagnosed with a neurological disease, disorder or condition.
Had they succeeded, more than 5,000 former players would have been allowed to join the case.
On another matter, Bettman said the league’s board of governors meeting in December is the earliest the NHL will have an opportunity to approve a bid to expand into Seattle. The vote will take place after the expansion group meets with the league’s executive committee on Oct. 2. Bettman would only say “to be determined” when asked if the Seattle bid, which would expand the NHL to 32 teams, is on track for the 2020-21 season.
Yzerman promoted P.G.’s Cooper to head coach of Tampa Bay
from page 9 Tampa Bay is again one of the Cup favourites based on Yzerman’s stellar record of drafting, developing and acquiring players. He promoted Prince George’s Jon Cooper to head coach in 2013, re-signed captain Steven Stamkos and locked up defenceman Victor Hedman to a long-term deal in 2016. He also traded for J.T. Miller and Ryan
McDonagh at last year’s trade deadline and got Nikita Kucherov signed to an extension this summer. Yzerman, a Hall of Fame centre with the Detroit Red Wings who won the Cup three times as a player, went into management immediately after retiring. He began his frontoffice career as vice-president of hockey operations under GM Ken Holland in Detroit
and was part of a Cup winner in 2008 before getting the head job with the Lightning. Holland signed a two-year contract extension at the end of last season to stay on as Red Wings GM. Tampa Bay came two victories away from the second title in franchise history three years ago. Yzerman has also won Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014 as Canada’s
general manager.
Yzerman went to Tampa Bay with a five-year plan to win a Cup. He leaves disappointed that didn’t happen and hopeful it will under BriseBois.
“We got to Game 6 of the finals and we’ve gotten to three Game 7s of the conference finals,” he said. “So hopefully it’s this year. If not this year, beyond.”
Boston Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi makes a leaping catch at the wall against the Toronto Blue Jays during Tuesday night’s game at Fenway Park in Boston.
Popular film category has support
Victoria AHEARN Citizen news service
TORONTO — John C. Reilly has what might be an unpopular opinion on the popular film category being proposed at the Academy Awards.
“I do think there’s room in the Oscars (for it),” the Oscar-nominated actor said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he’s starring in the darkly comic western The Sisters Brothers, which he also co-produced.
“If you want to say ‘popular,’ well, let’s just go for the pure definition of the word – the most people that showed up, that’s the most popular. Like, why not? Then it’s not even a competition.
“Then it’s just like, by the end of the year, by this date, whatever movie made the most, that’s going to have a spot in the awards.
desires of those in the craft and assistant categories to be represented on the Oscars show.
This year’s Oscars saw historically low ratings and the academy now plans to shorten next year’s show to three hours, partly by handing out some trophies during commercial breaks.
The academy says it will rotate the categories that are not in the live broadcast from year to year, but it’s still a blow to some academy members, said Masters.
The popular film category is the academy’s second attempt to recognize movies with mass appeal, after it started allowing up to 10 films to be nominated for best picture in 2009.
I think there is this stink to it from the beginning that it was like a step-kid category, that it was never going to be the same thing as having a best picture (nomination).
I think that’s a cool thing. Rather than people being told what to like, it’s just a representation of what we did like.”
The topic became a hot one at the festival after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced last Thursday it had suspended plans to award a new Oscar for popular films at the upcoming ceremony. The category “merits further study,” it said in a statement.
The academy was reacting to widespread backlash over last month’s announcement of the new category, which is part of several changes being made to keep the Oscars “relevant in a changing world.”
“It’s a really crazy idea to have a category like that,” said Micah Bloomberg, who co-created the popular Homecoming podcast and co-wrote the upcoming Amazon series adaptation that’s at the festival.
“How do you qualify a movie as popular and what does that mean? I just fundamentally didn’t understand what they were trying to do other than just give more awards.
“And I think there is this stink to it from the beginning that it was like a step-kid category, that it was never going to be the same thing as having a best picture (nomination).”
Kim Masters, editor-at-large for The Hollywood Reporter, said it didn’t seem to be a well-thought-out idea.
“Many people were baffled: What does it mean?” Masters said in a phone interview from Los Angeles.
“They seemed to have reacted to pressure to improve the ratings of the telecast without necessarily considering what the impact would be.”
Masters noted the academy “has a very large, cumbersome board” that has had trouble weighing the ratings interests of ABC owner Disney against the
— Micah Bloomberg
But many in the industry say the prestigious Oscars isn’t the right place for such an award, noting such a category is already covered by the People’s Choice Awards.
“The Oscars, that’s not why they started,” said Homecoming cast member Jeremy Allen White.
“It wasn’t for pop film. There are great movies that are blockbusters and that people can enjoy, but I don’t think it would have been true to the beginning of why the academy was put together.”
But Reilly said he feels a popular film category gives significance to projects the public has embraced.
He said he’d love to see the category modelled after the one recently created by France’s Cesar Award academy, which goes to the film with the most ticket sales in the previous year.
“It’s very democratic, it’s very clear, you don’t have to vote on it,” Reilly said.
“The people vote and I think that’s actually a really cool thing, because then that transcends whatever opinions or tastemakers think of this or that.
“It really gives the audience a clear voice. It’s like a vote – you vote with your dollars and the most dollars gets recognized. I think that’s a really elegant kind of simple way to get to the point.”
Joel Edgerton, who directed and stars in Boy Erased, sees room at the Oscars for a category that draws more attention to comedies.
“People get recognized for comic turns, but it’s really rare,” he said, pointing to Kevin Kline’s win for A Fish Called Wanda, and Tiffany Haddish’s breakout role in Girls Trip, which was snubbed at the Oscars.
With a comedy category he said smaller films, like his recent favourite The Death of Stalin, would have a global platform.
“The films that quite often get lost are comedies,” he added.
“That might open up a can of worms... but why the hell not?”
A&E IN BRIEF
Mars not playing Prince in new movie
(AP) — A representative for Bruno Mars says a report claiming he will portray Prince in a new movie is “100 per cent false.”
The Daily Mirror, a British tabloid, published a story over the weekend saying that Mars was “being lined up to play Prince” in a biopic to air on Netflix. The story was picked up by several online sites and was circulating widely.
But Mars’ representative says the story is not true and Netflix says there’s no film in development.
Paul Cockerton, online deputy digital editor, said in an email to The Associated Press that the paper was reaching out to the reporter on the story to see if it needed to be corrected or clarified, and checking with Netflix and Mars for statements.
Prince died at age 57 in 2016.
Mars performed a showstopping, memorable tribute to Prince at the 2017 Grammy Awards when he sang Let’s Go Crazy.
Downton Abbey movie in the works
NEW YORK (AP) — Filming has begun for the Downtown Abbey movie.
Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary in the global hit, posted a photo on Instagram
with the caption, “And...we’re off.”
The film will reunite the Crawley family on the big screen. Series creator Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay and will produce. The primary cast members are all set to return, but the plot remains very hush-hush.
CMT awards putting women first
NASHVILLE (AP) — CMT is changing their Artists of the Year show to honour only women, including Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town and Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum. The move comes as female artists in the genre have been outspoken about the lack of opportunities for them. Women have been shut out of nominations for major country awards and men overwhelmingly dominate country radio charts.
Citizen news service
MONTREAL — The latest woman to accuse Just For Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon of sexual misconduct is his sister-in-law, who alleges in an interview the businessman pulled down her underwear and assaulted her in the mid-1990s.
Martine Roy, the sister of Rozon’s wife, told Montreal-based 98.5 FM how Rozon approached her in the Just For Laughs museum and ushered her into a private room.
“He takes me, puts me on top of
a counter, pulls down my underwear and downright assaults me,” she told the station.
“I froze, I completely froze, because I couldn’t believe what was happening... I was afraid of him, so afraid of him and I knew that no one would believe me.”
Roy, 54, is the latest woman to accuse the impresario of sexual misconduct.
Rozon is being sued for $10 million by a group of women who allege he abused at least 20 women between 1982 and 2016.
A judge in August allowed Rozon to appeal the decision to
authorize the class action.
The radio station contacted Rozon, who is in France, and published his denial.
“I categorically deny these new allegations just like all the others that have been levelled against me in the last few months,” he said.
“I intend to defend myself and hope that the justice system, in which I believe and with which I am ready to collaborate, will shed light on these unfounded accusations.”
Neither the accusations in the class action nor from Roy have been proven in court.
CP PHOTO
Actor John C. Reilly arrives ahead of the screening of The Sisters Brothers during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8.
“Pat” Patricia Anne Caldwell
With deeply sadden hearts, we regret to announce the passing of Patricia Anne Caldwell/Couchman. Born Apr. 15, 1951 in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Angels came to earth to recruit Pat for the next journey of her existence on Sept. 6, 2018 in Prince George, BC. She is survived by her husband William, children Ruth, Barb (Dean), and Jason (Lesley). Along with grandchildren Melissa, Paige, Alex, Patience, and Aero. Siblings Adele, John, and Rick and their families. Patricia left this earth for a much better place in her sleep due to natural causes. She will be missed very much. A service will be held for her at Lakewood Funeral Home on Ospika Blvd. Prince George, BC, on Wed. Sept. 12, 2018 at 3:00pm.
Willms,John August16,1925-September10,2018 Dr.JohnWillms,93,passedpeacefullytobewithhis LordJesusonSeptember10,2018afterabattlewith cancerandhealthcomplicationsrelatedtohisage.
Alongtimeresidentandpracticingphysicianin PrinceGeorge,JohnandhiswifeFrances,movedto theNorthin1956.Atthattime,Johnwasoneofnine doctorsinPrinceGeorgeandquicklytookon multiplerolesatthePrinceGeorgeHospitalincluding surgery,anaesthesiaandobstetrics,inadditionto caringfortheday-to-daymedicalneedsoflocal families.Helovedservinginhislocalcommunity,but Johnalsocommittedhislifetodirectlyservingthose aroundtheworldwhomadelessthan$1aday.This ledJohnandFrancestojoinnumerousChristianbasedcharitableglobalrelieforganizationsthrough whichtheyvoluntarilyservedover10yearsin variouscountriesincludingThailand,Paraguay,Zaire, Vietnam,NepalandZambia.
Johnissurvivedbyhislovingwifeandsoulmate Frances,hisdaughterAnn(Terry)andsonsPeter (Carole)andMichael(Manisha).Alsomourninghis passingarehisgrandchildrenMegan,Stephanie, Katrina(Barry),Kirsten(Kyle),RhysandAlexander andgreatgrandchildrenMadelynnandEdison.Heis predeceasedbyhistwobrothersandfoursistersand mostsadlybyhisgreatgrandsonStevie.
AservicecelebratingJohn’slifewilltakeplaceat WestwoodMennoniteBrethrenChurchinPrince GeorgeonFriday,September14that1:00pm. JohnandFrancescommittedlongtermtothe supportofCanadianFoodgrainsBank (https://foodgrainsbank.ca/),anorganization committedtothesupportofimpoverishedpeople aroundtheworld.Asafamily,wearealsoforever indebtedtotheamazingworkofthestaffatthe PrinceGeorgeHospice.InJohn’smemory,andin lieuofflowers,adonationtoeitheroftheabove organizationswouldhonourhislifeofservicetoGod andblessthepeoplehestrovetohelpthroughouthis life.
PACIFICWESTERNBREWING MANUFACTURINGSUPERVISOR
WearelookingforanexperiencedManagerto overseevariousdivisionaloperationsatourplantin PrinceGeorge,BConatemporary/contractbasisto coverincreasedworkloadsforaperiodrangingfrom 6-12monthswiththepossibilityofrenewal.You’ll assistinguaranteeingthatmanufacturingremainsa smoothandefficientprocessbymonitoring employeesandorganizingworkflowsinvarious departmentssuchaswarehousing/logistics,bottling, maintenance,andpackaging.
604-421-2119dheffelfinger@pwbrewing.com
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Established Franchise Photography Business Serving Northern B.C for over 35 years
Gross Revenues of $150.000 plus annually from seasonal work Lots of opportunity to expand the business. Transition support available to the right buyer
Serious Enquiries Only Office 250-596-9199 Cell 250-981-1472
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Established Franchise Tax Preparation BusinessMackenzieservicing and McLeod Lake area for over 30 years.
Gross Revenues of $85,000 to $90,000
Annually and Potential to expand revenues in a growing economy.
Transition support available for the right buyer.
Serious Inquires Only Office (250)997-9003 Home (250)997-5538 Cell (250)990-0152
Telford (Ted) William Goodrich October 19, 1943September 4, 2018
We are deeply saddened to announce that Ted passed away at the age of 74 in his home in Abbotsford, BC. Always a fighter, Ted survived childhood polio and esophageal cancer only to succumb to multiple health issues over the past several months. Ted was born and raised in Prince George, BCthrough stints in Dawson Creek (BC), Hay River (NWT), and Trail (BC), he still returned to Prince George to work and raise his sons in the place he called home. For the past 10 years, Ted had lived in Abbotsford where he contributed to the community with his love of poetry and photography. He embraced retirement as an opportunity to explore his desire to writepublishing three books. He is survived by his two sons: Darren and Jeff (Ellie) and 4 grandchildren: Lillie, Sam, Abby and Isaac (Gillian). He is also survived by his sister Marj (Don) and brother John (Joyce). He is predeceased by his father, Lewis, and mother, Anne. A celebration of Ted’s life will be held on Thursday, September 13, from 2-3:30 at the Abbotsford Seniors Centre, 33889 Essendene Ave., in Abbotsford, BC. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society [http://www.cancer.ca/en/donate/?region=bc].
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OVERVIEW:Seewhatittakestobecomeaproatincome taxesatH&RBlock’sTaxAcademy.Thealwaysindemandskillsandknowledgeyou’lllearncanopendoors torealjobopportunities.
CAREERBENEFITS: -Trainingfromindustryleaders -Theabilitytotackleanytaxsituation -Theopportunitytoworkasapart-timetaxprofessional atH&RBlock -Flexibilityandindependence There’sneverbeenabettertimetoenroll.Classesstart thisSeptember. Visit:www.hrblocktaxacademy.ca Call:250-562-6247
VICTORIASPORTSPHYSIOTHERAPY
Islookingforaphysiotherapist(s)tojoinourteam! Thesuccessfulapplicant(s)mustpossess: -AminimumofaBachelorofScienceDegreein PhysiotherapyorMastersofScienceDegreein Physiotherapy -Full-timeorinterimregistrationwiththeCollegeof
standing Thepositionwearelookingtofillispermanent,full-time. Contact:250-564-3820orvspclinic@telus.net
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