Property crime spikes along 15th Avenue
Citizen staff
Homes and businesses along and near 15th Avenue have suffered a spike in property crime.
Over the past two weeks, RCMP have received 40 reports of break and enters, thefts and mischief along the corridor from Victoria Street to Foothills Boulevard, police said Thursday.
There have been spikes in other areas too, notably along Spruce Street between 15th Avenue and 20th Avenue while many thefts from
vehicles are occurring around downtown with hotel patrons appearing to be targeted.
Sheds and garages throughout the city are being targeted too, police added.
And at least six motorcycles have been stolen over the same period, with three of them going missing from the vicinity of Fifth Avenue and Tabor Boulevard. Four of the motorcycles have yet to be recovered:
• 2008 White Honda CBR 125R with Alberta licence plate LFL16.
• 2007 Black Yamaha Moped with B.C. licence
plate L32014.
• 2015 Green and black Kawasaki KLR 600 with Alberta licence plate QY424.
• 2016 Black Suzuki VR650 with B.C. licence plate Y36207.
“Police would like to remind the public to take the time, effort and expense if necessary, to secure your property and prevent yourself from becoming a victim of crime,” RCMP said.
“Many of these property crimes could have been prevented if property was properly secured and stored.”
UBCM calls on province, feds to provide Greyhound replacement
Jennifer SALTMAN Vancouver Sun
B.C. municipalities are asking the provincial and federal governments to come together to find transportation solutions to replace Greyhound when the company ends its service in the province later this year.
Elected officials from across B.C. unanimously endorsed a special resolution at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) conference on Wednesday that calls on the two levels of government to work with local governments, public regulators and operators to come up with “new, affordable and coordinated transportation services” that will keep people and freight moving.
“The loss of bus service will be significant for B.C. communities – especially those in more rural and remote places, where there are no airports or other modes of transportation,” said Art Kaehn, chair of the Fraser-Fort George Regional District, speaking to delegates on behalf of the UBCM executive.
“Local governments have expressed concern on behalf of passengers and businesses who have come to rely on Greyhound.”
After making a series of service cuts, Greyhound announced last month that it will pull out of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northern Ontario on Oct. 31.
According to Greyhound, the company had suffered millions of dollars in losses from a
46-per-cent drop in ridership since 2010.
As a short-term solution, B.C. Transit, with funding from the province, is operating B.C. Bus North as a pilot project, with buses running twice weekly on routes in northern B.C. Lillooet has proposed, in a resolution, reopening the former B.C. Rail corridor between North Vancouver and Prince George to passenger trains, in an effort to mitigate the loss of Greyhound.
McBride and the Central Kootenay Regional District have also put forward resolutions that mention Greyhound – one about addressing the “vital passenger transportation void” in northern B.C. and the other regarding patient transfers in rural areas.
Women jailed for vendetta attack
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
Significant sentences have been issued to three women for a December 2016 confinement and “vendatta-based” attack on a woman.
Mandi Lee Zacharuk, 30, was sentenced to a further 575 days in jail, while both Terilyn Rose Haskell, 29, and Celia Anne Robinson, 35, must serve a further 545 days for the attack. The terms were issued Sept. 4.
In March, Ollie James Henyu, 36, was sentenced to time served of 368 days in custody for attempting to prevent the victim from telling her story to police.
During that sentencing hearing, the court heard the victim had shown up at a 1700-block Pearson Avenue home to buy crack cocaine and was recognized as the perpetrator of a kidnapping of one of the other women in the home.
After the victim had smoked the cocaine, four women turned on her to settle the score.
Despite her claim that she was only a bystander to the kidnapping, she was repeatedly punched and kicked while the music was turned up to drown out her screams. Then she was dragged into the bathroom, put in the bathtub and told she might be killed.
One of the attackers then brought a sawed-off shotgun into the bathroom, told the victim it was loaded and she was going to pull the trigger. She placed the barrel in the victim’s mouth, then struck her in the head with the gun while the others continued to hit her.
Her mouth was then ducttaped after a rag was put in to keep her quiet and Henyu, whose relation to the others was not made clear during the hearing, was called for advice on next steps. Henyu arrived at the home shortly after and told the woman to tell police she had been jumped by two men on the street and if she gave the real story, she would be killed.
The top portion of the victim’s hair was then cut off and her cellphone taken before she was let go.
She went to a neighbouring home where an ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital.
The victim suffered a concussion, a broken nose, several cuts and a burn to her chest consistent with being singed with a cigarette.
When RCMP arrived at the hospital, she initially told the story Henyu had ordered her to tell. But she then said she had been assaulted at a home but was afraid to provide any further details for fear she would be attacked again.
But RCMP found a piece of paper with the home’s address on her and, after she was released from hospital, the victim provided two further statements. The four were arrested at the home and evidence consistent with the story police had been given was collected. Henyu, meanwhile, was apprehended a few days later.
Stolz looks to return to city council
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
Unseated four years ago, business owner Cameron Stolz is taking another shot at winning a seat on Prince George city council.
In a campaign kickoff speech delivered Thursday at Great White Toys and Games, Stolz said he is running to be the voice for small business, to hold the city to better account on spending taxpayers’ money and to build a better community.
Stolz, who was first elected to council in 2008 and re-elected in 2011 before losing out in the 2014 election, criticized council’s decision in 2017 to cut spending on road rehabilitation by $2 million, lowering the total to $5 million per year.
“You wanted better roads and I was proud to work as a champion for that and (it was) where we saw dramatic improvement,” he said. “Because it’s your money, I would have expected that improvement to continue.
“Unfortunately, just as the city
started to get into the rural roads, up in the Hart Highway, College Heights, the city has decided to cut the roads budget this year by over 25 per cent. I consider that unacceptable.”
He also took council to task for allowing administrative staff to be paid overtime for the extra hours they put in last summer when the city took in evacuees forced out of their homes by the wildfires.
“In the small business world, if you’re on salary and you work overtime, you get time off in lieu for that time you worked or it’s just part of your job,” Stolz said and went on to say the money paid to staff could have been better spent on improving and establishing new local parks.
The overtime paid to city administration was eventually reimbursed to the city by the provincial government although critics have argued it’s still taxpayers’ money.
Stolz also played up his accomplishments during the six years he was on council, including his efforts to more assertively deal with derelict buildings and helping to
“lay the foundation to fix a huge chunk of our water and sewer infrastructure.”
During his time on council, Stolz took a deep interest in the city’s finances. He chaired the finance and audit committee and was among those who supported a failed motion to limit increases to the property tax levy to the rate of inflation.
In 2013, he stepped down as chair of the committee after it was discovered he hadn’t paid the property taxes on his home. The city allows property owners up to three years grace on the item and Stolz eventually paid what was owed and cited trouble making ends meet during the recession for the delay.
Stolz didn’t mention the controversy directly on Thursday but did say there was a time when there was very little left for himself after meeting payroll and paying suppliers.
In 2014, Stolz was one of two incumbents to lose their seats.
General voting day for the civic election is set for Oct. 20.
Farm Fest coming on Saturday
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
There’s a new Prince George festival for the oldest activity in the world. Farm Fest Prince George is a one-day event in its inaugural year, but its three organizing forces already have hopes it will grow. The community is invited to come down for an admissionfree exploration on Saturday.
The organizers are Hope Farms, Betulla Burning and the Omineca Arts Centre.
They will be joined by a bouquet of partner agencies all working together to make it a food-focused and agriculturefocused waltz through the many fields of local grow-it-yourself enterprises.
“Not only will Farm Fest be taking over Third Avenue downtown, we will be joined by Positive Living North: No kh yoh t’sih’en t’sehena Society’s AIDS Walk & Block Party, the UNBC Cycling Club’s Bike Rodeo, PG Farmers’ Market, and the Wilson Square Community Market for a downtown block party,” said event spokesperson Roanne
Whitticase.
The area’s 4-H youth development program is also on board, as are a host of vendors that feature all-local foods, crafts and other products that sprang from the bounty of the area.
“The event will also engage the community in opportunities to learn more about agriculture in our northern climate and to connect with local growers, farmers institutes and outlets for further education and involvement, such as workshops and online resources,” said Whitticase.
The three featured speakers holding on-site workshops are:
• Noemie Touchette, fruit wine making,10 to 11 a.m.
• Debra Moffatt, voluntary simplicity, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Don Bassermann, urban gardening, 1 to 2 p.m.
The first Farm Fest Prince George happens from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the 1200 block of Third Avenue.
To join in the event or for more information contact Whitticase at 250-981-1241, email roannewhitticase@gmail.com or look the event up on Facebook and Instagram.
Pot legalization to make more work for police, RCMP official says
Jeremy HAINSWORTH Citizen news service
Communities’ responses to marijuana legalization must be coordinated with police and the province as usage becomes more widespread, Union of B.C. Municipalities delegates heard Sept. 10. And, said RCMP assistant commissioner Eric Stubbs, “it’s not going to be less work because it’s legalized. It’s going to be more.” Canada will legalize, regulate and restrict access to cannabis nationally on Oct. 17. New laws will allow people over 18 to possess up to 30 grams of legally-produced cannabis; allow adults to grow up to four plants per household; regulate production, sale and distribution; and establish provisions for impaired driving. Clayton Pecknold, director of
police services with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, said B.C.’s Cannabis Control Act requires police to consider direction from local councils in marijuana control operational plans.
Stubbs said the RCMP is ready for stoned drivers.
“We have a new, robust program on hand to spot impaired drivers,” he said. “We certainly have to be ready for it.” Pecknold isn’t sure, however, that usage will increase.
“People who smoke and drive already are already (doing) that,” he said
The cannabis issue is one being addressed throughout the five-day Whistler conference. Other angles include taxation revenue sharing, cannabis production in the Agricultural Land Reserve workplace concerns and general impacts on municipalities.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
Former city councillor Cameron Stolz announced his run for city council on Thursday.
A 27-year-old man was arrested at Ketso Yoh on Thursday morning for assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and mischief.
Takedown made at Ketso Yoh
Citizen staff
A 27-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning for allegedly attacking an RCMP officer.
At about 9:30 a.m., several RCMP members
quickly responded to a call for assistance from an officer concerned for his safety while at the Ketso Yoh men’s shelter at the corner of Quebec Street and First Avenue.
No injuries were reported and the man who was arrested faces counts of assaulting a peace
officer, resisting arrest and mischief, RCMP said.
The man was released on a promise to appear for court on Oct. 3. His name was not released and the charges are pending approval by Crown counsel.
Probation issued to speeder caught with drugs
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
A Prince George man who was found with marijuana and cocaine in his vehicle when he was pulled over for speeding was sentenced Thursday to 30 months probation.
William Wall, 60, was arrested on Feb. 24, 2015, on Highway 16 when he was caught near Purden Ski Village driving 64 km/h in a 50 km/h zone that had been established for the Canada Winter Games.
The RCMP officer who pulled him over noticed a strong smell of marijuana and sub-
Business award finalists named
Citizen staff
sequently uncovered about 2.7 kilograms (six pounds) of marijuana inside a toolbox sitting in the back seat and a 28-gram (one-ounce) lump of cocaine in a cigarette package in the console.
Police had originally identified the cocaine as methamphetamine.
Wall subsequently told police he was delivering the items as a one-time favour to a friend and stood to earn about $500 for his effort.
Police later estimated the value of the marijuana at $9,000 and the cocaine at $1,600.
Crown counsel had argued for 15 months in jail B.C. Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth
The Prince George Chamber of Commerce announced the finalists for the 33rd annual Business Excellence Awards on Thursday. Darling Deviance, Onyx Stones and Custom Cabinets, Serengeti Northern BC and Sonar Comedy and Nightclub are up for business of the year while Jason Luke of Sonar Comedy and Nightclub, John Allen French of Takla Nation and Teresa DeReis with Adventures in Self Sufficiency are the candidates for business person of the year.
The awards will be handed out during a ceremony Oct. 19 at the Prince George Playhouse. Chamber members can now vote for their favourites in each of the 12 categories on the Chamber website.
The finalists in the other award categories are: Community Impact Award
• Jim Pattison Broadcast Group Prince George
• Prince George Humane Society
• Ridgeline Roofing
• YMCA of Northern BC Entrepreneur of the Year
• Angela McLaren – Prince George Humane Society
• Jason Luke – Sonar Comedy and Nightclub
• Teri Conroy – Darling Deviance
• Zandra Ross – Zandra Ross Lifestyle Environmental Awareness
• CN • Northern Lights Estate Winery
• PG Air Improvement Roundtable
• Shine Hair Salon Excellence in Food Service
• Cakewalk Desserts
• CrossRoads Brewing Excellence in Hospitality
• Bon Voyage Inn
• Coast Inn of the North
• Grama’s Inn
• West Lake Campground Innovator of the Year
• Taxwerx
• Zandra Ross Lifestyle Studio Micro Business of the Year
• Blissful Bubbles Boutique
• Cakewalk Desserts
• It’s All About Coffee and Food
• Madison Ave Fashion Outstanding Corporate Culture
• Jim Pattison Broadcast Group Prince George
• Pathfinder Endeavours Ltd.
• Team Powerhouse Realty Remarkable Visitor Experience
• CN Centre
• Coldsnap
• Northern Lights Estate Winery
• The Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre
Service Excellence Award
• Birch & Boar Butchery
• Darling Deviance
• Kay Ross Photography
• Prince George Driving for Life Academy
Gov’t allows large rent increases
The Province of British Columbia has announced the maximum allowable rent increase for 2019, and it’s the largest rent hike in more than a decade. Next year, landlords can raise rents by a maximum of 4.5 per cent. This figure is partly tied to the B.C. consumer price index (CPI).
“B.C. landlords can choose to increase rent once annually,” the government said in a news release. “The maximum percentage increase allowed each year is the inflation rate plus two per cent. The inflation rate, calculated using the 12-month average percentage change in the CPI for British Columbia ending in July, is 2.5 per cent.” The last time the maximum increase exceeded 4.5 per cent was 2004 (4.6 per cent). There is a loophole, however; landlords have the power to raise the rent above the maximum allowable amount if they have a written agreement from the tenant or an order from the Residential Tenancy Branch. In all cases, landlords must provide tenants with three months’ notice of rent increases. — Citizen staff
Police seek owners of stolen tires
Police are looking to reunite some stolen tires with their owners. The items were recovered from a makeshift camp just south of Bear Lake in mid-June.
Humphries agreed with defence counsel Jason LeBlond’s position that probation was more in order.
Wall’s criminal record amounted to two minor convictions for possession committed in 1983 and 1975 and Humphries found he was not leading the life of a drug trafficker and was not caught actually selling drugs.
Wall must spend the first six months under house arrest and will only be able to leave the property with written permission of his parole officer or in the event of a medical emergency. He must also complete 50 hours of community work service during the first year.
UNBC proposes nursing school in Fort St. John
Citizen news service
A plan for a nursing school in Fort St. John is in the hands of the advanced education ministry and UNBC president Daniel Weeks believes a green light from the province could come soon.
Weeks, recently confirmed for a second term to lead the university, was in Fort St. John Thursday for a board meeting and alumni gathering.
He said the university and Northern Lights College have put forward an attractive proposal for the province to consider, and will be forging ahead with campus renovations in anticipation of an approval.
“The real sweet spot, so to speak, in this is the strong partnership we’ve developed with the college. I think that’s going to be the thing that’s going to tip this now in our favour,” Weeks said.
“It makes sense. We don’t need to reinvent these programs and try to duplicate what each other is doing.
“It’s better we leverage the strengths of both institutions in a way that makes
it better for the potential students in the north.”
Talks between the university and college, along with Northern Health and the City of Fort St. John, began in earnest in February.
Northern Health projects Northeast B.C. will need an average of 78 registered nurses per year over the next four years to fill staffing gaps, a number officials fear will only get worse if education needs aren’t addressed.
Weeks couldn’t predict the government’s timeline for approval, but said campus renovations will begin in the meantime.
“It’s hard to know, I think it could come sooner than later. They’re on their timeframe,” he said.
“In the meantime, we have work to do as well to get ready. We’ll be renovating some of the space here at the campus we share in Fort St. John with Northern Lights College. We’ll renovate some of that space to get ready for this program. Things are moving ahead as we would expect them and I’m confident that we’ll get there.”
“Some of the property has been returned to owners, however several sets of tires, some with rims, remain unclaimed,” RCMP said Thursday. Also recovered at the scene and still at the detachment are a pressure washer, an air compressor and a brush saw. The items were stolen from a variety of locations including Chief Lake Road and Pine Street in the Prince George area, as well as the community of Wells. As a result of this investigation, Devin Andrew Jacobs, 33, was sentenced in July to 180 days in jail and one year probation.
“If you have had any of these items stolen in the last few months in Prince George or surrounding communities, please contact the Prince George RCMP. Owners will be required to describe the items to investigators.”
Reefer madness clouds UBCM
Based on comments coming out of the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in Whistler this week, local governments can’t wait for marijuana to be legal in less than five weeks as an excuse to raise taxes.
“Legalization will cost money municipalities don’t have,” Federation of Canadian Municipalities president Clark Somerville told delegates, including Mayor Lyn Hall and most of Prince George city council. “Make sure you are pushing for a fair local share.”
Municipalities are eyeing getting $50 million of a proposed 10 per cent provincial sales tax on pot sales expected to raise $125 million in the first two years of legalization.
Local politicians, bureaucrats and RCMP brass are all talking about increased costs of policing, bylaw enforcement, licensing and land use and zone changes. Eric Stubbs, the former superintendent in Prince George and now assistant commissioner with the RCMP, said legalization will create more work, not less.
As any Crown counsel or defence lawyer would reply to the earnest police officer, where’s the evidence?
Where’s the evidence traffic cops will be pulling over more people driving while stoned than they already are? Where’s the evidence marijuana use will increase in Canada after legalization?
Like the cops, local politicians and bureaucrats seem to be ignoring the benefits of cannabis legalization...
If anything, legalization could save the RCMP a significant amount of money and time each year. Officers will no longer be concerned with recreational cannabis use, unless it’s behind the wheel. Furthermore, legit pot production and sales will sever a significant revenue stream for organized crime outfits, another gain for police forces.
Perhaps Stubbs has also forgotten that as late as 2013, the Association of Canadian Police Chiefs was calling on the federal government to decriminalize marijuana because of the huge time and financial costs to police to enforce the current pot laws.
Like the cops, local politicians and bureaucrats seem to be ignoring the benefits of cannabis legalization, with new smalland medium-sized businesses opening their doors, obtaining business licences, paying taxes, creating jobs and growing the economy.
The “sky is falling” fearmongering from local governments and the RCMP looks like a cynical plea for more money and another excuse to raise taxes. Under calm scrutiny, the reefer madness rational goes up in smoke.
Worst of all, this response might be trying to strangle the goose laying the golden egg.
The whole point of marijuana legalization was to take a black market activity where millions of otherwise law-abiding Canadians hand over billions of dollars each year to gangs and divert that money into the legal economy, with governments enjoying a handsome new revenue stream. There’s money for governments to rake in from
Question mark in B.C.
The possibility of a new centre-right party led by Maxime Bernier has given rise to the idea that the 2019 federal election will conclude in a new victory for the Liberal Party of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada’s share of the vote will split, allowing Justin Trudeau to win a new four-year term as prime minister.
The 2015 federal election shattered previous notions of party favourability that had dominated British Columbia since the start of this century. Some areas of the province voted primarily for Reform, Canadian Alliance or Conservative politicians, while others favoured the federal New Democratic Party (NDP).
The federal Liberal Party, even at a time when Jean Chrétien was forming majority governments in Ottawa, could rely only on some pockets of support in urban areas. When the Liberals were led by Michael Ignatieff, they finished the 2011 federal election with just two seats in British Columbia, both of them in the City of Vancouver.
The 2015 election effectively ended British Columbia’s twoparty system and showed that – under a charismatic leader who was able to connect with voters – a political organization could go from receiving a paltry 13 per cent of the vote in 2011 to boasting the largest number of British Columbia federal seats four years later, with the support of 35 per cent of the province’s voters.
Almost three years have passed since that election, and the time is right to review whether voters in our province have a specific set of ideas and values that makes them vote a certain way, regardless of issues or candidates. With that in mind, Research Co. recently asked
British Columbians to describe themselves on an ideological basis.
Across the province, 30 per cent of residents said they are far-left, left or centre-left, while 25 per cent placed themselves firmly on the centre and 20 per cent acknowledged being centre-right, right or far-right.
One-in-four British Columbians (25 per cent) are undecided when it comes to ideology. These are not necessarily poll takers who simply do not care about politics. Some of these respondents choose to move on issues from election to election.
The group of ideological undecideds in British Columbia includes 14 per cent of people who voted for the BC NDP in the last provincial election, 15 per cent of those who cast a ballot for the BC Liberals and 30 per cent who supported the BC Green Party.
The situation is similar when we ask British Columbians about the party they voted for in the 2015 federal ballot, when Trudeau became prime minister. Among federal NDP voters, 16 per cent are undecided on their ideology, and the proportion rises slightly to 19 per cent among those who voted for the federal Liberals.
There is currently only one political party in British Columbia where ideology is firmly entrenched. Just 10 per cent of federal Conservative voters in 2015 are undecided about their ideology (with 56 per cent describing themselves as centre-right, right or far-right).
There is a reason for Bernier’s insistence in suggesting his
former party has betrayed “core conservative principles.” He needs to connect with the type of British Columbia voter that is more likely to be ideological. This could prove a challenge to the Conservative Party led by Andrew Scheer, if and when Bernier starts to recruit candidates.
But Scheer is not the only leader who will have difficulties re-connecting with the electorate. Trudeau’s victory in British Columbia was anything but ideological. Former Conservative voters dissatisfied with inaction on social issues began to look elsewhere. Disenchanted NDP and Green voters from past elections saw in Trudeau a spokesman for two issues they desperately cared about: environmental stewardship and electoral reform. They had no difficulty in abandoning their previous choices with Trudeau’s Liberals on the ballot.
We are just over a year away from the next federal election, and both ideological and nonideological voters in British Columbia will have much to ponder. Under the right circumstances, ideology can move former Reform, Canadian Alliance and Conservative voters in British Columbia to Bernier’s new party.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Trudeau has disappointed those who voted for a perceived moratorium on pipelines and the demise of the first-pastthe-post system for elections to the House of Commons. It remains to be seen whether these voters gravitate toward their supposed natural homes in the NDP or Green parties, stay with the Liberals for another election or take a look at what conservatism has to offer.
— Mario Canseco is president of Research Co. He writes a column exclusive to Glacier Media newspapers
people’s vices, which is why gambling and the sale of cigarettes and alcohol are legal and sales are heavily taxed and carefully monitored.
Pot will be no different.
Pacific Western Brewing, Northern Lights Estate Winery, Crossroads Brewing, Treasure Cove Casino and Trench Brewing are just some of the successful Prince George businesses that employ hundreds of local residents and pump hundreds of millions of dollars each year into the local economy through the production and sales of products and services that were once prohibited.
The sooner the City of Prince George starts seeing marijuana legalization as a business opportunity, the better.
Starting on Oct. 21, the day after the upcoming municipal election, mayor and council must show leadership on this file and give real direction to the planning and bylaw departments. The time for study and planning and fretting about change is over.
To put it another way: dude, chill. It’ll be fine.
Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
The Island way versus the Ford way
There’s the Greater Victoria approach to municipal reorganization, where it takes four years to decide whether to ask about starting over.
Then there’s Ontario’s Nike approach: “Just do it.”
Our approach flows organically from the “Slow down, this ain’t the Mainland” bumper-sticker mentality.
Mull over the idea for a generation or so. Make a tentative stab at entertaining consideration of a potential pre-feasibility study.
When you get to the point of asking voters what to do, ask everybody a different question. Spin wheels for four years. Watch the province gently and respectfully suffocate the idea. Then prepare to ask a different question and start over.
Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford has a different method, different in the way that blitzkrieg was different from the Hundred Years War.
slowly as possible.
In Toronto, Ford is doing everything, all at once, and pulling every fire alarm he can reach at the same time.
Picture Premier John Horgan just getting his office unpacked, then announcing he’s going to cut Greater Victoria’s 91 mayors and councillors by 50 per cent. Metchosinistas would be fainting in the fields. Oak Bay would have a stroke. There’d be security checkpoints on the Saanich-Victoria border.
In Toronto, Ford is doing everything, all at once, and pulling every fire alarm he can reach at the same time.
He looks ready to slam a massive reorganization into place before it’s even dawned on people what’s going on.
Here’s what he’s done in the last six weeks: (I say again – six weeks.)
A month after becoming premier, he announced in late July that he was going to cut the number of Toronto city councillors to 25 from 47. It’s an idea that showed up nowhere in his election campaign and wasn’t uttered once.
To make it more grabby, he dropped the news just before the municipal elections.
He gave people 48 hours to digest the idea, then introduced a bill to get it done (the Better Local Government Act), in the face of shocked protests from those 47 councillors.
It passed through the legislature in two weeks. But when Toronto took it to court, a judge trashed it in short order.
Ford responded this week by not only promising an appeal, but recalling the legislature for a special session to invoke the notwithstanding clause of the Constitution to get it done.
The notwithstanding clause is the “screw-the-rules-we’redoing-this-my-way” escape hatch available to premiers who don’t have time to get bogged down in constitutional rights.
The pros and cons of requiring two entire hockey teams worth of councillors to run a city are for Toronto to figure out.
But for a south Island taxpayer, the contrast between the two approaches is staggering.
In Victoria, we do nothing, as
Ford has gotten further down the winding, never-ending road of municipal reorganization in six weeks than Greater Victoria has in decades. The valid complaints are piling up in Queen’s Park about the brute-force surprise attack, the small-c contempt of court, the disdain for due process and dozens of other objections. But from 5,000 kilometres away, from a place that has 50 per cent more councillors than Toronto with just 14 per cent of the population, the main takeaway is a feeling of awe.
The mind reels about how much can happen when somebody – no matter how clumsily – wants to make it happen.
Taxpayers will have a chance to take another baby step toward rationalizing local services next month. The region-wide contemplation went nowhere. The new approach focuses on Saanich and Victoria, where voters will be asked if they want to spend $250,000 in each community to form a citizens’ assembly to study amalgamation. (B.C. is being asked to chip in another $250,000.)
Amalgamation Yes’s Shellie Gudgeon is counting that as progress of sorts. At least they’re being asked the same question.
She’s been ardently backing amalgamation for several years. But even she thinks Ford is going too fast.
She said there is a middle ground “where top-down meets bottom-up.” That’s the zone in which talk of municipal reorganization can be conducted.
The inch-by-inch progress here stems from lack of leadership, she said. But Ford’s charging ahead is too much even for her.
“We need some leadership,” Gudgeon laughed. “But not too much.”
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MARIO CANSECO Glacier Media
LES LEYNE
In the Fast Leyne
Shell Canada gives up permits for B.C. protected marine area
Hina ALAM Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — Shell Canada Ltd. has given up its offshore exploration rights, clearing the way for the creation of Canada’s first protected marine area under the Canada Wildlife Act.
The company voluntarily released permits for about 50,000 square kilometres in an area off British Columbia’s coast to allow for the creation of the Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area.
The company’s rights cover an area more than one-and-a-half times the size of Vancouver Island, which is hard to value, said Shell Canada president Michael Crothers, at a news conference on Thursday.
“I hope we get some goodwill (in return),” Crothers said.
Even as Shell continues to explore for oil and gas globally, Crothers said they have no plans to do so off coastal B.C., particularly since the waters off the west coast have been under an exploration moratorium since 1972.
In 2016, Shell donated its controversial Arctic energy exploration permits north of Baffin Island to make way for Canada’s third national marine protected area.
The Scott Islands marine area was established in June, and conserves a vital marine environment for millions of seabirds, fish and mammals on the Pacific coast.
The area, covering 11,546 square kilometres, is located off the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island.
It provides key ecological breeding and nesting habitat for 40 per cent of the province’s seabirds, including 90 per cent of Canada’s tufted puffins and 95 per cent of Pacific Canada’s common murres, said an
Environment Canada news release.
The islands attract about five to 10 million migratory birds annually, many of which travel vast distances to feed on the abundance of small fish and zooplankton in the area. It is also important for other species at risk, and wildlife, the release said.
Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the federal government will provide $3.2 million over five years in funding for management of the area.
This money will also support research and monitoring and help work towards removal of the seabirds’ predators.
Wilkinson said the existing fisheries restrictions in the area will be maintained and his department is consulting with industry and conservation groups about new regulations that would further protect this area.
The regulations would prohibit fishing for certain species that are known to be sources of food for seabirds, he said.
“We will also be consulting with fish harvesters about regulations to prohibit groundfish, bottom trawling in portions of the marine national wildlife area.”
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society welcomed the announcement, which comes after nearly 17 years of consultation with federal, provincial and First Nations governments.
“I think it’s a fantastic move that those permits are going to be gone and they will no longer be a threat that any of those permits will be developed for offshore oil and gas if there’s a change in government,” said Sabine Jessen, national director of the society.
“I actually hope that some of the other companies that continue to hold licenses and permits in the area will follow suit.”
Vancouver Island retiree injured by mail bomb
Citizen news service
PORT ALICE — A retired pulp mill worker has been identified as the victim of a mail bomb attack in the tiny village of Port Alice on Vancouver Island.
The Mounties say they are investigating a targeted blast that went off when the victim opened a mail package at his home Tuesday.
Cathy Anderson says her neighbour Roger Nepper, who has lived in Port Alice for more than 30 years, was injured in
the explosion. She says her husband saw Nepper holding an injured hand when he climbed into a neighbour’s vehicle to be taken to the local health clinic.
Deputy Mayor Bruce Lloyd says Nepper is in his mid 60s and is known in the community of about 800 people as a former local boxing coach. Nepper’s family could not be reached for comment.
The RCMP has not identified who was injured but say the victim received serious, but non life-threatening injuries, and was taken to hospital.
Gov’t looks to sell Prince Rupert coal terminal
Nelson BENNETT Citizen news service
The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will try to do what the Stephen Harper government failed to do in 2012 – privatize Ridley Terminals Inc. in Prince Rupert.
Ottawa recently announced renewed efforts to sell the Crown-owned terminal, which is used to export thermal and metallurgical coal.
The terminal is an important logistical link for two key industries in northeastern B.C. – metallurgical coal and natural gas – and has the potential to improve and expand its operations at a time when its private counterparts at the port are investing in new facilities.
Previous attempts by the Harper government to sell the terminal failed, even though the facility was put up for sale when the price for metallurgical coal, which is the primary export commodity that moves through the terminal, and export volumes were still high.
By 2014, falling metallurgical coal prices began to take their toll.
In 2014, volumes of coal through the terminal fell by 40 per cent and operating profits fell 57 per cent, from $43 million in 2013 to $18 million, according to financial statements. Volumes fell another 38 per cent in 2015, resulting in a $63 million comprehensive loss for the terminal.
Between 2015 and 2016, two of the terminal’s customers went bankrupt, including Walter Energy, which operated three metallurgical coal mines in B.C. and shipped exclusively through Prince Rupert.
But Ridley Terminals’ economics are looking much rosier today.
Steelmaking coal prices are back up, and the coal mines that had been idled in Tumbler Ridge were reopened in 2016, after Conuma Coal Resources bought three idled coal mines from Walter Energy and restarted two of them.
Also, since 2012, roughly $100 million was invested in road, rail and other infrastructure improvements at the terminal.
Last year, the terminal turned the corner financially. It marked a 94 per cent increase in throughput volume and 45 per cent increase in revenue.
Not only have steelmaking coal prices recovered, but the terminal has also been diversifying.
AltaGas Ltd. is building a new $500 million propane export terminal at Ridley Island. And Royal Vopak N.V., a Dutch company, is also now eyeing Ridley Island for a new bulk terminal for natural gas liquids, diesel, methanol and other liquids.
Just last year, Ray-Mont Logistics opened a new pulse and cereal crop loading facility on Ridley Island.
Ridley is the only terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert that is government owned.
The port itself has been expanding in recent years, mostly in the area of container traffic.
“We’re one of the largest ports in the country and we have room to grow,” said Brian Friesen, the Prince Rupert Port Authority’s director of trade development and communications.
“We are just getting started.”
But now that the terminal is making money again, the government should hold onto it, said Nathan Cullen, NDP MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley.
“It’s frustrating that taxpayers poured a quarter-billion dollars into Ridley to keep this asset afloat in the lean times, but now that Ridley is generating healthy profits and a berth expansion is in the works, the Liberals arbitrarily seize on this as a time to sell,” Cullen said in a press release.
But if Ottawa wants to sell the terminal, doing so when it’s profitable is the time to do it, said Trevor Heaver, a professor who researches international shipping and port economics at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.
“How would you sell it when it was losing
money?” Heaver asked, adding that, generally speaking, a privately owned terminal can be more innovative and profitable than a government-owned one.
Dan Veniez, who was the terminal’s chairman from 2007 to 2009, agrees.
“Governments do not know how to run businesses, and this is a business,” he said.
“There’s a multiplicity of things that one could do to diversify and ensure the financial security and economic security of that asset in private hands that the government simply won’t allow.”
Ellis Ross, B.C. Liberal MLA for Skeena, which includes Prince Rupert, said the previous attempts to sell Ridley Terminals may have gotten bogged down in overlapping First Nations interests, and that it could still be a problem. He said First Nations are much more receptive to industrial partnerships than they were in the past.
But, Ross added, the federal government may still have a hard time striking a privatization deal that satisfies all the Tsimshian First Nations in the area.
“It’s going to be really, really difficult to get all the First Nations, either directly or indirectly affected, to get on the same page,” Ross said.
“They’re divided by the bands, and each band has a different claim on lands. So
when you’re talking about six or seven First Nations scattered along the coast, basically living under the Tsimshian name, you’re going to have conflict internally.”
That may explain why the federal government announced on Aug. 9 that it is starting the sale process by consulting with six First Nations first before it opens the terminal’s sale to a competitive bid in the fall.
Asked what he thinks the terminal might be worth, Veniez said the Paul Martin government was prepared to sell it for $20 million to $30 million but could find no takers. But that was back when it was, in Veniez’s words, “a perennial money loser.”
By the time the Harper government came to power, the terminal was in better financial shape. In 2012, it was valued at $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion, he said – “and they were getting expressions of interest at that level.”
But, he added, the Harper government had no real “champion” at the cabinet level to execute on the deal, and it seriously underestimated the importance of working with First Nations.
“It was just rank stupidity and incompetence,” Veniez said.
“The biggest roadblock was that they had no idea how to deal with the consultation and accommodation issue.”
Liberals looking for right NAFTA deal, Trudeau says
Citizen news service
SASKATOON — Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau brushed aside pressure for his government to finalize a renewed free trade deal with the United States by month’s end, commenting hours before Mexico piled on more pressure by saying they are also willing to cut Canada out of the pact.
Ottawa and Washington are working to reach an agreement that needs to be submitted to the U.S. Congress by Oct. 1 in order to join the deal the Trump administration signed with Mexico in August.
Trudeau says Canada’s negotiators have seen multiple deadlines imposed on talks, only to see negotiations continue long past them.
Speaking to reporters at a caucus retreat, the prime minister said negotiators will work to finalize an agreement before the end of the month, but plan to make sure they get the right deal for Canadians, not just any deal.
“We have seen various deadlines put forward as markers to work for,” Trudeau said.
“We’re going to continue to work towards the right deal for Canadians, a good deal for Canadians, and we’ll do the work
needed and try and get there as quick as we can, but we’re going to make sure we’re doing what is necessary to get the right deal for Canadians.”
Trump has indicated he would be quite happy to go forward on a deal with Mexico alone, and while Mexico has insisted it wants Canada to be in the plan, Mexican chief negotiator Kenneth Smith Ramos tweeted late Thursday that Mexico is fine with a bilateral deal as well.
“Mexico stated from the beginning of the negotiation that the ideal scenario is for NAFTA to remain trilateral,” he wrote.
“We hope the U.S. and Canada will conclude their bilateral negotiation shortly.
“If that is not possible we are ready to advance bilaterally with the US.”
Trudeau’s comments came at the end of a caucus retreat aimed at plotting strategy for next week’s resumption of Parliament and laying the ground work for the run up to next year’s federal election.
Trudeau kicked off the retreat on Wednesday with a distinct election flavour, touting the government’s record on aid for Canada’s middle class and stating emphatically that his party will always
stand up for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
At his closing press conference, Trudeau spoke of his government’s plan to introduce pay equity legislation – first promised in this year’s budget – and ratify a trade agreement with Pacific Rim nations, including Mexico. He said the Liberals will also stay focused on NAFTA talks, started last year at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump, to strengthen “the most successful trading relationship perhaps in the world.”
The outcome of negotiations, now in their 13th month, will determine the economic and trade relationship between the three North American countries, with numerous workers’ and industries’ prospects hanging in the balance.
Trump has threatened to forge ahead with a deal with Mexico if Canada can’t come on board by the Sept. 30 deadline to provide Congress with a preliminary text of an agreement.
Already, Congress is in a 90-day window to review the one-on-one deal with Mexico, which both sides want to have signed before Dec. 1 when Mexico gets a new president.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Trump mused about renaming the trade pact “USMC” – with “M” referring to Mexico and “C” for Canada-based on his disdain for the NAFTA moniker.
The report said Trump groused about Canada’s negotiators and expressed his frustration with the neighbour to the North.
He reportedly said he was willing to go ahead with a “USM” deal and drop the “C” if Canada didn’t sign on.
Trudeau said he has given little thought to the name of a renewed trade agreement, focused instead of “a broad range of issues” in talks that “will have a direct impact on Canadians’ jobs, on our economic growth and our prospects.
“These are things that we’re working on very seriously, rolling up our sleeves on. I don’t think we’ve spent much time talking about what the name or potential name or renaming could be,” he said.
The bulk carrier Unicorn Ocean is seen loading coal at Ridley Terminals in Prince Rupert on March 8, 2013. The federal government is looking to sell the Crown-operated coal terminal.
Page 9
Northern Traditional Homes Orioles pitcher Dylan Johnson throws against the Inland Control & Services Tigers on Wednesday night at Citizen Field. In Game 3 of the best-of-five playoff championship series, the Orioles won 6-4 and completed a sweep of the Tigers. The Orioles prevailed 7-4 in Game 1 and 8-0 in Game 2.
Orioles soar to senior baseball title
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
In Major League Baseball, the Orioles are the undisputed bottom-feeders of 2018.
Much to the chagrin of Baltimore fans the world over.
In Prince George, there’s nothing but joy around the Orioles’ nest.
The Northern Traditional Homes Orioles finished on top of the Century 21 Prince George Senior Baseball League, capping a perfect 6-0 playoff run with a 6-4 win over the Inland Control & Services Tigers Wednesday night at Citizen Field.
The O’s swept the best-of-five final series over the first-place regular-season finishers, capitalizing on quality pitching and timely hitting that pushed the team’s offensive output in the playoffs up considerably.
They averaged seven runs in the three games and no Orioles starter – Jon Bourassa, Craig Langille and Dylan Johnson –needed any relief in the run to the championship.
“I think that was our first winning streak – we won the last seven games,” said Langille.
“With the Orioles, it’s the pitching. Jonny (Bourassa) is incredible and we all threw complete games in both series. The pitching was huge and defence was great and we had a lot of key hits, too.
“Usually, Orioles ball is 2-1 or 3-1 victories and we were putting up an average (seven) runs and that was nice to see.”
Langille, who joined the Orioles last year, delivered his finest pitching performance in two seasons in Game 2 on Monday, an 8-0 shutout with 13 strikeouts, allowing just two hits over seven innings.
Usually, Orioles ball is 2-1 or 3-1 victories and we were putting up an average (seven) runs and that was nice to see.
— Craig Langille
“I was hitting spots and it was nice, especially against a team like that – the guys can swing it – it was really good,” said the 32-yearold Nova Scotia native.
Langille had another strong outing with his bat while playing centrefield in the clincher Wednesday, finishing 2-for-3 with two doubles and four runs batted in. He sparked the offence in the
second inning with a bases-loaded double that cleared the bases and put the Orioles ahead 5-0. But the Tigers did not go down quietly. They scored two in the fourth and two more in the seventh to make it a two-run game. But with a runner on base, Johnson forced heavyhitter Adam Norn into a game-ending ground-out to shortstop Kalen Kirkpatrick. The Orioles pitcher allowed four earned runs while striking out eight.
Lyle Boutin went 3-for-3 to lead the Tigers, driving in one run and scoring two himself.
Langille emerged as the top hitter and top pitcher of the postseason and was named playoff MVP. He went 7-for-11 in the first series, a three-game sweep of the P.G. Surg-Med Knights, then hit six-for-12 in the championship series with six RBI and three runs, including a home run in the second inning of Game 2. Bourassa also clubbed one over the wall in
Retooled Express much improved
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
Safe to say the Coquitlam Express is a much-improved team. There was plenty of room for improvement for a Coquitlam crew that went through the entire
2017-18 B.C. Hockey League season with just 10 victories. That train wreck of a season is now a distant memory and the Express has picked up steam with the addition of five new players committed to NCAA teams next season.
The Prince George Spruce Kings will find out firsthand how much Jason Fortier’s Express has ramped up its game when they play host to their Mainland Division rivals tonight and Saturday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
that second game and finished the series with six hits.
The mercury plunged to near freezing Wednesday night with a wind chill on top of that and rain, and that tempered the celebration on the field somewhat for the Orioles, who last won the playoffs in 2015.
“It was freezing cold (Monday) and last night was worse,” Langille said. “I haven’t played in that kind of cold since Halifax, when we play in October and have the cold wind coming off the ocean.”
The Orioles beat the Tigers 7-4 in the opener a week ago Thursday.
The Tigers eliminated the Queensway Auto World Red Sox in the other semifinal series.
Langille said his team thoroughly enjoyed playing the Knights, a team of teenagers fresh from winning the Western Canadian double-A championship in late August.
“They never make a mistake in the field, which bodes well for their coaching,” said Langille.
“They’re pretty young, so when it comes to hitting it’s a lot more difficult for them when they’re playing against grown men who have been pitching for 20 or 30 years. But they fared very well.”
“I certainly think they’re improved, they do have a lot of new faces and seeing their two games this past weekend it looks like they have some good offensive abilities for sure,” said coach Adam Maglio. — see COQUITLAM, page 8
T-wolves return to a new den
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
Two games into the U Sports women’s soccer season, the UNBC Timberwolves are belying their youth.
Despite being one of the youngest teams in the league, the T-wolves offered up plenty of positive signs in their opening weekend that they won’t be getting pushed around by their Canada West conference opponents.
In their first game they earned their first point and very easily could have left Kelowna with a win instead of a 2-2 tie – more than doubling the UBC Okanagan Heat in shots and scoring chances in their seasonopener.
The T-wolves lost the second game of the weekend 3-1 to Thompson Rivers University Sunday in Kamloops but were never out it, showing they have bought into coach Neil Sedgwick’s plan to keep the ball attached to their feet. They’ll be vying for their first win tonight (6 p.m.) when they host the University of Regina Cougars in their home-opener at Masich Place Stadium.
“I think we are feeling really confident,” said T-wolves second-year defender Mikaela Cadorette.
“We came out of the weekend not with the two W’s that we wanted, but knowing we succeeded in getting a lot of little things done – possession, winning balls in the air, and being there as a team for one another.
“We are sticking to what Neil is implementing in practice, and we are putting what we practice into play. We are keeping possession, we are trying to work the ball around and open up spaces, rather than a direct kick and run game. We are keeping the ball, playing through, getting platforms, and progressing through each stage of the field.”
Third-year midfielder Paige Payne was a beast for the T-wolves in the two games last weekend. The Kitimat native scored both her team’s goals in Kelowna and had five shots on goal against TRU. Regina (1-1-0) kicked off the season last weekend at home, losing 2-1 to Manitoba followed by a 2-1 triumph over Winnipeg.
On Sunday (11 a.m.), the T-wolves host the Saskatchewan Huskies (0-0-2), who tied Winnipeg 2-2, then played to a 1-1 draw with Manitoba on opening weekend.
The T-wolves will be playing at Masich for the first time this season, moving to the allweather field after six seasons on natural grass at North Cariboo Field. see UNBC men, page 8
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Coquitlam has more weapons this season
— from page 7
“Their D are pretty active in their O-zone – they like to get in there and try and help create, they have a pretty good crew and their top-six (forwards) are pretty fast and offensive-minded. We have to be aware of who’s on the ice for them. They look a little more mobile on the back end this year in all three zones. They play a run-and-gun, attack game and we need to make sure we’re structured and organized and in good spots to nab their speed.”
One of those new college recruits now playing for the Express is Chase Danol, acquired Saturday from the Surrey Eagles in a swap of forwards that sent Eric Linell to the Eagles, hours before the Express went to Surrey and skated to a 4-2 win. Danol, a 19-year-old forward, is committed to Bowling Green for 2019.
RIT recruit scored in each of the Kings’ two games last weekend. Kozlowski, who played two full seasons for the Express, will be playing the right side on a line with Dustin Manz and Patrick Cozzi, having moved up on the depth chart to the second line.
Three Express defencemen are collegebound, including returnee Jordan Schulting (UMass-Lowell), and newcomers Pito Walton (Princeton) and Jack Cameron (Dartmouth). They’ve also got Dartmouth recruit Clay Stevenson as the incumbent in goal. Forwards Danol, Dallas Farrell (Maine), and Alex DiPaulo (UMass-Amherst) are also on the verge of joining the NCAA. Tonight’s game marks the first clash against the Express for 20-year-old winger Sam Kozlowski, whom the Kings acquired in a trade from Coquitlam last week. The
“He’s going to be excited for it,” said Maglio. “He had a really good first weekend for us and he’s ready to build on that.”
The Spruce Kings (2-0-0) beat Chilliwack 5-1 and 2-1 to start the season. After a rather easy capitulation in the opener, the Chiefs made it difficult for the Kings in the second game and it wasn’t until the third period the defending Coastal Conference champions were able to flex their muscles and take control.
Logan Neaton, 19, played both games last weekend, allowing just two goals, and he will get the start tonight. Maglio plans to give 19-year-old Brad Cooper the nod to play the rematch on Saturday.
Kings centre Michael Conlin will miss both games. He’s out with a pulled groin.
The Kings will be in Chilliwack next weekend for the BCHL Showcase. They play afternoon games Thursday against West Kelowna and Friday against Penticton.
Dalton’s air attack lifts Bengals past Ravens
CINCINNATI (AP) — Andy Dalton threw four touchdown passes in the first half – three to A.J. Green – against a defence that has bedeviled him throughout his career, and the Cincinnati Bengals held on for a 34-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.
Dalton knocked the Ravens (1-1) out of playoff contention last season by throwing a 49-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the final game in Baltimore. On Thursday, he sliced-and-diced a defence that has more often gotten the upper hand in their AFC North rivalry, leading Cincinnati (2-0) to an early 21-point lead. Heading into the game, Dalton had thrown more interceptions (17) than touchdowns (15) against the Ravens, including a four-interception game at
Paul Brown Stadium last season. Dalton finished 24 of 42 for 265 yards, throwing four touchdown passes for only the fifth time in his career.
Green set the tone with touchdown catches of four, 28 and seven yards on consecutive possessions, a career high. Upset that he fumbled twice during a 34-23 win at Indianapolis on Sunday, he caught everything near him during the Bengals’ early surge.
Green finished with five catches for 69 yards.
Dalton’s 14-yard touchdown throw to Tyler Boyd made it 28-7 late in the first half.
Joe Flacco was sharp in an opening 47-3 win over the Bills, but couldn’t do anything against Cincinnati until the Bengals led by three touchdowns.
Captainless Canucks?
Vancouver may not name replacement for Henrik Sedin this season
Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks could be without a captain this season and they may not be the only Canadian team to forgo a designated leader.
The Canucks have said there’s no rush to replace Henrik Sedin, who wore the “C” before retiring with his twin brother, Daniel Sedin, at the end of last season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens are also currently without captains.
The role comes with a lot of responsibility, especially in a Canadian market, said Vancouver coach Travis Green.
“We had a great one here for a long time. We’ve had some great captains in Vancouver,” he said.
“I don’t think there has to be a rush to name a captain. I think if you do, I think you’re making a mistake. You gotta make sure whoever’s named the next captain is the right choice and is ready for the responsibility.”
Coaches and management will consider their options at training camp this weekend, but the role could go unfilled this year, said GM Jim Benning.
“We’re going to see the group and see who steps up. We don’t necessarily need to name a captain this year, if that’s what’s best for our team,” he said.
Bo Horvat is one name that has circulated in talks of leading the team into a new era. The centre is entering his fifth NHL season – all with the Canucks – and posted 22 goals and 22 assists last year.
The 23-year-old isn’t putting too much stock in the captain conversation, saying Thursday that the Canucks have “so many great leaders.”
“Anybody can wear a letter. Just because you have a letter on your jersey doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot,” he said.
“Obviously, it’s a great honour and it would be a dream come true, but at the same time I’m not going to change my game, I’m not going to change who I am. I’m just going to go out there and help this team win.”
If the Canucks choose not to hand out the “C” this season, they may not be alone.
Toronto has gone captainless since 20152016, choosing instead to name three alternates. This year, the alternates were handed to Patrick Marleau, Morgan Rielly and John Tavares, who signed a seven-year, US$77 million deal with the team on July 1.
Ottawa and Montreal both traded away their captains in recent days. The Senators sent defenceman Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, while the Canadiens dealt left winger Max Pacioretty to the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. Meanwhile, the Arizona Coyotes named 27-year-old Oliver Ekman-Larsson as their new captain on Thursday and the Carolina Hurricanes gave the role to 36-year-old right winger Justin Williams.
Seguin signs new deal
FRISCO, Texas (AP) – The Dallas Stars have avoided any lingering questions about the future of Tyler Seguin, signing the five-time All-Star centre to a $78.8 million, eight-year contract extension that goes through the 2026-27 season.
General manager Jim Nill announced the deal Thursday before the Stars departed Texas to start training camp in Boise, Idaho. The team posted a Mario-inspired video on its Twitter account celebrating the news. “Emotional. It was a process, a learning process this summer. Learning the whole business side of negotiations,” the 26-yearold Seguin said. “At the end of the day, I knew where I wanted to be. I knew where home was. That was here in Dallas.” — More NHL coverage, page 9
UNBC men chasing first win
from page 7
“We are really looking forward to playing at the stadium,” Cadorette told UNBC sports information officer Rich Abney. “The men played there three times last week, and we haven’t had that chance. We want to come out with a bang. We are hoping there are lots of fans out, rooting us on.”
The UNBC men (0-1-2) are still seeking their first win of the season and they’ll get just one chance this weekend to break that goose egg when they head to Saskatoon to play the Huskies (2-2-0) on Sunday starting
at 10 a.m. PT.
“We have had leads in all our games, and we have let those leads slip,” said T-wolves fourth-year midfielder and Prince George minor soccer product Liam Stewart. “We will learn from that, take the positives, and improve heading into this weekend. We are an adaptable team, so we match up well against everyone in the league.”
The T-wolves tied Trinity Western 3-3 on Friday and lost the second game of the doubleheader Saturday at Masich Stadium 2-1. UNBC started with a 1-1 tie with Victoria.
HENRIK SEDIN
Erik Karlsson carries the puck up ice for the Ottawa Senators during a Jan. 30 game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Karlsson joining Sharks
Citizen news service
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators promised they were going into rebuild mode earlier this week.
They weren’t kidding.
Ending months of speculation and creating yet another juicy headline, the Senators traded their franchise player – captain Erik Karlsson – to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
In the end, the defenceman and the Senators did not see eye to eye – with the deal being done on the eve of the first on-ice session at training camp.
“I don’t think I could have ever prepared for this, that’s why I don’t have anything written and I still haven’t wrapped my mind around what is going on,” said an emotional Karlsson. “As you said, there’s been a lot of noise for almost a year now, but I never in my wildest imagination thought that I was going to leave this place.”
The Senators dealt Karlsson and prospect forward Francis Perron to the Sharks. Ottawa gets forwards Chris Tierney and Rudolfs Balcers, defenceman Dylan DeMelo, prospect forward Josh Norris and two conditional draft picks. If San Jose re-signs Karlsson, Ottawa receives a conditional 2021 second-round selection – or a firstround pick (not lottery protected) if the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup final in 2019. Ottawa receives San Jose’s first-round choice in either 2019 or 2020 (not lottery protected). If the Sharks miss the playoffs in 2018-19, it will be a 2019 selection, otherwise it will be in 2020. Ottawa gets a second-round choice in the 2019 draft from San Jose (which will be the higher of the two picks the Sharks currently own – the Florida Panthers’ and their own).
The deal is sure to be a defining moment for a team that has had all kinds of problems on and off the ice in recent months.
The Senators took the unusual step of releasing a video late Monday night with defenceman Mark Borowiecki interview-
ing owner Eugene Melnyk, who made it clear the team was ready to rebuild. Many interpreted it as a sign that Karlsson’s days in Ottawa were numbered.
“This is the right moment for us to rebuild our team,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. “Shape our future with all these core pieces while adding a faster, younger and more competitive team on the ice. This trade represents the best opportunity for the Ottawa Senators to rebuild towards a consistent excellence that we are striving for.”
Dorion admitted the decision to rebuild was made in February, yet during town hall meetings with fans in April said, “at the end of the day it will be (Karlsson’s) choice. If we offer him a fair contract and he doesn’t want to sign here, then we will have to look at other options. The ball will be in his court.”
Karlsson, whose contract expires at the end of this season, doesn’t quite see it that way.
“I think they made it very clear in what direction they were going and unfortunately I wasn’t part of that and I respect that it’s their decision,” he said. “I was not part of that plan and that’s why we’re standing here today. From my point of view, that’s sad. I never wanted to leave this place, but at the same time I respect their decision.”
The Senators, who did offer Karlsson an extension over the summer, believed this was the best option.
“You get to a certain point and it’s probably best for all parties to move on,” said Dorion. “For the benefit of the organization, for the benefit of the rebuild, for the succession of the rebuild, I think today we made the proper decision.”
Selling that to the fans may be difficult, though. There were thousands of empty seats for some games last season, and the organization figures to face a similar challenge in 2018-19.
Karlsson is a two-time Norris Trophy winner and led or tied the Senators in scoring the past five years.
Canucks have spots for the taking
Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — The head coach of the Vancouver Canucks has a simple message for his players.
“Everyone should feel pressure,” Travis Green said Thursday as players reported for medicals and physical testing. “Our team got 73 points last year. There’s pressure to get better for everyone.”
Vancouver finished last season secondlast in the Pacific Division with a 31-40-11 record, and has lost stalwarts Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who retired after 17 seasons in Canucks jerseys.
The disappointing finish and the loss of the twins means there are jobs up for grabs as the squad heads to Whistler for training camp this weekend.
Green said he has lots of options to fill the roster, between returning veterans and up-and-coming youngsters like Swedes Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Dahlen.
“I think we have a team right now that, well, there’s a lot to be determined,” the coach said. “You look at our forward group and, man, there’s a lot of guys vying for jobs. I’m not going to pencil in guys to play in a certain spot yet. I want to see where everyone’s at.”
Returning players who fail to meet expectations could be sent down on waivers, said Canucks general manager Jim Benning.
“That’s what training camp is going to be for. We have extra players. The players know that. And it’s going to be how they show at camp,” he said.
Young players who’ve been battling for a roster spot need to take the next step, whether that’s offensively or otherwise, Benning said, adding that he’s spoken to many who seem to have put in a lot of hard work over the summer.
“They know what’s at stake. And I’m expecting them to come in and be better this year,” he said.
One Canuck who isn’t looking to make any big changes this season is right winger Brock Boeser.
The 21-year-old played 62 games for Vancouver before a broken back cut his first NHL season short. He still managed to put up 29 goals and 26 assists, and was a finalist for the league’s rookie of the year
award. “I think I don’t need to change my game at all,” Boeser said. “I think if I play the way I did last year, come to the rink every day with that same mindset, take it day by day, work hard and with these guys by my side, I think I can have the same season I did last year and hopefully build off of that.”
Still, Green wants to see his team produce more offence, especially with the Sedins out of the lineup. Combined, the twins tallied 105 points last year. Their impact wasn’t only on the score sheet, but in the locker room, too, said centre Bo Horvat.
“It’s tough to lose Hank and Danny because they were such keys to our group, but at the same time... there’s a lot of young kids that are going to come up, that are going to step in and try to prove themselves as every-day NHLers,” he said. Horvat is one of the players expected to take on a larger role this season. Last season, he played 64 games, notching 22 goals and 22 assists. Horvat things he can increase that point total.
“We want to keep getting better every year,” said the 23-year-old. “Scoring more goals and getting points is going to win us hockey games. That’s the most important part.”
Putting the puck in the back of the net has been a source of angst for the Canucks in recent years. The team scored 218 goals last season and was 26th in the league in that department.
Staff have spent “countless hours” this summer trying to find ways to light the lamp, Green said.
“It’s hard to score in this league,” he said. “There’s good goalies, there’s good teams and we’ve got to find a way to do it if we want to have success.”
While the Canucks have a promising group of young players, including Boeser and Pettersson, everyone will need to chip in when it comes to putting up points, the coach said.
“We’re going to have to do it by committee,” Green said. “I’m expecting a lot of our players to be better hockey players than they were last year. We’re going to need that.”
Manziel wondering why he’s not playing
MONTREAL (CP) — A healthy Johnny Manziel is wondering why he’s not starting for the Montreal Alouettes.
The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback returned to practice on Thursday and set the cat among the pigeons, asking out loud if the club had lost faith in him.
The 25-year-old said he had been healthy and available to play for the previous two weeks, fully recovered from the concussion he suffered in just his second start for the Als – a 24-17 loss to Ottawa on Aug. 11.
“If the club had faith in me, I feel like I would be the guy, I feel like I would’ve been the guy after I came back from the concussion,” Manziel said. “That hasn’t happened, so I need to continue to get out here. And it’s the hardest part about missing practice, I need these reps to try to leave as little doubt as possible in my ability to play.”
Manziel was at practice for the first time
this week after being sidelined by a flu bug that required IVs to replace fluids Tuesday and Wednesday. While he said he feels well enough to play tonight when the Alouettes (3-8-0) host the B.C. Lions (4-6-0), Antonio Pipkin is expected to start. Matthew Shiltz is the other quarterback on the Als’ roster.
“I hope this organization, I hope the people here haven’t lost faith in my ability to play, and I still get a chance to come back and get a chance to be in with the (starters) and play, because that’s what I came up here to do and that’s what I want to do,” Manziel said. Als coach Mike Sherman said it was “too soon” to predict whether Manziel would be the team’s third quarterback tonight.
“Seems like he’s doing better, so we’ll evaluate him a little bit more. I really haven’t even talked to the trainers about him other than the fact they gave him IVs yesterday at the doctors, and he’s feeling much better today,” Sherman said.
Broadway star dead at 57
Citizen news service
NEW YORK — Actress and soprano Marin Mazzie, a three-time Tony Award nominee known for powerhouse Broadway performances in Ragtime, Passion and Kiss Me, Kate, has died following a three-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 57.
Mazzie died Thursday at her Manhattan home surrounded by close friends and family, said her husband, actor Jason Danieley. Her death was confirmed by her publicist, Kim Correro.
Tributes came from all across Broadway, including Harvey Fierstein, who wrote, “Beautiful, brave and inspiring. A glorious voice and an even better human being” and Michael Urie, who called Mazzie “luminous.” Actor Daniel Dae Kim wrote: “The lights of Broadway all shine a little dimmer tonight.”
Mazzie’s broad career went from screwball comedy – in Kiss Me, Kate and Monty Python’s Spamalot on Broadway and the West End – to riveting, dysfunctional moms in Next to Normal and Carrie. She earned other Broadway roles in Man of La Mancha, Bullets Over Broadway, Enron and Into the Woods. She found out about her cancer diagnosis on the opening day of a concert production of Zorba! in May 2015 and refused to pull out. In one song, she sang: “Life
is what you do while you’re waiting to die.”
Mazzie later underwent a hysterectomy, a bowel resection because the cancer had spread and weeks of chemotherapy. She returned to Broadway a year later, replacing Kelli O’Hara in The King and I.
“It’s very emotional for me,” she told The Associated Press in 2016. “I’m so anxious and excited and thrilled to be able to bring, in essence, a new me back to the stage with what’s gone on in my life.”
The New York Times said Mazzie brought “a touch of brass” to the role of English schoolteacher Anna Leonowens. It praised her for a “husky quietness, and you hear the fragile heart beating beneath the stalwartly corseted form.”
Mazzie was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, in a home often filled with show tunes and original cast recordings. She attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo to study theatre, and her first job was in a musical at a dinner theatre in her hometown.
Mazzie made her New York stage debut in the 1983 revival of Frank Loesser’s musical, Where’s Charley? Her big break came playing Beth in Merrily We Roll Along at the La Jolla Playhouse in California in 1985, the first production outside New York.
Rebooted Murphy Brown a gem of new TV season
LOS ANGELES — There’s more new television to watch than is humanly possible. But everyone has to make a time-allocation decision in the end, and that’s what we’re here to help with.
Consider the list below a tip sheet to get you going on the fall TV season. Each of the six shows has something of note to offer, and some have the potential to be season (or beyond) standouts. Happy viewing, and the snacks are on you.
Murphy Brown
The unexpected success of Roseanne last season (before its sudden implosion due to star Roseanne Barr) would be enough to make this revival intriguing as another onetime TV hit eager to prove its relevance.
The original CBS sitcom starring Candice Bergen as a broadcast TV news anchor and reporter was unabashedly in the middle of politics and social issues when it aired from 1988-98, including going toeto-toe with Vice-President Dan Quayle over unwed motherhood.
Creator Diane English has said it was the chance to weigh in on Trump-era politics that persuaded her to put Murphy back to work, this time on the cable news side and with a bone to pick about so-called “fake news.” She’s joined by her former colleagues including Corky (Faith Ford), Frank (Joe Regalbuto) and Miles (Grant Shaud).
The show debuts on Sept. 27.
The Romanoffs
The Amazon Prime Video drama series makes the cut even without virtue of an early screening, thanks both to its pedigree and ambitions. It was created, written, directed and produced by Matthew Weiner of Mad Men glory and marks his return to series TV after his Emmy-showered drama ended in 2015.
An eight-episode anthology series, The Romanoffs promises a kaleidoscope of tales about people who fancy themselves descendants of the royal Russian family that fell victim to revolution. The cast changes from episode to episode, starting with Marthe Keller and Aaron Eckhart in The Violet Hour and Corey Stoll and Kerry Bishe in The Royal We.
The Romanoffs was shot on location in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The first two episodes debut Oct. 12.
My Brilliant Friend
HBO’s first non-English language series is based on the internationally bestselling novel of the same name, the first of four books by Elena Ferrante. That’s a pen name for the author who’s remained anonymous, creating as much a sensation for that choice as for the acclaimed saga of two women starting in their 1950s childhood in Naples, Italy.
The production is impressive, from the casting of the actresses playing friends Elena and Lila as girls (newcomers Elisa Del Genio and Ludovica Nasti) and as teenagers (Margherita Mazzucco, Gaia Girace) to its re-creation of the tough, unforgiving neighbourhood that served as their incubator.
There’s fidelity to the novel overall in the episode provided, a promising start for the extended series that will adapt the novels in full and which, hopefully, will air here. This season’s eight episodes are coming in November (date to be announced).
Warriors of Liberty City
The Starz documentary series has the power of fiction and beyond, delving into American lives rarely seen on TV.
Miami’s disadvantaged Liberty City neighbourhood is home to a youth football program, founded by 2 Live Crew frontman and activist Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, that’s helped launch Antonio Brown, Teddy Bridgewater and others into NFL careers.
While the twin football controversies of kneeling and concussions play out at a distance, the series provides intimate glimpses of Liberty City Warriors players on and off the field as they pursue the distant dream of a pro career and, more immediately, a winning season.
Their grit is impressive and touching, but it’s framed by the burdens of poverty, violence and lack of educational opportunities. Campbell’s program provides academic tutoring and tries to instill a work ethic that can serve beyond football, but who else is rooting for them?
The six-episode series created and directed by Evan Rosenfeld had a powerful ally: LeBron James was among its executive producers. It debuts Sept. 16.
The Kids Are Alright
This comedy fits snugly into ABC’s ethnic-family folio that includes black-ish, The Goldbergs and Fresh Off the Boat. But the newcomer about a workingclass, Irish-Catholic family in the 1970s isn’t riding anyone’s coattails: it’s sharply written, charming and boasts laugh-out-loud scenes.
Created by Tim Doyle, whose background mirrors that of the fictional Clearys, The Kids Are Alright gives the lovingly strict parents of eight (well-cast) sons their dignity as well as foibles as they navigate parenthood in a tumultuous decade.
Mary McCormack and Michael Cudlitz are actors best known for drama but shine as mom and dad, with McCormack getting the best punchlines in the debut episode and delivering them with aplomb. A sample: “We do not have the wherewithal in this family for any of you kids to be special.” Begins Oct. 16.
The Little Drummer Girl
For fans of the gripping, hugely entertaining The Night Manager that aired on AMC in 2016, there’s reason for celebration: executive producers of the Emmy Award-winning series based on a John le Carre novel are behind this le Carre adaptation.
The six-part miniseries stars Alexander Skarsgard (Big Little Lies, True Blood) and English actress Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) in a 1970s tale of espionage and intrigue. He’s a mystery man, she’s an actress with secrets of her own, and hovering over all is spy mastermind Kurtz (Michael Shannon, The Shape of Water).
As with any respectable international thriller, it was filmed on location in scenic locations including London, Prague and (bonus!) at the Acropolis and Temple of Poseidon in Athens.
There’s another notable producer besides Simon and Stephen Cornwell of the Emmy-winning Night Manager: le Carre himself, the pen name for 86-yearold author David Cornwell.
The Little Drummer Girl was published in 1983; his most recent book, A Legacy of Spies, was released last year. The drama airs Nov. 19-21.
Lynn ELBER Citizen news service
AP PHOTO
Candice Bergen attends the Murphy Brown panel during the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 5 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Clearing of the air
More Canadian university and college campuses going smoke-free
Sheryl UBELACKER Citizen news service
Agrowing number of university and college campuses across the country are now fully smoke-free – both indoors and out, says a report by the Canadian Cancer Society released Thursday.
The report says there are now 65 post-secondary institutions that prohibit smoking anywhere on campus, more than double the number in 2017, when 30 colleges and university campuses had implemented smoke-free policies. That’s also a dramatic rise from a decade earlier, when only four such institutions had full smoking bans.
Dalhousie University in Halifax was among the first to make its campus 100 per cent smoke-free, in 2003. Those that have followed include the University of Regina, McMaster University in Hamilton and George Brown College in Toronto.
“The trend is accelerating,” Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, said from Ottawa. “We’ve seen the feasibility at various colleges and universities doing it, which then prompts encouragement to nearby institutions to do the same thing.
“That’s positive because not only is there protection from secondhand smoke, but it’s a great motivator for smokers to quit because it’s less convenient.”
Of the universities and colleges that are smoke-free, many have policies that also apply to cannabis, hookah smoking and e-cigarettes.
But next month’s legalization of recreational marijuana is spurring many post-secondary institutions to strengthen current smoke-free policies and may prod others to bring in their own bans.
“Suddenly, it’s going to be legal to smoke cannabis. There are many underage students,” said Cunningham, noting that depending on the province, those under the age of 18 or 19 are prohibited from smoking pot.
The easiest thing for all of the country’s 260 colleges and universities to do, he said, “is to say you
A
can’t smoke anything anywhere on campus.”
At the University of Toronto, students have long been banned from smoking tobacco in residences and “the same will apply for smoking cannabis,” spokesperson Elizabeth Church said by email.
The university is reviewing its smoking policy for all three if its campuses, which bans smoking in buildings or “anywhere prohibited by law,” she said.
“Under Ontario’s Cannabis Act, use of cannabis will be banned in all workplaces and public spaces. At U of T, that includes offices, classrooms, libraries, athletic facilities, and campus grounds.”
The University of British Columbia is also in the midst of revising its smoking policies for both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, with proposed changes to
Next month’s legalization of recreational marijuana is spurring many post-secondary institutions to strengthen current smoke-free policies...
be presented to the institution’s board on Sept. 27, followed by a public consultation.
Currently, the Vancouver campus bans tobacco and cannabis smoking in buildings, bus shelters, inside university vehicles, and within eight metres of doors and air-intake vents, said UBC lawyer Michael Serebriakov. At the Okanagan campus in Kelowna, smoking is prohibited everywhere except in designated gazebos.
“The current version of the policy does not impose 100 per
cent smoking ban on either of the campuses,” he said.
“We have to take into consideration the legal rights of cannabis and tobacco smokers as well as consideration of people who are vulnerable to the impact of second-hand smoke. So at this point there is no general prohibition.”
Under the proposed policy changes, “cannabis and tobacco smoking and vaping will be treated in the same way as tobacco smoking is treated under the current policy,” said Serebriakov,
How much would you pay for one more day?
Petula DVORAK Citizen news service
If someone you love is dying, how much are you willing to pay for just one more day with them?
Doing the math, Melany Knott figured it cost about $1,100 a day. That got them 21 months.
“No regrets,” Knott said. “I wouldn’t change a thing. And I won’t wonder about anything.”
The Knott family auctioned off chain saws, goats and guns to raise some of the $695,000 they spent. They raided their savings, college funds, maxed credit cards and doubled down on the double shifts. They did fundraisers at the county fair and ran online tote bag sales to pay for untested treatment offered at a medical clinic in Mexico.
This was not the battle for a cure to their 13-year-old daughter’s monstrous, fatal brain cancer.
The doctors behind the mystery treatment have published zero studies on their findings and won’t even disclose the ingredients of the custom, chemotherapy cocktails.
But the Knotts were willing to gamble. One more day. One more month with their child. Maybe, one more year, even?
This began 21 months ago, when the youngest of their four daughters, Kaisy, was hav-
ing severe headaches. She was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG), an aggressive, inoperable, incurable, 100 per cent lethal brain cancer.
“It felt like I was being stabbed in the head,” Kaisy explained to me at the airport last summer, on her way to one of her $33,000 treatments in Monterrey, Mexico. And then, the pain stopped.
For a while, Kaisy was hailed as the Miracle of Monterrey.
She went from being unable to raise her right arm or walk to swimming in the ocean, kayaking, riding roller coasters and showing her hog and steer at 4-H competitions.
Other families started flying to the Mexico clinic from around the world – Norway, London, Italy, Australia – to take in the experimental and controversial cocktail of drugs that doctors injected into the children’s arteries.
“There she is! It’s Kaisy!” they would say when they saw her in the halls of the Mexico clinic, Melany said. And medical technicians had to act like bodyguards to shield Kaisy from the crowds.
Her Facebook page, Kick Butt KK, attracted thousands of followers. All this lasted 21 months.
Kaisy died on Monday.
“Mom, I can’t do this anymore,” she told Knott, in their Mount Airy home Sunday night. She went
from showing animals at a fair last month to being bedridden in a matter of weeks. On Monday, there was one, last “Mom.” And then she was gone.
Would Knott do anything differently?
All that flying, the fundraisers, nearly $700,000 gone. She has three other daughters, all in their teens, one in college.
Nope. The U.S. doctors told her to “go home and make memories,” she said. But Kaisy – the little girl who always won big awards showing her giant livestock – is a fighter. And Knott was going to fight for every single day. “You do anything for your kid,” she said. They decided, in these fighting days, they would do anything
Kaisy asked. They were lucky that Kaisy had simple, country tastes. No Make-A-Wish stuff. No trips to Disney World or Paris.
They dropped everything to go to Ocean City on a Thursday when they didn’t have hotel reservations. They swam, paddle boarded, got Starbucks whenever she asked, made 52 paracord bracelets when she became obsessed with making them.
“We were looking for quality,” she said. “And the Mexican treatments were less invasive and gave her quality.”
Knott supported a recent bill to raise awareness of DIPG, and even though it makes her uncomfortable to mingle in these circles, she’ll keep doing it. Because being uncomfortable is what Kaisy taught her to do.
“She was... the courageous one. The one who made me come out of my box,” said Knott, 40, a daughter of truckers who has lived her whole life in rural Maryland, with hogs, horses, steer and dozens of chickens.
Kaisy made her mom ride a roller coaster for the first time, go to the beach, ditch a day of work. She flew on a plane for the first time, got a passport, left the United States for the first time, rented an apartment in Mexico, became best friends with a Mexican medical
noting that the revised version is expected to be finalized and approved in early 2019.
The Canadian Cancer Society is also concerned about the growing prevalence of vaping, particularly among youth – a phenomenon the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration characterized this week as an “epidemic of addiction,” mainly driven by flavoured products.
“Most campuses adopting policies are applying them to smoking of anything, including cannabis, and applying it to e-cigarettes as well,” said Cunningham.
“But it is good for policies to be comprehensive,” he said. “One of the reasons for that is that you can consume cannabis through an ecigarette. That’s part of the context of why there shouldn’t be vaping either on campus.”
school student named Caesar who took care of Kaisy when they were there for treatments.
And on Wednesday, Kaisy did it again.
It took Knott 15 minutes of stalling to go into the funeral home. She threw up twice outside.
“I said: ‘You’re doing it again, Kaisy. Making me do something I never thought I would do,’” Knott said. “Then I busted out laughing.
“The funeral director looked at me like I was nuts,” she said. He was already freaking out because the funeral is going to be too big for his little parlor, and he had to move the whole thing to the biggest space in their tiny town – the local fire hall.
And then Knott had to explain to the nervous director that for 13 years, Kaisy challenged her mom. And dang it, even in death, she was doing it again. Knott has a deep fear of bodies, of the cold, limp feeling of death.
But Kaisy liked her hair braided, only by mom. And Knott knew that Kaisy wanted her hair done, one last time, only by mom.
So after puking and laughing, she walked up to her child’s body – clothed in the T-shirt, shorts and tie-dye Crocs she put out for what she hoped would be her first day of school this week – and braided her hair.
pedestrian walks past the Dalhousie Dentistry Building in Halifax. A Canadian Cancer Society report says 65 university and college campuses across Canada are now fully smoke-free.
KAISY KNOTT
BASIL GREEN Passed away in hospital on September 10th at the age of 76 years. He is survived by his wife, Lynne Green, daughter Wanda (Dwayne), sons; Scott, Darren (Laurie) & Jason (Darlene), ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A Memorial Celebration and potluck lunch for Basil will be held on Sunday September 16th from 1:00 - 4:00pm at the Eagles Hall 6742 Dagg Road, Prince George. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cancer Society and Heart & Stroke Foundation.
Florence Brantnall
Oct 14, 1940 - Sept 8, 2018
With great sadness we announce the sudden passing of Florence Brantnall. She joins her husband William Brantnall and her son Martin Brantnall. She is survived and will be greatly missed by her children Dennis (Kay) Brantnall, Tracy Brantnall, Joanne (Jaime) Bautista, 8 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, numerous other family members and good friends. Her Celebration of Life will be held in the summer of 2019. Date, place and time will be announced closer to the Celebration.
MARY BLOOM February 9, 1936September 3, 2018
With profound sadness we announce the passing of our beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She passed away peacefully surrounded by family.
Mary is survived by her loving husband of 60 years, Ronald. In addition, her four children: Allison (Bart), Dana, Jason (Julie) and Carter (Diane), seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Annie Flowerday. She was predeceased by her parents Matthew & Nettie Hrychuk, her siblings Helen, Matt, Bert, Walter, Steve and dear sister-in-law Helen Rogers. A Celebration of Life will be held September 22, 2018 at 12:00pm at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 3590 Dufferin Ave, Prince George, BC.
“Wherever a beautiful soul has been, there is a trail of beautiful memories”
On September 10, 2018 Marilynn Fremmerlid (née Bilokrely) aged 74, left us to join her parents Anne and Bill for a perogy feast in the heavens. Peter, her husband of 52 years, and her daughters Dayna, Leigh and Kelly held her hands, said goodbye for now, and sent her on this journey with love in their hearts. Marilynn loved animals, a good bargain, her family, flowers and gardening. As a generous spirit, it made her happy to distribute the wealth of her harvests. If you ever received tomatoes from her, you were surely loved. She would make enough delicious stew to feed an army, entirely because she wanted to share and make sure you were fed. Marilynn was well known as the “plant chick” and had an endless love and knowledge for growing and caring for plants and flowers, as was always displayed in her beautiful hanging baskets. Marilynn rescued many a pet over the years, and Felix her fat cat will definitely miss her snuggles... and oxygen he would sneak hits of. Marilynn moved to Prince George with her parents Bill and Anne Bilokrely and her surviving brother Ron Bilokrely (Dianne), from Saskatchewan in 1954. It was here that Marilynn laid roots that would last her lifetime. Marilynn leaves behind her sweetheart Peter whom she married in 1966 and the three daughters who kept her very busy; Dayna Smith (Steve), Leigh Endel (Brent Chilver), Kelly Fremmerlid as well as her beloved grandkids who knew her as Grama; Aaron and Aiden Smith, Nolan and Scott Endel. Her family and friends cherished every last moment, will remember her kind heart and will miss Marilynn dearly. Special thanks go to Dr. Powell and nurses, especially Heather, at the BC Cancer Agency clinic. You were all bright lights in this otherwise dark journey. There will be no services by request. In lieu of flowers, if you’d like to send a donation in memoriam, Marilynn would have truly appreciated if it could go to the Prince George Hospice Society. This special place didn’t just move Heaven and Earth to make Marilynn’s last days peaceful... they moved Earth to Heaven.
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Linda Margaret Martindale (nee Reid) 1948 - 2018
Daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, pediatric physiotherapist, friend to many. Predeceased by her parents Pat and Herb. Survived by her sister Patricia, husband Michael, son Graeme (Martha), grandchildren John and Celia; daughter Christine (JP) grandchildren Gavin and Jasper. Thanks to Dr. McCoy, staff at Cancer Hospital for the North, homecare nursing, hospice staff and a profound sense of gratitude to those who laboured to establish the Cancer Hospital for the North. Bless you all. Time of service to be determined. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Cancer Hospital for the North.
When we were young, we heard that when one passes, one becomes a star in the heavens. She is a star there now; and where she was, was Heaven.
John Patrick McKeown patriarch of the McKeown family, passed away peacefully September 6, 2018. He was born in Cutknife Saskatchewan on May 20, 1929. Pat was always a cowboy and most comfortable on the back of one of his beloved Arab horses. He remained committed to, and loved by, his soul mate of 70 years, his wife Dorothy. Proud father of his daughter and five sons; he bragged about their expertise in any endeavour they took on. He had a wicked sense of humour, an avid news- junkie, loved working in his leather shop, a breeder of fine Arabian horses, a gentleman, teller of stories, loved trail riding and cattle drives and was a great role model for his family and friends. Predeceased by his parents Jack and Florence, his beloved son Ted and great grandson Ethan, as well as brothers Paul, Lonard, and sister Faith.
Survived by his precious wife Dorothy, his daughter Laurel (Brad) and daughter in law Janet; sons Neil (Gail), Lloyd (Phyllis), Colin (Lauri) and John (Tammy); grandchildren Joshua (Robert), Kim (Mitch), Michael (Angie), Kelly (Ryan), Scott, Megan, Jessica (Darrell), Brittany (Tyler), Shaun (Jeanie), Shaela (James), Daryl (Ashley), Daniel (Alisha), Darcy (Kristen), Samantha; 19 great grandchildren and his sisters Melba, Patricia and Beverly. He will remain eternally in the hearts of his family and friends. See you in heaven dad, we are blessed with a legacy of stories, family history, jokes and hysterical anecdotes. The family has held an intimate and noisy celebration of his life. There will be a funeral at College Heights Baptist Church Saturday September 15 at 1:00 with cake and coffee to follow in the reception area.
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Obituaries
MONEY IN BRIEF
Currencies
OTTAWA (CP) — These are indicative wholesale rates for foreign currency provided by the Bank of Canada on Thursday. Quotations in Canadian funds.
The
markets today
TORONTO (CP) — A hefty pullback in the shares of discount retailer Dollarama and some big names in the marijuana business pushed Canada’s biggest stock market down in Thursday trading. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 47.31 points to 16,001.71, after hitting a low of 15,987.21 on 221.6 million shares traded. Dollarama was unquestionably the big story of the day, said Michael Currie, vice-president and investment adviser at TD Wealth. Its shares were the worst TSX performer of the day, closing down 17 per cent to $43.12 after missing analyst forecasts in its second quarter.
“The numbers didn’t look that terrible,” he said in an interview.
“What really hit them is this is the second time they had a bit of a miss... Expectations were so high it didn’t take much bad news to knock them down sharply.”
Currie said Dollarama has been an investor favourite that has always justified its high trading valuation by coming out with good news quarter after quarter. It even increased its margin forecast on Thursday.
“I think you’ve got people acting a little bit spoiled by nothing but fantastic numbers and when you are at a high valuations again you’re at a risk for a bigger drop for even a small miss,” he added. Its losses drove a nearly two per cent decrease for the consumer discretionary sector, the second worst performer on the day.
Another volatile day for Canada’s largest cannabis companies also had an impact on the TSX and caused the health-care sector to drop by 8.7 per cent.
Base metals performed the best, followed by real estate, information technology, utilities, financials and industrials.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 147.07 points to 26,145.99. The S&P 500 index was up 15.26 points to 2,904,18, while the Nasdaq composite was up 59.48 points at 8,013.71. The American markets were helped by Apple Inc., whose 2.4-per-cent increase following the introduction of new smartphones helped the key technology sector.
The Canadian dollar was trading at an average of 76.94 cents US compared with an average of 76.84 cents US on Wednesday. The U.S. greenback fell again Thursday as the consumer price index rose less than expected in August, suggesting that the pace of interest rate hikes could be slower than observers were anticipating, said Currie.
The October crude contract was down US$1.78 at US$68.59 per barrel, as it fell two per cent from Wednesday’s four-month high.
Quebec-made biofuel to power airline flight
company to proclaim the plane will emit 30 per cent less greenhouse gases than a regular flight.
MONTREAL — Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight heading to Zurich from San Francisco today will be propelled in part by a biofuel created by a Quebec company aiming to clean up the skies.
Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. is the firm behind the biofuel made from Carinata mustard and company founder and president Steve Fabijanski believes it could help dramatically decarbonize the aviation industry.
“For me, this is a very good example of Canadian innovation and especially innovation from Quebec in terms of looking at green solutions,” he said in an interview from Paris with The Canadian Press.
Thirty per cent of the jet fuel used in the Boeing will be replaced by the biofuel, leading the
Fabijanski said he believes his company’s product is the greenest biofuel ever used in a plane to date and that partnering with United Airlines will serve as a showcase for attracting new projects.
With a flight time of 11 hours, the California-to-Switzerland flight will be the longest transatlantic trip to date using biofuels and the second time Agrisoma’s mustard-based product will be used in a commercial flight.
Last Jan. 28, it was used in a 15hour transpacific Qantas Airways flight between Australia and the United States.
In that instance, the mustard biofuel replaced 10 per cent of the jet fuel.
Currently, international aviation technical and regulatory rules limit the amount of biofuel that can be used in commercial
aircraft to 50 per cent.
“Fifty per cent is the goal (for the company) and at 50 per cent, you’re making a significant impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Fabijanski.
As the number of air passengers has steadily grown, the aviation industry has set as a goal reducing CO2 emissions by 50 per cent compared to 2005 levels.
The industry is responsible for two to three per cent of global emissions.
Steven Guilbeault, an environmental activist and co-founder of Equiterre, says Agrisoma’s biofuel paves the way for air carriers to take a significant step in reducing their carbon footprint.
“As an ecologist, what matters to me is that this type of technology is spreading and, as a Quebecer, I won’t hide the fact it makes me proud that it was developed in our backyard,” he said.
The head of Cycle Capital Management, one of Agrisoma’s
principal investors, didn’t hesitate to promote the virtues of biofuel.
“If we put just 10 per cent of this fuel in all the planes around the world, we would accomplish great things,” said Andree-Lise Methot, the founder of the cleantech venture capital fund manager.
On top of the aviation industry, Methot said one of the main qualities of Carinata mustard is that it can grow on land that is not meant to feed people.
So unlike ethanol, for example, its cultivation is not done at the expense of food.
Once the oil is extracted from the plant, the residue becomes a protein-rich byproduct that can be used as feed for livestock.
“Carinata grows when nothing grows, it grows in difficult conditions, it’s what I call a seed adapted to climate change and, in addition, it yields two beautiful products: biofuel and organic food for animals,” she said.
Carr skipping G20 trade meeting
Mike BLANCHFIELD Citizen news service
OTTAWA — Canada’s new international trade minister is taking a pass on a meeting of his G20 counterparts in Argentina on Friday.
Jim Carr was recently shuffled into the portfolio with the main purpose of diversifying Canada’s economic relations with countries other than the United States, its largest trading partner.
The G20 includes China, India and Brazil – countries that Canada is keen to expand economic ties with.
Carr’s spokesman says the minister will attend an event in his home province of Manitoba on Friday, and that Canada will be represented at the G20 meeting by Canada’s deputy minister for international trade.
Carr will be in Winnipeg to announce the start of repairs of the railway line that runs to Churchill, Man. Sections of track were washed out during a May 2017 flood, wiping out the only land link to the town on Hudson Bay.
Carr’s absence from Friday’s G20 gathering does not diminish Canada’s commitment to the group or the international trading system, said spokesman Joe Pickerill.
“We absolutely believe in the rules-based system, the international trading order on which we’ve depended for our prosperity for decades,” said Pickerill.
Pickerill pointed to the fact Carr will host a small group trade ministers, many of whom are G20 members, next month in Ottawa to discuss much needed reforms to the World
Trade Organization.
The agenda is still being crafted, but government officials said ministers from Australia, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland and the European Union have been invited.
Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative, will also be absent from the gathering of G20 trade ministers on Friday.
That has fuelled speculation that Lighthizer might be holding his schedule open for a return visit to Washington by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, his political coun-
terpart in the ongoing renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Canadian and American negotiators continued their talks Thursday after Freeland’s latest visit to Washington on Tuesday.
Freeland briefed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the state of the NAFTA talks at the Liberal caucus retreat in Saskatoon on Wednesday.
Afterwards, she said lead negotiator Steve Verheul and David MacNaughton, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, would return to Washington to resume negotiations.
The G20 leaders’ summit is set for later this fall in Buenos Aires.
A leading international affairs analyst said it is not necessarily a bad thing that Carr and Lighthizer decided to skip Friday’s G20 ministerial meeting.
The G20’s relevance and importance has been fading over time since its creation a decade ago to deal with the Great Recession of 2008-09, said Fen Hampson, a global policy expert with the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ont.
“It underscores the diminishing relevance of the G20 as an institution,” he said.
Trudeau said Thursday the government planned to pass legislation this fall allowing Canada to join the re-booted Trans-Pacific Partnership that includes 10 other Pacific Rim countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the original TPP in January 2017.
“Many a small thing has been made large by the right
Stephane BLAIS Citizen news service
CARR
AGRISOMA
A Carinata mustard field is seen in this undated handout photo. Quebec-based Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. has developed a biofuel using Carinata, which will make up 30 per cent of the fuel for a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Zurich today.