TECHNOLOGY: Awards handed out at annual gala A10 Friday, January 13, 2012
Stockwell Day challenges everyone to be better A3
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Coping with fire aftermath ■ Sikh Community
Chahal shocked with arson blaze that claimed a life Teresa Mallam
“He’s been here a long time. His wife passed away a few years ago. He has five children: two sons, one A local Sikh leader has in Prince George, one in expressed shock and disQuesnel, and I believe his may at the death of one three daughters live in the the community’s most Lower Mainland. They are respected elders. all very well educated and Jagdev Singh Jawanda, successful.” 85, died in a deliberately Funeral services for set house fire on Jan. 7. Jawanda take place at AssWilliam Edward Marman’s Funeral Chapel, 1908 ion, 49, a tenant in the Queensway starting at 11 house, has been charged a.m. on Saturday. Followwith arson. He faces ing the church service and manslaughter and other cremation, there will be a criminal charges in conmemorial service at the Guru nection with the earlyGobind Singh Temple. morning blaze. “We are expecting a very Meanwhile members large attendance,” said Chaof the local Guru Gobind hal. Singh Temple try to come Reached at his home in to terms with their loss. Kelowna, Sohan Singh “We are shocked at Khangura, a retired teacher, the news,” said Nachtold the Free Press Thursday hattar (Nick) Singh Chaabout Jawanda, his longtime hal, treasurer of Guru friend. Gobind Singh Temple “He was a good man,” Assocation. “It is a tersaid Khangura. “I had him rible incident involving and his brother in my home Mr. Jawanda. We miss when they first came to him very much.” Canada in 1965. I picked He says members of them up from the airport. the temple will be folMr. Jawanda was principal lowing any related court of a school in the Punjab. He case or other legal prohad his Masters degree and ceedings. he believed very strongly in “He was very active Teresa MA LLA M/Free Press education. Two of his daughin the Sikh temple, very educated about Sikhism Nachattar Singh Chahal was shocked to hear of the deal Sikh ters are medical doctors, his son in Quesnel is a dentist and very much dedi- leader Jagdev Sing Jawanda. and his other son in Prince cated to this temple. Chahal describes Jawanda as active, George is a teacher.” “He was a past president. Actually it hardworking and ambitious. The house Khangura’s cousin, Rajinder Singh was his intention to put his name forwhich was torched last weekend was Khangura, says he heard that Jawanda ward as president in a few months when built on land bought many years ago as managed to come out of his burning our present board is dissolved. He was an investment, he said. house Jan. 7 but returned to retrieve a very determined to be president again.” “It used to be an old trailer park,” said religious statue that was important to Jawanda, a retired math teacher, was Chahal. “He bought the trailer park, then him. polite and well-liked, he said. subdivided the land into residential lots “My understanding is there was “He was very nice, a gentleman and a and built his house on one of them. He already heavy smoke in the house when good teacher. He taught at Duchess Park was a good businessman.” Mr. Jawanda went back in. school in Prince George and also moved Chahal says Jawanda immigrated from “It is very sad.” to McBride to teach before he retired.” India in the 1960s.
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De Ly nd a PILON/ Fre e Pre s s
Premier Christy Clark at the B.C. Natural Resource Forum Thursday.
Huckleberry permit OK’d DeLynda Pilon newsroom@pgfreepress.com
There will be 300 steady well-paying jobs in the Smithers area over the next nine years, security for 230 existing jobs and 70 new ones, following an announcement by Premier Christy Clark that Huckleberry Mines was given the green light for its expansion. “The North really is the beating heart of our economy,” Clark said at a press conference Thursday prior to delivering the keynote address to the ninth annual B.C. Resource Forum. The expansion will begin in 2012 and the mine will pay about $254.4 million in wages and benefits to its employees over its lifetime. Another $119 million will be spent on new acquisitions and $82 million will go towards dam construction. The project expansion, according to Minoru Yamaguchi, president and CEO of the Huckleberry Mine, is the result of the mine, the Cheslatta Carrier Nation and the province working together. “We believe this expansion is a powerful example of how to get things done in B.C.,” Yamaguchi said. “They understand the importance of a job and supporting your family,” Clark said of the Cheslatta Carrier Nation. Chief Richard Peters said the relationship between the nation and the mine had basically gone nowhere in the past, however they committed last year to work on that relationship, and this expansion is the fruit of that labour. Clark added the announcement is proof that the B.C. Jobs Plan, which promised nine expansions and eight new mine openings were promised by 2015, is already working. “It’s an ambitious goal, and this is part of meeting that goal,” she said.
Jan 13th
FortisBC Minor Hockey Night
Jan 13th & 14th
the Cougars welcome Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Jan 13th - Autographs available Jan 14th - A lucky fan will have a chance to compete against Hart in an on-ice competition as well as win a trip for 2 to see the Canucks play. Call the Cougars office at 250-571-0783 to register.