Surrey Now May 27 2014

S U R R E Y - N O R T H D E LTA E D I T I O N

More melodrama Deeply embedded in province’s never-ending dispute with BCTF is mistrust and lack of respect.

KEITH BALDREY, 8

TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014

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JULIE PASKALL

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EDUCATION

Portables add to $8M shortfall StrongStart may be in the crosshairs as school district faces tough decisions.

CHRISTOPHER POON, 5

‘A trainwreck of a history’ Teachers’ rotating strike doesn’t surprise Shawn Wilson, considering the history.

CHRISTOPHER POON, 6

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Now that charges are laid in her murder, let’s honour Julie Paskall by becoming better neighbours COLUMN BY JUDE HANNAH, 3

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NEWS

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Send your story ideas or photo submissions to ‘Now’ editor Beau Simpson at edit@thenownewspaper.com

Julie Paskall

Newton’s crisis is now an opportunity GuestColumn Surrey murder victim Julie Paskall’s husband Al Paskall, left, talks to media on Saturday afternoon in Surrey with IHIT’s Kevin Hackett. (Photo: AMY REID)

Julie Paskall

Jude Hannah

F ‘The face of evil looks like a paperboy’ Paskall family relieved, shocked as murder suspect appears in court Amy Reid and Kristi Alexandra

Now staff Twitter @amyreid87, @kristialexandra

SURREY — After seeing her sister-inlaw’s alleged killer for the first time, Joan Ross was shocked.

“The face of evil looks like a paperboy,” she told the Now. “I don’t believe he was alone – he was so small.”

Yosef Jomo Gopaul, 27, is charged with second degree murder in the death of Julie Paskall. He first appeared in Surrey provincial court Monday morning.

Wearing a blue fleece sweater, a sombre Gopaul was remanded and is next due in court on June 13.

Simon Buck, part of the defence in the Surrey Six trial, is Gopaul’s lawyer. At the Surrey provincial courthouse Monday morning, Buck said he is “not prepared to talk about the case.”

It was coincidental and fortuitous that

on Saturday, the same day Gopaul was charged, Paskall’s family gathered as the city dedicated a plaque and tree to the late hockey mom at Holland Park.

At 11 a.m., Paskall’s family gathered in the park to see the memorial being placed, and then headed to RCMP headquarters in Green Timbers to learn more about the man who allegedly took her life.

Martin Ross, Paskall’s only sibling, said Saturday was a day of emotional ups and downs.

“This morning we had the dedication at Holland Park and that was good for the family, to be gathered around and to have something to remember their mother and sister and daughter. That was a positive experience.”

News of a murder charge was the “icing on the cake.”

While news of a suspect being apprehended was positive for the family, it was also difficult.

“It brings back a lot of memories from four-and-a-half months ago,” he said after a press conference Saturday.

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riday’s announcement of an arrest in the Julie Paskall murder case took me by surprise. I was thrilled that police had a suspect in custody.

My initial excitement was immediately followed by tears and emotion – relief, tempered by sadness over the senselessness of it all.

To say Paskall’s vicious beating and subsequent death rattled our community would be a gross understatement.

Back in January, there were demands for more police, more mental health services, a tightening of regulations on recovery homes that are often just flop houses and a call for the city to take meaningful action on its plans for revitalization of the Newton Town Centre, the area where the attack occurred.

There is definitely room for improvement on all fronts but we also need to change a system that allows chronic offenders to be back on the streets time after time (sources say the suspect is known to police).

However, amid all the sadness, frustration and acrimony of this dark time, a little ray of sunlight began to emerge in the Newton community.

We realized we are just that – a community.

We came together and decided we weren’t going to allow some punk’s violent act define us. We are so much more than that.

Like many parts of Surrey, Newton is a neighbourhood undergoing changes. We are on the brink of creating a new and vibrant downtown core.

When you walk along 137th Street between Starbucks and the wave pool, past the Espresso Café and the ethnic grocery

shops, you can see that this street and surrounding area has really good “bones.”

Great things are going to happen here in the next few years. In fact, if you frequent the places around the recreation centre and bus loop, you may have noticed neighbours getting together and creating happy, surprising and whimsical displays of hope, resilience – and most of all fun.

The Friends of the Grove, led by Newton resident David Dalley, held an event in May that attracted hundreds. The message?

People can complain and bitch all day long, but what truly creates change is doing

Let’s talk to one another.

Smile. Ask the person behind you in a grocery store line up how their day is going. It’s so simple. something positive and uplifting.

So let’s take a moment, remember Julie and her family and thank the police who are doing the best job they possibly can.

Then let’s decide that the very best way to honour Julie Paskall and all other victims of crime is to become better neighbours. That’s the message Julie’s husband Al so eloquently conveyed at her memorial in January.

Whether that’s at home or out on the street. Let’s talk to one another. Smile. Ask the person behind you in a grocery store line up how their day is going. It’s so simple.

Newton, you have scars, but they are healing.

We’ve undergone the crisis, now comes the opportunity.

Let’s not waste it.

Jude Hannah is a blogger with ReNewton Nation and community activist.

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NEWS Julie Paskall case

Gopaul was on police radar one month after murder ‹ from page 3

“It’s not closure. It’s not going to be closure for quite a number of years,” Martin said. “It’s good news that this person is off the streets and is not going to hurt anybody else. I think that’s probably the biggest relief.”

The Brampton Guardian reported a man by the same name was charged with aggravated sexual assault in 2010.

On Jan. 1, 2010, at approximately 2:30 a.m., a 29-year-old woman was attacked on the street. She was pushed to the ground and dragged toward a nearby creek, the newspaper reported.

The suspect fled on foot after a witness began to approach them.

The victim sustained injuries to her face and body. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was treated and released.

Through the course of the investigation, it was learned that the suspect had contact with the victim earlier that night at a local establishment. He was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault.

A representative from the Ontario Court of Justice did not find anything in the court system under the man’s name, but said

that doesn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t convicted.

Peel Regional Police confirmed a man by that name was charged in 2010, but would not comment on the outcome of the charge, only saying, “the matter was dealt with here in Peel. It was completed here.”

Last Saturday, Integrated Homicide Investigation Team spokesperson Supt.

Kevin Hackett wouldn’t confirm if the man charged in Brampton was the suspect in the Paskall case, but did say the man had a criminal record from another province.

Hackett said Gopaul came to the city from Ontario eight weeks prior to the attack. He did not know why Gopaul made the move, but said he had a fixed address in Surrey.

Police knew of the suspect within the first month of the investigation, Hackett said.

When asked if police confirmed the motive behind the attack to be robbery, and perhaps found Paskall’s purse, Hackett said he couldn’t comment, as doing so could jeopardize the case through the court process. He would only say, “We are here because we’ve got the evidence.”

“Our combined investigation efforts to date have been extensive,” Hackett said.

“It included a significant canvas of the

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area, review of approximately 1,000 hours of video footage and countless hours of physical surveillance.”

Hackett couldn’t say whether police suspect Gopaul is responsible for other attempted robberies in the area, only saying police continue to investigate.

During Saturday’s press conference, Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Bill Fordy took to the podium and sent his condolences to the Paskall family.

He said the crime touched him as a citizen of Surrey, police chief, hockey dad, hockey player and former coach.

Fordy said in the weeks following Paskall’s murder, he attended community meetings and received many calls. He had this to say to residents: “I heard you crystal clear. Your concerns, fears, frustration and suggestions.

But, I also heard and felt and saw your support and your trust.”

Paskall, a 53-year-old hockey mom, was brutally beaten in what police believe was an attempted robbery on Dec. 29, 2013 while picking up her son from the Newton Arena.

She died days later in hospital.

She was a volunteer with Surrey Minor Hockey Association. Her murder was the 25th homicide in Surrey last year, which was

a record for the city.

Paskall is survived by her husband Al, their 16-year-old son and two adult daughters. Her death spurred public outcry for increased safety in the community.

In the wake of the murder, Surrey RCMP increased foot and bike patrols in Newton, targeting drug dealing, drunkkenness and prostitution in the town core. The city also added lighting and closed circuit television coverage in the area.

Mayor Dianne Watts said foot patrols and community policing would be upheld.

“When you have around the clock surveillance on a suspect, now that the suspect is apprehended, of course those resources will be redeployed. But as far as the community policing piece, that will remain intact,” Watts said.

“Most certainly, today is a day of celebration, that this individual has been caught,” she said, adding that the murder “hit everybody to the core.”

“Especially something that is such a random act of such violence. And from somebody that has only been in the city eight weeks. That in itself will even strike a deeper chord.”

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A05

NEWS Education

Surrey school district faces $8M shortfall Christopher Poon

Now staff Twitter @questionchris

SURREY — As the largest school district in the province continually looks to portables as a means of housing a growing student base, those costs are part of the blame for an $8-million shortfall in the Surrey school district’s next budget.

Surrey Board of Education chair Shawn Wilson said while $4 million of the shortfall can be made up using unspent funds from other areas in this year’s operating costs, the remaining half equals how much portables cost the district each year.

“The fact that we have so many portables adds around $4 million, which is what we’re short. It adds so much to the operating costs,” said Wilson.

While the province pays the full cost of new schools and classroom expansions, the cost of temporary space solutions like portables is paid by school districts. In a place like Surrey where growth is constant, that means millions of dollars in expenses

that could otherwise have gone towards educational programming.

“If we didn’t have to deal with the extra costs of portables, we would be able to balance the budget,” said Wilson.

Surrey has 281 portables, and it can cost anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 to move, prep and maintain a portable each school year.

Fellow trustee and vice-chair Laurie Larsen said the board has some difficult decisions ahead. “No matter where we take the funds from it will hurt the classroom,” she said. “We have a ‘StrongStart’ program and that might be something that’s affected.”

StrongStart aids families in learning the ins and outs of having a child in the school system, and is especially deemed useful for helping immigrant families integrate into the local education system.

The budget is expected to be finalized at the June 19 board meeting. In the meantime, Larsen said it’s up to parents to push local MLAs and the province for more funding for the district.

Please join us at our second Open House for the Riverview Lands.

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Date: Saturday, May 24, 2014 Time: 2:00pm – 6:00pm (Drop-In) Place: Dogwood Pavilion, Mike Butler Room 624 Poirier Street, Coquitlam (Entrance off Winslow Avenue) Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 Time: 4:30pm – 7:30pm (Drop-In) Place: Kyle Centre 125 Kyle Street, Port Moody (Entrance off St. Andrews Street) If you cannot attend the open house in person, please visit our website, www.renewingriverview.com, where you can participate in our online open house starting May 25, 2014.

You can also contact us at: t: 604.439.8577 | e: questions@renewingriverview.com m: 1700 - 4555 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC, V5H 4V8

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NEWS Teachers’ job action

No school Thursday in Surrey and White Rock In Delta, all classes will be cancelled on Wednesday Christopher Poon

Now staff Twitter @questionchris

SURREY — While B.C. teachers may have kicked off their job action yesterday (Monday) in other districts, Surrey and White Rock won’t feel the effects until Thursday.

That’s when the rotating job action is set to hit the province’s largest school district, effectively shutting down all schools in the two cities as teachers walk off the job for a day.

The job action will go ahead despite the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association putting additional pressure on the teachers by imposing additional lockout measure announced late last week.

Those measures include disallowing teachers to interact with students during lunch and recess, as well as ordering them to arrive to work no earlier than 45 minutes before school starts and leave no later than 45 minutes after it ends.

Furthermore, BCPSEA will cut teacher pay by 10 per cent if they do in fact walk off the job. Secondary school lockouts would also take place on June 25 and 26 with a total lockout taking place on June 27 if teachers do not reach a deal by that point.

In response, B.C. Teachers Federation President Jim Iker said Thursday that the government is demonstrating bad faith bargaining by using students as leverage.

He noted that the BCTF’s original intent was to still allow teachers to help students and participate in end of year events and planning, but that is no longer possible if the province’s lockout carries through.

However, later that same day the BCPSEA came out with their own media conference denying that the lockouts would affect students and that teachers were still free to do whatever they like in their spare time such as attend grad ceremonies or participate in extra-curriculars.

In Surrey, local teachers took to the streets last Wednesday to rally community support.

Nicole Jarvis, a substitute teacher and the organizer of the rally, wanted to inform the public on the measures the provincial government has put on teachers.

“The intent of the rally is to get people

engaged in the concept of education and education funding, and having people pay attention to government and what they are doing,” she said.

“If standing on a busy street with a Jim Iker sign can cause people to ask more questions to government and ask them to be more accountable, then I’m all for it.”

Surrey school board chair Shawn Wilson said he wasn’t surprised that the dispute has turned out like it has but was disappointed that it may end up affecting students during the normally stressful end of the school year.

“If you look at the history of the relationship between the government and BCTF, it’s just got a trainwreck of a history, so it’s not difficult to believe that that wouldn’t’ continue,” he said. “So it appears this time that government is really digging their heels in.”

Wilson said there was still a chance the government and teachers could come to a deal, with the first three days of the week scheduled for negotiations.

“I know that’s something of a pipe dream.”

Parents are asked to check the district’s website for the latest information on any school closures.

DELTA SCHOOLS CLOSED ON WEDNESDAY

In Delta, district officials are advising parents to make alternate childcare arrangements for Wednesday when that district will be affected by the rotating strikes.

The district notes picket lines would be in place throughout the day, so CUPE support staff won’t cross, which means only principals and vice-principals will be in school buildings. Strong Start Centres will also be closed.

Daycare operations in school district buildings should remain open, but parents are asked to call ahead to confirm with operators.

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If you look at the history of the relationship between the government and BCTF, it’s just got a trainwreck of a history, so it’s not difficult to believe that that wouldn’t’ continue. So it appears this time that government is really digging their heels in.

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TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014

A07

Surrey Gets Social What U Do @ Central City Photo Contest

By Tracey Rayson

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

However, when you enter the “What U Do @ Central City” online photo contest, your picture could be worth a thousand dollars — the spectacular grand prize awarded in Central City gift certificates.

Strike a pose and snap a selfie! Capture an interesting scene.

Showcase Surrey’s Central City in your most creative way. Whether you’re hitting the books, indulging in a sumptuous foodie find, engaging in retail therapy or simply chillin’ with your friends — they want you to seize the moment @ Central City and enter your photos by midnight, June 18, 2014.

It’s as simple as shoot, share, and vote. Upload your photos through Twitter, Facebook, centralcity.ca or #CentralCityWhatIDo on Instagram to show what you’re doing @ Central City. Share your photos with your social media community and accumulate the most votes for your chance to win (there’s $2,000 in prizes to be won).

The grand prize will be awarded from the top five photo entries. Additional prizes of $500 and $300 in Central City gift certificates will be drawn from all participating entrants and voters; $200 gift certificates will be awarded to the entrant with the most contest shares.

Under the umbrella of the 2014 Central City brand awareness campaign, the photo contest is an additional opportunity for people to engage in all the varied options Central City has to offer as a destination.

“We launched the @ Central City campaign to generate awareness and increase the popularity of Central City in the Lower Mainland,” said Vivian Li, marketing manager with Blackwood Partners Management Corporation.

“This fresh concept is designed around an indepth knowledge of our demographic with the purpose of getting our customers involved with Central City and allowing them to interact with others via social media.”

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VIEWPOINT

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Teachers’ job action

Lack of trust means more melodrama InTheHouse Keith Baldrey

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T

he B.C. Liberal government has largely shed the labour relations headaches it helped create when it first took power in 2001, with one glaring exception.

That would be its tumultuous, antagonistic and befuddling relationship with the union that represents B.C.’s public school teachers.

Watching the B.C. Teachers Federation and the government engage in a seemingly never-ending struggle to determine who wields the power in schools and classrooms is akin to viewing a soap opera in which you’re never really sure which character is in charge.

In recent years, the government has established an impressive record in negotiating collective agreements with a host of

public sector unions, with rarely a peep of unrest and without draining the public treasury.

Not so in its dealings with the BCTF, which have been characterized by strife, suspicion and an almost complete lack of success.

The fractious relationship is played out in public, with dueling news conferences or protest rallies, and it’s getting rather tiresome.

Here we go again.

The government and the union are on yet another collision course, which will almost certainly end in a way that pleases neither party.

The gap between the two sides on so many issues is so vast, it will take a miracle to close it – and it would involve shifting hundreds of millions of dollars from one side to another.

As I write this, the union is looking for a salary increase of almost 16 per cent (compounded) over four years, while the government is offering over seven per cent over six years.

Given that a one per cent pay hike is the equivalent to about $25 million, that’s a gap of about $75 million a year and that doesn’t include an improved benefit package and other improvements the BCTF is looking for.

On the important issues of class size and class composition, the union is seeking a return to contract language and staffing levels that were in place in 2002.

That would cost about $300 million a year over what is currently spent, while the government is offering to top up its Learning Improvement Fund by $75 million this year. The gap: about $225 million.

Add it up and the difference between the two sides’ position is a whopping $300 million, and as I noted, this does not include a raft of other expensive cost items.

But deeply embedded in this dispute (well, actually, the never-ending dispute) is something that appears to cripple any chance of a successful, negotiated outcome: a mistrust and a

lack of respect for each other.

The government poisoned the well when it arbitrarily stripped language governing class sizes from the collective agreement back in 2002 and things have never really got back on track ever since.

The union has won two court challenges on this one issue, and the government won’t give up the fight and is appealing the ruling to a higher court (and depending on who wins there, the loser will no doubt try to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada).

The BCTF doesn’t exactly have clean hands in this little ongoing drama either.

I find teachers, for the most part, to be a passionate, committed bunch (many dip into their own pockets to pay for their students’ needs, including food) but

their union is another story.

It is an ideologically hidebound organization that doesn’t really fit into a labour relations model, which makes its efforts at collective bargaining feeble and ineffective at times.

Unlike other public sector unions, it refuses to take into account the government’s fiscal position or ability to pay and exhibits an often maddening sense of entitlement, as if the interests of its membership trumps everything else public tax dollars fund.

But it has also proven to be a resilient foe of the B.C. Liberal government, and has tripped it up on more than one occasion.

It may not win at the negotiating table very often, but it has posted big victories in court and at the Labour Relations Board.

When both sides won’t trust or respect each other, they make mistakes and misread each other’s moves.

That’s been happening in the current breakdown, even though bargaining continues (without much progress being made, it seems).

This current contract impasse may be headed for a legislated resolution, or perhaps if the two sides can get at least a little closer to each other’s position some kind of meaningful mediation can take place.

In any event, until a mutual trust and respect finds its way into the picture, we’re going to see a replay of the current melodrama as soon as the next contract expires.

Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global BC Keith.Baldrey@globalnews.ca

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Letters

Something needs to change at rodeo The Editor, Re: “Rodeo reveals who can parent,” the Now, May 22.

I’ve lived in Surrey for five years now, starting when I was 15. The first word I heard about the Cloverdale Rodeo was by friends in school discussing their plans to get drunk at the rodeo.

Every year it’s all I hear: “I can’t wait for the rodeo, I’m gonna get so hammered.”

I think it’s sad and that’s why I choose to not go. Now, as a 20year-old, I choose to stay in or do something rather than watch children get stupid drunk and start fights, not to mention the outfits girls wear.

Something needs to be done to change young people’s view of the rodeo. I really enjoyed the column Beau Simpson wrote and think more parents need to know what their children do there.

Sarah Cupskey, Surrey

Actions of teens were disturbing The Editor, Re: “Rodeo reveals who can parent,” the Now, May 22.

Thank you, Beau Simpson, for your column. My family lives in Cloverdale and it was disturbing to witness the actions of many youth as they walked to and from the rodeo grounds – provocative dress included.

As a parent of three teenagers, I want to encourage all the other parents out there. Parenting is hard work, but we can’t give up! We have been given an incredible calling in raising Canada’s next generation and we can do better.

Thank you to Mr. Simpson for highlighting this important issue.

Jennifer Schouten, Surrey

We teens are just making memories The Editor, Re: “Rodeo reveals who can parent,” the Now, May 22.

I am a 14-year-old girl and I live in Cloverdale. If Beau Simpson is trying to make Surrey seem like a place people won’t want to live, then he is doing a good job.

Surrey is an amazing place. Writing this stuff for anyone wanting to come to Surrey to read – like young families – won’t help our community grow.

It’s the rodeo – teens have been doing this stuff ever since it started.

It’s not going to change.

Girls will dress inappropriately, teens will get drunk, teens will have sex, teens will swear – and you need to live with it. We aren’t going to change.

We aren’t trying to hurt anyone – we are trying to make memories. No good memory starts with “I was eating a salad. It starts with, “This one time I was so drunk.”

Preach to someone else. Doing illegal things once in awhile with a group of friends is fine.

Toni Bonacci, Surrey

Don’t single out Surrey teens only The Editor, Re: “Rodeo reveals who can parent,” the Now, May 22.

I am 15 and attended the rodeo on Friday and I did see many disturbing images there.

I felt sorry for the families who had young children there witnessing the inappropriate behaviour being displayed by the young people.

But I don’t think it’s fair that you were only referring to the “Surrey

youth” because that night, I met people from Chilliwack to New Westminster – and I’m not even from Surrey.

Even though it is a Surrey event, your disappointment should fall upon youth in general, not just the youth of Surrey.

I also don’t think it’s fair to blame the way these kids were acting on the way they are parented. Parents should be able to trust that their kids will be responsible going out with friends, but unfortunately drinking and doing drugs is seen as glamorous and cool, and all a teen wants is to fit.

It’s so easy to tell your parents you’re having a movie night with friends when you’re really going to get drunk somewhere. I’d say for the majority of the kids at the rodeo, their parents had no idea what they were up to.

Bailee Edwards, Langley

It seems teens are out for themselves The Editor, Re: “Rodeo reveals who can parent,” the Now, May 22.

What a great column!

The world falls further and further into disarray as the years go on. I too am shocked by what I hear coming out of people’s mouths.

Little kids swear like proverbial truck driver/sailors and parents seem to be letting their kids dress more and more inappropriately. No more is the time when a kid shows some rebellion by piercing an ear – they did that in kindergarten. Manners are a thing of the past too.

It seems our kids have picked up a “dog eat dog” world message and almost everyone is out for themselves.

It’s a sad state of affairs.

Socially speaking Here’s what our Facebook followers were saying about Beau Simpson’s controversial observations about youth – good and bad – at the rodeo.

Tamara Forsyth The lack of clothing being worn on young girls...with their parents... was what upset me the most!

Valorie York We didn’t go this year for this reason. Also drunk adults are an issue as well. Alcohol is a big factor at big events like this.

Sarj Sabharwal Agree with Beau 100%... honestly this behaviour is a huge deterrent to families. Glad someone finally said it!!

Tasha Bailey Waugh Well said and well written!

Kim Olynyk I agree with what is being said but sadly I don't think behaviour is all that different than it was 15 years ago. It's always been a place where teens stumble around blind drunk and do inappropriate things! It's another excuse to party and fight and be immature... Rather than just have good clean fun Leslie Peters Wow good, honest article.

Becca Billman agree with this article EXCEPT for the haircut comments. No one has any right to pass judgment on how a parent cuts their child’s hair, unless they have a fresh fade with the word BITCH shaved in. a mohawk on a toddler isn't really something that needs to be in comparison with 15 yr olds taking boys to the porta potty.

Niamh Kavanagh Spot on !!!

Debb Holt Having sex in a port a potty is so sad, but at least someone taught the girl to use protection.

Kymm Bird Hunter Gross.

Jennifer Paradis, Surrey

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Theatrical fundraiser at Surrey Arts Centre

Dressed up for a special ‘Cinderella’ show Kyle Benning

Now contributor Twitter @KBBenning

SURREY — On Wednesday, May 28, the curtains will rise on a unique cast performing its version of Cinderella at Surrey Arts Centre.

Sources Life Skills Resource Centre is a Surrey-based organization that helps people with physical and intellectual challenges gain employability skills.

They are putting on an adapted version of Cinderella in which the role of the princess is split to star a pair of twins named Cindy and Ella.

Michael Kalmuk, a project manager at Sources, rewrote the script for his actors and actresses.

“I tried to make it relevant to the work we do – for example, the prince is a man in a wheelchair,” Kalmuk said.

Sources has also done several things to aid the cast while performing, to ease the pressure on them. They have “ninjas” with scripts behind the actors who may forget their lines, and they also have the lines projected next to the stage for the audience to read in case they can’t hear the actors.

Michelle Hoare, who plays Cindy, has been working with the organization for 23 of its 26 productions.

Hoare believes that being on stage has allowed her to come out of her shell.

“I used to be so nervous when performing, but now I’ve gotten much better, and I think that it’s helped a lot with the fact that I was a little shy when I started,” she said.

This isn’t the first time the organization has put on a theatrical production.

The group regularly puts on performances in smaller venues, but they chose to do this one at Surrey Arts Centre so any profits made from ticket sales can be used in a fundraising effort.

“We’re hoping to make this a fundraiser to buy a bus, because our bus died,” Kalmuk said.

Deldine Chang (left), who plays one of the evil step-sisters in Sources’ version of Cinderella, tears off a piece of Cindy’s (Michelle Hoare) dress before the ball. The play, a fundraiser, will be staged at Surrey Arts Centre on Wednesday, May 28. (Photo: KYLE BENNING) The fundraising hasn’t been very easy because Sources has to pay to make alterations to the venue.

“This theatre – as lovely as it is – has three seats that people in wheelchairs can sit in,” Kalmuk said. “When we do a show, we have at least a dozen people in the audience (who are) in wheelchairs.

“We have to remove the front, that whole rounded area, of the stage to create an orchestra pit where we can legally put wheelchairs,” he added. “And we have to pay for that even though we’re renting this facility from the City of Surrey.”

In joint productions with Events Unlimited, Sources has teamed with Semiahmoo House Society to split the cost of removing the front of the stage by organizing shows during the same week.

The society’s talent showcase features a variety of performers Friday, May 30 at the arts centre, located at Bear Creek Park.

The Sources’ production of Cinderella starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 28.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, and through Sources, for $25. For details, call 604-501-5566 or visit Sourcesbc.ca. kyle.benning@gmail.com VISIT OUR SHOWROOM

I used to be so nervous when performing, but now I’ve gotten much better, and I think that it’s helped a lot with the fact that I was a little shy when I started.

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SURREY — Metro Vancouver-based musicians Matthew Good, Daniel Wesley and Kyprios will headline Surrey’s Canada Day event this year.

The July 1 party will be held at the same annual site on 64th Avenue in Cloverdale – the newly renamed Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre in Cloverdale.

Also featured will be the band Halfway to Hollywood, country artist

Ray Gibson, Heart tribute band Barracuda, a “Country Divas” show and DJ Flipout, whose job is to “keep the good vibes going between bands.”

Daniel Wesley Admission is free at the event, to include more than 500,000 square feet of entertainment and family-oriented fun. Highlights include an expanded Kids Play area,

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Major event sponsors include Coast Capital Savings, CTV and Chevron.

Last summer’s event in Surrey featured performances by Platinum Blonde, Sloan, tribute band Aerosmith Rocks, Crystal Shawanda, Dear Rouge and others.

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Surrey cop overcomes cultural barriers Kristi Alexandra

Now contributor Twitter @kristialexandra

S

URREY — Surrey RCMP Staff Sergeant Celso DeLemos has come a long way since his humble beginnings in the Philippines.

As the eldest of his siblings in his home country, he took on the duty of sending his younger family members to university in hopes of providing a better life for them. Where DeLemos comes from, that’s the cultural norm and nobody gripes about it.

“Anyone who has made themselves to be in a bit of a better situation is expected to help out,” he explains, “but especially for the first-born because you’re the first one to have a better shot at it. Your parents would have poured some of their own money into your education so you’re expected to pay it back through helping your siblings.”

That’s why, in the late 1980s, DeLemos, his wife and two daughters headed for Canada in search of a new home, and new jobs with which they could afford to send money back to their families in the Philippines.

“I think it’s good, in the absence of government systems, a good safety net.

It’s our own safety net,” he said.

Unfortunately, DeLemos’ degree in engineering wasn’t recognized by the Canadian education system, pushing him into working a clerical job five days a week, plus working in Toronto’s Delta hotel over the weekends, to make up the money he needed to support his family and pay a mortgage. His wife had better luck, landing a civilian job with the Metro Toronto police service.

“I think what prompted me to become interested (in the RCMP) was when my wife became a member of the Toronto police service. I got to know some of the police officers, to see their office because I would pick her up every now and then. And I noticed there’s not too many representatives from the community that I come from.

I said to myself, ‘It would be nice if

Staff Sergeant Celso DeLemos is living proof that hard work pays off. somebody from my community could become a police officer,’ and as soon as I got my citizenship, I got the process going.”

DeLemos applied for the force and was soon sent to the RCMP training academy in Regina, Saskatchewan, where every RCMP officer in the country has completed training. It was there, DeLemos said, he struggled in the face of adversity and had to overcome physical, financial and cultural barriers. But he did it.

“I think the first (hurdle) is the physical aspect of it because I am not a big guy….the exams, they weren’t easy, but I passed it, no problem.

The physical ones were challenging, because that requires some physical attributes to the person who’s applying and if you’re a short person, which I am, there’s more difficulty and especially if you’re short and not a big guy, which I needed,” he said.

DeLemos added that, standing at five feet four inches tall, he weighed barely 110 pounds at the time he began his RCMP training. “That was one of the first adversities, but I passed,” he said confidently. “Through determination and training, you overcome that.”

The second obstacle DeLemos had to jump through was the financial “break” he was taking from his previous jobs. At the time, in 1996, when he was in Regina, there was a small living allowance that didn’t quite stack up against his former income.

“I had a family to support, I had a mortgage to pay, I had siblings to support so the financial burden was a little bit daunting but we did find a way,” he said.

“The third one is the background,” DeLemos admitted. “My own background and plus my personal character. The background that I came from, being assertive or aggressive is kind of frowned upon, so as a police officer, you have to be in control; you have to be assertive, not aggressive, but assertive to a certain degree, so those are things I had to overcome because, to me, at that time, being assertive was kind of like being rude.”

DeLemos graduated from training, becoming an RCMP officer in March 1997, and moved to B.C., putting his Toronto home up for sale. In his native country, ironically, he wouldn’t have met the size requirements to become a member of the police force.

Since his induction to the force in 1997, DeLemos has moved up the ranks to Staff Sergeant as a plainclothes investigator who oversees seven different teams, totalling up to over 50 people. DeLemos and his teams investigate serious offences like stabbings, serious and sexual assaults.

And while his work may sometimes be gritty, he feels grateful for the opportunities given to him. Today, all of DeLemos’ siblings have made their own way to Canada with his help, and he’s still able to send a few bucks back to other relatives in the old country.

“I never even thought I could go up this high,” he exclaimed. “I am a Catholic person, so I think someone was looking after me and my family, and I just felt one way of saying thank you was helping other people who need the help.”

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TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014

Events, activities WALKS/RUNS Color Me Rad: Cloverdale Fairgrounds will be dusted with a rainbow of hues May 31 during this for-profit 5K event, in which participants are blasted with bombs of coloured corn starch. Fee to register is $35, plus service and processing fees, via colormerad.com.

Laura Szendrei Walk, Run, Roll 2014 to be held Sunday, June 1 at North Delta Secondary school track, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 11447 82nd Ave., Delta. Register at lswalkrunroll.com. Funds raised go to Laura Szendrei Memorial Foundation, in memory of the teen murder victim.

13th Annual Run, Walk & Roll for our Kids, supporting The Centre for Child Development and Sophie’s Place Child Advocacy Centre, on Sunday June 1 at Bear Creek Park.

Visit www.cdfbc.ca/events.htm or call 604-533-4884.

The Gutsy Walk, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s largest single-day fundraiser, will be held Sunday, June 8 at sites across the Lower Mainland, including Bear Creek Park in Surrey. Proceeds raised advance medical research, improving the lives of children and adults affected by these chronic diseases, and ultimately find cures. To participate, visit gutsywalk.ca, email gutsywalk_

BC@ccfc.ca or call 1-604-220-9865.

ANTIQUES Surrey Antiques off the Roadshow: Event on Saturday, May 31, from noon to 3 p.m., at Surrey Art Gallery. Appraisals by experts who are knowledgeable about jewelry, antiques, collectibles, antiquarian books, and Asian, European and First Nations art. The cost is $10 for the first item and $5 for each additional item. This is a drop-in event; registration is not required.

Observers are welcome. Parking is free. This event is sponsored

by Surrey Art Gallery Association.

Surrey Art Gallery is located at 13750 88th Ave., Bear Creek Park. 604-501-5566, www.surrey. ca/artgallery.

OPEN MIC Delta Arts Council open mic night held on last Friday of every month (next on May 30) at Firehall Centre for the Arts (11489 84th Ave., North Delta). “Open Mic gives local talent the opportunity to share and showcase.” Doors open at 7 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $4/person at the door. Info: www. deltaartscouncil.ca.

HEALTH “ADHD: The Good, The Bad, The Brilliant” educational session on

Thursday, May 29 at Panorama Ridge Secondary School Theatre, 7 to 9 p.m. at 13220 64th Ave., Surrey. Presentation to provide an introduction to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the neurology that creates it, and tools to help kids with ADHD learn more, and stay on task. Pre-register at Eventbrite or at www.ldafs.org, 604-591-5156.

FOOD/BEVERAGES Ukrainian “soul food” (perogies, cabbage rolls and borsch) will be available on Friday, May 30 at a fundraiser from 4:30 to 7:30 pm at Ukrainian Cultural Centre, 13512 108th Ave., Surrey. Eat-in, take away, or ready for your freezer. For information, call 604-531-1923 or 604-581-0313.

Greek Food Festival in Surrey: Annual event held from June 6 to 15 on grounds at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 13181 96th Ave., Surrey, featuring Greek food, music dancing, vendors and more. Free admission. Info: Visit greekorthodoxsurrey.org, call 604496-5099, email surreygreekfest@ gmail.com.

SALES/CRAFTS Mary Jane Shannon Elementary’s Parking Lot Sale on Saturday, May 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at 10682 144th St., Surrey. Info: 604-588-5991.

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COMMUNITY Business award

Samosa-slinging sisters persevere Tom Zillich

Now staff Twitter @tomzillich

NEWTON — A team behind production of gourmet samosas and hot sauces has won the B.C. New Canadian Entrepreneur Award.

The 22nd annual award, organized by the Ethno Business Council of B.C., was given to Newton-based Nana’s Kitchen and Hot Sauce at an event in Vancouver on Thursday evening (May 22).

The plant is operated by sisters Shelina Mawani and Nasim Dhanji, who launched their food-manufacturing business in the late-1990s.

“It’s truly an honour that we’ve been recognized like this, after so many years of hard work, especially as new immigrants to Canada,” Mawani said. “We are Canadians but not born in Canada. It’s been a long journey.”

Nana’s Kitchen cooks up 25,000 samosas a day, making it one of the largest producers of samosas in the province.

Mawani, whose job is to market and promote the business, said the award is shared with the company’s 37 employees.

Nana’s Kitchen and Hot Sauce company operators, sisters Shelina Mawani (left) and Nasim Dhanji, with their B.C. New Canadian Entrepreneur Award, given by the Ethno Business Council of B.C. The awards gala was held Thursday at Vancouver’s Pan Pacific Hotel, with tickets going for $120 per person.

Surrey Crime Prevention Society

Volunteer Appreciation Awards Dinner & AGM 2014 Surrey Crime Prevention Society (SCPS) would like to recognize the following volunteers as recipients for the Volunteer of the Year Awards: Surrey Crime Prevention Society Volunteer of the Year: ..................................................................................... Gurvir Kang Traffic Safety Program Volunteer of the Year: ............................................... Manbir Renthey Downtown Surrey Community Safety Tour Program Volunteer of the Year: ..................................................................................... Gursimran Gill Fleetwood Community Safety Tour Program Volunteer of the Year: ..................................................................................... Quinton Johnston Guildford Community Safety Tour Program Volunteer of the Year: ............. Vick Singh Newton Community Safety Tour Program Volunteer of the Year: ..................................................................................... Gagan Johal Special Events Volunteer of the Year: ............................................................ Jerry Lee Citizens Community Safety Watch Program Volunteer of the Year: ..................................................................................... Elyse Filsinger Anti-Graffiti Program Volunteer of the Year: ................................................. Justin Gill High School Work Experience Volunteer of the Year: ................................... Nihal Singh Mentorship & Leadership Program Volunteer of the Year: ........................... Pavandip Dhaliwal Administration Program Volunteer of the Year: ............................................. Gundeep Gill

Thank you for your contribution and commitment to enhancing community safety in the City of Surrey!

The idea behind the awards is to identify successful business owners to inspire other newcomers to Canada.

In 1998 Nana’s Kitchen started out as a small restaurant in Burnaby. The sisters, originally from Tanzania, worked up to 18 hours a day. But the overtime and dedication couldn’t keep the business afloat, so within a year they were forced to shut down.

“It was the most difficult endeavour,” said Mawani. “We had lost quite a bit of money.”

With nowhere else to turn, they gave it another shot and re-purposed the business, turning it into a small manufacturing plant. One woman came in to cook the samosas, Dhanji made the filling and Mawani baked.

From there, they went “door-to-door to all the cafeterias, all the small coffee shops” to sell their unique gourmet product.

By 2003, they picked up momentum and moved into their first commercialsized kitchen, and by 2007 moved into their current facility in Surrey, which is 17,000 square feet in size.

-with file from Larissa Cahute, Vancouver Desi

KPU names BP owner as new chancellor SURREY — The next chancellor of Kwantlen Polytechnic University will be George Melville, owner and chairman of Boston Pizza International.

Melville will assume the role in October and will replace Arvinder Singh Bubber, who was the university’s first and only chancellor thus far.

Bubber was installed as chancellor in 2008 for what was meant to be a three-year term, but added a second term in 2011.

Having sat on KPU’s George Melville board of governors since 2003, Melville was nominated for the role due to his and his company’s community work over the past few years, including scholarship initiatives and other charitable events. Melville and his wife Sylvia also donated $500,000 to the school’s Richmond campus in 2012, resulting in the Melville Centre for Dialogue.

“My connection to Kwantlen Polytechnic University goes back over 25 years and includes roles as a KPU parent, a KPU board member and, most recently, an honorary KPU degree recipient,” said Melville. “I am very pleased to take on this new opportunity.”

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A TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO

Surrey Hospice Societ ety Presents

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Experience a breath taking fashion show by Malary’s,plated lunch,and a silent auction of celebrity and designer handbags.

Celebrity bags include Shannon Tweed Simmons, CTV NEWS Sandie Rinaldo & Lisa LaFlamme,GLoBaL TV anne Drewa, Lynn Colliar, Jill Krop,,Mayor Dianne Watts, Designer bags from Herschel,Coach and Prada

Sunday June 1,2014 Northview Golf and Country Club 6857 168th Street,Surrey 11:30 to 2pm • Tickets:$65

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Kaitlyn Herbst Global BC Morning News.

For tickets please call 604-584-7006 or visit our website www.surreyhospice.com @SurreyHospiceSociety

@Surreyhospice

This event is generously sponsored by:

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COMMUNITY Substance Use Awareness Week

Kicking caffeine is his Habit Change Challenge Sarah Kucharski

We get pulled into that automatic mode and you need to be mindful and have that gentle ongoing awareness of what your mind is up to, noticing your cravings and being aware of them.

Now contributor Twitter @sarahkucharski

George Passmore won’t be drinking out of any of these mugs while he kicks caffeine for Substance Use Awareness Week, as part of a City of Surrey initiative. ongoing awareness of what your mind is up to, noticing your cravings and being aware of them.”

To do just that, Passmore will be set up a blog to document his habit-kicking journey.

Looking ahead, he foresees a lot of headaches and withdrawal symptoms coming his way, but that the purpose behind the challenge – to raise awareness on substance use and reduce stigma for those going through it – is worth it.

D TEE RAN S! GUA ESULT R

“This is a community where the judgment and the stigma around addiction still lives,” said Passmore, his voice slow and careful.

“Somehow, people tend to apply a moral model to it and fail to see the human aspect.”

His brow furrows and he counts off his fingers, listing frequent statements he hears about those dealing with substance use problems, including lack of willpower, good values or intelligence.

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Passmore hopes participation in the challenge will help people see the difficulty in changing habits – even simple ones.

“The hope is that they’ll have that humble awareness of the difficulty of changing any well-worn path in our lives. Then it becomes harder to say why don’t ‘those’ people just stop using?” he said.

Since a young age, Passmore said, he has always felt very attuned and sympathetic to the feelings of others.

“I want the world to be a slightly better place because I’m in it,” he said, without a hint of ego.

For the past decade, Passmore has been a counsellor on relationship issues, trauma recovery, stress-reduction, anger management and has also worked with male survivors of sexual abuse.

At Sources, he seriously considers the centre’s tag line “social wellness for our community” and takes a pro-active approach to his counselling duties.

“I don’t believe we should sit in an office and wait for people who are in trouble to come forward to us,” said Passmore. “We need to go out and really bring as much of what we have to offer to the community.”

For more information and tips on the Habit Change Challenge, visit www. surrey.ca/habitchange. On Twitter, people are encouraged to use the hashtag #SryHabitChange to share their progress.

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WHITE ROCK — Some people reach for a bottle, but George Passmore is trying to quit reaching for a mug of coffee for a week.

Passmore works as the manager of counselling and addiction at Sources Community Resource Centre in White Rock. As part of the City of Surrey’s Substance Use Awareness Week, he suggested a new habit-kicking challenge.

The awareness week runs from May 25 to 31, and residents can participate in the Habit Change Challenge by switching out a habit that negatively impacts their health, finances or time, in an attempt to put into perspective, on a small-scale, what it’s like for addicts to quit their vices.

Passmore chose caffeine.

Up until the birth of his second child, Passmore had never touched a cup. But he admits, with an embarrassed laugh, he would verge on sleep during meetings with his clients after being kept up at night by a baby and waking up early to care for a toddler.

“During meetings I would think, ‘I’m interested, I’m engaged but my eyes are going to close soon’ what am I supposed to do?” Passmore said with a laugh.

Now, Passmore says that he usually drinks only two cups a day, but “feels a little desperate” if he knows he has to start a morning without it.

To help people stick with the challenge, Passmore recommends being more aware of your relationship with the habit you’re trying to kick.

“For me,” Passmore says, “I understand (that), at first, (coffee) was just for alertness and then it became a ritual and now it’s an, ‘I need a double-double every morning’ thing.”

He added: “I think that the biggest threat to success is falling into autopilot. We get pulled into that automatic mode and you need to be mindful and have that gentle

“Always keeping our patients smiling”

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SPORTS

SponSorS, GolferS & Con t ribu torS

Thank you for your participation in Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s

4th Annual Kpu foundation Golf tournament.

Your generosity helps our studentathletes in many important ways, and allows them to follow their passions while pursuing post-secondary studies.

Every year we raise more money for scholarships and bursaries—a success that would not be possible without your support.

PrESENTING SPoNSor

Gurpal Mann (wearing #7), winner of the Pat Dooley Memorial Award at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, in action on the basketball court. (Photo: courtesy KPU)

Basketball

CArT SPoNSor

‘Great role model’ wins Dooley award at KPU

LUNCh SPoNSor

Kyle Benning

Now contributor Twitter @KBBenning

DINNEr SPoNSor

hoLE SPoNSorS

mEDIA SPoNSorS

hoLE IN oNE SPoNSorS:

GoLf CLINIC SPoNSor

SPECIAL ThANKS To

Astrographic Industries Ltd. Boston Pizza

Casbah Day Spa Cactus Club KPU Golf Team

KPU Nursing and Design Students

Northstar Limousine

LeaderBoard

Volunteers

SURREY — One of the key parts of any collegiate sports team is a veteran leader who helps rookies adjust to playing at a higher level.

But what is the value of a player who goes above and beyond the call of duty?

Gurpal Mann is the veteran leader for the Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) Eagles men’s basketball team. The thirdyear criminology student took on the role of leader after becoming one of the team’s captains and he has done everything to help new faces on the roster transition to university life.

Mann, a Queen Elizabeth Secondary alumnus, won the Pat Dooley Memorial Award last month at KPU’s athletic banquet. The award is given to an athlete who demonstrates leadership on and off their playing surface.

Vladimir Nikic, head coach of the Eagles’ men’s basketball team, has known Mann for several years and believes that he fully deserves this award.

“I wish that I could have Gurpal (Mann) on my team in the future extensively because he is irreplaceable.

“He’s good on the court and what he does off the court is just priceless. He’s definitely the best candidate for that kind of award,” Nikic said.

Nikic said Mann is like an older brother to a lot of his younger teammates and does everything he can to make them feel comfortable.

“He’s making them welcome to our team and making them feel comfortable because it’s a huge step to go from high school to playing with adults. He’s the bridge that builds that gap,” Nikic said.

At six-feet-four-inches, Mann is a post player in Kwantlen’s system. Nikic said Mann is very willing to help out the younger centres and forwards.

“He stays after practice and works with them. He’s very accessible,” Nikic said.

As well as helping his teammates on the court, Mann is also helping the younger players in the classroom.

“He introduced some of the guys to our academic advisor, Herbie Atwal. He brought some guys to his office to pick the right courses.

“He’s a great role model because he has a fine balance between academics and athletics,” Nikic said. “A lot of these kids don’t have direction and in a way, he provides that to them. They see that everything is possible when you set your mind to it.”

Mann isn’t sure if he will play for the Eagles next season because he’s applied for a job that would allow him to start his dream career.

“He has goals in his life. He’s planning to be a RCMP officer and I think that’s a wonderful way to exhibit citizenship skills,” said Nikic.

“I’ve always wanted to help some way in the community. The best way is becoming a police officer,” Mann said.

Mann has become very active in helping Kwantlen’s athletic department.

He has helped run Kwantlen’s annual golf tournament since he’s been a student at the university. This year, the golf tournament raised more than $54,000 for scholarships for Kwantlen’s studentathletes.

Along with helping with the golf tournament, Mann has also helped organize the Pat Dooley basketball tournament, for high school teams, on KPU’s home court.

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H SOUTH SURREY - WHITE ROCK EDITION

More melodrama Deeply embedded in province’s never-ending dispute with BCTF is mistrust and lack of respect.

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TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014

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This is OUR CHANCE, NEWTON

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EDUCATION

Portables add to $8M shortfall StrongStart may be in the crosshairs as school district faces tough decisions.

CHRISTOPHER POON, 5

‘A trainwreck of a history’ Teachers’ rotating strike doesn’t surprise Shawn Wilson, considering the history.

CHRISTOPHER POON, 6

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KICKING CAFFEINE FOR SUBSTANCE USE AWARENESS – COULD YOU DO IT? 19

Now that charges are laid in her murder, let’s honour Julie Paskall by becoming better neighbours COLUMN BY JUDE HANNAH, 3

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COMMUNITY

DANCE

Policing in Surrey Proceeds raised go to WR Sea Festival

Saturday June 14 7:00p – 11:30p Sandcastle 2nd Floor 1938 – 152nd Street South Surrey Presented by

Almost 20% of Lower Mainland seniors live in poverty.

Help them stay independent. www.uwlm.ca

Cop overcomes cultural barriers Kristi Alexandra

Now contributor Twitter @kristialexandra

S

URREY — Surrey RCMP Staff Sergeant Celso DeLemos has come a long way since his humble beginnings in the Philippines. As the eldest of his siblings in his home country, he took on the duty of sending his younger family members to university in hopes of providing a better life for them. Where DeLemos comes from, that’s the cultural norm and nobody gripes about it.

“Anyone who has made themselves to be in a bit of a better situation is expected to help out,” he explains, “but especially for the first-born because you’re the first one to have a better shot at it.

Your parents would have poured some of their own money into your education so you’re expected to pay it back through helping your siblings.”

That’s why, in the late 1980s, DeLemos, his wife and two daughters headed for Canada in search of a new home, and new jobs with which they could afford to send money back to their families in the Philippines.

“I think it’s good, in the

Staff Sergeant Celso DeLemos is living proof that hard work pays off. absence of government systems, a good safety net. It’s our own safety net,” he said.

Unfortunately, DeLemos’ degree in engineering wasn’t recognized by the Canadian education system, pushing him into working a clerical job five days a week, plus working in Toronto’s Delta hotel over the weekends, to make up the money he needed to support his family and pay a mortgage. His wife had better luck, landing a civilian job with the Metro Toronto police service.

“I think what prompted me to become interested (in the RCMP) was when my wife became a member of the Toronto police service.

I got to know some of the police officers, to see their office because I would pick her up every now and then.

And I noticed there’s not too many representatives from the community that I come from.”

DeLemos applied for the force and was soon sent to the RCMP training academy in Regina, Saskatchewan, where every RCMP officer in the country has completed training. It was there, DeLemos said, he struggled in the face of adversity and had to overcome physical, financial and cultural barriers. But he did it.

“I think the first (hurdle) is the physical aspect of it because I am not a big guy…. the exams, they weren’t easy, but I passed it, no problem. The physical ones were challenging, because

that requires some physical attributes to the person who’s applying and if you’re a short person, which I am, there’s more difficulty and especially if you’re short and not a big guy, which I needed,” he said.

DeLemos added that, standing at five feet four inches tall, he weighed barely 110 pounds at the time he began his RCMP training.

“That was one of the first adversities, but I passed,” he said confidently. “Through determination and training, you overcome that.”

The second obstacle DeLemos had to jump through was the financial “break” he was taking from his previous jobs. At the time, in 1996, when he was in Regina, there was a small living allowance that didn’t quite stack up against his former income.

“I had a family to support, I had a mortgage to pay, I had siblings to support so the financial burden was a little bit daunting but we did find a way,” he said.

“The third one is the background – my own background and plus my personal character. The background that I came from, being assertive or aggressive is kind of frowned upon, so as a police officer, you have to be in control; you have to be assertive, not aggressive, but assertive to a certain degree, so those are things I had to overcome because, to me, at that time, being assertive was kind of like being rude.”

DeLemos graduated from training, becoming an RCMP officer in March 1997, and moved to B.C., putting his Toronto home up for sale.

DeLemos has moved up the ranks to Staff Sergeant as a plainclothes investigator who oversees seven different teams, totalling more than 50 people. DeLemos and his teams investigate serious offences like stabbings, serious and sexual assaults.

“I never even thought I could go up this high,” he exclaimed. “I am a Catholic person, so I think someone was looking after me and my family, and I just felt one way of saying thank you was helping other people who need the help.”

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COMMUNITY Events, activities WALKS/RUNS Color Me Rad: Cloverdale Fairgrounds will be dusted with a rainbow of hues May 31 during this for-profit 5K event, in which participants are blasted with bombs of coloured corn starch. Fee to register is $35, plus service and processing fees, via colormerad.com.

Laura Szendrei Walk, Run, Roll 2014 to be held Sunday, June 1 at North Delta Secondary school track, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 11447 82nd Ave., Delta. Register at lswalkrunroll.com. Funds raised go to Laura Szendrei Memorial Foundation, in memory of the teen murder victim.

13th Annual Run, Walk & Roll for our Kids, supporting The Centre for Child Development and Sophie’s Place Child Advocacy Centre, on Sunday June 1 at Bear Creek Park.

Visit www.cdfbc.ca/events.htm or call 604-533-4884.

The Gutsy Walk, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s largest single-day fundraiser, will be held Sunday, June 8 at sites across the Lower Mainland, including Bear Creek Park in Surrey. Proceeds raised advance medical research, improving the lives of children and adults affected by these chronic diseases, and ultimately find cures. To participate, visit gutsywalk.ca, email gutsywalk_

‘Pinkalicious!’ musical staged at Earl Marriott

BC@ccfc.ca or call 1-604-220-9865.

FOOD/BEVERAGES Ukrainian “soul food” (perogies, cabbage rolls and borsch) will be available on Friday, May 30 at a fundraiser from 4:30 to 7:30 pm at Ukrainian Cultural Centre, 13512 108th Ave., Surrey. Eat-in, take away, or ready for your freezer. For information, call 604-531-1923 or 604-581-0313.

Greek Food Festival in Surrey: Annual event held from June 6 to 15 on grounds at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 13181 96th Ave., Surrey, featuring Greek food, music dancing, vendors and more. Free admission. Info: Visit greekorthodoxsurrey.org, call 604496-5099, email surreygreekfest@ gmail.com.

The musical “Pinkalicious!” staged by Surrey Youth Theatre Company this weekend features the characters Pinkalicious (played by Annika Ferronato), Bumblebee (Hunter Hart), brother Peter (Adam Scott) and Cupcake (Vanessa Ferronato). Show dates are Saturday, May 31 (11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.) and Sunday, June 1 (2 p.m.) at Wheelhouse Theatre at Earl Marriott Secondary, South Surrey. For details, search brownpapertickets.com.

ANTIQUES Surrey Antiques off the Roadshow: Event on Saturday, May 31, from noon to 3 p.m., at Surrey Art Gallery. Appraisals by experts who are knowledgeable about jewelry, antiques, collectibles, antiquarian books, and Asian, European and First Nations art. The cost is $10 for the first item and $5 for each additional item. This is a drop-in event; registration is not required.

Observers are welcome. Parking is free. This event is sponsored

by Surrey Art Gallery Association.

Surrey Art Gallery is located at 13750 88th Ave., Bear Creek Park. 604-501-5566, www.surrey. ca/artgallery.

HEALTH “ADHD: The Good, The Bad, The Brilliant” educational session on Thursday, May 29 at Panorama Ridge Secondary School Theatre, 7 to 9 p.m. at 13220 64th Ave., Surrey. Presentation to provide an introduction to Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder, the neurology that creates it, and tools to help kids with ADHD learn more, and stay on task. Pre-register at Eventbrite or at www.ldafs.org, 604-591-5156.

NATURE Semiahmoo Heritage Trail Annual Walk, part of Surrey’s Environmental Extravaganza, on Saturday, May 31st, 2 to 4 pm.

Meet at the SE corner of 148th St. and 28th Ave. – lots of street

parking. “Learn about the Trail’s history, and wealth of native trees, plants and wildlife from naturalists who will lead groups on a section of the Trail that was part of the original wagon road, completed 140 years ago. Surrey Parks Dept. will give participants native seedlings.

SALES/CRAFTS Mary Jane Shannon Elementary’s Parking Lot Sale on Saturday, May 31 from 8:30 a.m.

to 12:30 p.m., at 10682 144th St., Surrey. Info: 604-588-5991.

BUSINESS Business networking reception at Semiahmoo House Society: You will be able to tour The Treehouse and learn about the Semiahmoo House Society’s plans for a truly inclusive community during event, on Wednesday, May 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 15306 24th Ave., Surrey.