THE
NEWSPAPER.COM
NEWS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013
A03
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Surrey RCMP
Several officers involved in accidents since March 2012 ‹ from page 1
Ken Fisher, president of Nova Métis Heritage Association in Whalley, figures that “in all probability” the federal government will soon launch an appeal of Tuesday’s federal court decision. (Photo: KEVIN HILL)
Federal court ruling
Métis given ‘Indian’ status Tom Zytaruk
Now staff Twitter @tomzytaruk
Métis people hoping to receive the same rights and privileges that status Indians receive from the Canadian government may have a long wait indeed. The federal court ruled on Tuesday, following a 13-year legal dispute, that Canada’s 200,000 Métis and 400,000 non-status Indians are in fact “Indians” under the
Constitution Act. Status Indians in Canada have access to special rights and privileges related to fishing, hunting and trapping, financial assistance for postsecondary education, and certain tax exemptions, among other things. The federal government is expected to appeal Tuesday’s ruling. “This is really going to throw a cat amongst the pigeons,” said Gerry St. Germain, a Métis and former Conservative
This is really going to throw a cat amongst the pigeons.… Let’s see where this all flows. Senator for B.C. who retired last year, at age 75. “I’m going to be watching it with great interest.” “Let’s see where this all flows,” the South Surrey resident said. “I think it’s going to cause a lot of expectations that may not be fulfilled. “It’s premature to speculate.”
Ken Fisher, president of Nova Métis Heritage Association in Whalley, figures that “in all probability” the federal government will soon launch an appeal. “Still, a step forward is a step forward,” Fisher said. “I’m feeling very positive about it.”
tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com
Birth photos stolen from Cloverdale couple Tom Zytaruk
Now staff Twitter @tomzytaruk
They’re choked that burglars made off with their jewelry, cash and electronic equipment. They’re none too chuffed that thieves ransacked their home, either. But what’s really got Gary and Gurprit Sohi upset is that the heartless crew who broke into their Cloverdale house on Jan. 4 also made off with their baby boy Manav’s birth pictures. The photos are contained inside the
laptops and camera the thieves took. Ironically, one of Manav’s earliest photos for his scrapbook will now be a picture of himself and his parents in the Now newspaper accompanied by a story they hope will somehow reunite them with his precious photos. Gary Sohi said his family had returned from Walmart to find their garage door and sliding door opened, and his wife’s emptied purse. They called 911. After the Surrey RCMP cleared the house, they found it in a state of chaos. “The master bedroom looked like a
tornado hit it,” Sohi said. “We’re pretty devastated.” But what hurts the most, he said, is that the photo record of the first two months of their son’s life is gone. “They got the birth photos,” he sighed. If only someone – you know who you are – would send the Sohi’s their missing cards... “I just want my pictures sent back to me,” Sohi said. Police have no suspects in the break-in. Anyone who might know where the Sohi’s photos are is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502. tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com
On New Years Day, a Surrey RCMP constable was badly injured when his patrol car crashed into a lamppost at 144th Street and 72nd Avenue in Newton while he was responding to a call about a large fight involving weapons. He apparently swerved to avoid hitting another car. In November, Surrey Mountie Adrian Oliver was killed when his patrol car smashed head-on into a semi in Newton. An investigation revealed he’d been speeding without his emergency lights on. In October, the BC Coroners Service announced it will hold an inquest into the death of a Surrey teenager hit by a Surrey RCMP patrol car while she was crossing King George Boulevard in January 2011. In September, a general-duty constable was responding to a call about a fight in Whalley when her patrol car Tboned another car at 108th Avenue and City Parkway. In April, a Surrey RCMP unmarked car sideswiped a Jeep in the 15600block of 64th Avenue as the plainclothes constable was responding to a car theft in progress. Police said at the time that the officer had his sirens and lights going as he headed down the centre lane of 64th Avenue. When he hit the Jeep, both vehicles spun off the road. Also in April, an officer with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit was charged with impaired driving. Her Mazda crashed on Highway 1 near Surrey’s 160th Street overpass in January. Police said she was off duty at the time. In March, a Surrey RCMP patrol car crashed into the Robin Hood Pub on 72nd Avenue in Newton and in January 2012 a Surrey RCMP patrol car swerved to miss a van, spun out and smashed into a post as the constable was on his way to investigate a burglary alarm. “There is a very robust protocol in place in Surrey that examines all of the circumstances of every police car accident and mandates that, where appropriate, remedial action, including additional training for the involved member, is provided,” Fordy said. “My position or view is that in cases where the police officer is deemed to have been in violation of regulations, the appropriate charges are recommended.” tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com