The Chilliwack
Progress Tuesday
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3
24
Beans
Reward
He Shoots
Getting the goodness of whole grains.
Mother seeks info on murdered daughter.
Shot from the far blue-line wins a car.
Life
News
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Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • T U E S D AY, M A R C H 1 3 , 2 0 1 2
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Campaign on despite no call
GOAL
Liberals told to take down signs Robert Freeman The Progress
Westside Warriors forward Reid Simmonds puts the puck and Chilliwack Chiefs goaltender Bryton Udy into the net during a Saturday night BCHL clash at Prospera Centre. The goal was waived off and the Chiefs ended the regular season with a 5-2 win against the Warriors, and a 5-2 win against the Trail Smoke Eaters on Sunday. They now face Penticton in the first round of the playoffs starting March 16. For more, see page 24. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Radio attack ads take aim at NDP Robert Freeman The Progress The president of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association says his organization is running an ad critical of NDP leader Adrian Dix after the board and members felt they should “play a role” in the Chilliwack-Hope byelection. “It’s a question of character, that’s what the ads are about,” said Philip Hochstein. Last week, the ICBA started running an ad on a Chilliwack radio station slamming NDP Leader Adrian Dix for “forging a memo to cover for Premier Glen Clark in the casino kickback scandal”
in 1999. “If that’s what Dix did when he worked for the premier, imagine what he’ll do if he is the premier,” the ad states. NDP MLA Shane Simpson called The Progress on Friday slamming the ICBA for a “personal attack on Adrian Dix based on something that happened 14 years ago.” “It’s clear to us this is driven by the Liberals,” he said. “We’re challenging the Liberals to deal with the issues, and tell us where the (new) jobs are and how they are going to protect agricultural land.” The BC Liberal government won’t fall if the NDP win the Chilliwack-Hope
byelection, but if this traditionally conservative riding goes to the NDP, it will send shock waves across the political landscape to the next general election in May, 2013. Hochstein said Chilliwack-Hope voters “have to understand, if they vote for the NDP” they are clearing the way for Dix to move into the premier’s office. Dix may have changed since the memo-forging incident, he agreed, “but not the essence of him.” “He’s a hard-left politician,” Hochstein said, whose policies won’t bring about the economic growth that ICBA members need to thrive. Continued: RADIO/ p7
BC Liberals have been putting up signs for election candidate Laurie Throness —- violating a city bylaw — even though the Premier has yet to call a byelection. A city official confirmed last week that bylaw enforcement is investigating complaints about several BC Liberal signs going up without a permit, and before the 28-day byelection campaign officially starts, but could not say how many signs in total might be involved. BC Liberal candidate Laurie Throness, reached on the hustings Thursday, said his election team believed the signs were legal, as long as they were on private property. “That was our understanding,” he said. “If that understanding was incorrect, we’ll move to correct it.” The signs were taken down the next day. The city official said the city can’t issue election sign permits — because no byelection has been called — and the BC Liberal signs fall into the category of “third party” commercial signs which also require a permit. Election candidates are also required to make a $500 deposit with the city to ensure signs are removed after the election. BC Conservative candidate John Martin said his campaign team “looked real carefully at the (sign) bylaw in Chilliwack and in Hope and it was pretty clear you don’t put them up until the writ is dropped.” “It’s a little bit disturbing that these people want to be government in Victoria, but can’t follow a simple bylaw in the jurisdiction they want to elect a new MLA in,” he said. Continued: BYELECTION/ p7
On Thursday, three Liberal signs were up at the corner of Prest and Chilliwack Central roads — one at the northeast corner, and two at the southwest corner. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
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