See Mind, Body & Fitness section pages 13-15
GAZETTE NORTH ISLAND
Publications Mail Agreement No. 391275
46th Year No. 05 THURS., MARCH 15, 2012
EDITORIAL Page 6
LETTERS Page 7
www.northislandgazette.com NORTH ISLAND LIFE Page 10
SPORTS Page 17-18
ALSO: The first in our sevenweek Comeback campaign. Turn to page 10 to see what we’re talkin’ about.
Newsstand $1.25 + HST CLASSIFIEDS Page 19-21
Victim remembered Mike D’Amour Gazette staff On the last day of her life, Carol Humchitt was happy, with plans to move back to Bella Bella to spend the rest of her days with her new granddaughter. But that was not to be; just after 7 p.m. Tuesday, the 49-year-old was struck by a van as she was crossing the road at Park Drive and Highland Drive. She succumbed to her injuries a few hours later at Port Hardy Hospital. While police continue to investigate the possible connection of a power failure — that blacked out street lights in the area — in the death, friends and family gathered Friday afternoon near a green, spraypainted square outline on the road, where Humchitt was struck by a 2004 Mazda van, driven by 62-year-old Arnet Hales, of Port Hardy. Hales was among the approximately 50 people who showed at Friday’s vigil, where people sang, laughed at memories of Carol, prayed and wept. “I thought it was important that I was here,� said Hales. Soon after Humchitt was struck, paramedics were on scene and raced the injured woman to Port Hardy Hospital. “When I got to the hospital at 7:30 p.m., the doctors were working on Carol and she was asking what was going on,� recalled Humchitt’s cousin, Harriet Willie. “She had internal bleeding, and then just after 10 p.m., doctors said she had passed away.� Carol was preparing to go back to Bella Bella March 24 to spend the rest of her life
with her only daughter and first grandchild, said Willie. “She wanted to watch her granddaughter grow.� The family said they’re not sure where Carol, who’d called Port Hardy home for the past six years, was heading when she was struck at the intersection, but they’re not blaming anyone for the tragedy. “The lights went out and this was a very bad accident and Carol’s family forgives the driver,� said Willie. “I really thank Arnet for showing up and sharing his hurt too,� she said. “We understand this was a very bad, very tragic accident.� The RCMP preliminary information indicates at the time of the collision, a power failure in the area knocked out the street lights. That’s being examined as a possible contributing factor, along with the visibility of the pedestrian, and her proximity to a marked crosswalk at the time of the collision. A collision analyst and re-constructionist with the Island District Traffic Services continues to investigate however, police said vehicle speed and driver impairment do not appear to be contributing factors. Meanwhile, Humchitt’s family remembered her as someone who’d “help anyone and everyone. “She had a really warm heart and a smile for everyone,� said Willie. “We see how many lives Carol touched,� she said, looking at the people who had assembled to pay homage to Humchitt. A service for Humchitt was held in Bella Bella Monday.
A picture of Carol Humchitt (above) among flowers at last Friday’s afternoon candlelit vigil at the site of the collision that caused her death. (Left) Arnet Hales, the man at the wheel of the van that struck Humchitt pays his respects, and (bottom) Pastor George Ewald leads about 50 people in prayer at Park Drive and Highland Drive, where the collision occurred.
Changes coming to how you read the NI Gazette As of March 22, all North Island Gazette subscribers will enjoy full access to the newspaper’s premium online content on at no additional cost. This is an important step as part of a growing industry trend to reward our loyal readers with free unlimited access to all the local coverage you expect from your community newspaper. That means all website content, including our eEditions—a digital replica of the paper—is now included in the cost of your paid subscription. On March 22, the first day for subscribers to activate their digital account, the Gazette will
publish details about the premium content plan and how it will work. Starting March 22, print subscribers can go to northislandgazette.com to sign up for digital access. New clients can subscribe for $51.25 per year to an all-access package, which includes the print edition and premium online content. Readers who want to forgo the print edition, or who live outside the Gazette’s delivery area, will still be able to access digital-only premium content on a monthly or annual basis. With this step, this paper joins scores of paid-circulation community newspapers in
cities large and small across the country which are recognizing the value of their online content, North Island Gazette publisher Sandy Grenier said. “Our next-generation products, such as our online content and e-editions, play an important part of our future,� she said. “We will deliver the news and information to readers when they want it, where they want it and, most importantly, how they want it.� While recognizing the value of the unique, local content created by the newsroom staff at the North Island Gazette, Grenier said she also appreciates the realities of a free-access internet.
“We understand that news outside of what our local reporters generate can be had elsewhere and for free, but there are literally thousands of such stories each day.� Subscribers will enjoy privileges that include ability to forward stories via email or social media accounts, participate in online discussions and access all content. Non-subscribers still will have free digital access to limited areas, such as provincial news, our web site’s front page and section fronts, blogs, classifieds and obituaries, Grenier said. And when breaking news happens locally, that too will be available to all.
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