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Scientist says Ajax mine will bring worse weather Page A3
THURSDAY
Thursday, May 17, 2012 X Volume 25 No. 40
Kamloops, B.C., Canada X 30 cents at Newsstands
THIS WEEK
Remembering a dark period of Canadian history Page A20 Thompson River Publications Partnership Ltd.
Coroner’s jury has six recommendations Suggestions come in wake of fatal police shooting of Wilbert Bartley they were attempting to speak with Bartley about the return of a seized computer. The inquest jury delivered a list of six recommendations — five to the RCMP and one to the B.C. Coroners Service. The jury wants the RCMP to use the Bartley incident as a training tool for law enforcement “to improve and promote best practices when engaging in effective use of lethal-force training.” The jury also recommended the force install surveillance cameras in all unmarked police vehicles, have its officers complete eight hours of lethal-force or communication training each year, use mail or the phone to contact people about returning seized items and partner junior officers with senior officers. To the B.C. Coroners Service, the jury recommended all officers involved in police shootings be required to attend in-person for inquests. While Kronebusch testified at the inquest — and was peppered with questions from jurors afterward — Freeman did not.
By Tim Petruk STAFF REPORTER tim@kamloopsthisweek.com
In the mid-morning hours of commuting across Overlanders Bridge, some motorists are experiencing a 10-minute crossing, from backed-up traffic on the Summit Drive connector, to merging with West Victoria Street motorists, until finally breaking free of the bumper-to-bumper crawl at the intersection of Leigh Road and Fort Avenue. Some Tranquille Market companies say business has been affected by the closure of the Tranquille Road overpass since last week, when a semi-truck hauling an excavator damaged the span. Dave Eagles/KTW
Damaged overpass, damaged tills By Dave Eagles STAFF REPORTER dave_eagles@kamloopsthisweek.com
For some local businesses on Tranquille Market, repairs to the damaged Tranquille Road overpass leading to the North Kamloops business district can’t be completed soon enough. Some stores contacted by KTW say sales are taking a direct hit due to the road closure. The overpass will remain closed for at least another week after it was struck on May 11 by an excavator being hauled by a semi-truck. In an attempt to help traffic access Tranquille Market without being forced north to the intersection of Tranquille Road, Fortune Drive and Eighth Street, city crews have removed left-turn restrictions for northbound vehicles at Fortune Drive and Fort Avenue. Crews have also added a controlled left-turn arrow, timed with the green light. However, for those businesses in the 100- to 400-blocks of Tranquille Road, it comes as a small consolation, as they have already seen evidence of a drop in business.
Bruno’s Cold Beer and Wine manager Tricia Bertin said the store was affected on the day of the accident. “It definitely made a difference in our sales.” Bertin said. “The warm weekend weather helped bring in lots of thirsty people, which helped, but it’s slowed things down a bit once more.” Butler Auto & RV owner Joel Butler, whose business is well-established and located just off the overpass, said the closure immediately impacted his sales in a big way. “Since last Friday afternoon [May 11], we’ve been dead. We’ve now got better deals, but we’re not getting any new business, just from our previous purchasers.” Butler remains frustrated by what he views as an unnecessarily long time to get repairs underway on the structure. Further down Tranquille Market, front-desk associate Nathan Fitch at Northbridge Hotel and Suites pointed to the street from the window of the hotel’s front desk, noting the normally busy noon-hour flow of vehicle and pedestrian traffic is now reduced to a trickle. X See REDUCED A16
Throughout the two days of testimony this week at the coroner’s inquest looking into the death of Wilbert Bartley, a framed picture of the 50-year-old sat on a desk inside Courtroom 5D at the Kamloops Law Courts. The image sat facing the jury — made up of three women and two men — depicting a happy Bartley mugging for the camera. Just after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15, after the jury returned with its final recommendations, Catherine Bartley clutched the framed photo of her son in her arms as she exited the courtroom. The Bartley matriarch stood looking out a fifthfloor window and held the frame tight to her chest as she broke down in tears. Wilbert Bartley was shot and killed by Kamloops RCMP Const. Clay Kronebusch on July 30, 2010, in the parking lot of a North Shore gas station. Kronebusch testified he thought Bartley was trying to run him over with a vehicle. Kronebusch fired
WILBERT BARTLEY: 50-year-old was killed on July 30, 2010.
[web-extra www.kamloopsthisweek.com
GO ONLINE TO: • View photos from the shooting scene; • Listen to the recording of the Kamloops RCMP’s radio in the moments after the shooting; • Watch surveillance video taken at the scene on the day of the shooting. three shots, each of which hit Bartley in the head. Kronebusch and his partner, RCMP Const. Mark Freeman, were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by the Crown, when a senior Kamloops lawyer decided not to pursue criminal charges relating to the incident. The two officers said
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