City a finalist Nanaimo woman earns Harbour City a chance to host. PAGE 7 Annual gathering Event attracts thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses. PAGE 19 Beat goes on Two female Wellington drummers win national awards. PAGE 3
T-men get on track PAGE 25
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
www.nanaimobulletin.com
VOL. 24, NO. 13
Fighter pilot drops in on cadets I
FORMER NANAIMO air cadet now flies Canada’s CF-18 jet. THE NEWS BULLETIN
T
he roar of CF-18 jet engines pulsed through the air above the Nanaimo Airport Saturday. For Nanaimo air cadet William Groundwater, who watched from the ground and later got a rundown of the aircraft from the pilot, it was an exciting experience. “It was outstanding. It was breathtaking,” Groundwater said. “Fighter jets just really intrigue me … so pretty much everything is like going to a rock concert for me, it’s pretty amazing.” The jet was brought in under the careful guidance of Maj. Aaron Macluskie, a graduate of the Nanaimo Air Cadet Squadron, who currently serves as the weapons and training officer for the 410 Tactical Fighter Squadron. Macluskie, who was undergoing regular scheduled training on Vancouver Island, received permission to divert to Nanaimo Airport and give the cadets a first-hand look at the fighter to celebrate the Nanaimo air cadets’ 70th anniversary. “It’s a tremendous honour and it is extremely exciting for me,” said Macluskie, about the opportunity to bring the plane to Nanaimo. ◆ See ‘VALUABLE’ /7
awmbas www.rawmbas.ca
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People urged to wear green for Canada Day
I
BY RACHEL STERN
www.countryclubcentre.com
FEDERAL PROGRAM cuts hidden within last month’s budget bill. BY CHRIS HAMLYN THE NEWS BULLETIN
Maj. Aaron Macluskie shows Nanaimo air cadets different parts of the CF-18 fighter jet (left) during a visit to the Nanaimo Airport Saturday. Macluskie, a graduate of the Nanaimo air cadet program, was undergoing scheduled training on Vancouver Island and received permission to attend the cadets’ 70th anniversary celebrations. RACHEL STERN THE NEWS BULLETIN
A Nanaimo woman hopes Canadians will rise up on the country’s birthday to protest the dismantling of environmental protection programs in the federal government’s budget. Dana Haggarty, a marine biologist on educational leave from Parks Canada, wants Canadians to send the federal Conservatives a message by wearing green on Canada Day (July 1) instead of the usual red and white. The Conservatives’ omnibus budget bill introduced last month, Bill C-38, includes legislative changes to Old Age Security, Employment Insurance, health care, immigration and more. But it’s program cuts, layoffs and amendments to environmental assessment, including the federal Fisheries Act and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, that have many Canadians upset and Haggarty looking to make a difference. Having worked for the federal government, she knows where the public service cuts have landed and their effects. “Because of my interest in the environment, in particular the marine and aquatic sciences, the stories of cuts and closures to scientific labs have really affected me,” she said. “Colleagues of mine working on ecological integrity monitoring lost their jobs from the cuts.” ◆ See ‘IMPACTS’ /3
Rawmbas Restaurant coming to Nanaimo’s North End soon. Check out our menu on facebook.
Winner of Best Vegetarian Dish “Bite of Nanaimo” 2011