See page 11 for Daytripping excursion
GAZETTE NORTH ISLAND
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
Publications Mail Agreement No. 391275
46th Year No. 31 THURS., AUGUST 2, 2012
EDITORIAL Page 6
LETTERS Page 7
www.northislandgazette.com NORTH ISLAND LIFE Page 13
SPORTS Page 15
NEED A VEHICLE LOAN? Guaranteed Approval! Call now: 250-850-9521
HARRIS NISSAN NORTH ISLAND Newsstand $1.25 + HST CLASSIFIEDS Page 20-22
Cougar eludes capture Gazette staff PORT McNEILL—A cougar treed in the local trailer park prompted the lockdown of a nearby child care centre before the big cat eluded RCMP and the Conservation Officer Service Tuesday at about noon. Port McNeill RCMP was contacted shortly before 11 a.m. by a resident of the trailer park who reported a cougar in a tree in the park. “Apparently the daughter of the family up the street was playing outside,” said Carmen Mitchell, a resident in the trailer park. “She ran one way and the cougar ran the other way.” RCMP and local conservation officer Tanner Beck responded, and when a cougar was confirmed
See page 14
Drumming up a festival
Stella Beans, Chief Bill Cranmer and Vera Newman lead the Seafest parade in Alert Bay Friday. The parade kicked off three days of art, music, games and activities on Cormorant Island. See more on page 13. Aidan O’Toole
‘Big cat escapes’
RCMP rescue fishing crew at sea J.R. Rardon Gazette editor PORT HARDY — A fishing boat skipper from Courtenay allegedly armed with a shotgun and knives and threatening two crew members led to a rescue at sea involving members of the Port Hardy and Port McNeill RCMP detachments late Sunday night. Shortly after 8:30 p.m., a request for assistance was received from a female crew member aboard the
30-foot gillnet fishing vessel Opal T as it travelled in the waters off Vancouver Island, near Port Hardy. The 26-year-old woman reported that the vessel’s skipper was high on drugs and threatening to kill her and the other crew member, a 21-year-old man. Karl Darwin Thomas of Courtenay, 49, was charged with assault with a weapon (a knife), uttering threats, pointing a firearm and careless use of a firearm. He
appeared in court in Port Hardy Tuesday for a bail hearing, but the hearing took an unusual turn when the judge recused himself from the case. Thomas, who is more commonly known as Keith Thomas, instead had his hearing moved to Campbell River Court’s Wednesday morning docket after the presiding judge, Hon. Brian Klaver, revealed a relationship with the accused’s family.
“I can’t take this one, it wouldn’t be right,” Klaver said. “I’ve known his dad for years; he’s an old friend. I remember this man when he was just a boy.” Klaver explained to the accused that it was a conflict of interest for him to rule on the bail proceedings, describing a ruling as “a no-win situation for both of us”. The accused nodded but remained silent in the court. He was returned to
custody after Judge Klaver agreed with a request from the accused’s counsel, Paul Grier, that the hearing be moved to Campbell River, which is closer to Mr. Thomas’ home. Names of the victims have not been released by RCMP. The pair had sought safety on the roof of the vessel, and the woman reported they had been physically assaulted and threatened by the skipper. There was a
loaded shotgun on board, and multiple knives. As RCMP officers were being mobilized to respond, additional information came in from the caller, indicating that shots had been fired, and the situation was escalating quickly. Port Hardy RCMP officers took to the water in an attempt to locate the vessel. This was a challenging task
See page 4 ‘Crew leap’
Come to us for all your glass needs. • Commercial • Automotive • Residential • Marine
GLASS Solutions
250-949-6662 • frontlineglass@telus.net • 6990 Market St. Port Hardy NEWS: editor@northislandgazette.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS: 250-949-6225
SALES: sales@northislandgazette.com