Chilliwack Progress, September 13, 2012

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The Chilliwack

Progress Thursday

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Scene

Neighbours

Chief

Hockey

The Opera Project takes on the magic of Mozart.

Meet former fire chief Tom Beer.

Cooper Rush towers over BCHL opponents.

Opera

Sports

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Gaming centre promising ‘big things’

■ S UPER W ALK

Jennifer Feinberg The Progress

Chances Community Gaming Centre Chilliwack is set to open its doors November 1. The building exterior is being finished, and interior fixtures are being installed, said Howard Blank, vice-president of Great Canadian Gaming. They opted to go with the ‘Chances’ branding for the new gaming centre, measuring 28,000 square feet at Olds Drive and Young Road. “Big things are happening in Chilliwack,” trumpets the notice on the Chilliwack Bingo website, telling the public about the November opening. “At that time, our current Chilliwack Bingo operations will be moving to the new facility with many entertainment, gaming and hospitality offerings.” Expect a fairly big name to play the opening. “The first weekend will be quite exciting, and there is definitely some special programming being planned,” Blank said. Word around town is that it’s iconic Canadian band, Chilliwack, or possibly its founder Bill Henderson set to perform. “I can’t confirm who it is,” he told The Progress Tuesday. “We’re not ready to release that yet.” “I can tell you that whenever we open a facility in a community, we always have interesting acts to go with the local demographics,” he said in tantalizing fashion. International acts like Michael Bublé and The Temptations have been part of past grand opening celebrations for Great Canadian Gaming properties.

‘Dissidents’ behind BC Conservative Party in-fighting Robert Freeman The Progress

A “few dissidents” have forced a membership vote on John Cummins’ leadership of the BC Conservatives later this month. But why the dissatisfaction with Cummins, a veteran conservative politician elected just over a year ago, remains a mystery, even to party officials contacted by The Progress. Ben Besler, vice-president of the party and a Chilliwack resident, declined to comment on emails he sent to party mem-

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Continued: GAMING/ p13

A group of about 40 people walk along Spadina Avenue while taking part in the Parkinson SuperWalk to raise funds for Parkinson Society British Columbia on Tuesday. The Chilliwack chapter group raised $4,317 from the event. One of the organizers said they were expecting six to 12 people to show up for the walk. The group was pleased to see a great turnout and more money raised than expected. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS

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bers urging them to vote ‘yes’ for a leadership review on Sept. 22. “It’s an internal matter,” Besler said. “I just can’t comment on it.” But in one email obtained by The Progress, Besler complained about a $4,000 per month stipend the party is paying to Cummins, in addition to his “extremely high personal income” from his MP’s pension “at a time when we need every resource possible to fight the next general election.” Besler also said no workshops to train volunteers in elec-

tion readiness have been held, and that the number of party constituency associations is no longer growing but declining. Al Siebring, a board director who is running for party president, said the stipend was approved “unanimously” at a board meeting in July which Besler attended. “Ben Besler voted for it, let me be very clear,” Siebring said. Only Besler and one other senior party member are calling for the leadership review, according to Siebring and Shannon Kewley, a spokesperson for a Friends of John Cummins group

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that sprang up after the Besler email was leaked. “A few dissidents ... with little political experience” are behind the review,” Kewley said. “There’s no sign of a revolt,” Siebring said, among the party membership. Don Stahl, BC Conservative riding president in Abbotsford/ Mission, said only two of the party’s 16 riding association presidents are calling for a review, and every party member he’s talked to in Abbotsford is supporting Cummins. Continued: LEADERSHIP/ p11


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