THE WEDNESDAY
NOV. 28, 2012
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
TRI-CITY NEWS
www.tricitynews.com
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
Stories from 2 fathers
Holiday happenings
SEE ARTS, PAGE A26
SEE SPECIAL C & D SECTIONS
INSIDE
Tom Fletcher/A10 Letters/A11 Centennial volunteers/A16 Sports/A30
www.tricitynews.com
Tri-City News Wednesday, November
28, 2012, C1
Christmas in Port Coquitla m
Bylaw to help victims, bullies ‘Be Someone’ is launched in PoCo By Diane Strandberg THE TRI-CITY NEWS
MARIO BARTEL/BLACK PRESS
Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils players celebrate their victory over the Terry Fox Ravens in the championship match at the B.C. AAA high school soccer provincials on Saturday at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex. For more on the Coquitlam school’s win over its crosstown rivals from Port Coquitlam, see Sports, page A30.
Police will have new powers in dealing with bullying behaviour in Port Coquitlam under a new program designed to provide support and resources for both victims and bullies. Called Be Someone, the campaign — developed by PoCo business leader Gary Mauris with the support of PoCo Mayor Greg Moore — will provide B.C.’s first anti-bullying bylaw. Moore told community leaders and students at the campaign launch at Riverside secondary Tuesday that the bylaw will be modelled after similar legislation in Alberta and Saskatchewan. see ‘BULLYING’, page A7
Plehanov acquitted of sex crimes Reasonable doubt that touching was sexual, says judge By Sarah Payne THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Former Coquitlam substitute teacher Aleksandr Plehanov has been acquitted on charges he sexually assaulted a handful of students in schools throughout the district. Judge David St. Pierre
said the Crown had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Plehanov intended to touch the girls, who were seven and eight years old at the time, in a sexual manner. “It was clear from the evidence that Mr. Plehanov either was completely ignorant of or ignored the parameters and boundaries that were expected of a teacher by the school board and/or the teaching college relat-
ing to appropriate contact between a teacher and students,” St. Pierre said in B.C. Provincial Court in Port Coquitlam Monday morning. He went on to describe Plehanov as a “clearly ineffectual teacher”in a substitute role and said “certain contact is expected” in a classroom. While it may not raise any eyebrows to have a kindergarten teacher put a student on his or her lap, St.
MORE ON THIS STORY, PAGE A3 ■ SD43 boss lays out protocols ■ Teacher reg. branch weighs in Pierre said, those boundaries become less clear as students get older. Behaviour that may breach the teaching profession’s code of conduct isn’t necessarily criminal, he added.
Plehanov, a Burnaby resident, is alleged to have touched students inappropriately soon after he started teaching in School District 43 in 2007. see ‘ALL THESE’, page A3
ALEKSANDR PLEHANOV
The premier spoke to TriCity business leaders on Tuesday. See page A15