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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
No charges laid after vehicle kills pedestrian By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
NDP Leader Adrian Dix criticized the Liberals’ ‘Risky Dix’ campaign style at Merritt’s Tropico Spice on Sunday, calling it an American-type tactic. Emily Wessel/Herald
NDP leader talks elections in Merritt By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
The leader of B.C.’s New Democratic Party is calling for more cooperation between political parties ahead of the general election in May. In his 30-minute speech at Merritt’s Tropico Spice restaurant Sunday, Adrian Dix said the parties have to work together to achieve results. “If we have a politics where we call each other names all the time, it’s harder to work together after the election,” he said. Dix cited the “Risky Dix” campaign run by the current Liberal gov-
ernment as an example of the U.S.-style attack ads as one of those barriers to co-operation. “They’re running out of ways to rhyme with my last name and do double entendres,” he said. “We should treat each other with more respect in politics. It’s not governments attacking previous governments, it’s us building on what they did correctly, and trying to correct what they did wrong.” Dix also focused on the province’s economic inequality, an issue he has made central in his platform since becoming the party’s leader in 2011. “The inequality in
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apprenticeship equipment. “We acknowledge that young people aren’t getting anywhere near that level of education,” Dix said. “We’re essentially condemning people to a lifetime of low income. You have to give people the skills to address their own circumstances of inequality. It’s a key economic question.” Dix also spoke in support of fellow NDP member and FraserNicola MLA Harry Lali’s re-election at the event attended by about 100 people. The NDP is leading the latest Angus Reid Public Opinion
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our province is higher than in any other province in Canada,” he said. “That’s bad news for us because unequal societies are more divided societies. They have higher rates of mental illness, higher rates of alcoholism and they work less well economically. Here’s the kicker: they are less wealthy.” Dix said B.C.’s top 20 per cent of earners take 45 per cent of the province’s income while the bottom 20 per cent share four per cent. He proposed closing the income gap with education using non-refundable student grants, paid for by a minimum tax on big banks, and upgraded
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poll in approval ratings, released on Nov. 23, with 47 per cent of the 800 respondents. The Liberals came up second, with 29 per cent. The Liberals have held power in the province for over a decade. The Conservatives had 12 per cent, while the Green Party took nine per cent of the approval ratings in the poll that Angus Reid reports as having a 3.5 per cent margin of error. The poll also indicated the economy is the most pressing issue of this election (26 per cent) followed by health care (17 per cent), leadership (12 per cent) and the environment (10 per cent).
The pedestrian killed after he was struck by a car Saturday has been identified by the Coroners Service as 81-year-old James William Burgess of Merritt. Burgess was crossing Charters Street shortly after 5 p.m. when a vehicle turning from Nicola Avenue struck him. He succumbed to his injuries at the Nicola Valley Hospital. No charges have been laid against the driver, though the incident is under investigation. RCMP Const. Tracy Dunsmore said that as night arrives earlier, drivers must be more vigilant about pedestrians. “It’s the driver’s responsibility to make sure the roadway is clear,” she said. “It gets dark so fast, and it’s really hard to see people in the crosswalks. It’s not an excuse, but you just have to be more vigilant. You really have to make a conscious effort and
‘It gets dark so fast and it’s really hard to see people in the crosswalks.’ —MERRITT RCMP CONST. TRACY DUNSMORE
drive more defensively.” She said alcohol and speed have been ruled out as causes. “It doesn’t take much. He wasn’t hit very hard at all,” she said. “It just depends on how they’re struck. Anything can cause injury.” The incident marks the third pedestrian-vehicle collision in Merritt in as many months, Dunsmore said. In the first incident, a young girl was hit and dragged by a vehicle, and in the second, a driver hit a girl crossing the street, breaking her arm. A police report wasn’t filed in the second incident, and RCMP are asking the public for any information about the collision.
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