Cranbrook Daily Townsman, January 30, 2013

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 30, 2013

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Man mugged in broad daylight BARRY COULTER

A daylight attack for pocket change in Cranbrook has left a man bruised and sore, but otherwise all right. His attacker, however, is still at large. A man, who requested anonymity because the attacker is still at large, told the Townsman that his father-inlaw, 74, was walking to the grocery store down 4th Street North at about 5:15 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29, and was near Joseph Creek behind Save-On when his assailant approached him. “He asked my father-in-law what his name was,” the man said. “When he answered, the guy started beating him up.” The man said the attacker knocked his father-in-law to the ground, continued punching and kicking him, then started going through his victim’s pockets. At that point a car stopped, the man said, and though the driver didn’t

get out, the father-in-law got the chance to flee. “He ran to the nearest house and knocked on the door,” the man said. “An elderly man answered, but didn’t let him in.” But the attacker had come in pursuit, and continued the beating right on the steps of the house. The resident called the police, who were there within two minutes, the man said, but by that time the attacker had fled. “It was a brutal attack,” the man said. “And he got maybe a couple of bucks.” His father-in-law has a black eye and is feeling sore, but he got a description of his attacker — about six feet tall, a male caucasian, around 35 years of age. He was unshaven, with dark hair and wearing a dark jacket. Anyone with information on this attack should call the RCMP at 250489-3471.

FROM LITTLE THINGS, BIG THINGS GROW

When Tia met Lisa

How Big Brothers Big Sisters changed the lives of educator Lisa Costain and Grade 7 student Tia Poirier in this first in a feature series on mentors SALLY MACDONALD Townsman Staff

It’s a big un! SALLY MACDONALD PHOTO

A Wild Book was captured at Max’s Place in downtown Cranbrook on Monday, January 28. It was the launch of the Wild Books: Catch and Release, a free book exchange program swarming over the community to mark Family Literacy Week. Pictured, left to right: Max’s owner Lisa Barnes, Cranbrook chief librarian Ursula Brigl, Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy coordinator Katherine Hough, and Cranbrook Councillor Sharon Cross. See Page 3 for more.

Tia Poirier was facing hard times when she was first paired up with her Big Sister, Lisa Costain. The 12-year-old McKim Middle School student was being bullied at school almost every day. “I’ve been bullied since the first day of kindergarten,” Tia says. Late in 2011, Tia joined Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) as a Little Sister, after teachers at her school suggested she get involved. It was not long after Kimberley resident Lisa Costain signed on with the organization as a Big Sister. Lisa heard a speech by academic Dr. Martin Brokenleg in which he said the most important factor for a young person’s future is the influence of a supporting adult. “I thought: that’s so simple. I could do that,” says Lisa. The pair first met up in December 2011 at a Kimberley cafe, along with

BBBS executive director Dana Osiowy. “She went over what the expectations are, things like that,” says Lisa. “We made goals, like to meet other people, and do new things that we hadn’t done before,” adds Tia. Having someone new to talk to was an instant improvement for the Grade 7 student. “My life was really happier when I got my Big Sister. I got a new friend. I love hanging out with Lisa,” says Tia. Tia had long faced bullies at school, who would tease her and spread rumours about her. In Grade 3, Tia was physically attacked at least twice. Her mother, Nicole, spoke to the school about it, but it never helped for long, Tia remembers. “The school dealt with some of the kids, but they kept on doing it after they said they wouldn’t do it anymore.”

See SPEAK UP, Page 4

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