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WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2013
page 7
❚ Election info
VOL 116 NO. 18
Where to vote.
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Making the ‘cut’
Before and after: Jim Hartley (left and centre) had his head shaved in a Relay for Life fundraising event on Market Avenue in Grand Forks on Saturday (Daffodil Day), with the assistance of Pam Hall. Hartley lost a pair of friends to cancer and has been growing his hair in their honour for about three years. He had a target goal of $2,000 and reached it. He was joined by friend Blair Grant (right) who also had his head shaved. More pictures and video at www.grandforksgazette.ca. KARL YU PHOTOS
❚ 2013 PROVINCIAL ELECTION
Popoff dropped by BC Conservatives
KARL YU
Gazette Editor
Mere days after an all-candidates meeting in Grand Forks, the BC Conservatives announced Mischa Popoff was no longer their candidate in the Boundary-Similkameen riding. Popoff writes opinion pieces for newspapers in the Okanagan area and was said to have made some objectionable remarks in some of the columns. He was said to have remarked that the Missing Women Inquiry, which looked into the women that went missing in Vancouver’s downtown eastside in the case against Robert Pickton, was a waste of time. He was also have said to criticize single mothers for raising children without the help of a man. “Mr. Popoff’s various comments were insensitive and disrespectful, particularly to women and single mothers who are, in fact, heroes to their children and their communities in many cases,” the BC Conservatives said in a release dated April 25. “We are a party that believes in a respectful airing of views. Mr. Popoff’s statements
were unacceptable and he has been removed as a candidate.” Popoff for his part said he wasn’t going to apologize and explained what he meant to the Gazette. “The commission on missing women was a complete waste of time for the simple fact that there was no disciplinary action taken against the police ... What was the change that occurred after this lengthy inquiry? Nothing,” Popoff said. “Forty-nine women died and nobody gets fired and that was what I was saying. I didn’t say the missing women were not to be worried about, I said the inquiry was a waste of time,” he said. Popoff also clarified his comment about single mothers. “The statistics show, entering into single motherhood is a very bad idea. If you’re like my mom, and you end up divorced, well that’s a different matter. First of all, that can’t be helped but the statistics also bear out that those kids are better off. Kids are better with two parents and I guess you could even argue they’re better with same-sex parents, as long as there’s two of them. Everything’s better
MISCHA POPOFF
with two parents. “I guess the way they worded it was I was running down or attacking single moms but no, I was promoting double parenting,” he said. The BC Conservatives party was contacted for further comment numerous times but had not responded as of press time. However, it did issue another release dated Sunday (April 28) discussing its screening process. “In light of last week’s revelation about two of our candidates, I ordered a full re-vetting of all BC Con-
servative candidates,” BC Conservative party leader John Cummins said in the release. “These are never easy situations for a campaign, but I believe that leaders must act proactively. As a result of this process the senior volunteer responsible for vetting has stepped down from that position … ” Popoff will still run as an Independent and he said that the BC Conservatives didn’t want to see the columns in question. “They vetted me, they knew I was a columnist, they knew I had been writing columns for the (Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers) for seven years,” he said. At the April 23 all-candidates forum at Grand Forks Secondary School, Popoff angered some attendees with comments regarding teacher salaries, prompting some members of the audience to heckle him. Still, even though he is no longer representing the BC Conservatives, Popoff said he won’t change. “I’ll be doing things the same way. No one wants to hear the mushy middle where all the parties start sounding the same,” he said. General Voting Day is May 14.
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Advance polls May 8-11, 2013 Campaign Office now open at 6369 Main Street in Oliver. Tel: 250-498-4260 Email: Linda.larson@bcliberals.com Facebook: /Linda.Larson.9406
www.todaysbcliberals.ca Authorized by David Goldsmith, Financial Agent BC Liberal Party. 1800-567-2257
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