TUESDAY JULY 16, 2013
< Summer of setting & spiking
it’s time to play
COTR Avs hosting volleyball camp for youth | Page 7
9 & Dine, sunDay nite skins
Off to the races >
Join the League! 489-1282
Fairmont couple part of CTV’s Amazing Race | Page 4
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$ 10 INCLUDES G.S.T.
Vol. 61, Issue 137
Proudly serving Cranbrook and area since 1951
www.dailytownsman.com
IN COURT
Alleged carjacker pleads not guilty
Nickolas Bullock still arguing for trial to be moved to Port Coquitlam S A L LY M AC D O N A L D Townsman Staff
SALLY MACDONALD PHOTO
Amy Morrison, staffer out at the Kootenay Trout Hatchery, introduces a young friend to the fine points of the Painted Turtle, one of the many wonders on display at the facility. The Trout Hatchery hosted an anniversary celebration Saturday, July 13, marking the 10th year of the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. Families flocked to the event. See Page 2 for a special photo feature.
The man charged over an October 2012 carjacking near Creston and subsequent flight from police in Cranbrook has pleaded not guilty. Nickolas Bullock, 26, faces 11 eleven charges in Cranbrook, including assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, uttering threats, and robbery. In Cranbrook criminal court on Monday, July 15, Bullock entered pleas of not guilty. It was unexpected; both the prosecutor and a lawyer representing
Bullock’s defense thought he was going to accept a plea deal and plead guilty. However, Bullock told Judge Ron Webb he had changed his mind. Bullock was arrested in Cranbrook on October 2, 2012, after a dramatic pursuit by a police officer ended in a residential driveway. Earlier that night, a Creston man stopped to pick up two hitchhikers between Creston and Yahk. According to the driver, when the pair entered the car, the male hitchhiker allegedly assaulted the driver and stole the vehicle.
See BULLOCK , Page 3
Paramedic training coming to Cranbrook SALLY MACDONALD Townsman Staff
The Justice Institute of B.C. is preparing to offer paramedic training for 15 students starting February 2014 in Cranbrook. The new program will help to meet current student demand for paramedic training and address the growing
demand for paramedics in public and private organizations in rural areas, such as the BC Ambulance Service and the oil and gas industries. The Ministry of Advanced Education is giving the Justice Institute $250,000 each year to fund the program, which will start off with 15 places in Cranbrook next
year and 15 in Prince George. At the moment, paramedic training is mostly only offered in urban areas, and rural training is run on a onetime basis when required. The government provided one-time funding for those rural sessions, rather than regular annual funding. The program has never been of-
fered in Cranbrook before. “This new rural paramedic training program will help ensure that we are meeting the growing demand for services while supporting the health of families in rural areas of the province,” said Minister of Health Terry Lake. “We welcome this announcement,” said Dr. Mi-
chel Tarko, president of the Justice Institute of British Columbia. “Ongoing funding gives JIBC, in partnership with BC Ambulance Service, the ability to plan further ahead to meet the needs of rural and remote communities and to ensure that residents are aware of opportunities to pursue paramedic
training without leaving their communities.” “Our Skills and Training Plan aims to ensure that British Columbians have the right mix of skills, in the right places, at the right time,” said Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk. For more information, visit www.jibc.ca.