Our take: Big Book Sale puts used words to good use On stage: Tommy Douglas bio-play packs a punch
Your news leader since 1905
page 8 page 24
For all the news of the Cowichan region as it happens, plus stories from around British Columbia, go to our website www.cowichannewsleader.com
Friday, September 13, 2013
Super says school start-up smooth Remarkably so: District praises staff for the way it handled difficult transition to restructured system
Don Bodger
News Leader Pictorial
S Andrew Leong
Pizza chef Stephen Letts removes a pizza from the brick oven during Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival’s Meet Your Winemakers and all you can eat pizza at Providence Farm on Wednesday Sept. 11. The festival wraps up this weekend.
Thousands line up online to support Terry the Terrier Dog beating: Online petition urging hefty sentence gains momentum on the web
Ashley Degraaf
News Leader Pictorial
T
he story of ‘Terry’ the Boston terrier-French bulldog assaulted April 21 in Cowichan has gone viral again. That’s thanks to a petition created by Chris and Leigh Davies, witnesses to the April offence. As of Tuesday morning, the online Justice for Terry petition had collected 14,464 signatures calling for tough punishment if the dog’s
owner is found guilty in the case. “We the undersigned respectfully request that Crown Counsel recommend to the judge the maximum sentence available under the law and that, if Brandon Scott Harrison is found guilty of the crime of animal cruelty against his dog ‘Terry,’ the honourable sentencing Judge in the Provincial Court of British Columbia apply the maximum sentence available for this offense,” states the petition. “We also request that, if Harrison is found guilty, the court, in accordance with Section 24(3) of the British Columbia Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, ‘prohibit the person from owning or having custody or control of an animal’ for the rest of his lifetime.” This recent online action followed thousands of Facebook page visits and 345 shares of a post about the incident shortly after it
happened. That incident saw the Davies come across the dog (they’ve since called Terry) while driving down Cowichan Lake Road. Terry stepped with caution onto the road at the Gerz Road turnoff. The Davies pulled over, flashing their lights to warn oncoming traffic to stop. That’s when the situation turned ugly. “We saw a 20-something thug coming down Gerz Road, obviously the owner of (the dog) shouting... (The dog) was cowering now and sat down in the middle of the road,” Chris said after the incident. According to Chris, the “thug” then pinned the terrier by the neck to the road and punched him three times in the head. And that’s not all. more on page 6
chool District 79 is handing out accolades to its staff for a “remarkably smooth” beginning to the school year. “Given the amount of change imposed on our school system we have had a remarkably smooth start-up this year,’’ stated superintendent Joe Rhodes. “We had a few glitches, as we do every year, but no more than in other years.’’ Parents have expressed concerns about revised bus schedules, and squalid conditions in a Frances Kelsey Secondary School portable as school opened. But assistant superintendent Lorna Newman said Joe Rhodes: work was done to alleviate the concerns at the portable. shared excitement And the district took the step of issuing a media release praising staff for the enormous job undertaken and completed under massive restructuring program. “Now that we have worked through the startup issues, we want to share our excitement and pride about some of the projects successfully completed by our staff,’’ Rhodes noted. Changes arising from the restructuring were made with a one-time budget of about $750,000. “The scope and scale of work accomplished by school district staff is nothing short of impressive,’’ noted Rhodes. About 12,000 boxes were packed, moved and unpacked; 27,000 library books reprocessed; 4,000 students registered for busing; 1,500 computers reconfigured; 500 computers moved or recycled; and increased wireless capacity for all school buildings. The transformation of two schools, Ecole Mount Prevost and George Bonner, from middle schools into elementary schools were singled out as being particularly impressive within tight timelines. Changes made to the schools included the creation of five kindergarten classrooms, including the installation of in-class washrooms. more on page 6 bchonda.com
2013 Odyssey
WITH THESE PRICES,OUR 2013s ARE MOVING QUICKLY $
MODEL SHOWN: RL5H9DK
2013
Lease for COMES IN 1ST THE ODYSSEY YEAR . % APR* CIVIC DXAS VAN OF THE1.99
86 $0 Down
$
††
4,000
cash purchase incentive on any Odyssey model.£
£$4,000 Honda cash purchase incentive is available on select 2013 Odyssey models. Honda cash purchase incentive will be deducted from the negotiated price before taxes and cannot be combined with special lease or finance offers. PPSA, license, insurance, taxes, and other dealer charges are extra and may be required at the time of purchase. †† For more information about the Auto123.com Van of the Year award visit http://www.auto123.com/en/awards/finalist-categories ††/£ Offers valid from July 3rd through 31st, 2013 at participating Honda retailers. Dealer may sell for less. Dealer trade may be necessary on certain vehicles. Offers valid only for British Columbia residents at BC Honda Dealers locations. Offers subject to change or cancellation without notice. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.bchonda.com or see your Honda retailer for full details.
*bi-weekly for 60 months MSRP* $16,935 includes freight & PDI See dealer for details DL#5963
6466 Bell McKinnon Road, Duncan 250-748-5814 BCHD-July-Odyssey-10.306x1.786
www.discovery ††
2013 Auto123.com Van of the Year
Model FB2E2DEX
bchonda.com
www.discoveryhonda.com