Chilliwack Times, July 03, 2014

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HARRISON FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS TAKES VISITORS AROUND THE WORLD Showtime: From bagpipes to Bhangra, event is truly global

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The Walking Monk { Page 3 }

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Chilliwack

THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014

{ Page A19 }

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Prolific offenders walk on kidnap charges

impossible

DADS

BY PAUL J. HENDERSON phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com

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members, Raylene Bussinger. She and Mallard have been co-workers since the Vancouverite moved to Chilliwack to live with Rancourt, so she knew about their hopes. “I just piped up and said, ‘Well if you ever need a surrogate I’ll do it for you.’” says Bussinger. The mother of three and her husband had already decided they were finished having children of their own. Bussinger says she wanted to give Mallard and Rancourt the opportunity to also be parents. “Anybody, no matter if they’re in a same-sex relationship or not, should

hree prolific offenders will not face the justice system for an alleged kidnapping in November as the complainant proved too scared to testify. Charges of assault with a weapon, uttering threats, unlawful confinement and possession of a weapon were stayed against Jason Arthur Combes in Chilliwack Court Friday morning. And charges of kidnapping, uttering threats, unlawful confinement and possession of a weapon were stayed against Raphael Charles Leon and Richard Joseph Williams in relation to the same incident. The three were among five who faced the serious charges after allegedly kidnapping a 33-year-old man in November. The RCMP Serious Crime Unit found the victim in a house on Landing Drive on Skwah First Nations reserve land just west of downtown. The 25-year-old Williams from Chilliwack was charged immediately with kidnapping, threatening and confinement. A 36-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, also from Chilliwack, were also arrested, and warrants were issued for Combes and Leon. “This incident was a targeted

{ See DADS, page A11 }

{ See KIDNAPPING, page A4 }

Greg Laychak/TIMES

Justin Mallard (right) and Brett Rancourt hold their new son and daughter, Sawyer and Jordyn, as photographer Devon Hall takes family portraits at her studio.

Journey to fatherhood for local men a tale of science and community Their two children, Jordyn and Sawyer move in their cradle swings nearby, evidence that persistence paid off. The one-month-old twins were born prematurely which prolonged their hospital stay. Now they nap, bundled in their new home with two sleep-deprived, but elated fathers in the room. Their journey is a well-documented one. Mallard started a blog in November last year called Love and Science—Our Modern Family, tracking

their process of becoming parents in great detail. The online account of their lives has gained them a lot of attention in the Chilliwack community, which Mallard says has been instrumental in the couple achieving their dreams. “I’ve been out here for almost five years now and it’s been absolutely incredible,” he says. “The support, the love, the friends out here are amazing.” In fact, their dream was started in motion by one of those community

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or Justin Mallard and Brett Rancourt, being fathers seemed like an impossibility. “It’s probably one of the hardest things we both went through on our own—before we even met each other—about accepting being gay,” says Mallard. But when the couple first started dating five years ago, they immediately talked about having children despite the obstacles—both real and perceived. “You can’t change who you are,” continues Mallard. “You have to just embrace it and accept it, and then work toward the things that you really want.”

SHOP OUR ENTIRE PREOWNED INVENTORY

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