THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015
Volume 41, Issue 03
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Audrey Rilcoe chosen 2014 Citizen of the Year 2014
North Thompson Star/Journal
CCNA
Should Leonie Lake area be parkland for the future? ..... page 5
2014 Year in Review April - August
..... page 8
When we contacted Audrey Rilcoe to notify her of being chosen by the judges as Barriere’s 2014 Citizen of the Year, her response was an excited, “Oh, my! Oh, really! Oh, that Jane!” Rilcoe was nominated by Jane Milburn, who wrote in her nomination submission, “Audrey is a kind and giving person, and is always there to help out. Hospice got a shot in the arm when Audrey joined in 2005. She has done One on One Reading in the school for many years and has also judged for the science fair and heritage fairs at the schools. Audrey has worked very hard for the Barriere Curling Club, held down executive positions, including president, cleaned and painted, organized work bees, phoning committees and is now in charge of youth curling, and she can always be counted on to work on bonspiels and fundraisers. Audrey canvases for the Canadian Cancer Society, both for their spring campaign and for breast cancer, and also for the Alzheimer Walk For Memories. Above all, Audrey is there for people when they need her, taking them to town, cleaning out a shed, or sitting with them through a troubled time or
tragedy. She is always willing to lend a hand.” When we spoke with Rilcoe she said she was just heading off to carpet bowling and had a team organized for the upcoming Investors Walk For Memories. She commented that her family moved to the area when she was 16. She graduated high school in Barriere, married Len Rilcoe and has been here ever since. The couple have raised three children, all who have graduated from Barriere Secondary, and she now enjoys nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Of note, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year at a celebration held in the curling rink, and she says her 70th birthday is now coming up in February. Rilcoe was quick to tell us that they have no plans to live anywhere other than Barriere. “This is where we live, and we’re here to stay!” The annual Barriere Citizen of the Year Award is sponsored by the North Thompson Star/Journal, with assistance from the North Thompson Volunteer Centre. Date of the upcoming 2014 Citizen of the Year Banquet honouring Audrey Rilcoe will be published in an upcoming issue of this newspaper.
Submitted photo:
Audrey Rilcoe has just been chosen Barriere’s newest Citizen of the Year.
B.C. prison crowding probed by auditor By Tom Fletcher Black Press
Blanche and Lewis celebrate 70 years together Bloomfield Family
..... page 11
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B.C. provincial prisons remain overcrowded despite a decline in custodial sentences in recent years, and “safety and security incidents” have increased substantially, a report from B.C.’s Auditor General has found. About half of cells designed for one inmate are double-bunked in the B.C. system, and Auditor General Carol Bellringer concludes that is a contributing factor in maintaining safety in B.C.’s nine
facilities for adult inmates. Another factor in crowding is that about half of the roughly 2,500 inmates in the B.C. system on an average day are awaiting trial or sentencing. Safety and security incident reports have been on the rise in most facilities in recent years, with the highest rate of nearly 1,200 a year at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge. Nanaimo and Prince George both recorded nearly 800 incidents a year by 2012, with lower rates at Vancouver Island, Surrey
Pretrial, North Fraser Pretrial and Kamloops. The auditor’s report says one reason for the increase is that incidents are being reported and tracked on a more systematic basis. Bellringer also notes that there isn’t a clear definition of what constitutes a safety and security incident, and B.C. Corrections doesn’t have a target of what constitutes an acceptable level. Justice Minister Suzanne Anton said conditions in B.C. prisons are improving thanks to a $185 million construction program, including
an addition to Surrey Pretrial, a new women’s wing at Prince George and expansion of Alouette Correctional Centre for Women. A new 300-cell Okanagan adult custody facility at Oliver is under construction, and expected to open in 2016. Anton said that extra space will alleviate the space shortage at other facilities, but it remains to be seen if the new prison will allow the removal of tent-like temporary structures that have housed low-risk inmates at Kamloops
and Fraser in recent years. The audit also questioned the availability and effectiveness of rehabilitation programs offered in B.C. prisons. The audit found that only one program, violence prevention, was evaluated and shown to reduce the likelihood of reoffending. The five core programs operated in B.C. provincial prisons are: • Respectful relationships, to help inmates understand and eliminate abusive behaviours • Substance abuse
management, to reduce relapse and develop healthier lifestyles • Violence prevention, designed to reduce aggressive behaviour • Emotional management for women • Relationship skills for women Correctional centres also offer life skills, vocational, literacy and school extension programs. All programs are voluntary, and with an average sentenced stay of 71 days, some inmates aren’t in custody long enough to complete studies even if they want to.
S E R V I N G T H E N O RT H T H O M P S O N VA L L E Y F R O M H E F F L E Y C R E E K TO B L U E R I V E R
Terry Lake MLA Kamloops - North Thompson
618-B Tranquille Rd. Kamloops BC, V2B 3H6 Phone 250-554-5413 Fax 250-554-5417 email: terry.lake.mla@leg.bc.ca
www.terrylakemla.bc.ca