108th Year - Week 6
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
www.interior-news.com
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GETTING “GREASY” The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer in town Sunday.
A&E/A11
Spring Awakening Young love blossoms in Saturday’s performance of the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening, which blends modern rock and teens challenging 19th century sensibilities. The last two performances are Thursday and Friday. See page A11 for more.
MALADJUSTED A play about mental health Hazelton.
THREE RIVERS/A13
SEASON OVER Steelheads sunk in Terrace.
SPORTS/B1
INSIDE LETTERS A6 COMMUNITY A7 OUR TOWN A9 A&E A11 THREE RIVERS A13 SPORTS B1 CLASSIFIEDS B5
Joseph seeks legal advice over RCMP incident By Alicia Bridges Smithers/Interior News
Irene Joseph, a 61-year-old Wet’suwet’en woman who made a formal complaint against a Smithers RCMP officer in December, is seeking legal advice because she wants to pursue charges. Joseph claims the officer used excessive force when he tried to handcuff her outside the Smithers Mark’s clothing store on Dec. 6. At the time she made a formal complaint to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) for the RCMP. Joseph said the officer had hurt her knees and chest and damaged her walker and glasses when he knocked her down trying to handcuff her. The incident occurred when she was being questioned about a suspect in a theft at the store.
An RCMP spokesperson told The Interior News Joseph was detained because she did not comply with verbal directions from the officer. The local detachment helped Joseph file the complaint to the CRCC for the RCMP. Joseph said last week she had received two letters from the commission saying the investigation was ongoing. However, she said she is seeking legal advice about how to press charges against the officer. “I just want him to be punished for what he did to me,” she said. “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Joseph said she had always wanted to pursue charges against the officer but she was waiting for an opportunity to meet with a lawyer. The RCMP will advise Joseph when the investigation is complete but the results will not be released publicly.
Friday Only!
see last page in A
Chiefs serve notice By Chris Gareau Smithers/Interior News
Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs put the provincial and federal governments on notice last week over land jurisdiction when it comes to making LNG deal. Chief John Ridsdale (Na’Moks) of the Beaver Clan said the timing of the notice was due to the recent signing of provincial LNG agreements with band councils. “For thousands of years, we are the ones that represent the territory on behalf of our people. We have the houses and the clans on the 22,000 square kilometres, and we’re non-treaty. We’ve never ceded nor surrendered our authority on the land,” said Ridsdale. Aboriginal Relations Minister John Rustad made the province’s position clear after signing an agreement in December with the elected band council of Wet’suwet’en First Nation near Burns Lake. “They have asserted their territories
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and we work with the elected chief and councils,” Rustad then told The Interior News. Ridsdale said the federal government was included because First Nation reserves fall under federal jurisdiction, and that the province takes it lead from it. “They work hand in hand, one instructs the other,” said Ridsdale. TransCanada Pipelines representatives for the Coastal GasLink pipeline project said they were still trying to work out a deal with the hereditary chiefs on their own. “We’ll continue to speak with them but they got to understand the jurisdiction of the hereditary chiefs. That is first and foremost. This trying to go around us and doing these end games, putting out public releases saying that we’re in agreement. They may have probably a lower ranking chief, and not the majority of people support it. It was just so confusing to the public, we thought we’d address this through the provincial and federal governments and make the press release public,” said Ridsdale.
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