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Red Deer Advocate THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015

www.reddeeradvocate.com

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Slash and freeze

Fast Eddy

PRENTICE VOWS TO CUT COSTS, RED TAPE BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF Government managers face a threeyear pay freeze and about 80 agencies, boards and commissions will be eliminated to cut costs, said Progressive Conservative Leader Jim Prentice in a Red Deer campaign stop. Prentice said existing public sector wage increases will be honoured but he made it clear there won’t be any money in the pot when they come up for renegotiation in the next few years if his government is returned to power. Managers will feel the brunt immediately. Their pay increases will no longer be tied to raises negotiated by public sector unions and a hiring freeze will be put in place. “We will not do that. This will be a change in practice,” said Prentice before about 100 supporters at Red Deer’s Festival Hall. Sticking to his message of the need to eliminate government red tape, waste and duplication, Prentice pledged to cut a quarter of the province’s 320 agencies, boards and commissions by the end of March 2016. “A province of our size does not need this many boards and agencies. “Every dollar that is misspent reinforces in our minds that we have work to do; that we must do a better job of managing government. We have to make sure that past mistakes are not repeated.”

Please see PRENTICE on Page A2

Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff

Edward Dostaler rolled into and out of Red Deer Wednesday, and he says he will continue rolling down the highway until he crosses Canada from west to east before turning around and crossing the country east to west, an estimated distances of 20,000 km. Known as Fast Eddy, Dostaler has been running up to 400 km weekly since March 1 when he left Victoria, B.C. On Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, Dostaler planned to put in a 121-km run south towards Calgary. As part of his self-supported trek across the country, Dostaler is raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Skeeters out a week early BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF Mosquito monitoring and treatment has started earlier than usual since Red Deer was spared its typical spring snowstorm. Trevor Poth, parks superintendent with the city, said with less snow, city

workers were out about a week early. “We had crews out about two weeks ago at the start of April to do monitoring. Treatment started just about a week ago now. We’re not in our fullfledged campaign yet, but they’re treating as they go,” Poth said on Wednesday. He said right now there are fewer mosquitoes than usual because the

city hasn’t yet had a big rain storm this season. Those that are flying around tend to be large, slow moving and easy to catch. “Those are just the mosquitoes that have overwintered as opposed to new hatches.”

Please see MOSQUITOES on Page A2

‘A really hard day’ CALGARY MAYOR REFLECTS ON ANNIVERSARY OF MASS MURDER BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

A student posts a message on the “Strength Wall” at the UCalgary Strong Festival at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Wednesday. Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of the killing of five Calgary students.

WEATHER Mainly sunny. High 18. Low -2.

FORECAST ON A2

CALGARY — Bouquets of flowers, dozens of candles and an unsigned note pinned to a tree were reminders left Wednesday outside a home where five young people were stabbed to death a year ago. “I did not know any of you when you were alive, but I am very grateful to be able to learn more about all of you now in the wake of this tragedy,” read the note underneath photos of the victims. “You all lived good, happy, respectful lives. From the outpouring of emotion, and from all the words I have read, your friends and family were very proud of you. I feel very proud to

INDEX

What’s not to love about chickadees? Myrna Pearman takes a look at the little cherubs that endure our harsh winters. Story on PAGE C3

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Please see MURDER on Page A2

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2015

have had such amazing young people amongst us. “None of you deserved this. None of you will be forgotten. Go in peace.” Last April, the four-bedroom home with stucco and blue siding was surrounded by yellow police tape. On Wednesday, two trucks sat in the driveway and the tree-lined street was silent. Lawrence Hong, 27; Josh Hunter, 23; Kaitlin Perras, 23; Zackariah Rathwell, 21; and Jordan Segura, 22, were at a house party to mark the end of the school year when they were attacked by an individual who was an invited guest.

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A2 RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, April 16, 2015

Mayors of Rocky, Rimbey want infrastructure deficits addressed BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF

Four arrested in drug bust near Markerville BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF

PROVINCIAL ELECTION

Infrastructure deficits are an important election issue for the mayors of two of the largest municipalities in the Rocky Mountain House-Rimbey-Sundre riding. Fred Nash, Rocky Mountain House mayor, and Rick Pankiw, Rimbey mayor, both pointed to the deficits as the top priority for them ahead of the May 5 Alberta election. “Like everybody else, we have infrastructure deficits,” said Nash, who mentioned the need for a new hospital in the town of about 7,500 people. Pankiw shared a similar concern for lagging infrastructure in his community, something he says is really a concern provincewide. “Where’s the money coming for our infrastructure?” asked Pankiw. Another recurring theme that both mayors mention is the need for open, transparent and fair government. Pankiw said Rimbey’s industry is primarily oil

and agriculture. The falling price of oil has raised employment concerns in his town. “With the price of oil a lot of companies have laid off people. What is our government going to do for these people without jobs?” said Pankiw. “We’ve come up with 59 new taxes, fees or licences. How is that going to help the average working individual? “Those are the answers I’m looking for.”

Three men and a woman were arrested on Wednesday after police descended on a rural property near Markerville as part of a month-long drug operation. Led by the Priority Crimes Task Force, RCMP from Red Deer, Sylvan Lake and Innisfail detachments and other specialized units executed a search warrant at a property six km north of Markerville about 9 a.m. Police seized undisclosed quantities of drugs, firearms and stolen property during a search of the 130-acre property and various out buildings. RCMP officers remain on scene cataloguing and analyzing seized items. A witness said about 20 police vehicles, including an armoured vehicle, gathered early in the morning and tactical team officers wearing camouflage could be seen going into the property. “They were armed for bear these guys. There’s no kidding about that.”

Please see ELECTION on Page A3

Please see BUST on Page A3

‘WITH THE PRICE OF OIL A LOT OF COMPANIES HAVE LAID OFF PEOPLE. WHAT IS OUR GOVERNMENT GOING TO DO FOR THESE PEOPLE WITHOUT JOBS?.’ — RICK PANKIW MAYOR OF RIMBEY

STORIES FROM PAGE A1

PRENTICE: Efficiency teams will be created When it comes time to renegotiate expiring union contracts, Prentice promised the government will approach negotiations with unions representing 200,000 workers in a “respectful way” but said there will be no public sector wage increases until the budget is balanced. “Today, I can’t negotiate those positions but clearly we have to hold the line on expenditures,” he said. “The point is we have to get the government of Alberta back to balance,” he said. “To do that we have to freeze management salaries and we’re going to have to take a firm position at the bargaining table that we start from zero increases.” Per capita public spending must be brought in line with the rest of Canada, he said. Alberta spends $1,300 more per resident on its public sector than the national average. His government wants to cut $8.6 billion over the next three years to bring spending under control. As well, in each government department, efficiency teams will be created. They will include public, industry and citizen group representation led by front-line staffers, to find ways to trim costs in government departments. Recommendations will go directly to cabinet. “We will not allow the recommendations of these efficiency teams to be filtered or watered down,” he said. The province has already brought in five per cent wage rollbacks for the premier, ministers and MLAs. pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com

MOSQUITOES: Early season feast for birds They survive the winter in warm places like moist piles of grass. Birds and bats are ready to snack on the mosquitoes that have emerged, he said. “Dragonflies are still a few weeks away. But certainly the bird species are out there and they are enjoying the early season feast.” Poth said Mother Nature will dictate how many mosquitoes will pester Red Deerians in the weeks to come. “If we get lots of rain and consistent rain, we’ll have a lot more mosquitoes. Mosquito eggs can last for years and years in dry areas so it’s all about the amount of moisture we end up getting.” The city uses a microbial pesticide called bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) on ponds where mosquito larvae will hatch. It is used to treat the aquatic larval stage of the mosquito life cycle before it emerges as an adult. Bti is non-chemical product that only kills mosquitoes. It does not affect fishing waters, other

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Progressive Conservative Leader Jim Prentice addresses a group at Festival Hall in Red Deer during a campaign stop Wednesday afternoon. aquatic organisms or birds. The city mosquito program typically runs from April to August. Poth said water is only treated after monitoring and where a lot of mosquito larvae are found. Right now, the focus is on melt from the remnants of snow loads through the city. He said anyone who does find water with a large number of larvae should call the Parks Department at 403-342-8234 to make sure it’s being monitored by city crews. szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com

MURDER: Trial date to be set next month Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi attended a private memorial service, which included friends and families of the victims. “It’s a hard day. It’s a really hard day,” he said. “I asked them all how have things been going and how are you doing? As one can expect it varies. There are good days and bad days and it was a tough

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day for many of them,” he said. “Universally they are happy to remember the support they received from the other young people, from the friends of those we lost and from the community as a whole.” The University of Calgary marked the anniversary by announcing a new festival to be called UCalgaryStrong and which is to focus on fostering student well-being and resiliency. “This is a day ... that you don’t want to have to relive,” said university president Elizabeth Cannon. “It was tragic for us on campus, but also for all of Calgary, and certainly nationwide. The last year has been a roller-coaster. We had a lot of ups and downs.” Students’ union president Jarett Henry said no one was immune to what happened. “It’s been tough. I remember waking up last year with phone calls and texts from my mum and friends asking what happened, where are you and are you OK?” he recalled. “I think every single student on campus had that experience and we’ve been living with it ever since.” Matthew de Grood, the son of a veteran Calgary police officer, faces five counts of first-degree murder. A date for his trial is to be set next month.

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ALBERTA

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015

Sniper rifle found in home where RCMP were shot BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

KILLAM

The home of a man charged with the attempted murder of two Mounties in rural Alberta was stocked with guns, ammunition and a bullet-proof vest. Video played in court Wednesday showed a room with bunk beds where seven of the weapons were found, including a loaded sniper rifle, along with a letter from a chief firearms officer addressed to Sawyer Robison. On the floor nearby was a binder labelled “Special Forces Sniper Training and Employment (Headquarters, U.S. Army).” Robison, 30, stood in court on the first day of his trial and pleaded not guilty to the counts against him, which also include assault causing bodily harm and four weapons-related charges. Robison, described by residents as a quiet photographer and musician,

was arrested following a standoff on his family’s farm near Killam, southeast of Edmonton, in 2012. At the time, RCMP said that a domestic violence assault led four officers to search for an illegal handgun on the property. Two Mounties walked into a house and shots were fired. Constables Sheldon Shah and Sidney Gaudette were hit but managed to get out of the home and were taken to hospital. Following a lengthy standoff, Robison’s uncle, Bradford Clarke, was found dead in the house. Officers began a search for Robison, who they alleged had been in the home at the time of the shooting and fled in a black pickup truck. He was arrested three days later after his parents appeared before TV

cameras and pleaded for him to turn himself in. Robison was also accused of seconddegree murder in the death of his uncle, but that charge was discontinued during a preliminary hearing. Cpl. Christine Bramhoff, a forensics officer who examined the scene, showed the judge photos of a naked man in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. He had a head wound and two handguns were next to his body, one almost under his left hand. Court also heard a bathtub in the home was full of water and police believe Clarke had been having a bath before the shooting. Bramhoff listed off more than two dozen spent bullets, fragments and cartridges found in several rooms of the cluttered bungalow. Two bullet holes were discovered in a large living room window. There were also what appeared to

be several ammunition re-loading stations throughout the home, she said, including one in the basement where officers found more guns in a closet and a bullet-proof vest hanging on a wall. Bramhoff next examined a truck on a nearby grid road where Robison was arrested. A sleeping bag and ski mask were in the box of the truck. Bottled vitamin water, dried fruit and a knife were in the back seat. She said it’s believed Robison hid out in an office trailer at a nearby oil lease site, where officers found empty soda and juice bottles and a box of oatmeal cookies. A black truck registered to Robison’s father was later found hidden among other vehicles and farm machinery on an area property, said Bramhoff. A sniper rifle with its serial number filed off, boxes of cartridges and another bullet-proof vest were inside.

U of A scientists use MRI to study knuckle-cracking EDMONTON — A team of crack researchers finally may have solved the mystery of knuckle-popping. In a study published Wednesday, University of Alberta scientists describe how modern imaging technology has shed new light on the age-old riddle of why some joints crack when you pull them. “It’s something that every culture, every society is interested in,” said Greg Kawchuk, lead author of the paper published in the online journal Plos One. “We all do it. People love it or are repulsed by it.” But nobody had actually looked closely at how the noise beloved by annoying uncles is created. The first paper on the subject dates back to 1947, said Kawchuk. It theorized the crack comes from an air cavity created by the sudden separation of the two affected joints. Nonsense, said a 1971 rejoinder in scientific knuckle-cracking literature, which suggested the pop is the result of an air pocket collapsing. Enough with theories, decided Kawchuk. With the help of a colleague he describes as the Wayne Gretzky of knuckle-cracking, he decided to bring MRI technology to bear. No one had ever before looked inside a knuckle as it cracked. “When we saw that, we said, ’Wow! There’s a real opportunity here.’ It’s

been sitting there waiting for someone to do.” The team designed a carefully calibrated knuckle-puller that resembles the kind of woven finger-trap on offer in novelty stores. The subject digit was placed under a magnetic resonance imager and the requisite tug applied. Video of the event — which lasted about 310 milliseconds — was carefully analyzed. At first, the surface tension of the fluid in the joints kept the bones together. “As we increased the pull, suddenly you reach the point where you overcome that surface tension and the two joint surfaces suddenly fly apart,” said Kawchuk. “In that moment, we saw the creation of an air cavity that happens at the same time the sound is produced.” A similar effect can be created by pressing two hands together at the palm, then quickly separating them. The imager wasn’t able to determine what’s in the cavity, air or a gas released by surrounding tissues. Nor can Kawchuk be completely sure the cavity is what creates the sound. “We have to be a little bit careful,” he said. “We’re only imaging a very small slice of what’s happening inside the joint. There’s things that are happening to the left and right and in between our images that may be causing the sound, but we don’t see them. “But what we did observe is consistent with what was proposed in 1947.” The research does have real imporscheduled for April 21 at the Rimbey drop-in centre, at 5110 53rd Ave., at 7 p.m. and on April 23 in Rocky Mountain House at the Legion, at 4911 49th St., at 7 p.m. mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com

STORIES FROM PAGE A2

ELECTION: Forum slated for April 21 Pankiw also hopes the MLA elected for the region will keep Rimbey in mind. He said in the past, the MLA has set up constituency offices in Sundre and Rocky Mountain House and largely forgotten about his town of about 2,300. The deadline for candidates to file to run in the election is Friday. So far, no Liberal Party or Alberta Party candidate has been declared for the riding that stretches from Rocky Mountain House all the way to the B.C. border and goes, south as far as Sundre and north to O’Chiese First Nation. Incumbent MLA Joe Anglin, who sits as an independent, is facing challenges from Jason Nixon of the Wildrose Party, Hannah Schlamp of the NDP and Tammy Cote of the Progressive Conservatives. Anglin was elected as a Wildrose member in 2012, but left to sit as an independent on Nov. 2, 2014. All-candidate forums have been

BUST: Suspicious activity The property is a quarter section with a large house and several quonset buildings. It has been the scene of numerous suspicious comings and goings over the last couple of years, especially in the last few months. Police said more details on what and how much was seized and the scope of the investigation are expected to be released this afternoon. The names of the suspects and their charges have not yet been released. Priority Crimes Task Force includes officers from Red Deer RCMP general investigative section and Innisfail and Sylvan Lake detachments. Their focus is on pooling information to target the most prolific property crime offenders.

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

Researchers demonstrate a scientifically calibrated knuckle-cracking machine they used to help solve the mystery of why some digits pop. The University of Alberta team used a modern MRI machine to discover the cracking noise seems to be created as the surfaces of the two joints are pulled apart, shedding new light on an issue that have devilled science since the first paper on it was published in 1947. tance. Fingers aren’t the only joints in the body that crack. “By using this technique to look into people’s joints, we have a little bit of a window to better understand joint health.” As well, not all people are able to crack their knuckles. The paper could help scientists understand why.

Kawchuk’s study is silent on the question of why some individuals enjoy cracking their knuckles or whether it’s as bad for them as their mothers say. “I’ve had people tell me, ’It drives me crazy,’ ” he laughed. “It’s the kind of thing people lose marriages over, I think.”

Wildrose looking for new candidate in Calgary

why the party decided against Kuykendall, but in 2007, Kuykendall wrote a blog criticizing a gay pride brunch that was held in a Catholic church hall. “Evidently, whoever rented the hall on behalf of the event was not entirely forthcoming with the parish priest and administration as to what event would convene,” Kuykendall wrote on June 27, 2007. “Then, apparently anticipating (wanting?) trouble, the event organizers arranged for two uniformed members of the Edmonton Police Service to be posted at the entrance to the hall.

The Wildrose party is looking for a new candidate in Calgary. Leader Brian Jean said in a statement that the party received a vetting package on Wednesday on some candidates and now is seeking a new candidate in Calgary Varsity. Russ Kuykendall was going to be the candidate in that riding. Jean says Wildrose wants candidates that will protect the rights of all Albertans. The statement did not say

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COMMENT

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015

Democracy in freefall YOUNG VOTERS HAVE NO TASTE FOR OLD-SCHOOL POLITICS AND SO SIMPLY OPT OUT Of all the victims to take a hit in the Mike Duffy Senate expenses scandal, there’s one that isn’t talked about much. Democracy itself. It’s hard to read the daily stories of ambiguous Senate expense rules, allegations of blackmail/payoffs and rampant disregard for the poor taxpayers who are underwritDOUG ing this mess FIRBY without asking yourself about the value of our democratic institutions. Why, many have asked, have a Senate at all if this is what it comes down to? And few feel more alienated than young adults who should be engaged in developing the next generation of politicians. Instead, confronted with the spectacle of pork-bellying of old, white guys in suits, they make a perfectly understandable decision — not to vote at all.

INSIGHT

In some respects, politics is facing the same crisis as many of our longstanding institutions, from service clubs, to prime time TV, to even traditional religious denominations. All are finding themselves increasingly irrelevant and gradually sinking into oblivion. Like those other besieged institutions, politics as a profession is in a freefall, and our leaders are seemingly incapable of getting through to a skeptical generation of young people who simply do not buy in. It would take a miracle to turn this trend around. It could be done. But restoring faith in our electoral system would require a new style of politics that eschews much of the current orthodoxy. It would mean an end to the cynical and mendacious “spinning” of information, replaced by a level of honesty that would send political advisors into apoplectic fits. It would also require a new generation of politicians whose values more closely match the young voters they wish to court. It would amount to nothing less than a completely new paradigm for the political landscape. It may seem daunting, but if we want our parliamentary democracy to recover, these changes are absolutely essential.

Voter turnout grows when you have the right platform and the right person. In Calgary, the 2010 municipal election saw come-from-nowhere candidate Naheed Neshi defeat two old-style establishment candidates for the mayor’s job. It also saw a marked increase in voter turnout from below 30 per cent in previous elections to 53 per cent of eligible voters. Although John Tory didn’t have Nenshi’s rock star appeal, turnout in Toronto soared to 60 per cent in 2013 in a hot contest against Doug Ford, brother of disgraced former mayor Rob Ford. Nenshi showed what a new-style politician can do; Tory showed us voters will turn out when the issues are hot enough. Sadly, such electoral lightning doesn’t strike that often. And when the issues are just more-of-the-same, young voters drift further away. The decline of faith in our democratic institutions has been so incremental it’s easy to think that things have always been this way. But they haven’t. At the federal level, election turnout has gone into steady decline from a modern high point of 75.3 per cent in 1988 and 1992, according to data from Elections Canada. In 2008, it sank to an all-time low of 58.8 per cent before slightly rebounding to 61 per cent

three years later. The age breakdown is equally revealing. In the desired age group of 18 to 24, just one in three eligible voters bothered to cast his ballot. In the peak age group of 65 to 74, three out of four voted. What would the country look like if young voters could be engaged? What will happen to the country if they can’t? Next year’s federal election will be an interesting test of the ability to re-engage youth. Justin Trudeau got the job as leader of the Liberals, not because he’s bright or because he’s a policy wonk, but because he is a refreshing counterpoint to drab Stephen Harper, a young-ish guy with a bad haircut who looks old before his time. Critics fear Trudeau doesn’t really represent the new politics; that he’s more form than substance. His occasional verbal gaffs only reinforce the impression. That could be true, but one thing is for certain. Just like his controversial father before him, he’s not of the old guard. And like his father, he may have enough novelty to get young people out to the polls. Doug Firby is editor-in-chief of Troy Media and national affairs columnist. See more at troymedia.com.

Changing the focus SEE-NO-DUFFY, HEAR-NO-DUFFY TORIES BUILD SUPPORT Pay no attention to that little man in the courtroom. The Conservative government may be stealing furtive glances over its shoulder at the downtown Ottawa courthouse, but it is mainly going about its business, flexing the muscle of incumbency. It is shoring up its vulnerabilities in an election year while much of the political class — and a good chunk of the population — is talking about Mike Duffy. It’s been relatively easy for TIM the first days of the suspended HARPER senator’s criminal trial, but it will become progressively more difficult as it winds its way into June and moves into more perilous waters for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. For now, the government is adopting a “What, me worry?” strategy while it has that opening. It is firming up support in key constituencies, bringing down the temperature on volatile files and, most importantly, traversing the country sprinkling previously announced money, events that receive no national attention but provide valuable ammunition for Conservative candidates, incumbents and challengers alike, when knocking on local doors in search of votes.

INSIGHT

Shoring up support Tuesday’s announcement of up to 200 Canadian military trainers heading to Ukraine will be a domestic winner for the prime minister. The Canadians will be far from military action and the Ukrainian diaspora in this country, an important voting bloc, will applaud Harper for putting his money where his mouth is in support of Ukrainian sovereignty. Similarly, the state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give Harper a chance to shine with an Indian diaspora. More than a million Canadians trace their ancestry to India and they are concentrated in key 905 and Lower Mainland ridings in British Columbia. Modi gets a Vancouver state dinner with Harper and an official red carpet welcome in Parliament.

Bringing down the temperature This remains a work in progress but the early returns are good. The new veterans affairs minister, Erin O’Toole,

CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER Published at 2950 Bremner Avenue, Red Deer, Alberta, T4R 1M9 by The Red Deer Advocate Ltd. Canadian Publications Agreement #336602 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation Fred Gorman Publisher John Stewart Managing editor Richard Smalley Advertising director

has announced a series of changes on a file the government had mangled, most recently the hiring of 100 more case workers who are eventually expected to improve front line services. He has announced grants for those caring for injured veterans, increased disability allowances for permanently injured veterans and extended benefits to reservists. He has also eliminated the ludicrous requirement for veterans to confirm lost limbs to continue their benefits. This may not placate all critics. It can rightly be argued it took a looming election for a government to act as it always should have. But it has had one undeniably positive effect — when was the last time you heard from lightning rod Julian Fantino? The government has also cooled the thermometer on the question of missing and murdered aboriginal women. Calls for an inquiry persist but a national roundtable and promise of another meeting have nudged the issue off the front burner.

Sprinkling money around the country Tuesday was Christmas from Vancouver Island to Prince Edward Island. Rare was the cabinet minister who wasn’t announcing something, ranging from $16 million pledged for Canadian Sports Centres, in ceremonies at sports facilities in Halifax, Calgary, Toronto and Winnipeg, to $10.8 million for research chairs, announced at Hamilton’s McMaster University, to

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Alberta Press Council member The Red Deer Advocate is a sponsoring member of the Alberta Press Council, an independent body that promotes and protects the established freedoms of the press and advocates freedom of information. The Alberta Press Council upholds

almost $3 million to upgrade the regional airport in Victoriaville, Que. There was money for seniors in Ajax, for access to addiction programs for on-reserve First Nations, announced in Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask., help for the fish industry announced in Vancouver, help for farmers in Saskatoon and help for manufacturers of Asianstyle noodles in Winnipeg. There was a little over $9,000 to upgrade snowmobile trails in Armagh, Que., $1.8 million to fight crime in Scarborough, Ont., $1.18 million to support francophone entrepreneurs announced in Alfred, Ont., and $2,000 to support the Willow Creek Cowboy Poetry and Music Society in Staveley, Alta. There were wharves being fixed in Pointe-Sapin, N.B., and Ladner, B.C. This was all previously earmarked money, but Conservatives believe they will be able to deliver a good news pre-election budget next week. To be sure, they will spend $7.5 million of your money to invade your television or streaming device to tell you what a crackerjack budget that was. Harper will not be able to escape the drip, drip, drip of the Duffy trial. As we head toward the summer, the drip might become a flood. The trial is beyond government control and in the hands of a scorned senator and a deft defence counsel. But in the meantime, Conservatives have an election to win and to get there they will see no Duffy, hear no Duffy. Tim Harper is a syndicated Toronto Star national affairs writer. He can be reached at tharper@thestar.ca.

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CANADA

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015

Indian PM gets raucous welcome “His visit to Canada is historic ... the first stand alone bilateral visit to Canada by an Indian prime minister in more than four decades,” Harper said. Near the arena, a group of about 150 protesters chanted slogans such as “Modi is a terrorist” and called for Modi’s prosecution. They say he’s an extremist Hindu nationalist with blood on his hands from his time as chief minister of Gujarat state. They were in a courtroom earlier Wednesday but failed to launch a private prosecution of the Indian leader after the attorney general last week decided against taking any action. Sikh advocacy groups allege his “acts and omissions” resulted in a massacre of Muslims in his state in 2002. The groups’ lawyer, Marlys Edwardh, said in a statement there were reasonable and probable grounds to believe that Modi engaged in the crimes. Jatinder Grewal, a spokesman for Sikhs for Justice, said after a seven-

hour court session Wednesday the justice of the peace agreed there was enough evidence to continue with a private prosecution against Modi, but the Crown declined to proceed. “I’m saddened that (Canada) did not try to obtain justice for the thousands of victims that were murdered and innocent women who were raped through Modi’s actions,” Grewal said. A few hours earlier, Modi and Harper waved from the plane to about 150 cheering supporters assembled on the tarmac at Pearson International as they arrived from Ottawa. A group of traditional dancers provided part of the colourful welcome. In Ottawa, the two leaders agreed the signed agreements were just a first step toward deepening economic ties, and that the relationship between the two countries hadn’t yet lived up to its potential. “Canada is a major Asia-Pacific power and should play a more active role, including in regional institutions,” Modi said.

Harper agreed: “It’s not where we want it to be, but it is growing.” One agreement Modi signed — valued at hundreds of millions of dollars — was a deal to buy more than 3,000 tonnes of Saskatchewan uranium to fuel India’s power reactors. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, who was on hand for the announcement, said the deal would be a boon for his province. “For an employer of 4,000 people in the province — 45 per cent of them First Nations and Métis — it’s a great day for Saskatchewan.” The contract with Cameco Corp. (TSX:CCO) was one of a number of agreements announced after Harper welcomed Modi to Parliament Hill amid full military honours, including a 19-gun salute. The deals included pledges to co-operate in the areas of civil aviation, railway transportation and education and skills development, as well as space, social security and maternal, newborn and child health.

Diplomat’s son, 15, charged with murder as an adult in Florida

No end in sight for Duffy trial

and Jean Wabafiyebazu shot each other. The grand jury also indicted two other young men involved in the alleged drug deal on felony murder charges. Media reports say Wabafiyebazu, who is being held in juvenile detention, will now be moved to an adult jail to await trial. Wabafiyebazu’s lawyer has said his client — whose mother is Roxanne Dube, a longtime Canadian diplomat who recently became general consul in Miami — plans to plead not guilty to any charges in the case. Under Florida law, all suspects involved in committing a crime can be charged with murder if it leads to a killing. Police say the Wabafiyebazu brothers were involved in an alleged marijuana drug deal gone wrong. Investigators allege the brothers had gone to a home with the intention

OTTAWA — The prime minister’s former chief of staff Nigel Wright once referred to the Mike Duffy affair as “Chinese water torture.” It appears the drip, drip, drip of information at Duffy’s trial will spill over its scheduled end date. That could mean many things — including days in court this summer, in the orbit of the election campaign in the fall, or even an extension of the case into 2016. The longer the trial goes, the better the chance that the details of the Auditor General’s forensic audit of all senators, due in June, could be referenced in court. The suspended senator and former Conservative faces 31 counts of fraud, breach of trust and bribery, all related to expenses and contracts he signed. Ontario court Justice Charles Vaillancourt finally said Wednesday what many in the courtroom had been guessing about since last week. “I don’t see us completing our task in the assigned number of days,” Vaillancourt said. The trial was originally scheduled to run until June 19, with a break from May 13 to May 31 while one of the Crown prosecutors deals with pre-trial responsibilities in another case. But seven days into the process, only two witnesses have taken the stand, even though dozens are expected to testify.

TORONTO — Thousands chanted “Modi, Modi” to welcome Narendra Modi to Toronto on Wednesday night as the Indian prime minister made his first visit to Canada. On a day in which he announced the relationship between India and Canada was now back on track and signed several agreements, Modi addressed an enthusiastic crowd in an arena. Modi, speaking only in Hindi, said there are a lot of problems in India but solutions lie in only one thing: development. “We must develop and surge ahead,” Modi said, adding that India used to be known for its scams, and he wants it to be known for its skills. Despite turning those without tickets away, there were empty seats in the Ricoh Coliseum as Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced Modi to the cheers of the crowd.

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS MIAMI — A Canadian diplomat’s teenage son accused of involvement in a drug-related shootout that killed his older brother in Florida has been charged with murder and will be tried as an adult. A Miami-Dade County grand jury indicted 15-year-old Marc Wabafiyebazu on first-degree felony murder charges Wednesday. Wabafiyebazu’s defence lawyer, Curt Obront, said his client will plead not guilty. “We have confidence in the criminal justice system and look forward to moving forward through judicial process,” Obront said. Wabafiyebazu was arrested March 30 after the shooting deaths of his 17-year-old brother, Jean, and 17-yearold Joshua Wright. The indictment returned Wednesday charges that Wright

of stealing marijuana from a dealer. While the younger sibling waited with the car outside, the older teen went inside. Several shots were fired inside the home, police allege, and Marc Wabafiyebazu rushed into the house but exactly what he did after that is not clear. Officers who arrived at the scene found the older Wabafiyebazu and Wright dead inside. Two other men, including Anthony Rodriguez, 19, the alleged dealer, were wounded and needed treatment. According to police reports, the Wabafiyebazu brothers — who had only recently relocated from their father’s home in Ottawa to South Florida to be with their mother — took her personal vehicle with its diplomatic plates to the alleged drug meeting. Police documents state Wabafiyebazu said he and his brother had pulled off similar drug-related rip-offs in Canada.

Veterans Charter misunderstood, says minister While O’Toole said the charter is aimed at getting medically released soldiers into new careers, critics say it does the opposite, clawing back financial benefits for those who do return to jobs leaving them little incentive to try.

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OTTAWA — Ten years ago, politics prevented the government from clearly explaining its overhaul of how former soldiers are compensated, and the repercussions echo to this day, says Veterans Affairs Minister Erin O’Toole. The widespread criticism of the socalled New Veterans Charter has not been justified, despite the fact it has been amended multiple times, the minister said Wednesday in a wide-ranging interview with The Canadian Press. The policy is misunderstood by supporters and detractors alike, O’Toole said. “I really wish I’d been a veterans affairs minister in 2006 because we haven’t had a proper discussion on the New Veterans Charter — how it works, what it’s geared to do — and that’s a

result of politics.” The program was introduced by the Liberals in 2005 and implemented by the Conservatives after the 2006 election that saw Prime Minister Stephen Harper take the helm. It retooled how disabled veterans received financial support from the government, including a controversial switch from lifetime payments to a single lump-sum system. “Because of the minority days and all the politics around it, nobody talked about it, nobody talked about why they moved to this model, which is far superior,” O’Toole said. Veterans groups feel differently. One is suing the government over the changes, arguing that the new payment system is discriminatory because it awards less than what a civilian worker could receive if he or she was injured.

Cash Back Day! is

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