NANAIMO REGION
Council delays decision on extension for hotel In a 5-4 vote, councillors voted to postpone further consideration on the project until June 15. A3
SPORTS
Pension reversal al
VIU coach finds niche in one-on-one teaching
Finance Minister Joe Oliver now says Canadians may be able e top up CPP contributions
Avneet Brar admits he was not the best basketball player; but coaching is another matter. B2
Nation & World, A7
The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Wednesday, May 27, 2015
» Politics
COURTS
Lantzville left without functioning government
Lantzville’s district offices. The province is now involved in how to return governance to the district. [AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS]
Ministry tasked with fixing district’s problem
ROSS ARMOUR DAILY NEWS
A
fter the resignation of a fourth councillor in a matter of weeks, the District of Lantzville has been left temporarily without a functioning government. As a result, the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development will now decide how to get council back up and running. Former councillor Graham Savage resigned at Monday night’s council meeting, following in the footsteps of Jennifer Millbank, Rod Negrave and Dave Scott, with all leaving since the end of April. Only Mayor Colin Haime, Coun. Denise Haime and Coun. John Coulson remain after November’s municipal election. The ministry must decide whether to order the remaining three council members to constitute a quorum or appoint quali-
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Mainly cloudy High 22, Low 13 Details A2
Related story, A3 fied persons to fill the vacancies until new members are selected through a byelection. Once a decision is made, council will have to appoint a chief election officer for the byelection to fill the four vacant seats. That must happen within 80 days of that appointment. The ministry said it would make a decision sometime Tuesday night. “They need to be a properly functioning local government and I’m prepared to ensure that that’s in place,” said Coralee Oakes, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. Oakes said the ministry expects all local governments to have policies in place in order to protect the workplace. “As always, we respect the autonomy of local government. It’s very critically important. They’re elected by the local citizens. We are looking at options
today (Tuesday) to ensure that they are successful. Fundamentally, they have to look at how as a community they move forward.” Oakes also said the ministry was working closely with Lantzville and that provincial staff is available to offer support and advice. Haime said he expects a decision quickly. “They understand our urgency,” he said. “The day-today activities such as garbage pickup, water supply and road maintenance will continue, but our strategic decision-making process is on hold.” Haime also said he was disappointed at the four resignations, but questioned the reasoning. He said none of them supported his election as mayor when he replaced Jack de Jong in November. Chief administrative officer Twyla Graf and finance director Jedha Holmes also resigned in
April. Savage, Millbank, Negrave and Scott all signed a letter in April stating they “do not condone” inappropriate behaviour from “some council members” towards staff members. The letter was sent to all households in the community. Savage said one of the causes of his resignation was a “clash of approach, values and trust.” He believes the remaining councillors have a “different interpretation” of the official community plan compared with the others who also resigned. “I’m not one for pointing fingers. Lantzville needs to move on,” said Savage. Ross.Armour @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4230 » We want to hear from you. Send comments on this story to letters@nanaimodailynews.com. Letters must include daytime phone number and hometown.
Shawnigan Lake offers top winery, restaurant
Colliery dams deadline approaches next week
Unsworth Vineyards restored the 119-year-old farmhouse into a restaurant and expanded their wine business to create a sustainably managed vineyard. » Food, B1
As the city by Monday must choose how to upgrade the lower dam, a request to include non-councillors may put meeting with the province in jeopardy. » Nanaimo Region, A3
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Murder trial gets underway SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
A B.C. Supreme Court jury trial for a man charged with second-degree murder began in Nanaimo this week, with the Crown calling witnesses Tuesday. Leo Ronald Touchie is accused in the death of 52-year-old Harry Glen Bickle in July 2013. Touchie was 22 at the time. While the Crown is alleging that Touchie inflicted the fatal blows on Bickle, the defence is arguing that Touchie had no intention to kill Bickle. On Tuesday, the jury heard from several witnesses, including the police officer who was the first responder to a 911 call, Bickle’s former common-law partner, the officer in charge of the crime scene and another man who witnessed the beating. A cross-examination of that man is slated to take place today, said defence lawyer Stephen Taylor. Taylor said that Touchie assaulted Bickle is not in dispute. He said the Crown must prove that Touchie intended to kill the 52-year-old. “In this case, the level of violence would indicate some level of intent, but there’s a lot of background to understand,” Taylor said. “One thing is the entire day was awash in alcohol. All the parties had been drinking hard.” Taylor said Touchie “reacted violently” when he came upon Bickle allegedly sexually assaulting a woman who had been drinking with them. The woman testified in court Tuesday, Taylor said. “Coming upon the site of a defenceless woman being raped triggered something from his past, something that made him feel powerless and angry,” Taylor said. “The defence position is that this is a manslaughter,” Taylor said. “Mr. Touchie caused the death of Mr. Bickle. That was not his intention.” Crown prosecutor Scott Van Alstine said the Crown expects to wrap up its list of witnesses by Friday or Monday. The trial is expected to last two weeks. Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255
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