NANAIMO REGION
NANAIMO REGION
Los Eve Adams Losing will help, Grits say
City’s core review may get going in October
Pub in old Nanaimo train station to close Fibber Magees announces that Aug. 16 will be last day of operation for the popular downtown bar. A7
Re Rejection can only help the Liberals, say some members Li
Council voted in February for the in-depth look at city programs and how spending is allocated. A3
Nation & World, A6
The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Tuesday, July 28, 2015
» Transportation
COURTS
Non-stop WestJet flights to Edmonton on the way
Cop faces sentence for jail cell assault SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
years ahead of schedule, and that means an expansion originally planned for 2020 is needed earlier. “We’re hoping in the next number of years to double the size of our terminal building. We need space for a customs facility, also,” Hooper said. The airport submitted an application in February for $3.7 million in federal funding, for an $11-million expansion which would be shared three ways with the province and the airport. “Hopefully we can get the Build Canada money to increase our terminal size,” Hooper said. “We’re just waiting to see if we’re successful.”
A Nanaimo Mountie awaits sentencing from a provincial court judge after pleading guilty to assault causing bodily harm. Const. Tim Bedard has entered an early guilty plea after being charged for punching an arrested man repeatedly in the face in a cell at the Nanaimo RCMP detachment in June 2014. Bedard was not the arresting officer and was trying to remove a drawstring from an article of the man’s clothing, a common precaution police take to prevent arrested people from hanging themselves. However, the arrested man resisted and, unprovoked, punched Bedard in the face. Bedard pushed the man against the wall and the two men fell in a struggle. Two other RCMP officers entered the cell. Apparently unaware of the other officers’ presence, Bedard began delivering multiple punches to the man’s face over approximately seven seconds. Following the incident, police reviewed the tape. The Ministry of Justice’s Criminal Justice Branch announced in February that it had approved a charge following an investigation. Bedard has remained at the RCMP detachment performing administrative duties. Crown prosecutor Oleh Kuzman argued for a one-year suspended sentence, adding the injuries caused by the assault were on “the lower end” of bodily harm. Bedard’s lawyer Bert King asked for a conditional discharge, presenting Judge Brian Saunderson with 20 character references. King said his client had sought help and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by violence directed at him in the past during his duties. Bedard apologized to the court and said he was ready to be held accountable. “I’ve never started a fight in my life,” Bedard said.
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Non-stop service from Nanaimo to Edmonton is the third service expansion by WestJet, which first introduced non-stop Calgary service in June 2013, then added second daily trip last fall. [DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO]
Customers have wanted service for some time DARRELL BELLAART DAILY NEWS
N
anaimo passengers will have non-stop flights to Edmonton starting in December. The Calgary-based national air carrier WestJet announced the service Monday. Nanaimo Airport officials are pleased to see all the hard work finally pay off. “It’s one of those things we’ve been working on for a couple of years,” said Nanaimo Airport CEO Mike Hooper. “We had a venue in the fall that included WestJet folks and we were pushing for it then. We’re delighted it’s a go, both for our passengers and our communities.” Hooper said, as did WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer, Edmonton customers have wanted the service for some time.
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Showers High 24, Low 14 Details A2
For an Edmonton resident, “wouldn’t you want to come golfing for a weekend?” Hooper asked. “This is a route that both ends, so to speak, have been looking for,” Palmer said. “Not just people in Nanaimo — people in Edmonton are looking for an option to get to the middle of the Island, so it’s going to be in place Dec. 15. For people looking at booking a Christmas flight, I would do it soon.” It’s the third service expansion by WestJet, which first introduced non-stop Calgary service in June 2013, then added a second daily trip last fall. Edmonton flights will depart Nanaimo at 2:25 p.m. and arrive in the Alberta capital at 5:12 p.m. Introductory fares are on offer for $170.23, taxes included, $196.48 Edmonton to Nanaimo.
“It will help facilitate business travel,” Palmer said. For people who live on the Island and work in northern Alberta, it’s another option. “And there are also people who do business on the Island,” Palmer said. “Then there’s another piece of it — in the winter months a lot of people go south, but it’s a pretty nice place in the winter, if you’re coming from a cold, snowy climate, some of the golf courses you can play all year.” The announcement reflects steady passenger growth since Nanaimo expanded its runway to allow inter-provincial flights. “By the end of 2015, we’re expecting about 320,000 (passengers),” Hooper said. That level of traffic was forecast for 2021, meaning the Nanaimo Airport is now six
Toronto eyes Olympics after Pan Am Games
Thief busted in taxi theft at ferry terminal
Toronto Mayor John Tory wants to let dust settle before making a decision, saying officials will conduct a “careful analysis” whether a bid is in the city’s interest. » Nation & World, B1
A man’s attempt to steal a taxi from the Departure Bay ferry terminal ended in an arrest Saturday after the suspect swiftly crashed the vehicle into a fence. » Nanaimo Region, A5
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