NANAIMO REGION
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The code, part of an ongoing organization-wide governance review at Nanaimo city hall, calls on councillors to behave in a respectful manner toward one another and the public. A3
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Hassan Rouhani’s Iranian government now in a diplomatic position to possibly negotiate an end to civil war in Syria
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Nuke deal gives Iran new diplomatic power er
Only three councillors sign code of conduct document
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The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Saturday, August 8, 2015 POLICE
Overdoses kill 10 in two months Fatalities are among 82 sudden deaths recorded since March in new system adopted by city RCMP DARRELL BELLAART DAILY NEWS
Ten people died of drug overdoses in Nanaimo in a recent two-month period. It’s not known how many of those deaths are from fentanyl, the narcotic responsible for a rash of deaths around B.C. The data comes from the Nanaimo RCMP, which has now adopted a refined system of record-keeping to distinguish overdose deaths from other sudden deaths.
In the past six months, 82 sudden deaths were recorded with the new system, with causes ranging from falls to heart attacks. The new record-keeping system kicked in June, and “we’ve had 10 sudden deaths due to illicit drugs,” said Staff Sgt. John Blaase, of the Nanaimo detachment. Blaase couldn’t say whether concerns about fentanyl was what caused the detachment to refine its record-keeping
methods, but “I know fentanyl is a major concern, simply because of its potency,” Blaase said. Fentanyl is what killed North Vancouver couple Hardy and Amelia Leighton, the BC Coroners Service found. They left behind a two-year-old son. Fentanyl killed 17-year-old Jack Bodie in East Vancouver Aug. 3. He and a younger boy, who survived, took what they thought were OxyContin pills
“That was really sad about that 17-year-old,” said Blaase. While hardened drug addicts are more likely to survive fentanyl, it can be fatal to non-habitual users because they lack sufficient tolerance to powerful opiates. Western Canadian police forces are now working together to trace the source of street fentanyl, which is believed to be made in Asia. In Nanaimo, plainclothes officers are watching for the drug
too, Blaase said. “I know we’ve had some arrests in regards to possession.” Not so for distribution or manufacturing, he said. Of 322 B.C. drug deaths in 2013, 64 were on Vancouver Island, the Coroners Service reported. Darrell.Bellaart @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4235 — WITH A FILE FROM CANADIAN PRESS
» Lantzville All four parties say their leaders won the debate Not everyone felt triumphant: BQ Leader Gilles Duceppe called it “surreal” to watch his fellow federal leaders discuss the threshold for Quebec independence without him. » Nation & World, A6
Part of high school torn down in seismic upgrade
Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district officials say that Wellington Secondary School will be ready for the beginning of the new school year next month. » Nanaimo Region, A3
Coastal cleanup also finds tsunami remnants Some of the debris was likely swept to sea by the 2011 tsunami in Japan; but a vast amount of coastal trash barged to Seattle reveals a large environmental problem. » Nation & World, A8
» Use your smartphone to jump to our website for updates on these stories or the latest breaking news.
Cloudy, light rain High 20, Low 13 Details A2
Residents head back to the polls to select new set of council members ROSS ARMOUR DAILY NEWS
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n November, Lantzville residents voted in a new council they believed would see them through four years of local governance. Since that election, three senior staff members and four councillors have resigned. Today, residents go back to the polls to choose from 12 candidates to fill the seats vacated by Jennifer Millbank, Rod Negrave, Dave Scott and Graham Savage. Jennifer Bielewski, Bob Colclough, Mike Donald, John English, Richard Finnegan, Will Geselbracht, Warren Griffey, Joan Moody, Dot Neary, Doug Parkhurst, Peter Popperl and Mark Swain are all on the current ballot. The top four vote-getters will join Mayor Colin Haime, Coun. Denise Haime and Coun. John Coulson on council. All votes must be placed at Costin Hall between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. Advance polls took place at the district office on July 29 and Aug. 5 and saw 293 people cast votes. Key issues in the byelection include water, development and council unity. The district currently has a memorandum of understanding with the City of Nanaimo to connect 225 homes in upper Lantzville to Nanaimo’s water system. A $1 million payment from the district to the City of Nanaimo is required for the connection to happen. The new council will also decide on if and how to move forward with the Village Core improvement plan.
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Lantzville municipal employees Jason Gosling, left, and Steven Page spent Friday preparing the voting station at Costin Hall. [AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS]
The council exodus began in April when Millbank and Negrave were first to go. At the time Millbank claimed council was “unable to move forward in a productive fashion.” Negrave deemed it “broken.” Prior to that, former chief administrative officer Twlya Graf and director of finance Jedha Holmes also resigned. Scott resigned in early May followed by Savage at the end of that month — the latter calling the previous six months as “one
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of the most negative experiences of his life. Savage’s resignation initially left the district without a functioning government until the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Coralee Oakes announced a quorum of three would be permitted. While still councillors, Millbank, Negrave, Scott and Savage all signed a letter that was mailed out to community stating they “do not condone” alleged inappropriate behaviour from
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BRING THE FAMILY
“some members of council.” Community planner Lisa Bhopalsingh resigned her position in mid-July. In November’s election, the district had a voter turnout of just less than 50 per cent. The newly-elected councillors’ terms of office will begin on Aug. 31, after they swear the oath of office.
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