NANAIMO REGION
Woman taken in by hurt son phone scam Local RCMP are warning people to watch for certain signs when a strange ‘official’ calls. 3
SPORTS
New shelterr on its way
‘Bam Bam’ gets a shot at the Canadian title
Ground has broken for a new SPCA centre in Nanaimo
Aubrey ‘Bam Bam’ Morrow, of Qualicum Beach, will fight for the Canadian middleweight boxing title. 6
Page 3
The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Wednesday, September 2, 2015
COLLIERY DAM
PETS
Dam project in limbo after fed-up councillors go home
Gruesome found dog victim of a botched sea burial
Deadline passed, another vote scheduled to happen today
ROSS ARMOUR DAILY NEW
SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
A
planned vote at Nanaimo council to award a contract for work at the lower Colliery dam was derailed Monday, after four councillors left when Mayor Bill McKay adjourned temporarily to clear the public gallery. The move left only four councillors, including McKay, present to vote. Five are needed to meet quorum to hold a meeting. The incident comes at a time when the city is under tight timelines to finish the dam project, which the province has said must be “substantially” completed by Nov. 15. Toby Seward, the city hall manager in charge of the Colliery file, said further delays will make it increasingly more difficult for the city to meet that deadline. He also said a letter from a lawyer for the B.C. water comptroller directed the city to select a contractor by yesterday. The situation happened after McKay paused on regular council business to tell members of the audience to lower signs. McKay has in recent weeks clamped down on the use of signs in the public gallery, claiming they have contributed to an intimidating atmosphere and a breakdown in decorum. Monday was no exception, with the mayor at one point telling the room: “If we can’t get order in the gallery, we will adjourn.” McKay’s warnings drew repeated boos and shouts from some members in the gallery who had shown up to watch the vote. It also garnered a sharp response from other members of council, including Coun. Jim Kipp. “This is provocative, your worship,” Kipp said. “It started out quietly, every time, until you provocate by your one rule.” McKay cited section 133 of the community charter, which gives the presiding member of a council meeting the ability to expel a person from a meeting for acting “improperly.” Coun. Gord Fuller said he want-
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Nanaimo Coun. Gord Fuller says he did not return to the council meeting Monday night on a point of principle. [SPENCER ANDERSON/DAILY NEWS]
“I never thought they would be that reckless.” Diane Brennan, councillor
ed council to consider an appeal to McKay’s stance under section 132 of the Community Charter, but McKay said that section did not apply. Fuller said the business of council “is not disrupted by signs,” but McKay stood firm. Eventually, the mayor declared the meeting adjourned, adding: “This meeting will reconvene once the gallery has been cleared.” However, four councillors did not return. “I’m outta here,” Kipp was overheard saying as he left. Fuller and councillors Jerry Hong and Bill Bestwick also left the meeting.
Coun. Bill Yoachim was absent. “Just as I do on every other occasion, when the meeting is adjourned I leave,” Bestwick said Tuesday in an email. “The meeting was not recessed, council was not sequestered to the board room for discussion. The meeting was adjourned.” McKay and councillors Diane Brennan, Wendy Pratt and Ian Thorpe stayed behind. McKay said calls made asking the departees to return failed. The four accused their colleagues of preventing a vote from taking place. Brennan said: “I never thought that they would be that reckless.” Thorpe said: “We’re looking at the same group of councillors who chose not to sign on to a code of conduct . . . that also talked about roles and responsibilities and councillors.” On Tuesday, Fuller said he stood by his decision, and said he
would do the same thing again under the same circumstances. “He needs to allow his decisions to be appealed and voted on by these members of council,” he said. A special open council meeting has been scheduled for today at 1 p.m. for a vote to award the contract. McKay said “the most important focus” will be awarding the contract for the work. “So we’ll see what happens,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to (do) anything about quorum when I don’t have support from council.” Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255 » We want to hear from you. Send comments on this story to letters@nanaimodailynews.com. Letters must include daytime phone number and hometown.
Kelowna man grows world’s biggest cuke
Hawkins ready to make his Lions debut
Okanagan gardener awaits official confirmation of the title from Guinness, while planning to produce globe’s biggest pickle as his encore. » British Columbia, 5
Former Tennessee Titans receiver Lavelle Hawkins will suit up for B.C. when they travel to play the Montreal Alouettes Thursday in Canadian Football League action. » Sports, 6
Local news ............................. 3 Markets ................................... 2 B.C. news ................................ 5
Editorials and letters ........ 4 Sports ..................................... 6 Scoreboard ............................ 7
Classified ............................... 9 Obituaries .............................. 9 Comics .................................... 8
A grisly find on a beach in Lantzville on the weekend turned out to be a burial-at-sea gone wrong. A couple had attempted to bury their male Yorkshire terrier off the beach near Sebastian Road, but it was found washed on shore by an area resident Sunday afternoon. The discovery raised community concern since the dog’s legs were found tied to a red harness which also had a rock attached to it. The find was reported to the Nanaimo RCMP who had an officer attend the scene. Vancouver Island’s senior animal protection officer Tina Heary confirmed there was no torture involved as euthanasia receipts from a veterinary clinic in Nanaimo were produced during the investigation. As a result, no necropsy was needed as part of what was initially treated as a cruelty investigation after the find was reported. “I’m not sure how it ended up on the beach,” said Heary who pondered whether the dog was buried in too-shallow waters. “People who take their pets home after euthanasia have to sign forms (which the couple did) and there are many things you have to adhere to. “For example, you can’t just bury your pet in your yard as you have to get the OK from the municipality. It also can’t just be sent off to the landfill. These people likely didn’t know what the consequences were.” Heary also said that the euthanized dog could have potentially caused damage to wildlife around the beach because of the toxic substance involved with euthanasia injections. “We had a situation some time ago where a cow was euthanized but the burial was delayed, so a lot of eagles who started pecking at it died.” Heary said the dog was elderly and it had been neutered. Ross.Armour @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4230
Crossword ............................. 8 Sudoku .................................... 2 Horoscope ............................ 10
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