Nanaimo Daily News, December 30, 2015

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WHAT’S INSIDE Today’s issue

Decay in palliative care a concern to advocates

Ridiculous calls that had 911 dispatchers scratching their heads included “My roommate used my toothbrush” and “My son won’t put his seatbelt on.” » B.C., 10

KRISTY KIRKUP THE CANADIAN PRESS

Big storm hits Ontario, Quebec The conditions made for a slow commute as motorists dealt with slick roads and slushy sidewalks. Police said they had responded to more than 300 collisions. » Nation&World, 12

Crossword .................. 25 Comics ................ 25, 26 Sudoku ......................... 26 Horoscope ................. 26 Classified ..................... 27 Obituaries ................... 27 Food ............................... 29

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Wacky 911 calls of year outlined

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OTTAWA — The escalating debate over doctor-assisted death could be the perfect chance for Canada to fix its broken system of palliative care — a “dark secret” that health advocates say has been quietly deteriorating in the shadows for decades.

Terminally ill patients and their family members are forced to take up the slack as a result, said Gabriel Miller, the public issues director of the Canadian Cancer Society, which is scheduled to issue a report next month on the state of palliative care across the country.

“There are thousands of terminally ill Canadians who are not getting the right kind of care,” Miller said.

“That’s causing patients and families unnecessary suffering and it is costing the health-care system precious resources.”

Miller is urging the federal Liberal government, along with its provincial and territorial counterparts, to capitalize on the chance to ensure Canadians have universal access to better, affordable end-of-life care.

“We finally have a moment to pull this problem out of the shadows and solve it,” he said.

“That’s the importance of the

PHILPOTT

“That’s the importance of the broader debate that’s unfolding right now. It is a chance to confront a broken system for end-of-life care and make a lasting reform.”

Gabriel Miller, public issues director, Canadian Cancer Society

broader debate that’s unfolding right now. It is a chance to confront a broken system for endof-life care and make a lasting reform.”

With Canada forced to confront the challenges of an aging

population and the Supreme Court establishing a deadline, the Canadian Medical Association is also pushing to make sure palliative care reform becomes a political priority.

“Certainly in any conversations we are having now on physician-assisted dying, it is absolutely essential that quality palliative care be available to patients and be seen as one of the options available to them,” said CMA president Dr. Cindy Forbes.

The struggle to access appropriate end-of-life care often has a ripple effect on the families of patients, Forbes said.

Helene Hardy of Gatineau, Que., knows the emotional and financial struggle first-hand.

She spent eight years helping tend to her husband as he battled cancer.

Families invariably end up having to carry the bulk of the burden, Hardy said.

“We are the invisible backbone of the health-care system,” she said. “If every caregiver in Canada right now, today, said, ’Enough,’ and brought ... patients to the hospital, I don’t know what would happen.

Something would collapse.”

Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott acknowledged the need for meaningful change.

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“There is some evidence that only 15 per cent of Canadians have access to high-quality palliative care when they need it,” said Philpott, who spent 30 years working as a doctor in Canada and abroad before entering politics.

“That’s unacceptable and we are committed to doing better.”

Canada’s health-care structure was founded half a century ago to address the needs of hospital care and physician services, Philpott said. In the 21st century, she said, it must reflect Canadian demand for care — palliative and otherwise — as close to home as possible.

“I know that Canada is flush with experts who have done very well in delivering palliative care and addressing the needs of Canadians at the end of life so we will be consulting broadly in terms of how to do this best,” she said.

The Liberal government has promised to spend $3 billion over the next four years to improve access to home care, including supports for family care and palliative care, and to make the existing compassionate care benefit more flexible.

“I think what we need is some fairly significant changes to our health-care system to modernize it.”

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

Resolutions for the new year Majority of Canadians set goals; but 73 per cent don’t follow through

L

eonard Krog wants to lose some weight in the new year.

The MLA for Nanaimo said he has always tried to maintain an acceptable weight, but he admits he’s getting heavier as he gets older.

“It seems that I have the metabolism of a middle-aged man, but the appetite of a teenager,” Krog said.

“I don’t usually make New Robert Year’s resolutions Barron because, as a Reporting politician, I don’t like to make promises that I can’t keep. But I’m going to try my best to cut back on eating and getting more exercise this year.”

Losing weight and looking after one’s health are typically the most common New Year’s resolutions people make.

So are spending less, taking more time for family and friends and getting one’s personal and professional lives more organized.

According to a recent Ipsos Reid study, 53 per cent of Canadians agree that setting goals at the start of the year is important, but 73 per cent stated they eventually break their resolutions.

Among those who did not make a resolution, 28 per cent said they believe making resolutions is more of a tradition than an actual serious commitment to change.

On the other hand, 67 per cent of Canadians polled point out they would be more likely to set goals if they knew their intentions were more achievable throughout the year.

Shaeah Love, a professional life coach based in Nanaimo, said many factors come into play to explain why people find it difficult to stick to commitments to better themselves.

Taylor McKay exercises at the Nanaimo Athletic Club on Tuesday afternoon. [AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS]

She said people have to question where the motivation to change initially comes from.

“Does the motivation to change come from your core values and what’s important to you, or does it come from external influences?”

Love asked.

“If it’s external influences, then people usually find it harder to maintain their convictions. People then often give up on themselves when they can’t live up to the ideals they had planned.”

Love said it’s becoming more common for people to make commitments to contribute more to others,

and the sense of “fulfillment and worthiness” they get from achieving that is often a powerful motivation to succeed.

“It’s just good karma,” she said.

“When you do good things for others, good things often come back to you.”

Stephanie Higginson, interim chairwoman of the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district, said she doesn’t have any grand personal visions for herself among her New Year’s resolutions.

She just wants to spend more time with her two children, aged five and eight.

“It’s been such a busy year working on the school board and there has been a lot of demands on my time that I never had before,” Higginson said.

“But I believe I can find more quality time to spend with my children in which I won’t be distracted by other thoughts. It’s very important to me and I intend to do it.”

Wiseman Mnguni, a fitness expert at the Nanaimo Athletic Club, said the club typically sees an approximately 25 per cent increase in business in the weeks after the holidays.

But he said only eight to 12 per

cent of those are still coming to the club to work out after about two months.

Mnguni said many people are looking for shortcuts to health and expect things to happen almost instantly with no real changes in their lives.

“A lot spend just an hour or so at the club every week and don’t make any other changes to their diets or other aspects of their lifestyles,” he said.

“Then they wonder what they are doing wrong and get discouraged.

It’s really a motivational thing and the people who succeed in meeting their own goals are the ones who really want it and are willing to commit.”

Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay said he wants to live a more healthy lifestyle in 2016, and his motivation to succeed will be to encourage others in the community to do the same.

He said he plans to buy an e-bike so he can begin to use the city’s many bike trails and lanes.

“I’ll be able to get exercise but also slow down and enjoy the view,” McKay said.

“There’s a number of reasons why people refuse to get exercise by biking or walking, and one is because they just don’t feel safe on the streets.

“I want to exercise while experiencing biking on the city’s roads and trails to see how I can make it better for others.”

Robert.Barron @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4234 » We want to hear from you.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

MONEY

Food bills on the increase for many Canadians SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS

N

ew data from Statistics Canada confirms that grocery bills soared in 2015, as food prices increased steadily month-to-month.

The pantry pain is projected to continue into 2016, as researchers project inflation will further drive up the cost of food.

According to the most recent consumer price index, food prices rose 3.4 per cent in the 12 months leading to November, compared to 4.1 per cent the previous month. “While prices for fresh vegetables and meat contributed the most to the gain, they increased less year over year in November than October,� said Statistics Canada in an accompanying summary.

In-store food prices also saw a 3.7-per cent year-over-year gain in November, after a larger gain of 4.6 per cent gain in October. Prices for food bought from restaurants saw a smaller 2.8 per cent rise.

The rates are lower than the

Food prices increased 3.4 per cent in the 12 months leading to November. [AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS]

overall rise of the consumer price index, which saw a lower increase if 1.4 per cent as of November.

The CPI is used to indicate changes in consumer prices in the market. It is determined by comparing the cost of a fixed basket of goods

and services purchased by consumers over time.

As the lower CPI increase indicates, the cost of food is outpacing prices for other goods and services.

Alcohol and tobacco products saw a smaller rise of 2.9 per cent

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over 12 months, as did recreation, education and reading (1.9 per cent), health and personal care (1.4 per cent) and household operations and furniture (1.4 per cent).

Transportation costs saw an overall decline of 1.1 per cent over the same period.

The University of Guelph’s Food Institute estimates the average Canadian household spent an additional $325 on food this year.

A further increase of $345 is expected in 2016.

The falling value of the loonie and corresponding inflation is being blamed for the projected increase. Because more than 80 per cent of Canada’s fruits and vegetables are imported, their prices are highly dependent on currency fluctuations, and prices for fruits and vegetables are expected to increase by 4.5 per cent. “It means that essentially families will have to spend more on these two items without many options, unfortunately,�

said Sylvain Charlebois, lead author of the Guelph’s sixth annual Food Price Report.

Drought over the summer placed a strain on crops in the U.S., but El Nino is expected to result in more rain in produce-rich agricultural areas, but that still is not expected to provide any relief for Canadian consumers. “We are expecting El Nino to have a positive impact on water scarcity in many areas in North America and in particular California, so agricultural output could increase,� said Charlebois. “But it won’t offset the inflationary effects of the dollar.�

Prices are also expected to increase for meat, seafood and fish, as well as lesser increased for dairy, eggs and grains.

Getty Stewart, a home economist in Winnipeg, told the Canadian Press that he suggests that consumers can avoid higher grocery bills by using ingredients with affordable pulses, like beans, lentils and chickpeas. “There’s all kinds of reasons why we should be using and enjoying our pulses more,� he said. “They’re affordable, they’re nutritious, they have a great source of protein, they have a low environmental footprint.�

Higher food prices may be passed down to consumers, executives from grocery chains have warned.

Loblaw Companies Ltd., president Galen Weston said in a conference call with investors last month that food inflation is difficult to predict. “We continue to have strong inflation in fresh (foods), although it has been moderating over the course of the year.

It’s really the second year of strong fresh-food inflation,� said Weston while recapping the company’s third quarter results.

Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255

NANAIMO

Variety of groups to help folks get rid of their Christmas trees DAILY NEWS

So your Christmas tree gleamed and glistened with lights over the holidays, but now it’s just there.

Luckily, there are groups in the community that want to take it off your hands for a good cause.

The Nanaimo SPCA is one of them.

The animal welfare and adoption agency is once again partnering with Nanaimo-based Flying Squirrel Tree Services to host a tree-chipping fundraiser this weekend.

Those with leftover Christmas trees can bring the soon-to-be-defunct tannenbaums to the Brooks Landing shopping plaza between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on a donation basis.

Todd Smith, owner of Flying Squirrel, said it is a quick, hassle-free way to bid farewell to your Christmas tree. “It’s probably about 700 trees a day,� said Smith, adding it takes about one second to make chippings out of a tree.

Nanaimo Search and Rescue is also holding its own by-donation Christmas tree chipping fundraiser, the ‘Friendchip.’ That event also gets underway Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Country Club Mall parking lot, with chipping help from VI Tree Service.

The Nanaimo Lions Club is also hosting its 53rd-annual Christmas Tree Disposal from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at North Centre Mall, Southwest Parking Lot Jan. 9 and 10.

There are other options for getting rid of your tree. One is the Regional District of Nanaimo’s Cedar landfill, which accepts the trees as organic material. “We do typically after Christmas get quite a few trees, probably in the hundreds,� said Larry Gardner. RDN solid waste manager.

He said smaller trees are also picked up at the curb by Nanaimo Organic Waste, which has a contract with the RDN to collect household compost.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

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NEWS 5

BUSINESS NOTES News from the Nanaimo and area business community

Deli open again after extensive renovations

Big changes coming

changes to the company in the new year.

On Jan. 1, DTZ Nanaimo will be joining forces with NAI Global, the largest global network of owner-operated commercial real estate brokerage firms in the world.

The firm will be rebranded as NAI Commercial Central Vancouver Island and continue to operate under the local leadership of Moss.

“As the commercial real estate market continues to consolidate, NAI Global is the best option for independent brokers and owners to remain competitive without sacrificing independence,” Moss said.

“Now that we are part of NAI, we can offer our clients access to local experts anywhere in the world, and our employees will have expanded opportunities to tap into skills development and career exploration.”

Bob Moss, managing broker for the DTZ Nanaimo commercial real estate firm, said he’s excited about the big

Robert.Barron @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4234

Thrift Store, located on the corner of Seventh and Bruce streets.

“My daughter now runs that store, but I got bored pretty quick after retiring and wanted to get back in the business, so Jeff and I decided to open the Penny Lane Thrift Store,” Linda said.

Robert Barron Reporting

T

he deli at the Quality Foods location in Northridge Centre has just reopened after extensive renovations.

Rob MacKay, a spokesman for the Vancouver Island-based grocery store chain, said the deli is now larger and has more to offer, including a smokehouse BBQ that produces pulled pork, barbecue ribs and other smoked favourites.

“It’s going over very well so far, and our customers seem to like the new deli and all it offers,” he said.

MacKay said other renovations to the store, including the construction of a new entrance way and front section, should be completed in another month.

Sun Life on the move

Kevin Knowles, manager of the Quality Foods in Northridge Centre, shows off the grocery store’s new deli Tuesday. [AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS]

New thrift store There’s a new thrift store at 1601 Bowen Rd. Linda and Jeff Dixon opened Penny Lane Thrift Store just before Christ-

mas. Linda said the store has a wide variety of clothing, records, shoes, books, DVDs and other second-hand articles.

She said she had just retired in May after many years operating Dixie’s

Sun Life Financial is moving to a new office at North Town Centre due to rapid growth in the industry.

Susan Mann, financial resources office manager, said the new office is due to open on Feb. 1.

She said the Sun Life office, currently located at 5800 Turner Rd., is moving to a larger, more open space to accommodate the company’s three manages and 31 advisors.

NANAIMO

Hundreds turn out for Christmas meal DAILY NEWS

Volunteers from the city’s 7-10 Club and Salvation Army were kept busy over Christmas feeding the less fortunate.

Gord Fuller, chairman of the 7-10 Club, said approximately 250 people turned out for breakfast at the club headquarters at 285 Prideaux St. over three hours on Christmas morning.

He said there was plenty of food for everyone thanks to the Christmas spirit shown by Nanaimo’s Real Estate Webmasters, who contributed the cash necessary to pay for the event.

But Fuller said there was some disappointment that just approximately 200 people turned out for the Christmas dinner later in the day at Generations

Church, located at 1300 Princess Royal Ave. “We thought a lot more people would come to the dinner,” he said. “We figure it was likely the result of holding it at an out-of-the-way location, and the fact that many people were not aware of the available rides to the church. We’ll have to start organizing this earlier and better next year.”

The Salvation Army held a free turkey dinner on Christmas Eve at the New Hope Centre, courtesy of two anonymous donors who paid the entire cost of the meal.

The SA also provided a free seniors’ dinner on Christmas Eve in which the meals were delivered to their homes.

Spokesman Rob Anderson said both events went well.

Arbour Cottage Government licensed adult care facility has openings for seniors in need of assisted/respite/ complex/palliative care.

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Attempted abduction rumour quashed in school statement CAMPBELL RIVER MIRROR

Rumours began circulating on social media recently about an attempted child abduction near Phoenix school after a woman made a post on a local Facebook group claiming her daughter called her from school saying someone tried to take her.

School District 72 was quick to release a statement.

“It has come to our attention that there are some rumours circulating on social media claiming that there was an attempted abduction of an Ecole Phoenix Middle School student earlier today,” the statement read. “THIS IS INCORRECT. “Earlier today, while walking back to Phoenix from a field trip at the Campbell River Museum, a vehicle passed several students in a manner that made them feel uncomfortable. The vehicle slowed and then sped off.

“Students were under the direct supervision of their teachers and at no time was a student spoken to or had any physical contact with a member of the public.

“Police have been notified.”

What was not a rumour, however, were the reports of a man in a dark van taking photos of students at Georgia Park Elementary.

On Dec. 16, a letter was sent out to parents of Georgia Park students saying one parent’s child was told to “smile for the camera,” by a man in a dark van.

“The student did not recognize the person as an adult connected to our school community and therefore, we are taking this incident very seriously,” the letter read.

“While the man never left his vehicle and the student was unharmed, police have still been notified and are investigating.”

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

OUR VIEW

We all need a system for making resolutions that stick

S

o, will you be exercising next week? Will you be giving to charity throughout the year?

Will you recycle? Will you stop smoking?

So many questions, but at a time of year when many of us are resolving to be better for 2016 and beyond, it may be a strategy we can all use.

As we reported today, according to a recent Ipsos Reid study, 53 per cent of Canadians agree that setting goals at the start of the year is important, but 73 per cent stated they eventually break their resolutions.

In other words, the majority of us will make those resolutions, an even more overwhelming majority won’t follow through. Basically, making resolutions is more of a tradition

than a serious commitment to change.

So how do we go about change?

The new year brings with it so much positivity, it seems a shame to let it go to waste.

The answer? It may well be questions.

According to a Canadian Press story this week, a new study spanning 40 years of research has found that asking questions is a better way to influence behaviour than making statements.

It is called the “question-behaviour effect,” a phenomenon in which asking people about performing a behaviour influences whether they do it in the future.

“If you just ask yourself, ‘Are you

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by Black Press Ltd., B1, 2575 McCullough Rd., Nanaimo, B.C. V9S 5W5. The Daily News and its predecessor the Daily Free Press have been serving Nanaimo and area since 1874.

History shows Alberta debt created before NDP

Publisher/Subscriptions: Andrea Rosato-Taylor 250-729-4248 Managing Editor: Philip Wolf 250-729-4240

General enquiries: 250-729-4200 The Daily News is a member of the National NewsMedia Council.

Editorial comment The editorials that appear as ‘Our View’ represent the stance of the Nanaimo Daily News. They are unsigned because they do not necessarily represent the personal views of the writers. If you have comment regarding our position, we invite you to submit a letter to the editor. To discuss the editorial policies of the newspaper, please contact Managing Editor Philip Wolf.

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going to exercise next week?’ it’s going to make your attitudes towards exercising more accessible,” said Ioannis Kareklas, an assistant marketing professor at the University of Albany.

It’s going to remind you of all the times you should have exercised and didn’t exercise. And, the thinking goes, you’re more likely to exercise in the future.”

The researchers looked at several explanations and found the most evidence to support cognitive dissonance, or the idea that holding two inconsistent thoughts at the same time creates tension and motivates behavioural change.

For example, asking someone “Will you recycle?” will make them think

of all the times they failed to recycle as well as the fact that it’s good for the environment. The technique has been shown to influence a wide range of behaviours, including cheating less in college and reducing gender stereotypes.

And it doesn’t just affect you the next time you’re faced with choosing whether to throw out a pop can or lace up your running shoes.

The effect has been shown to last more than six months after questioning.

There are wider uses, according to researchers. Asking parents “Will you vaccinate your children?” could have positive impacts on public health, even if only a small percentage were swayed.

Even a small change through a simple method could have wide-reaching effects, they say.

So there you have it. As you start plotting out your list of 2016 resolutions (quit smoking, drink less, cut down on the teasing of your siblings, whatever) perhaps you have a new method or some extra tools at your disposal to help make things finally stick this time out.

In that spirit, here’s some help for Nanaimo’s own city council heading into 2016.

“Will you folks be getting along in the New Year?” » We want to hear from you.

Send comments on this editorial to yourletters@nanaimodailynews.com.

Re: ‘Differences between B.C., Alberta are clear’ (Your Letters, Daily News, Dec. 24) Joe Sawchuk rides again with both guns blazing.

The old adage that “there are none so blind as those who won’t see,” is about the only thing an informed person could say about that letter.

He keeps harping that the NDP can’t stay in power more than one term, but why are they there in the first place? Obviously because the government they replaced had decayed to the point where the voters just wouldn’t take any more, and booted them out.

It’s obvious to most why they are only in for one term. The corporate systems step in and manipulate a gigantic brainwash on the gullible, and financially support only a government whose political favours are for sale.

The corporations may be in full control of your government, but they can’t buy favours from the NDP. He says that the NDP is causing unemployment in Alberta, and appears to be closed-minded to the fact that the employment rate is dropping because the oil companies are laying off thousands of workers to assure that their precious profits will not suffer.

Why didn’t he mention that Christy Clark’s government is $65.5 billion in debt ($14,000 per person), while the Alberta debt is only $16.5 billion ($4,000 per person)? Blame for Alberta’s mess lies with the Progressive Conservatives, but the NDP have to own it from here on out. It took 44 years for the PCs to make this mess and he thinks the NDP should clean it up in one term or be voted out.

I can only say that any donkey can kick the hell out of a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to restore it.

John A. Martin Nanaimo

‘Do unto others . . .’ still an important message Dr. Gifford-Jones’s excellent column on Dec. 22 caused me to spend part of Christmas Eve in contemplation about our world condition, humanity’s condition and God’s.

The doctor’s healing prescription is profoundly elegant, simple and clear: “Do unto others . . . .” Alas, we’ve heard it so many times . . . we’ve become self-inoculated from it, blasé to give it any real consideration.

On any front — environmental, social, political and even spiritual — our world appears in a severe condition and we, as the sentient species that was ostensibly “given dominion,” have demonstrated, so far, an utter inability to correct the course.

Einstein apparently said, “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness that cause them.”

A profound shift in collective human consciousness is required.

How might we lift ourselves up to that required level?

Gifford-Jones might counsel, “Take your meds.”

Simply “Do unto others . . .” personally and individually. One master teacher offered a parallel prescription: “Love one another.”

New science is teaching us that the whole of the universe and everything in it is inextricably connected. There is no “us and them,” no “us and it.” There is only One . . . collective togetherness.

If we truly honoured that truth, could we let any other being go hungry, could we drop a bomb on a different piece of “Us?” On occasion, I have joined others, complaining, “It’s a lack of leadership, of political will!”

No. There is no “them.”

There is but “Us.”

Another Christmas done; another new beginning (the 2016th) arising.

Let us together rise up!

Not to win a conflict with another over something, but to see the promised land that Martin Luther King declared that he could see . . . and invited us to join together there.

Love and Peace . . . to all.

Rev. Jordan Ellis Nanaimo Letters must include your hometown and a daytime phone number for verification purposes only. Letters must include your first name (or two initials) and last name. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, taste, legality and for length. Unsigned letters and letters of more than 300 words will not be accepted. Email to: yourletters@nanaimodailynews.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

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NEWS 7

Wednesday Morning Pictorial A view of the mid-Island

Frank Crane Arena was transformed into a Winter Wonderland Tuesday. Today is the last day to enjoy the decorations. [AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS PHOTOS]

Arena turned into special Winter Wonderland

Above, Paige Howlett, 2, gets help from her grandmother, Sue Howlett, at Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo on Tuesday. Below, Aaron Grant, left, and Ken Harper work together to create an ice sculpture in front of the rink entrance.

Matias Baumann, 2, skates at Frank Crane Arena at Winter Wonderland on Tuesday.

8 NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

VICTORIA

Senior, 101, puts the kibosh on CRA scammers PAMELA ROTH VICTORIA NEWS

The “Canada Revenue Agency Scam” has claimed hundreds of victims during the past year, but a 101-year-old Victoria woman refused to be added to that list.

The senior, a resident of the James Bay New Horizons Centre, notified staff when she was recently contacted by scammers posing as a representative of the CRA.

Victims of the scam typically receive a phone call from an angry caller, claiming to represent the CRA and that taxes are owed. The caller requests immediate payment by credit card or convinces the victims to purchase a prepaid credit card and call back immediately with the information. Victims are often threatened with court charges, jail or deportation.

This senior was told she had out-

standing taxes and was about to be prosecuted, but she was unfazed.

Staff spoke with residents and discovered two of their members had fallen victim to the scam. One lost $450 — half her monthly rent — and another lost $600.

The centre gathered the funds to cover the rent and staff have since reached out to various nearby partners in the community to inform them about the scam.

Since the scam surfaced last summer, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has received more than 10,000 calls from across Canada.

Last August, Victoria police were flooded with calls from citizens that were traumatized by the scam. In some cases, the victims attempted to turn themselves in for what they believed to be non payment of their taxes.

That same month, the CRA issued a

public warning about the scam after seeing an increase in reports.

Investigators are reminding the public that the CRA never contacts people over the phone to discuss fraud concerns and never threatens arrest over the phone unless a reduced fine is paid during that conversation.

Anyone who’s fallen victim to the scam can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud centre at 1-888-495-8501.

PORT ALBERNI

CAMPBELL RIVER

New image on the way thanks to city’s rebranding committee

City to bring wireless Internet up to speed

KATYA SLEPIAN ALBERNI VALLEY NEWS

Free Wi-Fi will be coming to Spirit Square and three other city facilities by next summer.

Council recently voted to spend $7,310 to bring wireless Internet access to the Museum at Campbell River, the Maritime Heritage Centre, and the Sportsplex.

Coun. Larry Samson said places such as the museum and Maritime Heritage Centre, which has been used from time to time to host regional solid waste meetings, does not have the capacity to handle the technology the meetings require. He said bringing those buildings up to speed will provide a huge benefit to the community.

“I think it does affect the people that want to rent our city-owned facilities and want to hold meetings there,” Samson said. “I thinking bringing them all up to a standard so that they can be used adequately by the patrons renting it is important.”

Warren Kalyn, the city’s manager of information technology, said Wi-Fi at the Maritime Heritage Centre will handle 30 concurrent users and cover both floors of the building, as well as the parking lot where the Farmer’s Market sets up.

At the Museum, Wi-Fi will also be available on both floors and will allow for 15 people to use the wireless Internet at the same time. Wi-Fi added at the Sportsplex will improve upon temporary Wi-Fi that can be accessed during special events such as the Home Show.

Wi-Fi for the Maritime Heritage Museum and Spirit Square will cost the city $120 each month in operating costs while providing wireless Internet access at the Museum and at the Sportsplex will cost $100 each month.

Kalyn said the Wi-Fi access at all four locations will not require use of a password but will be subject to content management, which means access to any inappropriate sites will be denied.

Coun. Colleen Evans said having the wireless access could help the city attract investment and stimulate the economy.

“I just think this is going to be a great advantage.”

M

ore people, more businesses and more money is what Port Alberni needs—and what the city’s branding committee is hoping to bring.

“The specific purpose of re-branding for economic development purposes is more — more money moving into the economy than out, more people moving in than out, more businesses setting up than closing, more visitors,” said economic development manager Pat Deakin.

“Our community was founded on natural resources but the production of commodities has been impacted so we are looking to diversify.”

It’s not only industry that has changed.

“The Internet has changed everything; we’re exposed to over 5,000 marketing messages a day,” said Deakin.

“It’s what Google says we are, not what we say we are.”

And in the same time frame as the Internet has emerged, so has the millennial generation—the branding committee’s prime target.

“We’re going fishing where the largest school is and that is the millennials; (they) are the largest demographic in the country at the present time and for some while.”

Deakin was up in front of city council to follow up on an interim branding committee report in the fall.

As a result of the interim report, water was chosen as a primary attractant for businesses and residents.

Of the 943 responses to a visitor experience survey carried out this summer, water was considered the community’s main asset.

“People said to us, overwhelmingly, to set ourselves apart from other communities based on our water.”

That, Deakin said, would include both the saltwater Alberni Inlet and the freshwater rivers, streams and lakes in the Valley.

It’s a sentiment that was echoed

by Mayor Mike Ruttan at the recent opening of the city’s new UV water treatment plant.

City of Port Alberni economic development manager Pat Deakin at the waterfront on Centennial PIer. [KATYA SLEPIAN/ALBERNI VALLEY NEWS]

“Water defines our city, it is our history and our future,” said Ruttan on Dec. 2.

Water, Deakin pointed out, is important to all those who live in the Alberni Valley.

“The First Nations view of water gives us another framework to consider for developing our branding,” he said.

The branding committee is in the process of conducting an asset inventory for the Alberni Valley.

While Deakin said that the inventory was in progress, some of the assets identified so far are the Alberni Inlet, the MV Frances Barkley, the Polar Bear Swim, the Alberni Downwind Canal Challenge, kite boarding and fishing derbies.

“How do we access these opportunities? How do we market them?

Who’s our contact locally? How do we use these as a platform to attract business, to attract visitors, to attract residents?”

“Our community was founded on natural resources but the production of commodities has been impacted so we are looking to diversify.”

Pat Deakin, economic development

CAMPBELL RIVER MIRROR

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NEWS 9

UCLUELET

Officials consider new Ukee Days location Ucluelet officials took a walk to find clarity on a controversial move.

The district is stepping towards a final decision on whether to move the annual Ukee Days festivities from its traditional Seaplane Base Field fairgrounds to a new location at Tugwell Fields.

Goers to this year’s festival in July were surprised to see a sign posted

at the event that stated next year’s event would be held at Tugwell Fields and this surprise quickly evolved into outcry.

A Facebook page sprung up titled ‘Save Ukee Days at Seaplane Base Rd.’ and locals have spoken at recent council meetings clamouring for the decision to be reversed.

Key concerns include Tugwell’s lack of parking, the impact festival noise will have on Tugwell’s neigh-

PORT ALBERNI

VICTORIA

Seniors see rent rise put on hold

Event helps to remember those who died while living on the streets

ANDREW BAILEY WESTERLY NEWS

ALBERNI VALLEY NEWS

Senior residents at Pioneer Cottages have a temporary reprieve until final decisions are made on an impending rental increase.

In early October, tenants of the cottages were advised of taxes owed to the city beginning July 2016 in the amount of nearly $40,000.

Prior to this year, the property had been statutorily exempt since its construction and replacement of the older cottages in 2010.

At that time, BC Assessment did not remove the statutory exemption classification and the error was not discovered until 2015, which hit the Alberni Valley Senior Citizens Homes Society with the unexpected bill.

In an effort to efficiently raise the money, the Society gave tenants notice of a $100 rent increase effective Jan. 1.

Tenants were invited to discuss the controversial request prior to the Society’s board meeting on Dec. 21.

The invitation came from former Society president, Ernie Bigelow after they expressed concerns about the increase.

At noon on Dec. 21, Bigelow announced his retirement from his longtime position and was not present the meeting.

Patty Edwards, on behalf of MLA Scott Fraser, has been acting as mediator between the Board and its decisions and the residents of the cottages. “(The Board) is feeling broadsided because they have a good history of providing good housing for seniors and out of nowhere get this bill that they never knew they would get,” Edwards said.

Edwards encouraged both sides to go through the proper process of the Residential Tenancy Act, which includes serving notice on legal forms, giving three months notice and implementing an increase of no more than 2.9 per cent.

The landlord can also file an Application for Additional Rent Increase.

bouring residents and the idea of nixing tradition.

Public outcry has hit a high enough volume for the district to reassess the move and council planned to walk through Tugwell earlier this month to reexamine the decision.

“The purpose of the tour is to actually be on the ground and look at what people are talking about and are concerned about; the things that they’ve put forward such as parking,”

Ucluelet mayor Dianne St. Jacques said.

“And then have a look at the (Seaplane Base) site, do some comparisons and come up with a decision that has good reasoning behind it.”

She said the walk would help councillors make an informed decision.

“It’s always easier, I think, when you walk around and are actually on-site looking at these things,” she said.

“It is in the Parks and Rec. plan that this move would be seriously looked at and considered so we’re doing that and looking at what the opportunities are and what the downsides might be.”

She said there is no timeline for a final decision to be made but she hopes to see council reach a consensus in short order.

“We want to make a decision as soon as possible.”

KEVIN UNDERHILL VICTORIA NEWS

When Bernice Kamano told the small crowd, during a candlelight vigil on National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, about a young man who had passed away living on the streets, she couldn’t bring herself to read the whole story.

The young aboriginal man had battled homelessness among other issues in his all-too-short lifetime.

Attendees and passers-by at Whale Wall in downtown last week, listened to somber presentations and observed a moment of silence, remembering those who passed away living on the streets in 2015.

It was only fitting that a cold wind accompanied the shortest day of the year. The sentiment was clear from the beginning and echoed throughout the event: end homelessness in Victoria.

Hilary Marks, with the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, led the event as volunteers passed out electric candles. She hopes one day they won’t have to hold this event at all.

“By law we all have the right to housing but unfortunately we don’t all have it,” Marks said. “I wish we could stop this and just house people and have them living longer and have a better quality of life.”

Marks said the mission is to end homelessness by 2018 and she thinks if everyone is on board and doing the right things, there’s no reason they

Bernice Kamano speaks at the National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day event on Dec. 21. [KEVIN UNDERHILL/VICTORIA NEWS]

can’t accomplish their goal.

“I’m hopeful and I’m keeping my faith that it’s going to happen.”

Among the roughly 35 people in attendance was Jeremy Loveday, a Victoria city councillor. He said this event serves as a reminder of the work that needs to be done to find a home for everyone in the city.

“I’m here to remember what people without homes face on a daily basis,” Loveday said. “This event

raises awareness but it’s really about remembering and holding space for those who have lost their lives living on the street.”

According to Loveday, the coalition reports that 367 people are sleeping on the streets or in shelters every night. Marks said the mayor and council are doing a good job — more than past governments have done — but added municipal leaders can’t do it all.

“We need new provincial government. Housing is a right and Christy Clark doesn’t seem to understand that,” she said. “We need money, we need housing and we need to start building.”

The emotional presentations came ended and the crowd dispersed.

National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day may have come to a close but for many, life on the streets is an every-night battle.

COWICHAN VALLEY

North Cowichan takes budget to citizens COWICHAN VALLEY CITIZEN

The exact dates have yet to be announced but folks won’t need to travel too far to participate in the Municipality of North Cowichan’s budget talks come the New Year.

Council is well into its budget deliberations but hasn’t lost sight of the community’s ongoing desire

to engage. Council, therefore, has decided to host four town hall meetings in late January: one in each of the Mount Prevost area, Maple Bay, Crofton and Chemainus communities.

“I’m excited to get out of council chambers and bring the budget discussion to the community,” Councillor Maeve Maguire said.

“Budgets aren’t as boring as they sound,” she added. “It’s one of the most important thing we do as a council and it determines our priorities for the next year and beyond.”

According to the municipality’s website the meetings will start off with a presentation on the draft budget and council’s identified priorities and finish with the chance for

the community to have their say.

“These town halls will give our residents and businesses a chance to ask questions and provide feedback before we finalize anything,” Maguire noted.

The town hall meetings are in addition to council’s extensive budget and tax-specific meeting schedule at the municipal hall.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

POLICING

‘My roommate used my toothbrush’ Hundreds of ridiculous and outrageous 911 calls have dispatchers scratching their heads every year JEFF NAGEL BC LOCAL NEWS

A basketball up a tree or a coffee shop that won’t refill your cup are not emergencies.

But that didn’t stop hundreds of Lower Mainland residents from calling 911 in 2015 to report similar crises, according to a top 10 list of most outrageous calls released by E-Comm, southwest B.C.’s emergency communications centre.

Other ridiculous calls that had 911 dispatchers scratching their heads were “My roommate used my toothbrush” and “My son won’t put his seatbelt on.”

E-Comm spokesperson Jody Robertson said too many people can’t be bothered to look up the phone number they really need – be that a police non-emergency line or in the case of the top bozo call of 2015, the number for a local tire dealership.

Robertson said such calls come in “every single day” and take up the time of 911 call takers, creating the potential for delays in responding to real life-and-death emergencies.

“When I see a call come in to 911 where someone says ‘This isn’t an emergency, what’s the non-emergency number?’ it says to me somebody knows what their situation is and it’s perplexing that they’d dial 911,” she said.

“Just using the internet to do a quick search would be really beneficial.”

Calls that should instead go to a police non-emergency line include cases where someone finds their vehicle broken into hours earlier with no suspect in sight.

A true emergency is a police, fire or medical situation that requires immediate action because someone’s health, safety or property is in jeopardy or a crime is in progress.

The majority of calls that come in to E-Comm 911 call-takers are legitimate emergencies, but others definitely are not.

“The calls on our top 10 list don’t belong on our non-emergency line or the emergency line either.”

For various reasons, nor can E-Comm staff instantly disconnect calls that initially appear to be trivial.

Call takers have to be alert to scenarios where a caller feels threatened by someone in earshot and is speaking in code or otherwise

concocting a story to hide the fact they’ve dialed 911.

“We are trained to ask questions in case a caller is in distress and can’t speak freely,” E-Comm call taker Harrison Kwan said.

“It’s only when I’m completely satisfied that the call is not a real emergency that I can disconnect and go back to answering other 911 calls.

And that takes time.

E-Comm’s top 10 reasons not to call 911 for 2015: • Requesting the number for a local tire dealership; • Reporting an issue with a vending machine; • Asking for the non-emergency line; • Acar parked too close to theirs; • “My son won’t put his seatbelt on;”

• Coffee shop is refusing to refill coffee; • Asking if it’s OK to park on the street; • “My roommate used my toothbrush;” • Asking for help getting a basketball out of a tree; • Reporting that their building’s air system is too loud and they can’t sleep.

TRAIL

EDUCATION

Cops save Christmas for girls seized by ministry on Dec. 24

Government celebrates jump in aboriginal graduation rates

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Two children seized from their British Columbia home on Christmas Eve weren’t overlooked by Santa thanks to a couple of Mounties and a businessman.

RCMP in Trail say the constables visited a local home on Thursday to check on the well-being of five- and nine-year-old girls.

The visit resulted in a social worker with the Ministry of Children and Family Development apprehending the children and taking them to a foster home at 10 p.m.

Mounties say the constables realized the girls wouldn’t have any presents for the morning and tried to find a store that was still open but were unsuccessful, so they contacted the owner of the local Canadian Tire.

The owner, Craig Lattanville, opened his store for the Mounties who picked up some gifts and took them to the foster home where they were wrapped for the morning.

Mounties say when the officers later returned to the store to pay for the gifts, Lattanville refused to take their money.

“On behalf of the community of Trail, we would like to give a big thank you to our two officers and Canadian Tire store owner Craig Lattanville who all went above and beyond to ensure that Santa came for two small children this Christmas,” stated RCMP Sgt. Darren Oelke in a news release. » We want to hear from you.

Send comments on this story to yourletters@nanaimodailynews.com.

Letters must include daytime phone number and hometown.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s government is celebrating record-high graduation rates for aboriginal high-school students, but indigenous completion levels, provincially and for the rest of Canada, still fall significantly short of the national average.

Data from B.C.’s Education Ministry show the number of indigenous students finishing high school in the province has jumped from about 54 to 63 per cent in the past six years.

But that’s still more than 20 percentage points shy of the 84-per-

cent Canadian average for the general population.

University of British Columbia professor Linc Kesler says this trend upward will continue with further efforts to bridge the funding gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students and by increasing the amount of aboriginal cultural content being taught in schools.

A 2014 internal Manitoba government report obtained earlier this year by The Canadian Press noted that the province had the lowest First Nations high-school graduation rate in the country, at 28 per cent.

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COURTS

Judge finds more occurred than cop admitted DALE BOYD PENTICTON WESTERN NEWS

A judge found a woman who was charged with assaulting a South Okanagan police officer not guilty, and accepted that some of her injuries sustained after a traffic stop were caused by the officer.

“I feel that justice has been served,” Fiona Munro said wiping away tears outside the courthouse after the decision Wednesday in Penticton Provincial Court. “I’m just glad because I don’t want this to happen to anybody else and I’m so happy this is over now.”

Munro was stopped by Osoyoos

Const. Ian Patrick MacNeil shortly before 2 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2013.

MacNeil testified during the trial held in July that Munro resisted arrest and began to “elbow and donkey kick” the officer while he attempted to arrest her.

Munro said that when she realized it was Const. MacNeil pulling her over, she requested another officer to be called.

Cpl. Jason Bayda was called to the scene, not at the request of Munro, but because, as MacNeil testified, she was asking for a search warrant to enter her vehicle.

Munro testified that MacNeil

dragged her from her vehicle, forced her head on the hood of the car and banged her head on the hood three times while he was forcibly detaining her.

Judge Roy Dickey, who gave the decision via video from Kamloops, said it was clear from the evidence that Munro mistrusted MacNeil due to a number of circumstances “that occurred between her and Constable MacNeil or the constable’s partner Constable (Amit) Goyal.”

“She admitted to having a strong dislike of Constable Goyal and didn’t feel that Constable MacNeil was trustworthy or fair.”

Const. Goyal is currently suspended with pay and facing a Code of Conduct hearing for allegations of misconduct. The hearing has been scheduled and cancelled twice and currently does not appear on the schedule of hearings in Vancouver.

Judge Dickey did not accept some of the allegations put forward by Munro, including that she was dragged by the officer from her vehicle by her ankles.

“This simply makes no sense. For the officer to do this he would have had to place himself at significant risk with Ms. Munro. I do not believe this occurred.”

Munro said she suffered a concussion, bruises to the face and that her jeans were ripped on the front and the back after the incident.

“I do believe that much more occurred here than is acknowledged by the officer. I say this because of the injuries to Ms. Munro,” Dickey said.

Photos were taken of the injuries that Munro suffered when she attended the hospital the next day depicting bruising to her wrists, neck and arms, black eyes and lacerations to her shin bone.

An tearful Munro expressed relief at the reading of the verdict.

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WEATHER

Quebec, Ontario in path of major winter storm; Maritimes is next Snow gave way to rain in many areas, including Toronto region, by Tuesday morning DIANA MEHTA THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO — A powerful storm system which dealt southern Ontario its first real blast of winter this season moved into Quebec on Tuesday, with meteorologists expecting it to hit Atlantic Canada later in the day.

The system moved into Canada from the United States, where it had spawned deadly tornadoes in Texas over the weekend, and brought heavy snow, ice and blustery winds Monday to several other states, causing the cancellation of more than 2,800 flights nationwide.

“This particular messy mix of precipitation, the snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, rain, really is the first taste of winter for a lot of southern Ontario,” said Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada. “This is a large-scale system.”

Snow gave way to rain in many areas, including the Toronto region,

by Tuesday morning.

The conditions made for a slow commute as motorists dealt with slick roads and slushy sidewalks.

Ontario Provincial Police said they had responded to more than 300 collisions since the storm began.

While southwestern Ontario was expected to see periods of rain for the rest of the day, a freezing rain warning remained in effect for areas north and northeast of Toronto.

In eastern and central Ontario, including the Ottawa valley, North

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

NEWS IN BRIEF The Canadian Press ◆ MONTREAL

Pilot dead, young boy hurt in small plane crash One man is dead and a nine-yearold boy is still in hospital following the crash of a small plane near Mascouche airport, northeast of Montreal.

Police say they were the only two people on the plane when it crashed late Monday afternoon.

The 40-year-old man died after being taken to hospital.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent investigators to the site.

The TSB describes the plane as a Mooney M20K. Police are assisting in the investigation.

◆ WINNIPEG

Woman finds her house listed for rent on website

A resident uses his snowblower to clear a pathway during the first winter storm of the year in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Environment Canada was forecasting up to 20 centimetres of snow for the Ottawa region. [THE CANADIAN PRESS]

Bay and the Sudbury areas, colder temperatures meant heavy snow was in the forecast, said Coulson.

The storm system also made its way into southern Quebec, with the Greater Montreal area, the Laurentians and the Eastern Townships expected to get 30 to 40 centimetres of snow by Tuesday evening.

“They anticipate this to be mostly a snowfall event, where some areas of southern Quebec could see between

30 to 40 centimetres before the system finally weakens off and pulls out overnight,” said Coulson. “A similar situation in the Maritimes, this system will also affect them during the course of the day.”

Snowfall warnings were in effect for southern parts of Nova Scotia and southern parts of New Brunswick, some of which had already been hit by up to 18 centimetres of snow on Sunday.

A snowfall warning was in effect for Halifax, while a winter storm watch was in place for Fredericton.

The weather led to numerous flight cancellations and delays at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport as well as at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

Quebec provincial police reported many numerous collisions on the province’s roads but no injuries or deaths.

A Winnipeg woman has a warning for other homeowners after she found her house listed for rent on the Internet.

Last Tuesday Jeni Descartes says her husband asked her why their home was listed on Kijiji.

Descartes contacted police, who told her to contact Kijiji and have the ad removed.

The listing turned up on several other rental sites, which Descartes also contacted.

Descartes says she keeps wondering what she will do if a family of renters turns up on the doorstep.

Although her ordeal appears to be over, Descartes says she feels violated.

“This is my home,” she said.

Descartes encourages other homeowners to check Kijiji and other rental sites to ensure their homes are not listed for rent.

◆ OTTAWA

JUSTICE

Courts can’t reverse sister’s suicide, says brother LIAM CASEY THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO — The brother of Carleton University student Nadia Kajouji, who killed herself in 2008, said that whatever happens to a U.S. man originally charged with trying to encourage her to commit suicide won’t bring her back.

“The original punishment of 180 days sleeping in jail wasn’t anything severe anyways and there is not a punishment that will make Nadia come back,” Marc Kajouji told The Canadian Press from Puerto Rico, where he now lives.

“I’m not an eye-for-an-eye guy anyway.”

William Melchert-Dinkel, a former nurse from Minnesota, was convicted in 2014 of attempting to assist the suicide of 18-year-old Kajouji, of Brampton, Ont., who died after jumping into the frigid Rideau River in 2008.

KAJOUJI

The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday there wasn’t enough evidence to uphold Melchert-Dinkel’s conviction in Kajouji’s death.

For the most part, he said, his family has moved on, somewhat.

They’ll never forget Nadia, he said, and her suicide nearly broke them.

Their father, Mohamed Kajouji, has found solace in his homeland,

Morocco, where he spends part of his time with family.

“He’s doing much better, but it still hurts for all of us — birthdays, the day she went missing, holidays, Halloween,” he said.

“She really liked Christmas as well, so this time of year isn’t easy, but I don’t think a parent can ever accept it.”

The court upheld Melchert-Dinkel’s conviction on the higher charge of assisting the suicide of a British man, saying he gave 32-year-old Mark Drybrough, of Coventry, England, detailed instructions on how to hang himself.

Melchert-Dinkel was obsessed with suicide and death and trolled chat rooms dedicated to suicide methods posing as a woman.

He said at trial he entered into a suicide pact with Kajouji and tried to get her to hang herself while he watched via webcam.

Melchert-Dinkel was initially charged with encouraging Kajouji’s death but the trial judge ruled state prosecutors failed to prove his assistance was a direct cause of her suicide and found him guilty of the lesser charge of attempting to help her kill herself.

Marc Kajouji has spent the intervening years working as an ambassador with Your Life Counts, a national organization that counsels those in crisis, both youth and families, and advocates for suicide prevention.

Butler said he will reach out to Ottawa in the new year hoping that Justin Trudeau’s government will be more amenable to following through on the bill. Your Life Counts is also hoping that a big awareness program coming in a few months, called the “Share Reasons to Live” with messages from celebrities such as Howie Mandel, will put more pressure on the government to act.

CN, CP to repay $9M for grain cash entitlements The Canadian Transportation Agency says the country’s two main railways have exceeded their Western grain revenue entitlements for the 2014-2015 crop year and must repay those sums along with penalties.

According to the transportation agency, Canadian National Railway’s grain revenue of $745,068,906 was $6,866,595 above its entitlement, while Canadian Pacific Railway received $2,137,168 above its revenue entitlement of $724,045,774.

The agency says CN and CP have 30 days to repay the amounts by which they exceeded their entitlements, in addition to a five per cent penalty of $343,330 for CN and $106,858 for CP. CN and CP both said they were reviewing the agency’s decision.

The Canada Transportation Act requires the agency to determine each railway company’s annual maximum revenue entitlement and whether such entitlement has been exceeded.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

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THE PUB Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, centre, on Tuesday tours the city of Ramadi after it was retaken by the security forces. [AP PHOTO]

Advance by Iraqi troops comes at crushing cost SINAN SALAHEDDIN AND SUSANNAH GEORGE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAGHDAD — The advance of Iraqi forces into the heart of Ramadi, a restive city that fell to the Islamic State group earlier this year, in some ways vindicated the U.S.-led coalition’s strategy for rolling back the extremists — but victory has come at a high cost, and the same tactics might not work elsewhere.

The battle for Ramadi was waged by the Iraqi military — rather than Shiite or Kurdish militias — with elite counterterrorism units advancing under the cover of coalition airstrikes and raising the Iraqi national flag over the main government complex in the provincial capital on Monday.

Pockets of resistance remain, but the majority of Ramadi is under government control for the first time since May, when IS militants punched their way into the city with a series of massive suicide car bombs, scattering and humiliating Iraq’s beleaguered security forces.

Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Belawi said “heavy and concentrated airstrikes” by the U.S.-led coalition killed IS fighters, destroyed their vehicles and blew up suicide car bombs before they could be deployed, allowing his forces to advance into the city.

“I think this fight shows the Iraqis are ready to fight and these calls for U.S. ground troops are not the best strategy moving forward,” said Ahmed Ali, a senior fellow at the Institute of Regional and International Studies at the American University of Iraq.

“What we saw in terms of the combination of airstrikes and intelligence support and then forces on the ground, it has worked very, very well,” he said.

Over the past six months, the coalition has launched more than 600 airstrikes, hitting about 2,500 different targets, U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, the Baghdad-based spokesman for the coalition, told reporters on Tuesday.

He said at its peak there were up to 1,000 IS fighters in Ramadi, and that only 150-250 remain.

But while the airstrikes eventually helped flush out the militants, they smashed large parts of the city into rubble.

The city has suffered “huge devastation,” Al-Belawi said. He estimates that more than half of the city’s buildings have been destroyed, including government offices, markets and houses. Most residents fled earlier this year, and it could be months or longer before they are able to return.

Even before IS rolled in, Ramadi bore scars from the eight-year U.S. intervention in Iraq. U.S. troops fought their bloodiest battles in Ramadi and nearby Fallujah, which was the first Iraqi city to fall to IS and remains under its control.

When IS captured Ramadi earlier this year, the militants blew up the homes of members of the security forces, but even those demolitions did not compare with the destruction wrought by the U.S.-led warplanes, according to al-Belawi.

The recapture of Ramadi has nevertheless lifted the morale of Iraq’s troops.

State TV has repeatedly shown footage of soldiers waving Iraqi flags and brandishing machine-guns, chanting and dancing inside the government complex in central Ramadi. Some can be seen slaughtering sheep in celebration near heavily damaged buildings.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who toured parts of Ramadi on Tuesday, had earlier hailed the advance, vowing that 2016 would be “the year of the final victory,” when IS would be driven from Iraq.

But the high cost of liberating Ramadi raises questions about whether the same tactics can be brought to bear in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, which remains under IS control, or other dense urban areas in Iraq and Syria, where IS militants live among civilians.

“This approach has a very high cost in material damage and human casualties,” said Lina Khatib, a senior research associate at the Arab Reform Initiative, a Paris-based think-tank.

“To use the same approach everywhere in the region . . . the scale of damage would be immense,” she said.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

YEAR IN REVIEW

Oilpatch adjusts to ‘new normal’ in downturn LAUREN KRUGEL THE CANADIAN PRESS

CALGARY — The stream of traffic between Cold Lake, Alta., and nearby oilfields has slowed to a trickle.

“It’s definitely a noticeable slowdown,” said Mayor Craig Copeland, who has been hearing from hotels, restaurants and retailers that business is down about 30 per cent yearover-year in the oilpatch’s bedroom community.

It’s not much of a surprise, with crude prices spending most of the year under US$50 a barrel and sinking below US$40 a barrel this month.

Most analysts expect the doldrums to stretch well into 2016.

It’s also not getting any easier to build market-opening pipelines and political upsets in Ottawa and Edmonton have put many in the industry on edge.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers has estimated the downturn has slashed 40,000 jobs in the sector, mostly in Alberta, and has urged political leaders to keep competitiveness top of mind as they overhaul energy policy.

Downtown Calgary seen from the air in 2013. [THE CANADIAN PRESS]

Copeland knows there’s not much that can be done about larger market forces. What frustrates and worries him most is the “dilly-dallying” on the pipeline front.

If no new pipelines come to fruition, projects already up and running will continue to keep up their current levels of output, but companies

will have a hard time justifying multibillion-dollar expansions — and hiring thousands of people to build them, said Copeland.

“If we can’t get a pipeline out of Alberta in the next two years, we might as well start turning the lights off soon in the province.”

In November, a seven-year regula-

tory saga culminated with U.S. President Barack Obama rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have enabled more oilsands crude to reach Texas refineries. TransCanada Corp., is weighing its options.

TransCanada’s Energy East project to New Brunswick and Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion to the Vancouver area are in the thick of the regulatory process and both face considerable opposition. The new Liberal government has signalled it wants to change how the National Energy Board reviews pipeline proposals, but that processes underway would continue.

Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway pipeline to Kitimat, B.C., remains in limbo, even though it has had a federal permit to proceed since mid2014, with 209 conditions attached.

The Liberal government, which swept to power in October, has formalized a tanker ban on the northern coast of British Columbia. Project critics see that as a deadly blow, but Enbridge has not given up and continues to work on getting B.C. First Nations on side.

European energy giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC cited the pipeline pinch as one reason for abandoning its Carmon Creek project in northwestern Alberta partway through construction. It took a $2-billion charge in the process.

In late 2014 as crude prices were beginning their steep descent, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. chairman Murray Edwards raised eyebrows when he predicted crude could dip to the US$30 to $40 a barrel range this year.

At the time, the price was above US$70 a barrel.

Edwards’ prediction proved correct — except the price has lingered in that range for longer than he’d thought.

A year later, the billionaire oilpatch financier said the industry is adjusting to a “new normal.”

“We have a lot of wind blowing in our face right now, a lot of challenge before us, and so it’s really going to cause all of us to rethink how we do business if we want to maintain a viable industry in Alberta and Canada.”

HEALTH

Judge rules on fatal cab trip from hospital THE CANADIAN PRESS

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A judge has ruled that the death of a senior hours after she was sent home from a Winnipeg hospital in a cab was not preventable.

But Judge Margaret Wiebe said in her inquest report, released Tuesday, that Heather Brenan’s death was still a tragedy that has raised concerns about her medical care.

The judge made 25 recommendations, including calling for more patient beds at the Seven Oaks hospital.

Brenan’s daughter, Dana Brenan, who has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital, said she thinks the recommendations are sound.

“But it’s still unclear who’s going to make sure that the doctors, the departments, the administrators of the hospital are following these recommendations. And so in that, I think, there’s a failure.”

Her 68-year-old mother spent four days in the hospital’s overcrowded emergency department before she was discharged on the frigid night of Jan. 27, 2012. She was sent home without house keys but hospital staff did call a friend who met Brenan at her house to let her in.

Brenan struggled to walk to her back door, then collapsed and was rushed back to Seven Oaks. She died the next morning of a blood clot that had travelled from a leg into her lung.

Months later, two other patients were sent home in taxis from Winnipeg’s Grace Hospital and died on their doorsteps.

David Silver, 78, was found frozen about 14 hours after he was sent home

in the middle of the night. The other patient, 62-year-old Wayne Miller, was spotted on a sidewalk by a passing driver who called 911.

An internal investigation by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority later found Grace staff did nothing wrong when they decided to discharge the two men. Both had been suffering from underlying medical conditions that caused their sudden deaths.

Brenan suffered from obesity and diabetes, among other health conditions.

In the months before she died, she had trouble eating and had lost 40 pounds.

Her family doctor advised her to get to a hospital. At Seven Oaks, Brenan was given tests and treated for dehydration and kidney failure.

The judge said all of the physicians who saw Brenan at Seven Oaks believed her death was unpredictable.

What should have been prevented, Wiebe said, was the length of time Brenan spent in the emergency department and the number of staff she saw — more than 20.

She was never admitted to a ward.

The judge noted that the health region has since made several changes.

It now requires patients staying in the ER longer than 24 hours be admitted so they can be placed under the care of a dedicated doctor.

It also has a protocol for safe discharges for elderly and vulnerable people.

It is further planning to move 19 geriatric patients from Seven Oaks to a long-term care facility. It will then convert that space and add 30 beds.

Wiebe said she understands that will take time, but hopes the plan will be made a “higher priority.”

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

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NATION&WORLD 15

HEALTH

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People prepare food in Conakry, Guinea, on Tuesday. Guinea has been declared free from transmission of Ebola, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. [AP PHOTO]

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Guinea Ebola-free after two years CONAKRY, Guinea — The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak over in Guinea Tuesday, a huge step in the fight against the world’s largest epidemic and the first time there are no known cases anywhere since the virus emerged in Guinea two years ago.

The West Africa-concentrated outbreak last year spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone. Liberia is on a countdown to become Ebola-free on Jan. 14, which could mark the end to the epidemic. Sierra Leone, the third West African country to be hammered by the epidemic, was declared free from transmissions on Nov. 7. No new cases have been reported anywhere in the world in at least 21 days, according to WHO. “This is the first time that all three countries — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — have stopped the original chains of transmission that were responsible for starting this devastating outbreak two years ago,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

But experts warn that cases may still emerge. So far, the virus has killed more than 11,300 people worldwide.

“We definitely cannot let our guard down,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It’s certainly possible we will have more cases and more clusters in the coming months.”

On Tuesday, about 50 Ebola survivors, journalists, and family members of those who lost loved ones gathered at WHO’s Ebola headquarters in Conakry, where the mood was of celebration, mixed with sadness.

“Guinea is a blessed country. We hope that all the dead, and the victims of this disease will be sacrifices to the Guinean nation so that no other epidemic touches us,” said survivor Ibrahima Sow.

Mariam Camara, with tears in her eyes, said the country lost some of its best to Ebola, including her mother and brother, among the more than 2,500 people who died in Guinea.

“That cursed disease separated me from that which is most beautiful to me in my life,” she said. “But it’s over. We are turning a page on Ebola, definitively.”

This West African nation will hold a big celebration Wednesday, overseen by President Alpha Conde and including testimonies by Ebola survivors. Later, popular West African artists such as Youssou N’Dour and Tiken Jah Fakoly are to perform at a concert in the capital.

Dr. Mohamed Belhocine, WHO’s representative in Guinea, said Tuesday the nation will now enter a 90-day period of heightened surveillance.

WHO declares that Ebola disease transmission has ended when the country goes through two incubation periods — 21 days each — without a new case emerging.

Guinea had the fewest Ebola cases of the three countries, but its bigger size, extensive remote areas and a stigma and distrust of health workers allowed the outbreak to persist longer here.

Frieden also warned that if it persists or re-emerges in animals, a transmission to humans is still possible.

“That’s why it’s so important these countries be ready for additional cases,” he said.

He said the CDC is working on a set of protection measures, including laboratories that can test for Ebola and other dangerous microbes. Trained investigators within the three West African countries will help stop and prevent threats, rapid tests are available and emergency operation centres are in place to oversee a robust response.

“The world needs to be ready to surge in more rapidly when a country’s abilities are overwhelmed,” he said.

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Top comment on ‘NYT’ is by Calgary man THE CANADIAN PRESS

The most popular comment ever made on the New York Times website was penned by a Calgary man.

Bob from Calgary, as he is identified on the site, received some 7,040 recommendations for his comment on a 2010 column about wealth and privilege written by Paul Krugman.

The newspaper, which fields some 9,000 comments each day, says Bob’s is the top post “of all time.”

The runner-up, posted on a story about the mass shooting in Charleston, S.C., drew roughly 5,489 recommendations.

“My household makes just over $250,000 here in Canada. One of the best bargains I get for my money is living in a place where I and everyone I know sends their kids to public schools because they are really good,” his comment reads.

“We end up with few criminals, because students learn how to be productive good citizens in schools.”

Other “bargains” of living in Canada include health care “whenever you need it without worry about not being approved,” modernized infrastructure and public universities “where my children and the children from all types of households can go to and graduate with a big debt, but not a devastating one,” he writes.

@NanaimoDaily

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

YEAR IN REVIEW

Changes to tax rates, TFSA rules mean reviewing financial plans Action depends on new tax brackets, but wider range can make planning complex CRAIG WONG THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA — The tax rules are changing in 2016 and even if Canadians don’t make enough to be hit by the new top federal income tax rate, their financial plans are going to need to be reviewed.

The vast majority of Canadians will not be affected by the new tax bracket for income over $200,000 a year, but everyone will see their tax-free savings account contribution limit be reduced back to $5,500 for 2016.

Combined with the new lower tax rate for income between $45,282 and $90,563, even those who aren’t in the top one per cent of income-earners should take a look at their finances to ensure they’re on track.

Peter Bowen, vice-president of tax and retirement research and solutions at Fidelity Investments, says for many people this might be the most important tax planning season they’ve ever had.

“With the changes just implemented both to tax rates and TFSAs, everybody needs to take care to make

“With the changes just implemented both to tax rates and TFSAs, everybody needs to take care to make sure their tax planning is right for their own situation.”

Peter Bowen, Fidelity Investments

sure their tax planning is right for their own situation,” he said. “We always encourage people to get financial advice, but with these changes in place, it is more important than ever.”

What you need to do depends on your tax bracket — and with the wider range of brackets now, that means planning is more complex.

For those in the bracket that is seeing the rate cut, Bowen says to be sure to claim the deduction against your 2015 income to maximize its value if you’re planning on making

an RRSP contribution. However, those who make more than $200,000 may want to delay claiming their RRSP contributions until 2016 due to the higher rate set to take affect.

EY tax partner David Steinberg says those making more than $200,000 may also want to look to maximize their 2015 income by crystallizing any capital gains or taking any bonuses or deferred income that may be due before the new higher tax rate kicks in.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of people managing taxable income,” he said.

Bowen also advises Canadians to carefully consider their future financial needs when weighing TFSA and RRSP contributions.

How much will you be making throughout your career, what stage are you at in your career and where will you be in retirement? Those are all matters to ponder, he said.

“These are the questions that people need to be prepared to at least think about because then that decision of using an RRSP or using

a TFSA becomes more important,” Bowen said.

The benefit of an RRSP is that you deduct contributions today and defer taxes until your retirement, when you will likely be earning less money and may be in a lower tax bracket.

In contrast, TFSA contributions don’t generate a tax deduction, but any investment income you earn with the money isn’t taxed. So, if you think you’re going to be in the same or higher tax bracket, putting money into a TFSA might make more sense.

Bowen noted it isn’t just high-income earners that will be hurt by the lower TFSA limits. Retirees looking to shelter a portion of their nest egg from tax will also be affected by the lower contribution limit even though they may fall into the low-income category.

In addition to the rate changes, the Liberals ended the controversial income-splitting scheme for families plan put in place by the Conservatives that will see taxes rise for families where one parent earns significantly more than the other.

CRIME

Ottawa beekeepers ask for help after hive heist DIANA MEHTA THE CANADIAN PRESS

It’s a holiday heist that has an Ontario community buzzing with disbelief.

Two sizable hives holding some 30,000 bees have been stolen from a field in the Ottawa area, and the couple that cares for them is asking for the public’s help in finding whoever is responsible.

Marianne Gee and her husband run the Gees Bees Honey Company, which rents bee hives to business in the capital region.

A real estate company, Minto Group, rented two hives from the couple as part of its efforts to help the declining honeybee population in the area.

When Gee and her husband went to conduct a regular check on the hives on Boxing Day, they found that the large wooden structures were missing, as were the bees living inside them.

“Both hives, the entire boxes, the bees, everything, they had been carried down quite a big hill,” said Gee. “You could see footprints in the mud where someone had walked up and taken them and left.

And they would have had to have left in a truck or trailer.”

The beige hives, with blue and white Minto logos on their sides, probably weighed about 34 kilograms, said Gee, and likely couldn’t be carried too far.

While the financial loss of the missing hives — about $400 to $500 each — isn’t a huge one, Gee and her husband are

more concerned about the well-being of the bees.

“Beekeepers don’t move their bees in the winter,” she said, explaining that bees cluster in a ball around the queen bee during cold weather, vibrating their wings for warmth.

“If the hive is moved in the winter, that cluster can get shaken apart and the bees can very quickly freeze.”

Gee also noted that there would be just enough honey in the hive for the bees to get through the winter, but not enough to harvest. The couple filed a police report and has asked Ottawa area residents to report any sightings.

“We were definitely shocked that they disappeared,” said Gee. “I’ve never heard of someone in Ottawa or Ontario having bee hives stolen.”

Whoever made away with the hives likely knows something about bees or is interest in bee keeping, Gee added.

“We’re hoping someone in Ottawa has seen someone acquire brand new beehives,” she said. “It’s really quite bizarre to me.”

Despite the bewildering loss of their hives, Gee says she and her husband have been heartened by many Ottawa residents reaching out to them over the incident and helping to spread the word.

“I think there’s a lot of good-hearted people out there,” she said. “That’s been heartwarming to see that sort of response from the community.”

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NATION&WORLD 17

NEWS IN BRIEF Associated Press ◆ NEW YORK

◆ LOS ANGELES

◆ LONDON

◆ BUENOS AIRES

NYC New Year’s Eve to be safest in world: Cops

‘Glee’ actor arrested in child porn investigation

U.K. couple convicted of planning bomb attack

Ex-officials sent to prison Suicide blast kills for fatal train accident 26 people, wounds 45

New York City officials say the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will be the safest place in the world, heavily secured by thousands of officers, including a new specialized counterterrorism unit.

About 1 million people are expected to pack midtown Manhattan to watch the 11,875-pound Waterford crystal ball drop. Partygoers will be screened with hand-held metal detectors twice — once when they enter one of the 14 access points to the celebration and once when they enter pens where they must stay.

Thousands of officers will be assigned to the festivities. Visitors will see heavily armed counterterrorism teams and bomb-sniffing dogs.

Authorities say former Glee star Mark Salling has been arrested in Los Angeles for investigation of possessing child pornography.

Police Officer Tony Im says the 33-year-old actor was taken into custody Tuesday after a warrant was served at his home in the Sunland neighbourhood.

Im says Salling had been investigated by the LAPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, but he did not elaborate.

Representatives for Salling did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Im didn’t know if Salling has a lawyer.

Salling is best known for playing Noah “Puck” Puckerman on Glee.

A husband and wife interested in helping Islamic State extremists have been convicted of planning a largescale bombing of civilian targets in London to mark the 10th anniversary of the July 7, 2005, attacks on the city’s transit system.

Mohammed Rehman, 25, and his wife Sana Ahmed Khan, 24, were found guilty Tuesday at the Old Bailey court.

Prosecutor Tony Badenoch said both were interested in extremist ideology.

He said Rehman wanted to demonstrate his support for the Islamic State group and that his wife helped him by paying for chemicals purchased on eBay.

Two former transportation secretaries in Argentina have been convicted to prison sentences related to a 2012 train accident that left 51 people dead and hundreds injured.

The Federal Criminal Court convicted Juan Pablo Schiavi to eight years for defrauding the public administration and involuntary manslaughter because of the high number of deaths. Ricardo Jaime got six years for a defrauding charge.

The train operator and other several officials were given sentences ranging from three to nine years.

The accident happened when a packed morning commuter train rammed into a platform in the busy Once station in Buenos Aires.

JUSTICE

‘Affluenza’ teen and mom held in Mexico

◆ PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN

A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a government office in a northwestern Pakistani city on Tuesday, killing at least 26 people and wounding 45 in an attack claimed by a breakaway Taliban group.

The bombing took place in the city of Mardan, outside the regional office of the National Database and Registration Authority, or NADRA, which issues identity cards, according to senior police officer Saeed Khan Wazir.

Shortly after the attack, a spokesman for the militant Jamaat-ul-Ahrar group claimed responsibility for the bombing, calling it a “noble act to punish NADRA because it extends support to security forces.”

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FORT WORTH, Texas — A teen fugitive who’s known for using an “affluenza” defence and his mother attempted to disguise themselves and disappear among the American tourists thronging a Mexican resort city for the holidays, but are now in custody and will be returned to the U.S., authorities said Tuesday.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said 18-yearold Ethan Couch — who was on juvenile probation after killing four people in a drunken driving wreck — and his mother had prepared to be gone a while, even dyeing Couch’s blond hair black, before being detained Monday in the Pacific Coast city of Puerto Vallarta.

“They had planned to disappear. They even had something that was almost akin to a going-away party before leaving town,” Anderson said. He would not give details about the event, including how many people attended.

During the sentencing phase COUCH of Couch’s trial, a defence expert argued that his wealthy parents coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility — a condition the expert termed “affluenza.” The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation drew ridicule.

Couch disappeared as authorities investigated whether he had violated the terms of his probation.

Anderson said Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, apparently crossed the border in her pickup and drove to Puerto Vallarta. It was not clear whether they had any accomplices.

No immediate charges were planned for others who may have known about or assisted with the flight plan, Anderson said. He said authorities have no evidence that Couch’s father was involved.

Jalisco state prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer Ramirez said U.S. authorities knew the mother and son were in Puerto Vallarta and had asked Mexican police to help capture them. Mexican detectives started searching on Dec. 24 and caught up with them at about 6 p.m. Monday. The pair did not resist arrest.

Almaguer Ramirez said Couch and his mother stayed first at a resort known as Los Tules, near the beach.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

YEAR IN REVIEW

YEAR IN REVIEW

Whale-watching tragedy eerily similar to one 17 years before

Deaths of sisters put safety on farms into new focus

Tragedy off the west coast of Island has industry bracing for flood of safety measures DIRK MEISSNER THE CANADIAN PRESS

VICTORIA — The waves rose out of nowhere, tipped the boats straight up and hurled people into the churning seas. There was no time for maydays.

The survivor accounts and official reports from two deadly British Columbia whale-watching tragedies 17 years apart bear eerie similarities.

Michael Harris, Pacific Whale Watch Association spokesman, said the location of last October’s tragedy aboard the Leviathan II that claimed six lives and its parallels to a 1998 whale-watching voyage where two people died are bound to raise concerns for investigators.

“Some kind of sea conditions contributed,” he said. “Boats like that don’t just sink. You do have a congruence of location. They are going to look at that.”

The latest tragedy off the west coast of Vancouver Island has the industry bracing for a flood of safety measures imposed by government, and looking inward at the experiences operators offer to tourists, said Harris.

Both incidents occurred at Plover Reefs, just west of Tofino, a remote Vancouver Island community known for endless beaches, storm watching and surfing waves.

Jamie’s Whaling Station, one of many whale-watching companies in the community, was involved in both accidents with its vessels: the 20-metre Leviathan II and the six-metre Ocean Thunder.

Reports into occurrences point to huge waves ambushing the vessels.

Dad thinks missing son is now dead THE CANADIAN PRESS

LA RONGE, Sask. — The father of a northern Saskatchewan man who hasn’t been seen since before Christmas believes his son is dead.

Billy Taylor, who is 36, left Fox Point on Lac la Ronge on Dec. 17 on a snowmobile headed to La Ronge, but never made it.

His father, Bill Taylor Sr., says Billy’s wife and four children had a rough Christmas.

He says tracks left by his son ended on a patch of ice that was too thin for rescuers to walk on.

The family had hope because they say Billy was an experienced hunter and tracker and had exceptional outdoor survival skills.

“There’s been no signs of anything . . . It was just an unfortunate accident. The snow was blowing, maybe he just got off the ice a bit, or just hit a bad spot.”

CHRIS PURDY THE CANADIAN PRESS

The bow of the ‘Leviathan II,’ a whale-watching boat owned by Jamie’s Whaling Station, is seen near Vargas Island on Oct. 27 as it waits to be towed into Tofino. Six people died when the vessel capsized. [THE CANADIAN PRESS]

In the latest incident, 27 people were dumped into the water. Five Britons died in the sinking: David Thomas, 50, and his 18 year-old son Stephen; Jack Slater, 76, a British national living in Toronto; Katie Taylor, a 29-year-old Briton living in Whistler, and 63-year-old Nigel Hooker of Southampton, England.

Surfers discovered the body of Australian tourist Raveshan Morgan Pillay, 27, on Vargas Island, not far from Tofino weeks after the boat capsized.

The loss of the six souls on the Leviathan II sent shock waves across

the global whale-watching industry, which boasts a stellar safety record, Harris said.

“This tragedy in many, many ways has sent ripples across the whalewatch industry, globally, especially North America,” said Harris in a telephone interview from Seattle.

“We’re all watching this,” he said.

“Whenever something happens and you are so shocked that your heart just sinks you don’t get over that soon.

“We don’t want it to ever happen again anywhere on the planet.

We really need to take care of our passengers.”

Prior to the October tragedy, the TSB reported two fatal whale-watching incidents in Canada involving four deaths. It reported the 1998 Ocean Thunder incident, and in 1992, a small, open charter boat with four people on board capsized near Port Alberni killing two.

In the Leviathan II incident, safety board investigators have said passengers were standing on one side of the top deck when a wave hit the opposite side of the vessel.

ALASKA

Pilot killed as aircraft hits building was not authorized to fly the plane RACHEL D’ORO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The pilot of a small plane that smashed into a building in downtown Anchorage on Tuesday was not authorized to fly the aircraft used in volunteer searchand-rescue missions, authorities said.

Doug Demarest, 42, died when the Cessna 172 clipped an office building and slammed into a commercial building, according to the FBI, which is helping investigate the crash.

The plane belongs to the Civil Air Patrol, a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force that is made up of volunteers who help with search and rescue, disaster relief and homeland security across the country, according to a statement from the national group. Demarest joined the patrol in 2010.

“(The engine) didn’t sound like it was in trouble, but the weather was pretty windy. I said to myself, ‘It’s not good weather to be flying in.”

Kent Haina, witness to crash

No one on the ground was hurt and there was no indication anyone else was aboard the plane, FBI spokeswoman Staci Feger-Pellessier said.

Neither agency would release additional details about Demarest or how he acquired the plane.

The early morning crash happened before most businesses opened for

the day in the heart of downtown, an area surrounded by offices, hotels and restaurants.

Kent Haina, a 747 captain for UPS, said he was taking out his garbage when he saw the plane go down at a shallow angle and disappear behind a building. He then heard a loud thud and saw a plume of black smoke.

Haina said the wind was howling. “(The engine) didn’t sound like it was in trouble, but the weather was pretty windy,” he said. “I said to myself, ‘It’s not good weather to be flying in.”’

Clint Johnson, Alaska region chief for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the crash happened amid blustery winds but that the agency is not ruling out anything as a cause. The NTSB looks at pilot error, mechanical problems and weather in its investigations.

Photos of three smiling, blond sisters circulated around the world this year after they were killed on their family farm in west-central Alberta.

Catie Bott, 13, and 11-year-old twins Dara and Jana, suffocated in a truck loaded with canola as their family was busy bringing in the harvest in October.

Glen Blahey with the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association says the tragedy has acted as a catalyst for discussing child safety on farms.

“I think it is making a difference in terms of recognition of hazards,” he told The Canadian Press.

But he’s hoping for more.

Blahey said it’s great to talk about safety, but “it would be really nice to spur some action before a tragic event occurs.”

The Alberta government recently released statistics showing that there were eight other farm deaths in 2015, two of them children. One was 10-year-old Joseph Stahl, who was driving a forklift on a Hutterite colony when the machine toppled into a ditch and pinned him underneath.

There were other child deaths on farms across the country. In one case in southwestern Saskatchewan, Layne Langridge, 14, fell in a truck loaded with grain. His grandfather, 66-year-old Dennis Becker, tried to save him. They both died.

Statistics from Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting show that between 2000 and 2008, there were about 10 child farm deaths each year in Canada. The average before that was 16.

A few weeks ago, the NDP government in Alberta passed new legislation that puts farm and ranch workers under occupational health and safety rules. It became the last province to do so.

The law also gives workers’ compensation benefits to paid farm workers injured on the job.

Following angry protests, the province clarified that family farms are exempt. The rules will only apply to paid workers.

Eric Musekamp, founder of the Farmworkers Union of Alberta, had pushed for the legislation for years.

Although the law doesn’t directly apply to kids on family farms, he’s glad it will help paid child workers in larger farm operations.

He believes the solution to curbing injuries and deaths on farms is to create a training society similar to AgSafe in British Columbia. That group, funded through workers’ compensation premiums, facilitates compliance of farm legislation through training and on-site visits, even to family farms.

19

nanaimodailynews.com

@NanaimoDaily

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

A BIG

STEP UP

Matt Kowalski, left, has left the Okanagan Rockets as the B.C. Major Midget League’s leading scorer and will now join the Nanaimo Clippers full-time. [SCOTT MCKENZIE/DAILY NEWS]

Clippers’ top recruit joins team ahead of home stretch SCOTT MCKENZIE DAILY NEWS

M

att Kowalski went into the Christmas break at home in Vernon as the top scorer in B.C. major midget hockey, a league that has bred eventual NHLers like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jake Virtanen, Sam Reinhart and Brendan Gallagher.

But Kowalski, 16, won’t be returning to that league.

Instead, he will join the Nanaimo Clippers as they embark on the home stretch before the B.C. Hockey League’s playoffs with their first post-holiday break game tonight on the road against the Cowichan Valley Capitals.

And while he was posting big-time numbers with his previous team to the tune of 17 goals and 25 assists in 23 games, the decision for Kowalski step up to Junior A with the Clippers was never just about hockey.

“He’s an extremely good student, so there was a lot that went into it,” said Clippers head coach and general manager Mike Vandekamp.

“We didn’t want to damage or disrupt his schooling in any way, so

SPORTS INSIDE Today’s issue

Canucks National Sports NFL Scoreboard Soccer NBA

20 21 22 23 27 28

there was a lot that went into the decision-making.”

The BCHL mandates each team carries on its 22-man roster at least two 16 or 17-year-old players.

Back-up goalie Jakob Walter occupies one of those spots with the Clippers, but the other opened up when local product Owen Hardy was called up mid-season to the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants.

It was the perfect storm to bring Kowalski in — his head coach in the Okanagan is Jason Williamson, who

also serves as the Clippers’ director of scouting and recruitment for the Clippers.

“I thought I was ready to come over here,” Kowalski said after practice Tuesday. “They were really good working with Woodlands and it all worked out and I got all my courses, so I decided to make the trip out here. They put me into my chemistry course and got me ready to write my math (exam) early, so it all worked out and here I am.”

Prior to Christmas, Kowalski got into a game with the Clippers while still an affiliate.

He showed off some of his offensive potential, picking up an assist on a goal from Nolan Aibel and also hitting a post when he deflected a shot from between his legs.

The Clippers won that game 7-5, although Kowalski admitted it was a little difficult to get into it what with all the penalties being called as he didn’t play on the powerplay or penalty kill.

“I thought I did pretty good,” Kowalski said of his first BCHL game.

“It was tough — there were a lot of penalties in that game and they went to the special teams a lot. As

an (affiliate) you shouldn’t expect to play in a lot of those situations.”

But Kowalski should expect to gain more ice time as he gains experience.

He also expects a few learning moments along the way.

“There’s definitely going to be some ups and downs,” Kowalski said.

“The league is a lot bigger, stronger and faster but hopefully I fit in well.

The team feels like it’s a bunch of allaround good guys, and they’ll take care of me.”

Vandekamp isn’t entirely sure where Kowalski will fit into his team’s forward group. On Tuesday at practice, he skated with Matt Creamer and Lucas Finner.

“No idea yet,” Vandekamp said when Kowalski signed with the Clippers. “We needed another young player, so he’s one of 13 forwards right now.

“I think he brings speed and skill.

It’s probably going to take him a little bit to learn some things, but he’s got a bright future and I think he can have an impact right away and down the road he’s certainly going to be a really good player in our league.”

Coming into the league as a

16-year-old is rarely easy, and moving away from home will take getting used to.

“It’s a little intimidating, especially to come in at the middle of the season where they have their groups, et cetera and they’re all pretty tight,” Kowalski said. “But they seem pretty welcoming, so that’s pretty cool.

“I’m just hoping I can put up some numbers here and there, put the puck in their net and keep it out of ours and just get some wins.”

Tonight, Kowalski will be going into a battle with the Clippers against the Capitals — two teams that brought their rivalry to a boiling point two weeks earlier with two fights, a handful of game misconducts and harsh words in the hallway afterward. If that’s not enough, the Clippers and Capitals are in first and second place, respectively, in the Island Division.

So it’s fitting that Vandekamp’s message to Kowalski was to “get bigger and stronger,” the five-foot-11, 160-pounder said.

Scott.McKenzie @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4243

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20 SPORTS

@NanaimoDaily

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

NHL

Steering the Canucks through the storm Seemingly falling apart, the team needs GM Jim Benning’s steady hand at the rudder more than ever now

Ed Willies The Province

J

im Benning has been in the hockey dodge for some 35 years and he, more than anyone, knows the Vancouver Canucks will encounter some turbulence in their long journey toward a bright future.

It’s one thing to know that in October when the world is a brighter place and the upper-body injuries haven’t started to accumulate.

It’s another thing to know that in January when you’re down to the 10th and 11th defencemen on your organizational depth chart; your key offseason acquisition, Brandon Sutter, has been out for two months; the kids you hoped might be ready are demonstrating they aren’t; and your fan base, which isn’t exactly known for its patience or attention span, is starting to get fidgety.

This is the world Benning now wakes up to, and if anyone wondered how bad it could get, a stark reminder was provided by Monday night’s 5-0 loss to the L.A. Kings in which the Canucks were overmatched in every conceivable category.

At these moments, it’s difficult to keep a steady hand on the rudder but it’s precisely at these moments when that steady hand is required.

This is something else Benning knows. It doesn’t make things any

Vancouver Canucks general manager listens to a question during a press conference at Rogers Arena. [THE CANADIAN PRESS]

easier but the Canucks GM is painfully aware that, as bad as thing might become, they’ll get even worse if he deviates from his course.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Benning said on Tuesday.

“There’s no other way to do it. We have to draft well, develop well and trade well.”

Which isn’t as easy as some make it sound.

“Going into it, I knew what the job entailed,” Benning continued. “We needed to inject some youth and build up our prospect pool but we’re

trying to be competitive and bring these kids up in a winning environment. Sometimes that’s a tough job.”

Sometimes, in fact, it seems impossible but, as Benning says, it’s not like he has a great deal of choice in the matter.

This week, the Canucks GM had hoped to fly to Finland on a scouting mission at the world juniors. Instead, he finds himself in Vancouver, sorting through a grotesque series of injuries while determining the next round of call-ups from the farm team in Utica, N.Y.

Those injuries, coupled with the aforementioned youth movement, have also left the Canucks in a mighty bind.

Yes, they’ve proven to be resilient this season and, yes, they should start getting some bodies back in the next couple of weeks. But there have also been too many losses like Monday night’s and that’s started to take its toll on the players, the coaches and the fans.

Just ask Henrik Sedin.

“We battle every night to win games and make the playoffs,” said the Canucks captain on Tuesday. “That’s all we can do. But we also know there are going to be nights where we’re playing at 85 or 90 per cent. Maybe it was good enough before but now we need great goaltending or scoring a couple on the power play. That wasn’t the case (Monday) night and that’s what happens.”

That also sums up the Canucks’ plight neatly and succinctly but, as depressing as things were on Monday night, here’s another cheery thought.

What if that’s just the start?

Can the faithful take three more months of losing? How will that impact the Canucks kids? Can coach Willie Desjardins survive three more months of Monday nights? And we haven’t mentioned the team’s ownership and how they’ll respond “They understand where we’re at,” Benning said of the Aquilinis.

“They’ve been supportive but they want to be competitive. I understand that.”

He also had ample opportunity to explain the master plan to Francesco Aquilini when the Canucks chairman

accompanied the team on its most recent road trip. Interesting bit of timing that.

Still, Benning can point to a number of developments that suggest this crazy idea just might work. The kids — Bo Horvat, Jared McCann, Ben Hutton, Sven Baertschi — are getting invaluable on-the-job-training, which should accelerate their growth.

On Monday, defenceman Andrey Pedan introduced himself to the market and while the 22-year-old Lithuanian-born Russian is greener than grass, he’s also a 6-foot-5, 215-pound powerhouse who could provide the physical presence this team needs.

During a phone conversation on Tuesday, Benning also let it drop the Canucks are receiving positive reports from the Spengler Cup where 2014 third-rounder Nikita Tryamkin, a 6-foot-7 defenceman, is playing with his KHL club team Yekaterinburg.

Throw in the prospects in Utica and junior, to say nothing of the $15 million coming off the payroll this summer and $14 million the next and you can see where things might look in two or three years.

That’s if everyone can survive the next two or three years.

“When you keep young players, you have to live with the ups and downs,” Benning said.

This is something else he knows. As for the faithful, they’re discovering exactly what it means.

EWilles@theprovince.com Twitter.com/willesonsports

From Russia, with a good right hand: Pedan makes his impact BRAD ZIEMER VANCOUVER SUN

I

f rookie defenceman Andrey Pedan was looking to make a good first impression at the Canucks’ training camp this past fall, he failed miserably.

Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins quickly soured on the young Russian and dispatched him to Utica.

Three months later, Pedan is back and his coach is now beginning to like what he sees.

“I think he has come a long way since camp,” Desjardins said Tuesday.

“I didn’t think he had a great camp, I wasn’t really happy with him. I didn’t think his attitude was what I wanted in camp, but maybe it was a little bit of a mis-read on my part.

“He has come back, his attitude has been good, he has been good in the American League and he has taken big strides. He went from a guy that we were worried about to a guy we think can fit in and play down the road.”

Pedan, all 6-foot-5, 215 pounds of him, played his third NHL game Monday night and got into his first big-league fight. He decisioned tough Los Angeles Kings’ winger Jordan

PEDAN

Nolan in a first-period scrap.

Pedan is hoping to show the Canucks he can do more than fight. He has good wheels for a guy his size and possesses a better than average shot.

“I don’t want to be known as a fighter,” Pedan said after Tuesday’s practice. “I just want to play a solid game, be tough to play against and that’s about it. I don’t want to be known as the top fighter in the league or anything like that.

“I have all the tools, I think. I am big, I can skate.

“I think I just need to work on my D zone and changing angles fast.

“I think I will be fine.”

Pedan made his NHL debut on Dec. 1, when he dressed as a forward for the Canucks in Los Angeles. He played just 3:54.

“I had never played a game as a forward in my life,” Pedan said with a chuckle Tuesday.

He finally got to play in his regular spot as a defenceman the past two home games against the Oilers and Kings and did not look out of place.

“I played pretty good,” Pedan said.

“I threw my body around and didn’t really take myself out of position. I feel pretty good with myself.”

While his fight with Nolan was his first NHL tilt, Pedan has had a couple of minor-league scraps that generated lots of YouTube traffic.

Last January, he knocked out Jarred Tinordi, then with the Hamilton Bulldogs, with a devastating right hand.

“I mean it can go both ways,” he said of the Tinordi fight. “It just happened to go that way.

“It is nothing special, just another fight and it just happened to be a big punch, I guess.”

Pedan knows about it going the other way. Three months after that

fight with Tinordi, Pedan was rocked several times by the Iowa Wild’s Stu Bickell and suffered a concussion that effectively ended his season with the Utica Comets.

Pedan, 22, is a native of Lithuania who grew up in Moscow. He played three seasons of junior hockey with the Guelph Storm of the OHL. He describes his decision to come to Canada to play junior hockey this way: “I like to play physical game and I think it is better for me to play on short rink.”

The New York Islanders selected him early in the third round of the 2011 draft (63rd overall) but traded him to the Canucks last season.

He said the change of scenery has helped.

“When I came to Vancouver they gave me everything I could ask for,” he said. “I played a lot of minutes in Utica, I developed. I feel more comfortable with the puck and think I have progressed that way.”

He credits Utica coach Travis Green and assistant Nolan Baumgartner with aiding in his development.

“Travis Green, if I make a mistake, he teaches me. It’s not like you make a mistake he puts you on bench and

forgets about you. He always tries to help you.”

Pedan keeps in close contact with his parents, who are currently vacationing in the Dominican Republic.

“I have been texting and calling them every day. My dad is always asking, ‘what I am doing, how am I feeling, what did the coach say, what did you guys do on the ice.’ He is really excited. If I knew sooner that I would play, my dad for sure would be here.”

Pedan is here, of course because of injuries to defencemen Dan Hamhuis, Luca Sbisa and Chris Tanev. He does not know how long this NHL stint will last, but it has definitely whet his appetite for more.

He said all of the Canuck veteran players have gone out of their way to make him feel welcome.

“Burrows was really nice to me, the Sedins, Sbisa, Tanev, all those guys,” he said.

“I felt when I got called up I would be on my own, shy and not know what to say, but the guys (made me feel) comfortable right off the bat.”

BZiemer@vancouversun.com Twitter.com/bradziemer

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

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WORLD JUNIORS

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SPORTS 21

YEAR IN REVIEW

Blue Jays runaway winners of team of the year award GREGORY STRONG THE CANADIAN PRESS

A

Canada’s Mathew Barzal, right, celebrates his shootout goal with teammate Dylan Strome against Switzerland on Tuesday in Helsinki. [THE CANADIAN PRESS]

Barzal scores winner for Canada vs. Swiss JOHN CHIDLEY-HILL THE CANADIAN PRESS

HELSINKI — Canada’s world junior team has learned a valuable lesson about respecting its opponent.

Matt Barzal scored the shootout winner as Canada edged Switzerland 3-2 at Helsinki Ice Hall on Tuesday to avoid a big preliminary-round upset at the world junior hockey championship.

The Swiss side gave the defending champions all they could handle, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Dylan Strome scored late in the opening frame for Canada and Joe Hicketts tied the game in the second period.

Brayden Point had the other shootout goal while both Swiss shooters were stopped by goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who was making his world juniors debut.

Barzal and his teammates plan to use the game as a learning experience.

“I think it could be good for us just knowing that we can’t take anyone lightly coming out of the gates,” Barzal said. “Every game’s going to be a hard-fought game and we’ve got to prepare the same way.”

Many Canadian players gave credit to Hicketts for the turnaround.

The defenceman gave a speech in the locker-room during the first intermission.

“It was about getting back to work,” said Hicketts. “Maybe we underestimated them a little bit, maybe the respect factor wasn’t there and maybe it was just a lack of preparation.

“We knew that when we came out for the second period it was going to have to be a 180, to flip the switch, to start playing our brand of hockey.”

Damian Riat and Dario Meyer scored for Switzerland, which was defeated for the third time but picked up its first point of the tournament with the overtime loss. Joren van Pottelberghe stopped 32 shots.

Blackwood, who made 23 saves, sat out Canada’s first two games as he completed an eight-game suspension from the Ontario Hockey League.

Netminder Mason McDonald started the first two games of the tournament with Samuel Montembeault serving as the backup.

Switzerland has relied on a physical, punishing brand of hockey to make up for its relative lack of skill compared to countries like Canada and Sweden. That led to suspensions for three Swiss players after an 8-2 loss to Sweden on Saturday.

A similar strategy was used against Canada on Tuesday with more success. The Canadians, who lost 4-2 to the United States on Saturday and routed Denmark 6-1 on Monday, admitted to not doing their homework on the Swiss or their tactics.

“We didn’t come out with the same intensity as we did against the Americans or against the Danes for that matter,” said Barzal. “That’s a lack of preparation on our part and we’re not going to make that mistake again.

“Kind of shot ourselves in the foot with that 2-0 deficit there but I thought we finished strong in the second and third and kind of pushed the pace.”

Canada now has a regulation win, an overtime win and a loss for five points. A regulation win at the tournament is worth three points, one more than an overtime victory.

Hicketts is one of four players who played on last year’s gold medal-winning team. Although the win over Switzerland was a little too close for comfort, he’s glad it happened when it did.

“We have to prepare to play every game. Nothing’s easy in this tournament,” said Hicketts. “The four returnees especially know that from last year but I think having the whole group go through that at an earlier stage of the tournament is something that going forward is going to (have) an impact.”

Canada has a day off before facing undefeated Sweden (2-0) on Thursday.

“Now we know we have to respect everyone in this tournament,” said forward Mitch Marner. “Everyone has world-class talent.”

trade deadline to remember. A second-half surge to the playoffs. A bat flip for the ages.

The Toronto Blue Jays put baseball back on the map in the playoff-starved city this year and the rest of the country took notice.

Canada’s lone Major League Baseball team, which won the East Division title and came within two wins of the World Series, was voted the landslide winner of The Canadian Press team of the year award.

“There’s so many adjectives that come to mind, but great, exciting, proud,” former general manager Alex Anthopoulos said of the 2015 team.

“I think it just meant a lot for Canada and the city obviously, but more Canada than anything else.

“I know the slogan and the hashtag was ‘Come Together’ and it was true. It seemed like everybody came together and fans that weren’t fans became fans. I think we’ll be talking about it for years to come.”

The Blue Jays picked up 40 votes (71 per cent) in an online survey of broadcasters and editors from media outlets across the country. The Canadian world junior hockey team that won gold last January was a distant second with six votes (11 per cent).

“It seems funny, on some levels, to elect a team that didn’t even get to its league final,” said Jonathan McDonald, sports editor of The Province in Vancouver. “But for the first time in a long, long time, the Blue Jays had a good chunk of Canada captivated by baseball again. And I mean captivated. People were talking about the Jays seven days a week for about three months. That’s an accomplishment in itself.”

The Blue Jays had a powerful offence but were tripped up by several key injuries at the start of the season. Team defence suffered and Toronto split its first 100 games.

“You can be a .500 club and know that maybe the roof is going to cave in and you’re overachieving. Or you know you can be underachieving and know that you’re way better than this,” Anthopoulos said. “And it was clear in our minds, we were way better than this.”

That’s when Anthopoulos pulled off the first in a series of stunning trades. He acquired star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in a deal with Colorado and soon topped that by landing ace left-hander David Price, giving the Blue Jays the front-line starter they needed.

After years of looking to the future, Toronto was playing for the present.

Outfielder Ben Revere and relievers LaTroy Hawkins and Mark Lowe also joined the team during that memorable week and Toronto’s fanbase was downright giddy.

The Blue Jays were suddenly real contenders in the American League.

Over the second half of the season, they played like it.

With an offence that boasted

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista connects on a three-run homer as during Game 5 of the American League Division Series in Toronto on Oct. 14.

[THE CANADIAN PRESS]

“It seemed like everybody came together and fans that weren’t fans became fans.”

Alex Anthopoulos, former GM

league MVP Josh Donaldson and sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto soon powered its way to the top of the division standings.

Price came as advertised, going 9-1 with the Blue Jays and providing a stabilizing force to the rotation.

There were some pleasant surprises too.

Marco Estrada started the year in the bullpen and became a key starter.

Rookie closer Roberto Osuna played like a veteran. And waiver wire pickup Chris Colabello hit at an impressive .321 clip.

Manager John Gibbons was pulling the strings and had the team playing with confidence. The sellout crowds at Rogers Centre couldn’t get enough.

“This was a group that cared about each other, that played for one another,” Anthopoulos said. “Look, they were talented as well — we had some star players — but they meshed so well together. I had people come up to me and say with so many superstar players, how come? They just bonded together, that’s a credit to the manager, to the staff and to the players themselves.

“They all bought in. I think the fans — they connected with the fans

— because they saw that day in and day out.”

An East Division title would follow and then came a five-game series win over the Texas Rangers. The Blue Jays stumbled over the first two games at home but rebounded to win the next two on the road.

It set up a deciding Game 5 that featured a Bautista homer — complete with that epic bat flip — in a four-run seventh inning that helped the Blue Jays to a 6-3 victory and sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

Next up were the Kansas City Royals, who won the first two games of the best-of-seven ALCS at home and eventually took a 3-2 series lead back to Kauffman Stadium. Bautista hit two homers in Game 6 but it wasn’t enough as the Blue Jays dropped a 4-3 decision, going 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

The Royals went on to beat the New York Mets in the World Series.

“We had a great club and I don’t feel arrogant saying that. I mean, I feel it’s a fact,” Anthopoulos said.

“We had a club that was capable of winning the World Series.

“We didn’t, the Royals won it and they deserved to win it. They played the best.

“But it was a sense of pride in the front office, organizationally, all of us collectively helped put a World Series-calibre team on the field, which is what it’s about.”

New president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins will try to guide the Blue Jays back to the playoffs in 2016. Anthopoulos turned down a contract offer to return and former president Paul Beeston retired.

www.nanaimodailynews.com

22 SPORTS

@NanaimoDaily

NFL

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

NFL POWER RANKINGS

Eagles fire head coach Chip Kelly ROB MAADDI THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHILADELPHIA — GM Chip Kelly cost coach Chip Kelly his job.

The Philadelphia Eagles fired Kelly Tuesday night with one game left in his third season, dumping the coach/ personnel boss after missing the playoffs in consecutive years.

Kelly was released before the finale of a disappointing season that began with Super Bowl expectations. The Eagles are 6-9 after going 10-6 two years in a row. They were eliminated from playoff contention after losing to Washington at home on Saturday night.

Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie issued a one-sentence statement to reporters saying he appreciates Kelly’s contributions and wishes him success going forward.

Lurie told fans in an email that he decided to make a change after “evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team.�

The Eagles also fired Ed Marynowitz, who was vice-president of player personnel. Longtime NFL executive Tom Donahoe will assume the role of senior director of player personnel.

Kelly gained full control of personnel decisions last off-season, winning a power struggle with then-general manager Howie Roseman. But Kelly tore apart a winning team and several of his bold moves backfired.

Since March 2014, Kelly released three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson, traded two-time All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy, didn’t re-sign 2014 Pro Bowl wideout Jeremy Maclin, cut two-time Pro

Cards rise to top as ‘Hawks slide Arizona still won’t be resting any players BRAD BIGGS CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Last week’s ranking in parentheses.

1

Cardinals 13-2 (2). Bruce Arians says the team is playing too well to rest players for the playoffs. Hard to argue with him.

2. Panthers 14-1 (1). They clinch home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs with a win or tie versus the Buccaneers on Sunday.

Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly listens to a question during a news conference on Monday in Philadelphia. [AP PHOTO]

Bowl guard Evan Mathis and traded quarterback Nick Foles and a 2016 second-round draft pick for Sam Bradford.

He also gave big money in free agency to running back DeMarco Murray and cornerback Byron Maxwell. Murray has been a bust and Maxwell has underperformed. Kelly even signed Tim Tebow, but released him after he won the competition for the No. 3 quarterback job.

A person familiar with the decision to fire Kelly told The Associated Press Tuesday night that the team didn’t consider only stripping him of personnel control, opting to part

with him entirely. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Lurie will address Kelly’s dismissal on Wednesday.

Kelly didn’t want players perceived as “me-first� guys. He alienated some of his players, though the only ones who spoke out against him did it after they were gone.

McCoy, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher and a fan favourite, made headlines when he said there’s a reason Kelly got rid of “all the good black players.� Cornerback Brandon Boykin, who was traded to Pittsburgh, said Kelly was “uncomfortable� around black players.

Bengals loss could be their blown chance December 30, 2015 - January 3, 2016

JOE KAY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

3. Patriots 12-3 (3). We’ll defer from making any wise remarks about the overtime choice.

4. Broncos 11-4 (7). A postseason run could make Brock Osweiler a lot of money in his next contract with this team.

5. Chiefs 10-5 (9). Didn’t look very good in Cleveland in their ninth straight win, but they’re rolling into the playoffs.

6. Bengals 11-4 (6). Overtime loss Monday in Denver means it’s likely AJ McCarron starts a wild-card playoff game.

7. Seahawks 9-6 (4). Who needs Jimmy Graham when Doug Baldwin is emerging as a major playmaker?

8. Jets 10-5 (10). Brandon Marshall could be headed to the postseason for the first time in his career.

9. Vikings 10-5 (11). They’re in position to win the NFC North with a victory Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

Schedules are subject to change without notice.

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would enjoy nothing more than to spoil the Jets’ playoff bid.

CINCINNATI — The Bengals’ quest to end their long streak of playoff futility has gotten a lot tougher.

A 20-17 overtime loss in Denver on Monday night most likely cost the Bengals (11-4) a chance for a first-round bye in the playoffs. If the Broncos (11-4) win at home against San Diego (4-11) next Sunday, they’ll get the bye.

Instead of having a week off to let Andy Dalton’s broken thumb heal, the AFC North champions would host a playoff game and then have to win two more on the road in order to reach the Super Bowl — a much tougher road.

This one really stings. “Obviously, we knew what we had in front of us, the opportunity to get the bye,� defensive end Carlos Dunlap said.

Several Bengals starters are injured and were hoping for a week of rest. Receiver A.J. Green is playing with a sore back.

Tight end Tyler Eifert missed the past two games with a concussion. Safety George Iloka missed the past two games with an injured groin. Cornerback Adam “Pacman� Jones is playing with an injured right foot.

Plus, a bye would have given Dalton another week for the broken bone in his right thumb to heal. It’s been two weeks since the injury. The Bengals are hoping to get him back for the playoffs, but the likely first-round game complicates it. “It’s tough,� Green said. “We have a lot of guys banged up, so we could have really used that bye. All we have to do is go out there and take care of next weekend, and hope for the best.�

The Bengals host Baltimore (5-10) on Sunday. They can still get a first-round bye if they beat the Ravens and the Broncos lose, or if they lose and the Broncos lose and the Chiefs win.

10. Packers 10-5 (8). Blowout loss at Arizona hints at a quick playoff exit.

11. Steelers 9-6 (5). Take away two losses to the Ravens and this season would look much, much different.

12. Texans 8-7 (12). They’re sub.500 in any other division with their collection of quarterbacks this season.

13. Redskins 8-7 (13). Kirk Cousins has earned himself a handsome payday in free agency.

14. Falcons 8-7 (16). Dan Quinn pulled his team out of its long nosedive.

15. Rams 7-8 (17). Jeff Fisher will have to find a way to win in 2016.

16. Raiders 7-8 (14). They look to close the season at .500 and send future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson out in style against the Chiefs.

17. Bills 7-8 (19). Surely, Rex Ryan

18. Giants 6-9 (15). GM Jerry Reese should be under greater scrutiny than Tom Coughlin. Just look at the roster.

19. Lions 6-9 (22). If Martha Ford is truly going to reboot this team, the new GM must be allowed to make the call on coach Jim Caldwell.

20. Bears 6-9 (23). No team has played more games (nine) against teams with winning records.

21. Saints 6-9 (26). Drew Brees has a $30 million cap hit in 2016 but says he and Sean Payton aren’t going anywhere. We’ll see.

22. Buccaneers 6-9 (20). Lovie Smith has tackle Gerald McCoy, linebacker Lavonte David and nine players on defense who need to be upgraded.

23. Eagles 6-9 (18). Chip Kelly: “I don’t think we’re a bad football team.� How about mediocre?

24. Ravens 5-10 (28). Their Super Bowl this season was throwing a wrench in the Steelers’ playoff plans.

25. Colts 7-8 (21). Would need half a page to spell out what must happen for them to make the playoffs. In other words, forget about it.

26. Jaguars 5-10 (24). Not only is Blake Bortles a bright spot for the future, receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns have really developed.

27. Dolphins 5-10 (25). This is a real circus with the wife of cornerback Brent Grimes publicly ripping quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

28. Cowboys 4-11 (27). They’re going to try to build it back up around Tony Romo for another charge in 2016.

29. Chargers 4-11 (29). Much is in limbo moving forward, but it’s very clear safety Eric Weddle will not be back.

30. 49ers 4-11 (30). Mike Holmgren wants to coach this team.

Don’t know if he’ll get a chance, but you have to figure Jim Tomsula is out.

31. Browns 3-12 (31). Owner Jimmy Haslam had a conversation with Ron Wolf, and that doesn’t bode well for GM Ray Farmer.

32. Titans 3-12 (32). If they lose Sunday in Indianapolis, they hold the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft.

www.nanaimodailynews.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

NHL ISLANDERS 6, LEAFS 3

PANTHERS 3, CANADIENS 1

ATLANTIC DIVISION

First Period 1. NYI, Nelson 13 (Grabovski, Strome) 2:00.

2. Tor, Boyes 3 (Matthias, Gardiner) 2:39.

3. NYI, Tavares 14 (Bailey, Lee) 11:51.

4. NYI, Nielsen 13 (Leddy) 17:45.

3HQDOWLHV — Komarov Tor (slashing) 3:25; Tavares NYI (hooking) 4:06; Grabovski NYI (holding) 19:57.

Second Period 5. Toronto, Parenteau 9 (Holland, van Riemsdyk) 10:57.

6. NYI, Kulemin 4 (Nielsen) 11:25.

7. NYI, Martin 5 (Cizikas, Clutterbuck) 18:06.

8. NYI, Lee 5 (De Haan, Tavares) 19:20.

3HQDOWLHV — Holland Tor (hooking) 2:04; Lee NYI (hooking) 7:05; Marincin Tor (cross-checking) 11:44.

Third Period 9. Tor, Matthias 3 (Boyes, Holland) 16:00.

3HQDOWLHV — Okposo NYI (hooking) 1:19; Bozak Tor (hooking) 17:51.

6KRWV RQ JRDO NY Islanders 7 8 6 —21 Toronto 12 13 8 —33 *RDO (shots-saves) — NYI: Greiss (W, 10-5-2); Tor: Bernier (L, 3-10-3)(15-9), Reimer (0:00 3rd, 6-6). 3RZHU SOD\V (goal-chances) — NYI: 0-4; Toronto: 0-4.

Attendance — 19,899 at Toronto.

First Period 1. Montreal, Pacioretty 15 (Subban, Galchenyuk) 12:39 (pp).

2. Florida, Barkov 10 (Kulikov, Ekblad) 16:28 (pp).

3HQDOWLHV — Fleischmann Mtl (highsticking) 0:50; Mitchell Mtl (tripping), Mackenzie Fla (embellishment) 6:57; Kulikov Fla (broken stick) 11:24; Eller Mtl (holding) 14:29; Mackenzie Fla, Subban 0WO ÀJKWLQJ

Second Period 3. Fla, Jagr 11 (Huberdeau, Barkov) 1:16.

3HQDOWLHV — Petry Mtl (delay of game) 14:57; Smith Fla (holding) 17:18.

Third Period 4. Florida, Barkov 11 (Gudbranson, Huberdeau) 8:53.

3HQDOWLHV — Shaw Fla (high-sticking) 7:43; Subban Mtl (tripping) 7:56; Subban Mtl (tripping) 18:47.

6KRWV RQ JRDO Montreal 12 8 8—28 Florida 13 9 7—29 *RDO — Montreal: Scrivens (L, 0-1-0); Florida: Luongo (W, 16-11-3). Power SOD\V (goal-chances) — Montreal: 1-3; Florida: 1-5.

Attendance — 19,822 at Florida.

GP 37 39 36

W L OL SL GF 21 12 3 1 101 21 15 2 1 111 20 12 3 1 115

GA 84 98 97

Pts Home 46 11-6-2-0 45 11-6-2-0 44 9-9-2-0

Away 10-6-1-1 10-9-0-1 11-3-1-1

Last 10 Strk 8-2-0-0 W-7 2-8-0-0 L-1 6-3-1-0 W-1

METROPOLITAN DIVISION Washington NY Islanders NY Rangers

GP 35 37 37

W L OL SL GF 27 6 2 0 110 20 12 3 2 103 20 13 2 2 107

GP 37 37 37 37 35 35 37 36 35 39

W 18 18 18 18 17 15 15 15 13 14

GA 72 88 98

Pts Home 56 14-3-1-0 45 12-6-2-0 44 14-5-1-0

Away 13-3-1-0 8-6-1-2 6-8-1-2

Last 10 Strk 9-1-0-0 W-8 5-4-1-0 W-1 3-6-1-0 L-1

Pts 43 42 41 40 37 37 35 34 33 31

Home 11-7-3-1 10-4-1-3 8-8-1-2 9-7-0-2 9-7-0-2 8-5-2-2 7-8-2-1 8-10-1-1 6-6-3-2 6-8-2-1

Away 7-5-2-1 8-9-1-1 10-6-0-2 9-8-1-1 8-8-1-0 7-8-2-1 8-9-2-0 7-7-0-2 7-9-0-2 8-14-0-0

Last 10 Strk 3-4-1-2 L-2 4-5-0-1 L-1 4-4-0-2 W-1 5-4-0-1 L-1 3-6-0-1 L-1 5-3-0-2 L-1 5-4-1-0 L-1 4-5-0-1 L-1 5-3-2-0 L-1 3-6-1-0 W-1

WILD CARD Detroit Ottawa New Jersey Tampa Bay Pittsburgh Philadelphia Carolina Buffalo Toronto Columbus

L OL SL 12 5 2 13 2 4 14 1 4 15 1 3 15 1 2 13 4 3 17 4 1 17 1 3 15 3 4 22 2 1

GF 94 111 87 95 79 76 87 85 92 98

GA 98 112 92 88 86 96 106 94 100 123

W L OL SL GF 27 8 1 2 132 23 12 3 1 99 21 13 4 0 104

GA 97 93 94

Pts Home 57 15-4-0-0 50 13-6-2-0 46 14-5-1-0

Away 12-4-1-2 10-6-1-1 7-8-3-0

Last 10 Strk 6-3-0-1 L-1 7-3-0-0 W-1 6-4-0-0 W-1

GP 36 36 38

W L OL SL GF GA 23 11 1 1 98 81 17 16 3 0 100 116 14 15 7 2 93 109

Pts Home 48 11-6-0-0 37 9-6-2-0 37 6-7-3-0

Away 12-5-1-1 8-10-1-0 8-8-4-2

Last 10 Strk 6-3-1-0 W-3 4-4-2-0 L-1 5-4-0-1 L-1

GP 35 37 37 35 36 36 35 38

W 19 18 18 17 17 17 14 15

Pts 44 43 38 36 36 36 34 33

Away 5-5-5-0 6-7-4-0 12-9-0-0 13-6-2-0 6-12-0-1 5-11-1-1 5-10-2-0 5-14-2-0

Last 10 Strk 5-3-2-0 W-1 4-4-2-0 L-1 7-2-1-0 W-1 3-5-2-0 L-1 5-5-0-0 W-2 7-3-0-0 L-1 5-4-1-0 W-2 4-5-1-0 L-3

WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION Dallas St. Louis Chicago

GP 38 39 38

PACIFIC DIVISION Los Angeles Arizona Vancouver

WILD CARD Minnesota Nashville Colorado San Jose Winnipeg Calgary Anaheim Edmonton

SPORTS 23

HOCKEY

EASTERN CONFERENCE Florida Montreal Boston

@NanaimoDaily

L OL SL GF GA 10 6 0 95 84 12 6 1 100 96 17 2 0 106 102 16 2 0 96 100 17 1 1 97 105 17 1 1 96 117 15 5 1 67 87 20 3 0 97 118

Home 14-5-1-0 12-5-2-1 6-8-2-0 4-10-0-0 11-5-1-0 12-6-0-0 9-5-3-1 10-6-1-0

Note: winning team is credited with 2 points and a victory in the W column; a team losing in overtime or shootout receives 1 point in the respective OTL or SOL column.

7XHVGD\¡V UHVXOWV NY Islanders 6 Toronto 3 Florida 3 Montreal 1 Winnipeg 4 Detroit 1 Anaheim 1 Calgary 0 Los Angeles 5 Edmonton 2 Columbus 6 Dallas 3 St. Louis 4 Nashville 3 (OT) New Jersey 3 Carolina 2 Chicago 7 Arizona 5 Boston 7 Ottawa 3 0RQGD\¡V UHVXOWV Minnesota 3 Detroit 1 Los Angeles 5 Vancouver 0 Colorado 6 San Jose 3 Nashville 5 NY Rangers 3 Washington 2 Buffalo 0

Montreal 4 Tampa Bay 3 (SO) :HGQHVGD\¡V JDPHV Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m.

Toronto at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

New Jersey at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

NY Rangers at Tampa Bay, 8 p.m.

Philadelphia at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

7KXUVGD\¡V JDPHV Pittsburgh at Detroit, 6 p.m.

NY Islanders at Buffalo, 6 p.m.

Washington at Carolina, 6 p.m.

Chicago at Colorado, 8 p.m.

Minnesota at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

Nashville at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Winnipeg at Arizona, 9 p.m.

Anaheim at Edmonton, 9 p.m.

Los Angeles at Calgary, 9 p.m.

BLACKHAWKS 7, COYOTES 5 BRUINS 7, SENATORS 3 First Period 1. Chi, Keith 6 (Kane, Hossa) 6:21 (pp).

2. Chicago, Anisimov 13 (Seabrook, Kane) 7:36 (pp).

3. Arizona, Doan 9 (Ekman-Larsson, Stone) 10:18.

4. Arizona, Michalek 2 (Ekman-Larsson, Cunningham) 12:07.

5. Chicago, Panarin 11 (Seabrook, Keith) 19:08 (pp).

3HQDOWLHV — Duclair Ariz (hooking) 4:31; Murphy Ariz (tripping) 6:54; Teravainen Chi (interference) 8:13; Hjalmarsson Chi (unsportsmanlike conduct) 14:46; Michalek Ariz (interference) 18:55.

Second Period 6. Chicago, Desjardins 2 (Teravainen, Danault) 2:00.

7. Chi, Kane 22 (Shaw, Gustafsson) 13:48.

3HQDOWLHV — Rasmussen Chi (tripping) 6:00, Ekman-Larsson Ariz (holding) 7:08, Chi Bench (too many men) 9:28.

Third Period 8. Chi, Desjardins 3 (unassisted) 5:04.

9. Arizona, Doan 10 (Rieder, EkmanLarsson) 7:17 (pp).

10. Ariz, Murphy 4 (Rieder, Stone) 13:03.

11. Chicago, Toews 12 (Teravainen, Keith) 18:21 (en-sh).

12. Arizona, Doan 11 (Boedker, Rieder) 19:32 (pp).

3HQDOWLHV — Toews Chi (tripping) 6:59; Bickell Chi (tripping) 11:00; Hossa Chi (interference) 17:36; Desjardins Chi (high-sticking) 18:53.

6KRWV RQ JRDO Chicago 5 17 6 — 28 Arizona 12 14 10 — 36 *RDO — Chic: Crawford (W, 19-10-2); Arizona: Domingue (L, 2-2-1). 3RZHU SOD\V (goal-chances) — Chi: 3-4; Arizona: 2-8.

Attendance — 17,197 at Arizona.

First Period 1. Boston, Hayes 6 (Miller) 8:01.

2. Ott, Neil 2 (Prince, McCormick) 12:31.

3. Boston, Bergeron 13 (Krug, Spooner) 16:25 (pp).

3HQDOWLHV — Spooner Bos (tripping) 10:04; McCormick Ott (holding) 16:02; Wideman Ott (holding) 19:22.

Second Period 4. Boston, Beleskey 6 (Connolly, Marchand) 1:21 (pp).

5. Ott, Zibanejad 7 (Neil, Prince) 17:51.

3HQDOWLHV — Neil Ott (slashing) 2:55; Chara Bos (tripping) 3:35; Dziurzynski Ott (goaltender interference) 10:45; Chara Bos, Borowiecki Ott (roughing) 13:14; Turris Ott (hooking), Connolly Bos (embellishment) 19:02.

Third Period %RVWRQ %HUJHURQ .UXJ *ULIĂ€WK

2:38 (pp).

7. Ott, Hoffman 18 (Karlsson, Methot) 4:22.

8. Bos, Hayes 7 (Talbot, Eriksson) 15:49.

9. Boston, Beleskey 7 (Spooner, Eriksson) 16:40.

3HQDOWLHV — Stone Ott (illegal check to head minor) 1:54; Eriksson Bos (hooking) 7:58; Marchand Bos (slashing) 9:55; Wideman Ott (cross-check) 12:26; FerUDUR %RV 0F&RUPLFN 2WW ÀJKWLQJ

5LQDOGR %RV ']LXU]\QVNL 2WW ÀJKWLQJ

1HLO 2WW ÀJKWLQJ LQVWLJDWRU PLVFRQGXFW

0F4XDLG %RV ÀJKWLQJ PLVFRQGXFW

Borowiecki Ott, Smith Ott, Miller Bos, Beleskey Bos (misconduct) 19:33.

6KRWV RQ JRDO Ottawa 6 13 13 —32 Boston 13 15 7 —35 *RDO — Ottawa: Anderson (L, 16-10-4); Boston: Rask (W, 14-9-3). 3RZHU SOD\V (goal-chances) — Ottawa: 0-4; Bos: 3-7.

Attendance — 17,565 at Boston.

KINGS 5, OILERS 2 First Period — No Scoring.

3HQDOWLHV — Hendricks Edm (tripping) /XFLF /$ 1XUVH (GP ÀJKWLQJ

14:11.

Second Period 1. LA, King 1 (Brown, Lewis) 4:22.

2. LA, Mersch 1 (Andreoff) 5:42.

3. LA, Toffoli 18 (Kopitar, Doughty) 5:58.

4. Edmonton, Pouliot 8 (Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle) 9:56.

5. LA, Lewis 4 (Brown, King) 14:18.

3HQDOWLHV — McNabb LA (holding) 7:05.

Third Period 6. Ed, Letestu 5 (Korpikoski, Sekera) 1:59.

7. LA, Brown 4 (Lewis, Muzzin) 11:58 (pp).

3HQDOWLHV — McNabb LA (hooking) 3:07; Hall Edm (tripping) 10:08.

6KRWV RQ JRDO Los Angeles 10 14 9 — 33 Edmonton 13 17 14 — 44 *RDO — Los Angeles: Quick (W, 20-9-1); Edm: Talbot (L, 5-10-2). 3RZHU SOD\V (goal-chances) — LA: 1-3; Edmonton: 0-2.

Attendance — 16,839 at Edmonton.

DEVILS 3, HURRICANES 2 First Period — No Scoring.

3HQDOWLHV — Hainsey Car (holding) 5:06; Tootoo NJ (hooking) 7:54.

Second Period 1. Carolina, E. Staal 6 (Versteeg, Lindholm) 2:51.

2. NJ, Farnham 4 (unassisted) 6:06.

3. Carolina, E. Staal 7 (Versteeg) 9:46.

3HQDOW\ —Liles Car (interference) 17:04.

Third Period 4. NJ, Palmieri 16 (Merrill, Zajac) 7:14.

5. New Jersey, Schlemko 4 (Zajac, Stempniak) 16:55.

3HQDOWLHV — None.

6KRWV RQ JRDO Carolina 8 13 7 —28 New Jersey 11 9 4 —24 *RDO — Carolina: Ward (L, 11-11-3); NJ: Kinkaid (W, 3-4-0). 3RZHU SOD\V (goalchances) — Carolina: 0-1; NJ: 0-2.

Attendance — 16,514 at New Jersey.

BLUE JACKETS 6, STARS 3 First Period 1. Columbus, Jenner 14 (Atkinson, Dubinsky) :35.

2. Dal, Sceviour 4 (Roussel, Eakin) 6:03.

3. Columbus, Connauton 1 (Foligno, Johansen) 7:28.

4. Columbus, Calvert 6 (Karlsson, Bourque) 18:35.

3HQDOWLHV — Tyutin Clb (holding) 11:04; Jo. Benn Dal (delay of game) 15:44.

Second Period 5. Dallas, Seguin 21 (Ja. Benn, Klingberg) 8:23.

6. Col, Saad 14 (Dubinsky, Foligno) 18:43.

3HQDOW\ — Hartnell Clb (slashing) 15:38.

Third Period 7. Dal, Sharp 14 (Spezza, Janmark) 1:12.

8. Colum, Hartnell 15 (unassisted) 9:55.

9. Columbus, Bourque 2 (Foligno, Dubinsky) 19:45 (en).

3HQDOWLHV — Seguin Dal (stick holding) 4:37; Saad Clb (stick holding) 6:19; Bourque Clb, Oduya Dal (roughing) 13:18.

6KRWV RQ JRDO Dallas 17 9 14—40 Columbus 14 13 5—32 *RDO (shots-saves) — Dal: Lehtonen (14-11), Niemi (L, 15-6-3)(0:00 2nd, 18-16); Col: McElhinney (W, 2-6-2).

3RZHU SOD\V (goal-chances) — Dallas: 0-3; Col: 0-2.

Attendance — 15,836 at Columbus.

JETS 4, RED WINGS 1 First Period 1. Winnipeg, Trouba 3 (Stafford, Stuart) 4:27 (sh).

2. Winnipeg, Ladd 10 (Wheeler, Little) 10:29 (pp).

3HQDOWLHV — Lowry Wpg (high-sticking) 0:50; Wpg Bench (too many men) 4:58; Smith Det (interference) 8:46; Kronwall Det (tripping) 9:27; Byfuglien Wpg (interference) 15:54.

Second Period 3. Winnipeg, Burmistrov 3 (Little, Stafford) 4:13.

4. Winnipeg, Trouba 4 (Little, Wheeler) 11:43.

3HQDOWLHV — Byfuglien Wpg (crosschecking) 16:48.

Third Period 5. Detroit, Datsyuk 5 (Zetterberg, Kronwall) 1:52 (pp).

3HQDOWLHV — Burmistrov Wpg (hooking) 1:26; Thorburn Wpg (interference), Smith Det (embellishment) 11:24.

6KRWV RQ JRDO Detroit 12 12 10 —34 Winnipeg 7 10 8 —25 *RDO (shots-saves) — Det: Howard (L, 7-5-4)(14-10), Mrazek (11:43 2nd, 11-11); Wpg: Hellebuyck (W, 7-3-0). 3RZHU SOD\V (goal-chances) — Det: 1-6; Wpg: 1-2.

Attendance — 15,294 at Winnipeg.

DUCKS 1, FLAMES 0 First Period — No Scoring.

3HQDOW\ — Silfverberg Ana (slash) 11:00.

Second Period 1. Ana, Horcoff 6 (Rakell, Lindholm) 12:36.

3HQDOWLHV — Wideman Cgy (high-stick) 1:02; Sekac Ana (interference) 2:53.

Third Period — No Scoring.

3HQDOWLHV — Getzlaf Ana (hooking) 14:06; Vatanen Ana (delay of game) 19:42; Kesler Ana (roughing, misconduct), Brodie Cgy (roughing), Wideman &J\ URXJKLQJ ÀJKWLQJ *HW]ODI $QD ÀJKWLQJ

6KRWV RQ JRDO Anaheim 6 11 4 — 21 Calgary 4 3 7 — 14 *RDO — Anaheim: Gibson (W, 6-4-2); Cal: Ramo (L, 13-11-1). 3RZHU SOD\V (goal-chances) — Ana: 0-2; Calgary: 0-3.

Attendance — 19,289 at Calgary.

NFL WHL

WORLD JR. CHAMPIONSHIP

EASTERN CONFERENCE

$W +HOVLQNL )LQODQG

EAST DIVISION

PRELIMINARY ROUND Group A Sweden Canada U.S. Denmark Switzerland

GP 2 3 2 2 3

W 2 1 1 1 0

OW 0 1 0 0 0

OL 0 0 0 0 1

L GF GA Pt 0 9 3 6 1 11 7 5 1 4 3 3 1 3 7 3 2 6 13 1

GP 3 2 2 2 3

W 2 1 1 1 0

OW 1 0 0 0 0

OL 0 1 0 0 0

L GF GA Pt 0 12 6 8 0 3 2 4 1 10 6 3 1 4 4 3 3 3 14 0

Group B

Brandon Prince Albert Moose Jaw Regina Saskatoon Swift Current

EAST

GP W 37 23 36 21 36 18 37 16 35 13 36 11

L OL 11 1 11 3 13 4 16 3 19 3 21 3

SL 2 1 1 2 0 1

GF GA 143 107 116 107 126 113 113 128 105 147 81 115

Pt 49 46 41 37 29 26

SL 0 1 0 0 1 0

GF GA 158 111 130 117 133 111 106 124 114 144 72 161

Pt 52 50 48 34 28 14

CENTRAL DIVISION

Russia Czech Rep. Finland Slovakia Belarus

Note: 3 pts. for a regulation win, 2 for an overtime/shootout win, 1 for OT/SO loss.

7XHVGD\¡V UHVXOWV Canada 3 Switzerland 2 (SO) Russia 4 Belarus 1 0RQGD\¡V UHVXOWV Canada 6 Denmark 1 Czech Republic 2 Slovakia 0 Sweden 1 United States 0 Russia 6 Finland 4 :HGQHVGD\¡V JDPHV Belarus vs. Czech Republic, 7 a.m.

Denmark vs. Sweden, 9 a.m.

Finland vs. Slovakia, 11 a.m.

Switzerland vs. United States, 1 p.m.

7KXUVGD\¡V JDPHV Slovakia vs. Russia, 7 a.m.

United States vs. Denmark, 9 a.m.

Czech Republic vs. Finland, 11 a.m.

Sweden vs. Canada, 1 p.m.

END OF PRELIMINARY ROUND 6DWXUGD\ V JDPHV

QUARTER-FINALS (Times 7, 9, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.)

1st A vs. 4th B, TBA 2nd A vs. 3rd B, TBA 1st B vs. 4th A, TBA 2nd B vs. 3rd A, TBA Monday, Jan. 4

SEMIFINALS 4XDUWHU ÀQDO ZLQQHUV D P DQG S P Tuesday, Jan. 5

BRONZE MEDAL 6HPLĂ€QDO ORVHUV D P

GOLD MEDAL 6HPLĂ€QDO ZLQQHUV S P

CANADA 3, SWITZ. 2 (SO) First Period 1. Switz., Riat 1 (Rod, Malgin) 2:12 (pp) 2. Switz., Meyer 1 (Forrer, Privet) 15:37 3. Cda., Strome 3 (Chabot, Crouse) 19:37 3HQDOWLHV — Perlini Cda (holding) 0:46; Rod Sui (cross-checking) 9:09.

Second Period 4. Canada, Hicketts 1 (Crouse) 12:17 3HQDOWLHV — Virtanen Cda (high-sticking) 5:13; Thurkauf Sui (high-sticking) 14:44; Kindschi Sui (holding) 16:09.

Third Period — No Scoring.

3HQDOWLHV — Malgin Sui (tripping) 8:12.

Overtime — No Scoring.

3HQDOWLHV — None.

Shootout Canada wins 2-0 Cda: Strome miss, Point goal, Barzal goal.

Switz: Suter miss, Meier miss.

6KRWV RQ JRDO Switzerland 9 8 8 0 —25 Canada 7 10 16 1 —34 *RDO — Switz.: van Pottelberghe (SOL,0-1-1); Canada: Blackwood (W,1-0-0).

3RZHU SOD\V JRDOV FKDQFHV — Switzerland: 1-2; Canada: 0-4.

Att. — 3,522 at Helsinki, Finland.

BLUES 4, PREDATORS 3 (OT) CANADIAN LEADERS First Period 1. St. Louis, Jaskin 2 (Bouwmeester, Pietrangelo) 9:38.

2. Nash, Ekholm 4 (Fisher) 14:00 (sh).

3HQDOW\ — Jones Nash (holding) 12:22.

Second Period 3. St. Louis, Fabbri 9 (Lehtera, Jaskin) 12:04.

3HQDOWLHV — Shattenkirk StL (hooking) 0:42; Parayko StL (tripping) 7:06; Ellis Nash (delay of game) 12:47.

Third Period 4. St. Louis, Shattenkirk 6 (Lehtera, Parayko) 1:55.

5. Nash, Weber 11 (Josi, Hutton) 16:08.

6. Nash, Wilson 3 (Ellis, Ekholm) 18:28.

3HQDOWLHV — Steen StL (slashing) 4:05; Ribeiro Nash (cross-checking) 13:31.

Overtime 7. StL, Steen 13 (Stastny, Pietrangelo) 4:01.

3HQDOWLHV — None.

6KRWV RQ JRDO Nashville 7 16 9 0 —32 St. Louis 7 7 4 6 —24 *RDO — Nashville: Hutton (LO, 3-1-1); St. Louis: Allen (W, 18-8-2). 3RZHU SOD\V (goal-chances) — Nash: 0-3; StL: 0-3.

Attendance — 19,319 at St. Louis.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE

IIHF

G 3 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A Pts 1 4 1 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0LQ

$YJ

*$ 62

65 118 0

1.85 2.54 0.00

GOALTENDING

M.Blackwood M.McDonald S.Montembeault

GP W 37 26 39 24 37 24 38 15 36 12 38 6

L OL 11 0 13 1 13 0 19 4 20 3 30 2

B.C. DIVISION Kelowna Victoria Prince George Kamloops Vancouver

GP W 37 27 37 22 36 22 34 17 37 13

Seattle Everett Spokane Portland Tri-City

L OL 9 1 12 1 12 1 13 3 19 3

SL 0 2 1 1 2

GF GA 138 104 125 90 123 103 120 106 106 129

Pt 55 47 46 38 31

L OL 12 3 12 0 14 3 17 1 19 2

SL 0 2 1 0 0

GF GA 115 103 91 74 118 119 119 117 114 136

Pt 43 40 40 35 32

Note: Division leaders ranked in top 2 positions per conference regardless of points; a team winning in overtime or shootout gets 2 points & a victory in W column; team losing in overtime or shootout gets 1 pt. in OTL or SOL columns.

7XHVGD\¡V UHVXOWV Brandon 6 Moose Jaw 5 Regina 3 Saskatoon 1 Swift Current 3 Prince Albert 2 (OT) Lethbridge 5 Medicine Hat 2 Seattle 2 Spokane 1 Tri-City 5 Portland 1 0RQGD\¡V UHVXOWV Calgary 3 Kootenay 2 Edmonton 3 Red Deer 1 Kelowna 3 Kamloops 2 Prince George 3 Victoria 2 (SO) :HGQHVGD\¡V JDPHV $OO WLPHV /RFDO Regina at Prince Albert, 6 p.m.

Swift Current at Saskatoon, 6:05 p.m.

Lethbridge at Calgary, 7 p.m.

Victoria at Kamloops, 8 p.m.

Prince George at Vancouver, 8 p.m.

Everett at Kelowna, 8:05 p.m.

7KXUVGD\¡V JDPHV Red Deer at Kootenay, 4 p.m.

Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw, 6 p.m.

Spokane at Tri-City, 8:05 p.m.

Seattle at Portland, 8:30 p.m. )ULGD\¡V JDPHV Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 1 p.m.

Brandon at Edmonton, 2 p.m.

Victoria at Kamloops, 3 p.m.

Kelowna at Everett, 3:05 p.m.

Swift Current at Regina, 6 p.m.

INTERIOR DIVISION GP W 36 31 34 21 36 20 39 16 36 17 37 12

2 5 0

0 0 0

GP W Nanaimo 37 24 Cowichan Vally 36 18 Powell River 34 18 Victoria 38 14 Alberni Valley 35 13

L 4 9 14 20 19 23

T OL GF GA Pt 1 0 150 76 63 2 2 142 97 46 0 2 137 128 42 0 3 161 131 35 0 0 111 143 34 0 2 126 161 26

L 12 13 14 20 19

T OL GF GA Pt 0 1 151 117 49 2 3 126 154 41 0 2 119 98 38 0 4 102 112 32 2 1 98 136 29

MAINLAND DIVISION Chilliwack Wenatchee Langley Coquitlam Prince George Surrey

Pct .800 .667 .467 .333

PF 455 370 357 290

PA 295 292 342 379

Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Tennessee

W L 8 7 7 8 5 10 3 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .533 .467 .333 .200

PF 309 303 370 275

PA 307 384 418 393

W L 11 4 9 6 5 10 3 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .733 .600 .333 .200

PF 395 395 312 266

PA 263 307 377 404

W 11 10 7 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .733 .667 .467 .267

PF 328 382 342 300

PA 276 270 376 371

NORTH y-Cincinnati Pittsburgh Baltimore Cleveland

x-Denver x-Kansas City Oakland San Diego

L 4 5 8 11

NATIONAL CONFERENCE EAST y-Washington Philadelphia N.Y. Giants Dallas

W 8 6 6 4

L 7 9 9 11

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .533 .400 .400 .267

PF 354 342 390 252

PA 356 400 407 340

14 8 6 6

1 7 9 9

0 0 0 0

.933 .533 .400 .400

462 322 332 388

298 325 379 459

W 10 10 6 6

L 5 5 9 9

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .667 .667 .400 .400

PF 355 345 334 315

PA 303 289 380 373

13 9 7 4

2 6 8 11

0 0 0 0

.867 .600 .467 .267

483 387 264 219

277 271 311 371

SOUTH y-Carolina Atlanta Tampa Bay New Orleans

NORTH x-Green Bay x-Minnesota Detroit Chicago

WEST y-Arizona x-Seattle St. Louis San Francisco

x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division 0RQGD\¡V UHVXOW Denver 20 Cincinnati 17 (OT) 6XQGD\ V JDPHV Jacksonville at Houston, 1 p.m.

Washington at Dallas, 1 p.m.

Detroit at Chicago, 1 p.m.

N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 1 p.m.

New England at Miami, 1 p.m.

New Orleans at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

Baltimore at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 1 p.m.

Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.

Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.

St. Louis at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.

San Diego at Denver, 4:25 p.m.

Seattle at Arizona, 4:25 p.m.

Oakland at Kansas City, 4:25 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Carolina, 4:25 p.m.

Minnesota at Green Bay, 8:30 p.m.

END OF REGULAR SEASON

BCHL Penticton Salmon Arm West Kelowna Vernon Trail Merritt

T 0 0 0 0

SOUTH

U.S. DIVISION GP W 35 20 33 19 36 18 35 17 36 15

W L 12 3 10 5 7 8 5 10

WEST

WESTERN CONFERENCE

ISLAND DIVISION

SCORING

Dylan Strome Mathew Barzal Mitch Marner Lawson Crouse Brayden Point Joe Hicketts Thomas Chabot Rourke Chartier Travis Dermott Anthony Beauvillier John Quenneville Julien Gauthier Travis Konecny Haydn Fleury Brandon Hickey Roland McKeown Brendan Perlini Travis Sanheim Mitchell Stephens Jake Virtanen

Lethbridge Calgary Red Deer Edmonton Medicine Hat Kootenay

y-New England N.Y. Jets Buffalo Miami

GP W 34 23 36 21 35 21 36 15 37 9 34 5

L 7 10 13 16 26 28

T OL GF GA Pt 1 3 138 80 50 3 2 122 83 47 1 0 137 108 43 1 4 117 142 35 0 2 84 164 20 1 0 84 175 11

:HGQHVGD\¡V JDPHV $OO WLPHV /RFDO Langley at Chilliwack, 7 p.m.

Nanaimo at Cowichan Valley, 7 p.m.

Alberni Valley at Powell River, 7 p.m.

West Kelowna at Trail, 7:30 p.m.

7KXUVGD\¡V JDPHV Coquitlam at Merritt, 4 p.m.

Alberni Valley at Powell River, 5 p.m. )ULGD\¡V JDPHV Surrey at Salmon Arm, 5 p.m.

Penticton at Vernon, 7 p.m.

NBA 7XHVGD\¡V UHVXOWV New York 108 Detroit 96 Atlanta 121 Houston 115 Oklahoma City 131 Milwaukee 123 Memphis 99 Miami 90 (OT) Cleveland 93 Denver 87 0RQGD\¡V UHVXOWV Chicago 104 Toronto 97 Indiana 93 Atlanta 87 Orlando 104 New Orleans 89 L.A. Clippers 108 Washington 91 Charlotte 108 L.A. Lakers 98 Brooklyn 111 Miami 105 San Antonio 101 Minnesota 95 Dallas 103 Milwaukee 93 Utah 95 Philadelphia 91 Cleveland 101 Phoenix 97 Golden State 122 Sacramento 103 :HGQHVGD\¡V JDPHV Brooklyn at Orlando, 7 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Washington at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Indiana at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Utah at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Golden State at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

Denver at Portland, 10 p.m.

7KXUVGD\¡V JDPHV Milwaukee at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Minnesota at Detroit, 6 p.m.

Golden State at Houston, 7 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Portland at Utah, 9 p.m.

NHL

Barkov’s two goals lead Panthers to seventh straight win THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov had two goals and Jaromir Jagr scored the 733rd of his career to lead the Florida Panthers past the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Tuesday night for their seventh straight victory.

Roberto Luongo stopped 27 shots and the Panthers leapfrogged Montreal for first place in the Atlantic Division. The winning streak is their longest since March 2008 and it

matches the franchise record.

Max Pacioretty scored for Montreal, but the slumping Canadiens have lost seven of their past eight games and 11 of 13. Ben Scrivens made 27 saves in his first NHL action since April 11 last season. Montreal acquired him from Edmonton on Monday. Jagr gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead 1:16 into the second period. Barkov had an assist. Barkov has 10 points in his last seven games and two goals in back-to-back games.

BLUE JACKETS 6, STARS 3 Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky each had three assists, and lastplace Columbus beat the NHL-best Dallas Stars.

Boone Jenner, Kevin Connauton, Matt Calvert, Brandon Saad, Scott Hartnell and Rene Bourque scored for Columbus, which had lost three straight and eight of 10 — prompting coach John Tortorella to call out his team over the past several days.

Curtis McElhinney made 39 saves,

and 11 players had at least one point for the Blue Jackets.

Colton Sceviour, Tyler Seguin and Patrick Sharp scored for Dallas.

The Stars had their five-game point streak snapped (4-0-1). Kari Lehtonen allowed three goals on 14 shots in the first period and was replaced by Antti Niemi to start the second.

BRUINS 7, SENATORS 3 Jimmy Hayes scored three goals, Patrice Bergeron and Matt Beleskey

had two apiece, and Boston beat Ottawa to end a three-game losing streak.

Torey Krug and Loui Eriksson each had two assists for the Bruins.

Tuukka Rask made 29 saves, including 12 in the third period as the Bruins held off the Senators.

Boston scored three power-play goals and split the home-and-home series with the Senators, who beat the Bruins 3-1 on Sunday in Ottawa.

www.nanaimodailynews.com

24 DIVERSIONS/ENTERTAINMENT

@NanaimoDaily

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

Mammoth crossword 2015 solution 1

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◆ PITTSBURGH, PA.

Attorneys for Cosby sex accuser file defamation lawsuit defence

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Hill sued claiming Cosby made her out to be a “liar” and “extortionist” when the comedian, his wife and his attorney issued blanket denials to claims that Cosby drugged and sexually molested several women shortly after Hill went public with her allegations in November 2014.

Cosby’s attorneys claimed the denials constitute opinions that are protected by the First Amendment. But Hill’s attorneys said Tuesday that those opinion were based on “undisclosed facts” — namely, the implication that Hill is lying.

— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Search on for country singer missing since boat capsized A search resumed Tuesday along a 38-mile long lake in northern Oklahoma for an Arkansas country singer and a friend who went missing while duck hunting in severe weather.

Authorities returned to massive Kaw Lake, which nearly stretches into Kansas, in attempts to find 29-year-old Craig Strickland of Springdale, Arkansas, who went missing on Sunday after his boat capsized. On Monday, troopers

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Attorneys for a western Pennsylvania woman who contends Bill Cosby repeatedly drugged and had sex with her in the 1980s have filed a response to Cosby’s attempt to have a federal judge dismiss her defamation lawsuit against him.

Cosby’s attorneys last week asked a federal court judge in Pittsburgh to dismiss the lawsuit filed in October by Renita Hill.

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recovered the body of Strickland’s hunting companion, Chase Morland, from the lake.

Strickland is the lead singer of the Arkansas-based country-rock band Backroad Anthem.

The band posted a Twitter message Tuesday from Strickland’s father, Randy, who reported that the family was at the Kay County Sheriff’s Office, where the power was out and running on a generator. Randy Strickland did not immediately return a message at his Oklahoma address seeking comment but said in the online post that Craig’s dog, Sam, had been found.

— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

www.nanaimodailynews.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015 GARFIELD

@NanaimoDaily

DIVERSIONS 25

CROSSWORD GIVING DIRECTIONS ACROSS 1 Foamy lather 5 Job to do 9 Wash thoroughly 14 Joint above the shin 15 Skin-soothing plant 16 Wipe clean 17 Doing nothing 18 Windfall 19 Amount bet 20 Can’t-go-back spot 23 Sizzling 24 Before, in poems 25 Have a bite of 29 Corn discards 31 Good blackjack card 34 Divvy up 35 Apple center 36 Linen fiber 37 Emulate Jekyll/Hyde 40 Estimation phrase 41 Little terrors 42 Potato or yam 43 Utmost degree 44 Suited to __ 45 Crook’s caper 46 Take a chair 47 Major leaguer 49 “Mind your manners!”

58 Jacket flap 59 Line of rotation 60 Far from ambitious 61 Sidestep 62 Number inside a shoe 63 Pronto, in a memo 64 Prescribed amounts 65 “Don’t delete” 66 Infamous emperor

FOR BETTER OR WORSE

ANDY CAPP

ZITS

DOWN 1 Don’t attend 2 Invalidate 3 Sandwich shop 4 Glimpsed 5 Verboten 6 In the air 7 Before you know it 8 Bingo-like casino game 9 Storm drains

PREVIOUS PUZZLE SOLVED

10 Box for oranges 11 Prego rival 12 Software customer 13 Swiss capital 21 Letter before iota 22 Nonconformist 25 Condor’s claw 26 On one’s toes 27 Reduce drastically 28 Errand list heading 29 Two-door car 30 Planets, to poets 31 Blame-avoiding story

32 Informal eateries 33 Put forth, as effort 35 Accept an invitation 36 Chimney channel 38 “Same here!”

39 Belief system 44 Theater lanes 46 Norwegian neighbor 47 Competition award 48 Bowling alley button 49 Snow vehicle 50 Angelic topper 51 Major work 52 Church service 53 Walk off the stage 54 Organize 55 Let up 56 Russian autocrat of old 57 Printed mistake

HI AND LOIS

HAGAR

» EVENTS // EMAIL: EVENTS@NANAIMODAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30 7 p.m. Dave Marco, at Smoke‘n’Water Restaurant, Pacific Shores Resort, 1-1600 Stroulger Rd., Parksville.

THURSDAY, DEC. 31 5-8 p.m. Parksville free New Years Eve celebration. Oceanside Place, 830 West Island Highway, Parksville 5-10 p.m. Finale 2015: Nanaimo’s biggest family New Year’s Eve event $32 family, $10 or free two and under. Beban Park, 2300 Bowen Rd., Nanaimo 8 p.m.-midnight New Years Eve Party,

includies a five-course dinner and champagne toast. Tickets $89, Smoke ’n’Water Restaurant, 1-1600 Stroulger Rd., Parksville.

FRIDAY, JAN. 1

SUNDAY, JAN. 3 Noon-4 p.m. Nanaimo Search and Rescue Christmas tree chipping. Country Club Centre Dairy Queen Parking Lot.

Noon Parksville polar bear splash. A way to start the year, as a participant, spectator or volunteer. Register onsite at 11:30 am. Free event. Phone RDN, Recreation and Parks 250752-5014. Parksville Community Park, 141 East Island Highway.

MONDAY, JAN. 4

SATURDAY, JAN. 2

TUESDAY, JAN. 5

7 p.m. Ladysmith Comedy Night. Music Hall Food Co., 18 Roberts St., Ladysmith. Tickets $15 at the door.

6:30-9 p.m. VectorVest User Group was formed by active stock market investors who use the VectorVest system to identify oppor-

4 p.m. Halbe Hall Monday Market, 8369 North Island Highway, Black Creek. Wide variety of vendors of fresh produce and baked goods, arts and crafts. Free event.

tunities in the stock market. Cost is $10. 741 third St., Nanaimo.

7-9 p.m. Country Idol at the Queen’s. The annual talent search runs Tuesdays through January, with a final show Feb.10. Singers 15 and up complete for $500 and a vocal appearance with George Canyon Feb. 10.

THURSDAY, JAN. 7 6:30 p.m. Parksville Newcomers’monthly meeting in the Parksville Community Centre, 132 Jensen St., Parksville 8:30-11:30 p.m. Nico Rhodes Trio at Vault Coffee House 499 Wallace St. Tickets $15, students $10.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 6 7 p.m. Open Mic Acoustic night with Dave Marco, every Wednesday at Smoke‘n’Water Restaurant, Pacific Shores Resort, 1-1600 Stroulger Rd., Parksville

7 p.m. Myc Sharratt, Ali Prince Live At Longwood Brew Pub, 5775 Turner Rd., Nanaimo.

FRIDAY, JAN. 8 8-11 p.m. Elvis Birthday Tribute Show. Cover $10. Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #10, 129 Harewood Rd., Nanaimo.

www.nanaimodailynews.com

26 DIVERSIONS BLONDIE

@NanaimoDaily

HOROSCOPE

by Jacqueline Bigar ARIES (March 21-April 19) Reach out to someone you care about; you know you can make a big difference in this person’s life. Follow your instincts when discussing how much to share about an investment. Your efforts will pay off in prestige and leverage. Tonight: Try something new.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) A friend might be deceptive, and a loved one will call this person’s integrity into question. You might have difficulty listening to this conversation and seeing what is obvious to the other party. Listen to your instincts, but use logic.

Tonight: Loosen up with the moment.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Understand what is happening within a situation on the homefront.

Your ability to relate on a one-onone level attracts someone else’s attention. Could this person be slightly envious of your style? The unexpected occurs when dealing with a specific friend. Tonight: A must show.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You might want to understand what is going on around you. How you deal with someone could change quickly. Your sense of direction will point toward a new path. Defer to those who can carry out an idea more effectively. Tonight: The unexpected sets a new tone.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your ability to change direction emerges. Use care with the words you choose.

Know what is needed in order to

BABY BLUES

BC

WORD FIND

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

continue, and decide if it is worth the effort. Be aware of the costs of continuing as you have been.

Creativity could be stalled if good decisions are not made. Tonight: Ever flexible.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Move forward in a more creative way.

Others are highly responsive to you. Seize the moment, as an associate loosens up a situation with his or her unexpected actions. You could be surprised by how quickly the ball falls in your court. Tonight: Go for what you want.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Within your immediate circle lie many positive changes, yet you might feel as if you can’t handle them all.

Recognize the positive vibes you’re receiving from others. You will be OK, as long as you can transform certain rigid viewpoints. Tonight: Know when to vanish.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You will have the unique opportunity of seeing a friend’s transformation occur. Reach out to this person and make a kind gesture, despite the fact that it isn’t natural to you to be someone else’s cheerleader.

Embrace the role for now. Tonight: Meet up with friends and hang out.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You’ll feel as if someone really cares.

This person has a way of letting this be known, which makes you smile.

It could be just a simple expression of support, but that seems to make all the difference. Use caution with your finances. Tonight: In the limelight.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Reach out to someone at a distance. Fatigue plays a role in your

decisions. You have the ability to adjust and transform more quickly than in the recent past. Listen carefully to news. You’ll find that a burst of energy pushes you toward your goal. Tonight: Read between the lines.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) One-on-one relating will evoke strong results where you least expect it to. A friend could disappoint you with his or her lack of responsiveness. If you are not pleased with what you see, recognize that there still are alternatives.

Tonight: Not among the crowds.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Listen to news with an open mind. The unexpected is likely to occur. You can’t seem to make a loved one happy, no matter how hard you try.

Be more forthright in how you handle your interactions with this person. Assess your finances. Tonight: Avoid a risk, even if it seems good.

YOUR BIRTHDAY (Dec. 30) This year you can and often will detach and take an overview of what is going on around you. You will revise your thoughts accordingly, which often plays into your attitude, actions and commitments.

Your home life continues to have an unpredictable quality to it. Be careful with investments around your home or in real estate. If you are single, through travel or perhaps a workshop of sorts, you could meet someone very unique.

You might be slow to commit, as you will want to make sure you can accept a different type of lifestyle.

If you are attached, the two of you start to enjoy your differences and often laugh at them.

SUDOKU CRYPTOQUOTE

www.harbourviewvw.com

Barrel of oil

Dow Jones

➜

Harbourview Volkswagen

➜

PREVIOUS SUDOKO SOLVED

$37.87 +$1.06

17,720.98 +192.71

Canadian Dollar

5,107.94 +66.95

➜

S&P/TSX

➜

The Canadian dollar traded Tuesday afternoon at 72.34 cents US, up 0.11 of a cent of a cent from the previous close. The Pound Sterling was worth $2.0492, down 1.95 cents, while the Euro was worth $1.5115, down 0.50 of a cent.

➜

NASDAQ

13,245.75 -64.05

SOLUTION: CITY LOVING

www.nanaimodailynews.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

@NanaimoDaily

Browse more at:

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ON THE WEB:

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PERSONALS NOI’S A1 Thai Massage. -First in Customer service and satisfaction.

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HEALTHCARE DOCUMENTATION Specialists in huge demand. Employers prefer CanScribe graduates. A great work-from-home career! Contact us now to start your training day. www.canscribe.com.

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CAROLINE’S CLEANING and Companionship for Seniors.

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MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! In-demand career! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get online training you need from an employertrusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-855-768-3362 to start training for your work-at-home career today!

TRAIN TO be an apartment/condo manager. Many jobs registered with us. Good wages and beneďŹ ts. Government CertiďŹ ed online course.

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PERSONAL SERVICES FINANCIAL SERVICES

SOCCER

PLUMBING FULL SERVICE Plumbing from Parker Dean. Fast, reliable, 24/7 service. Take $50 off your next job if you present this ad. Vancouver area. 1800-573-2928.

FULL SERVICE Plumbing from Parker Dean. Fast, reliable, 24/7 service. Take $50 off your next job if you present this ad. Vancouver area. 1800-573-2928.

MERCHANDISE FOR SALE MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE SAWMILLS FROM only $4,397 - make money and save money with your own bandmill - cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. Free info and DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com/400OT

1-800-566-6899 Ext:400OT.

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your private party automotive ad with us in the SELL IT IN 3 Place Nanaimo Daily News for the 3 weeks for only $30.

OR IT RUNS next If your vehicle does not sell, us and we'll run it again FOR FREE!* call at NO CHARGE!

Masato Kudo of Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol celebrates a goal during a Group H soccer match for the AFC Champions League at Suwon World Cup in 2013. [AP PHOTO]

Whitecaps sign Japan striker Masato Kudo

MISCELLANEOUS WANTED TIMESHARE

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RENTALS COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL

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DEATHS

S. NANAIMO large comm/industrial parking area, good for trucks, trailers, containers, car lot etc. Best Island Hwy exposure. 1-604-594-1960.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

DEATHS

~ ANTONIA DOSEN ~ Passed away peacefully on December 18, 2015 at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Predeceased by her husband Josip and lovingly remembered by her daughters Steficia (Archie), Rosa (Edward), Ann (Keith) and son Bob (Cindy); grandchildren Tashia, Andrea (Brandt), Robert (Nicola), Danielle (Paul), Thomas (Deanna), Melanie (Elie) and Christina (Marcus), eleven great-grandchildren and her nieces, nephews and god-daughters and her many friends. The service will be held at

NEWLY RENO’D home, furnished, $500 inclds basic utils, breakfast. ND/NS. Must be stable, clean. (250)756-3693.

Sands Funeral Chapel Nanaimo on January 6, 2016. Visitation at 11:00 am prior to a service at 12:00 pm.

At Mom’s requested, a catered luncheon for family and friends will be held after the service.

The family would like to thank the many Doctors and Nurses at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for their care of their mother.

Flowers are gratefully declined. Those desiring to make a donation, can do so to either the BC Heart and Stroke Foundation, or the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation.

CONNECTING BUYERS AND SELLERS www. used.ca

Sands ~ Nanaimo 250-753-2032

THE CANADIAN PRESS

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps have signed Japanese striker Masato Kudo to a multi-year contract, pending a medical exam and receipt of his international transfer certificate.

He was acquired on a free transfer from Japan’s J1 League side Kashiwa Reysol. Kudo, 25, is the team’s all-time leading scorer with 92 goals in 260 appearances. “Masato has a very good goal-scoring record and we are always looking at adding to the group,� Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson said Tuesday in a release. “He has a natural ability to find space in the box, which generates goal-scoring opportunities. He is technically good with both feet and, as

always required, he is a hard-working player. “Masato can play as a lone forward or in a partnership and is able to play wide when called upon. We are delighted to welcome him and his wife to our club and city.�

Kudo, a five-foot-10 Tokyo native, has two goals in four senior international appearances for Japan. He will be formally introduced by the Whitecaps in the New Year. “I am thrilled to join Vancouver Whitecaps FC for the new season,� he said. “I am hoping to score as many goals as possible and help lead the team to victory. “I am also really looking forward to playing in front of the great supporters at BC Place.�

SHARED ACCOMMODATION

1-855-310-3535

Canadian keeper has bone bruise THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO — Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod has a bone bruise but should be ready for the women’s Olympic soccer qualifying tournament in Texas in February.

McLeod had to leave the Dec. 20 final of an international tournament in Brazil after falling awkwardly on her right leg in a collision with Brazilian star Marta.

Canadian coach John Herdman said Tuesday that McLeod is listed as week to week but is scheduled to be ready for the CONCACAF qualifying tournament

in Houston. McLeod, a key member of the national team, has won 112 caps for Canada.

Canadian team officials dodged a bullet when captain and talisman Christine Sinclair was injured in August, playing for the Portland Thorns late in the NWSL season. It turned out to be a left ankle and Achilles tendon strain and the 32-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., returned to play in the Brazil tournament.

The Canadian women lost 3-1 to Brazil in the final. McLeod, a 32-year-old from Alberta, has already come back from two knee surgeries.

www.nanaimodailynews.com

28 SPORTS

@NanaimoDaily

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

NBA

Lakers’ Kobe Bryant relishes his final visit to Boston’s green house Los Angeles is 3-14 since Kobe announced his retirement, but memories keep coming

Warriors dig deep to avoid any letdowns

MIKE BRESNAHAN LOS ANGELES TIMES

O

f all the revelations, all the horrors that come with blasphemy and indignity, Kobe Bryant saved one of his biggest surprises for his last game in Boston.

He likes green.

“It’s actually my favorite color,” he said, and a million Los Angeles Lakers fans winced, not to mention Jerry West, who won’t even wear green underwear because of the hated Celtics.

“It’s been my favorite color forever,” Bryant continued. “I’ve always loved it. It’s a little weird, isn’t it?”

Everything in the past month has been a bit weird.

Wednesday marks 31 days since Bryant declared his end-of-season retirement. There have been some polite celebrations at arenas, more intensely fanatical ones, some surprise booing (step forward, San Antonio) and, above all, more losing.

The Lakers are 3-14 since Bryant acknowledged publicly his 37-yearold body couldn’t handle another season after this one. He’s had moments to savor and moments of struggle since then. Same for the young Lakers.

The only positioning to be determined between now and April 13 is for ping-pong balls, not home-court advantage. At least there’s Lakers-Celtics to save another night in a dreary season. If nothing else, it will be entertaining to see how Bryant is received.

There is case precedent, if anyone wanted to go back that far: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had more run-ins with the Celtics than Bryant but was given a 95-second standing ovation when he played his last game at Boston Garden in December 1988.

Celtics president Red Auerbach threw aside any rancor and said of Abdul-Jabbar, “How can I get mad at him now?”

Then he handed him a framed slab of the parquet floor.

Bryant is surely a villain here. He was unable to stop the landslide in the 2008 NBA Finals — 131-92, Boston, in the series-clinching Game 6 — and if part of Celtics fans’ joy was beating the Lakers, another part was beating Bryant.

The Garden crowd derisively chanted “Where is Kobe?” in the fourth quarter as the lead hovered near 30 points. He spoke in short, clipped sentences after the game. It was the second-largest point differential in NBA Finals history.

“Just upset more than anything,” Bryant said, the frustration obvious in his posture.

“But I’m proud of the way that we performed all year.

“At the same time, understand that second place just means you’re the first loser.”

Some Celtics fans threw objects

WALTON

ANN KILLION SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant drives to the basket at the Staples Center on Friday in Los Angeles. [TNS]

“You’ve got to figure out some kind of way to have an impraint on the game.“ Kobe Bryant

at the Lakers team bus as it tried to leave the Garden. Others tried to rock it.

It would be two more years before Bryant faced Boston in the Finals. It went the full distance.

The 2010 Game 7 was a slow-speed chase from the start. The Lakers tried to match the Celtics’ physical, almost bullying style, and managed to do it.

Pau Gasol, known more for his finesse than hardiness, had 19 points and 18 rebounds. Ron Artest, as he was called then, made a key three-pointer with 1:01 left. He later kept exclaiming in wonderment, “Kobe passed me the ball!”

Sasha Vujacic made two big free throws with 11 seconds left for a

four-point cushion. Bryant was soon jumping on the scorer’s table with purple and gold confetti falling around him.

“This one’s by far the sweetest,” Bryant said in front of a still-standing Staples Center crowd.

The Lakers had prevailed, 83-79, even though Bryant made only six of 24 shots. Earlier this week, he seemed more amazed than triumphant when reflecting on his fifth and final championship.

“I don’t know how we won it,” he said. “We had a feeling in the huddle that we were going to win it. We just had no idea how. We just kept chipping away and chipping away and chipping away and all of the sudden we found ourselves in the game with a chance to kind of steal it.”

He was selected the Finals MVP despite his way-off-target Game 7. In his defense, he averaged 28.6 points, eight rebounds and 3.9 assists in the series.

“They caused a lot of problems for me” in Game 7, Bryant said Tuesday.

“You’ve got to figure out some kind

of way to have an imprint on the game and then if the game is close and you have a chance to make a big shot, then it’s your responsibility to make one. Fortunately, I was able to make a nice pull-up jumper and give us a little cushion. But it was a tough game.”

The present isn’t quite as sharp for the franchises, especially the Lakers.

It might be a while before a basketball parade in either downtown.

The Celtics (18-13) have the edge in the win-loss column and are tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers are an unfathomable 5-27 and last in the West.

Bryant made a point of saying his two daughters had never been to Boston.

They’ll make the trip this time, along with his wife. There’s a colorful reason.

“I’m looking forward to them getting a chance to see the city a little bit. And then to experience the green,” Bryant said. “It’s just a different green. I want them to be able to see it.”

The Grind officially began Monday night.

After the emotional winning streak.

After the Christmas Day rematch with their NBA Finals opponent.

Now comes the Grind.

“We’ve talked about it,” interim head coach Luke Walton said before Monday’s game. “There’s always a concern about a letdown, especially at this time of the season. Right after Christmas and into January is a big part of the grind. This time of year is the time you see some letdowns.”

The game against the Sacramento Kings bore out his pregame concern.

“That wasn’t a pretty one,” Walton said after the Warriors’ 122-103 win. “The first half felt like a pickup game.”

“The NBA season is a grind, and when you’ve lost only one game, it’s tough to constantly keep bringing it,” Walton said. “Whenever you lose a basketball game, that sharpens people.”

The Warriors looked so bad in the first half despite Stephen Curry’s 17-point flurry in the final three minutes that head coach Steve Kerr, still recovering from his back surgery, took an unusual step. Though he usually speaks just to the coaches at halftime, he addressed the players, telling them that they weren’t playing the way they are capable of, that they need to play like champions.

“His message was: ‘You guys suck and need to pick it up,’ pretty much,” center Andrew Bogut said. “‘What the hell are you guys doing?’”

“This is his team,” Walton said.

“I think he was as frustrated as the rest of us. When the boss says he has something to say, you let the boss talk.”

And the Warriors played much better in the second half, grinding their way to a win.

“Golden State doesn’t get enough credit for how hard they play,” Sacramento head coach George Karl said. “You’ve got to be ready to play 48 minutes of playoff basketball.

They know how to get to that level of intensity.

Facing the mediocre, permanently disgruntled Kings after the emotion of playing Christmas Day against the Cavaliers looked like a classic trap game for Golden State. The Kings were undisciplined, but so were the Warriors.

The Warriors found themselves down 11 points in the second quarter.

Even more troubling for Golden State, Curry couldn’t find his shot.

29 nanaimodailynews.com

@NanaimoDaily

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

CELEBRATE WITH ISLAND BUBBLIES Vancouver Island sparkling wines are ideal for New Year’s.

Story, Page 30 [metro creative]

www.nanaimodailynews.com

30 FOOD

@NanaimoDaily

Island sparkling wines worthy of being poured at any celebration Many of our vineyards are combining different grapes to create very good bubblies Sheila Hockin The Lucky Gourmet

W

hether it’s ringing in the New Year, celebrating an anniversary or the birth of a child, sparkling wines and champagnes are a must at such celebrations.

While champagne can only be called champagne if it’s made in France’s Champagne region, the good news is that here on Vancouver Island we boast delicious sparkling wines made in the very same traditional method.

In France, champagne is made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Here on the island we have Pinot Noir in abundance and many of our vintners on Vancouver Island are combining different grapes to create outstanding bubblies.

For all sparkling wines, the process starts with the cuvee, or the juice from the pressing of the grapes.

From the cuvee, a still wine is first fermented for several weeks in steel vats.

After careful blending of the still wines, a second fermentation is created in either sealed stainless-steel tanks or individual bottles. Sugar and yeast are added to create the carbon dioxide bubbles.

Here on Vancouver Island we boast delicious sparkling wines made in the very same traditional method as in France. [METRO CREATIVE]

For prosecco-style sparkling wine, the secondary (bubble creating) fermentation occurs in closed and pressurized stainless steel tanks, noted on the bottles as “charmat method.”

In France, to create champagne, yeast and sugar are added directly to each bottle. A temporary plug is inserted in the bottle and stored horizontally for several months.

During this second fermentation, the

carbon dioxide is trapped inside the wine solution.

In in the early days of creating Champagne, this was tricky business.

Countless bottles burst under the pressure, so much so that vintners wore iron face masks when they were walking through the cellars.

In 1735, by royal decree, the size, shape and weight of the bottles was standardized and a strong wire cage were introduced to keep the corks safely secured.

The Zanatta Winery was one of the first on Vancouver Island to create a sparkling wine using the traditional method.

Their signature Glenora Fantasia Brut is fermented in the bottle. The bottles then sit in wooden crates for 18 months.

Each bottle is hand-riddled, which quite simply means, it is stored, neck down, on a 45-degree angle and given a daily small shake or twist by hand.

Fine particles and sediment collects in the neck of the bottle creating a plug which is then removed by hand. In Spain this process is called “disgorging.”

Zanatta Glenora Fantasia Brut can be found at Lucky’s Liquor Store at Country Club Center and, only $24.99 a bottle, I’m sure you’ll agree, this is a bargain for a hand-crafted Vancouver Island sparkling wine. » Sheila Hockin is the marketing and event co-ordinator for Lucky’s Liquor store in Nanaimo.

Start year in the kitchen with a positive attitude Chef Dez On Cooking

A

h, the start of a fresh year.

What better time is there to make a pact with oneself to start anew?

In the position of a culinary instructor, I encounter many situations with people wanting to improve areas of the culinary arts within their home kitchens and lifestyles.

If you are undecided about making a resolution, contemplate making one focusing on the culinary aspect in your life.

The most common culinary resolution would be one of dietetic and health boundaries. Many people have the aspiration to start the New Year with a promise of either losing weight or getting in better physical shape.

The change in what you consume on a daily basis will obviously influence your success, or lack there of.

Try making a resolution to yourself

to investigate low fat, low carbohydrate, and/or high protein cooking.

This promise will involve educating yourself in these areas, and putting the acquired information into practice. Go to the library, research the Internet, buy a cookbook, and take a cooking class.

Maybe a more suited resolution would be to revamp the state of your pantry and the food supply in your kitchen. Perhaps you have always wanted to have a pantry that is more focused on your favourite cuisines.

For example, someone who loves Italian and Greek cuisine would stock their pantry with varying types of olives, capers, tomatoes, grape leaves, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, etc. The refrigerator and freezer can also be coordinated to contain the perishables of the same cuisine.

Motivation to focus more on cooking certain cuisines in your household will start with having the ingredients at your fingertips.

One can even take this to the extreme in organization by creating labels and segregating areas in your pantry for different food groupings.

The simplest of all culinary resolutions however, would be to blow dust

off your cookbooks and start making some new dishes. Whether it is of small or large proportions, we all have collections of cookbooks . . . with many of them going unused.

Make it a goal in your home to open up a cookbook once or twice a week, and try a new recipe.

If you choose to do this, make sure you are setting yourself up for success. Decide on and investigate the recipe prior to the date you plan on making it. Purchase the ingredients ahead of time, and ensure that you have the basic equipment and utensils necessary to successfully complete the task at hand. This will help eliminate any stress that you may encounter during preparation.

“Attitude is everything.” This is the best advice I can give you. Whatever you approach in life, from making a resolution, making new friends or making a new recipe, proceed in a positive fashion. You will always find what you are searching for. If you look for the positives in something or someone, you will always find them.

The same applies if you are seeking out negatives. Be aware of what you are looking for and your experience will always be more rewarding.

Dear Chef Dez: I noticed in your “Healthy Choices” class, you mention that you had a significant weight loss years ago within a six-month period.

How did you do it?

Tony R. Abbotsford Dear Tony: I did this by exercising and limiting fat grams and sugar — I didn’t count calories.

The more lean muscle mass a body has, the more calories the body will burn — even when sleeping. Therefore, going to the gym is extremely important.

Calories are energy and too many times prior I wasted my efforts limiting them too extensively in my total food intake.

Without enough calories in my diet, I never had enough energy to maintain a regular exercise program.

Please keep in mind that I am not a dietician or medical professional.

Everybody is different and I believe that a successful method exists for everyone. » Chef Dez is a food columnist, culinary travel host and cookbook author. Visit him at www.chefdez.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

Eileen Bennewith Nutrition Notes

Best resolution for new year is to invest in self

A

nother year is over and people are thinking about New Year’s resolutions.

Many of these plans involve changing the way you look. People resolve to eat less, exercise more, join the gym, pay a diet company to help them lose pounds or to fit into a smaller pants size.

For some, this need for change is so powerful; they will go to unhealthy extremes to achieve it.

As quickly as these resolutions are made, they are usually broken. Even if you manage to stick to your plan for a while, in the long run, 95 per cent of those who lose weight end up just as heavy or heavier than when they started.

This year instead of investing in the multibillion-dollar weight loss industry, invest in yourself. A true investment in your overall wellbeing could result in a change of attitude that makes life fun.

The first step is to stop focusing on your weight.

“The scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love.

Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned. Get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful.”

Plan to spend time making and enjoying delicious meals. Accept that you have a body that needs food throughout the day and nurture that need with wholesome things that make you feel well. Learn to love all kinds of foods and share meals with others.

Clean your closet and get rid of anything that doesn’t fit well or make you feel good. Look for comfortable clothes that you love and feel good in right now. Develop your own sense of style adding your favourite colours and accessories that make you happy.

Move your body in ways that feel good. If you hate the gym, look for activities that make you happy. Join a dance class, go to yoga, or look for nature groups that walk because they like the outdoors, not to “feel the burn.”

Give your beautiful body a little tender loving care with a hot bath, a manicure or a massage. Rest your mind by meditation, prayer, journaling, art, music or going into nature.

Look for friends that support your need to invest in yourself. Find a community that doesn’t focus on dieting and weight loss. Get social media feeds that are body positive.

Avoid the gossipy fashion magazines focused on how much weight so and so lost or gained or how they looked in a certain outfit.

Get out with friends and enjoy your free time. Take classes, find a hobby or plan a wonderful trip.

Be kinder to your body this year and it will reward you with the natural beauty that you overlooked.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

Say sorry, let your daughter raise her child Kathy Mitchell & Marcy Sugar Annie’s Mailbox Dear Annie: My five-year-old granddaughter was here for a few days and needed her evening bath. The last time she stayed overnight with me, her mother sent bath products that got in her eyes and burned. So this time, I used my own baby shampoo and some moisturizing body wash. Everything went well, but when my daughter saw that I had used those products, she went ballistic.

Later that evening, she sent me a text message saying I had disrespected her authority as a parent. Annie, the baby shampoo didn’t hurt my granddaughter one iota and neither did the body wash. From my daughter’s reaction, you would have thought I threw acid on the child. We had a huge disagreement via text, and my blood pressure spiked so high I thought I was having a stroke. We haven’t corresponded since.

My daughter is 45 and one of those Helicopter Momzillas. She watches her daughter like a hawk, never missing a chance to correct someone who says anything objectionable to her daughter or when another child doesn’t play with her the way she thinks is right. She believes she is the only one who knows how to raise a child. I guess my 50 years of child rearing experience mean nothing. She acts this way even toward her husband, as if he is a total idiot, and he won’t stand up for himself. When I have my granddaughter at my house, I don’t want my daughter around because she can be so unpleasant, snapping and biting at the least little thing.

My husband and I have helped my daughter’s family from the day the child was born. I have never been disrespectful toward her. This is the first time we haven’t been on speaking terms. Will she ever change?

— Momzilla’s Mother Dear Mother: Probably not until her daughter is older and rejects Mom’s overprotectiveness. Until then, however, please stop creating a tug-of-war over who is the more sensible parent. She is the child’s mother and has her best interests at heart, even though she is overbearing. When she says to respect her, she means that you don’t get to undermine her decisions unless you feel they are a danger to the child, which they are not.

Yes, the baby shampoo was fine, but Mom specifically asked you to use something else and you should have done so.

You owe her an apology. Really. Her nitpicking attitude is exhausting, we know, and it isn’t particularly helpful to her daughter, either. But you absolutely must bite your tongue and allow her to make these decisions. You raised your kid, Mom. Now it’s her turn.

Let her be.

Dear Annie: This is for “Suffocating in Saskatchewan,” whose co-worker has a terrible body odour.

My son used to have body odour, but I noticed it only after he showered. It turned out to be his aftershave.

When I got up the courage to speak to him about it, the problem was solved and he thanked me for letting him know. It could be that the co-worker’s soap, aftershave, cologne or other product doesn’t mix well with his body chemistry. That might be an approach to use when speaking to him about it.

— Been There Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailbox@ creators.com, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

You can also find Annie on Facebook at Facebook.com/ AskAnnies.

www.nanaimodailynews.com

@NanaimoDaily

DIVERSIONS 31 6&7

12

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Bold Knight Restaurant

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8

boldknight.ca 1140 Trans Canada Hwy, 250 754 6411 For 38 years, the Bold Knight has been a classic dining experience in Nanaimo with a great selection of steaks and seafood.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Give the gift of great taste.

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The Taphouse

Gourmet burgers, fabulous poutines and social small plates. Dedicated gluten free fryer! Spacious and inviting venue in the historic old train station. 24 draft beers featuring European and Local Breweries.

SIP | SAVOUR | SOCIALISE Party Room Upstairs with its own bar.

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23

9

taphousenanaimo.com 321 Selby Street, 250 591 0650 Hours: Sun. to Thurs. 11:30am - 10pm Friday & Saturday 11:30am - midnight

powerhouseliving.ca 200 Commercial Street, 250 591 7873 6560 Metral Drive, 250 933 3733 Hours: 10am-6:30pm Daily

A ladies-only, quality Shoe Store, with a wide variety of shoes – from casual comfort to dress shoes for that special occasion. Waterproof leather boots and handbags also available.

Power House is your destination for delicious Raw Plant Based Foods. All our Fresh Food Menu items are Gluten & Dairy Free and prepared daily with your health in mind. Warm Up with a Delicious Nut Nog! This drink hits the spot on a cold winter day! Creamy cashew mylk, coconut & spiced just right served in a mason jar. Come enjoy a unique food experience at Power House! We look forward to serving you!

Raw, Vegan, Gluten & Dairy Free Café

Crispin Shoes 427C Fitzwilliam Street 250-741-0015 Old City Quarter

Power House Living Foods

10

Natural U Spa naturaluspa.com 103-648 Terminal Ave., 250 591 9333 Make your appointments online 24-7Mon-Wed 9-6; Thurs-Sat 9-9;

Enhance and Reshape Eyebrows Eye Liner and Contouring

We strive to enhance our clients natural beauty and help balance our clients body and mind. We are continuously searching out the best products and new service offerings for you.

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Let’s Eat Guilt Free – Gluten Free Café and Bakery

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facebook.com/letseatguiltfree/ letseatguiltfree.ca/ 435 Terminal Ave. North 250 754 4466 Hours: Monday to Saturday 9:30am-6:00pm Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm

Now with 2 Locations 2139-B Bowen Road, 250 758 3611 Terminal Park, 250 753 4248 Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-6.pm

Our Fruit Cake is our delicious dessert for your Christmas Eve and New Years. Pre-order today!

5

NYLA Fresh Thread nylafreshthread.com 206 Commercial Street, 250 716 3331 Hours: Mon-Wed 9am-6pm; Thurs-Sat 9am-9pm; Sun 10am-5pm NYLA Fresh Thread is about confidence, the confidence to live up to the fine traditions of past merchants, with styling and quality. We represent exceptional quality, good priced, well known trusted brands that our clientele is currently traveling outside our local market to shop for. We are an independent family owned and operated menswear store downtown Nanaimo.

Nesvog Meats and Sausage Co. Ltd.

Great selection of fresh meats, sausages and great dinner ideas!

12

Amethyst Forest #10 - 1925 Bowen Road, 250.585.4922 Hours: Closed December 25th until January 4th A place to nourish your mind, body and soul.

Crystals, books, journals, massage on-site and readings by medium.

Happy Holidays and best wishes in the New Year!

32

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

@NanaimoDaily

Sale

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