INSIDE: Is being female a liability when it comes to local politics? Pg. 3 F R I D A Y
April 8, 2011
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Collecting shoes is their sole goal
N E W S , S P O R T S , W E A T H E R & E N T E R T A I N M E N T chilliwacktimes.com
No pass for Strahl at Rotary luncheon BY PAUL J. HENDERSON phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com
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Chilliwack Bruins fans called for their team to stay in the Fraser Valley during a rally that drew hundreds to Prospera Centre Wednesday evening.
Tyler Olsen/TIMES
Fans rally to save Bruins
BY TYLER OLSEN tolsen@chilliwacktimes.com
Emotional outpouring as hockey fans protest sale
undreds of Chilliwack Bruins fans gathered in front of Prospera Centre Wednesday evening to implore the Western Hockey League not to move their beloved team. The fans held signs, shared memories, and shouted “Stay Bruins Stay!” in a desperate attempt at persuading the league’s board of governors, who, while they have conditionally approved the sale of
the team, may still have to vote on said: “This C is for Chilliwack. This C is for commitment. This C is for the team’s relocation to Victoria. community. That’s why One woman reminisced we’re here today.” about attending Bruins There were young kids g a m e s w i t h h e r n ow with signs, elderly men deceased husband. Anothand women with jerseys, er talked about going to Prospera Centre on her EB IRST a pair of Bruins flag-wavfirst dates with her now- First reported on ing Gorillas and more than husband. chilliwacktimes.com a few tears. Many spoke about how their first BruThe loudest cheer of many came after one speaker ins game turned them into lifelong pointed at his Bruins jersery and fans—a fandom that now seems to
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be in jeopardy. In a two-sentence statement Tuesday, the WHL announced that it had conditionally approved the sale of the Bruins and said it could not comment further on the situation. A league spokesperson told the Times that the Western Hockey League can’t comment on why it can’t comment on the sale or its ramifications for hockey in Chilliwack. See BRUINS, Page 22
hilliwack’s federal election contenders faced some hard questions from Rotary Club members Wednesday at a private meeting that served as a practice for public all-candidates meetings later this month. And despite the predominantly Tory crowd—and a partisan introduction by the moderator—Strahl was not given a free pass at the meeting. He was asked some of the hardest questions, mostly about his resumé and life experience. “Do you have any business or what some of us would call ‘real world experience?’” he was asked. Strahl responded that he comes EB IRST from a small busi- First reported on ness background chilliwacktimes.com because “that’s what my family was involved in” and that “my family are full of entrepreneurs.” Since the age of 19 when he got a summer job in Preston Manning’s office in Ottawa, Strahl has only ever worked for the Reform Party or the Conservative Party. But in that capacity he told the group he has experience helping businesses wade through red tape. “I have seen the problems that government can create for business,” he said. “And certainly I believe I do have experience in having seen what the government can do, both good and bad, to affect the business environment.” Liberal candidate Diane Janzen was accused of voting according to her church affiliation while on city
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