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YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL SPORTS, NEWS, WEATHER AND ENTERTAINMENT! WWW.DELTA-OPTIMIST.COM The Voice of Delta since 1922 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2010
See Page 17
Plenty of tips, but no breaks in North Delta teen’s murder
Suspended at school!
BY
TOM ZYTARUK
Optimist contributor
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Students at Beach Grove Elementary honoured Terry Fox last week by collecting money for cancer research and running in his memory. Students raised $1,022.37 in their “Toonies For Terry” fundraiser, where each student who brought in a toonie was given a piece of duct tape. Students estimated how many pieces of tape it would take to tape principal Rachael Corneil and Grade 3 teacher Mrs. Masters, and then proceeded to tape them to the front of the school. The “taping” was followed by a school-wide run on the Boundary Bay dike.
More than 55 Delta police officers are sifting through some 350 tips received in connection with Laura Szendrei’s murder, but police have yet to reveal a significant break in the case. Delta police held a press conference near the murder site early yesterday morning that was attended by about two dozen reporters and a handful of North Delta residents hoping for positive news. Szendrei, 15, died in hospital the day after she was viciously beaten in broad daylight on Sept. 25 in North Delta’s Mackie Park. “We are continuing to explore and exhaust all leads and possibilities,” Sgt. Sharlene Brooks said. “We sense the urgency in the community.” A week before her murder, the teen and a couple of her friends were reportedly pepper-sprayed by other youths in Delsom Park. Brooks said investigators have concluded that incident “does not appear to be linked” to the killing. “We will follow up on every tip and every lead,” Brooks said. “Please come forward.”
MP ventures into B.C. politics John Cummins lends expertise to B.C. Conservative Party, which he sees as an alternative to arrogant Liberals BY
NELSON BENNETT
Optimist contributor
John Cummins, the maverick MP for Delta-Richmond East, has joined several other high-profile conservative politicians in an effort to breathe new life into the B.C. Conservative Party. Cummins recently joined former Conservative MP Randy White, former Newfoundland premier Brian Peckford, former Social Credit premier Rita Johnston and former ReformCanadian Alliance MP Reed Elley on a special “tactical advisory group” struck to prepare the party
for the 2013 provincial election. Cummins, White and Elley were all originally elected under the banner of the Reform Party. Allan Warnke, a Richmond political science instructor who teaches at Vancouver Island University, says attracting such high-profile names will give the party credibility. “John Cummins actually makes it serious,” Warnke said. While Peckford and White are former politicians with nothing to lose, he said Cummins, as a sitting MP, will be assuming more work and risk. “That’s really quite a commit-
ment and that sigB.C. Conservative “And that’s why nals something.” Party has lan“It’s a tremendous there’s a need for guished in obscuasset for us to have rity. another party. You somebody with Cummins said cannot allow that his integrity,” B.C. he decided to join Conservative Party sort of arrogance to the party because president Wayne he believes it can continue.” McGrath said of give B.C. voters John Cummins an alternative to Cummins joining the party. “I’ve admired the NDP, which him for the way he stood up for he said voters fear can’t manthe people who vote for him.” age the economy, and Gordon The B.C. Conservative Party Campbell’s Liberals, who can’t be has no formal link with the fedtrusted. eral Conservative Party to which “People stayed home (in the Cummins belongs. And while it last provincial election) because has been around for decades, the people didn’t want to vote NDP,
and they didn’t want to vote Liberal,” Cummins said. “These guys feel they have a right to rule because they feel that the public does not want the NDP. The NDP has no credibility when it comes to running the economy of the province — which is true — and because of that they feel they’re untouchable. They can do whatever the hell they want and the public is not going to throw them out because they’re afraid to put the NDP in charge. “And that’s why there’s a need for another party. You cannot See CUMMINS page 3