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Cummins for leader
MacLaine hits town
Former maverick MP John Cummins reveals the worst kept secret in B.C. politics — he’s going to run for the provincial Tory leadership.
Legend of stage and screen Shirley MacLaine arrives in Richmond Saturday and is bringing her own brand of comedy and lessons in love, life and Hollywood to the River Rock Casino.
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ELECTION 2011
And ... they’re off Political rival kicks off race with a spat over campaign signs BY ALAN CAMPBELL & GRAEME WOOD acampbell@richmond-news.com
CHUNG CHOW/RICHMOND NEWS
Liberal hopeful Joe Peschisolido (below, left) managed to irk Tory election rival Alice Wong (below, right) on the first day of campaigning with his signs plonked illegally onto the city-owned Garden City lands (above).
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There are five weeks of fierce political debate ahead – but it took Richmond’s main rivals just two days to remove the gloves in their 2011 federal election fight. On Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called for a May 2 election, the 41st in Canadian history, after opposition parties supported a nonconfidence motion in the Conservative government. By Monday, with the main protagonists, still dusting down their campaign offices, Tory incumbent Alice Wong fired the first salvo across the bows of her chief threat, the Liberal’s Joe Peschisolido. But Wong and her team were not dragging up Peschisolido’s former party-swapping antics or spreading fear of a coalition government — they were telling tales on their enemy putting up campaign signs illegally on the city-owned Garden City lands. “I just wanted the voters to know that the rules need to be observed,” Wong told the News on Monday. “It’s up to the city now, it’s their job (to take the signs down). “I insist during this campaign on taking the high way. The opposition might choose to do oth-
erwise, but I’ve always campaigned on the high way.” Wong’s campaign manager, Sacha Peter, said in a press release that, “we have been very careful in our campaign to follow the signage rules, and to respect the intent behind those rules. “We intentionally contacted the City of Richmond on Friday asking permission to put our signs on the Garden City lands and were denied. “Consequently we were very disappointed yesterday to see Mr. Peschisolido’s signs on that very property. Perhaps Mr. Peschisolido was not aware that the Garden City lands were now owned by (the city).” Wong’s office contacted the city over the weekend to complain about the signs. City spokesman Ted Townsend said Peschisolido’s office was told Monday to remove the signs. “We had a lot of calls from the public expressing concern,” he said. “Our bylaw is quite clear and the signs were gone by the end of Monday.” Peschisolido told the News on Monday that the signs were wrongly erected by an overly keen and young campaign team. “We had young enthusiastic volunteers who have never worked on a campaign before and were not aware of the rules,” said Peschisolido, noting the signs were immediately removed after he heard see Wong page 4
CRIME
Young man clubbed to death during gang-related attack Special to the News
A gang-related slaying in Kamloops has left Richmond resident Archie Lepretre, 22, dead. The murder happened last week in broad daylight at an elementary school basketball court, a block and a half from the main strip in Kamloops. Sgt. Grant Learned of $
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Kamloops RCMP said this was a targeted gang related attack. Lepretre and his cousin — who is known to Kamloops police as a local gang member — were playing basketball last Tuesday when three members of an apparent rival gang approached them dressed in black bandannas with knives and a baseball bat. Kamloops RCMP described
the scene as a “violent donnybrook” fight which left Lepretre and his cousin with “severe blunt trauma.” After the attack, Lepretre was given CPR by a passerby, and paramedics worked on him at the scene for another 20 minutes. He was rushed to Royal Inland Hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival. Crime scene investigators have
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told RCMP the investigation is progressing, and more than 40 tips from the public have been issued since the incident on Tuesday. “(We) are optimistic that the murder was observed by a number of pedestrians,” said Sgt. Learned, who added they have been canvassing people around the area. The incident happened at
FACEBOOK PHOTO
Archie Lepretre was visiting his cousin in Kamloops when he was killed.
see Brother page 4
8171 Westminster Hwy. (at Buswell, one block east of No. 3 Rd.) Walkway access also from Save-On Foods parking lot
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BY DAVID MURPHY