InsideTHE HUB today Dylan-inspired guitarist coming to Nanaimo Coming Friday: Despite record numbers of immigrants coming to Canada, newcomers to Nanaimo are still facing bureaucratic and personal obstacles
Our 137th year
Breaking news: www.nanaimodailynews.com
Thursday, February 17, 2011
MUNICIPAL POLITICS
Vote-splitting stirs up byelection Candidates asked to get out of race to create strong labour support
“The fear comes the most from attacks from rational people. We really have a hard time with violent crime that we can’t make sense of.” Criminology professor John Anderson
DEREK SPALDING DAILY NEWS
Average family’s debt hits $100,000 Canadian families’ average debt has hit six figures for the first time — and what they owe now amounts to one and a half times what they make, according to the latest family finance checkup from the Vanier Institute of the Family. » Nation & World, A9
Alexx Howald, left, and Jo Emery visited Howard Avenue in Nanaimo on Wednesday, the location where two of their friends were viciously attacked just days before. [DEREK SPALDING/DAILY NEWS]
Random attacks are the rarest, and most feared, type of crime Passersby assist would-be Good Samaritans after vicious assault DEREK SPALDING DAILY NEWS
Crime statistics
J
Nanaimo violent crimes
o Emery quickly reached out for her friend’s hand when she posed for news photos yesterday. She and Alexx Howald returned to the sidewalk outside Fairview Elementary School where, within an hour of the bars closing on Saturday morning, they found two young men who were rapidly losing blood after a vicious stabbing just metres away. Understanding the rationale behind the horrific attacks in the streets of Nanaimo that morning can be a mind-boggling experience, according to experts. Two young men say they tried to help a stranger, but ended up the victims of a vicious assault. The chilling attack is one that will require people to understand that rare assaults like this happen. Unfortunately, there may not be a lesson learned, no logical explanation to take away. RCMP often issue safety precautions after they wrap up a crime scene, but this time, there is none. Academics say these
Cloudy with showers High 4, Low -3 Details A2
1,500
1,200
’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08
B.C. violent crimes
50,000
’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08
SOURCE: UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING SURVEY
types of crimes are the ones that people will fear the most. “This is something you have to put into perspective,” said Const. Gary O’Brien. “It is an extremely rare incident. Often if there is an altercation there are precipitating factors. Unfortunately, there’s nothing these guys could have done differently.”
2010 violent crime Dec. 22: 27-year-old man critically stabbed on Selby Street Dec. 9: 13-year-old boy stabbed on Wakesiah Avenue Nov. 28: 26-year-old woman sexually assaulted after hitchhiking Oct. 30: Murder-suicide at Departure Bay beach Oct. 23: Man attacked with a crowbar in motel May 25: 47-year-old man gunned down, another man also shot Aug. 28: Two masked men assault man in Waring Road home June 29: Cheryl Lynn Sim, 52, discovered dead in vacant lot June 24: 30-year-old man stabbed on Haliburton Street June 16: Four masked men pistolwhip man in south-end home April 5: Masked man pistol-whips man in East Wellington home March 4: Couple attacked with wooden walking stick at Woodgrove Centre Jan. 1: 20-year-old man stabbed, found lying on Milton Street
See CRIME, Page A4
Local news .................... A3-5 B.C. news ............................. A8 Editorials and letters ... A12
Business .............................A13 Sports .................................. B3 Scoreboard ........................ B4
Canadians excited about royal visit Prince William will be returning to Canada this summer when he and Kate Middleton take their first official royal tour as a married couple. The tour will kick off with the royal couple celebrating Canada Day in Ottawa. » Nation & World, A11
Raise healthy kids with good example If current trends continue, in 20 years Canada can expect 70% of the 35 to 44-year-olds in Canada to be overweight or obese. To avoid this prospect, parents need to get their children active and they have to show by example, experts say. » Health, B1
Classified ............................ B6 Obituaries ........................... B6 Comics ................................. C7
Vote-splitting has already become a concern among some of the candidates who have officially filed their nomination papers for the upcoming Nanaimo civic byelection. At least two candidates report they have been asked to withdraw from the campaign and to throw their support behind another candidate. Gord Fuller was asked to step down last week because of a possible vote split between candidates who want to earn the support of the region’s labour council. He received several messages from Mark Robinson, who was a candidate for the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district in the 2008 election. Robinson tried to coerce Fuller to throw his support behind candidate Ted Greves, promising that Greves would do the same in the regularly scheduled civic election in November. Robinson is a friend on Greves’s Facebook page, but Greves said he has no connection to Robinson, nor did he ask him to approach any of the candidates. “Pull out, say you support Ted, and he’ll march in,” the message from Robinson reads. “I am absolutely sure that won’t be forgotten in November and I will be there to remind Ted about it.” Fuller was insulted by the requests and put out calls to find out if Greves knew about the messages. “I’ve been upset by this,” Greves told the Nanaimo Daily News. “It can work against me, if people hear about it. I thought this person could have been a vote, which is why he’s on my Facebook, but I had nothing to do with this.” Candidate Murray McNab said he received a similar request from an anonymous telephone call. Neither man will withdraw. “If any candidate is involved in doing something like this, I think it’s a little bit underhanded,” said Fuller. “If one person is taking votes away from another person, it’s immaterial. Voters should get to know the candidates the best they can through whatever means they can and make their own decisions.” Fuller and Greves were close to getting on council in 2008. Greves picked up 5,968 votes while Fuller had 4,854. Both candidates are in a three-way race with candidate Darcy Olsen for the endorsement of the Nanaimo, Duncan and District Labour Council. DSpalding@nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4231
Crossword .......................... D6 Sudoku ................................. C9 Horoscope .......................... C9
95¢ PLUS TAX
Nanaimo Daily News, nanaimodailynews.com and Harbour City Star reach more than 60,000 readers each week in print and online. General inquires: 250-729-4200 | Newsroom: 250-729-4224 | To subscribe: 250-729-4266 | Copyright 2010. All rights reserved
eeds. n g in er ov C ow d in W r u yo l For al CBM Blinds
Brite Blinds
ries & Bedding. pe ra D m to us C do so al e W Complimentary Consultation unitedcarpet.com
You can now use your SEARS credit card
250-758-4664
104-2520 Bowen Road