Major drug haul leads to federal prison sentence
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
A Prince George man was sentenced Tuesday to a further four-and-a-half years in federal prison on counts stemming from a haul of more than $200,000 worth of drugs from two homes in the city.
In all, Kenneth Daniel Kirkpatrick, 38, was sentenced to six years but received credit of 1 1/2 years for time served prior to sentencing.
Acting on a tip that he may be trafficking in heroin, Prince George RCMP obtained a warrant in September 2017 to track Kirkpatrick’s cellphone.
From there, the detachment’s street crew unit was able to keep tabs on Kirkpatrick and over about three weeks he was seen
driving around the city, visiting known drug traffickers and acting in a manner consistent with trafficking, the court was told.
He was also seen going to and from two homes – one in the 1600 block of Harper Drive and the other in the 300 block of Mullet Crescent – leading police to believe he was storing drugs at those spots.
On Oct. 11, 2017, police converged on Kirkpatrick in his vehicle after it looked like he was about to sell some drugs to a customer. He was arrested and in the vehicle RCMP found 8.28 grams of cocaine, 6.2 grams of fentanyl-laced heroin, $1,000 in cash and two cellphones and two digital scales.
Keys seized from Kirkpatrick were used to unlock the deadbolts at the two homes. — see ‘I KEEP GOING, page 3
Regional district considers plan to combat illegal dumping
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
A strategy to prevent illegal dumping will be taken to the Fraser-Fort George Regional District board of directors on Thursday.
It puts a particular emphasis on an education campaign to make people aware that a significant portion of illegally dumped waste – yard waste, non-refridgerant appliances and tires – is actually accepted at many FFGRD facilities at no charge.
The campaign would also promote the Recycling Council of British Columbia’s Recylcepedia, found at www.rcbc. ca, which shows an array of options for recycling items, as well as the provincial government’s Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline for reporting illegal dumping.
The campaign would promote the concept that illegal dumping is a “community issue with a community solution” and that the act is “not OK and won’t be tolerated.”
The strategy also calls for expanding recycling services at FFGRD facilities, particularly rural transfer stations.
As of Jan. 1, major appliances including fridges, freezers and air conditioners will be accepted at no charge at select regional district facilities though the Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable stewardship program.
Currently, the FFGRD charges a $22.50 tipping fee to dispose of appliances containing ozone depleting substances.
The strategy also calls for expanding community cleanup campaigns to include large-item pickup events, hazardous waste roundups and seasonal collection of yard waste.
Signage would also be posted at problem areas showing the fines levied for illegal dumping, RAPP line information and
The campaign would promote the concept that illegal dumping is a “community issue with a community solution” and that the act is “not OK and won’t be tolerated.”
warnings for areas under surveillance. And owners of private property that have become hotspots for illegal dumping would be encouraged to install gates and barriers, as well as security cameras and signs warning that the area is under surveillance.
The final element is enforcement and to that end, the strategy would give the Conservation Officer Service and bylaw enforcement officers the authority and resources to carry out enforcement.
Steps would include passing an illegal dumping bylaw, working with COS to establish baseline data on the nature and extent of illegal dumping in the FFGRD, mapping problem sites and assessing the impact of prevention efforts.
In an accompanying report, it was noted that the FFGRD can waive tipping fees for community cleanup events.
In all, it can grant exemptions adding up to $25,000 in a single year but as of October, only four groups have taken advantage, adding up to $6,096 of fees waived.
To date this year, 21 tonnes of material have been collected from 19 locations. The efforts included the Civic Pride Earth Day cleanup events in Prince George, McBride and Valemount, for which $1,800 in tipping fees were waived.
RCMP HANDOUT PHOTO
RCMP seized drugs, cash and weapons in October 2017 during the arrest of Kenneth Daniel Kirkpatrick.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE Christmas luncheon
Smokehouse Restaurant baker
Dulcy Pegg ladles gravy onto a plate during the Prince George Native Friendship Centre’s annual Christmas luncheon on Tuesday afternoon.
Christmas lights were on display at 274 Kelly St. South. The house is one of 14 on The Citizen’s annual holiday lights list .
Christmas Wish Breakfast a success
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
The city’s first Christmas Wish Breakfast was everything organizer Val Marsh could have hoped for.
The breakfast was held on Dec. 11 at the Kin Centre with the help of volunteers and local sponsors who worked together to generate funds and donations for stuffing some empty stockings at Christmastime.
“Thank you to all our supporters with our inaugural Christmas Wish Breakfast,” said Marsh, chair of the committee. Marsh spotted it done to great success in Vancouver and knew it could be replicated here.
‘I keep going back to the streets because that’s all I know’
— from page 1
A search of the Harper Drive home uncovered $155,000 of bundled cash, 507 grams of methamphetamine, 110 grams of cocaine, 110 grams of fentanyl-laced heroin and trafficking paraphernalia.
A search of the Mullet Crescent home uncovered 395 grams of fentanyl-laced heroin, 109 grams of cocaine, as well as a billy club, knives, a stun gun, a digital scale and an improperly stored and loaded shotgun. Four kilograms of caffeine were also uncovered. The substance can make heroin vaporize at a lower temperature and easier to smoke or inhale.
The heroin found in Kirkpatrick’s vehicle was also laced with caffeine, it was noted.
At the time, police put the street value
of the drugs at more than $200,000.
Kirkpatrick has three previous convictions for possession for the purpose of trafficking, one from Edmonton and two from Vancouver.
The court was told both Kirkpatrick’s parents were drug addicts and one of them died from an overdose.
“It was almost impossible for him to have a normal upbringing and a normal life,” defence lawyer Dan Geller told the court. “His introduction to drugs was very early, you can see that from his record.”
There is reason for optimism, however, the court was told. Kirkpatrick has avoided drugs since he has been in custody and once he’s out, he and his spouse plan to move away to another community where he has prospects for
employment.
However, when Kirkpatrick was given a chance to speak to the court, he also expressed doubt that anyone who searches for his name on the internet will want to give him a job.
“Drug charges, boom, who’s going to hire me now?” he said.
He admitted to turning to selling drugs whenever he gets himself in debt.
“I keep going back to the streets because that’s all I know,” Kirkpatrick said. “I’m ashamed of it. I wish I could do better in life, I want to.”
Kirkpatrick pleaded guilty to a handful of charges related to the investigation, and in issuing the sentence, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Warren Milman agreed to a joint submission from Crown and defence counsels.
We hosted over 400 guests that came to support the toy drive and received almost 1,000 gifts to distribute...
— Val Marsh
“We hosted over 400 guests that came to support the toy drive and received almost 1,000 gifts to distribute to St. Vincent de Paul, the Child Development Centre, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, and UHNBC’s Children’s Pediatric Ward,” Marsh explained. “Thank you to Eurest Foods for an amazing breakfast, Judy Russell Presents for organizing the entertainment and to all the first responders for the incredible support and representation.”
The first responders volunteered to help collect the donated toys at the event.
The breakfast also included some time for kids to meet with Santa, enjoy a hot breaky and thrill at the appearances by the Spruce Kings and Cariboo Cougars hockey teams.
Judy Russell Presents provided carolers and dancers for the event’s entertainment.
Marsh, who used to be a single mom, wanted to fill a gap she knows from experience is a reality for many local families.
“So I remember those years and I was never one to ask for help. I always just did what I could and tried to do the best for my kids and I know there’s a lot of people out there that don’t have the capacity, the mental wellness or the family support, so I feel it’s just detrimental for the kids’ health and well being. I want everybody to get something at Christmas,” said Marsh.
Based on the strong reaction this first year, “we’ll be doing this again,” she said.
Man arrested after evading police in stolen truck
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
A Prince George man is in custody after allegedly attempting to evade police in a pickup truck pulling a jetboat, both stolen in Alberta.
Arrested on Dec. 12, Daniel Arvey Webster, 32, has been charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000, fleeing police and dangerous driving. Police said the incident began shortly after 2 p.m. on that day when RCMP tried to pull the vehicle over on Highway 16 just east of McBride only to see it speed away. RCMP in that community opted against pursuit but notified neighbouring detachments.
Valemount RCMP were unable to pull the vehicle over twice – first at the junction of Highway 16 and Highway 5 and then near Valemount as it headed south towards Clearwater.
Shortly before 3 p.m., patrolling officers found the boat and trailer dumped in the middle of the highway just south of Valemount.
A short time later, the truck was seen just south of Blue River and heading towards Clearwater.
By that time, RCMP from Kamloops, RCMP Air Services, Central Interior Traffic Services and the Prince George dog service unit had been called in and a search began for two males seen fleeing on foot.
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Valemount RCMP were unable to pull the vehicle over twice – first at the junction of Highway 16 and Highway 5 and then near Valemount as it headed south towards Clearwater.
Central Interior Traffic Services, RCMP Air Services, Kamloops and Prince George K-9 units, and the Clearwater RCMP converged and patrolled Highway 5 northeast of Clearwater, and a short time later the suspect truck was spotted by police heading south on Highway 5 past Blue River towards Clearwater.
As it entered Clearwater RCMP’s jurisdiction, it drove over a spike belt RCMP in that community had put across the road.
The truck was slowed but the driver continued on bare rims before coming to a stop on the highway at Hoirup Road North in the Vavenby area.
At 6 p.m., a 29-year-old man was apprehended and taken to cells.
Police said he is from Prince George but have not released his name and
no charges have been posted on court services online.
Highway 5 was closed for a short period during this time but was eventually reopened.
With the help of three dogs and their handlers, the search for the second man continued until nightfall.
Webster was arrested the following day after a resident called police to report a prowler. He was found hiding up a tree after a police dog had tracked to the tree trunk and began circling it.
The truck was stolen from Calgary and the boat and trailer from Grande Prairie, police said.
RCMP are asking anyone who may have dash cam footage of the truck – a white Ford F450 with Alberta licence BBY0780 to contact either the McBride RCMP at 250-569-2255 or Clearwater RCMP at 250-674-2237.
Webster has a history of such offences in Prince George. In September 2017, he was sentenced to a further 123 days in jail for a May 2016 incident that ended with him ramming an RCMP vehicle at Fifth and Central.
And in February 2014, he was sentenced to a two year conditional sentence order and one-year probation for stealing an RCMP bait truck.
A bail hearing for Webster is scheduled for Jan. 3 in Kamloops provincial court.
Northern Orchestra brings Gloria! In Excelsis Deo to Prince George stage
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
The Christmas season is an El Dorado for orchestras. The great compositions for symphonies and choirs often have the festive season as a backdrop or inspiration.
The Northern Orchestra, a community ensemble led by maestro Gordon Lucas, is set to shine their musical light like a bright star in a black sky. Their
show Gloria! In Excelsis Deo is scheduled for appearances in Prince George and Vanderhoof to celebrate the season.
This Christmas concert, said Lucas, features “the incredible Vivaldi Gloria, with choir led by Yoshi Sawatsky. Also on the program is the Bach Double Concerto featuring violin soloists Karyn Schlamp and Amber Ens, and the G Minor Concerto Grosso by Corelli, Notte de Natale, with soloists Kevin Teichroeb and Karyn Schlamp. Truly one of the most beautiful Christmas works ever penned.”
The Northern Orchestra frequently performs in Vanderhoof but this show has a venue change that excites the cast and crew. Their show there is on Sunday at the Grand Reo Theatre at 2 p.m.
The Prince George performance is Saturday at First Baptist Church at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10 adults, $7.50 for students/seniors.
The orchestra was founded by Lucas in 2002. Since 2010 it has offered an annual concert series including large and small events to show off the all-local talent that makes up the group’s ranks.
“The Northern Orchestra does not charge a fee to its members,” said a statement issued by the group.
“It operates primarily with volunteers and is guided by a group of orchestra representatives made up of musicians and community members. It relies on community donations and sponsorship in order to cover its costs for concerts, travel, hall rentals, guest soloists and music purchases.”
The Christmas concert is the triumphant end of their musical year, but not their season.
More concerts are scheduled through the spring before a summer hiatus.
While enjoying the seasonal music at these upcoming concerts, the gift of music will be available.
The Northern Orchestra has season passes for its collection of concerts.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Pickup truck hits light pole in early morning crash
Police believe alcohol played a role in an earlymorning crash that disrupted traffic on Highway 16 East on Tuesday.
Just after 3 a.m., RCMP were called to the scene at the intersection of the highway and Boundary Road and found a full size pick-up with extensive damage after it struck a light standard.
The driver and lone occupant, a 20-year-old man, was taken to hospital with serious injuries while a RCMP collision reconstructionist was called in to gather evidence.
“Alcohol is believed to be a factor,” RCMP said.
“The investigation is continuing and will be led by the Prince George RCMP’s municipal traffic services section.
Traffic was disrupted near the scene for most of the morning. — Citizen staff
Man jailed for break and enter
A day after he was arrested, a man well known to the police and courts was sentenced Monday to 118 days in jail and one year probation for breaking into a local business.
Robert Richard Prettie, 43, was issued the term in Prince George provincial court after pleading guilty to three counts in relation to the incident, which began just after 11 p.m. on Sunday when RCMP were called a 400-block Queensway commercial business.
In a search for the suspect, RCMP determined that a car mirror was broken off and used to smash open a window. Clothes were taken and a short time later, Prettie was found wearing those same items.
FortisBC says customers can resume normal gas use
SURREY (CP) — The company that supplies natural gas to homes and businesses around British Columbia says customers can go back to normal use after an explosion and fire in a pipeline that forced a plea for conservation.
FortisBC had asked consumers to turn down the thermostat as supplies were limited to 50 to 80 per cent of normal levels during some of the coldest months of the year.
A blast in early October shut down the Enbridge natural gas pipeline about 15 kilometres northeast of Prince George.
A news release from the utility says the increased pipeline capacity, warmer weather and conservation efforts have allowed the supply to reach normal levels.
Fortis says in a statement that people should still continue be mindful of their energy use until the Enbridge pipeline is back to 100 per cent capacity. There were no injuries when the pipeline exploded and the RCMP says it does not suspect criminal activity, but the cause of the blast has yet to be determined.
B.C. ferry crew rescues boater
VICTORIA (CP) — B.C. ferry crew members helped save a life Monday evening as they rescued a man from his storm-tossed, sinking pleasure boat.
Capt. Amanda Lauder with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre says the boater issued a distress call at around 6:30 p.m. as his seven metre craft took on water in extremely rough seas just north of the Swartz Bay ferry terminal on Vancouver Island.
The ferry Coastal Celebration was approaching the terminal on its regular sailing from Tsawwassen and was able to respond, despite the strong winds and high waves.
Lauder says the ferry arrived before the coast guard and took the man aboard, although his sinking boat had to be abandoned.
He was treated in hospital but Lauder says there were no serious injuries.
Foul weather forced cancellation of numerous ferry sailings late Monday, and the B.C. Hydro website shows winds knocked out power to about 3,500 Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast customers at the height of the storm, with several hundred still in the dark early Tuesday.
Caregiver gets jail for stealing from elderly couple
PORT COQUITLAM (CP) — A judge has sentenced a caregiver who built a close relationship with an elderly couple in Port Coquitlam to 12 months in jail for stealing $260,000 from them.
Antonette Dizon was sentenced in provincial court on Dec. 13 after pleading guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000. She admitted to almost daily withdrawals of up to $1,000 from the accounts of Henry and Helen Abfalter between January 2015 and April 2016 as she helped them with their daily needs, including banking.
The thefts continued for months after Henry Abfalter died in September 2015 and Dizon had stopped working for the couple, who were in their late 80s. Court heard that Dizon, who is 50 years old, used the money to buy a new car, paid tuition for her daughter and sent money to family in the Philippines.
The Crown had asked for up to 18 months in jail, but Judge Robin McQuillan said her guilty plea, remorse and lack of a criminal record warranted a year in jail and 18 months’ probation. McQuillan wrote in his judgment that the woman’s actions may not have been pre-meditated, but they weren’t impulsive because the withdrawals continued over a 15-month period.
“She had unlimited opportunities to reflect on what she was doing and to correct or at least stop her conduct. She did not do so.” Helen Abfalter has also since passed away and Dizon has been ordered to pay the remaining money owed, $105,000, to the Abfalter estate.
Task force calls for safe supply of drugs in Vancouver
Camille BAINS Citizen news service
Vancouver’s mayor says he will direct staff to look for a site where drug users can get safe opioids to prevent overdoses as part of a plan recommended by an emergency task force calling for more services for people who are dying alone.
Kennedy Stewart said the number of overdose deaths has remained about the same as last year despite the best efforts of front-line workers, first responders and health professionals who seem to be fighting a losing battle.
“A long-standing mental health and addictions crisis combined with an increasingly potent drug supply means that unless we take
Group prepares new pipeline legal challenge
OTTAWA — A Vancouver-based environment charity is readying itself to go back to court if – or they believe when – the federal government re-approves the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion next year.
The Wilderness Committee returned $25,000 in participant funding to the National Energy Board last month citing the short timeline for the board’s new review on the marine impacts of the proposed expansion.
Peter McCartney, climate campaigner for the committee, says the timelines are so short it underscores his belief the government is doing this just to fulfil the Federal Court of Appeal’s concerns with the original review, rather than to seriously reconsider the approval given to the project.
“They’re going through the motions but they’ve already made up their mind,” he said.
“I don’t know what confidence they’re trying to inspire in people to trust this review.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said many times the pipeline is going to be built. His government stepped in to buy it and build the expansion itself when political opposition left Kinder Morgan and its shareholders unwilling to continue. In an interview last week Trudeau said any decision to move forward again will be made as the review process is completed.
“What’s at issue here is not just this pipeline,” he said. “It’s our capacity as a country to get our resources to market.”
However, McCartney said the government’s actions suggest the Liberals are going to approve it again no matter what and he warned they should expect another lawsuit as a result.
“Absolutely there will be,” he said. “People are already talking about that.”
The federal cabinet approved Trans Mountain in the fall of 2016. That approval was challenged by several environment groups and Indigenous communities who argued the original review didn’t properly consider impacts on marine life from the extra oil tankers required to carry more oil away from the marine terminal where the pipeline ends.
Indigenous communities also felt their concerns had not been addressed as is required by the constitutional duty to consult them. The Federal Court of Appeal agreed and in August tore up the cabinet’s approval for the project, halting construction in its tracks.
In response, the federal Liberals ordered a new round of Indigenous consultations and also asked the NEB to go back and do a more thorough look at marine impacts. There is no specific timeline for the Indigenous consultations but the government gave the NEB only until Feb. 22 to complete its work.
The NEB’s original review did conclude that there would be negative impacts on marine life, including killer whales. But the board said marine impacts were outside its jurisdiction and, therefore, had no impact on its decision to approve the project.
Conservative natural resources critic Shannon Stubbs said the fact that environment groups are already planning another lawsuit is proof of the energy industry’s contention that environmentalists don’t want proper consideration given to the project, but rather want to delay it enough to eventually kill it. “They will just do everything to stop it.”
urgent and bold action now, our friends, family and neighbours will continue to die,” Stewart told a news conference Tuesday.
He said he discussed Vancouver’s overdose crisis with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about six weeks ago and he seemed to be sympathetic, but the government must now provide some funding.
The B.C. Coroners Service recorded 369 deaths in Vancouver last year and by September this year, 297 people had died.
Stewart struck the task force last month shortly after taking office and it includes an addictions physician, housing advocates, first responders, First Nations and drug users’ groups.
Its recommendations include a new outdoor inhalation overdose prevention site, which Stewart said is essential because 40 per cent of overdoses are due to
people inhaling drugs. There will be “no end in sight” to the overdose crisis if the toxic drug supply, often tainted with fentanyl, is not addressed, Stewart said, adding the city would provide a site so a federally funded and approved research project headed by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control can go forward. The report says a location should be identified by April.
Dr. Mark Tyndall, the centre’s executive medical director, wasn’t on the task force but he wants to provide hydromorphone pills early in 2019 and eventually make them available in vending machines.
Doctors are already prescribing the opioid but a public health approach is needed for drug users who typically crush the pills and
inject them to get a quick high, Tyndall said.
“Right now we’re asking people to go in back alleys and buy from gangsters and that just doesn’t make any sense this far into the epidemic. If the threat of death were enough to stop people from buying these drugs that would have happened by now.”
The centre is working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. and the province’s college of pharmacists to get exemptions from current regulations, Tyndall said.
“It’s a very novel idea and it actually goes against what the common narrative is, that there are too many of these drugs out there already and that’s what’s caused the problem,” he said.
STEWART
Mia RABSON Citizen news
What does it take to change your mind?
Fraud. Tax evasion. Financial violations. Failure to disclose. Perjury. Obstructing a criminal investigation. Conspiring with a foreign power.
Who are you thinking about when you read those words?
As words and phrases, they are simply legal terms, crimes and misdemeanours of various levels of severity. It’s human nature, however, to make connections between people, between events and between words and phrases. So, regardless of whether you see U.S. President Donald Trump as the greatest world leader of all time, the worst human being imaginable or somewhere in between, if you’ve been following American political news in even the slightest way, you likely read those legal terms and thought of Trump.
If you’re a Trump supporter, those legal issues are fabricated nonsense. He’s innocent until proven innocent.
If you’re opposed to Trump and believe he should be immediately transferred from the White House to the big house, he’s guilty until proven guilty. Despite being opposite opinions, their basis is identical in that the word “proven” is irrelevant. There is no proof that will deter those who proclaim his innocence or those convinced of his guilt.
For Trump supporters, the only question
worth asking is: “what information would it take to convince you that some or all of the allegations against him are true?” For Trump opponents, the only question worth asking is: “what information would it take to convince you that some or all of the allegations against him are false?”
If you’re a Trump supporter, those legal issues are fabricated nonsense. He’s innocent until proven innocent.
There are actually very few people on either side who would answer “nothing” because to do so would appear foolishly closeminded. For too many on both sides, however, the answer given is “yes, but Obama and the Clintons...” or “yes, but Robert Mueller and Stormy Daniels...” In other words, the answer is still “nothing” because whatever information would surface, it will be explained away by details already known. And it doesn’t actually answer the question, which really amounts to “what would it take for you to change your mind about Trump?”
Pulling back from Trump, the broader question to ask ourselves and those around us, particularly the ones who hold opposing views on any issue, is: “what would it take to change your mind?”
The problem is changing one’s mind comes with social costs. Society frowns on those who don’t stand by their beliefs, por-
traying them as weak-kneed flip-floppers. Depending on the people and the issue, it can destroy friendships, although it can also create new ones. CNN’s Don Lemon played video on his show this week of Republican senators and current Trump administration officials who were badmouthing Trump in 2015 and 2016, as if to reveal the two-faced nature of these individuals.
How ridiculous. Lemon and other broadcasters constantly showcase former Trump supporters who have seen the error of their ways and repented. Or seen from the other side of the political divide, it’s easy to find video of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton bashing each other in 2007 and early 2008, during the Democratic nomination race, and then heaping praise on each other two years later, when Obama was president and she became secretary of state.
Yes, changing one’s mind can simply be a cynical exercise by amoral individuals in following whichever way the wind is blowing for profit and power. More often than not, however, it is an act of courage rooted in the realization that the view was wrong, in whole or part.
Furthermore, there are times when it’s prudent to start with a presumption of guilt
YOUR LETTERS
A Sturdy rebuttal
Though the battle is over for now, it is fascinating to see Daryl Sturdy, our most fervent PR missionary from the south, once again proselytizing to the great unwashed of the north. An outside evangelist with so strong a dedication to expunging evil thoughts of people in this region has not been seen since Father Morice began his mission to New Caledonia in the late 19th century.
Once again, Sturdy trots out the arguments that say, basically, we Canadians have been living under a delusion of having a democracy all these years, as only proportionate is fair and fair is only proportionate. Our federal and provincial governments, for all they’ve achieved in 150 years, in terms of real fairness (e.g., Charter of Rights and Freedoms, universal health care, the steady erosion of discriminatory laws and conventions, etc.), are not fair because an undeniable small faction of supporters don’t get a chance to power play through coalitions, as so skillfully Andrew Weaver does.
It is simply, perhaps intentionally, naïve for Sturdy to wave off the idea that John Horgan and Weaver are solely motivated by this notion of “fair” and not a by the virtual guarantee of perpetual coalition government in which they get to call shots. Sturdy speculates that voter
turnout will improve when “voters know that their vote will count towards electing their chosen party.” In fact, there is no evidence that this is likely to happen. The most salient counter-example was in New Zealand, which changed to PR in the early 1990s and, after a spike in turnout for the first PR-style election in 1996, now has fallen back to turnouts lower than what was seen the last New Zealand FPTP election.
In fact, the plunge in voter turnout in Canada and elsewhere in the last several decades arose from a host of other discouraging factors, ones that our energies would be better spent working on, than reconfiguring our electoral system to give voice to rump parties.
We could, for example, refocus on the highly undemocratic practice of allowing party leaders – the people who will become premiers and prime ministers – to be chosen only by card-carrying dues-paying party faithful. Or we could have a serious go at the system of “whipping” votes in the legislature, so that elected members of governments are able to vote according to their best judgment and good conscience, not by coercion. We are distracting ourselves thinking that the worst foibles of current democracy are at the voting booth.
Sturdy offhandedly asserts that government elected by PR will “better reflect the will of the people.” The question of how well PR
governments versus FPTP elected governments reflect this will has been examined by political scientists and it doesn’t turn out quite the way Sturdy presumes and asserts. Political scientists André Blais and Marc André Bodet concluded “the net overall impact of PR on congruence (between the views of citizens and the positions of government is nil.”
The catch is that though parties may campaign and win or lose votes on where they stand before an election, when the bloodsport of coalition-building ensues after the inevitable minority results of PR, election promises get tossed aside in the lust for cobbling together majority coalitions.
Regarding the 40 per cent threshold, it’s utterly laughable that Sturdy wants to defend the adequacy of that level by saying that, currently, under FPTP, parties end up with governing majorities on such numbers. Two wrongs apparently do make a right, so long as it comes out in favour of Mr. Sturdy’s views. In reality, a 40 per cent turnout in the referendum with, say, a 52 per cent pro-PR vote, would mean changing the way we have chosen political representation for a century and a half, on the preferences of about 21 per cent of eligible BC voters.
That, my friends, is what PR advocates like Sturdy consider “fair” and “democratic.”
Norman Dale Prince George
and work backwards towards a greater understanding.
Innocent until proven guilty is the rightful approach in most everyday circumstances and the one taken on criminal matters, because it demands a high standard of proving the charges brought forward on behalf of the government (the Crown, as we say in Canada) against an individual. Yet innocent until proven guilty doesn’t always work and there are times when it can even be dangerous. In cases where a powerful individual is facing allegations of wrongdoing and could do significant harm to their accusers or influence the outcome of the investigation, guilty until proven innocent is better. In workplaces, for example, that often involves a paid suspension or a buyout if one or both sides feel trust has been irreparably harmed.
Innocent until proven guilty and guilty until proven innocent can even be used together. Sending a company’s chief financial officer on an unscheduled paid holiday while RCMP auditors examine the company’s books for evidence of fraud and embezzlement is right on both counts. In the interim, some people will feel the CFO has been wrongfully accused and others will feel he or she has been caught redhanded.
What will it take to change their minds?
— Editor-in-chief
A day of hope
Rather than my usual yearly missive, I have elected to focus on the Christmas story and why it still compels us.
Of course I wish everyone a Happy Yuletide and Blessed New Year!
As Christmas draws near, Christians will be asked once again why we still cling to its validity and message, two thousand and eighteen years later. There are many arguments for this based in history and archeology. But the true reason believers cherish this season, and thousands of others still go to church once a year on Christmas Eve, is that this holy day offers something all human souls deeply desire: that often maligned and forgotten virtue of hope. We live in a dark world, no less than it was at the time of Christ’s birth. At mass, in the advent season, we sing “darkness surrounds us,” withholding “peace on earth and good will towards men,” that the angel spoke. From pagan slavery and violence to the powerlessness and abandonment felt by God’s people, every kind of oppression and poverty was manifest. But in a forgotten town in a conquered land, the cry of a newborn signalled a chance at redemption.
were the shepherds in their fields and the wise men of the East. As is still the case, the humble of heart and birth came in greater numbers to see the Son of David, at the behest of angels “sweetly singing o’er the plain;” the noble and wise tried to work it out for themselves, with just three kings successfully solving God’s cosmic hints of who and where Jesus was exactly. Clearly, our human wisdom is no substitution for divine revelation.
In the end, the Christmas story speaks to the human longing for the triumph of good over evil.
The tableau of Christmas still speaks to us by themes: a man and woman surrounded by animals, as in Eden; the innocent child, the glowing mother, the silent father at the centre of adoration; angels heard on high, shepherds kneeling below, and the wise men offering gifts fit for a king; the historic hometown of David and his royal line of which Jesus is the distant heir to the throne; the stable, where lambs are kept for sin-offerings, foreshadowing Christ’s passion.
Unlike other myths, the Christmas story is not a catalogue of the intrigues between gods and their offspring. Rather, it begins as a litany of awkward situations – first, the annunciation of a virgin birth, then forced relocation thanks to a government census, finally, no room at the inn, thus “Jesus our brother kind and good was humbly born in a stable rude and the friendly beasts around him stood.” Not exactly the movie making stuff of Hercules, The Iliad or The Odyssey. Yet every year, standing room only crowds fill churches to watch the nativity reenacted by earnest children wearing bedsheets and singing carols. Why? Because in all of our hearts, we long to be witnesses to that miracle Christians call The incarnation. The two millennia long endurance of Christmas is found in the baby himself: that almighty God became man out of love and dwelled among his creation, as a vulnerable and helpless infant, to become our savior.
Christ’s first non-animal visitors
But the Christmas story is more than the archetypal – it is the myth that came to pass in history: it is true! That is what Christians affirm everywhere in all ages. And the argument goes that if it is true, then all the suffering and hardship of this life are part of the road to redemption.
Many tragedies can make this message hard to hear, even offensive and hated. It is no mystery that every tyranny has attempted to snuff out the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and charity; the transcendance these offer put limits on worldly power, which is not conducive to the total control longed for by autocrats or just childishly grasped at by our proud little souls. Even God’s earthly family had to evacuate East of the Suez to avoid King Herod’s murderous hands.
In the end, the Christmas story speaks to the human longing for the triumph of good over evil. The clearest evidence?
Almost everyone knows the words of Joy to the World by heart.
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NATHAN GIEDE
Right of Centre
Currencies
OTTAWA (CP) —
The markets today
TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index rebounded Tuesday from three days of losses even though oil prices fell deeply to a 15-month low on concerns about a glut of energy.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 54.24 points at 14,416.89 after peaking at 14,502.64 on 383 million shares traded. That snapped a three day losing streak and seven days of losses in nine trading sessions.
The influential materials sector gained two per cent as gold prices rose on a dip in the U.S. dollar.
The February gold contract was up US$1.80 at US$1,253.60 an ounce while the Canadian dollar traded at an average of 74.33 cents US compared with an average of 74.63 cents US on Monday. However, the energy sector lost more than one per cent as the February crude contract fell about seven per cent or US$3.60 at US$46.60 per barrel. With production cuts from OPEC and Russia not taking hold until the new year, and the market anticipating softer demand growth, there’s a growing worry about a buildup of inventories that are weighing down prices, at least in the short-term, said Craig Jerusalim, portfolio manager at CIBC Asset Management.
Longer-term, U.S. shale producers can dial back production if companies aren’t profitable at around US$50 a barrel, he said.
“We will eventually see a supply response and as companies stop investing in production and production growth, that will result in a balancing of the supply, demand fundamentals and we’ll see oil prices rise as a result of that,” he said.
“Layer on any OPEC plus Russian production cuts and that’s ultimately what’s going to rebalance the market in the medium term.”
While crude prices can still dip further in the short-term, they should hover around the mid$50s, said Jerusalim.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 82.66 points at 23,675.64. The S&P 500 index eked out a 0.22 of a point increase at 2,546.16, while the Nasdaq composite was up 30.18 points at 6,783.91.
Markets turned slightly positive at the end of the day after flirting with losses ahead of the Federal Reserve’s decision Wednesday about interest rate increases.
American metal tariffs contradict new trade deal, Freeland says
Mike BLANCHFIELD Citizen news service
OTTAWA — Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs contradict a key component of the new North American trade agreement – the pivotal section on autos – which will ultimately lead to their demise, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says.
U.S. businesses are making that argument, and Freeland told The Canadian Press that gives momentum to Canada’s ongoing efforts to have the levies lifted in 2019.
The minister said Canada’s fight to remove the tariffs, imposed by the U.S. president, is being aided by the broader calls from American business to have them to be lifted before the new continental trade pact is ratified.
Their argument centres on the fact that a major section of the new agreement – known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA – focuses on raising the content requirements of North American-built cars, Freeland said. The rules on origin for automobiles were a key sticking point throughout the contentious 14-month renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
During the negotiation, Trump also imposed a 25-per-cent tariff on Canadian and Mexican steel and 10-per-cent on aluminum, using a section of U.S. trade law that gives the Oval Office the authority to do so under a national security provision.
Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have assailed the so-called section 232 tariffs as illegal and insulting given the close military and security relationship between Canada and the U.S. Freeland said that U.S. businesses are having a hard time swallowing the fact that there is a tariff on a key component of autos –steel and aluminum.
“There is an internal contradiction in having tariffs on Canadian steel even as there is a built-in requirement for North American steel. So I do feel the Canadian case, which has always been very strong, is only getting stronger,” Freeland said.
Canada, the United States and Mexico signed the new agreement on Nov. 30 but it needs to be ratified by each of their legislatures – which could make for a bumpy ride through the U.S. Congress after the Democrats recently won control of the House of Representatives.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada has plenty of support among U.S. lawmakers and business as it continues to press for the removal of the tariffs.
“We have a broad alignment both on the benefits of trade between Canada and the United
States, the negative impacts of tariffs that we hear from members of Congress, from business leaders and governors – how much they are very much aligned with us in trying to remove these unfair tariffs on steel and aluminum,” Trudeau said interview last Friday with The Canadian Press.
Last week in Washington, Freeland said she and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan made the case for tariff removal once again with their counterparts, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis. She said Sajjan pushed the issue hard with Mattis. “His voice is very relevant because after all there is a national security pretext.” Freeland also met with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, her counterpart in the NAFTA talks, to push the point. Ultimately, it will be the U.S. Department of Commerce that decides the tariff question, but Freeland said Ottawa’s approach is “to keep banging away” at multiple U.S. departments.
“Because the national security pretext is the rationale, this is not solely a conversation with USTR or commerce. It’s also a conversation with state and defence and we are not shy about raising it.”
Trump’s ambassador to Canada, Kelly Craft, said the commerce department is actively engaged in making a decision on the tariffs.
“It’s an ongoing conversation within our commerce department, and I know that they are actively engaged in trying to make a decision,” Craft told a small group of reporters in Ottawa last week.
She said the recent signing of the new trade agreement was a good sign.
“Now that it has been signed, and we’ve had dialogue on steel and aluminum, that in itself is goodwill.”
Buying pot? Pay cash, privacy watchdog says
Citizen news service
OTTAWA — Canada’s privacy watchdog is warning marijuana users to pay with cash rather than plastic if they’re worried about the collection of their personal information.
In a statement posted on his website, Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien says pot sellers and buyers need to better understand their privacy rights and obligations and has suggested a number of guidelines.
“Cannabis is illegal in most jurisdictions outside of Canada. The personal information of cannabis users is therefore very sensitive,” Therrien said.
“Some countries may deny entry to individuals if they know they have purchased cannabis, even lawfully.”
Some Canadians have been barred for life from entering the U.S. after admitting to using cannabis or being involved in the legal industry.
Therrien suggests buyers can avoid the collection of their personal information by using cash instead of credit cards when buying pot from legal retail outlets.
However this option is currently not available to Canadians who have little choice but to buy online because some provinces have only a limited number of retail stores or, in the case of Ontario, no retail outlets at all for several more months.
The Ontario Cannabis Store has already reported a privacy breach through Canada Post that affected approximately 4,500 individuals last month. Information from about two per cent of customer orders was accessed by a person using a Canada Post delivery tracking tool. The incident was reported to Ontario’s privacy commissioner.
Therrien says cannabis purchasers should further guard their privacy by not providing
retailers with more personal information than necessary, other than what is legally required to verify their age.
Video surveillance in pot shops should only be used if less privacy intrusive measures cannot be met, Therrien says. If retailers do use video surveillance, they must notify individuals with signage clearly visible to anyone before entering the store.
Cannabis stores should also only collect email addresses, and not customer names, for mailing lists or memberships, he added.
“Private organizations are required by law to develop policies and practices to meet their responsibilities under the (law),” Therrien said.
“The best way of ensuring (compliance) is for management to emphasize that protection of personal information is a company priority and to ensure that all staff are trained in, understand, and follow the privacy policy in everyday transactions.”
“Many
FREELAND
A cargo ship was docked at Rio Tinto Alcan’s aluminum smelter in Kitimat in 2012. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says the U.S.’s tariffs on aluminum and steel imports violate the new USMCA trade deal.
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Ahac has been
Ahac picked for Top Prospects Game
Citizen staff
Layton Ahac has gotten further confirmation of his status as one of the best young junior A hockey players in Canada.
Ahac, a 17-year-old defenceman for the Prince George Spruce Kings, was named Tuesday to the CJHL Top Prospects Game, which will be held Jan. 22 in Okotoks, Alta. He’ll be on Team Canada West in the contest against Team Canada East, a showcase event that will serve as a magnet for NHL scouts. Players who landed roster spots for the game were selected by NHL Central Scouting and are considered the top 40 CJHL prospects for the 2019
Ahac is one of 11 B.C. Hockey League players on Team Canada West for the Top Prospects Game. Just say no
Brady McCOMBS Citizen news service
draft in Vancouver.
Ahac, from North Vancouver, has been tabbed as a potential second- or third-round pick in the draft. He’s also fresh off an appearance in the World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alta., where he won a bronze medal as part of Team Canada West. In the game for the medal, a 3-1 win against the Czech Republic, he had a pair of assists.
SALT LAKE CITY — When Salt Lake City pursued the Winter Olympics more than two decades ago, competition was so fierce that lavishing International Olympic Committee members with gifts and favours seemed commonplace. Salt Lake City got caught in a bribery scandal that nearly derailed the plans for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Two decades later, the script has flipped.
The IOC is struggling to find cities willing to take on the financial and societal burden of hosting the Winter Olympics. The race to host the 2026 Winter Olympics is down to just two cities after several dropped out over a lack of local support. Beijing got the 2022 Winter Olympics by attrition, winning by four votes over Almaty, Kazakhstan, after a half-dozen European bidders dropped out, discouraged by soaring costs and taxpayer backlash.
A 2016 study at Oxford University found the Olympics have the highest average cost overrun of any type of mega-project.
That’s why a city that, for a time, stood out as a pariah in the Olympic world is a serious contender again, this time for the 2030 Winter Games –decades sooner than anyone expected and despite that bid scandal.
Utah’s capital city is among an increasingly small group of cities worldwide that has the venues needed for winter sports and the willingness to take on the costly task of hosting Olympics that have lost some of their cache. The U.S. Olympic Committee last week chose Salt Lake City over Denver as a future bid city. The IOC will choose a 2030 host by 2023 at the latest.
Jules Boykoff, a Pacific University professor who has written widely on the Olympics, said the bribery scandal is “a pretty big stain on the history of the Games.”
“But these days, the International Olympic Committee is not in a position to be overly picky,” Boykoff said.
The scandal broke in 1998, three years after Salt Lake City was chosen over cities in Canada, Sweden and Switzerland. Salt Lake’s bid committee doled out $1 million in cash, scholarships, medical care, gifts and other favours to IOC members and their families. That included ski trips, NBA tickets, plastic surgery, knee replacements, violins and housing and salary for children of IOC members, according to report by an ethics panel.
It led to the expulsion of six IOC members, the resignation of four others and severe warnings for several others though none faced criminal charges. U.S. prosecutors brought criminal charges against two Salt Lake bid leaders, but both men were acquitted by a judge halfway through a federal trial.
The IOC brought in outside experts to help reshape the organization. The IOC approved a 50-point reform package
“We are proud of Layton on being named to the CJHL Top Prospects Game,” said Spruce Kings head coach Adam Maglio in a Tuesday media release. “This is another well-deserved accolade for Layton. He had a great World Junior A Challenge and we look forward to watching him in another Canada-wide event.”
Ahac is one of 11 B.C. Hockey League players on Team Canada West for the Top Prospects Game. The others are: defencemen – Jeremie Bucheler (Victoria); Jack Judson (Vernon); Mason Snell (Penticton); forwards – Harrison Blaisdell (Chilliwack); Alexander Campbell (Victoria); Ethan Leyh (Langley); Alex Newhook (Victoria); Massimo Rizzo (Penticton); Alex Swetlikoff
(Vernon); and Kevin Wall (Chilliwack). Team Canada West is rounded out by talent from the Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Ahac is in his second BCHL season with the Spruce Kings. In 31 games, he has 17 assists. In 57 games as a rookie last season, he had six goals and 23 helpers. Ahac is committed to Ohio State University (NCAA Division 1) for 2019-20. The Spruce Kings, first overall in the BCHL with a 24-9-1-2 record, will face the Langley Rivermen (16-18-1-0) on Thursday night in Langley and will wrap up the 2018 portion of their schedule with a Friday game in Surrey against the Eagles (8-25-1-2).
that included a ban on member visits to bid cities, creation of an independent ethics committee and term limits.
Olympic historian David Wallechinsky said Salt Lake City’s current bid officials will have to talk about the scandal, but he doesn’t think it will impact their candidacy. The Salt Lake City bribery scandal capped off decades of cities trying to win the favour of IOC board members behind the scenes.
“They learned from the corruption of other cities that beat them before,” Wallechinsky said. “It’s not like they invented the corruption... they just got caught.”
Mitt Romney, who was brought in to steer the 2002 Games through the scandal, said the city selection process is a now a more transparent process than it was in the past.
“That’s good for Salt lake City,” said Romney, elected last month to represent Utah in the U.S. Senate. “We will be judged on the merits.”
Boykoff said it is naive for anyone to think corruption is a thing of the past at the IOC, citing the case of honorary
member Carlos Nuzman of Brazil who headed the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He was suspended on corruption allegations connected with vote-buying.
Before the IOC picks a city for 2030, it will have to choose a host for 2026 between Stockholm and the dual bid of Mi-
lan and Cortina d’ Ampezzo, Italy. Calgary, host of the 1988 Winter Olympics, backed out after voters rejected a referendum. Three other cities withdrew earlier this year and Erzurum, Turkey, was eliminated last month by the IOC. Salt Lake City says it can host the Olympics for about $1.35 billion, not including additional security costs covered by the U.S. government, relying mainly on existing venues. Stockholm and Milan/Cortina d’ Ampezzo offer similar plans and similarly low estimates, $1.5 billion. Wallechinsky and Boykoff doubt any city can host the Olympics for that little. A 2016 study at Oxford University found the Olympics have the highest average cost overrun of any type of mega-project.
Salt Lake City’s 2002 Olympics cost $2.52 billion, a 24 per cent cost overrun, the Oxford report found. That was actually the second lowest cost overrun behind only the 2010 Vancouver Olympics among all Olympics held from 1960-2016.
The lack of public opposition that helped make Utah appealing to the USOC could change as the real costs emerge, Boykoff said. “Right now, everything is kind of like unicorns and rainbows and low budgets,” Boykoff. “Almost inevitably the price tag tends to go up.”
Defenceman Layton Ahac of the Prince George Spruce Kings carries the puck away from Logan Shaw of the Salmon Arm Silverbacks during an October game at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
named to Team Canada West for the CJHL Top Prospects Game.
The Utah Olympic Oval is shown on Tuesday in Kearns, Utah. The U.S. Olympic Committee last week chose Salt Lake City over Denver as a future bid city for the Winter Games.
Hart wins in his NHL debut
Citizen news service
PHILADELPHIA — Carter Hart had a night he’ll never forget, and the rest of the Philadelphia Flyers had a night they really needed.
Hart made 22 saves in his NHL debut and Shayne Gostisbehere and James van Riemsdyk each had a goal and an assist as Philadelphia defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Tuesday night and made interim coach Scott Gordon a winner in his first game.
“It was something special tonight to be out there,” the 20-year-old Hart said. “I was trying not to think about it before the game. Now, it’s starting to sink in a little bit.”
Radko Gudas also scored for Philadelphia, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Flyers were playing their first game since head coach Dave Hakstol was fired on Monday, a move that capped a tumultuous few weeks.
General manager Ron Hextall was fired last month and new GM Chuck Fletcher ended Hakstol’s fouryear tenure after a 1-4 road trip was punctuated by Saturday’s 5-1 loss at Vancouver. The Flyers entered the game last in the Eastern Conference with 28 points.
“It’s a big relief for everybody,” Gordon said. Fletcher promoted Gordon from the Flyers’ AHL Lehigh Valley affiliate.
Former Prince George Cougars defenceman Dennis Cholowski and Jacob de la Rose scored for Detroit, which has lost four in a row and five of six.
“We didn’t make it hard enough on (Hart),” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “If I was the coach on the other bench, I would have thought it was an easy game for my team.”
Hart was the club’s second-round pick (48th overall) in the 2016 draft. He was 9-5-2 this season for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate at Lehigh Valley, and earned the call-up on Monday after a strong recent stretch in which he went 4-1-0 with a 1.81 goals-against average and .939 save percentage.
“For a 20-year-old goalie, it was pretty impressive how calm he was,” Flyers captain Claude Giroux said. “Good start for him.”
Hart became the sixth goalie to start for the Flyers this season, marking the 14th time in league history a team has used six goalies in a season and the only time it has happened within the first 35 games.
The rookie netminder wasn’t tested much, and Hart’s best save may have come in the first period when he denied Dylan Larkin.
“That was a critical save,” Gordon said.
Hart also made a pair of good pad saves at the end of the second period to keep Philadelphia ahead 3-1.
Hart preserved the win with a strong save of Martin Frk’s slap shot from the left circle with 10 seconds remaining in regulation.
“That was a great first game for him,” Gordon said.
Detroit tied the game 1-1 on a power-play goal by Cholowski 4:12 into the second. He beat a screened Hart on the blocker side with a wrist shot from the slot.
Philadelphia regained the lead 4:40 later on Gudas’ slap shot from the high slot that got past Jonathan Bernier’s right pad. The Red Wings challenged the goal, arguing that van Riemsdyk’s skate interfered with Bernier’s ability to make the save, but the officials disagreed and the call stood.
Gostisbehere finished a stellar tic-tac-toe passing setup from Michael Raffl and Nolan Patrick with a wrist shot high over Bernier from the slot to make it 3-1 with 4:43 left in the second.
De la Rose made it a one-goal game two minutes into the third by beating Hart through the pads from right in front after a quick pass from Frk from behind the net.
Van Riemsdyk opened the scoring with 1:27 left in the first with a great deflection of Giroux’s wrist shot from in front of the crease.
NOTES: Detroit G Jimmy Howard was scratched after being injured in the pre-game warmup.
Nowhere to go
China mines Canadian curling expertise ahead of 2022 Winter Games
SPENCER Citizen news service
Donna
China is serious about winning Olympic curling medals on home ice in 2022, and the country has enlisted a bunch of Canadians to help.
China has recruited Canadian expertise before, but the size of current intake is eyebrow-raising. Mike Harris, Dan Rafael, Carolyn Darbyshire-McRorie and Perry Marshall are all coaching the Chinese this season.
Calgary’s Darbyshire-McRorie, who won an Olympic silver medal in 2010 playing second for Cheryl Bernard, is working with four of China’s top women’s teams.
Montreal’s Rafael is coaching in the men’s national program. Toronto’s Marshall is involved in the junior ranks.
“I’m working with the entire program,” Harris told The Canadian Press. “They’ve obviously got a big focus for 2022 as they’re hosting the Games. They’re trying to make sure they’re covering all the bases.”
Harris, who skipped Canada to Olympic men’s silver in 1998, is a television commentator in addition to his Chinese job, which he says is a four-year commitment.
Beijing will host the Winter Games in less than four years, and the host country wants to win a lot of medals on home ice and snow.
While that ups the demand there for international expertise across all sports, Harris also forecasts a curling explosion in China.
“I heard they’ve mandated, which only they can do, that 130 million in the next 10 years are to start winter sport,” Harris said. “Even if only one per cent of that is curling, that’s over a million curlers.
“There’s not enough granite to make that many curling rocks.”
They’ve obviously got a big focus for 2022 as they’re hosting the Games. They’re trying to make sure they’re covering all the bases.
— Mike Harris
Rafael coached China’s Bingyu Wang to Olympic bronze in 2010, but this is Darbyshire-McRorie’s first international coaching assignment after working with Canada’s Casey Scheidegger.
“I stepped back just because the team was needing something else other than me,” Darbyshire-McRory said.
“That’s what happens when you coach. You tend to coach yourself out of a job. They grow so much that they need somebody else.”
The Canadian contingent succeeds Edmonton’s Marcel Rocque, who coached China at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Games and joined Rachel Homan’s rink this season.
“What I like about it is instead of having one person looking after the whole program, we do have myself in the women’s, Dan in the men’s, Perry with the juniors so that you’re not spread so thin,” Darbyshire-McRorie said.
She and Harris work with Chinese teams when they come to North America for World Curling Tour events and training camps. Darbyshire-McRorie has travelled to Beijing this winter more than Harris.
“I’m enjoying it because I’m giving back to curling,” she said.
The market for Canadian curling coaches abroad has expanded as more countries get serious about contending internationally.
That was evident at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. You couldn’t spray a handful of bird seed at the Gangneung Curling Centre without hitting a Canadian wearing another country’s colours.
Canada’s failure to win a medal in men’s or women’s team curling prompted hand-wringing over whether helping other countries in the sport comes at the expense of Canadian teams.
The same sentiment was expressed in hockey circles after Canada didn’t win a men’s hockey medal in 1998.
But demand drives the market for foreign coaches and not just in curling, Harris pointed out.
“I think everyone is panicking because of what happened in Korea, which is silly,” he said.
“We have Austrian ski coaches in the (Canadian) program.
“If you are serious about your sport, you kind of go ‘where are the best practices?’ and that’s not unique to curling. If someone is good at a sport, I think you’ll go there first for help.”
And, it’s a paying gig.
“They pay,” Harris said. “If we stayed here in Canada, it depends on the arrangement you have with a team, but it’s not a salary.”
• Rachel Homan’s Ottawa rink vaulted over Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg into No. 1 in the women’s world rankings this week. Homan won the Boost National in Conception Bay South, N.L., on Sunday.
Sweden’s Niklas Edin continues to hold down No. 1 among men’s teams ahead of Calgary’s Kevin Koe at No. 2 and Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., ranked third.
Goldobin, left, and Ben Hutton of the Vancouver Canucks try to stop Tampa Bay Lightning forward Adam Erne during Tuesday night’s game at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The Lightning beat the Canucks 5-2.
& Shirley appear at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Marshall died of complications from diabetes on Monday at age 75.
Marshall being mourned
Jake COYLE Citizen news service
NEW YORK — Penny Marshall, who starred in Laverne & Shirley before becoming one of the topgrossing female directors in Hollywood, has died. She was 75.
Marshall’s publicist, Michelle Bega, said Marshall died in her Los Angeles home on Monday due to complications from diabetes.
“Our family is heartbroken,” the Marshall family said in a statement.
Marshall starred as Laverne DeFazio, the Milwaukee brewery worker, alongside Cindy Williams in the hit ABC comedy Laverne & Shirley. The series, which aired from 1976 to 1983, was among the biggest hits of its era.
It also gave Marshall her start as a filmmaker. She directed several episodes of Laverne & Shirley before making her feature film directorial debut in Jumpin’ Jack Flash, the 1986 comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg.
Her next film made Marshall the first woman to
direct a film that grossed more than $100 million. Her 1988 hit comedy Big, starring Tom Hanks, was about a 12-year-old boy who wakes up in the body of a 30-year-old New York City man. The film earned Hanks an Oscar nomination.
Marshall re-teamed with Hanks for A League of Their Own, the 1992 comedy about the women’s professional baseball league begun during the Second World War. That, too, crossed $100 million, making $107.5 million domestically.
A Bronx native, Marshall became a dedicated Los Angeles Lakers fan, and a courtside regular. Her brother Garry Marshall, who died in 2016, was also one of Hollywood’s top comedy directors.
Penny Marshall was married to Michael Henry for two years in the 1960s and to the director Rob Reiner from 1971-1981. Their daughter Tracy Reiner is an actress; one of her first roles was a brief appearance in her mother’s Jumpin’ Jack Flash. Marshall is also survived by her older sister, Ronny, and three grandchildren.
Celebrities share their thoughts on Penny Marshall
LOS ANGELES — Celebrities offer their thanks, remembrances and condolences on the death of actress-director Penny Marshall, who died Monday at 75.
“I loved Penny. I grew up with her. She was born with a great gift. She was born with a funnybone and the instinct of how to use it. I was very lucky to have lived with her and her funnybone. I will miss her.” — Rob Reiner, who was married to Marshall from 1971 to 1981, via Twitter.
Marlee Matlin, who shared a photo on Twitter in which she said she was emulating Marshall
“Penny Marshall was a sweet woman. I was very fortunate to spend time with her. So many laughs. She had a heart of gold. Tough as nails. She could play round ball with the best of them.” — Danny DeVito, via Twitter
So many laughs. She had a heart of gold.
“I grew up wanting to be as funny as Penny Marshall, and had the pleasure of meeting her a few times. Watch some old Laverne and Shirley to see why her brother Garry insisted on casting her. Comedy gold, she was.” — Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik, via Twitter.
— Danny DeVito
“Thank you, Penny Marshall. For the trails you blazed. The laughs you gave. The hearts you warmed.”
— Ava Duvernay, via Twitter
“Mourning the loss of a funny, poignant, and original American voice. Penny Marshall was a pioneer in television and the big screen who understood humour comes in many forms and some of life’s deeper truths require a laugh. She will be missed.” — Dan Rather on Twitter
NBC chief hints company may unveil Netflix-style service
Citizen news service
NBC Universal’s boss sent a holiday greeting to employees this week, and it contained an intriguing hint about the coming year.
Steve Burke, head of the Comcast Corp. division, suggested that the company might unveil an online TV service in 2019 – though it’s hard to know how seriously to take a message written in the rhyming style of Dr. Seuss.
“While you all go off to relax, swim or ski,” Burke wrote. “Maybe, just maybe, next year we will announce our plan for OTT.”
The initials are a reference to “over-the-top” services that provide video content to customers via the internet rather than a traditional satellite or cable TV subscription.
Burke, who oversees the NBC network, cable channels such as USA, and the Universal theme parks and movie studio, has yet to announce a streaming product like those planned by rivals Walt Disney and Warner Media next year. But Comcast is getting such a service through its acquisition
Burke has yet to announce a streaming product like those planned by rivals Walt Disney and Warner Media next year.
of Sky. The whole industry is rushing to compete with Netflix, which continues to amass subscribers and programming for its dominant streaming platform.
In his holiday note, Burke also lamented that Comcast lost out to Disney in a bidding war for 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets.
“During 2018 our businesses mostly rocked,” he said. “But it did not feel at all good when Disney got Fox.”
The executive noted the disappointing performance of the Dwayne Johnson film Skyscraper, while praising hits such as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and the NBC show New Amsterdam.
“Sad to hear of Penny Marshall’s passing. A great comedienne a terrific director and a dear friend.”
— Billy Crystal, via Twitter
“I’m sad to read she has passed. Director, producer and actress who had the humour, wit and fortitude to stand equally with the boys in Hollywood. Goodbye Penny, we will miss you. RIP.” — Actress
A&E IN BRIEF
MacLaine being honoured
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Shirley MacLaine will receive AARP the Magazine’s lifetime achievement honour at the Movies for Grownups Awards next year. The magazine announced Tuesday that MacLaine will accept the Career Achievement Award at a ceremony on Feb. 4, 2019 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 18th annual Movies for Grownups Awards will premiere on PBS on Feb. 15.
MacLaine won an Oscar for best actress for her role in the 1983 film Terms of Endearment. She’s an Emmy winner and received the Cecil B. DeMille
“She was an incredible artist. Met her when I was a broke young actor. She gave me her court side seats to a Clippers game. ”Here, I can’t watch them lose anymore.“ I felt like such a big shot with my friends that night sitting in Penny Marshall’s seats watching the Clippers lose.” — Actor Alan Tudyk, via Twitter
Award at the 1998 Golden Globe Awards.
Newton-John memoir on its way
NEW YORK (AP) — Olivia Newton-John’s autobiography, released last fall in her longtime home Australia, comes out in North America in 2019.
Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced Tuesday that Don’t Stop Believin’ would be published March 12. The book will include a new afterword by the singer and actress, known for such hits as Physical and I Honestly Love You and for her starring role in the movie version of Grease.
The 70-year-old said in September she was again being treated for breast cancer. She was first diagnosed in 1992.
In this Sept. 9, 1979 photo, Penny Marshall, left, and Cindy Williams from the comedy series Laverne
It is with great sadness that the family of Detlef Kogelheide announces his passing on Thursday, November 29th, at the age of 80 years. Detlef / Dad is lovingly remembered by his wife Elli, his children Trina (Dennis), Ryan (Pensiri), Philip, and step-sons Dean, Mike and Frank. He will be deeply missed by his sister Ute (Horst), brother Udo (Janice), his grandchildren Michael and Karissa, his children’s mother Dolores, and his many friends and family. I lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Valerie Moloney
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Valerie Kathleen Moloney Nov 28, 1954 to Dec 13, 2018
After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Val passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends on Dec 13, 2018 at the Hospice House. Val will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 44 years, Keith, 3 children Derek (Christine), Donovan (Pam) and Dione (Dwane) 12 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. 3 brothers Mel, Perry, Neil (Joann), sister Violet (Jim), numerous family and friends and last but not least the King of her Castle “Ricki.” She was predeceased by her parents Marjorie (1999) and Laurence Carroll (1994). There will be no funeral service by request, rather we will have a Celebration of Life in the Spring of 2019. In lieu of flowers donations to the Rotary Hospice House would be greatly appreciated.
Sherry Lynn Jordan Nov 3, 1957 to Dec 14, 2018
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a wonderful wife, daughter, mother, sister, grandmother, niece, cousin and friend. After 44 years of marriage, and plenty of hours riding on her Harley, she has regrettably lost her battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband George, son Robert (Theresa) and grandsons Braeden (Sadie) and Davin, her son James (Tara), grandson Jackson and granddaughters Jenna and Julia. Her father Don Wilson, brother Don Wilson Jr.. She sadly leaves behind many close friends and her poodle Fancy. Anyone who knew Sherry enjoyed her quick wit and sarcastic sense of humor. Sherry is predeceased by her mother Maryann Wilson. A special thanks to the BC Cancer Centre, the Hospice house for making these last couple of weeks as comfortable as possible. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Hospice house and the SPCA. Celebration of Life will be held Saturday Dec 22, 2018 at the Hart Pioneer Center 6986 Hart Hwy at 1:00pm
Melinda Kent
It is with the utmost sorrow that we announce the passing of an amazing woman, Melinda Jane Nelson Kent, born in Bangor, Wales September 25, 1953. Died December 11, 2018 at Prince George Hospice House with her partner Kathy Rinaldi, and friend Jackie were by her side. Melinda was predeceased by her father Edward (Ted), mother Margaret (Peggy), brother Jeremy and half sister Valerie. Survived by half sister Rosemary, niece Yvonne, nephew Graham. Valerie’s sons Simon, Jonathan, Jacob. Cousin Margaret (Duncan), their daughters Kate and Jenny. Many other relatives in England. Many thanks to the doctors that assisted Melinda on the journey. Dr’s Ducharmne, York, Riome-York, Roberts, Wilson and the caring nurses and staff of the Cancer Agency and the PG Hospice House. There are not enough words to say how many lives Melinda touched. No service by request. A celebration of her extraordinary life to be announced in the spring. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Prince George Hospice Society in her memory.
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Detlef Kogelheide
