As we look ahead to the start of the new year, it’s important to look back at the amazing Prince George residents who passed away 2018. May their example continue to inspire us to make our community better.
Victor Bowman, 79, was a longtime member of the Prince George Rotary where he took on several roles including president and past president, while he was a member of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce, past chair and board member of the Prince George Construction Association, the Northern BC Construction Association and director of the BC Construction Association.
Svend Serup, 93, who worked in the forest industry most of his life, might best be remembered for his letters to the Prince George Citizen editor. Topics he discussed included forestry, from actions taken and not taken by the Ministry of Forests, the beetle kill that Serup called a disaster, the prospect of diking the Nechako River to prevent flooding, highly volatile issues such as Greg Matters’ death by police, the Site C dam project, and most recently about reconciliation efforts made toward First Nations people. Serup’s letters to the editor will be missed.
Julia Serup, 86, died a few months after her husband Svend
A year in pictures
TOP LEFT: An ice jam on the Nechako River caused localized flooding on Jan. 8.
BOTTOM LEFT: The lodge at Tabor Mountain Resort burned down on Jan. 31.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Crews unveiled the newly-painted bleachers at Masich Place Stadium on April 17. The $4.4 million refurbishment project also includes an outdoor synthetic turf playing surface. r
Paying tribute to those the city lost in 2018
and was a longtime physiotherapist in Prince George. She was a pioneer in advancing inclusive education for children with disabilities and often wrote letters to the editor as she had an avid interest in local, provincial and national affairs.
Barry Phillips, 82, moved to Prince George with his family in 1967 and opened his first business, Wendt and Phillips Men’s Wear. A family ski cabin at Purden Mountain offered a place for family and friends to gather, creating cherished memories. Once his three children were out of school Phillips and wife Yvonne moved to Victoria to enjoy their life. Unfortunately, Yvonne died in 2011 and soon after Barry was stricken with Parkinson’s disease.
Brian Brownridge, 68, who moved to Prince George in the 1950s and served many terms on city council, was part of the lumber industry and real estate development, and probably is best remembered for establishing his insurance company in 1990. Community was very important to Brownridge and many will remember his storytelling and sense of humour.
Chief Harry Chingee, 95, was a gentle and loving patriarch of his extensive family. He was strong in his teachings and the community will miss his kindness and warmth.
Chingee spent decades as an elected councilor for the McLeod Lake First Nation, most of that time as chief.
Chingee, who worked in the log-
ging industry, was also a professional hunting guide, using his intimate knowledge of the land plus the lessons passed down to him from his elder generations.
June Clark, 57, was John Rustad’s campaign manager for many years and was a former board member for the College of New Caledonia. Clark did a lot of work for advanced education and advocated for a college in her hometown of Vanderhoof.
Clark was involved with many different organizations over the years, including community and economic development manager for the provincial government in northern B.C as well as director for Northern Health’s information and technology services. Clark volunteered at her church and Ducks Unlimited and sat on many boards including the Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce, University Resources Inc. and the Good Neighbours committee. Clark made a big impact in her community and she will be missed.
Wilf Peckham, 94, was a decorated veteran and retired from The Prince George Citizen as a pressman, having created his own slide to retirement where he reduced his work days from five to four so he and his beloved wife, Mae, could better enjoy the great outdoors, fishing, curling and dancing. Peckham was known for his kindness, spark of humour and his willingness to mentor those around him.
— see LOCAL, page 3
BOWMAN JULIA SERUP BROWNRIDGE PECKHAM
Prince George provincial court docket
From Prince George provincial court, December 17-20, 2018:
• Geoffrey Troy Bjarnason (born 1971) was sentenced to 57 days in jail for possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and to 19 days in jail for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. Bjarnason was also sentenced to one year probation and issued a 10-year firearms prohibition and spent a total of 37 days in custody prior to sentencing.
• Gloryanna Chasse (born 1975) was sentenced to nine days in jail and prohibited from driving for two years and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving without insurance. Chasse was in custody for four days prior to sentencing.
• Colin Michaud Durrand (born 1991) was sentenced to 24 days in jail and prohibited
from driving for one year for dangerous driving, to 12 days in jail for willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and to one year probation. Those jail terms will be served on an intermittent basis. Durrand was also sentenced to time served for a separate count of willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and for breaching an undertaking or recognizance and was in custody for 20 days prior to sentencing.
• Justin Matthew Knott (born 1991) was sentenced to one year probation for assault.
• Nathan Dennin Seymour (born 1978) was sentenced to a 30-day conditional sentence order and one year probation for theft $5,000 or under.
• Sheldon Robert Stewart (born 1981) was sentenced to 112 days in jail and one year probation for theft $5,000 or under and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Stewart was in custody for 161 days
prior to sentencing.
• Sophia Holly Mercer (born 1977) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation for causing fear of injury or damage.
• Gina Fawn Leona Thomas (born 1972) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation for causing fear of injury or damage.
• Cole Montana Preston Burger (born 1994) was sentenced to three months in jail and issued a 10-year firearms prohibition for possessing a prohibited or restricted firearm and to 18 months on the count as well as for possessing a firearm contrary to an order and two counts breaching an undertaking or recognizance, committed in Prince George and Kamloops. Burger was in custody for a total of 221 days prior to sentencing.
• Anthony Gregory Prince (born 1953) was prohibited from driving for one year and
fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• James William Schilling (born 1963) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation for causing fear of injury or damage.
• Kenneth Melvin Seymour (born 1991) was sentenced to 60 days in jail for theft $5,000 or under, to 40 days in jail for mischief $5,000 or under and to 30 days for two counts of breaching probation, committed in Prince George and Tsay Keh Dene and to 18 months probation on the counts. Seymour was in custody for nine days prior to sentencing.
• Mason Lee Henry-Larose (born 2000) was sentenced to seven days in jail for breaching an undertaking or recognizance. HenryLarose was in custody for six days prior to sentencing.
Local citizens mourned
— from page 1
Dr. Eldon Lee, 95, was the first and only ob/gyn north of Kamloops for many years beginning in 1962. Recognizing his contributions to the medical community, he was honoured as a lifetime member of the Canadian Medical Association in 1995 and inducted into the Northern Medical Hall of Fame in 2009. In 1952, Eldon married the love of his life, Marjorie Cartmel and started a journey of adventure with her that included international travel and family time at their local cottage. Lee was a cowboy rancher, RCAF bomber pilot during the Second World War, hunter, author, Greek scholar, and Sunday school teacher. He enjoyed a variety of sports including hockey in the 60s and 70s. Lee turned to more thrill-seeking adventures when he was older including flying an ultralight plane and riding an ATV.
Eric Chamberlist, 71, is remembered as genuinely decent, well liked and was known for his deep sense of fairness. Chamberlist retired as a B.C. Supreme Court Justice in 2010. The cases he handled covered a wide spectrum including both the criminal and civil sides – from murders and sexual assaults to bankruptcies and personal injury. Chamberlist was known to have a great analytical mind and was a great mentor.
Neil Fowlie, 69, was a devoted hockey volunteer as founding director and president of the Prince George Recreational Hockey League that began in the 70s. An accountant by trade, Fowlie used his skills to help organize the league. Fowlie volunteered for service clubs as well including Gyro Club of Prince George and the Yellowhead Rotary Club, and for a time he was commissioner with the Prince George Parks and Recreation Department. Fowlie served on the Aquatic Centre building committee as well as working with the Prince George Golf and Curling Club when it came to sorting out the land swap between the club and the Pine Centre Mall and then assisted when city land became the Rotary Soccer Fields. He was an extraordinary member of the community.
Harvey Clark, 76, was s Fraser-Fort George Regional District director for more than 30 years for Chilako River-Nechako (Area C). Clark, who was a longtime dog sledder, was president of the Miworth Community Association and volunteered at the Elder Citizen Recreation Association and the Northern Friends of Children, which is a charity devoted to assisting families in northern B.C. who have children with an extraordinary medical needs.
Malcolm ‘Relic’ Poburan, 69, was with the Prince George Spruce Kings for almost 40 years as the assistant equipment manager and equipment manager and also volunteered with the Spruce City’s Men’s Fastball league. He enjoyed gardening and classic cars that he’d talk to anyone about, especially at the show and shine events held at the park. Poburan was a staunch supporter of sports and could often be seen at the rinks in the community.
Tom Dielissen, 68, was a forester who worked with B.C. Lands and volunteered in Prince George for more than 40 years. Dielissen was recognized with the 2016 BC Community Achievement award and in the same year was awarded the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in
NEWS IN BRIEF
Bathroom fan causes fire
A bathroom exhaust fan caused a small fire at a two storey home in the 6700 block of Westmount Drive Saturday night.
Prince George Fire Rescue crews from three halls responded to the call at about 10:40 p.m. Crews first on the scene found light smoke coming from the upstairs bathroom and quickly extinguished the fire. Damage is estimated at about $10,000. Two people were at home at the time and got out safely.
recognition of his significant contributions to the community. He was a member of the Prince George Airport Authority’s board, the chair of the Prince George Public Library’s board, chair of the McGregor Model Forest Community Committee, chair of the City of Prince George Winter City Committee, director of Prince George St. John’s Ambulance Society, volunteer with Theatre Northwest, and perhaps was best known as a devoted volunteer with The Exploration Place for 25 years and most of those as chair of the board.
No injuries were reported at the scene.
Fire damages home on Christmas Day
Firefighters were called to a house fire at approximately 5 p.m. on Christmas Day When fire crews arrived at the home in the 100 block of McDermid Street, they found smoke and flame venting out of the roof of the home.
A total of 15 firefighters from three halls responded to the blaze, and were able to bring it under control quickly. However, the home suffered extensive damage. Nobody was home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries reported. — Citizen staff
Year was challenging for resources sector
Nelson BENNETT Citizen news service
Sawmills cut production
B.C.’s forestry industry started 2018 on a high note and ended on a low one.
In the first two quarters of 2018, B.C. forestry companies were still profiting from high lumber prices in the U.S., some of them reaping record profits.
But by the fourth quarter of 2018, all the major forestry companies in B.C. had either already made or announced production cuts.
Major forest companies have seen market caps and share prices shrink by about one-third or more since June.
“It’s been a very unusual year because we did see very significant price levels, which of course meant we had a couple of good quarters, but now of course with prices dropping down significantly on top of the trade tariffs, etc., we’ve had announcements of curtailments both temporary and permanent,” said Susan Yurkovich, CEO of the Council of Forest Industries.
B.C. trumped by tariffs
In 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration hit Canadian steel and aluminum producers with tariffs of 25 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. Hopes of having the tariffs removed with the successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement never transpired.
For B.C., the biggest impact was expected to be the 10 per cent tariffs on aluminum. B.C. is not a major steel manufacturer, but the Rio Tinto PLC smelter in Kitimat sells roughly $600 million worth of aluminum to the U.S. annually.
In response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, Canada responded with its own tariffs on American steel products.
New regulations for miners
It might be said that the biggest discov-
ery of 2018 was an extensive vein of new provincial regulations.
For B.C.’s junior mining and exploration sector, some of the biggest developments of 2018 happened on the regulatory side of things, with a range of new requirements being added by the BC NDP government. Among them was a major change to the professional reliance model, criticized by industry as adding a new layer of bureaucracy, and the introduction in November of a bill updating the provincial Environmental Assessment Act that increases obligations by the resource sector to consult and work with First Nations.
Spending on exploration in B.C. is expected to have ticked up slightly in 2018, compared with 2017. Spending on mineral exploration and drilling in B.C. was $246 million in 2017 – still well below the $600 million spent in 2012.
“We’re getting indications and we feel like this year’s spend will be higher than last year’s $247 million,” said Edie Thome, CEO of the Association for Mineral Exploration.
Fraser River sockeye population rebound
Commercial fishermen in B.C. got to catch Fraser River sockeye in 2018 for the first time in recent years.
As of December, the count was at 10.6 million, with final numbers still trickling in. Of that, the commercial fishing sector was allowed to harvest 3.2 million sockeye. It was the first time since 2014 that there were any significant commercial openings.
First Nations took about 1.4 million sockeye, of which 482,000 was a commercial catch.
Meanwhile, the salmon farming industry faced increased uncertainty and scrutiny in 2018.
The provincial government maintained a moratorium on new fish farm licences but agreed to extend the licences of those fish farm operations whose leases had expired.
LEE
CLARK
DIELISSEN
Hope is in the young
May you live in interesting times.”
It’s supposed to be an “ancient Chinese curse” (though in truth, its first recorded use was in England in 1936). But, regardless of its origin, it’s an apt expression as we head into 2019.
We are indeed living in interesting – and turbulent – times. Global upheavals, erratic international leadership, climate change, trade disputes and non-decisive elections have created a great deal of uncertainty. Even here in relatively prosperous British Columbia, we go into 2019 faced with unaffordable, scarce housing, overcrowded transit and congested traffic, seemingly intractable homelessness and a worsening opioid crisis. And even the expectation of summer brings with it the apprehension of another season of out-of-control wildfires. These are just some of the serious chal-
lenges facing us in 2019. They will need all the resolve, determination and ingenuity we can muster in order to deal with them.
But I remain optimistic that, in the long run, we can, we must and we will solve these challenges.
I have this optimism because in my position as president of the University of British Columbia (UBC), I get to interact every day with our greatest hope for the future – the young people of this province.
A few months ago, while addressing new first-year students, I asked how many of them felt the state of the world was healthy. Only one of the thousands of students raised a hand. I then asked how many were willing and ready to be global change agents to make the world a better place. A deafening YES came back as the reply.
Our young people are eager to solve the problems of this world – problems for which we, their elders, must bear responsibility.
Our young people are eager to solve the problems of this world – problems for which
we, their elders, must bear responsibility. And, judging by the students I’ve met at UBC, I’m confident that they – and their colleagues throughout the Lower Mainland and British Columbia – will rise to the challenge. UBC’s students come from throughout British Columbia, Canada and the world. They bring a multitude of perspectives – cultural, religious, political, language and more – to their studies. This diversity – which exists at B.C.’s other post-secondary institutions as well – is an incredible reservoir that will form the foundation for solving the challenges we face. It will take more than one institution or one group of students. No individual, no institution has the capacity to address what ails this planet. These are major issues and they’re going to require global resources, collaboration and ingenuity to solve.
YOUR LETTERS
FortisBC clarifies impact of January natural gas rates increase
In response to David Oh’s recent letter (Fortis increase a money grab), I would like to respond to a few points raised. The ruptured pipeline that caused natural gas supply concerns is not owned or operated by FortisBC. While the rupture itself was not our responsibility, ensuring our customers have the natural gas they need is. As Enbridge was unable to supply sufficient volumes of natural gas through their system, we worked to obtain additional supply from other sources to ensure we met our customers’ needs. In our latest rate submission to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), it was determined that the added cost of these actions would be met by increasing the storage and transport rate as part of the approved interim rates. In regard to the point made about a price hike passed on to consumers, it is important to understand that the BCUC reviews all changes to FortisBC’s customer rates and determines whether changes are necessary. In this case, the BCUC has determined that an increase in the rate charged to customers on the Mainland and Vancouver Island is needed to cover these additional costs.
FortisBC does not mark up costs or make any profit on the
We understand that getting a higher than expected bill can be frustrating and we are happy to work with customers having difficulty managing their bills.
charges that are increasing. You pay what we pay. The rate increase reflects the prices we paid to procure additional gas either from storage or on the open marketplace, to replace the gas that was not received through the Enbridge pipeline. Under the province’s regulatory structure, these are flow through costs that are paid for by the customer base to account for part of the cost of providing gas service to homes and businesses.
We understand that getting a higher than expected bill can be frustrating and we are happy to work with customers having difficulty managing their bills. It is common to see higher natural gas bills during the winter months (from December to February) and we have several options available that can help customers meet their own unique circumstances. It is important to note that the nine per cent is not applied to the taxes – GST, any operating fees or carbon tax.
In regard to lower-income households as well as those struggling with higher bills, we
are committed to working with customers one-on-one to find options and solutions for managing their energy use. We work with customers year-round to determine reasons for higher than expected bills and find solutions that may include payment arrangements. There are a number of small and affordable things customers can do in their homes to lower energy usage. For more information about these programs, customers can visit fortisbc.com/rebates
While we realize a rate increase is never welcome, we continue to focus our efforts to keep costs as low as possible for customers.
The BCUC-issued decision on interim rates is subject to their approval in the first quarter of 2019. Once approved, the decision may result in a bill adjustment for our customers if there has been a change in costs. It is difficult to predict what the adjustment may be, but we always strive to deliver natural gas safely and reliably at the lowest reasonable cost to our customers. Natural gas continues to remain an affordable option to heat your home and water when compared to other energy choices in B.C. such as electricity.
For further information about the January rate changes, or to contact us to determine how the proposed changes may impact your household, please visit fortisbc.com/rates or call our Contact Centre at 1-866-436-7847.
Dennis Swanson, vice-president, energy supply and resource development, FortisBC
And we can’t leave it to the next generation, no matter how talented and willing they are. It is patently unfair for us – as adults – to punt our global challenges on to them. Let’s admit that at least some of these problems are self-inflicted wounds. They are problems that we have created as a consequence of self-interest, benign neglect or ignorance. Problems that result from a personal or local view of the world as opposed to one that recognizes a responsibility for a world that transcends borders. We have a responsibility to address those challenges now and to do our utmost (individually and collectively) to leave the world a better place than what we inherited from our parents. Sadly, we are failing our children (and children around the world) with that most basic responsibility. Let’s all recommit anew to our collective responsibility to do so. And maybe then, 2019 will turn out to be interesting in a good way.
— Santa J. Ono is president of the University of British Columbia
Fun outweighs December stress
Sorry. Even with the opportunity to ask Canadians whatever I wanted in the final month of 2018, I chose not to dwell on the appropriateness of the song Baby, It’s Cold Outside in the 21st century. That being said, certain questions are unavoidable in December for people in my profession, such as the age-old debate over the adequate greeting. But the end of the year also provides an opportunity both to measure the stress that can be caused by the season and to see whether religion continues to play a pivotal role in our daily lives.
Let us deal with the easy stuff first. Across the country, three in four Canadians asked by Research Co. (74 per cent) say their preferred salutation for this season is Merry Christmas. The greeting is more popular among residents aged 55 and over (79 per cent).
“Happy Holidays” is the choice for 14 per cent of Canadians, with a fairly stable showing across all demographics except of one. Only four per cent of Albertans outline a predilection for “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas.”
We also see 12 per cent of Canadians are undecided or simply do not care either way when it comes to this season’s greetings. I wanted to know what could cause more than one in 10 Canadians to be in an apparent “bah, humbug” mood.
The first step was to look at how many Canadians relate to the winter holidays as something blissful. More than half of respondents to the poll (57 per cent) cheerily admit that this holiday season is expected to be “more fun than stressful.” There are some subtle differences, such as men being slightly more likely to consider the events fun than women (60 per cent to 55 per cent).
In British Columbia, a whopping 70 per cent of residents say this holiday season will be “more fun than stressful,” by far the highest proportion in the country. Quebec comes closest to British Columbia’s joyful mood at 60 per cent, followed by Ontario and Atlantic Canada with 56 per cent each, and Manitoba and Saskatchewan with 54 per cent. Once again, Alberta stands apart. The province’s residents are deeply divided on this question, with 45 per cent saying they expect this holiday season to be “more fun than stressful” and 43 per cent claiming this year will be “more stressful than fun.” In no
other region of Canada do we see one in four residents saying this is a time for anxiety and not elation. The final layer of analysis is religion. In spite of all the discussions about proper songs, year-end party etiquette and weight gain worries, we get together to celebrate, in diverse ways and with dissimilar greetings, a religious holiday.
Across Canada, only 18 per cent of residents say religion is “very important” in their daily life, while 20 per cent deem it “moderately important.” This means that a majority of Canadians currently feel religion is “not too important” (21 per cent) or “not important at all” (41 per cent).
Age plays a role in the way Canadians are looking at faith. While only 32 per cent of Canadians aged 55 and over say religion is “not important at all,” the proportion increases to 37 per cent among those aged 35 to 54. Most of Canada’s youngest adults, those aged 18 to 34, seem to have lost their faith or maybe never found it. A majority of them (53 per cent) say religion is “not important at all” in their daily lives.
Regionally, two provinces stand out as being the least interested in religion. Only in British Columbia and Quebec do more than half of residents readily admit that religion is “not important at all” to them at this stage in their lives (54 per cent in each province). So, while we are nearing a consensus on the greeting that Canadians prefer to say in December, just what the season is about appears to hinge on where you live and how your year went.
In Alberta, a tense 2018 is coming to an end, and it is painfully evident that families are struggling more here than in other parts of the country. Albertans are still more likely to fume over the mention of “Happy Holidays.” They are also some of the least likely to have abandoned religion.
British Columbians and Quebecers, who have an established brotherhood of environmental stewardship, are more likely to say this year’s holiday season will be fun. They are also the most likely to not be paying any attention to faith.
— Mario Canseco is president of Research Co.
LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. No attachments, please. They can also be faxed to 250-960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. Maximum length is 750 words and writers are limited to one submission every week. We will edit letters only to ensure clarity, good taste, for legal reasons, and occasionally for length. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes. Unsigned or handwritten letters will not be published.
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MARIO CANSECO
Guest Column
Local Yellow Vesters protest UN immigration policy
Yellow Vests Prince George is a group of local Canadians who gathered together Saturday “to protest the carbon tax and the treason of our country’s politicians who have the audacity to sell out our country’s sovereignty over to the globalist UN and their tyrannical policies,” according to their Facebook post.
On Saturday, Dec. 15 the group gathered in front of city hall but no one was there but the group so on Dec. 22 they moved to the hightraffic intersection of Highways 97/16. They began gathering at 11 a.m. and at about 12:30 there were about 40 people there. There’s no set time for the end of the protest and they’ll come together every Saturday from now on to raise their voices in protest.
Signs that said “No UN Pact,” and “Don’t tax us into poverty,” and “Treasonous Trudeau must go,” were carried by protesters in high visibility vests, an idea that sprouted in France in midNovember in protest against their government’s reforms.
Canadians across the country have taken up the call, including
Tabitha Richet, a founder of the local group.
“The UN pact is dangerous,” Richet said. “We welcome immigration if you are willing to go through the proper lines to do it. It doesn’t matter what race, religion, gender you are we all have this problem, no matter your political
background, this is going to affect everyone. Why did we sign the UN pact when we can’t even look after our own citizens, when we have so many homeless people and so many veterans that aren’t getting what they deserve?”
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
Bridges not Borders helping migrants at Canadian crossing
Citizen news service
The flow of asylum seekers using Roxham Road has slowed slightly, but locals like Susan Heller who live near the country’s busiest illegal crossing know that can change in a hurry.
Heller’s farm in southwestern Quebec is not far from the ditch at the U.S. border that has drawn international attention with thousands of crossings in the past two years. She volunteers as part of Bridges not Borders, a group of locals who’ve been calling attention to the migrants’ plight.
Every Sunday, a few members of the group head to the American side of the border in Champlain, N.Y. to hand out water in the summer and warm clothes in the winter to the dozen or so asylum seekers crossing on foot. They greet the taxis and shuttle buses dropping the migrants off before they cross the border and disappear into a temporary building the RCMP built this year on the Canadian side. An American counterpart covers the other six days of the week.
“We have, let’s say, half a minute to say ‘Welcome!’” said Heller, who has lived on Roxham Road for 51 years, about a kilometre from the border.
“They are very stressed because this is the last hurdle before they get to Canada, so they’re really not listening to you... We mostly say to them, they’re going to be OK.”
Heller’s once-quiet stretch of rural road has become ground zero for an intensifying debate on immigration, in the province and in the country.
Coalition Avenir Quebec Leader Francois Legault, who was elected Premier Oct. 1, complained in 2017 that the border was becoming a “sieve.”
Last April, Jean-Francois Lisee, then leader of the Parti Quebecois, proposed a fence blocking off the crossing. The Coalition’s winning election platform included a promise to reduce all immigration into Quebec – including refugees – by 20 per cent. And since Legault’s election, he has demanded that Ottawa pay $300-million to cover the costs of health, education and other services provided to the migrants. Paul Clarke, executive director of Action Refugies Montreal, an advocacy group that works with refugees, said the rhetoric surrounding newcomers to the country is likely to get more heated with a federal election around the corner.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of things said by a lot of people, and the more extreme views sometimes get the most publicity,” Clarke said. “It’s important that we keep the context in terms of human rights and recalling that we’re talking about – people who are leaving difficult situations wherever they are.”
The flow of irregular border crossers over the last two years has led to a backlog of refugee claims at the Immigration and Refugee Board, with wait times of close to two years before claims are heard. Clarke called for added resources from the federal government to accelerate the process.
“The quicker they can get resources into the IRB so people have their hearing and they can know what’s happening, the better it is for all concerned,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged $173 million to improve border security and decrease the time it takes to process asylum seekers claims. And last week the federal government announced compensation of between $2,500 and $25,000 for residents dealing with increased commotion near the Roxham crossing.
In 2017, more than 90 per cent of the 20,593 irregular crossers into Canada came through Roxham Road. So far in 2018, it is more than 95 per cent.
The latest figures reveal a drop in the number entering in November – 1,019 apprehended across Canada by the RCMP, the lowest figure since June 2017. In November 2017, the number was 1,623.
Francine Dupuis, a spokesperson for PRAIDA, an organization in Quebec that offers medical and social services to asylum seekers, said the numbers crossing in recent months have stabilized. The majority end up working, their kids go to school and her group never hears from them again, she said. She saw a spike in Haitian arrivals in the summer of 2017. This year Nigerians accounted for the bulk of people her organization helped, but their numbers have recently levelled off. People from other African countries facing strife are over-represented among the irregular arrivals, she said, as are South Americans. But those trends can shift quickly, and Dupuis
They are very stressed because this is the last hurdle before they get to Canada, so they’re really not listening to you... We mostly say to them, they’re going to be OK.
— Susan Heller
said they’re ready for whatever happens next. “I’d say we’re dealing with the usual crowds of people coming from countries where horrors or wars are happening,” she said.
At first, many asylum seekers remained in Quebec, but now, those who don’t speak French or don’t want to learn tend to head to Ontario, which has had its own problems dealing with the crush and is also seeking federal compensation.
Dupuis notes that Ontario didn’t have the same infrastructure in place as Quebec and will have to develop services.
“If you don’t receive them well, you’re going to have problems after, because they integrate much better if you ease their entrance into the country,” she said.
Francois Dore, a retired police officer who lives just a few kilometres from the border, said before the dramatic increase in 2017, residents would routinely find asylum seekers roaming the street, heading north, looking to be picked up by authorities so they could begin the refugee claim process.
He said he has no issues with desperate people looking for a better life.
“If they can make it, and if they can be an asset to Canada – if they can do well – then all the better,” Dore said.
Dore recalled the story of one man, a Yemeni asylum seeker who arrived at Roxham Road two years before the 2017 crush. Dore met the man, a lawyer, as he returned to the border in 2017 with a television crew to see the crossing point again, a pilgrimage that came just a few days before he was to be reunited with his family.
“I remember asking the guy, ‘Was it the right choice you made when you crossed the border that way?’ ” Dore said. “He told me, tears in his eyes, ‘It was the only way.’ ”
migration. Richet doesn’t think it’s a good idea.
“The old saying is you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, you teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime so why don’t we help these people in their own country?” she asked.
“Because if we over populate ourselves, how are we going to be able to help? We can barely afford to look after our own people in our country right now never mind somebody else.”
George Giannoulis stopped by the protest site on his way to work.
purports to set out “a common understanding, shared responsibilities and unity of purpose regarding migration,” according to the UN refugees and migrants website. It also said the global compact for migration is the first UN global agreement on a common approach to international
“That UN Compact Migration policy is going to do nothing but tax Canadian citizens to death where we uphold migrants,” Giannoulis said. “I’m not against immigration. I love all colours, I love all nations, I love all people. I don’t mind immigration but slowly so they have a chance to assimilate to our culture at a controlled pace, not the way Trudeau is doing this and the UN wants to do this. It’s ridiculous. It’s going to ruin Canada and turn Canada into a third world country.”
Horns were often honking and voices were raised together in cacophony of protest.
“And we want Trudeau gone,” Maryanne Crampton, another protester, said. “Gone.”
Police searching for missing woman
Citizen staff
The New Hazelton RCMP are seeking the public’s help to find a missing woman. Cynthia Martin was last seen on Dec. 23 at approximately 9 p.m. in New Hazelton, a town located 440 km northwest of Prince George. Martin is an Indigenous woman, 50 years old, with brown eyes and black shoulder-length hair. She is five-foot-three and 135 pounds. She was last seen wearing a grey jacket and dark pants (possibly jeans). While there is no indication of foul play at this time, RCMP are concerned about her health and well being, as it is out of character for her to be out of contact with friends and family for this long.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Cynthia is urged to contact New Hazelton RCMP at 250-842-5244 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-2228477 (TIPS).
MARTIN
CITIZEN PHOTO BY CHRISTINE HINZMANN
About 40 people gathered, with others coming and going throughout the day, during a Yellow Vest Prince George protest at the corner of Highways 97 and 16. The group is protesting government action including the UN Pact and carbon tax.
No end in sight for U.S. gov’t shutdown
Darlene SUPERVILLE, Juliet LINDERMAN Citizen news service
WASHINGTON — A shutdown affecting parts of the United States’ federal government appeared no closer to resolution Wednesday, with U.S. President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats locked in a hardening standoff over border wall money that threatens to carry over into January.
Trump vowed to hold the line, telling reporters as he flew to Iraq that he’ll do “whatever it takes” to get money for border security. He declined to say how much he would accept in a deal to end the shutdown, stressing the need for border security.
“You have to have a wall, you have to have protection,” he said.
The shutdown started Saturday when funding lapsed for nine Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies. Roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, while an additional 380,000 have
been furloughed. While the White House was talking to congressional Democrats – and staff talks continued on Capitol Hill – negotiations dragged Wednesday, dimming hopes for a swift breakthrough.
With no deal at hand, members of the House were told there would be no votes today, assuring the shutdown would last yet another day. Lawmakers are away from Washington for the holidays and have been told they will have 24 hours’ notice before having to return for a vote. The Senate is slated to come into session this afternoon.
Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, a Trump ally who has been involved in the talks, said the president “is very firm in his resolve that we need to secure our border.”
He told CNN, “I don’t know that there’s a lot of progress that has been made today.”
But he added of Democrats: “If they believe that this president is going to yield on this particular issue, they’re misreading him.”
The impasse over government
So President Trump, if you want to open the government, you must abandon the wall, plain and simple.
— Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader
funding began last week, when the Senate approved a bipartisan deal keeping government open into February. That bill provided $1.3 billion for border security projects but not money for the wall. At Trump’s urging, the House approved that package and inserted the $5.7 billion he had requested.
On Friday afternoon, a Senate procedural vote showed that Republicans lacked the 60 votes they’d need to force the measure with the wall funding through their chamber. That jump-started
negotiations between Congress and the White House, but the deadline came and went without a deal.
Senate minority leader Charles Schumer of New York on Saturday said funding for Trump’s wall will “never pass the Senate.”
“So President Trump, if you want to open the government, you must abandon the wall, plain and simple,” Schumer said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is in lockstep with Schumer against the wall funding. If the shutdown continues into 2019, she has vowed that her new Democratic majority will act quickly to pass legislation reopening the government. The shutdown has been playing out against the backdrop of turmoil in the stock market, which is having a roller-coaster week.
Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, said the shutdown does not change the administration’s expectation for strong growth heading into 2019. He told reporters a shutdown of a few weeks is not going to have any
“significant effect on the outlook.”
The shutdown that began on Saturday – the third of 2018 –caused a lapse in funding for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice.
Roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and were working unpaid, while another 380,000 were furloughed, meaning they’ll stay home without pay. The shutdown complicates things for essential employees who planned trips for the holidays: According to the Office of Personnel Management rules, employees deemed essential or otherwise exempted from their respective agency furloughs can’t take any vacation or sick days.
Furloughed federal workers have been given back pay in previous shutdowns. Those being furloughed include 52,000 workers at the Internal Revenue Service and nearly everyone at NASA. About eight in 10 employees of the National Park Service are staying home, and many parks are closed.
Canada players Barrett Hayton,
which is co-hosting the world
Canadian crush
Gemma KARSTENS-SMITH
Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — Maxime Comtois scored four goals and Morgan Frost registered a hat trick as Canada blanked Denmark 14-0 at the world junior hockey championship on Wednesday.
The decisive win marked the first game of the tournament for Canada, which took gold last year.
Owen Tippett and Brett Leason each scored twice in the victory.
Jack Studnicka, Jaret AndersonDolan and MacKenzie Entwistle also found the net, while Cody Glass tallied four assists.
Canucks prospect and Ottawa 67’s goalie Michael DiPietro made 14 saves to earn the shutout for Canada.
Mads Sogaard of the Medicine Hat Tigers stopped 30-of-41 shots for Denmark before he left the game with an apparent injury midway through the third period.
Canada opened the scoring 4:52 into the game after Leason forced a turnover. Frost picked
up the rubber went one-on-one with Sogaard and deked out the netminder with some quick hands before slipping the puck under his pads to put Canada up 1-0.
Frost, a Philadelphia Flyers prospect, was dominant across the first period, getting involved each of Canada’s goals. Less than three minutes after scoring one of his own, the left-winger collected a pass from Glass in front of the net and sliced it across the ice to Tippett at the back door. Tippett rocketed a shot in behind Sogaard, giving Canada a two-goal lead.
With 42 seconds left in the first frame, Frost struck again after defenceman Markus Phillips found him in front of the net. Frost wound up and fired a blistering shot past the Danish goalie.
The Canadians carried the momentum into the second period, adding another goal just 45 seconds in. Glass left the puck for Comtois at the top of the face-off circle and the Canadian captain got a quick shot off to put his team up 4-0.
Fifty-five seconds later, DiPietro got a long pass off to Nick Suzuki,
Hosts dominate Denmark in first game at world juniors
who looked like he was about to shoot, then sent a quick pass to Frost instead. Frost hammered it in for his third goal of the night.
Canada got its first man advantage 7:05 into the second after Denmark’s Oliver Kjaer was called for delay of game. Glass got a pass off to Studnicka, who put it in past Sogaard.
U.S. gets past Slovakia in opener
Citizen news service
VICTORIA — The Americans waited until the third period to turn it on against Slovakia and avoid an upset.
Trailing by a goal through 40 minutes, the United States scored twice in the third to beat Slovakia 2-1 on Wednesday in the first preliminary-round game for both squads at the 2019 world junior hockey championship.
Captain Mikey Anderson tied it 1:10 into the third before Evan Barratt scored the eventual winner a little over four minutes later for the U.S. (1-0-0) at Victoria’s Save-On-Foods-Memorial Centre, where all Group B games are being held.
Barratt circled out from the corner and lifted a backhand over goaltender Samuel Hlavaj’s glove from the hash marks with the Slovakian netminder screened on the play.
Marek Korencik scored for Slovakia (0-1-0) with 2:43 to go in the second to give his country a chance for the upset.
Jason Robertson was stoned twice in the second by Hlavaj to keep the game scoreless. First Robertson was stopped on a breakaway in the period’s opening minute, then he was halted on a penalty shot.
American netminder Kyle Keyser made 13 saves for the win – including a stop on a penalty shot attempt from Andrej Kukuca with 6:45 to play and the Americans up a goal.
Hlavaj turned away 32 shots in defeat.
Earlier, David Kvasnicka scored 52 seconds into overtime as the Czch Republic beat Switzerland 2-1 in the opening game of the tournament.
Kvasnicka took a pass from Martin Kaut and put a harmless looking wrist shot through traffic that beat a screened Luca Hollenstein over his glove hand.
Kaut scored at 9:02 of the second for the Czech Republic (1-0-0) to make it a 1-1 game through 40 minutes at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena, where all Group A games are being held.
Nando Eggenberger gave Switzerland (0-1-0) a short-lived 1-0 lead with a power-play goal just 1:17 before Kaut responded for the Czechs.
Lukas Dostal made 26 saves for the win while Hollenstein stopped 25-of-27 shots in defeat.
Canada starts Spengler Cup with win
DAVOS, Switzerland (CP) — Matt D’Agostini’s goal early in the second period stood as the winner as Canada held off HC Davos 2-1 on Wednesday in both teams’ opening game at the Spengler Cup. Zach Boychuk opened scoring for Canada, while Zach Fucale made 24 saves for the win.
Thierry Bader ended Fucale’s shutout with less than two minutes remaining in the second period and Anders Lindback stopped 34 shots for HC Davos. “Overall, I think we played
well for our first game here,” said Canada head coach Kevin Dineen.
“They are a good team with a lot of experience and they applied some pressure late in the game. We were able to stick with it and come away with a win.”
HC Davos hosts what is considered the world’s oldest hockey tournament annually.
Although most participating teams in the event are club teams from around Europe, Hockey Canada puts together a team of free agents and other Canadians
playing abroad to compete.
Canada has won the tournament 15 times since first taking part in 1984, including the past three years. Neither team scored on the power play. Canada was 0-for-6 and HC Davos was 0-for-4.
Canada’s next game will be Friday against German club Nurnberg Ice Tigers
“There were a lot of positives in (Wednesday’s) game and a lot of things we can take in to Friday’s game,” said Dineen.
Canada registered another power-play goal midway through the frame after Danish right-winger Lucas Andersen was put in the box for tripping. This time, Evan Bouchard found Tippett down low and the Florida Panthers prospect hammered the puck in. Anderson-Dolan added Canada’s eighth goal of the night with less
than a minute to go in the second, poking the puck past Sogaard after a battle in front of the Danish net. Denmark’s best chance of the night came early in the third frame when Bouchard slashed left-winger Phillip Schultz as he took a shot. Schultz – who plays for the WHL’s Victoria Royals – got a penalty shot, but DiPietro made the stop with his right blocker. Canada didn’t let the play interrupt its flow, responding with a rush that saw Comtois notch his second goal of the night. The Anaheim Ducks prospect finished his hat trick 9:01 into the third period. Leason put up goals 11 and 12 for Canada before Comtois scored once again with just over five minutes to go. Entwistle was the final Canadian to score.
Sogaard went down with an injury with seven-and-a-half minutes to go in the game, writhing on the ice before he was helped off by a trainer. William Rorth stepped into the crease to finish off the game. Canada will be back in action today, taking on the Swiss.
Cats fight back for tie at Mac’s
Citizen staff
The efforts of netminder Devin Chapman and third-period goals by Brendan Pigeon and Booker Daniel allowed the Cariboo Cougars to start the Mac’s AAA Midget Hockey Tournament with a tie. On Wednesday at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary, the Cougars skated to a 2-2 draw with the Calgary Flames. The Flames outshot the Cougars 36-20 (16-8 in the second period and 15-6 in the third) but only got two pucks past Chapman. Matthew Mazzocchi connected on a power play at 9:18 of the second period and Calgary took a 2-0 lead on another man-advantage goal in the opening moments of the third. This time, Kayden Smith did the damage. Smith found the back of the Cariboo net while Daniel was serving a double minor for butt-ending.
were blanked on three opportunities. Jared Whale was the goaltender of record for the Flames.
w
The Cougars and Flames are grouped in a pool with the Brampton 45’s, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current Legionnaires. After a bye today, the Cougars will face Brampton on Friday, Lethbridge on Saturday and Swift Current on Sunday. The first-place finisher in each of the five pools will move on to the quarterfinal playoffs. The three teams with the next-best records will also qualify.
The championship game will be held on Jan. 1.
The Cougars got a much-needed goal from Pigeon a little more than two minutes later, and Daniel netted the equalizer with 5:03 left to play. Daniel picked up the primary assist on Pigeon’s goal for a two-point day. The Flames went 2-for-3 on the power play and the Cougars
The Cougars, from the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League, took a second-place record of 165-3 into the Mac’s tournament. In other Wednesday results, the first-place Fraser Valley Thunderbirds beat the Calgary Northstars 4-2, the fourth-place Okanagan Rockets lost 6-2 to the Saskatoon Blazers and the fifthplace Thompson Blazers fell 5-3 to the Airdrie CFR Bisons. The Vancouver Northeast Chiefs – in third place in the BCHMML –play their first Mac’s game today when they take on the Okotoks Bow Mark Oilers.
Team
left, Noah Dobson, Morgan Frost and Ty Smith celebrate Frost’s first-period goal against Denmark on Wednesday in Vancouver,
junior hockey championship.
COMTOIS
Citizen news service
LOS ANGELES — Sigi Schmid, the winningest coach in MLS history, has died. He was 65.
Schmid’s family said he died Tuesday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He was hospitalized three weeks ago as he awaited a heart transplant.
“Our family is deeply saddened by his passing and is taking this time to grieve the loss of a tremendous husband, father, leader and mentor,” the family said in a statement Wednesday through the Seattle Sounders, one of the three MLS teams Schmid coached.
“We also recognize how much Sigi meant to so many people across the U.S. Soccer landscape and around the world at different levels of the game. That community meant a great deal to him as well. While we mourn his loss, we appreciate privacy during this challenging time.”
Schmid had an MLS-record 266 regular-season and postseason victories in 18 seasons with the LA Galaxy, Columbus Crew and Sounders. He led teams to two MLS titles, the first with the Galaxy in 2002 and the second with the Crew in 2008, and was a two-time MLS Coach of the Year.
“Major League Soccer is devastated by the news of the passing of Sigi Schmid,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “Sigi will go down as one of the leading figures in the history of our league. From Los Angeles to Columbus and Seattle, Sigi won more games than any coach in MLS history and led his clubs to multiple championships, including two MLS Cups and five Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups. Sigi’s passion for soccer was unrivaled, and he was loved and admired by everyone in MLS. We deeply mourn his passing and send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Valerie, their children, and all of his loved ones.”
A U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, Schmid stepped down as coach of the Galaxy in September with six games left in the regular season.
“Sigi was a pillar of the Southern California and United States soccer community,” the Galaxy said in a statement. “He was a pioneer and his influence on the sport of soccer in the United States will long be felt. Sigi was a man of character, a good father, husband, friend and a passionate coach who respected everyone. He will always be a part of our family. We mourn his loss and offer our deepest sympathies to his family during this difficult time.” Schmid coached UCLA for 19 seasons before moving on to MLS, leading the Bruins to three NCAA titles.
Born in West Germany, Schmid moved to Southern California at age four.
“He will be missed greatly by a lot of people, and on behalf of the soccer community here in Seattle, I can say that we would not be where we are now without him,” Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer said.
Seahawks trying to match NFL record for fewest turnovers
Tim BOOTH Citizen news service
RENTON, Wash. — Of all the records the Seattle Seahawks have accomplished during Pete Carroll’s tenure, he may not be more proud than what they can accomplish this week.
The Seahawks enter Week 17 having committed just 10 turnovers all season, with five of those coming in the first two weeks in losses to Denver and Chicago. If Seattle can make it through the regular-season finale against Arizona without committing a turnover, it would join the 2010 New England Patriots and 2011 San Francisco 49ers as having the fewest turnovers in a 16-game season.
It might seem like a somewhat obscure accomplishment. But for someone who preaches the importance of securing the football the way Carroll does, it’s a huge deal for the Seahawks.
Seattle’s low in turnovers for a full season under Carroll was 14 in 2014.
“It’s the No. 1 thing that we emphasize and we’ve been doing it for a long time,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “What our challenge is, is how well can we emphasize it? And how well can we transfer that emphasis so they adopt that as part of their play? The mentality of it. There is a constancy that just goes away if you don’t. You have to be on it because there are unnatural aspects of it when you play the things that you have to do. You have to train and drill with the highest of expectations to get it done.”
Seattle being in this position only highlighted the remarkable turnaround since the start of the season and coincided with an emphasis on being a run-first team that started with Week 3 against Dallas.
The Seahawks turned around their 0-2 start
The Seahawks turned around their 0-2 start and five turnovers in those two games and have gone 9-4 over the past 13 games while committing just five turnovers during that time.
and five turnovers in those two games and have gone 9-4 over the past 13 games while committing just five turnovers during that time.
Seattle didn’t commit a turnover in three straight games beginning in Week 3 and for the past five games the only turnover committed was a poor decision by Russell Wilson late in the first half against Minnesota when he tried to make a desperation pass attempt rather than throwing the ball away.
That doesn’t mean there haven’t been close calls, such as last Sunday when Tyler Lockett fumbled a punt only to have it recovered by teammate Tre Flowers. Seattle has fumbled 18 times on the season and lost only four. But the major turnover issues have been completely avoided thus far.
“That’s the No. 1 thing (Carroll) talks about every day,” running back Chris Carson said. “When we break meetings, that’s the last thing he says. Before practice that’s the first thing he says. It’s definitely the most important thing.” Carson is responsible for a couple of those turnovers in the midst of running for more than 1,000 yards this season. Carson lost fumbles in Week 1 against Denver when Seattle was still trying to figure out its identity,
and Week 11 against Green Bay.
The situation against Green Bay was a learning lesson and sign of trust for Carson. He fumbled on the first offensive play of the game and watched Green Bay convert the turnover into a touchdown.
But on Seattle’s next possession, Carson got the first carry. It only went for two yards but was still important.
“It just means that they trust in me and gives me the confidence I need,” Carson said. “I know that when that happened I need to be more cautious the next time I’m out there.”
NOTES: Carroll said guard J.R. Sweezy was having additional tests on Wednesday about the extent of his sprained foot suffered against Kansas City. Sweezy was hurt midway through the second quarter. He was replaced by D.J. Fluker, who was only expected to play minimal snaps while recovering from a hamstring injury and ended up in for 61 per cent of the offensive snaps. Fluker will be limited in practice this week. ... Carroll said S Tedric Thompson (chest) and RT Germain Ifedi (groin) would practice on Wednesday after both missed last Sunday’s win over Kansas City. ... Carroll said he had not had much contact with Jody Allen, sister of former Seahawks owner Paul Allen, prior to the contract extension he signed with the team on Monday. “We have not hung out at all over the time, and we had one really significant meeting and a couple of phone talks and she’s been really excited and really fired up about doing this,” Carroll said. “Anybody who is a ‘12’ that cares about the Seahawks should be really fired up about how she’s looking at this and how she wants to go about it. She has a great love and spirit about the area and the club,” he said.
Swearinger happy to be back with Cardinals
Bob BAUM Citizen news service
TEMPE, Ariz. — D.J. Swearinger, released abruptly by the Washington Redskins this week after publicly criticizing the defensive coaching, didn’t need much time to find a landing place.
He’s back in Arizona with the Cardinals, where he played part of 2015 and all of the 2016 season.
Speaking in front of his new locker on Wednesday, Swearinger called it a “rocky Christmas” and acknowledged that he was wrong to speak out against Redskins defensive co-ordinator Greg Manusky and criticize the team’s strategy in a 25-16 loss to Tennessee.
Still, he was surprised, he said, that it led to his release from the team.
“Just living and learning,” Swearinger said, “understanding you know it wasn’t my role to call out the defensive coaches even though we
had a relationship. Me and the coaches had a good relationship. But it’s just learning. I keep my mouth shut next time and just keep moving and play football, do what I do on the field.”
Swearinger acknowledged he’s emotional and that controlling himself is difficult in the minutes after the game.
“I’m a very passionate player,” Swearinger said. “I put my heart in this game. You put the camera in my face after we lose a game that we’re supposed to go to the playoffs, I may say some things that I shouldn’t’ say. That’s on me. I’ve got to control that and get better at that, but like I said, live and learn and keep moving forward. That’s life.”
After the Redskins practice Wednesday, coach Jay Gruden said this wasn’t the first time Swearinger had problems such as this.
“Yeah, repeat offences. I’ve had many talks with him before,” Gruden said. “Obviously I didn’t get through to him. Again, that’s my
responsibility. At the end of the day we decided as an organization to move on.”
Swearinger had made significant contributions to the Washington defence. He had four interceptions (matching a career high), 53 tackles, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate.
“D.J. did some great things here without a doubt,” Gruden said. “We wish nothing but the best but at the end of the day that’s something that this franchise or any franchise can’t afford to have. We’ve moved on.”
Swearinger said he got a nice welcome from Patrick Peterson and other players who were around three seasons ago. Swearinger played four games for Arizona in 2015 and was with the Cardinals the entire 2016 season, finishing with three interceptions, 64 tackles and two sacks. That success led to his three-year deal with Washington.
Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson, with a little help from quarterback Russell Wilson, scores a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during last Sunday’s game in Seattle.
SCHMID
Horvat, Virtanen learned life lessons from world juniors
Ben KUZMA Vancouver Sun
Bo Horvat has some sage advice for those donning the maple leaf in the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championship.
“Soak it all in – enjoy the experience,” said the Vancouver Canucks centre, whose only appearance with Canada in the annual showcase was a bitter fourth-place showing in 2014 at Malmo, Sweden. “This could be your only chance to play for Canada and you want to make the most of it by playing hard for your country and having fun with it.
“Playing in front of great fans and playing in Canada – it doesn’t get much bigger. Win or lose, it was an experience I’ll never forget.”
Of 15 players on the current Canucks roster, including those who are injured, only Jake Virtanen (2015) and Brandon Sutter (2008) have captured gold for our nation. It speaks to how the global game has grown and the unbridled passion of fans, who toast teenagers when they excel and torch them when they fail to meet lofty expectations.
For all the adulation Virtanen was afforded in 2015, a year later the New Westminster native was attacked on virtually every platform following a wild 6-5 quarterfinal loss to eventual tourney champion Finland. Virtanen took a pair of pivotal third-period minors on the same play and found himself in the crosshairs of swift and sharp criticism that was unwarranted, unparralled and unfair.
He was labelled a goat for the penalties and because his first tourney point didn’t come until the quarterfinal. Nobody mentioned Finland’s roster was dotted with future stars in Patrik Laine, Mikko Rantanen and NHL regulars like Kasperi Kapanen, Sebastian Aho and Jesse Puljujärvi.
“I definitely grew some thick skin after that,” recalled Virtanen. “I feel like I used to be a little bit softer with that stuff. But it doesn’t really matter what other people say, I just worry about myself and I have no regrets at all.
“I watched the world junior a lot when I was younger and it was always a dream to play and luckily I got to play two times and it’s an honour to put the Canadian jersey on. You wish you could be 18 or 19 again because it’s such a great tournament to play in – especially when you win.”
Not that it’s easy to forget how some respond to a loss.
An inexperienced Canadian club will be under tremendous pressure to medal this year, but the faithful should keep everything in perspective.
Sven Baertschi, who represented Switzerland in 2011 (fifth) and 2012 (eighth), couldn’t believe the venom spewed at Virtanen following Canada’s early 2016 exit.
“It was gutless at times, really, because people say stuff and weeks later think: ‘Why was I thinking that?” said the Canucks winger. “He’s just a young kid who’s playing a game and at the end of the day, that’s all it is. A lot is on the line in the moment, but really, he’s only 19.”
Regardless of medal expectations, growth in games by playing with and against budding stars – like Connor McDavid – was a springboard to the NHL. Horvat had McDavid and Sam Reinhart as linemates in the 2014 tourney and benefitted from seeing where his own game was at and where it needed to improve. Horvat saw how driven McDavid was and how much his own game had to grow. You think you skate fast enough and then you see the future Edmonton Oilers captain shift gears like an F1 Ferrari. You think you’re good at taking passes at speed and you see how McDavid opens his hips, doesn’t miss a stride, and is gone in a flash.
“It was a pleasure playing with him because he opened up so much room,” said Horvat. “It was give the puck to him. It (world junior) was a learning experience of how much more you have to do and how much harder you have to work to get to the next level.”
Green’s three-pointer beats Heat
Tim REYNOLDS Citizen news service
MIAMI — Danny Green slipped to the right corner, somehow forgotten by the Miami Heat.
He made them pay.
Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points, Green’s three-pointer with 22.7 seconds left – a wide-open one – became the game-winner, and the Toronto Raptors improved the NBA’s best record to 26-10 by topping the Heat 106-104 on Wednesday night.
Toronto has now won three games this season when trailing by 17 points.
“We’ve always got a chance to come back,” Fred VanVleet said.
Green had 18 points and VanVleet added 16 for the Raptors, who survived a wild fourth quarter that saw 12 lead changes and four ties. Miami had three shots on the game’s final possession, with Dwyane Wade and Justise Winslow missing threes and Wade having a chance at a tip-in that wouldn’t fall.
Wade blamed himself for Green being so open, acknowledging that he blew the coverage.
“I’m not mad at the loss. I’m mad at the way I played,” Wade said. “You’re going to lose games in this league. That’s fine. We’ve been playing good basketball and we played some good basketball today. Losses are going to happen. It’s the way you bounce back from them and the last few times we’ve had losses we’ve bounced back pretty well.”
Winslow scored 21 points for Miami, which saw its five-game winning streak snapped. Josh Richardson scored 17 and Hassan Whiteside scored 16 for Miami, which was 6-for-12 from the foul line, while Toronto was 19-for-23.
James Johnson and Tyler Johnson each scored 12 for the Heat, while Wade had 10. Pascal Siakam added 10 for the Raptors.
Winslow’s layup with 35.2 seconds left put Miami up by one, and on the next Toronto possession Green found himself wide-open in the right corner – nearly the identical spot from where Ray Allen hit a three-pointer to deny Green and Leonard the 2013 NBA title when they were with San Antonio. Green connected, the Raptors got the game’s last stop and escaped to move to 7-0 against the Southeast Division this season.
Liverpool tightens grip on first place
(AP) — Liverpool made it an unhappy return to Anfield for the club’s former coach Rafael Benitez by crushing his Newcastle side 4-0 to go six points clear at the top of the English Premier League on Wednesday. Dejan Lovren, Mohamed Salah,
Xherdan Shaqiri, and Fabinho were the scorers as Liverpool gave its hopes of landing the top-flight title for the first time since 1990 a massive boost. Defending champion Manchester City, which started the day in second position, suffered its second surprise loss in four
“Gutsy win by us at the end,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
Miami led 58-44 at the half and extended the lead to 17 early in the third quarter, before Toronto went to a zone – the defence that the Heat have been using so well of late – and the game changed. VanVleet made three threes and had 11 points while Leonard added 10 in what became a 31-12 run over the last 8:10 of the quarter by the Raptors, and they took an 81-79 lead into the fourth.
Winslow made a wild layup for a 9993 lead that came after an 8-0 Miami run and the Raptors needed about a minute to respond with a lead-taking 8-0 run of their own. VanVleet connected on a three, Siakam added a three-point play and Leonard drew a blocking call against Winslow that the Heat didn’t like with 1:19 left that he turned into a pair of free throws and a 101-99 Toronto edge.
“The whistle went my way tonight,” Leonard said.
The lead changed hands four more times from there, Green’s three marking the last of those.
“There’s some really good things going on,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And it was a great basketball game.”
The Raptors were again without point guard Kyle Lowry (back tightness). Lowry has now missed five of Toronto’s last six games, the other four absences caused by a thigh issue.
days when it was beaten at Leicester 2-1. Tottenham followed up its 6-2 romp at Everton on Sunday with another big win as Son Heung-min scored twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Bournemouth that took the London club one point ahead of Manchester City in the standings.
AP PHOTO
Miami Heat guard Rodney McGruder defends against Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard during Wednesday’s game in Miami. Toronto won 106-104.
Playing Hardy was terrifying, inspiring for Reilly
Andrew DALTON Citizen news service
Playing Oliver Hardy, the large comic with the even larger persona, was a burden that became a mission for John C. Reilly.
The actor had early misgivings about becoming the man whose legendary partnership with Stan Laurel is explored in Stan & Ollie, which will be released Friday by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It was a pretty terrifying prospect,” Reilly told The Associated Press in an interview earlier this month after learning the role had earned him a Golden Globe nomination. “Those are some very big shoes to fill, no pun intended. I didn’t know that it was going to work out so well. It was really an act of faith.”
At the beginning of the process, Reilly developed a deep affection for Hardy through books, through Hardy’s letters to his wife and through the more than 100 screen appearances he made with Laurel, played by Steve Coogan.
It was on finding out how neglected Hardy and his partner were late in their lives and careers – the period explored in the film, which documents a trying tour through the United Kingdom in the early 1950s when the men were in their early 60s – that Reilly felt not only a compulsion but also a duty to do it.
“I just didn’t feel I was worthy at first,” Reilly said. “But when you learn about Laurel and Hardy, and how the world kind of forgot them at the end of their life, I realized I had to do this for Oliver. I would just keep saying, ‘do it for Oliver.”’
He took on the entirety of Hardy for the part, mentally and physically, spending four hours in the makeup chair on shooting days and taking on the full feeling of his body.
“I had weights built into the fat suit so that I could always feel that, you know, the heft of it, so I wouldn’t just feel like this light foam suit,” Reilly said. “And I think I started to rue that decision by the end because the weight was just like – it was a lot every day to carry.”
Other aspects of Hardy were easier to imitate.
Mariah
“Ollie really loved good times, and was always after wine, women and song. I can relate to that,” Reilly said with a laugh. “I mean, I work a lot too, but I can relate to that.” Reilly, 53, has made a specialty of playing sidekicks, from his breakout role behind Mark Wahlberg in 1997’s Boogie Nights through several second-fiddle roles alongside Will Ferrell, most recently in the newly released Holmes & Watson.
But with Coogan, he has the equal billing and true partnership of the men
they’re playing.
“Steve and I not only got to know each other and found a working relationship through all the rehearsals and the singing and dancing, but we also found the guys themselves,” Reilly said. “That’s what they did all day. So, we started to feel like them after a while.”
“We knuckled down,” Coogan told the AP at a screening of the film in New York early in this month. “We had a long rehearsal period. We learned the dance routines.
We learned the sketches, and we devised some of our own in the style of Laurel and Hardy.”
As the two men embodied the characters, they came to see their calling as returning them to the cultural memory.
“It was like this mission to bring back the legacy of Laurel and Hardy,” Reilly said. “The film is really just, it’s just a signpost pointing to their work. We’re hoping this make people re-discover Laurel and Hardy again. It still stands up. It’s still funny.”
Carey’s Christmas classic sets new record on Spotify
Mesfin FEKADU Citizen news service
NEW YORK — Mariah Carey’s 24-yearold Christmas classic is so popular it set a new one-day streaming record on Spotify on Christmas Eve.
Chart Data reported that All I Want for Christmas Is You, released in 1994, was played 10.8 million times on Spotify on Monday. The song bested the record set by rapper-singer XXXTentacion, who logged 10.4 million streams with SAD! a day after
his death in June. Carey called the new feat “such an amazing Christmas gift” in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
Every holiday season All I Want for Christmas Is You begins to climb the Billboard charts as its popularity resurfaces. This year the song reached its highest peak
– No. 6 – on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it’s currently No. 7 on the chart.
The success has helped Carey’s first Christmas album, 1994’s Merry Christmas,
spend its fourth week at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart.
The current Hot 100 chart features 20 holiday songs.
The top 12 are:
• No. 7, Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You;
• No. 10, Andy Williams’ It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year;
• No. 11, Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree;
• No. 12, Burl Ives’ A Holly Jolly Christmas;
• No. 13, Bobby Helms’ Jingle Bell Rock;
• No. 17, Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You);
• No. 27, Wham!’s Last Christmas;
• No. 28, Gene Autry’s Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer;
• No. 32, Dean Martin’s Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow;
• No. 33, The Ronettes’ Sleigh Ride;
• No. 34, Jose Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad;
• No. 35, Gene Autry’s Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane).
Queen of Scots role gave Ronan room to grow
Brooke LEFFERTS Citizen news service
NEW YORK — Saoirse Ronan says she was “more than ready” to make the transition on film, and in real life, from young girl to commanding woman. Her new role in Mary Queen of Scots, gave her the opportunity to do both.
Ronan, who is Irish, says she was not only excited to play Mary Stuart, a Celtic woman who ruled Scotland in the 16th century, but also to take on such a meaty part.
Nominated for Oscars for roles in Atonement, Brooklyn and last year’s awards season favourite, Lady Bird, Ronan, 24, has often played girls who are still finding their way in the world. But Mary Queen of Scots provided the transition to full womanhood as her character falls in love, becomes a mother, and rides a horse into battle.
“Playing Mary offered me so much as an actor. It’s the first time that I’ve played someone who really comes into their womanhood and is very sort of settled and comfortable in that stage of their life,” Ronan says. “Doing the labour scene especially, it was just a really, really empowering scene... and I think just getting to play someone who can, you know scream and be sweaty, and you know enjoy sex and go onto the battlefield and do all of these things was really liberating for me.”
Her character also faces betrayal from both family and political factions who didn’t always respect a woman in power. In the film, Scots who wanted Queen Mary to lose her position fabricated rumours to sway the public against her. The negative rhetoric may resonate with modern audiences.
“It totally mirrors exactly what’s happening now and what has kind of always happened to, especially I think, women in politics – the way they’re shamed and the way they’re ridiculed for basically anything that isn’t their policy.”
Ronan went on to say “it’s been really interesting to see how people have been able to pick up on so many things in the film that were taking place 500 years ago that are still very much a common occurrence now.”
Ronan says she always wanted to collaborate with Margot Robbie, who plays Queen Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of Scots. The two actresses decided it would be best for on-screen tension if they didn’t see each other until their one scene together.
“By the time we actually saw each other which was in a take, and the camera shot us both at the same time, it was just the best buzz ever,” Ronan says. Playing a formidable queen was like “gold dust” but Ronan says she’s also attracted to characters who are vulnerable and damaged.
“It’s great to play really strong women, but also I just really want to play very well written roles. So even if they are a bit of a mess or a bit ditzy or whatever, I don’t mind that.”
Mary Queen of Scots is in theatres now.
Cassette-tape sales on the rise in Canada
Citizen news service
TORONTO — The comeback of cassette tapes was deemed a fad by many, but sales of the physical medium showed little sign of slowing in Canada this year. Nielsen Music Canada says overall sales of cassettes rose about 14 per cent in 2018, extending the increase of six per cent last year.
Total sales of the pocket-sized medium reached 8,500 copies through the week ending Dec. 20, the data agency reported, helped by soundtracks for the
Guardians of the Galaxy films. The two best-selling titles of the year were for compilations of music from the Marvel movies, which prominently feature the characters travelling the galaxy to homemade mix tapes.
Together, the soundtracks represented 21 per cent of cassette sales, Nielsen said.
Sales of cassettes still represent a tiny fraction of physical media sales, with vinyl records projected to sell more than 894,000 copies this year. Compact discs are expected to sell about 6.9 million copies, a decline of about 28 per cent from last year.
AP PHOTO
John C. Reilly poses for a portrait at the Adelaide Hotel during the Toronto International Film Festival. Reilly plays Oliver Hardy in the film Stan & Ollie.
RONAN
MARGARET KEIBEL
Dec. 8, 1930 — Dec. 16, 2018
We are very sad to announce the sudden passing of Margaret Keibel on Sunday Dec. 16, at the amazing age of 88. She is survived by daughters; Laura, Lindsey (Gord) and Janet. Grandchildren; Ashley, Shaun, Quinlan and Zachary, great grandchildren; Lukas, Hannah and Grace, sister in law Maureen Keibel and many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her husband Alfred and Brothers Ernest and Jimmy. Margaret was born in Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire England in 1930. Her adventurous spirit led her to move to Canada landing in Hamilton Ontario in 1958. She heard the call of the North and made her way to Prince George in 1960. Margaret settled into her nursing career and married life and proceeded to deliver hundreds of Prince George babies. She also taught prenatal classes and was a breastfeeding consultant. Over the years she helped countless Mothers and Fathers prepare for the complexities of childbirth and the mysteries of breastfeeding. Margaret had a passion and talent for this teaching and continued with it into retirement. Margaret later became active at Elder Citizens Recreation Association (ECRA) where she was involved with the Forever Young Choir. She was instrumental in forming the PG UKES after a successful run with her friends in a Ukulele group called “The Mother Pluckers”. These groups were like family to her and gave her such joy. She continued participating in playouts and concerts right up to her very last days. We will forever be thankful for their friendship and support and for making her days full of good notes. Margaret and her dog Charley moved into the Riverbend Senior Residence this past summer. There, they were welcomed by old friends and were enjoying making new friends and participating in the many fabulous social activities within the building. We would like to give a special
MONEY IN BRIEF
OTTAWA (CP) — These are indicative wholesale rates for foreign currency provided by the Bank of Canada on Monday. Rates from Wednesday were not available, due to the Boxing Day holiday. Quotations in Canadian funds.
Postage rate increases coming next month
The markets today
NOTE: Canadian markets were closed on Wednesday for the Boxing Day holiday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street notched its best day in 10 years as stocks rallied back Wednesday, giving some post-Christmas hope to a market that has otherwise been battered this December.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 1,000 points – its biggest point-gain ever – rising nearly five per cent as investors returned from a holiday break. The benchmark S&P 500 index also gained five per cent and the technology heavy Nasdaq rose 5.8 per cent.
But even with the rally, the market remains on track for its worst December since 1931, during the depths of the Great Depression, and to finish 2018 with its steepest losses in a decade.
Technology companies, health care stocks and banks drove much of the broad rally. Retailers also were big gainers, as traders cheered a healthy holiday shopping season marked by robust consumer spending. Amazon had its biggest gain in more than a year. But what really might have pushed stocks over the top was a signal from Washington D.C. that U.S. President Donald Trump would not try to oust the chairman of the Federal Reserve.
On Monday, Trump tweeted another critical volley about the central bank’s policy, rattling markets over the possibility the White House might interfere with the traditionally independent Federal Reserve. But in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Wednesday, a White House economic adviser said that Fed chairman Jerome Powell is in no danger of being fired. Energy stocks also rebounded as the price of U.S. crude oil notched its biggest one-day gain in more than two years. All told, the S&P 500 index rose 116.60 points, or five per cent, to 2,467.70. The Dow soared 1,086.25 points, or five per cent, to 22,878.45. The techheavy Nasdaq gained 361.44 points, or 5.8 per cent, to 6,554.36. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 62.89 points, or five per cent, 1,329.81. Trading volume was lighter than usual following the Christmas holiday. Markets in Canada, Europe, Hong Kong and Australia were closed.
Citizen news service
OTTAWA — Unless you really hurry, sending a letter to Santa for next Christmas will cost you a nickel more.
Starting Jan. 14, Canada Post says the cost for an individual stamp on a letter sent within Canada will be $1.05, instead of a loonie. Other increases for mail within the country range between a dime and 35 cents depending on the size of the letter.
The cost of sending letters to the United States will go up between seven and 20 cents, while overseas mail will need an extra 15 to 20 cents to get there.
The new rates are the first increase since March 2014.
Canada Post says the increases should generate $26 million in revenues for the postal service, of which $11 million will come from
consumers and the remaining $15 million from small and medium-sized businesses.
Regulatory text posted online Monday estimates that the new rates will cost the average Canadian household about 65 cents next year.
The average cost for small businesses that use stamps to pay postage will be about $14.21.
Canada Post has long pointed to declines in letter mail as more Canadians opt to send emails instead of a written note. The regulatory text says that letter mail volume has almost been cut in half since 2006 – about two billion letters – and along with it revenue for the Crown corporation.
Federal rules require Canada Post to set postage rates that are fair, reasonable and enough to help defray the costs of operation.
“Given the current rate at which letter mail volumes are declining and the other financial
pressures faced by Canada Post, it may no longer generate sufficient revenue to meet its service obligations in the future without regular changes in its rate structure,” says a posting in the Canada Gazette, a government publication detailing new federal rules and regulations.
In late November, Canada Post said it expects to finish its fiscal year with a loss. The postal service was ordered in September to increase pay for suburban and rural postal employees by 25 per cent, which the agency said would cost $550 million by the end of the year, including a charge of $130 million that was put on its books in the final quarter of 2017. Postal workers went on rotating strikes in late October, but about a month later the Liberals legislated an end to job action after Canada Post complained that a backlog of parcels had reached historic levels ahead of the crucial holiday shopping period.
Online retailers joining ‘mystery box’ trend
Tara DESCHAMPS Citizen news service
TORONTO — When Toronto YouTubers
Becky Wright and Kelsey MacDermaid picked up the mail last October, the sight of a bright blue box had them bubbling with excitement.
The duo, who call themselves the Sorry Girls and make do-it-yourself videos on YouTube, had shelled out $67 for the box on eBay, but had no idea who it was from or what was in it.
The package was one of the thousands of “mystery boxes” advertised and sold online by average joes hoping to make a quick buck, hobbyists who take delight in orchestrating a game of risk and reward and businesses looking to get in on the craze.
Boxes typically go for as little as $20, but some have fetched as much as $50,000. What’s inside remains a secret until it’s opened by the purchaser, but social media shows some people discovering Apple MacBook computers, Louis Vuitton wallets and Rolex watches, while others have found holiday ornaments, DVDs, action figures or even broken electronics.
Wright and MacDermaid’s box was full of crocheted items – a pumpkin, fingerless gloves, a headband, a hat and a dream catcher.
“We got lucky, unlike most people who order these things,” Wright said.
They said they have since noticed YouTubers buying the boxes – primarily because they are a fast and easy way to rack up views for a channel.
“I was seeing some getting so ridiculous.
(They would say) ‘I bought a $5,000 mystery storage locker of stuff,”’ said Wright.
“That’s crazy.”
Kent Sikstrom, Kijiji Canada’s community relations manager, said in an email that the company doesn’t have any official policies limiting the sale of mystery boxes, but chalked it up to being a “fad/trend of the month” and
said it is “likely being exaggerated for entertainment purposes.”
Meanwhile, eBay’s policy does not allow “mystery items where contents aren’t identified,” but The Canadian Press found plenty of boxes with no descriptions of what’s inside listed on the site.
Camille Kowalewski, eBay Canada and Latin America’s head of communications, clarified the boxes are allowed if you indicate the type of item enclosed.
Kowalewski said boxes with collectible or sports themes get the most traction, but said she has noticed retail brands and specialty goods companies wading into the trend.
Muji sold Fukukan or “lucky cans” that contain handmade traditional lucky charms from different regions in Japan in November, while Nordstrom has rolled out $25 “surprise bags”
it stuffs with seven or eight small items from accessory and memento maker Three Potato Four.
Brian Ehrenworth, the president of sports collectibles company Frameworth, said his company also jumped on the trend, about three years ago when he saw someone selling mystery boxes at a trade show.
A few buyers were excited with what they got in their boxes, but others were disappointed. Ehrenworth, whose company has longstanding relationships with athletes, figured he could use his connections to put a twist on the model that would see every buyer walk away with something of considerable value, limiting the gamble to which team the merchandise they got was related to.
Within six months, Frameworth was selling its first set of mystery boxes.
“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”
CP FILE PHOTO
Canada Post employee Shelly Paul delivers the mail in snowy Water Valley, Alta., on Oct. 2. Canada Post says postage rates will increase starting on Jan. 14.
HANDOUT PHOTO BY SORRY GIRLS
Toronto YouTubers Becky Wright and Kelsey MacDermaid were excited to open their bright blue ‘mystery box’ in October.
Boldly going where no one has gone before
On Sept. 12, 1962, at Rice University, U.S. President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to putting “a man on the moon” before the end of the decade, not because it was easy but because it was hard.
Although his speech included other objectives, the event is generally known as the “We choose to go to the Moon” speech and NASA realized Kennedy’s vision on July 20, 1969, as a human being landed on another celestial body for the first time.
With “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” the space age arrived in earnest.
Human exploration of the moon was short-lived, though, and we haven’t been back for a very long time.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first landing. We haven’t been back since Dec. 14, 1972.
Space exploration continues, though, but now we are visiting other planets and celestial bodies using space probes and robotic agents. Mars has three active robots on its surface sending back details on the Red Planet.
We now know Mars has liquid water. Its surface in the past was shaped by outbursts of flowing water and may have once been covered with seas. The latest mission is attempting to answer the question of whether or not life might have existed there.
We know Venus is a hothouse hell. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere combined with sulphuric acid make landing on the surface a very short event. Exploration from orbit has indicated there might actually be rivers of molten lead flowing across the surface.
Thanks to Messenger, which explored Mercury, we now have an understanding of the geology of the innermost planet.
And the grand-daddy of space probes, Voyager 1, has left the solar system entirely, but not before provided detailed close-up pictures of the outer planets.
Yet, we still have a lot to learn.
New Horizons flew by Pluto in July 2015. The images it provided of the surface show a planet very different from expectations. Plains, ridges, mountains and a surface with large tracks of red compounds were among the surprises. A total of five moons were photographed.
Hole in space capsule drilled from inside
Citizen news service
MOSCOW — A Russian cosmonaut who explored a mysterious hole in a capsule docked to the International Space Station said Monday that the opening was drilled from inside the spacecraft and Russian law enforcement agencies are investigating what caused it.
Sergei Prokopyev said investigators were looking at samples he and crewmate Oleg Kononenko collected during a Dec. 12 spacewalk. Prokopyev and two other astronauts returned to Earth last week from a 197-day space station mission.
The hole in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station was spotted on Aug. 30. The crew discovered a leak that was creating a slight loss of pressure and plugged the hole with epoxy and gauze.
Prokopyev said at a news conference the cavity started from the capsule’s interior and “it’s up to the investigative organs to judge when that hole was made.”
The astronauts’ quick identification and repair of the hole demonstrated “the crew was ready for any developments,” he said.
The hole didn’t pose a danger to Prokopyev and crewmates Serena AunonChancellor of NASA and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency during their return because the section of the capsule it appeared on was jettisoned before the fiery reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in September the hole could have been drilled when the capsule was manufactured or in orbit. Rogozin stopped short of blaming crew members.
Much of the data is still being explored and will likely yield astonishing results over the next few years.
But New Horizons was built to carry on exploring beyond Pluto. On Jan. 1, a billion miles beyond Pluto, the spacecraft will encounter a Kuiper Belt object officially designated 2014 MU69 but unofficially designated Ultima Thule.
Discovered a few years ago, it is a dwarf
planet like Pluto. It represents exploration of a celestial body beyond the solar system as we have known it.
The New Horizons team has been watching the approaching planetoid with the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager looking for any possible potential hazards which might require diversions or alterations in the flyby. So far the flight path looks clear but at this point, little can be done to correct the course.
It literally takes hours for signals to reach Earth from the space probe and more hours for any sort of command to return. It is a bit like driving blindfolded when you can only make decisions after the drive is over.
The approach to Ultima Thule will be the most distant flyby NASA has attempted but the scientists involved are hoping the information gleaned will help to unravel the origins of the solar system. The objects orbiting in the Kuiper’s Belt are believed to be remnants from the construction of the solar system.
At the same time, Voyager 2 has left the solar system entirely. It is the second time a human-made object has exited the heliosphere – the protective bubble of particles and fields generated by the Sun’s magnetosphere and solar wind (the first was Voyager 1).
Voyager 2 is still functional, providing valuable data. It was originally intended to have a five-year mission, but has been in space for 41 years, running off the heat from a nuclear reactor.
It has visited four planets on its 30 billion kilometre trip and far exceeded expectations.
Onboard is an instrument labeled the Plasma Science Experiment which monitors the outflow of particles in the solar wind. The same instrument in Voyager 1 unfortunately stopped working before it reached the heliopause but Voyager 2 has been able to provide details of the rapid decline in plasma as detected by the speed, density, temperature, pressure, and flux of the wind.
Over the past few months, the solar wind has gradually dropped to zero and Voyager has left the solar system behind.
It will be another 300 years – travelling over 400 million kilometres per year – before it finally reaches the Oort Cloud which is the next major step in its voyage into deep space but, for now, it is one of only two objects we have sent into a universe we are just beginning to explore.
B.C. students to study ‘tree canopy’ bus shelters
Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — Students at the University of British Columbia are hoping to build bus shelters with environmental benefits.
Tabinda Shah, a final-year urban forestry student, said she and several other students are working to build a “tree canopy bus shelter,” which would not only shelter people from the rain as they wait for their ride, but also help the environment.
“The aim of the project is to bring ecologically conscious infrastructure into dense urban areas by maximizing opportunities for green infrastructure in small spaces,” she said in an email.
The roof or shelter would be made of treated wood that can withstand the elements and host a layer of plants that are hardy and succulent, and can thrive in not just the rain but the dry months too. The excess water from the roof would run off into the ground to recharge the water table.
The students are crowdfunding the project and want to build at least three bus shelters to measure their effectiveness.
Shah said each shelter costs about $50,000, and the team is hoping to have a prototype shelter built by sometime next year.
Daniel Roehr, associate professor at UBC, said while the team does not have any arrangement with the City of Vancouver or the transit agency, they do have permits to build three structures on the University of British Columbia campus.
Shah said Vancouver is a very walkable city, but that hardly anyone wants to walk in it during the winter because of a lack of pedestrian shelter from the rain.
“Being an urban forestry student, I wanted to bring a multifaceted solution to the table that would not only increase walkability in the city, but also create habitat space, more sustainable stormwater management and a biophilic city,” she said.
Roehr said Vancouver has a number of green
roofs but most of them need to be irrigated, so one of the main design aims of these tree canopy bus shelters was that they would be self-sufficient.
Roehr and Shah are working with a team of other students from different disciplines on the shelters.
“We have flow devices to measure rainwater runoff from these roofs and how effective they are,” Roehr said.
“We want to monitor it. And if it is effective we can use it all over the city – we could use it on all bus shelters.”
Shah said this will be the first type of bus shelter to measure how much rainwater is runoff. She added that such bus shelters are important because they are one more step towards tackling climate change.
The prototype and research will help justify whether a larger investment into such an idea would be worth it, she said.
“We’re hoping to have the prototype constructed along Wesbrook Mall at the University of British Columbia, but in an ideal world, we would want these all over the city street networks of Vancouver,” Shah said.
Young beluga won’t stay away from the Maritimes
Citizen news service
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — A group of marine researchers says a young beluga whale is too attached to the Maritimes for his own good.
Nepi, who’s estimated to be about four years old, was spotted in Summerside, P.E.I., in early December, much to the delight of a local diving class.
“We heard a whale, or what we thought was something blowing, and then this whale appeared,” recalled Kimball Johnston, an instructor at Holland College’s commercial diving program.
The group, which included Johnston and 11 students, thought the whale would swim away and keep his distance. Instead, Nepi hung around the divers for several hours.
“He started coming around and was more curious, and was diving
amongst our divers, and kept getting closer and closer to the point where he was right up next to them and they could see him very, very clearly,” he said. Johnston, who’s been diving for more than 20 years, said he’s never seen a beluga so close to the Island. While the students were excited to be in such close quarters with the whale, Johnston said they did not chase or entice Nepi to stay with them.
“We were there doing our thing and he was there doing his thing,” he said. “We were just going about our business and he just kept intruding.”
Robert Michaud, scientific director of the Quebec-based Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals, says it’s worrying to see a young beluga getting friendly with people while away
from home – especially when it’s a repeat offender, like Nepi.
Michaud’s group first came across the young whale in June 2017. After getting a call about a beluga being stuck in the mouth of the Nepisiguit River in Bathurst, N.B., the group coordinated a rescue that involved moving him to the St. Lawrence river in Quebec, near Cacouna. Michaud said the rescue was an experiment.
“The St. Lawrence beluga population is declining, they’re endangered, so we were wondering whether saving an animal would help recover the population,” he said.
“The animal was not too far from home, it was feasible, so we tried it.”
The marine research group put a tag on Nepi so they could track
him, but the mischievous whale managed to lose it after about 20 days. A year after he went off the grid, Nepi was spotted by a wildlife photographer in Ingonish, N.S., and researchers managed to identify the whale by looking at the photographs.
Now that the beluga has popped up once again in P.E.I., Michaud said he’s mystefied as to why Nepi finds the Maritimes so alluring.
“This young whale would be much better hanging around with others of his own kind in the St. Lawrence area. This is why we moved it back to Cacouna,” he said. “The question is why he went back again. Is it the individual temper of this guy to be adventurous?”
When belugas get too close to boats and people, Michaud said, it can often lead to tragedy for the declining species.
An Atlas V rocket loaded with the New Horizons unmanned space probe on Jan. 17, 2006. On Jan. 1, the New Horizons probe will fly by 2014 MU69 – a dwarf planet known as Ultima Thule in the Kuiper Belt, beyond Pluto.
Students at the University of British Columbia are hoping to build bus shelters topped with plant life in Vancouver to improve the walkability of the city, create habitat space and absorb stormwater.
