Prince George Citizen December 28, 2018

after an alleged drive-by shooting on Oct. 5.

ATM heist among unsolved crimes of 2018

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

A brazen theft of an automatic teller machine from a local business is among the crimes committed in 2018 for which an arrest has not yet been made.

The heist occurred on the night of Nov. 11 when, at about 8:45 p.m., two men wearing masks, overalls and gloves smashed the glass door at the Spotless Dry Cleaners and Laundromat at 15th Avenue and Johnson Street, across from Value Village.

From there, they carried out the ATM and loaded it into a pickup truck and took off. Images from a surveillance camera at the business were released but the two remain on the loose.

That might be understandable given how well they were disguised but the images did provide a good look at their getaway vehicle

– a grey late-model four-door Dodge Ram 1500 with running boards, factory rims, split dual exhaust, trailer hitch and a large scrape on the passenger side front door.

It was not the only crime committed this past year that remains unsolved – some because the victim refused to cooperate with police but others because either the perpetrator was a complete stranger or simply not seen.

That was the case in a pair of shots-fired incidents.

Just before 6 a.m. on Oct. 5, RCMP received multiple reports of shots fired near the corner of Strathcona Avenue and Norwood Street in the VLA.

RCMP found a home that suffered damage that appeared consistent with bullet holes but were unable to nab a suspect. Sev-

eral people were inside the home but there were no injuries from what police suspect was a targeted attack.

Mystery also continues to surround the discovery on Nov. 25 of a semiautomatic rifle on a walking path between the 2400 blocks of Oak and Victoria streets after a number of nearby residents reported hearing shots fired. Police were notified at about 8:45 p.m.

Arrests are also still to be made in a pair of attacks – one in which a man was hit with a hammer when he refused to hand over his phone, the other when an 18-year-old girl was the target of an attempted sexual assault.

The first occurred on Oct. 8 at about 9:30 a.m. on 17th Avenue near Larch Street.

The attacker was described only as a lone male wearing a mask and the victim was treated in hospital and later released.

The second occurred on the evening of Dec. 3 as the girl was walking along the 200-block of Ruggles Street. The assailant is described as dark-skinned, possibly African descent, 20-to-30 years old, six feet tall with a medium build and very little or no hair. He was wearing a grey sweater, jeans and a tuque.

Anyone who has information that could help police break these cases can call Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 or online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca (English only).

You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information that leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Year in pictures

LEFT: Firefighters enter a four-plex on Westwood Drive that was engulfed in flames on March 29.

in

Snowfall warning issued

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

The snow is coming.

Local residents had almost forgotten what the white stuff looked like, with the winter drought that covered (meaning not covered at all, by anything) the region this season.

That’s about to change. An overnight snowfall warning from Environment Canada promises a significant dump across the eastern half of the province from the Yukon border all the way to the Alberta border, and south to 100 Mile House.

Prince George is right in the middle of that precipitation. On Thursday afternoon the overnight amount was anticipated to be about 25 cm.

“In addition to heavy snow, this system will also produce strong winds beginning Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday,” said a spokesperson from Environment Canada.

“These winds combined with falling snow may locally reduce visibility further

in blowing snow. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow.”

The Pine Pass and the Cariboo Mountains were specified as probably getting higher amounts of snow.

The temperatures for Prince George were easygoing, as the snow began to fall. The mercury was anticipated to fluctuate from a daytime high of -2 C Thursday afternoon to -6 C overnight. Making the driving conditions more dangerous is the expected weekend weather, which Environment Canada expects to get above zero on Saturday, bringing with it the threat of cold rain on top of all the fresh snow. By Sunday, the skies are forecasted to clear and the temperatures dip to -18 C on Sunday and Monday nights, with daytime highs around -8 C. Tuesday could have a small dip to -14 C in the day, but that is expected to ease to -8 C by Wednesday afternoon.

Monitor the Environment Canada website and DriveBC.com for the latest information most pertinent to you.

Environmental, economic issues divide First Nations

Citizen news service

A Vancouver-area First Nation’s decision to support the Woodfibre LNG project may have come as a surprise to some, considering the nation’s role in helping to derail the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion earlier this year.

The Squamish Nation community was one of a handful of First Nations that lined up to convince the Federal Court of Appeal in August to overturn National Energy Board approval of the controversial oil pipeline expansion from Edmonton to the West Coast, leaving its future in doubt.

But the nation’s acceptance of the liquefied natural gas export project last month reinforces a simple truth, says historian Ken Coates: while Canada’s first people may approach tough questions differently than non-native Canadians, their decisions are motivated by many of the same factors.

“These are complex issues and you’re always going to have people on both sides,” said the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s senior fellow in Aboriginal and northern Canadian issues and the author of several books and publications on Indigenous relations.

“These are communities that need real sustainable, substantial economic benefit, where Indigenous people have been

locked out of the market economy for 150 years, since Confederation.

“They’ve been wanting in for a long period of time.”

Woodfibre LNG gained trust through five years of consultations and by agreeing to abide by conditions under the nation’s environmental and cultural assessment process (which operates separately from federal and provincial regimes), said Khelsilem, a spokesman for the Squamish Nation council, and one of its councillors who voted against the proposal in a close 8-6 vote.

In return for its support, the community is to receive annual and milestone payments totalling $226 million over the 40year life of the project, and its companies will be in line to bid on up to $872 million in contracts.

Hundreds of jobs are expected to result for the nation’s 4,000 members, nearly half of whom live off reserve in the Greater Vancouver area. Khelsilem, who uses one name, said the product involved in each project –Woodfibre LNG’s relatively benign natural gas versus the “extreme risk” of diluted bitumen from the oilsands in the Trans Mountain pipeline – was just one of several factors in the decision to back one and fight the other.

— see ‘IT’S NOT ABOUT, page 3

CITIZEN

Tape marks bullet holes on a house in the 1300-block of Strathcona Avenue

CITIZEN

BELOW: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, centre, poses with BC Wildfire staff

Prince George on Aug. 24.

Missing woman found safe

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

The loved ones of a local missing woman got the Christmas gift they were most hoping for.

Kari Lea-Anne Baxter, 23, was last seen on Dec. 1 and a callout to the community was issued by police a short time later.

“The Prince George RCMP have located missing person Kari Baxter. She is safe,” RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Craig Douglass said Thursday afternoon.

“Thank you to all those that assisted with this investigation.”

No details were given as to the cir-

cumstances of her successful location.

At the time of the disappearance, it was said that she had been known to travel to places like Fort St. John and Grande Prairie but it was unusual, RCMP said, for her to leave without advising family.

To provide information about any other missing person, contact the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www. pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca.

You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers, but any information is greatly appreciated by investigators and loved ones.

Enbridge gets federal refund over pipeline

Citizen news service

OTTAWA — Enbridge is getting a $14.7-million refund on fees it paid Canada’s federal energy regulator for a pipeline it won’t build.

The Northern Gateway pipeline was supposed to connect Alberta’s oilpatch to a port in Kitimat, but the plan started to came apart when the federal Liberals banned tankers carrying large amounts of crude oil from British Columbia’s northern coast.

Without tankers to serve the port, there would be no point constructing more than 1,100 kilometres of pipeline to send Alberta bitumen to B.C.’s

northern coast.

Then the Federal Court of Appeal ruled in June 2016 that when the federal government approved the pipeline, it hadn’t adequately consulted Indigenous Peoples the pipeline would affect.

A few months later, in late November, the Liberals decided to revoke the approvals given to let the project get as far as it had.

Enbridge had paid the National Energy Board $14.7 million in regulatory fees to monitor the pipeline’s construction and operation. That was about 0.2 per cent of the estimated $7.9-billion cost of building it. In February, the energy company

asked for a refund. Just before Christmas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet agreed, saying in a formal decision that “it is just and reasonable to remit the funds.”

“In this case, (the Northern Gateway Pipeline) did not begin construction and the project will never move into operation,” the decision says.

The refund will be paid out of the government’s general account.

Enbridge says it is still out $373 million in lost costs for the cancelled project. Spokeswoman Tracie Kenyon said Thursday the company has no other outstanding claims for reimbursements or refunds.

Fewer first-time home buyers this year: notaries

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff

Notaries are the professionals in some of the closest touch with actual real estate information.

They are called upon when a home is purchased, so their work is apart from speculation and projections. What the notaries of B.C. collectively saw in 2018 was “an overall decrease in first-time home buyers in most regions of the province” according to spokesperson Brenda Jones of the B.C. Notaries Association.

Their numbers also revealed that first-time home buyers were more likely than in recent years to get financial help from parents to afford down payments.

Overall, said Jones, there was a 59 per cent decrease in first-time home buyers. For those who did take the step to buy a first home, 83 per cent got parental help with the money.

When asked about why these signs of difficulty had emerged, 76 per cent of notaries across the province reported that the price of a house in their market was an issue.

The main three factors impacting their local markets, notaries collectively reported, were increased mortgage restrictions, rising interest rates, and lack of supply.

“You’ll see that responses in northern B.C. were far different than in the rest of the province,” Jones said.

“More notaries in northern B.C. reported an increase (30 per cent) or no change (40 per cent) in first-time buyer activity in 2018 than in other regions,” Jones specified.

“Unlike the rest of the province where home prices are a considerable factor, only 10 per cent of notaries consider it an issue in northern B.C.”

Real estate transactions, when looked at in aggregate, often reflect a region’s economy.

For northern B.C., said Jones, “notaries cited increasing interest in buying in most communities due to resource sector growth.”

BAXTER

Olympians, artists and The Doctors among 103 added to Order of Canada

Jordan PRESS Citizen news service

OTTAWA — When Beckie Scott left behind her competitive cross-country ski career in 2006, the Olympic gold medallist didn’t foresee the path she would take next.

A dozen years later, Scott has become a leading international voice to root out doping in sports and heads a charity that runs programs for Indigenous youth to use sports and play to improve social and economic outcomes.

For that work, Scott is among the 103 newest appointments to the Order of Canada, the cornerstone of the Canadian honours system whose ranks are now closing in on 7,000 members.

“I ended up reflecting on this quite a bit and dedicating it to my dad, who was an immigrant himself, but really one of the more proud Canadians that I can think of,” Scott said.

“He would have been incredibly moved and emotional to know I was getting this.” Scott made a name for herself in 2002 when she captured Olympic gold in Salt Lake City. When she retired from competition following a silver medal win at the 2006 Turin Olympics, she didn’t set out with any political ambitions.

“Once I had stuck my foot in that arena, I realized the importance of people in that world and... the value of people who could advocate on behalf of clean sport,” she said.

“I stayed and have tried my best for many years to be an advocate for that because I care very deeply about it.”

The list of new appointments being unveiled this morning by Rideau Hall includes former politicians, such as onetime New Brunswick premier Camille

SCOTT

Henri Theriault and Frank Lewis, who served as P.E.I.’s lieutenant-governor.

There are researchers like Geoffrey Hinton, a world expert in artificial intelligence; journalists like Lyse Doucet of the BBC; and trailblazers in sport like Rhona and Rhoda Wurtele, the twin sisters who comprised the Canadian alpine ski team at the 1948 Olympics.

Greg Zeschuk and his friend Ray Muzyka took a winding path to the Order of Canada. It started in medical school in the 1980s when the two became friends, and grew as they combined their mutual interest in software development to create the Edmontonbased firm BioWare in 1995.

Eventually, the two gave up family medicine for gaming, and after 17 years, BioWare has grown into a leader in role-playing games and won industry accolades for the two men, known as “The Doctors.”

Zeschuk now runs breweries and a restaurant in Edmonton that focuses on hosting charitable events. Muzyka heads ThresholdImpact, a firm he founded to help mentor socially-conscious entrepreneurs hoping to grow their businesses.

Both men said they have no plans to rest on their laurels in light of the new honour.

“I find it in a way sort of motivating in that OK... now, I’ve got to do more,” said Zeschuk.

Muzyka joked in a recent interview that he’s still not sure what he’s going to do when he grows up.

“I hope I continue to figure out something interesting to do. I like learning, I like helping people – those are common themes,” he said.

Helping people is also a theme in the work of painter Maxine Noel. The Indigenous artist has tried to use her work to help raise awareness about issues facing Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Her painting called “Not Forgotten,” which recognizes the lives of Indigenous women and girls, hangs in the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que.

Noel’s art helped her survive her time at a residential school, and stayed with her when she was a legal secretary for Bay Street lawyers in Toronto. But about 40 years ago, she dedicated herself to art full-time.

All these years later, Noel said she sees herself as an activist first, and her art as a vehicle for her advocacy.

“When I speak to children or students, quite often I tell them that one day, one of you – or many of you – will become very well-known in the world, and at that time you can help make major change. I live on that (and) work on that,” Noel said.

911 service releases Top 10 ill-considered calls

Citizen news service

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s largest emergency call reception centre, E-Comm, has released its annual list of calls it says should never have been made to the 911 service.

E-Comm says in a news release that the calls range from someone reporting a lost jacket to a retailer refusing to redeem a coupon.

But the 911 centre, which handled 1.45-million calls between January and November, says the most inappropriate use of the service occurred when someone reported a fast food restaurant was not open 24 hours a day as advertised.

Call taker Heather Andrews handled that report and says when someone calls 911 just to complain about customer service at a business, time is taken away from helping people with real life safety issues.

E-Comm reminds the public that 911 is for police, fire or medical emergencies when immediate response is needed.

E-Comm handles 92 per cent of B.C.’s 911 call volume, covering regional

districts and communities from Vancouver Island to Alberta and from the U.S. border to an area north of Prince George.

Another questionable reason to call 911 in 2018 is also linked to the retail industry, and Andrews answered when an irate consumer phoned about a business refusing to accept the return of a pair of shoes without the original box.

“When someone calls 911 for general information, we still have to confirm the person is safe before completing the call. Calling the police to complain about a store’s return policy isn’t a reason to call 911,” she says about the report which ranks second on the top-10 list.

The E-Comm release says other illconsidered reasons to place an emergency call in 2018 include a complaint that a gas station attendant put the wrong type of gas in a vehicle; concern that a rental company provided the wrong-sized vehicle for a customer’s reservation; a request for assistance in turning off a vehicle’s lights; a report that windshield wipers had stopped working; and a query for details about the location of a towed car.

Capturing tenth place on the list is the familiar question about whether clocks move forward or backward during the spring time change.

“Calls such as those on this year’s headscratcher list waste valuable emergency resources that would otherwise be available to someone whose health, safety or property was in jeopardy or a crime was in progress.” says Jasmine Bradley, E-Comm corporate communications manager. In addition to 911 call-taking services for much of British Columbia, E-Comm also provides call-taking and dispatch services to 36 police agencies and fire departments in southwest B.C., and operates the Wide-Area Radio Network, a multi-jurisdictional radio system used by police, fire and ambulance personnel within Metro Vancouver and parts of the Fraser Valley.

E-Comm says the high-tech communication link has played critical a role in the successful conclusion of several police pursuits, cross municipal-border crime investigations, and a police shooting.

Gas prices to be volatile, expert says

Citizen news service

CALGARY — Plunging world oil prices have delivered a Christmas miracle of lower gasoline prices across most of Canada but a fuel price expert says motorists should fill up now because prices are expected to be volatile in 2019.

Dan McTeague, a senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com, says gasoline prices are at near-18-month lows because of global oil prices that have tumbled over the past two months on worries of an economic downturn, a U.S.-China trading tiff and concerns that members of the OPEC oil cartel won’t

live up to production cuts.

Despite a brief oil price rally on Wednesday, average regular gasoline prices remain about 17 cents lower per litre than a year ago in Alberta and Ontario, 12 cents lower in Manitoba, six cents lower in Quebec, 11 cents lower in Nova Scotia and three cents lower in Newfoundland and Labrador.

McTeague says prices in B.C. are up two to six cents per litre compared with the same time last year but would be lower if not for the effect of interruptions in fuel imports from Washington due to the outage of that state’s Olympic Pipeline in mid-December.

U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil prices plunged to US$42.53 on Christmas Eve, down 44 per cent from US$76.41 per barrel on Oct. 3. They rallied to US$46.22 on Wednesday but trended lower Thursday.

McTeague says “extreme volatility” in oil markets is expected to continue to wreak havoc on gasoline prices in Canada in the early part of 2019.

“I think what we’re seeing here where oil prices – and pump prices as a corollary – are going up and down five and 10 per cent in a given week, much of this is really a harbinger of what we’re likely to see in 2019, extreme price movements.”

‘It’s

— from page 1 “I think that if governments want to work with First Nations to create economic development, there’s ways to do it. And our nation like many other First Nations are saying, ‘We want to do it, we want to do responsible economic development and there are ways for the government to work with us on that,”’ Khelsilem said.

But, he added: “Our future isn’t in the resource extraction industries like a lot of other First Nations.”

The court-enforced duty of the federal government to consult, and where appropriate, accommodate Indigenous wishes when it considers projects that might adversely impact potential or established Aboriginal or treaty rights, makes their support key to both industry and environmentalists.

In November, the Montreal Economic Institute released a study called The First Entrepreneurs –Natural Resource Development and First Nations that disputes the “widely held belief” that First Nations systematically oppose projects.

It shows that Indigenous people working in oil and gas extraction make average wages of almost $150,000 per year, while those working on gas pipelines made more than $200,000. According to a 2016 Statistics Canada census the average wage of Indigenous workers nationwide was less than $50,000. A few weeks later, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers released a report called Toward a Shared Future: Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and the Oil and Gas Industry, that shows six per cent of the workers in oil and gas identify themselves as Indigenous, a total of about 11,900 people making generally better-than-average wages.

— Clayton Blood

It also points out that Indigenous governments received $55 million in payments related to oil and gas activity outside of the oilsands in the second half of 2017 and that oilsands companies had spent $3.3 billion on procurement from Indigenous-owned companies in 2015 and 2016.

The message of financial gain from co-operation with industry – dubbed “economic reconciliation” – resonates with Clayton Blood, general manager of Kainai Resources Inc., a company established by the Blood Tribe of southern Alberta to pursue economic development including oil and gas exploration.

“We’re finding that Indigenous peoples seem to be becoming a convenient excuse for turning down some of these controversial projects when a majority of First Nations along the (Trans Mountain) pipeline route were looking for opportunities,” he said.

But Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and an ardent environmentalist, makes it clear he thinks fracking is a problem.

He says supporting Woodfibre LNG means the Squamish Nation have chosen to prosper while damage is done to the environment of Indigenous people in northeastern B.C. where the gas is produced.

“It’s not about money,” he insists.

“It’s about the land, it’s about the environment, it’s about our culture, our traditions, our livelihood, our subsistence.”

No one injured in Strom Place house fire

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

A midday fire brought fire trucks wailing to the quiet residential neighbourhood on the west flank of Moore’s Meadow Park on Thursday.

“Prince George Fire Rescue (PGFR)

crews from three halls responded to a possible structure fire at the 4800 block of Strom Place, said PGFR’s assistant chief John Law.

“(The) first-arriving fire crew found a two-storey, single-family dwelling with light smoke and elevated temperatures coming from the second-storey bathroom.”

The call came in at noon.

“Crews quickly gained control of the incident and extinguished the fire which had started from the bathroom exhaust fan,” said Law. “One occupant was home at the time of the fire and evacuated safely.”

No one was injured in the fire.

The estimated damage to the home was pegged at about $10,000.

Trudeau limiting citizen activism

Stories of eroding democracy loom large in the global press these days; the alleged culprits are usually flamboyant strongmen with open authoritarian objectives. But democracy can just as easily be weakened in progressive nations by its own purported saviors, through quiet, bureaucratic means.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government recently passed more than 200 pages of dramatic changes to the way Canadian elections work. Among other things, the new rules will further restrain the degree that Canadians can exercise their constitutional rights to free political speech and activism. Such regulations were passed with the standard progressive smugness that heavily regulating political speech and activity in the name of fairness and equality is unambiguously virtuous. Righteous selfconfidence, however, does not negate the practical consequences of this fundamentally illiberal exercise of state power.

Trudeau’s final bill represents no improvement from the draconian first draft introduced in April. According to the Democratic Institutions ministry, the new legislation seeks to ensure that “political actors” operate on a “fair and level playing field,” and will impose “reasonable limits” on their budgets. Translated to English, this means government has devised new ways to punish politically motivated groups of Canadians, be they environmentalists, social conservatives, business or labour leaders, minority rights’ activists or any-

thing in between, who engage in activities such as advertising or “canvassing door-todoor, making telephone calls to electors and organizing rallies” without first conforming to Ottawa’s rules. Canada’s formal election period is now capped at 50 days before election day, with the two months or so before comprising a novel pre-election period as well. During pre-election time – a concept that has no democratic rationale beyond government’s expansive appetite to control political activity – so-called third parties are treated with as much suspicion as during the tightly regulated elections themselves. Groups and individuals may not spend more than $700,000 on “partisan activities” and “partisan advertising” during this period, and must immediately register with the government after spending their first $500. Ottawa expects a full itemized list of all revenue and expenses incurred, including the date and place of every attempt to change a mind.

Thanks to these amendments and others, the Canada Elections Act is now impossibly long and frighteningly intimidating. Any Canadian who plans to exert any significant expense or effort in persuading his or her fellow citizens to vote one way or another in next year’s election should immediately retain a team of lawyers and accountants, as there is simply no other way to navigate the dense brush of legal weeds that now govern election-adjacent democratic participation in Canada. Rule-breakers can expect thousands of dollars in fines or even prison time. Things will almost certainly get worse.

The paradoxical dream of a perfectly controlled democracy that inspired Trudeau’s Elections Modernization Act (and the many terrible prior election laws it builds upon) is a fundamentally authoritarian project forever finding fresh justification to further constrain citizens’ rights.

Given that earlier moral panic has already restrained candidate and party fundraising to the bare minimum, expect the 2019 election to trigger a fresh wave of government paranoia over all the corporate/union/ industry/etc. money being “funneled” into third parties. Some future administration will then surely impose even tighter restraints on third-party spending and activity. Perhaps they’ll follow the lead of Ontario, where pre-election regulations now govern a preposterous six months before voting day. Either way, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the long-term goal is the removal of third parties from Canada’s political conversation altogether.

At an increasingly fast clip, Canada is consolidating its status as a nation in which it is extremely difficult for average Canadians, acting either as individuals or through advocacy groups, to legally communicate ideas or stage events in or around elections. Though Trudeau is the latest perpetrator, the issue is not partisan. Parties on all sides demagogue equally about the scourge of inappropriately engaged Canadians spending too much of their own time and money on issues important to them. Without any firmer foundation than speculative, self-interested theories about what hurts their ability to get elected,

YOUR LETTERS

Thanks for brightening Christmas

Did you know that on Christmas Eve, 180 beautiful poinsettias were delivered to patients spending Christmas at UHNBC? The flowers were graciously donated by Art Knapps, the bows were donated by Prince George Florists and the plants were delivered by Auxiliary volunteers. This was such a kind and generous thing to do for those of us spending Christmas in hospital.

Sharon Egglestone Prince George

Time to log surrounding forests

The yearly season of fall and winter of 1981-1982 was a wakeup call for the beginning of the imminent showing of climate change. I had a pre-apprentice steel fabricator course at CNC for the first three months of 1982. At the time, students attending college were not allowed to collect unemployment or

welfare. So I then bought an Arctic snowplow for my Chevy 4x4 as the snow never came until just before Christmas Day, then never stopped until the end of March.

The following winter season had very little snow at all, thus I sold the snowplow before the following winter. I foresaw what we have now – the province burning down throughout, less water in creeks and rivers, erratic weather with stronger winds.

With what’s been happening the last two years with the Cariboo country on fire, why are we not taking the extremely time-sensitive work of removing the forest circling us? We need the B.C. Forestry Office to have logging companies log the highly flammable forest that has us pinned in when the burning begins. Where are we all to go when 100,000 people are fleeing in all directions?

It’s time to begin logging our surroundings and clearing the forest floor of all flammables.

The new city council and mayor needs to address this issue before it’s too late for us all.

Miles Thomas Prince George

More Yellow Vest thoughts

I would like to acknowledge Christine Hinzmann’s reporting of the Yellow Vest protest in Prince George. Fact-based, not exaggerated, but still covered the story. I would like to add one of my reasons for joining this group. Andorra is a principality in Europe. It was granted country status at the UN in 1993. France and Spain wrote a constitution for Andorra with the president of France as one prince and a Spanish bishop as the other. The two main industries are tourism and tax avoidance banking. This country has about 80,000 people. The two men that run this country have the same vote at the UN as Canada. One of the main industries of the country is tax avoidance for rich people from other countries. This is only one example of why we need to stop supporting the UN.

Anyone reading this letter should pick any country in the UN and see what its story is. The truth will cause the UN to collapse.

Allan Lund Prince George

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.

SHAWN CORNELL DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

Canada’s political class has a vested interest in minimizing the political activism of others. Lawmakers, after all, are allowed to endlessly speechify and self-promote in their capacity as pieces of the government, and they jealously guard that perk. Third parties must therefore be portrayed as illegitimate competitors in the way unions and corporations already have. Aspersions must be cast on these outsiders, with their exercise of democratic rights portrayed as dangerous and subversive. The politician’s goal is to monopolize all conversation about policies and priorities, thereby making his or her own leadership seem indispensable. The other beneficiary of all this is the media. Canadian election law does not consider journalists as third parties, even though they’re employees of large corporations who spend a great deal of money influencing what voters think about politics. Perhaps this is because Ottawa has a different plan for them. The Trudeau government recently unveiled $595 million in fresh funding to subsidize Canadian news outlets, and a corresponding government committee to identify instances of journalism worthy of subsidization.

These are the trend lines of Canadian democracy at present. A consolidation of influence for those who already have it, while ever-higher bureaucratic barriers are erected to curb the impact of everyone else. Healthy self-governance cannot be sustained with regressive priorities such as these.

J.J.

—

McCullough is a political commentator from Vancouver

2019 will keep you on the edge of your seat

If B.C. politics in 2018 were a book, it would be a page-turner. You’d close it this week thinking: “We haven’t even got to the good part yet.”

Several of the major news events that emerged – or erupted – were beginnings or continuations of dramas that still have a long way to run.

Want to pick a theme song for 2018? We’ve Only Just Begun.

The one major story on which people can firmly close the book is electoral reform. It fell off the agenda and smashed on the floor after the referendum loss. The pieces will lie there for a long time.

The proportional-representation camp will never disband – they’re already talking about trying a different route without a vote. But there aren’t nearly as many of them as the NDP and the Greens thought.

On most other issues that dominated the political scene, it’s a case of “stay tuned.”

• The national legalization of cannabis was an internationally historic moment on Oct. 17.

But it’s steadily turning into a farce. You can’t load all the blame onto the B.C. government, but there is mounting absurdity over the near-total absence of legal retail stores, the national shortages and the “not in stock” and “limited quantity” cautions at the government’s online site.

There were a lot of evils associated with organized crime’s control of the black market. But at least they were organized.

• Two NDP tax measures will have strong carry-over effects.

The government committed to the staged abolition of Medical Services Plan premiums in February.

But the offset to the loss of billions in revenue is the employer health tax on many businesses.

It’s an awkward transition to the premium-free world, because many employers will pay the last reduced year of premiums for their employees and the new payroll tax at the same time. 2019 is the year of the double-whammy for them. Business resentment is obvious, and will continue.

Also, after much tinkering and dickering with the B.C. Greens, the speculation tax on specified regions and a tax hike on high-end homes were enacted.

Apart from gauging the impact on affordability, one specific political side-effect is being monitored – the possibility of a recall effort

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against Attorney General David Eby in Vancouver-Point Grey. Aggrieved property owners have been laying the groundwork for such an effort.

Coincidentally or otherwise, the NDP government amended the recall rules just as the time period for the petition drive opened.

• On another issue, after years of waiting, there was a major move on ride-hailing in 2018 that will lead to... another year of waiting.

Transportation Minister Claire Trevena oozed sympathy for everyone standing in the rain waiting for a cab and finally legislated a regime for the service. But it’s still most of a year away and the NDP version of ride-hailing is going to take a lot of work inside government to bring off.

Pedestrians frustrated by years of bipartisan dithering will have to walk it off.

• B.C. and Alberta got into a pitched battle over the Trans Mountain pipeline early in the year. It simmered down and was overtaken by other events after a few weeks, but is still a flashpoint that could flare up again in 2019.

B.C.’s threat to regulate oil movements across the province prompted Alberta to retaliate with a law allowing that government to “turn off the tap” at B.C. gas pumps. There is increasing resentment in Alberta about its lack of access to ports and an upcoming election campaign will intensify that.

B.C. stepped back from the original threat and is seeking a court reference on whether it’s legal. The answer will shape the outcome of the western part of a huge national argument.

• The next move in the astonishing story about the suspension of the two senior officers of the legislature is scheduled for Jan. 21.

That’s when Speaker Darryl Plecas promised to put his career on the line with explosive revelations about long-standing mismanagement. Whether that moment will arrive is anyone’s guess.

Regardless, all three parties in the minority house now consider Plecas a wild card. That attitude will have ramifications throughout next year.

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LES LEYNE

In the Fast Leyne

NEWS IN BRIEF

Some could be without power until New Year’s Eve: BC Hydro

VANCOUVER (CP) — Hydro crews on British Columbia’s south coast have restored power to thousands more customers who have been in the dark since a powerful wind storm on Dec. 20, but many more remain without electricity.

On Thursday BC Hydro said about 4,000 customers still have no lights, down from roughly 7,000 customers early on Boxing Day.

The latest update from BC Hydro says the vast majority of customers still affected on Vancouver Island, along with approximately 300 residents of Penelakut Island, just east of Ladysmith, were expected to have power restored by Thursday night.

More than 30 crews continue to work around the clock to resolve outages on other hard-hit Gulf Islands, and BC Hydro says electricity should be on between today and Sunday.

But the Crown utility warns it could be New Year’s Eve before some small pockets have heat and light again.

Winds topping 100 km/h hammered southern B.C. last week, knocking out electricity to more than 700,000 customers, damaging hundreds of power lines and transformers, and leaving roads covered by trees and debris.

Nanaimo

Mounties investigate alleged abduction, assault

NANAIMO (CP) — Mounties in Nanaimo say they’re investigating the alleged abduction and assault of a 25-year-old man.

RCMP say the owner of a rural property south of Nanaimo called 911 early Thursday morning after finding a man tied up on his property with injuries consistent with an assault.

Mounties say the victim was taken to hospital, where he’s receiving treatment for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. They say he told police that during his alleged abduction, one of the assailants was stabbed.

Police say a 30-year-old man arrived at the emergency ward with an upper body stab wound 30 minutes later, and he received treatment for the significant but not life-threatening injury.

Mounties say investigators tried to glean from the man how the injury occurred but he was not willing to co-operate, and he was later taken into police custody.

Const. Gary O’Brien says investigators are attempting to connect the two incidents, but at this time the investigation remains in the preliminary stages.

Drifting barges in Vancouver harbour damage boats, structures

VANCOUVER (CP) — Police say two barges that broke free from their moorings are estimated to have caused more than $1 million in damage after slamming into boats and structures in Vancouver’s inner harbour.

Sgt. Jason Robillard of Vancouver police says the barges are about the size of a soccer field and were loaded with containers.

They broke free from their moorings in North Vancouver at about 5 a.m. on Boxing Day. The barges drifted across the Port of Vancouver’s shipping lanes and rammed into two boats and three structures in the Coal Harbour Marina on the Vancouver waterfront.

In a news release, Robillard says a 911 call alerted the police department’s marine unit to the loose barges just before 6:30 a.m.

Two local tugs, the marine unit vessel and two boats from the Port of Vancouver managed to get both barges under tow about 90 minutes later and returned them to their moorings in North Vancouver.

ALAM Citizen news service

Hina

VANCOUVER — Climate change is prompting glaciers in British Columbia, Yukon and Alberta to retreat faster than at any time in history, threatening to raise water levels and create deserts, scientists say.

David Hik, an ecology professor at Simon Fraser University, said the region is one of the hotspots for warming and the magnitude of change in the glaciers is dramatic.

“Probably 80 per cent of the mountain glaciers in Alberta and B.C. will disappear in the next 50 years,” he said.

The Peyto Glacier in the Rocky Mountains and part of Banff National Park has lost about 70 per cent of its mass in the last 50 years, Hik said.

“It’s a small glacier but it’s typical of what we’re seeing,” he said.

Zac Robinson, a professor at the University of Alberta, said as the climate warms, the fragmentation of some of the large ice caps in the Rockies will continue.

Glaciers are formed when snow accumulates in the winter but doesn’t melt completely the following summer.

As the Earth warms at a faster rate than it did, a combination of less snow and a rapid melt is causing glaciers to recede in length and volume, Robinson said.

The first State of the Mountains report, co-authored by Hik and Robinson and published in May by the Alpine Club of Canada, says outside of the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, Canada has more glacier cover than any other nation. Of the estimated 200,000 square

kilometres of Canadian glaciers, one quarter is found in the West and the remainder are in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Robinson said mountain glaciers, given their sensitivity to warming, are showing the earliest and most dramatic signs of ice loss, and the St. Elias Mountains in Yukon are losing ice at the fastest rate.

“Yukon glaciers in the St. Elias ranges have lost approximately one quarter of ice cover since the 1950s,” he said.

Scientists studied the glaciers using a number of methods, including analysing old photographs and remote sensing.

Hik said the rate of melting varies in different places in the Canadian West.

“We don’t have detailed measurements everywhere but where we have measurements the rates can be 25 to 70 per cent (of melt) in the last six to seven decades.”

The rates of melting are similar to what is seen in the European Alps and the Andes, he said.

One of the first effects of melting glaciers is an increase in sea level, Hik said.

Melting of the St. Elias glaciers accounted for a 1.1 millimetre increase in sea level rise in the last 50 years, Hik said. “That doesn’t seem like very much but if you take the St. Elias Mountains, the Rocky Mountains and high Arctic mountains and the Himalayas-Hindu Kush and the Andes and the Alps, and if you put all of those contributions together it counts for one of the largest increases in sea level over the past decade.”

While the melt increases water levels

Saint Elias

range is seen in an undated handout

Ice cover in the mountain range has decreased 25 per cent since 1950, accounting for a 1.1 mm increase in sea level.

Citizen news service

VANCOUVER — Family and colleagues of a professor at Simon Fraser University who went missing in Colombia say he has been found dead.

Colombian police recovered the body of Ramazan (Ramo) Gencay outside of Medellin, university president Andrew Petter said in a statement to faculty and staff on Wednesday.

“Ramo will be deeply missed by the SFU community, and our hearts go out to his family, friends and SFU faculty, students and staff who worked with him,” he wrote.

“I know how distressing this news is

for the SFU community, and I wish to reassure everyone that we will continue to do everything we can to support Ramo’s family at this sad and difficult time.”

Carole Gencay posted a short statement on Facebook on Thursday confirming her husband died this month.

“You may already know that he suffered an untimely death in Medellin, Colombia. I will be in touch with celebration of life details,” she said.

Gencay was in Colombia to attend seminars and his wife has said he was last seen at a salsa night club on Dec. 6.

His friends and family turned to social media earlier this month to spread the word that he was missing.

and sets off coastal erosion and flooding, it also causes dry areas and dust bowls.

As glaciers recede, more water flows downhill, but the further the ice sheets retreat, the less water there is to go down stream and soon the area begins to dry, Hik said.

“In places like the Kluane River in Yukon there is significantly more dust because the valley that the river flows through is essentially dried out,” he said.

But the area still experiences katabatic winds – winds coming off the glacier –which are quite strong and blow the dust from the dried stream beds farther out on the landscape, Hik said.

This dust can create problems for vegetation by settling on trees and plants, and reducing photosynthesis, he said.

Glaciers act as a bank account during hot summers when water is scarce, Hik said.

The melt also changes the way water flows and where it accumulates, creating lakes, wetlands or desert-like conditions.

“In some places you’ll have locally increased water availability and in many, many, many places that water availability will be reduced as well,” said Hik.

The changes alter the flora of the area.

Tree lines are moving up the slope, and willows and birches – water-loving species – are prospering at higher elevations, Hik said.

Robinson said it’s important to study mountains because they respond rapidly and intensely to climate changes and are recognized as sentinels of change.

“Mountains give an important glimpse into the future and can show us what’s coming down the line.”

Missing B.C. professor found dead B.C., Alta. glaciers rapidly disappearing

Global Affairs Canada said it was providing consular assistance to the family of a Canadian who died in Colombia.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of a Canadian citizen who died in Colombia,” spokesman Philip Hannan said in a statement.

“Canadian consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information.”

In a statement issued by the university, Petter said everyone at the school

“will be saddened by the tragic news of Professor Gencay’s death.”

“He was an outstanding contributor to the university community and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”

Canada edges Switzerland to move to 2-0

Gemma KARSTENS-SMITH

Citizen news service

VANCOUVER — Noah Dobson scored the game-winner as Canada beat Switzerland 3-2 at the world junior hockey championship Thursday.

Canadians Cody Glass and MacKenzie Entwistle also scored in the victory.

Philipp Kurashev registered a pair of power-play goals for the Swiss.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ian Scott stopped 15 of 17 shots for Canada. Switzerland’s Akira Schmid – the netminder for the U.S. Hockey League’s Omaha Lancers – had 29 saves.

Canada has two wins in roundrobin play, while the Swiss have yet to register a victory at the tournament.

The Canadians opened the scoring just 36 seconds into Thursday’s game on Glass’ marker. The play started with Maxime Comtois stealing the puck from Swiss defenceman Simon le Coultre along the boards and dishing it to Nick Suzuki. The Montreal Canadiens prospect made a crisp pass to Glass who slammed it in past Schmid.

But after a hot start, Team Canada cooled down and struggled to get deep into Switzerland’s end.

With less than a minute to go in the first frame, Canadian centre Jaret Anderson-Dolan was called for roughing. The Swiss couldn’t convert with the man advantage before the end of the period, but carried the momentum into the second and tied the game up 45 seconds in.

Chicago Blackhawks prospect Kurashev collected the puck high

Cariboo Cats set for Brampton at Mac’s

Citizen staff

The Cariboo Cougars will try for their first win at the Mac’s AAA Midget Hockey Tournament today in Calgary.

The Cougars, who skated to a 2-2 tie with the Calgary Flames in their Mac’s opener on Wednesday, will meet the Brampton 45’s and will be up against a team licking its wounds from a 10-1 Thursday thumping at the hands of the Swift Current Legionnaires. Following today’s game, the Cougars will face the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday and the Legionnaires on Sunday.

The top finisher in each of the five Mac’s pools will qualify for playoffs. The three clubs with the next-best records will also advance.

The championship game will be played on Jan. 1.

in the slot and ripped it past Scott.

The goal marked the first time Canada had been scored on in this year’s tournament.

Scott kept his team in the game as the Swiss tried to claw out another goal. His most spectacular save of the night came almost five minutes into the second when Switzerland’s Yannick Bruschweiler fired a laser at the Canadian net, but Scott snatched the puck out of the air with his glove.

Canada went up again nearly two minutes later, following a give and go.

Shane Bowers was down at the Swiss goal line when he got a back-handed pass out to Entwistle, and the right-winger put a quick shot past Schmid.

Entwistle, a Blackhawks prospect, also scored on Boxing Day when Canada thumped Denmark 14-0.

His goal on Thursday seemed to revitalize the Canadians, who responded with more speed and a harder forecheck.

Dobson added some insurance for Team Canada 12:08 into the second frame. The defenceman held off Switzerland’s Janis Moser as he streaked down the wing before firing a shot past Schmid to make it 3-1 Canada.

Dobson’s goal came after the 12th-overall pick at last year’s draft was held off the scoresheet Wednesday.

Kurashev brought his squad back within one with just over two minutes to go in the game after Suzuki was called for tripping.

Switzerland got an extra attacker by pulling its goalie and Canada lost some defensive power when Markus Phillips broke his stick seconds into the power play.

Canada’s Jaret Anderson-Dolan finishes a check against Switzerland’s David Aebischer during Thursday night’s world junior hockey championship game in Vancouver.

The result was a flurry of action in front of the Canadian net and Kurashev poking the puck in past Scott.

Late penalties threatened Canada’s lead in the game’s dying minutes, but Scott and his teammates held on for the win.

Team Canada will be back in action Saturday, battling the Czech

Republic in Vancouver.

• (AP) — Alexander Romanov had a goal and two assists and Russia beat Denmark 4-0 on Thursday in the world junior hockey championship.

Vitali Kravtsov added a goal and an assist, Pavel Shen and Ivan Morozov also scored, and Danil Tarasov made 20 saves for Russia in its Group A opener.

Cougars back from break

Citizen staff

The rest and relaxation is over for the Prince George Cougars. They resume their Western Hockey League season with a road game tonight against the Seattle Thunderbirds and will take on the Everett Silvertips and Kamloops Blazers on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

And as the Cougars return from the Christmas break, they’ve got some work ahead of them to try to get into a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Cougars are currently in last place in the conference with an 11-19-1-2 record. Things haven’t been pretty lately, as the Cats are on a five-game losing skid and have dropped nine of their past 10 contests. Statistically, they have

scored the fewest number of goals in the West (75 in 33 games for an average of 2.27 per game) and have allowed the third-most against (114). The good news for the Cougars is that even a modest winning streak would put them back in the playoff picture. Heading into tonight’s game, they’re just two points behind the

Denmark was coming off a 14-0 loss to Canada on Wednesday. In Group B in Victoria, Sweden beat Slovakia 5-2 to improve to 2-0 and extend its record roundrobin winning streak to 46. Emil Bemstrom scored twice, and Lucas Elvenes and Isac Lundestrom each had a goal and an assist.

Kamloops Blazers (12-16-2-1), holders of the second and final wildcard playoff spot. The Blazers, however, have two games in hand on the Cougars.

Tonight’s meeting between the Cats and Thunderbirds will be the fourth of the season. Prince George won the first two games, played Nov. 2 and 3 at CN Centre, by scores of 4-1 and 2-0. Seattle recorded a 6-5 home-ice victory on Dec. 11.

The Thunderbirds (11-16-4-0) are one point ahead of the Cougars in the conference standings and have played two fewer games. Tonight’s game – which will be played at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., – is the sixth consecutive on the road for the Cougars.

LeBron’s consecutive games streak ends at 156

Citizen news service

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — LeBron James was held out of the Lakers’ game against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night with a groin injury, ending his consecutive games played streak at 156.

James was injured during the Lakers’ 127-101 victory over two-time defending NBA champion Golden State on Christmas Day when he slipped while going for a loose ball.

An MRI showed that James suffered a left groin strain rather than a tear, but no timetable has been set for his return.

Lakers coach Luke Walton said the team will take a cautious approach with the four-time MVP.

“It’s one of those things we want to make sure he’s healthy before we get him back out there,” Walton said Thursday. “That could be an injury where if you come back too early you re-injure it and then you’re out longer. We’ll be careful and cautious when he starts playing again.” James, who remained in Los Angeles while his teammates flew to Sacramento, has played in every game since the final game of the 201617 regular season, when he sat out to rest. His last extended absence due to injury was an eight-game stint to deal with back and knee aches midway through the 2014-15 season. James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists this season, his 16th in the NBA and first with the Lakers.

CP PHOTO

Henderson repeats as female athlete of year

Gregory STRONG Citizen news service

There was a quiet poise to Brooke Henderson on that Sunday morning last summer in Regina ahead of her final round at the CP Women’s Open. She had experienced big moments before: her first LPGA Tour win as a 17-year-old in 2015, her first major victory a year later, her first appearance at the Olympics.

This tournament was different.

No Canadian golfer had won the national open since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973. Supporters who crammed the galleries could sense something special was happening.

Henderson would deliver in emphatic fashion, firing a closing-round 65 for a four-shot victory.

“The 18th hole, standing on that green, surrounded by family and friends and hundreds of fans and spectators cheering me on – it was sort of a surreal moment,” Henderson said. “To finally hold that trophy that I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl, it gives me chills just thinking back on it.”

It was one of two tournament titles and 11 top10 finishes for Henderson last season. On Wednesday, she was rewarded for her stellar campaign by being named a repeat winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as The Canadian Press female athlete of the year.

Henderson, who has won the award in three of the last four years, picked up 30 of 54 votes (55.6 per cent) in a poll of broadcasters and editors from across the country.

“Especially this year being an Olympic year with all the great athletes that competed in the Winter Olympics, it’s a big honour and I’m just really proud to take home this award again,” Henderson said.

Figure skater Kaetlyn Osmond and short-track speedskater Kim Boutin tied for second place with 10 votes each (18.5 per cent).

With wet weather in the forecast, Henderson had an early start for her final round at the CP Women’s Open. Showing no sign of nerves or timidity, she lashed her opening drive down the fairway and birdied the hole for a two-stroke lead. Angel Yin, Sung Hyun Park, Su Oh and others tried to make charges that day but Henderson wouldn’t buckle. In fact, the Canadian found another gear.

Henderson pulled away with four straight birdies on the back nine and tapped in a birdie putt on the 18th hole to send the crowd into a tizzy. Her seventh career LPGA Tour victory moved her one behind Sandra Post’s record for all-time wins by a Canadian.

“The blinders were on,” Post said. “She was looking at the finish line and she just looked like it was hers. She wasn’t nervous. It was hers.” Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., remained steady and consistent throughout the year. She won the Lotte Championship last April in Hawaii, earned US$1.47 million over the season and finished ninth in the world rankings.

“Big performances on the biggest stage amongst stiff competition in one of the highest-profile sports in the world,” said Edmonton-based Postmedia editor Craig Ellingson.

Kingsbury soars to top honour

MONTREAL — Mikael Kingsbury never had so much to lose as on Feb. 12, when he hit the track at the Phoenix Snow Park. As the odds-on favourite in the men’s moguls event at the Pyeongchang Olympics, the 26-year-old ski star was well aware that only a victory would meet expectations.

Going second-last in the super final, Kingsbury rose to the occasion. In full control, he nailed a perfect descent that earned him the one title that had eluded him: Olympic champion.

“I was in the position where it was gold or nothing,” the athlete from Deux-Montagnes, Que., said of his second Olympic experience.

“For those who follow my sport, even a second place would have been considered a poor performance. Yes, there was pressure but, at the top of the course, I had a really good feeling. And when that’s the case, I have confidence and that’s always a good sign.”

Kingsbury’s dream year earns him the Lionel Conacher Award from The Canadian Press as Canada’s male athlete of the year.

The Quebec skier was chosen by 30 of the 56 sportswriters and commentators from newsrooms across the country.

He beat out Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid (12 votes), who won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer as well as the Ted Lindsay Award for outstanding player as selected by his peers.

Next on the list was soccer phenom Alphonso Davies with five votes, double Olympic speed skating medallist Ted-Jan Bloeman (3), para-skier Brian McKeever (3), New Jersey Devils winger Taylor Hall (2), and Ottawa Redblacks receiver Brad Sinopoli (1).

“I could have chosen McDavid, as we chose (Sidney) Crosby at one time, but Kingsbury’s gold was one of the strongest moments of the Korean games, leading into performances by other Canadian athletes,” wrote Le Quotidien’s Denis Bouchard.

“No other Canadian athlete dominates their sport as outrageously as Mikael Kingsbury,” wrote Jean-Francois Begin of La Presse.

While Olympic gold was undoubtedly the highlight of his year, Kingsbury continued to dominate the World Cup circuit with seven victories in 10 starts, including three in a row to end the 201718 season.

He won two Crystal Globes at the end of the last World Cup season as overall men’s freestyle points leader and overall men’s moguls leader.

Kingsbury becomes the first skier to win the Lionel Conacher Award, which is named after the multi-sport champion chosen as the top athlete of the first half of the 20th century in 1950. Golfer Brooke Henderson was

awarded the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as female athlete of the year on Wednesday for the third time (see story, left). The sports team of the year will be named on Friday.

Earlier this month Kingsbury was also awarded the Toronto Star’s Lou Marsh Award for top Canadian athlete.

“It’s crazy to have had this much success,” Kingsbury said. “It’s an almost perfect season. My worst 2018 result was a second place.”

“Compared to other sports, like tennis, it’s as if I won all the Grand Slam finals.” Kingsbury dominates his sport.

In January 2018 he set a new record for World Cup wins with his 47th victory. He has 52 victories in 93 starts.

“I kind of feel like I have an aura around me. Without saying I intimidate the other competitors due to my repeated success, I have a great confidence in my abilities, I make few errors and that lets me find little advantages over them,” he said.

“But I know I have a big target on my back and they all want to beat me. I’ve been first in the world for seven years, and every year there are those who say, ‘Kingsbury, we’re going to push him aside.’ It makes the competition even more interesting.”

And even if he’s won everything, don’t expect him to relinquish his throne. Kingsbury says there’s still plenty to motivate him.

“I love to win and I still want to win, but my motivation isn’t necessarily found in results,” he said. “I’m aiming above all to reach my full potential, to innovate in my sport, to try new jumps. I want to see how far I can go.”

“While perfection doesn’t exist in my sport, my goal is to get as close as possible to it and to push the limits, in speed as well as the execution of my jumps.”

Jones defiant after failed drug test forces UFC 232 move

Greg BEACHAM Citizen news service

LOS ANGELES — Jon Jones’ latest troubling drug test compelled the UFC to move an entire pay-per-view show from Nevada to California on six days’ notice, disrupting thousands of fans’ holiday plans and shrinking his fellow UFC 232 fighters’ paychecks.

Yet Jones believes he’s also a victim in this whole bizarre situation.

The former light heavyweight champion defiantly defended himself Thursday during a passionate, occasionally ridiculous performance at a news conference in a Los Angeles airport hotel. Jones, who has served two previous suspensions for failed drug tests, tested positive earlier this year for very low levels of a banned steroid, and the Nevada Athletic Commission wouldn’t license him to fight in UFC 232 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“Even though a lot of fans got hurt in this situation, we saved the event,” Jones told a rowdy crowd of his supporters.

“Look at all the people that got to be here, all the people that are planning on ordering the fight around the world. The organization is doing everything they can to make it right. Changing the event instead of cancelling the event is the way of making this right.”

Two days before his title fight against Alexander Gustafsson at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Jones (22-1) apologized to fans for the enormous inconveniences caused by his latest trouble with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Yet the troubled superstar also boorishly berated a reporter asking about his doping history and went on several lengthy rants about the unfairness of the entire situation, even suggesting the latest test should have been ignored.

“This probably shouldn’t have even been brought up,” Jones said. “It’s such a small amount that it has no effect. I think the professionals whether it’s USADA or the UFC are realizing, ‘Jon is kind of like a guinea pig in this situation.’ I was almost wronged in this situation. Even though (the substance) was in me, I think this is a way of fixing a wrong and making it right again by not cancelling this fight.”

After the Nevada Athletic Commission said it wanted to postpone Jones’ return until the latest test could be addressed in a hearing in January, the UFC took the extraordinary step of moving its entire year-end show 400 kilometres southwest to Inglewood, the suburb south of downtown Los Angeles. Gustafsson (18-4) is fed up with Jones’ posturing ahead of the rematch of their highly competitive 2013 meeting, a narrow decision won by Jones. The Swedish

contender declined the UFC’s offer to delay the fight until March if he was uncomfortable with the late venue change. Gustafsson on Thursday flatly labeled Jones as a cheater, saying he believes Jones knowingly took steroids.

“Whatever this guy is saying, it’s just (nonsense),” Gustafsson said. “He’s just terrible. This guy is terrible. I’m here to fight. I’m flexible. It’s all good, but we have friends, family coming into town, having plans. They have their budgets. They have to reschedule, re-plan everything, whatever. Whatever this guy is saying, you can’t take it serious. He’s just terrible, and he will eat it on Saturday night, I’m telling you.”

UFC 232 is an excellent card that also includes bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes’ move up to challenge featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino in arguably the biggest women’s fight in MMA history.

But Jones is the show’s most famous fighter and likely the biggest pay-perview attraction. The UFC decided to stick with him after it determined that the levels of banned substance in Jones’ current tests were too low to be a considered a new positive test by USADA, which administers the UFC’s anti-doping policy.

Thanks to the UFC’s decision to keep Jones on the card, the other 25 fighters on the show and their coaches, employees and families had to alter their plans – during a holiday week, no less. They’ll also end up making less money due to California’s state income tax and additional fees.

“It’s a really crummy situation, but we’ve got to focus on what’s important,” welterweight Michael Chiesa said. “The tax man always takes your money. I’m not too stressed about this right now.”

Marc DELBES Citizen news service

CP FILE PHOTO

Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury takes flight during a training run in men’s freestyle moguls at the Phoenix Snow Park at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

KINGSBURY

CP FILE PHOTO

Brooke Henderson kisses the trophy after winning the CP Women’s Open in Regina on Aug. 26.

JONES

Canucks get jump on Oilers

JONES Citizen news service

Shane

EDMONTON — Elias Pettersson and Antoine Roussel each had a goal and an assist as the Vancouver Canucks scored four goals on their first six shots and cruised to a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

Tyler Motte and Brock Boeser also scored for the Canucks (18-18-4), who are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl replied for the Oilers (18-16-3) who have now lost four straight.

Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen gave up all four goals and made just two saves before being replaced by Cam Talbot, who stopped all 14 shots sent his way.

Jacob Markstrom made 30 saves in the win for the Canucks.

Vancouver started the scoring with a goal on its first shot of the contest four minutes into the opening period, as Motte took a feed in the slot and beat Koskinen for his sixth goal of the season.

The Canucks scored on their second shot as well a couple minutes later, when Pettersson sent the puck in front to Boeser, who notched

NHL IN BRIEF

Matthews, McDavid will be all-star captains

NEW YORK (CP) — Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid and Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews will be two of the four team captains at the NHL all-star weekend next month in San Jose. McDavid (Pacific Division), Matthews (Atlantic), Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon (Central) and Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin (Metropolitan) won fan votes to earn the captaincies

his 13th goal.

Edmonton got one of those back midway through the first period, when Connor McDavid found Nugent-Hopkins in front for a power-play goal on Markstrom. It was the first time in 10 games that Vancouver had allowed a power-play marker.

Vancouver made it 3-1 with just over a minute left in the first on its fifth shot, when Pettersson tucked the puck under Koskinen’s arm, giving the rookie his 18th.

The Canucks got their fourth goal on their sixth shot of the game at 19:49 off a giveaway in front, which Roussel put away for his fourth. It was the first time in nine years Vancouver scored four goals in the first period of a road game. Talbot came in to start the second in the Edmonton net.

Edmonton clawed back with a second powerplay marker seven minutes into the second period on a deadly wrist shot by Draisaitl.

There was no scoring in the third period.

The Oilers outshot the Canucks 32-20 in the game.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday as the Canucks head to Calgary to face the Flames

and the first roster spots for the event, Jan. 25-26. Matthews will make his third all-star appearance and first as captain, while McDavid will captain the Pacific Division for the third time in as many appearances.

MacKinnon is heading to all-star weekend for the third time, while Ovechkin makes his eighth appearance.

The rest of the all-stars will be determined by the NHL’s hockey operations department.

The head coach of the team with the highest points percentage (points earned divided by total possible points) in each of the four divisions at the halfway point of the regular season will guide the respec-

and the Oilers host the San Jose Sharks. NOTES: It was the second of four meetings between the teams this year, with the Canucks defeating Edmonton 4-2 on Dec. 16. The next meeting will be on Jan. 16 in Vancouver. ... Oilers forward Alex Chiasson left the game after taking a shot off of the knee in the first period and did not return.

Tampa downs Philly in OT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning rebounded again following another dismal third period against the Philadelphia Flyers. Alex Killorn scored 18 seconds into overtime and the Lightning, after blowing a three-goal lead in the third, extended their point streak to 13 games Thursday night with a 6-5 win over the Flyers. Steven Stamkos had two goals and two assists to help Tampa Bay go ahead 5-2 at the end of two periods. Nikita Kucherov added a goal and three assists for the Lightning, who are 12-0-1 during their current run. Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson had the other Tampa Bay goals.

tive all-star rosters.

All-star weekend will feature a three-game tournament in a 3-on-3 format.

Guentzel gets five-year deal

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed forward Jake Guentzel to a five-year, $30 million contract extension Thursday.

The extension runs through 2023-24.

The 24-year-old Guentzel joined the team midway through the 2016-17 season, helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup. He led all players in the playoffs that season with 13 goals, second-most by a rookie in

Price not with Canadiens

Citizen news service

MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens will be without goaltender Carey Price for their upcoming three-game road trip. The Canadiens announced Thursday that Price will not travel with the team to Florida because of a lower-body injury. The Canadiens play the Panthers tonight in Sunrise, Fla., then face the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Montreal finishes the road trip Monday in Dallas. Price, who was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 22, has played in 30 games this season, posting a 15-10-4 record with a 2.84 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. The Canadiens will likely look to Antti Niemi to carry the load in goal over the road trip. Niemi has a 4-3-1 record with a 4.14 GAA and .876 save percentage backing up Price this season.

To take Price’s place on the roster, the Canadiens recalled goalie Michael McNiven from AHL Laval. The game versus Florida also has another intriguing storyline. It marks Canadiens forward Max Domi’s first game against the Panthers since he was suspended for the remainder of the pre-season schedule for punching Florida defenceman Aaron Ekblad in an exhibition game. Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo called the sucker punch “gutless” and said the team “won’t forget about it” in the immediate aftermath. Domi, however, wasn’t interested in revisiting the topic when talking to reporters Thursday.

“To be honest, all we’re really focused on is the game,” he said. “Nowadays every game is a playoff game. That’s all we’re focused on. It’s a hockey game and we’ve got to find a way to get (two) points and start the road trip the right way.”

Veteran defenceman Karl Alzner, meanwhile, could make his return to the Montreal lineup after being recalled from AHL Laval on Wednesday. The move was made after defenceman David Schlemko was placed on injured reserve.

league history. He had 21 points to tie the NHL rookie record and five game-winning goals to set an NHL rookie mark. During the playoffs last season, he had 10 goals and 11 assists in 12 games.

Capitals top ’Canes

WASHINGTON (AP) — T.J. Oshie scored his 11th goal, John Carlson had an empty-netter and the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 on Thursday night. Chandler Stephenson added his second goal in three games for Washington, which has won three straight and 15 of 18. Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes.

Antoine Roussel of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates a goal against Edmonton Oilers’ goalie Mikko Koskinen during first-period NHL action in Edmonton on Thursday night.

Court records provide details of Spacey’s encounter with teenager

Citizen news service

BOSTON — A Massachusetts man who says he was groped by Kevin Spacey at a Nantucket restaurant in 2016 caught part of his encounter with the actor on video, according to court records.

The then 18-year-old man sent a video via Snapchat to his girlfriend that allegedly showed Spacey touching the front of his pants, according to a state police report filed in Nantucket District Court and obtained by the Cape Cod Times.

Spacey’s lawyers said at a showcause hearing last week the video shows someone’s hand touching another person’s shirt, but does not show anyone being groped, according to The Boston Globe, which obtained an audio recording of the hearing.

Spacey, 59, faces arraignment Jan. 7 on a charge of indecent assault and battery.

The case came to light in November 2017 when former Boston

news anchor Heather Unruh announced that Spacey had groped her son.

In trying to get a court clerk magistrate to rule there wasn’t enough evidence for Spacey to

be charged, Los Angeles-based attorney Alan Jackson pointed out that Unruh’s son did not report the allegations to police right away, lied about his age saying he was 23, and said he was so intoxicated he may have blacked out shortly after Spacey allegedly groped him. Jackson also said Unruh’s son made no effort to move away from Spacey.

I’m certainly not going to pay the price for the thing I didn’t

do.

— Kevin Spacey

Unruh said in a news conference last year her son didn’t go to authorities sooner because of fear and embarrassment.

The alleged victim told police it was hard to move away in the crowded restaurant, where he worked as a bus boy but was off duty at the time.

Neither Spacey nor his lawyers have addressed the allegation publicly, but Spacey did release a video Monday in the voice of Frank Underwood, his character on Netflix’s House of Cards in which he said, “I’m certainly not going to pay the price for the thing I didn’t do.”

It was unclear whether he was addressing the criminal charge.

If convicted, Spacey faces up to five years in prison.

Houdini’s nephew finds bits of magic in TV show

Terry TANG Citizen news service

PHOENIX — Growing up, George Hardeen never thought too much about being related to arguably the most famous magician of all time, whose name is synonymous with great escape. But at 66, the Arizona man is delving into the history of his great-uncle Harry Houdini in a journey at the heart of a new series on the Science Channel.

“We spoke to many collectors and historians. These guys live Houdini all the time,” Hardeen said. “They know more about Houdini than I will ever be able to.” Houdini’s Last Secrets, which begins airing Jan. 6, follows Hardeen as he and escape artist Lee Terbosic explore the engineering behind some of Houdini’s most legendary feats.

The Hungarian-born illusionist, who came to the U.S. as a child, generated headlines in the early 1900s for escaping from handcuffs, straitjackets and even a milk can.

Each of the four episodes focuses on a different stunt, including being buried alive and the water torture cell, in which Houdini was lowered upside down into a water tank with his feet locked in stocks. A stunt builder constructs the props, and Terbosic re-enacts the stunts.

“No one knows how Houdini did the tricks. So, we pondered it and came up with our own methodology so that Lee could perform the trick,” Hardeen said.

Wyatt Channell, a Science Channel executive producer, said Houdini knew how to create a persona and hold people’s interest but the program tries to look at him from a different perspective. “Everybody thinks of him as an escape artist, illusionist and magician. But there was a ton of engineering behind what he was doing,” Channell said.

The production company approached Hardeen about a year ago.

“I think, in many ways, the show is George’s journey,” Channell said. “George is really the one, as the everyman, asking the questions we all are wondering: How Houdini did these things.”

It also touches on other questions, such as whether Houdini could have been recruited to be a spy. For that, Hardeen interviewed John McLaughlin, former acting director of the CIA and a lifelong magician and Houdini fan.

Hardeen’s grandfather Theo Hardeen was Houdini’s younger brother and an illusionist in his own right. George Hardeen’s father didn’t tell his son about his magical lineage until he was about 10. Houdini, who died on Halloween 1926 at 52, and other family members had an incredible work ethic and aimed to be the best, Hardeen said. Houdini ran 16 kilometres a day to keep his body in peak shape but also was a hoarder with a compulsive side, he said.

“(The series) jibes with stuff my dad told me,” said Hardeen.

AP FILE PHOTO

Kevin Spacey is shown in London in June 2014.

HOUDINI

NIEDERMAYER,ROBYNLOUISE JANUARY21,1972-DECEMBER24,1990

William Joseph Gardiner May 24th 1952 - December 20th, 2018

It is with profound sadness that Bill’s family announce his sudden passing in Prince George.

Bill was born in Vancouver and raised in North Vancouver and later spent most of his life in Prince George. With a broken heart Bill will be sadly missed by his loving wife of 22 years Wendy. Survived by Mother Flora, son’s Matthew, Joshua, stepson Tyler, sister Carol, (Den) Granddaughter Eden.(Predeceased by his father Hank and Stepson Travis) and so many more friends and family. Bill proudly served with the P.G. Fire department where he retired as a Captain after 34 years. Bill (Billy) was admired and respected amongst his fellow firefighters and all those who knew him. Bill was well known in his high school years as a high ranking scoring guard in basketball, but Bill’s real passion was golfing. He was a member of the PGGCC & IAFF Alumni.

Bill will be truly missed and there will never be a day that we all don’t think of him with love.

Rest in peace my love.

We will one day be together again. Love you with all my heart ~Wendy~ Celebration of life to be announced at a later date.

Hilda Eleanor Kolman (nee Wheele) November 7th, 1934 - December 17th, 2018

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Hilda Kolman on December 17, 2018 in Vernon, BC. Hilda was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for more than 40 years. She was proud to own the bragging rights to 5 “Hole in Ones” at various golf courses over the years. Mom loved baking and the family always looked forward to her creations. Hilda also enjoyed spending time with her many friends while golfing, walking at Kal Tire Place, or meeting them for lunch. She treasured times spent with family and was proud to be known as GG to her one-year old great grandson, Cole. When not with family and friends, she took great pride in taking care of her home, and loved tending to her beautiful flowers and houseplants. She is survived by her son Kelvin (Teresa), daughter-in-law Rita, granddaughter Megan (Cam) and great-grandson son Cole, grandson Ryan, and several brothers and sisters. Hilda is predeceased by her parents Henry and Dorothy, husband Fred, son Ron, and several brothers and sisters. There will be a service announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation or the Royal Canadian Legion. You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence at the family’s on-line obituary @ www.MyAlternatives.ca Arrangements entrusted to ALTERNATIVES FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES Vernon 250-558-0866 & Armstrong 250-546-7237

Phyllis Pauline Kennedy

Born September 6, 1936 in Spearman, Texas, passed peacefully December 23, 2018. We announce with deep sadness that Phyllis has left us to join her husband of 58 wonderful years Stanley Eugene Kennedy who passed December 13, 2016.

Phyllis was very colorful and vibrant with a large network of personal relationships and close friends around the world. She was a memorable person who’s influence’s and attention to detail made ordinary things into special events. Phyllis was survived by her sister Barbara, brothers Wayne and Trent and children Sherry, Paul, Rex, Linda and Roy Allen as well as grandchildren and great grandchildren. It comfort’s us to know that Stan and Phyllis will once again be graceful soulmates of the dance floor in Heaven. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Salvation Army.

Flo Comtois

October 21, 1931December 24, 2018

Flo passed away peacefully at home, while surrounded by her loved ones, after a short but courageous battle with cancer. Flo will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her 4 children: Marnie (Don) Rahn, Sue Lorrie, Debbie (Tim) Taylor, & Ray (Debbie) Comtois. Her 6 grandchildren: Tanya (Bob) Kallis, Shawna Lorrie (Dave Oliver), Tom Lorrie, Michael (Julie) Gagnon, Patricia Wheeler (Tate Wright), & Holly (James) Jacklin. Her 12 great grandchildren: Jaida, Julian, Kaitlyn & Kaeden Kallis, Morgan Wade, Julia, Mikaela & Mackenzie Gagnon, Taylor & Tyler Wheeler, and Bryanna & Dylan Jacklin. Flo was predeceased by her loving husband Leo Comtois & her parents Blanche & Frank Parker. Flo is survived by her sister Gloria Ferguson, and her brothers Frank, Ron, Larry & Don Parker, and many nieces and nephews. Flo will be fondly remembered by many long-time friends. We will all miss Flo’s easy laugh, friendly smile and bear hugs - she will be remembered with love. Flo moved to Prince George in 1968, from Ontario and took a job as Manager at Sweet 16 in Spruceland Shopping Centre before moving to the downtown location on 3rd Avenue. Flo later worked with Leo in their own businesses - Spruceland Realty and Favor Homes. The family wishes to extend thanks to Dr Inban Reddy, and to the wonderful home nursing staff. In lieu of flowers, donations would be greatly appreciated to St Vincent de Paul Society. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

KIRBY,WilliamWayne October24,2018-November30,2018 Wayneissurvivedbyhisson,Barry;sister,Carolyn; andbrothers,Merritt,Roy,John,andKeith.Hewas predeceasedbyhisfather,Leonard;mother,Pearl; sister,Sheila;andbrother,Bryan. Noservicewillbeheld. Bekindtooneanother. M. Elaine Turner, born September 28, 1945, passed away on December 21, 2018. Survived by her loving husband, Dave, of 46 years, 2 daughters: Colleen and Laurie, 1 brother and 3 sisters. Cremation with Celebration of

Eric “Rick” Rupert Love passed away on December 22, 2018 at the age of 96. Survived by his loving daughter Jill Love of Vancouver and son Bruce (Maria) Love of Prince George. Predeceased by his beloved wife Kathleen “Kit” Love. We want to thank Fiki, Eyob and the staff of Enat Complex Care for the wonderful care they took of our father.

We miss you Dad Celebration of Life to be held at a later date.

Linda Margaret Ormiston August 26, 1943December 20, 2018

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our amazing mother, grandmother and friend, Linda. Mom was predeceased by our father, John, earlier this year. She is survived by her daughters, Donna (Doug) and Debbie and grandchildren, Mandy (Adam) and Steven. Mom had her share of health issues these past few years but she wasn’t one to complain. Mom will not only be missed by her family, but by all those who knew her. We would like to thank Drs. Neary and Preston for their care of Mom. In keeping with her wishes, there will be no service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the BC Lung Association or the BC SPCA. Rest In Peace Mom. You may be gone but you will never be forgotten.

In Memoriam

Obituaries

MONEY IN BRIEF

Currencies

OTTAWA (CP) — These

indicative wholesale rates for foreign currency provided by the Bank of Canada on Thursday. Quotations in Canadian

Can the good times keep rolling in 2019?

Andy BLATCHFORD Citizen news service

OTTAWA — The Canadian economy entered 2018 on an unexpectedly impressive run. The country begins 2019 on a healthy note but signs of weakness have raised a key question: how long until the good times come to an end?

Through much of 2018, Canada’s unemployment rate hovered near a 40-year low and jobcreation remained strong as the evidence pointed to an economy going at close to full tilt.

The handoff was a good one, too – the country had posted three-per-cent growth for all of 2017, largely thanks to strong household spending. We’ll have to wait a little for the final numbers but forecasters say 2018 has likely delivered still-sturdy growth of about two per cent.

But as 2019 approaches, there are worries the solid economic expansion is starting to show its age.

Last month, the federal government’s fall economic statement projected two-per-cent growth again for 2019, but many predict the number will likely come in lower following a recent drop in oil prices.

The markets today

TORONTO (CP) — Markets showed continued volatility Thursday as Canada’s main index swung higher following a two-day holiday while U.S. markets sank only to stage a late-day rebound after posting sharp gains a day earlier. The Toronto Stock Exchange diverged markedly from U.S. markets in early trading to play catch-up to the gains made in New York a day earlier, said Norman Levine, managing director of Portfolio Management Corp. in Toronto. “The Canadian market is basically catching up to the U.S., to what happened yesterday,” he said.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 385.02 points, or 2.79 per cent, at 14,165.21 following the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays. On Wednesday, the Dow and S&P 500 were up nearly five per cent while the Nasdaq rose 5.8 per cent. U.S. markets, which were trading lower for much of the day, staged a late rally to end positive Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average was trading down as much as 611 points before turning around to close up 260.37 points at 23,138.82. S&P 500 index ended up 21.13 points at 2,488.83, while the Nasdaq composite ended up 25.14 points at 6,579.49. Volatility in the markets, which has been elevated for weeks, is even more pronounced on slimmer trading volumes over the holiday stretch, said Levine.

“Volumes don’t look all that large, it’s a very quiet time of year. Institutions have closed their books for the year, a lot of people are away, so it’s not a high liquid time, which actually accounts for some of the exaggerated moves in the last week in both Canada and the US.”

The S&P/TSX energy index led the TSX higher with gains of 5.57 per cent, despite a slide in oil prices Thursday as the market caught up to strong oil gains a day earlier.

“A lot of it’s make up for yesterday, because oil was up something like nine per cent yesterday, so even though it’s off today it’s still up,” he said.

The February crude contract closed down US$1.61 from Wednesday at US$44.61 per barrel, but up from $42.53 on Monday. The February natural gas contract closed up nine cents from Wednesday at US$3.55 per mmBTU, up from $3.42 on Monday. The dollar traded at 73.31 cents US, down compared with an average of 73.59 cents US on Monday.

In addition to the pullback in crude prices, experts point to jitters in the financial markets, predictions the American economy – a key contributor to Canadian growth – will start to cool off and the United Kingdom’s difficult divorce from the European Union, which could ripple across the global economy.

There’s also potential for an even bigger threat: an escalation of the trade war between Washington and Beijing.

On trade, Canada made it through a year filled with significant uncertainty, including the difficult negotiation and signing of an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement: the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Many of the trade unknowns, however, will carry over into the new year. The road to USMCA’s ratification could bring more drama, punishing American steel and aluminum tariffs remain in place and the clash of superpowers between Canada’s two biggest trading partners continues.

“There are always reflections around the cyclical downturns that happen and, as I’ve said, the

impacts of a trade war between China and the United States could have significant impacts on the global economy – negative impacts on the global economy,”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.

“We have to make sure that we are prepared for rough waters if we encounter them.”

In Canada, potential trouble spots include the combination of high household debt, rising interest rates and slowing wage growth that’s been “terrible” for about half a year following a good pickup early in 2018, says Matt Stewart, director of economics for The Conference Board of Canada.

Higher interest rates, Stewart added, have delivered a hit to household spending, which has been the primary driver of Canada’s good economic fortunes.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a recession,” Stewart said. “As of yet, I think most of the news is still positive, but there is a growing amount of risks.”

With overburdened consumers expected to take a breather, business investment is seen as the next critical source of growth. But Stewart said the transition has yet to materialize because investment has underperformed, likely

due to competitiveness concerns. Businesses aren’t sure whether Canada’s the best place to put their money.

In an effort to boost investment, Ottawa announced billions of dollars worth of corporate tax incentives in its fall statement. Taxpayers will have to wait and see if the federal changes will be enough to encourage more companies to invest in Canada.

Craig Alexander, chief economist of Deloitte, said the economy will continue to have healthy growth in 2019, but notes it’s due for some moderation.

“We are in the late stages of a business cycle,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that a recession is around the corner, but we need to recognize that we’re 10 years into an economic recovery, expansion. Business cycles are typically eight to 10 years long.”

Alexander added markets are probably overreacting to the possibility that another downturn could be almost upon us. He thinks the more likely case is that growth will continue to slow.

The economy’s evolution will have different impacts depending where one lives, he added.

For example, the energy sector faces big challenges.

Part of it comes from the recent

Give a name, focus to the year

Acouple years ago, I was invited to speak at a conference where the hosts encouraged the attendees to name their year.

The purpose was to give the year a name that would inspire and motivate them for the next 52 weeks.

When they were finished, people were encouraged to go to the stage and tell the others what name they had given for their year.

As I considered what the others were doing, I was inspired. I decided to name my year as well. But what could I name it?

Maybe it should be the year I got in shape, or the 20-pound year where I lost 20 pounds (the more that I thought about this I gave into the fact that focusing on 20 pounds would encourage me to eat more).

Perhaps it should be the year of the bucket list where I knocked a couple things off my bucket list. But then the thought of skydiving killed that idea.

Perhaps I should name it the year of the pig after the Chinese New Year: I would have more ham and pork, eat more bacon.

I would dig in the garden and root around for more business. However, I thought of the pile of laundry that would get bigger, the messes I would get into would probably be large, and after a few weeks without a shower, I would probably smell like a pig.

Not a good idea.

plunge in oil prices, but there’s also been an extra discount on the price of western Canadian crude caused by transportation bottlenecks out of the Alberta oilpatch.

“This is sad news for Alberta,” Alexander said. “They’ve only barely recovered from the last recession.”

Ottawa offered assistance this month in the form of a $1.6-billion aid package to support oil and gas companies.

Alberta, however, wants federal help to move its oil to new markets. Ontario’s industrial sector will also face a big hurdle in 2019.

General Motors has announced plans to shutter its plant in Oshawa later in the year, which will put 2,500 people out of work and inflict economic pain on the region.

Bank of Montreal chief economist Doug Porter said Canada already took a small step back in 2018 – and he expects growth to slow further.

“Just looking at financial markets there’s obviously a lot of concern that we are getting to a late stage of the (economic) cycle,” Porter said. “We don’t believe that recession risks are especially high at this point, but we do think the North American economy will cool in 2019.”

A couple of years ago I thought that a good name for my year would be the year of awe and wonder. As I wrote my words down I knew that I was on to something. I contemplated the words awe and wonder. I turned them over in my mind. I thought of all the possibilities that a year of awe and wonder would entail. I wanted to be awestruck and revisit that sense of wonder that children have. I also wanted to be an awesome and wonderful husband, father, friend, son, boss, partner and business coach. I wanted to appreciate all that would be awesome during the year.

The year in fact was full of wonder and awe. Things happened that I couldn’t even imagine and as I looked at them through the lens of awe and wonder, my perspective was changed.

Events that perhaps I would have looked at as being negative were contemplated and then seen as perhaps wonderful... if not awesome. I didn’t react as fast to the first impression of trouble as discouraging, but challenged myself to see the awe and wonder in discomfort. As the conference ended, people flocked to the stage and announced the year of love,

or healing, prosperity, laughter, happiness, family, positivity, mental health and even the year of money. Their intention was to live their word each and every day of the year. I went home and taped my words awe and wonder to my computer screen so that I could see it each and every day of the year.

Last year I gave my year a different name. 2018 was named the year of blessings. I wanted to be a blessing and count my blessings, and blessed I was.

I realize now that naming your year can make a huge difference in how you look at things. I wish that I had started this practice years ago. It’s not that life would have turned out differently, but perhaps I would have looked at things with a new focus. We only have a limited number of years in our lives and breaking them down into time frames of intention could make all the difference not only to your business but more importantly, to your life. I am going to try it again this year and I encourage you to do the same.

What will you name your year? What words will you use in that name that will inspire and motivate you for the next 52 weeks? Email me and tell me, because I would love to hear what you come up with.

Dave Fuller, MBA, business strategist and coach is the author of the book Profit Yourself Healthy and loves to hear what people name their year. Email him at dave@profityourselfhealthy.com.

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.” — Mark Twain Call 250-562-2441 to go large

DAVE FULLER

Business Coach

People walk in Toronto’s financial district in 2012. Canada’s economy was firing on all cylinders in 2017 and 2018, but can the good times continue into 2019?