North Shore News November 30 20211

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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

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NV firefighter wins cup with Lions Neil McKinley comeback has storybook end Andy Prest aprest@nsnews.com

THE brass over at the District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services don’t normally condone their firefighters missing work to take on other jobs. “It’s frowned upon,” Fire Chief Victor Penman told the North Shore News. In the case of Neil McKinley, however, they were willing to make an exception for a firefighter who needed to swap a few shifts so that he could moonlight for a few weeks on another project: winning a Grey Cup. A former Winnipeg Blue Bomber who retired from the game in 2009 to take a job fighting fires in North Vancouver, McKinley got the itch to play again this summer. Through his old agent he put out some feelers and in midOctober the B.C. Lions bit, signing the SFU grad to play photo submitted special teams after injuries depleted their stock of non- DISTRICT of North Vancouver firefighter Neil McKinley hoists the Grey Cup at B.C. Place Sunday after the B.C. Lions beat the Winnipeg Blue import players. The Langley Bombers 34-23. McKinley, a former Bomber, came out of football retirement when the Lions ran into injury problems in the stretch drive. native suited up for the team’s final three regular season games and then again as the Lions topped Edmonton in the Western Conference final to book their ticket to the championship game. On Sunday, McKinley fulfilled a lifelong dream as he and the Lions battled to a Grey Cup win in front of hometown fans at BC Tessa Holloway She will serve her first term on the board. Place. “We have a good board. There’s seven of us and we all have tholloway@nsnews.com “It hasn’t been a bad six weeks, that’s for sure,” said McKinley different strengths and I believe the seven of us are all going to with a laugh after the News caught up with him following the SOMETIMES one vote can make a difference. do good work,” said Sacré. game. Dorais, while disappointed, said he was happy the recount In the case of the North Vancouver board of education, that’s McKinley’s father was a fire fighter for the City of North all that separated school trustee-elect Christie Sacré from Chris process worked. Vancouver and when McKinley left the Blue Bombers he followed Dorais following a judicial recount Tuesday. “I don’t agree with the judge’s determination on each of those in those footsteps. But after a year and a half fighting fires he felt that The two candidates were tied after the accepted ballots were ballots, but that’s her determination and you have to live with it,” something was missing. recounted at 2,178 votes apiece, with the judge still set to rule on said Dorais, who had argued two of the ballots should have been “The only thing I didn’t have was a Grey Cup ring,” he said. the admissibility of four ballots that scrutineers had objected to. marked as spoiled. In one case, the voter had drawn arrows below “I played in a Grey Cup with Winnipeg in 2007, I’ve kind of All four ballots were accepted by the judge, tipping the balance the names of candidates, while the other appeared to show more accomplished everything I’ve wanted to along they way. . . . I was for Sacré, who had been declared as elected to represent the City votes than allowed, said Dorais. just looking for that final puzzle piece and it just kind of happened. of North Vancouver when polls closed Nov. 19. The official tally “It’s agonizingly close, it is, but I’m happy that I went through It was great that I could do it at home in front of a bunch of people was 2,181 to 2,180. the process,” he added, thanking both the city and Sacré. “The playing for the B.C. Lions.” “Oh, relieved,” said Sacré, when asked how she felt shortly end result is still the same, but the votes were closely scrutinized after the final decision, adding the vote could have easily gone See Grey page 3 another way depending on the judge’s decision. See A draw page 5

Sacré wins trustee recount by one vote

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