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Yorkshire's latest Radio 1 stars The Sherlocks had a muddy great time at Leeds Festival - they drew a crowd of more than 6,000 fans then camped out with them.
The Sheffield indie four piece turned down a five star hotel and proved they are a real band of the people.
After packing out the Festival Republic stage they decided to pitched a tent in one of the muddy camp sites.
360 PHOTO: Take a look around the muddy camp site where hundreds of music fans also pitched their tents at Leeds Festival - CLICK HERE.
Frontan Kiaran Crook, aged 20, revealed: "We played our set then decided to camp through the night. We had an option to go into a five star hotel, with a jacuzzi and everything, but we decided to camp.
"We just love it."
He then joked: "We ended up camping next to the Red Hot Chili Peppers- I could hear Anthony snoring.
"But no, seriously, we love it. We love a bit of mud. We just thought, we might as well have the full festival experience."
Melvin Benn, Reading and Leeds Festival boss, said: "I didn't know The Sherlocks went and pitched up in the camp site. It doesn't surprise me. It's what my kids do. They want to be in the public camp site. Anybody who thinks the VIP area is the place to be, I can tell you it's a bit more boring."
Other Yorkshire bands who played at Leeds over the weekend included Sheffield's The Wired and Liberty Ship, Leeds band Dusk, Fighting Caravans, York based Faux Pas and many more.
The Sherlocks played to over 6,000 people then camped out with fans in muddy fields at Leeds Festival.
The Sherlocks, also featuring Kiaran's brother, drummer Brandon, 23, guitarist Josh Davidson, 22, and his brother and bassist Andy, 17, recently played the biggest music festival in the world, SXSW in Austin, Texas.
They also played at Reading Festival at the weekend but said Leeds, their Yorkshire homecoming, was the highlight of their year.
Kiaran added: "Leeds Festival is really important to us. It's given us a chance to pick up new fans. We had a blast. The tent was packed. It exceeded what we thought it would be.We're going on tour next month, starting in Brighton and finishing in Stockton, with a sold out gig in Leeds.
"It would be nice to do the NME/Radio 1 stage next year, I think that's where we are heading."
The Sherlocks at Leeds Festival
Brandon added: "We are at home when playing Leeds festival. Now we need to get an album out while we've got momentum behind us."
The Sherlocks, who will record their debut album later this year, begin a 16-date UK headline tour later this week, including a sold out show at The Wardrobe in Leeds, on Tuesday, September 20.
For full dates and tickets visit thesherlocksmusic.co.uk
The Sherlocks on stage at Leeds Festival

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Leeds Festival stars The Sherlocks camp in mud with fans


The Friends of Batley Library Group is starting a new attraction for people to remember days gone by.
The group plan to launch a new-style cafe – to be christened The Memory Lane Cafe.
The cafe will meet once a month in the library building and use its facilities to stimulate memories of the past.
This would be helped by various means such as bringing together selected photographs of local places, people and events, highlighting books, bringing in different speakers and using various musical groups to stimulate people’s memories.
Janet Virr, deputy chairman of the Friends Group, said: “It is well known that most people’s memories don’t work quite as well as they get older.
“But it had been found that by triggering memories of the past and encouraging people to talk about their own experiences, both their memories and their alertness could improve.
“And by coming together in social groups such as the Memory Lane Cafe, even greater numbers could be helped.”
The new venture will be launched on Tuesday, September 13.
The group will stage future meetings in the library’s reference section on the second Tuesday of each month.


The Friends of Batley Library Group is starting a new attraction for people to remember days gone by.


With only hours to go until it all gets under way the excitement is mounting ahead of the 2016 Leeds Festival.
Once again Bramham Park is hosting a huge weekend of music and entertainment and it all starts with State Champs on the main stage, Black Foxxes over on the NME/ BBC Radio 1 Stage and sharp Irish comic Andrew Maxwell in the comedy tent around noon tomorrow.
The festival is into its 18th year and shows no sign of slowing down with more than 300 acts set to entertain across nine stages over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Big names from the rock, indie and dance worlds mix with the hot up and comers and some of the country’s finest comedy talents in the north of England’s biggest festival.
This year varies from past events with five headline acts on the main stage instead of the usual three - Biffy Clyro and Fall Out Boy share top of the bill honours on Friday and Foals and Disclosure are joint headliners the following day.
It all wraps up with festival favourites Red Hot Chili Peppers as the main attraction on Sunday night.
A strong opening day line-up sees the joint headliners joined by indie favourites The Vaccines on a main stage line-up that also includes A$AP Rocky and rockers Five Finger Death Punch and Sleeping With Sirens.
Further first day highlights are likely to come from one of the bands of the moment, The 1975, who are headlining the NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage where The Wombats, Savages and Rat Boy are also likely to attract big crowds.
The Lock Up Stage has some great bands on with Good Charlotte top of the bill in their first return to the festival for ages, re-formed band The King Blues set to get the crowd moving and thinking and plenty of pop punk highlights through the day.
The excitement is sure to go on into the second day with Frank Turner opening up proceedings with a special first on slot on the main stage with his band The Sleeping Souls.
The festival veteran never fails to entertain in whatever guise he is appearing and this year he is setting the record for most appearances at the event.
Later in the day it is a bit of an eclectic line-up with Lower than Atlantis, Die Antwoord and Chvrches offering varied fare before the joint headliners.
Elsewhere, Oliver Heldens is a big name on the BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage while Asking Alexandria head up The Pit line-up and Maximo Park make a welcome return as Festival Republic Stage headliners. This stage will also see performances from Leeds’ Pulled Apart By Horses and South Yorkshire band The Sherlocks.
One of the biggest crowds of the day is sure to be over on the Alternative Stage where Russell Howard - used to packing them into arenas on his tours - is appearing to do a stand-up set.
Sunday’s strong main stage line-up includes Imagine Dragons, Courteeners and Eagles Of Death Metal as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers so decent weather will be helpful.
Two Door Cinema Club headline the NME/ BBC Radio 1 Stage where Nas and Sigma will be offering something different and current album chart toppers Blossoms are surprisingly seventh down the list..
Another big name headlines the Alternative Stage with Bill Bailey set to appear while the band reputed to be the loudest in the world, Mastodon, end proceedings in The Pit.
Here’s the full line-up:
FRIDAY
Main Stage: Biffy Clyro, Fall Out Boy, The Vaccines, A$AP Rocky, Five Finger Death Punch, Sleeping With Sirens, Coheed And Cambria, The Virginmarys, State Champs.
NME/ BBC Radio 1 Stage: The 1975, The Wombats, Cage The Elephant, Savages, Rat Boy, Half Moon Run, Tonight Alive, Deaf Havana, Spring King, Basement, Black Foxxes.
BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage: DJ EZ, David Rodigan, Mistajam, Friction, Jauz, Fred V & Grafix, Redlight, Low Steppa, Delta Heavy, James Organ.
Festival Republic Stage: The Temper Trap, Third Eye Blind, Borns, DMA’s, Eagulls, Clean Cut Kid, Gnash, Ezra Furman, The Magic Gang, The Vryll Society, Will Joseph Cook, Isaac Gracie, Tibet.
Lock Up Stage: Good Charlotte, The King Blues, MGK, Arcane Roots, Modern Baseball, Roam, Beach Slang, Waterparks, Greywind, Strange Bones, Fighting Caravans.
BBC Radio 1 Xtra Stage: Kano, Yung Lean, Hoodie Allen, Big Narstie, Fekky, Raleigh Ritchie, Yungen, Franko Fraize, Kiko Bun, Sneakbo, Astroid Boys.
BBC Introducing Stage: Superglu, KOG & The Zongo Brigade, Lawrence Taylor, Tusk, Sonny Green, Mowbeck, Mouses, Arctic Lake, Castles, Hardwicke Circus, Night Owls. Adore//Repel.
Relentless Stage: Feed Me, Jax Jones, Icarus, Luke Hassan.
Alternative Stage: Russell Kane, Holly Walsh, Mark Watson, Andrew Maxwell, Jamali Maddix, Mark Grist, Anthony Anaxagorou, David Morgan (MC), Kurupt FM, Propaganda ft Thomas Turgoose, DJ Dan and special guests, Mistry.
SATURDAY
Main Stage: Foals, Disclosure, Chvrches, Boy Better Know, Die Antwoord, Lower Than Atlantis, Nothing But Thieves, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls.
NME/ BBC Radio 1 Stage: Jack U, Twenty One Pilots, Crystal Castles, Fetty Wap ft Monty, The Neighbourhood, The Internet, Giggs, Mura Masa, Hinds, Haelos, Fickle Friends.
BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage: Oliver Heldens, Hannah Wants, Alunageorge, Philip George, Danny L Harle, Tkay Maidza, Lion Babe, 99 Souls, Hermitude, Draper.
The Pit: Asking Alexandria, Thrice, Crossfaith, Hacktivist, Nothing More, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Citizen, Superheaven, Creeper, Trash Boat, SWMRS.
Festival Republic Stage: Maximo Park, Pulled Apart By Horses, Rationale, Luh, Blaenavon, The Sherlocks, Lewis Del Mar, Otherkin, Anteros, Transviolet, Banners, White Miles, Area 52.
BBC Radio 1 Xtra Stage: Wiley, Protoje, Little Simz, Maverick Sabre, Charlie Sloth, Lady Leshurr, Baauer, Troyboi, Mick Jenkins, Geko, K Flay.
BBC Introducing Stage: Coquin Migale, Beau, Muncie Girls, Paris Youth Foundation, Airways, Happy Accidents, Eat Fast, The Wholls, Strong Asian Mothers, Jordan Allen, Faux Pas, Dusk.
Relentless Stage: Hannah Wants, Monki, Camelphat, Luke Hassan.
Alternative Stage: Russell Howard, Owen Jones ICW Andy Parsons, Sara Pascoe, Joel Dommett, Shappi Khorsandi, Mark Steel, Angela Barnes, Iain Stirling (MC), Transgressive Sound System, Metronomy (Summer 08 DJ set), Honne, Bless DJs, Super Hans.
SUNDAY
Main Stage: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Imagine Dragons, Courteeners, Eagles Of Death Metal, Slaves, Parkway Drive, Skindred, Clutch, Sundara Karma.
NME/ BBC Radio 1 Stage: Two Door Cinema Club, Nas, Jack Garratt, Sigma, Krept & Konan, Netsky, Blossoms, Whitney, Highly Suspect, Sunset Sons, Fatherson.
BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage: Duke Damont, Disciples, My Nu Leng B2B Oneman + Dread MC, Riton, Sophie, Birdy Nam Nam, Lemaitre, Zac Samuel, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, The Japanese House.
The Pit: Mastodon, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Kvelertak, Giraffe Tonge Orchestra, Milk Teeth, Heck, Ghost Town, Dead!, Big Spring.
Festival Republic Stage: Brian Fallon and The Crowes, Palace, Lapsley, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, White Room, Vant, The Hunna, Lany, Seratones, Inheaven, Tuff Love, The Beach, Beach Baby.
BBC Radio 1 Xtra Stage: Travi$ Scott, Section Boyz, Logic, DJ Semtex, Bugzy Malone, Anderson Paak & The free Nationals, The Range, Metro Boomin, Rejjie Snow, Rude Kid.
BBC Introducing Stage: Fronteers, Ten Tonnes, The Shimmer Band, High Tyde, Cameron A G, The Tin Pigeons, Avalanche Party, Tiny Giant, Haus, We Were Giants, The Indigo Project, Vexxes.
Relentless Stage: Andy C with MC Tonn Piper, TQD (Royal T/ DJ Q/ Flava D), Sir Spyro, Luke Hassan.
Alternative Stage: Bill Bailey, Marcus Brigstocke, Lee Nelson, Carl Donnelly, John Robins, Al Porter, Dane Baptiste, Daniel Simonsen, Lauren Pattison, Dan Nightingale (MC), Transgressive Sound System, Fat White Family, Bless DJs, Loyle Corner.


With only hours to go until it all gets under way the excitement is mounting ahead of the 2016 Leeds Festival.


A dedicated member of Heckmondwike Rotary Club has celebrated his 50th year with the group.
David Armitage, 84, first joined the club while he owned Armitage Allott and Partners opticians in Market Street.
Since then he has become president of the club twice, in 1975 and 2010, and has seen a lot of changes in the town.
Mr Armitage, of Brighouse, said: “It’s been 50 very interesting years. There’s been a lot of changes in Heckmondwike in that time.
“I think the biggest single change is when Morrisons opened. It did change the town centre – it went down quite a bit but it’s built up again since.
“The general atmosphere of Heckmondwike has improved in the last 10 to 20 years.”
Mr Armitage was congratulated on his milestone at the last Heckmondwike Rotary Club meeting by president Mike Lister on August 11 at Healds Hall in Liversedge.
Mr Armitage, who is originally from Bradford, added that one of the main benefits of joining the club has been meeting new friends.
“I’ve got to know an awful lot of people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. It’s a totally diverse group of people that meet,” he added.
Member Bill Hofstetter said: “David has never sought recognition for his involvement with Rotary.
“David is a very quiet and humble man and for 50 years has found the time to put service before himself.”
During his second presidency of the group he made Help For Heroes his charity of choice, raising funds for wounded soldiers with regular events.
He said that one of the biggest challenges now facing the group is attracting new members.
But he hopes to remain part of the group for as long as he can.
He said: “Perhaps another 50 years.”

Marking fifty golden years in the Rotary


A dedicated member of Heckmondwike Rotary Club has celebrated his 50th year with the group.


Firefighters battled a four-hour blaze at the John Cotton bedding company site in Mirfield this morning.
Crews were called to the Nunbrooks Mills site in Huddersfield Road after the external dust silo caught fire.
Nobody was hurt in the blaze, which was extinguished using two jets.
Rastrick Fire Station crew commander Elliott Webster said: “They went to an incident at John Cotton.
“It was a fire in the dust collection bins.”
He said that the fire was confined to the dust silos, which had been emptied.
But he added: “It was sizeable enough to command crews into the area with large jets.”
Around 50 per cent of the 100m dust silo was on fire.
Firefighters from Mirfield, Cleckheaton, Rastrick and Huddersfield put the blaze out at around 4am.
Any damage is understood to be limited to the dust silos and the business continued to operate later in the morning.
The John Cotton company celebrates 100th anniversary in business this year.

Four-hour blaze at John Cotton site in Mirfield


Firefighters battled a four-hour blaze at the John Cotton bedding company site in Mirfield this morning.


THERE is a fine line between wanting Yorkshire to do well but not wanting them to do so well that it cuts short a visit to Scarborough.
Such concerns must have crossed the minds of the Yorkshire crowd yesterday when the hosts were busy ripping through the Notts’ batting line-up with the ease of piranhas devouring their victims.
But after dismissing Notts for 94 on the stroke of lunch, after they had started day two on 38-2 in reply to their own first-innings 282, Yorkshire chose not to enforce the follow-on despite a lead of 188, thereby ensuring that the game could not be over inside two days, which had seemed eminently plausible.
As owners of local guest houses and hostelries no doubt turned cartwheels of joy, so too did those Yorkshire members who adore it at North Marine Road, with 84 per cent of them having voted in a recent survey conducted by the club to retain two Championship games there from next season.
With Yorkshire having to take one match away from Headingley or Scarborough due to changes to the fixture list, it can be taken as read that the decision will come down in the seaside town’s favour, but that is not to say that many of those Scarborough devotees were not a little baffled as to why Yorkshire – their bowlers fresh and their opponents fragile – opted to increase their lead in glorious sunshine.
It is the modern way, of course, not to enforce, and it is unlikely to make a jot of difference to the result, with Yorkshire set to close the gap to five points on leaders Middlesex with a win here, and Notts looking every inch like relegation material.
Yorkshire followed up with 200-4 in 61 overs in their second innings, Gary Ballance, the captain, scoring an unbeaten 75 to stretch the lead to a lofty 388.
Even with dodgy weather forecast today, Yorkshire’s fourth Championship victory of the season would seem as much of a formality as high and low tide.
Regardless of the question as to whether to enforce, that Yorkshire were even in a position to do so was tribute to a rousing recovery from 51-6 on day one.
Magnificent contributions from Andrew Hodd, Azeem Rafiq and Jack Brooks were mainly responsible for a revival completed by Yorkshire’s four-pronged pace attack of Brooks, Ryan Sidebottom, Tim Bresnan and Steve Patterson, who needed just 25.5 overs on the second morning to winkle out the last eight wickets.
The tone was set – as it so often is – by the venerable Sidebottom, who belied his 38 years with a splendid exhibition of swing bowling from the Peasholm Park end to take 3-5 in 12 balls and reduce Notts to 52-5.
Michael Lumb, the former Yorkshire batsman, was drawn forward and caught behind by one that shaped away; Steven Mullaney was lbw playing across the line; and Samit Patel was caught upper-cutting high to Bresnan at first slip.
Sidebottom would have had a fourth wicket with the score on 59 but Bresnan dropped a low chance at first slip, with Brendan Taylor not then off the mark.
But it was only a temporary setback for a Yorkshire side who made equally light work of the mid-to-lower order.
Chris Read miscued an attempted pull off Brooks to cover; Brett Hutton edged Brooks low to Adam Lyth at second slip; Taylor’s luck finally ran out when he played on an attempted drive off Patterson; Luke Wood flashed in foolhardy fashion at Bresnan and was caught behind, and an innings caked in collective embarrassment ended when Luke Fletcher helped Bresnan to Jack Leaning at third slip.
That Yorkshire would bat again was betrayed by the sight of openers Lyth and Alex Lees sprinting off the ground to strap on their pads, and they safely negotiated the one over that remained before lunch.
After the break, the cricket grew steadily soporific as the 5,000 crowd watched Yorkshire increase their lead in the way of builders systematically adding bricks to a house.
Lees added 30 bricks before he was lbw to Hutton, ending a first-wicket stand of 72, and Lyth followed shortly after for 41, caught and bowled by Wood off a leading edge.
Lehmann and Ballance added 61 in 22 overs before Lehmann slogged Samit Patel straight up in the air to Wood at mid-on.
Ballance, dropped on 20 when he pulled Fletcher to a diving Tom Moores at mid-wicket, advanced to a 113-ball half-century that included eight fours, and Leaning helped him add 57 before being stumped.
Play was halted seven overs early due to bad light with swooping seagulls ready to reclaim the outfield once the cricketers had left for the evening.

Yorkshire v Notts: Seaside air leaves Gary Ballance in mood to play on


THERE is a fine line between wanting Yorkshire to do well but not wanting them to do so well that it cuts short a visit to Scarborough.


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Yorkshire's latest Radio 1 stars The Sherlocks had a muddy great time at Leeds Festival - they drew a crowd of more than 6,000 fans then camped out with them.
The Sheffield indie four piece turned down a five star hotel and proved they are a real band of the people.
After packing out the Festival Republic stage they decided to pitched a tent in one of the muddy camp sites.
Frontan Kiaran Crook, aged 20, revealed: "We played our set then decided to camp through the night. We had an option to go into a five star hotel, with a jacuzzi and everything, but we decided to camp.
"We just love it."
He then joked: "We ended up camping next to the Red Hot Chili Peppers- I could hear Anthony snoring.
"But no, seriously, we love it. We love a bit of mud. We just thought, we might as well have the full festival experience."
Melvin Benn, Reading and Leeds Festival boss, said: "I didn't know The Sherlocks went and pitched up in the camp site. It doesn't surprise me. It's what my kids do. They want to be in the public camp site. Anybody who thinks the VIP area is the place to be, I can tell you it's a bit more boring."
Other Yorkshire bands who played at Leeds over the weekend included Sheffield's The Wired, Liberty Ship, Bang Bang Romeo, Leeds band Dusk, Fighting Caravans, York based Faux Pas and many more.
The Sherlocks, also featuring Kiaran's brother, drummer Brandon, 23, guitarist Josh Davidson, 22, and his brother and bassist Andy, 17, recently played the biggest music festival in the world, SXSW in Austin, Texas.
The Sherlocks played to over 6,000 people then camped out with fans in muddy fields at Leeds Festival.
They also played at Reading Festival at the weekend but said Leeds, their Yorkshire homecoming, was the highlight of their year.
Kiaran added: "Leeds Festival is really important to us. It's given us a chance to pick up new fans. We had a blast. The tent was packed. It exceeded what we thought it would be.We're going on tour next month, starting in Brighton and finishing in Stockton, with a sold out gig in Leeds.
"It would be nice to do the NME/Radio 1 stage next year, I think that's where we are heading."
Brandon added: "We are at home when playing Leeds festival. Now we need to get an album out while we've got momentum behind us."
The Sherlocks, who will record their debut album later this year, begin a 16-date UK headline tour later this week, including a sold out show at The Wardrobe in Leeds, on Tuesday, September 20.
The Sherlocks at Leeds Festival
For full dates and tickets visit thesherlocksmusic.co.uk
The Sherlocks on stage at Leeds Festival
Reading and Leeds Festival boss Melvin Benn
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VIDEO: Sheffield's The Sherlocks camp in mud with fans after wowing Leeds Festival


Police say they have stepped up patrols on Fieldhead Estate after reports of anti-social behaviour.
One woman who lives on the Birstall estate said she had seen wheelie bin fires, houses and cars being vandalised, sheds being broken into and stones being thrown at buildings.
The woman, who did not want to be named for fear of being targeted, said: “Things like this have been happening on and off for three years. It seems like nothing is being done.”
Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH) confirmed last month it had been made aware of stones and eggs being thrown on the estate. And it said it is working with police to put a stop to the behaviour.
A spokeswoman said: “We’re very sorry that people on the estate are being troubled by this kind of unacceptable behaviour.
“We take all reports seriously and would encourage anyone who is experiencing problems to report them to us or the police so we can work together to tackle it.”
PC Louise Hurst, ward officer for Birstall said police had come together with various agencies including KNH, the Youth Offending Team and the Anti-social Behaviour Team to address the reported issues.
She said: “A number of youths have been arrested for offences including public order, criminal damage, drug offence and assault and have been issued with warning letters from the Anti-Social Behaviour Team with a view to putting in place Anti-Social Behaviour Contracts as appropriate.”
She said police patrols would be increased on the estate until October to reassure the community.

Police patrols stepped up on estate to tackle crime


Police say they have stepped up patrols on Fieldhead Estate after reports of anti-social behaviour.


Leeds United boss Garry Monk rued his side’s defending at corners as it proved costly in their 3-1 Championship defeat at Nottingham Forest.
The Whites had previously conceded a number of goals from set pieces this season, but looked to have tightened up in the area in recent matches until they were undone by two corners at the City Ground.
Unhappy head coach Monk said: “We gifted them two soft goals, which made it difficult,
“We have the international break now and some time for us to work on things, to drill a few things into the players.
“We need to cut out the sloppiness and the individual errors. We have the squad to address this.
“We conceded soft goals and Forest did nothing in general play otherwise. If not for the goals we conceded we would have won the game, definitely.”
Leeds, showing 10 changes from the side that beat Luton in the EFL Cup in midweek and one from the team that won at Sheffield Wednesday, started well enough with Pablo Hernandez looking lively on the left wing and putting an early effort off target.
But it was Forest who took the lead on 16 minutes when a corner was flicked on at the near post and turned it at the far by Pajtim Kasami as he caught Charlie Taylor napping.
United almost replied when Hadi Sacko’s cross almost caught home keeper Stephen Henderson out.
Neither side created much in the opening half, although Rob Green had to make a save from Kasami’s free-kick and at the other end Marcus Antonsson saw his shot blocked.
A better chance fell to Antonsson in injury time, but he was denied by a fine Henderson save.
United started the second half well with some pressure on the home goal ended when Chris Wood fired over and Hernandez slipped when well placed.
Ben Osborn hit a shot wide for Forest before Sacko was off target with a shot from distance for Leeds.
The crucial second goal went to the hosts as they won another corner and Damien Perquis beat Liam Cooper to head the ball into the net.
To United’s credit, they tried to battle back as Wood sent a header off target from a Hernandez cross.
They did make it 2-1 seven minutes from time when substitute Kalvin Phillips beat keeper Henderson with a well struck curling free-kick from 20 yards out.
Leeds went looking for an equaliser with defender Kyle Bartley heading wide from a corner and Antonsson once more again denied by Henderson.
But it was Forest who wrapped up the points in the fourth minute of added time as Oliver Burke got away from Luke Ayling and Cooper in the box then beat Green at his near post to make it 3-1.
Match facts
Nottingham Forest 3
(Kasami 16, Perquis 71, Burke 90+4)
Leeds United 1
(Phillips 83)
Saturday, August 27, 2016
EFL Championship
Attendance: 20,995
Forest: Henderson, Pereira, Mancienne, Perquis (Mills 77), Lichaj, Cohen, Burke, Lansbury, Kasami, Osborn, Vellios (Cash 83).
Leeds: Green, Ayling, Cooper, Bartley, Taylor, Bridcutt, Vieira (Phillips 66), Hernandez (Mowatt 81), Sacko (Roofe 71), Antonsson, Wood.
Referee: Geoff Eltringham.

Soft goals prove undoing of Leeds United at Forest


Leeds United boss Garry Monk rued his side’s defending at corners as it proved costly in their 3-1 Championship defeat at Nottingham Forest.


THE NatWest T20 Blast is all done and dusted.
A Royal London Cup semi-final looms on the horizon but, for now, Yorkshire’s attention returns to the Specsavers County Championship.
England's Stuart Broad is absent from the Notts line up Picture: Adam Davy/PA.
They are second in Division One, 26 points behind Middlesex with a game in hand.
And this week’s match against Nottinghamshire at Scarborough represents that game in hand.
It comes against a side who are bottom of the league and staring down the barrel of relegation.
Mathematically, it is not a must-win fixture, for there are still four to play after this match.
But it presents an obvious opportunity for Yorkshire to close the gap on Middlesex, and to close it to just two points if they can claim the maximum 24.
Yorkshire travel to second-bottom Hampshire next week and host third-bottom Durham the following week, before ending their campaign at home to Somerset and away to Middlesex.
A hat-trick of titles is still in their hands, but you sense that they need to seize the present moment.
It will not be easy.
Not only is the weather unpredictable at this time of year, rendering victories already gained like gold dust, but sides such as Notts are scrapping for points for different reasons – namely, their First Division survival.
Trent Bridge is arguably the finest ground in the country – at least outside of Lord’s, and with all due respect to Scarborough –but it faces the unpalatable prospect of Second Division cricket.
It will be extremely tough for Notts to beat a strong Yorkshire team at Scarborough, a ground where Notts have won only once in 12 matches, indeed, but that does not mean that they will be pushovers in what has been a tight division.
Yorkshire have a good recent record in the Championship at North Marine Road, but they lost on their last outing there in early July – an innings defeat to Middlesex that they hope will not have the same look in retrospect that Durham’s win there did in 2013, when it provided the impetus for the visitors to go on and pip Jason Gillespie’s team to the title.
Yorkshire, on paper, should be too strong for Notts, and yet the visitors possess some talented players.
Stuart Broad, the England pace bowler, is out with an ankle injury, and there is no Jake Ball or Alex Hales, who are on one-day international duty along with Yorkshire’s Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid.
But Notts have plenty of seasoned campaigners – not least the evergreen Chris Read and Samit Patel.
First-team coach Gillespie is certainly not taking Notts for granted as his side go in search of their fourth win of the Championship campaign.
“It’s going to be a massive challenge,” said Gillespie.
“Notts are a very good side, and although they haven’t played the cricket they’d like in the Championship, they’re an incredibly dangerous team and they’ve got some real match-winners.
“We need to play at our best if we’re going to compete with them, and we’ve got to make sure that we tick all the boxes.
“We’ve got a good record at Scarborough in recent times, and hopefully we can build on that this week.”
A week of inactivity for Middlesex would be as good a week as any for the champions to strike, with the leaders battling problems of their own.
With pace bowler Steven Finn currently out with a hamstring injury, Middlesex have been dealt another blow with the news that former Notts batsman Adam Voges will not be returning to captain them for their last four games, with Cricket Australia wanting him to rest his own hamstring problem.
Middlesex return to action next week when they travel to Warwickshire before visiting Notts the following week.
They continue their programme away to Lancashire before the potentially key fixture with Yorkshire in late September.
Notts, who are 14 points adrift at the bottom, really need something from this week’s fixture.
Mick Newell, their coach, is considering changes to his batting line-up, with Root’s brother, Billy, among those who could come into the team along with fellow batsman Tom Moores, the 19-year-old son of former England coach Peter Moores.
Whoever he selects, Newell is conscious of the need for immediate improvement.
“We’re in a mess in the Championship,” he admitted.
“We’ve got to try and get out of the bottom two.
“This is a really big game, and I’m not sure where the pressure sits because they’re trying to get to the top and we’re obviously trying to get off the bottom.
“We’ve got to find a way of winning games.”

Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire: Yorkshire lookint to seize the moment in Championship title bid


THE NatWest T20 Blast is all done and dusted.


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What is the number on Herbie's car bonnet in the Disney film The Love Bug?
It's 53 of course.
And if you knew that, you might have been in with a chance against Team Goofy, the newly crowned Disney Quiz Cineworld Sheffield champions - IT worker John Youle, 33, primary school assistant Abigail Screaton, 32, sales assistants Deborah Vaughan, 29, and Sarah Youle, 32.
They won books, bags, T-shirts, hats and more, including tickets to see Frozen, the live action Disney On Ice production coming to Sheffield Arena in December.
Team Goofy also won a Cineworld star-shaped logo trophy and they each got a miniature Oscar.
The free entry event promoted this Friday's UK release of Finding Dory, the long-awaited Walt Disney and Pixar Animation sequel to their 2003 masterpiece, Finding Nemo..
Cineworld Sheffield Disney Quiz champs 2016 - John Youle, 33; primary school assistantAbigail Screaton, 32, sales assistants Deborah Vaughan, 29, and Sarah Youle, 32.
It follows a sci-fi and a Marvel quiz night, much like a pub quiz, which were also hosted in the innovative cinema's bar area, on the first floor of the building at Valley Centertainment.
Cineworld's next film quiz, with the theme of Page To Screen, will test fans' knowledge of films like Harry Potter on Tuesday, August 16, at 7pm.
Team Goofy's Abigail Screaton, of Rotherham, said: "It's only the third time we've done one of these quizzes, So it's fantastic to win.
"It's just a different sort of environment from a usual pub quiz. Lots of people get dressed up. It's nice to do something a bit different with your friends. I really enjoyed it."
Quiz master Dave Vaughan, Cineworld Sheffield's Operations Manager, said: "Pub quizzes have been going on for years. At Cineworld we do something a little bit different.
"We are doing this for free, for people to come here not for a night at the movies but a night in our bar, having fun and showing their skills of movie knowledge out.
"We've had a sci-fi quiz, a Marvel quiz and next we're having a Page To Screen quiz. So it's something for everyone. Some of the audience and our staff even dressed up for it.
"The space is bookable, we have had private events in the past, where people have hired the bar out with food for parties. Anything is a possibility in the new Cineworld Sheffield."
Team Goofy answered 100 questions, including video and audio sections, getting around 81 per cent right,
Below we have 10 of the question. Without using Google, go on, be honest...how many can you answer?
CINEWORLD SHEFFIELD DISNEY QUIZ 2016
1. What was the name of the snake in Robin Hood?
2. Who wrote Peter Pan?
3. The Blue fairy appears in which Disney Classic first?
4. What fairy tale is Tangled based on?
5. What's the name of the crab in little mermaid?
6. Put these Disney classics in order of release - Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, 101 Dalmatians and Winnie the Pooh. ]
7. What is the name of Merlin’s owl in the Sword in the Stone.
8. What happened to Bambi’s mum?
9. Night at Bald Mountain come from what Disney classic.
10. Name the seven dwarfs.
ANSWERS
1. Sir hiss
2. J M Barrie
3. Pinocchio.
4. Rapunsel
5. Sebastian.
6. Alice, 1951; 101 Dalmatians, 1961; Robin Hood, 1973; The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, 1977; Winnie the Pooh, 2011.
7. Archimedes
8. She is shot.
9. Fantasia
10. Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy and Grumpy.
Have you got something to share on the story? Were you there? What do you think? - Send your pictures, videos or story and we'll publish the best × Continue the story VIDEO: Cineworld Sheffield Disney Quiz champions - can you do better? Loading ... Add up to 3 photos or 1 videos to the story There's been a problem uploading your files. Please try again. By uploading your file you agree to our Terms and Conditions × Continue the story Sign in to contribute sign in shape the news in your area...


VIDEO: Cineworld Sheffield Disney Quiz champions - can you do better?


It seems that Olympics fever has spread everywhere - and that includes youngsters at a Westborough nursery.
Children at Eversleigh day nursery have taken part in their own Olympic games event in the wake of the 2016 event in Rio, Brazil.
The youngsters learned about the various countries that take part in the spectacular event, how they all come together and compete and also what the five Olympic rings represent.
Children then replicated the sporting stars of Rio by taking part in hurdles, the long jump, racing and other track and field activities.


It seems that Olympics fever has spread everywhere - and that includes youngsters at a Westborough nursery.


Names of the bands who get to rub shoulders with the big names at the Leeds Festival after coming through the annual Centre Stage and Futuresound competitions have been revealed.
The competitions give local bands the once-in-a-lifetime chance to win places on the line-up at the annual music extravaganza taking place at Bramham Park.
Since its initial launch by The Pigeon Detectives in 2009, Centre Stage has raised an incredible £200,000 for Martin House Children’s Hospice and provided a platform for over 190 young musicians to showcase their emerging talent.
This year’s winners are Yorkshire favourites Faux Pas, from York, who will be performing on the BBC Introducing Stage at Leeds and Reading 2016.
The prestigious Futuresound competition also returned this year, offering winners the coveted opening slot on the Lock Up Stage and five runners-up the chance to perform on the BBC Introducing Stage. This year’s winners are alt-rock Americana quintet Fighting Caravans, from Leeds.
Having battled it out against 39 other bands, they will play the Lock Up Stage alongside the likes of Good Charlotte, The King Blues, MGK and Arcane Roots. Joining them over the bank holiday weekend and all performing on the BBC Introducing Stage will be runners up The Indigo Project, Vexxes, Dusk, Adore // Repel and Night Owls.
Members of Fighting Caravans and Faux Pas were given the chance to meet fellow northerners Blossoms at HMV Leeds, during the promotional tour for their debut, self-titled album, which is heading straight for the top of the UK Album Chart this week.
Band of the moment Blossoms are also appearing at the Leeds Festival and in his introduction at the Leeds Festival press day at Bramham Park, event founder Melvin Benn talked about the band as the perfect example of what can happen to an act with the right breaks in the space of one short year.
Blossoms were unsigned when they played the Festival Republic Stage at their first Leeds and Reading Festivals in 2015. This year, they play on the NME / Radio 1 Stage, with a critically acclaimed album hitting the very top of the charts.
Weekend tickets for the Leeds Festival are £205 + £8 booking fee and day tickets are £59.50 + £7 booking fee with both available from http://www.leedsfestival.com/tickets

Leeds and York bands given chance to impress at Festival


Names of the bands who get to rub shoulders with the big names at the Leeds Festival after coming through the annual Centre Stage and Futuresound competitions have been revealed.


The most popular pet name in the UK is Charlie, according to new research into the names we choose for our animals by Pets at Home.
Pets at Home surveyed more than 800,000 pet owners through its My VIP club and has found the top 50 most popular names for each pet type. Whether the pet is a bird, cat, dog, fish, horse, reptile or small animal, Charlie was the clear winner with almost 34,000 of British pet owners choosing this name for their animal friend, topping the list of most common names for birds, cats and horses.
Poppy also proved to be a popular choice for many pets, particularly canines and felines, ranking at number one for dogs and number two for cats. Other common selections include Alfie, Bella, Billy and Molly.
George also ranked highly across all species with almost 10,000 of those taking part choosing this name within the top 50, again regardless of pet type, suggesting the young Prince’s influence may not end with toddler fashion and toys.
The world of entertainment, particularly children’s cartoons, appear to have had an effect on the names owners select. Bird based film Rio saw the film’s title rank in tenth place for birds, while classic cartoon character name Tweety came in at number 32.
Bestselling book A Cat Called Alfie may have inspired cat owners, with Alfie being the eighth most popular name for cats. Winnie the Pooh fans are meanwhile drawn to Tigger, which ranked at 11 in cat names. Demonstrating that classic films can still influence our decisions, Thumper, who appeared in the 1942 film Bambi, is still the seventh most chosen name for rabbits. Nemo, is the second most popular name for the nation’s fish following Goldie in first.
Gavin Hawthorn, Group CRM Director, said: “It’s interesting to see that just as popular culture and famous faces influence what we name our children, likewise, these trends can help the nation’s pet owners select a name for their animals. It seems likely that children being allowed to name their first animal friend forms a big part of the naming process, particularly among the film and TV inspired monikers.
“However, it also seems that books and even the Royal family are also helping Brits to decide on what to call their pet. Meanwhile Charlie and Poppy scored highly across species, suggesting that cute, traditional names will always appeal when it comes to naming our pets.”
Top 10 names for dogs:
1.Poppy
2.Alfie
3.Bella
4.Charlie
5.Molly
6.Max
7.Daisy
8.Bailey
9.Ruby
10.Lola
Top 10 names for cats:
1.Charlie
2.Poppy
3.Molly
4.Bella
5.Oscar
6.Daisy
7.Tilly
8.Alfie
9.Millie
10.Smudge
Top 10 names for small animals:
1.Daisy
2.Fudge
3.Nibbles
4.Poppy
5.Rosie
6.Charlie
7.Thumper
8.Fluffy
9.George
10.Harry
Top 10 names for reptiles:
1.Spike
2.George
3.Rex
4.Charlie
5.Sid
6.Monty
7.Bob
8.Leo
9.Rango
10.Sheldon
Top 10 names for fish:
1.Goldie
2.Nemo
3.Bob
4.Bubbles
5.Fishy
6.George
7.Fred
8.Jaws
9.Dave
10.Tom
Top 10 names for horses:
1.Charlie
2.Jack
3.Rosie
4.Molly
5.Harry
6.Alfie
7.Billy
8.Poppy
9.Murphy
10.Lady
Top 10 names for birds:
1.Charlie
2.Joey
3.Billy
4.Bobby
5.George
6.Blue
7.Alfie
8.Rosie
9.Sky
10.Rio

Britain’s most popular pet names revealed


The most popular pet name in the UK is Charlie, according to new research into the names we choose for our animals by Pets at Home.


A Dewsbury pub is challenging punters to a chilli-eating contest at its charity music and beer festival.
Westival at the West Riding Refreshment Rooms will take place this weekend in aid of Kirklees Music School, and features a line-up of 12 local bands.
Brave diners will be invited onto the stage at 4pm on Sunday afternoon to sample some of the hottest chillis to be found, and there will also be a silent disco and performances and demonstrations by the Dewsbury-based Acorn Theatre Company and Ossett Martials.
AC/DC Powerage will headline the Friday night session (6-10.30pm) before appearances from Acoustic Skadom on Saturday and Nu Popes on Sunday. Nightschool, Hospital Food, 1919, Cardboard Cowboy, ETS, The Now Nows, Goodnight Dakota, Eric the Viaduct, Andy Taft, Limited Edition and Flaming Dragon are all on the bill. DJ Slipped Disc will play sets between the live performances.
The family-friendly programme also features face painting, market stalls, a bouncy castle, mascots, real ale and lager bars, and street food vans from Dapur Malaysia and Pavs Dhaba.
The popular event, which is now in its third year, kicks off on Friday evening and is open from 12-10.30pm on Saturday and Sunday at the pub, which is next to the railway station.
The festival is free to attend and suitable for all ages. For more information and the performance timetable, visit the Westival page on Facebook.
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A Dewsbury pub is challenging punters to a chilli-eating contest at its charity music and beer festival.


Forever championing up and coming talent, the BBC Introducing Stage is back again at this year’s Leeds Festival with the line-up announced today.
This stage offers one of the biggest platforms for new music in the UK, having last year brought sets from the likes of Clean Cut Kid, Georgia and Viola Beach.
The BBC Introducing Stage has also hosted Reading and Leeds debut slots from Jake Bugg, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Jack Garratt, making it a must see for anyone wishing to catch future stars’ formative moments.
Headlining the BBC Introducing Stage on the Friday at Leeds will be the up and coming SuperGlu. Appearing alongside them will be the West-African rhythms of nine-piece KOG & The Zongo Brigade, West-Midlands singer-songwriter Lawrence Taylor, ‘math-pop-whiz-kids’ Tusk, poetic grime artist Sonny Green and gritpop Nottingham based Mowbeck.
Mouses are renowned for their raw and energetic live performances and will take to the BBC Introducing Stage as well as the melodic Arctic Lake, psychedelic indie band CaStleS and power-packed seven-piece rock n’ rollers Hardwicke Circus.
The stage will also play host to Centre Stage Competition winners Faux Pas and Futuresound Competition runners up Dusk, The Indigo Project, Vexxes, Night Owls and Adore//repel.
Headlining the second day at Leeds will be the hotly tipped Coquin Migale with explosive sounds from their new album Munro released next week.
Joining them is 19-year-old singer songwriter from Yorkshire, Beau, the heavy melodic swoons of Muncie Girls and the lo-fi aesthetic sounds of Paris Youth Foundation.
Airways, a recently formed indie-rock group will be performing alongside indie-pop Happy Accidents, pop-fuzz buzz-band Eat Fast, explosive four-piece The Wholls, the increasingly popular Strong Asian Mothers and Bolton singer songwriter Jordan Allen.
Closing the BBC Introducing Stage on the Sunday at Leeds will be Fronteers, with their Britpop infused licks. Also appearing is blues-influenced Ten Tonnes, psychedelic five piece The Shimmer Band, Brighton favourites High Tyde, the spell-binding young piano master Cameron A G and indie-folk group The Tin Pigeons.
The adrenalin pumped garage punk Avalanche Party, dreamy-pop Tiny Giant, electronic-indie inspired Haus and anthemic indie-rockers We Were Giants will join them for first time appearances at Reading and Leeds.
Leeds Festival will kick start in style on Thursday, August 25 as legendary independent Leeds-based label Dance To The Radio return to host the BBC Introducing Stage and start the weekend’s festivities with a phenomenal programme.
The psychedelic grunge swamp sounds of The Wytches and fiery Brighton duo Blood Red Shoes top a bill that will also see performances by Freak, Blackwaters and Forever Cult.
The 2016 Leeds Festival boasts the biggest names, sounds and festival moments, with five main stage headliners over three days - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foals, Biffy Clyro, Disclosure and Fall Out Boy. They head up a huge Bank Holiday weekend which will also see performances by Jack Ü, The 1975, Two Door Cinema Club, Boy Better Know, Chvrches, The Vaccines, A$AP Rocky, Nas, Good Charlotte, Asking Alexandria, Fetty Wap and over 200 more.
Weekend tickets (£205 + £8 booking fee) and day tickets (£59.50 + £7 booking fee) are available from http://www.leedsfestival.com/tickets

BBC Introducing Stage line-up announced for Leeds Festival


Forever championing up and coming talent, the BBC Introducing Stage is back again at this year’s Leeds Festival with the line-up announced today.


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OTTAWA – The federal labour minister was told earlier this year to give a positive signal to liquefied natural gas companies on the use of temporary foreign workers, but only if Canadians were considered first for jobs.
Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk's officials told her in February that it was inevitable that companies would need temporary foreign workers to proceed with energy projects in Western Canada.
In a Feb. 1 briefing note, Mihychuk's officials write that the federal government can speed up how quickly it processes applications for temporary foreign workers, but couldn't waive requirements for liquefied natural gas projects.
The briefing note, prepared ahead of Mihychuk's meeting with David Keane, president of the BC LNG Alliance, recommends "signal support" for temporary foreign workers "on the condition that Canadians are considered first for available jobs ... and only used as a measure of last resort."
The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the briefing note under the Access to Information Act.
In an interview, Keane said Mihychuk didn't give any indication of how the government would decide on the issue of foreign workers involved in projects. He said the message Mihychuk provided was that the government wanted to review the temporary foreign worker program.
He didn't want to speculate about what the message from department officials may mean for the fate of projects that require federal approval.
Thousands of temporary foreign workers are expected to be needed to work on any of the 20 separate liquefied natural gas projects being reviewed in British Columbia, including the Pacific Northwest LNG project that the federal cabinet has to decide on this fall.
The briefing note says unions are unlikely to speak out publicly about the use of temporary foreign workers because they know the majority of jobs will go to union members and that Canadians will be first in line for jobs.
Keane said the plan is to hire a workforce derived from local aboriginal communities and provincial residents before looking across Canada.
"There will be probably a requirement, and I think everybody recognizes this, for temporary foreign workers to be able to build this industry, but we have a plan in place and are developing the plan and refining the plan to make sure that we look at Canadians first before we bring in temporary foreign workers," Keane said.
Jordan Press, The Canadian Press

Libs looking at foreign workers for liquefied gas projects


Federal labour minister advised to allow temporary foreign workers as a backup to Canadians as B.C. aims to build LNG plants


TORONTO – Few Canadian television events qualify as a momentous occasion for the nation, but Saturday's Tragically Hip concert promises to be special.
It seems like much of the country will be tuned into CBC's live broadcast of "The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration" from Kingston, Ont., when factoring in home screenings and community viewing parties.
Yet how many people will watch is anybody's guess at this point.
"This is an unprecedented event for us," said Jennifer Dettman, CBC's executive director of unscripted content.
The sentiment is true on many levels, she adds.
The last stop on the Hip's "Man Machine Poem" tour is widely expected to be their final performance, as lead singer Gord Downie is facing terminal brain cancer. After tickets to the tour sold out within minutes, fans launched a campaign urging the CBC to carry the band's Kingston show as a live TV event.
Dettman wouldn't speak to the contract negotiations that led to the Hip agreeing to the broadcast.
"CBC made both a competitive and financially responsible offer to acquire the broadcast rights, and we're thrilled to be able to offer this national celebration to as many Canadians as possible," she said.
The concert won't just be on the main CBC network, it will also be broadcast through various other platforms such as CBC Radio One, the CBC website and its YouTube and Facebook channels.
With so many viewing options, that will make it tough to capture how many eyes and ears are focused on the Hip this Saturday.
That's where ratings agency Numeris comes in. The Toronto-based company tracks viewership figures by using meters and viewing diaries prepared by a panel of Canadians representative of the population.
Their data shows that most huge audience draws are typically live programming, led by major sporting events.
The Super Bowl is the biggest TV event nearly every year â€” drawing about six million to eight million viewers in recent years â€” while a handful of other annual celebrations like the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and Grammys are perennial favourites too.
The gold medal game of the men's hockey tournament at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics is considered to be the most-watched broadcast ever in Canada. It drew 16.6 million viewers, according to data from Numeris, about double the number of people who tune into most Super Bowls.
Those kinds of numbers will be hard to beat, even for a rock band with as much Canadian clout as the Hip.
Numeris spokesman Tom Jenks wouldn't guess how many viewers will tune into the CBC broadcast, but acknowledges it'll probably be a pretty big number.
The agency said it will be counting every public screening â€” from restaurants to movie theatres to community viewing parties â€” and each person streaming the concert on their phone. Viewers who playback the show on their DVRs within seven days will also be included in the final numbers.
"Our system captures all viewing," Jenks said.
Potentially driving those numbers higher is the decision make the Hip's concert a one-time broadcast, with no encore presentation and no availability on on-demand platforms.
"Our goal was to bring the experience of this live concert to Canadians in that moment," Dettman said.
"I'm sure the band will figure out what they will want to do with the concert afterwards."
She said the goal is to give all Canadians the same "crescendo" feeling that will ripple through the arena in Kingston.
"Our goal is to bring the experience ... to as many Canadians as we can," she said.
"The idea that we're all together experiencing this moment at the same time is really special."
Follow @dfriend on Twitter.
David Friend, The Canadian Press

Televised Tragically Hip show an 'unprecedented event:' CBC


Whether it's home screenings or community viewing parties, much of Canada will be tuning in for iconic rock band's final bow


OTTAWA – Contract talks continue between Canada Post and its largest union, but neither side is hinting as to whether any progress has been made.
A federally appointed mediator has been meeting with the two sides since Friday to try to reach a deal.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says if there is no deal by midnight, it would begin job action on Monday by having its members refusing to work overtime on a rotating basis, starting in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
CUPW served 72 hour strike notice Thursday night, accusing Canada Post of forcing a labour disruption by refusing to bargain in good faith.
The two sides have been deadlocked for months on the issues of pay scales for rural letter carriers and proposed changes to pensions for future employees.
A CUPW news release says the initial job action will cause little disruption to Canada Post customers and that its members will still be delivering mail every day.
The Canadian Press

Postal workers union give details of job action if no deal is reached Sunday


Talks continue, with rotating overtime ban set to begin Monday if no agreement by midnight Sunday


KINGSTON, Ont. â€” The Tragically Hip mixed fan favourites, newer songs and some politics on Saturday night during the final show of their "Man Machine Poem" tour.
Lead singer Gord Downie, who started the show wearing a metallic silver suit and hat with a "Jaws" T-shirt underneath, hugged and kissed his bandmates before they stepped on stage at the K-Rock Centre in the group's hometown of Kingston, Ont.
Minutes earlier, as the raucous sold-out crowd waited for the band to emerge, an impromptu rendition of O Canada broke out and a banner reading "Thank You Prime Minister Downie!" was passed around the arena.
The band immediately gave fans what they wanted to hear, starting their set with four straight hits from the classic album "Fully Completely:" opener "50 Mission Cap," followed by "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)," "Wheat Kings" and "At the Hundredth Meridian."
The Hip then segued into their latest album "Man Machine Poem," with four tracks including the single "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind."
Before "Machine," Downie launched into one of his trademark onstage rants, calling out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in the crowd for the show. Trudeau's official photographer tweeted a photo of the prime minister and Downie embracing before the concert.
"Well, you know, prime minister Trudeau's got me, his work with First Nations. He's got everybody. He's going to take us where we need to go," Downie said from the stage.
"It's going to take us 100 years to figure out what the hell went on up there," he continued, "but it isn't cool and everybody knows that. It's really, really bad, but we're going to figure it out, you're going to figure it out."
Many anticipate this will be the band's final tour, given the recent news that Downie is battling terminal brain cancer.
Before performing the "Road Apples" song "Fiddler's Green," Downie seemed to reference the outpouring of support from fans in the wake of his diagnosis.
"Thank you, people, for keeping me pushing and keeping me pushing," he said, which prompted a "Gordie!" chant from the audience.
After playing 21 songs, Downie and his fellow bandmates â€” guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay â€” embraced and prepared to retire for a pre-encore break. Downie was left alone on stage to take in the roaring ovation.
After returning for a few more songs, Downie again spoke about his fondness for Trudeau.
"Thank you to the prime minister for coming to our show, it really means a lot to all of us," he said.
"We're in good hands, folks, real good hands. He cares about the people way up North, that we were trained our entire lives to ignore, trained our entire lives to hear not a word of what's going on up there. And what's going on up there ain't good. It's maybe worse than it's ever been, so it's not on the improve. (But) we're going to get it fixed and we got the guy to do it, to start, to help.
"Thank you everybody. Thanks for listening to that. Thanks for listening, period. Have a nice life."
David Friend, The Canadian Press

Downie calls out to Trudeau during Tragically Hip's final show of tour


Tragically Hip kick off tour's final show with fan favourites


Solitude in the wilderness is still available in B.C., between holiday weekends when demand peaks at B.C.'s most popular parks.
Foreign visitors and those on package tours are a small fraction of the demand for B.C. Parks campgrounds around the province, but B.C. resident campers are still using a few tricks to get spaces for high-demand parks.
Some have protested the use of online reservations by motorhome tour operators who sell them as part of a package for tourists.
"Our provincial campsites are not products to be sold, they belong to the people of B.C.," Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said this week.
Environment Minister Mary Polak told Black Press numbers are being tracked for the current year, and the proportions haven't changed much. In 2015, fewer than one per cent of reservable B.C. Parks spaces were booked by tour operators, who also use private camping facilities.
Three quarters of reservations are from within B.C. The second highest share is from Alberta at 14 per cent, the U.S. accounts for 3.6 per cent, the rest of Canada 2.8 per cent, and all European countries combined are 6.6 per cent of the total.
The BC Parks system has 10,700 camping spaces in total, and 5,600 are reservable, to manage demand for the most popular spots.
First-come, first-served sites are kept out of the reservation system in some popular locations to accommodate travellers who drop in along the road. For high-demand periods like the recent Canada Day weekend, savvy campers work the reservation system.
At Golden Ears Provincial Park, one group booked for two weeks as soon as the 90-day eligibility window opened, then dropped the first week, giving them the coveted Canada Day weekend dates before they were generally available.
"Every year we look to change things to keep people from cheating, and every year they find new ways," Polak said. "Really the only answer is going to be finding a way to expand the number of sites that we have available."
It's shaping up as a record year for the Discover Camping reservation service, with 92,000 bookings so far this year.
B.C. Parks has added four new sites for this summer. Reservations can be made for Garibaldi Provincial Park in the Whistler area, Ruckle Provincial Park on Saltspring Island, Okanagan Falls Provincial Park, Inland Lake Provincial Park near Powell River and Dry Gulch Provincial Park near Radium Hot Springs.

Provincial campsite rush mostly B.C. residents


Few BC Parks bookings going to commercial operators, solution is more campsite spaces, Environment Minister Mary Polak says


Students return to public school next week, with changes to curriculum and some provincial exams.
Students are returning to class next week in most of B.C.'s public schools, with enrolment expected to be up province-wide for the second year running.
Education Minister Mike Bernier says early forecasts show about 529,000 students, an increase of 2,900 from last year. But that increase is centred on fast-growing school districts, while many rural areas continue to struggle with declining student numbers.
Among changes that parents and students will see this year is a new curriculum in place up to Grade 9, with a test year for changes in the senior grades. Bernier said the new emphasis on collaboration and communication skills does not mean a watering down of the basic skills, and is designed to improve students' ability to work at modern jobs.
Report cards are to continue this school year, but the ministry is reviewing its system with an eye to providing more frequent updates. Parents are being consulted on the changes, Bernier said.
Foundation Skills Assessment tests in grades four and seven are also continuing after years of protests from teacher unions, but that program is also being examined for possible changes. FSA tests will be "enhanced" but not eliminated, Bernier said.
Provincial exams continue for graduates in math and English, but science and social studies will now be assessed at a classroom level rather than school-wide tests, Bernier said.
The ministry provided a series of top-ups to education funding this year, for bus service and to keep selected rural schools from closing. Applications are still being taken for a transportation fund until Sept. 30, requiring districts to drop across-the-board school bus fees to qualify.
Districts may still charge transportation fees for international students or those from outside a school catchment area.
NDP leader John Horgan highlighted the crowding in Surrey school district, where 7,000 students remain in portables despite an expansion program. The NDP says the B.C. government's claim of record per-student funding ignores a reduction of education funding as a share of the provincial economy.
"Since 2001, the B.C. Liberals have dragged public education funding in this province from the second best in Canada to the second worst," Horgan said.

B.C. school enrolment up for second year


Some urban districts struggle with overcrowding, special funds for declining rural schools, bus service to take effect


Jordan Bateman, Canadian Taxpayers' Federation
The B.C. government is hearing objections from businesses and individuals faced with increasing Canada Pension Plan contributions in the coming years, and is the last province needed to ratify the increase.
Instead of joining other provinces in meeting the federal government's July deadline to adopt the change, the B.C. government launched a consultation phase expected to run through August. And they are getting push-back on a plan that would increase payroll deductions and employer contributions starting in 2019.
Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, said he's receiving hundreds of responses to his call to supporters to make their views known to the B.C. government. Most concerned are employers who would pay higher contributions for each of their employees.
Employer and employee contributions are to go up from the current 4.95 per cent of earnings to 5.95 per cent by 2023. For each employee earning $54,900, the employer contribution goes up $7 to $8 per month in each of the first five years of the phase-in.
"Obviously, lots of people are concerned about having to pay more," Bateman said. "But the interesting ones are the small business owners who talk about just how close to the edge they are financially."
B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong joined other provinces in agreeing in principle to the expansion in June. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he is concerned about the decline in workplace pension plans and wants the CPP to move from replacing one quarter of employment income to one third by 2025.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business surveyed its members nation-wide when the CPP plan was announced, and more than 80 per cent wanted consultation and a delay of implementation. Morneau has indicated he plans to table legislation this fall.
B.C.'s refusal to sign on could derail the federal plan, but it shows little intention of doing so.
"British Columbia is committed to engaging with stakeholders in advance of ratifying the agreement in principle," said the statement from de Jong's office announcing the consultation.
The province's consultation website and feedback address can be found here.


B.C. stands in the way of Justin Trudeau government's plan to hike Canada Pension Plan contributions, but likely not for long


A routine check-up at the hospital has turned into a nightmare for a Prince Rupert woman.
A month-and-a-half after having an endoscopy to inspect her nose and throat, Joan Dudoward received a letter from Northern Health stating that the endoscope used at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital was not cleaned properly.
From April until the end of June 2016, the endoscope, which is a flexible tube with a light and a camera used in nonsurgical procedures, was being cleaned with the wrong cleaning solution to disinfect the equipment. There were 104 patients affected and Dudoward was one of them.
“I was majorly stressed out,” she said in an exclusive interview with the Northern View. “I'm a cancer survivor. I try to keep my health up for my mom, I'm a caregiver for a 95-year-old woman.”
Dudoward had gone to the Prince Rupert hospital for an endoscopy on June 29 at 3:30 p.m. after complaining to her physician about reoccurring plugged ears and a sore throat. She received the letter from Northern Health on Aug.24, which stated the error did not impact the diagnostic outcome of the tests and the process error has been corrected.
The letter also states that the BC Centre for Disease Control has been consulted and “the risk of a patient being exposed to a virus as a result of this process error is extremely low.” The contact number for the director of acute care services is offered in case she has any other questions or concerns. Dudoward has many.
She called to find out why the instrument wasn't cleaned, what had happened and how many people had gone through the procedure before and after her. “She said she's not permitted to tell me anything about this,” was the response Dudoward said she received.
The vice-president of medicine for the Northern Health authority, Dr. Ronald Chapman, was quick to respond to media inquiries and stressed the importance of transparency. He said, based on previous experience, once they realized the mistake had occurred they consulted the BC Centre for Disease Control as well as the Northern Health infectious disease specialist in Prince George.
“The risk for the patient is extremely low. We're not concerned that it will at all have any negative impact on their health,” Dr. Chapman said. He added that it's Northern Health's policy to make patients aware even if the risk to them is low. “We believe it's important to be open with those patients and to be fairly transparent so at least they are aware of the mistake. In this case, we don't recommend any particular follow up or tests for the patients.”
This type of process error has happened before, Dr. Chapman confirmed. Not with the same scope, but he said there are many different endoscopes used and each are made by different manufacturers that have various recommendations on how to clean the equipment.
“The health sector is run by human beings and it's fairly complex. If mistakes do happen what we encourage our staff to do is to make management aware so they can learn from that experience,” he said. “I'm happy to say where those mistakes have happened in our environment, a process has been put in place and we haven't had any repetitions after some of those learning experiences.”
For the 104 patients that were affected by this incident, Dr. Chapman said their general practitioners have been notified and if they have any questions they can speak to them and the infectious disease specialist. They can also contact Northern Health's Patient Care Quality Officeto register a complaint.
For Dudoward, who had a bone marrow transplant in 2011 to battle leukemia, she is concerned and has already scheduled a meeting with her physician in early September.
“I'm thinking that my body is not going to be able to fight off infection like I was able to before the cancer because chemo takes a lot out of your body so this is like a bomb exploding in my life,” she said.

VIDEO: Prince Rupert woman treated with unclean medical equipment, Northern Health, B.C. Centre for Disease Control confirms more than a hundred affected


Two months after having an endoscopy Joan Dudoward received a letter telling her that the endoscope used was not cleaned properly.


Two men and a mining company in receivership have been charged with 18 pollution infractions related to their shut-down gold mine on an island near Prince Rupert.
Benjamin Mossman and Dirk Meckert are scheduled to appear in Prince Rupert provincial court Sept. 7. Also charged is Banks Island Gold Ltd., which went into receivership after being shut down last year for provincial permit violations.
The Yellow Giant mine was ordered shut down by the Ministry of Environment in July 2015 after a tailings spill was reported on a tip. There is one charge of failing to report a spill of a polluting substance, and the other 17 charges are for failing to comply with permits.
North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice raised the issue in the legislature this spring, after receiving a letter from the Gitxaala First Nation referring to two separate tailings spills. Rice said the ministry did not inspect the operation for 15 months, until receiving a complaint.
NDP mining critic Norm Macdonald told the legislature a worker at the mine "became fed up, put his job on the line, sent the ministry and me a tip and pictures that documented what was going on there."
Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett said the mine was shut down when the situation was brought to its attention. The mine's 90 employees lost their jobs.
The province has a $420,000 security bond from the mining company, to provide ongoing monitoring. In March the mines ministry and Banks Island Gold removed explosives from the mine site and in May ministry technical staff assessed the hazardous materials on site.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which recommended the charges, would not comment on the current condition of the Banks Island site, because it is evidence for the prosecution.

Banks Island miners face 18 pollution charges


Gold mine near Prince Rupert shut down last summer for permit violations, owners charged for failing to report spill


Daycare spaces are in short supply in some areas of B.C. and costs are high.
More than 1,800 new child care spaces should be under construction by this fall, with the latest round of financing from the B.C. government.
New or expanded facilities in 30 communities have been selected from funding applications received in January, said Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux. The $11.3 million budget for this year is the third phase of a child care expansion project funded by the ministry.
The province's goal is to have construction underway by September.
"It will vary somewhat from provider to provider, depending on whether they are building a facility from the ground up with this money, or whether they are adding to an existing facility," Cadieux said.
Projects in the Lower Mainland include six sites in Surrey, two each in Abbotsford, Langley and Coquitlam and one each in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Burnaby, Delta and Squamish.
On Vancouver Island, funding goes to three projects in Duncan and one each in Nanaimo, Victoria, Comox, Port Hardy and Tofino.
In the B.C. Interior, three projects are approved for Kelowna, two in Penticton, and one each in Naramata, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Enderby, Princeton, Houston, Kamloops, Merritt, Vanderhoof and Dawson Creek.
For a full list of facilities and number of spaces, see backgrounder here.
The ministry has posted a new child care map on its website to help parents locate facilities here.
The province provides child care subsidies to qualified low-income parents, and covers about 15 per cent of daycare operating costs. But the cost of land and operations drives the price of child care up to $1,400 per month or more in urban areas. Cadieux said the province is working with municipalities to review regulations.
"We're looking at the restrictions we put on child care providers in terms of outdoor space, in terms of sun access," she said. "We want to make sure that child care is safe and that we have quality, but we also want to make sure that we're not creating a situation that is unreasonable."

Child care spaces funded for 30 BC communities


1,800 new spaces in 30 communities to start construction this fall, minister Stephanie Cadieux says


Revelstoke dam on the Columbia River is due to have a sixth water turbine added, but Site C is BC Hydro's priority today.
BC Hydro is going ahead with its planned four per cent rate increase this year and deferring more debt to future years as it revises its electricity demand forecast downward.
The provincially-owned utility has not asked for an increase in its government-imposed rate plan despite a revised demand forecast with $3.5 billion less revenue over the next 10 years. BC Hydro has filed a three-year plan with the B.C. Utilities Commission that would increase rates four, 3.5 and three per cent in the next three years. The four per cent increase is already showing up on customer bills as an interim increase.
With the Site C dam on the Peace River and other upgrades amounting to $2 billion a year, the plan includes additional deferred debt until 2023, when Site C is due to be completed. BC Hydro CEO Jessica McDonald said the long-term nature of capital projects means its capital cost savings don't start until the next decade.
BC Hydro has also cut some of its familiar Power Smart activities, such as the fridge buy-back plan and incentives for energy efficient light bulbs.
McDonald said BC Hydro is seeing lower revenues due to two warm winters and downturns in mining and forest products. It still projects growing overall demand as population and economic growth continue.
NDP energy critic Adrian Dix said the new deferred debt represents roughly $500 for each of BC Hydro's two million customers, and it is a political move to get the B.C. Liberal government past next year's election.
The 10-year rates plan imposed by Energy Minister Bill Bennett in 2013 overstated demand to justify the construction of Site C, and translates to a 28 per cent rate increase. It allows the utilities commission to regain control over approving customer rates by 2020, after five years of political direction.
Dix said with the new demand forecast and commodity prices expected to remain low, BC Hydro should have added a sixth turbine to its Revelstoke dam for $450 million before embarking on the $9 billion Site C project.


Four per cent rate hike already in effect, more to come as BC Hydro looks for savings to offset slow industrial demand


Modified versions of the 1969 Camaro SS and other popular vehicles will soon be eligible for B.C. collector plates, allowing occasional use for parades and car shows.
The B.C. government is expanding its collector vehicle licence system to include eligible modified cars made between 1958 and 1974, to capture the popular "muscle car" era of the 1960s.
The ICBC collector plate program gives car enthusiasts a lower-cost licence plate that allows occasional use for parades and classic car shows. ICBC plans to take applications starting in 2017 for eligible modified vehicles up to 1974, and replica cars resembling North American production cars from 1942 and earlier.
With strict rules that the cars must be in "collectible condition," changes will take in modified popular cars from the Dodge Duster to the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, as well as replicas of the popular Ford "deuce coupe" from the 1930s.
Premier Christy Clark announced a break for older cars this spring, allowing vehicles from 1940 or earlier and their replicas to run without fenders or mud flaps when the highway is dry and paved.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the collector car industry is significant for B.C., with registered collector vehicles having doubled to 26,000 in the past 10 years.
"We want to see this specialty vehicle program remain viable, preserve vehicle history and evolve with the times," Stone said. "That's why we are opening up the opportunity to owners of specialty cars within the 'muscle car' era."
Currently, the standard collector plate is available to cars 25 years or older, as well as discontinued or limited production vehicles 15 years or older. It requires a stock engine with no performance enhancements, no rust, dents or "significant wear and tear" of the interior.
Modified vehicles from 1958 or older are currently eligible for collector plates, if they retain the shell of the original body but have parts replaced or modified in the chassis, engine, suspension, steering or brakes.
Owners have to apply for a collector or modified collector plate, with purchase and parts bills, photos and inspection reports.
Applications for collector and modified collector programs are available on ICBC's website, www.icbc.com, and can be dropped off at Autoplan brokers.

Collector program expanding to 'muscle cars'


Collector plates will be available next year for modified as well as stock cars made between 1958 and 1974


Wood products exports from Canada to Asia were down 18 per cent in the first six months of 2016, with the biggest decline being softwood lumber from B.C. to China, according to the Seattle-based Wood Resources International.
Lumber sales to China are on pace to drop by 50 per cent this year compared to 2014, as B.C. lumber producers direct their sales to a healthy U.S. lumber market, according to customs data tracked for the Wood Resources Quarterly (www.woodprices.com).
The latest edition notes that by value, 75 per cent of B.C.'s exports to Asia in 2015 and 2016 are in the form of lumber, while 77 per cent of exports from Washington and Oregon are logs.
Asian demand reached a record high in 2013, with China passing Japan as the largest importer of North American wood products in 2011. The B.C. and federal governments promote wood construction in China and Japan, and B.C.'s forest minister is required to conduct an annual trade mission to China, Japan and other Asian countries.
The shift in demand provides extra urgency for talks to renew the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement that expired last year. B.C. sales are booming without the export cap that both Ottawa and Washington have agreed will be required.

Lumber exports shift to U.S. as China sales slump


Asian demand for B.C. wood products peaked in 2013, analyst says China sales on pace for 50 per cent drop


Known infections of chronic wasting disease in deer and other wildlife as of 2014.
Provincial wildlife officials are concerned that a disease killing deer and elk on the prairies could soon spread into B.C.
Chronic wasting disease, a degenerative nervous system condition similar to so-called mad cow disease, has been discovered in an animal 30 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
That's the furthest west – by about 100 kilometres – that biologists have detected the deadly disease and the discovery intensifies concerns that infected deer may make their way to B.C.
No infected animals have been found yet in B.C. but wildlife health staff are stepping up monitoring efforts in the Peace and Kootenay regions, where deer are most at-risk.
Hunters are being asked to help by donating deer, elk and moose heads for analysis. Drop-off locations are listed at www.stopchronicwastingdisease.ca.
Anyone who encounters a sick or dead deer is urged to report it to B.C.'s wildlife health program by emailing wildlifehealth@gov.bc.ca.
Although chronic wasting disease is similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Alberta's agriculture and forestry ministry says there's no evidence it can infect humans, but notes the World Health Organization advises against allowing any meat source possibly infected by prions into the human food system.
It's thought to be unlikely that the disease could spread to domestic cattle or bison.
Outbreaks on game farms typically result in quarantines and culls.
Transmission is through saliva, urine and feces and is thought to be more likely to occur where elk and deer are crowded or congregate at man-made feed and water stations, according to the Alberta ministry.
Most of the Canadian cases have been in Saskatchewan.

B.C. wary of deadly deer disease in Alberta


Chronic wasting disease is similar to mad cow disease but infects and kills deer, elk and moose


Premier Christy Clark and Environment Minister Mary Polak plug in an electric car at an announcement of the government's latest climate change plan in Richmond Aug. 19.
A B.C. Liberal operative was out with the online spin hours before Premier Christy Clark confirmed the much-leaked news in a Friday afternoon announcement at an obscure location in Richmond.
The, er, freeze is continuing for B.C.’s ground-breaking, world-saving carbon tax, which hasn’t changed since before Clark was elected in 2013.
The spin was Olympic-themed, with a picture labeled to show B.C. as a swimmer far out in the lead in the pool, to symbolize that it’s the other provinces that need to catch up in the race to save the planet.
Clark has been saying that for years, and there is merit to it. Even without a tax on “process emissions” such as from cement kilns, B.C.’s carbon tax encourages imports of non-taxed cement from the U.S. and China.
Alberta business professor Andrew Leach, who advised the Stephen Harper and then Rachel Notley governments on greenhouse gas policies, summed up the problem this way.
“Until the rest of the world has policies that impose similar cost, you’re not actually reducing emissions to the extent you think,” Leach said. “You’re just displacing the emissions and the economic activity to other jurisdictions.”
Alberta is moving to join B.C. with a modest carbon tax, but the NDP government plans to spend the proceeds rather than return them in income tax as B.C. has done. And Washington state and most of the rest of the world have no carbon tax as such, so their businesses benefit from B.C.’s “climate leadership.”
B.C.’s foreign-funded eco-radical community was, needless to say, appalled. The Pembina Institute’s Matt Horne and career protesters Tzeporah Berman and Merran Smith were named to the premier’s advisory committee last year, along with business, academic and aboriginal representatives.
They concluded that increases to B.C.’s broad-based tax on carbon fuels should resume its upward march in 2018.
Other committee members, including the mayors of Surrey, Comox and Burns Lake, were not heard from. Public discussion on this issue is now reduced to a staged conflict between those who demand a holy war on deadly carbon dioxide “pollution,” and those who don’t care if their grandchildren perish in a hell-fire of fossil fuel use.
We’ve just come off another El Nino year, like the hot year of 1998. Regular readers will recall the last time I discussed this topic was this spring, where I questioned the premier’s dire warnings of another horrendous forest fire season.
What followed has been one of the slowest forest fire seasons in the last decade, although dry conditions have finally emerged this month. Climate predictions, like next week’s weather forecast, are less than consistent.
I am regularly sent messages calling me a “climate change denier,” the nonsense term that continues to be used by federal Environment Minister Catharine McKenna among many others. I know of no one who denies that climate is always changing, at times dramatically.
If you wish to believe that paying an extra seven cents a litre for gasoline in B.C. is helping to slow the very gradual increase in temperatures we’re seeing in the northern hemisphere, you are free to do so.
You may even be persuaded to take a government subsidy and buy an expensive, short-range electric car. Me, I’m off to Prince Rupert and Revelstoke pretty soon, so I’ll stick with my little four-cylinder gas sipper for now.
Hydro-powered B.C. represents a small fraction of the less than two per cent Canada contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. We’re not the problem, and no, the world is not looking to us for guidance.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc


Premier Christy Clark isn't going into next year's election with a promise to jack up Canada's only significant carbon tax


Xat’sull Heritage Village at Soda Creek will host a traditional Save-the-Salmon powwow on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 9, 10, 11.
The warmup begins at 7 p.m. Friday evening. Grand entries will be Saturday at noon and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.
The feast dinner break will be on Saturday with MC Mike Retasket, arena director Jim Edgar, and host drum Taleome.
There will be camping on site. Participants bring their own chairs, plate, bowl, cup and utensils. Crafters must bring their own tables.
Events include Lahal tournament, princess and tiny tot pageants, 50/50 draws and raffles.
This is an alcohol and drug free event to honour the salmon, families and environment.
For more information contact education co-ordinator Cheryl Chapman by e-mail at education@xatsull.com or by phone at 250-989-2323 ext. 104.


Xat’sull Heritage Village at Soda Creek will host a traditional Save-the-Salmon powwow on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 9, 10, 11.


The union representing most workers at Canada Post has issued a 72-hour notice of job action as it tries to bargain a collective agreement with the Crown corporation.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says the notice spells out what actions it is planning, but stops short of a full-blown walkout.
CUPW national president Mike Palecek says Canada Post forced the labour disruption by refusing to accept a request from the federal labour minister to continue negotiations with the help of a special mediator.
But a spokesman for the agency says that's not the case.
The union's strike mandate was set to expire at midnight.
The two sides have been in negotiations for more than nine months but are far apart on key issues including pay equity for rural carriers and proposed changes to the Canada Post pension plan.
The Canadian Press

Postal union issues strike notice after it says Canada Post refused special mediator


Notice means delivery could be cancelled as early as Monday


ICBC wants to increase basic auto insurance rates by 4.9 per cent – the fifth straight annual increase – as it continues to grapple with rising numbers of crashes, claims and dramatically increasing costs.
The typical driver will pay $3.50 a month or $42 a year more for basic insurance if the hike is approved.
But the corporation is also raising optional rates by 2.8 per cent so the average customer who buys both basic and optional insurance with ICBC will see their insurance bill rise $5 a month, or $60 a year.
ICBC CEO Mark Blucher said the basic rate hike would have been much worse – 15.5 per cent translating into a $130 annual premium increase – had the province not approved another major transfer of $472 million from the optional to the basic side of operations.
A compounding factor has been the long decline of interest rates, which result in less investment income revenue to ICBC.
"These external pressures have really created a perfect storm and it's a really significant challenge for the organization," Blucher said in an interview Thursday.
ICBC had raised rates 5.5 per cent a year ago, and the province's rate smoothing policy requires the annual change be within 1.5 per cent of the previous year's increase.
The number of crashes has climbed 15 per cent in two years and damage claims are up 11 per cent.
Vehicles are increasingly reliant on technology and expensive materials that have become more costly in recent years as the loonie sagged against the U.S. dollar.
Despite much safer vehicles, injury claims have soared to $2.4 billion, up 60 per cent from $1.5 billion in 2008.
"We've seen no evidence that these strong trends are abating," Blucher said. "In fact, if anything, they're continuing to escalate going forward."
Blucher also noted there are more cars on the road in B.C. today – 3.1 million up from 2.8 million in 2011 – and people are driving more because of cheaper gas, contributing to more accidents, particularly in densifying urban areas.
And he pointed to personal injury lawyers as an aggravating cause of ICBC's spiralling claims costs.
"B.C. is the only province in Canada where you can sue another motorist for even a minor traffic accident," Blucher said, noting an increase in lawyer-represented claims and advertising by injury law firms.
Internal operating costs have been cut by $186 million a year, and ICBC is counting on more savings ahead, through its modernization program, by more aggressively combatting insurance fraud and from a hoped-for drop in distracted driving as motorists respond to stiffer penalties.
But transfers from the optional side to bolster the basic side will likely be needed for the foreseeable future, Blucher said, because basic premiums can't keep up with rising costs.
In a surprise move, the B.C. government will this year forgo extracting its usual $160-million annual dividend from ICBC's optional side into general revenue.
"Forgoing the dividend this particular year is one strategy amongst a litany of others we're employing to get that basic trate increase down," Transportation Minister Todd Stone said.
Stone said the $514 million the province has transferred out of ICBC in dividends since 2012 is small compared to the $1.4 billion over the same period that has been shifted from the competitive optional side to basic to apply downward pressure on basic rates.
The minister would not say if the government would permanently give up the ICBC dividend.
Adrian DIx, the NDP critic for ICBC, said the dividends to government have exceeded $1.2 billion since 2010 and predicted they'll resume after next year's election because the BC Liberals are "addicted" to using ICBC as a "profit centre."
Dix said the reliance on shifting huge amounts of capital from optional to basic raises troubling questions.
"Next year they've got to find that $472 million," Dix said. "What they've done is create a disaster at ICBC and their only hope is to deceive the voters until after the election."
He said ICBC's new move to hire more claims staff underscores problems with completing the computer modernization that was supposed to make operations more efficient.
"The transformation project has taken longer than World War 2 and is not close to finished."
ICBC's basic rates rose 11.2 per cent in 2012 and at least five per cent every year since.
The new rate hike is subject to B.C. Utilities Commission approval.
ICBC Rate Pressure Charts

ICBC seeks 4.9 per cent basic rate hike as crashes, costs climb


$60 a year increase for most drivers once optional auto insurance increase is included


Doug Kelly, chair of the B.C. First Nations Health Council
With patients in urban areas having difficulty finding a family doctor, the situation in rural B.C. is going from bad to worse, MLAs on the province's health committee were told Monday.
Ed Staples, a member of the B.C. Health Coalition, described his efforts to improve the situation in Princeton, a community of about 5,000 people that four years ago was down to one doctor providing on-call service.
Princeton now has four full-time doctors and two nurse practitioners, but there are still people who can't find a doctor in the region, including Penticton an hour and a half away. A recent search of the College of Physicians and Surgeons website turned up the nearest doctor accepting patients in Courtney on Vancouver Island, Staples said.
Health Match BC, the province's web portal for recruiting doctors, nurses and other health professionals, currently has more than 400 general practitioner vacancies, with 37 communities seeking 85 doctors. The result is "bidding wars" between communities to offer incentives to relocating doctors, and foreign doctors using a rural community as an entry point before relocating to the Lower Mainland, he said.
The B.C. government has announced its latest videoconferencing service for health care, linking psychiatrists with young people in Cranbrook. The service is available twice a month at the local Children and Family Development office, supplementing visits by specialists in communities such as Cranbrook and Princeton. Health Minister Terry Lake says video conferencing and electronic health records are a key part of the solution for reaching patients across B.C.
Doug Kelly, chair of the B.C. First Nations Health Council, told the committee of an Abbotsford doctor who travels to Carrier Sekani territory around Prince George for part of his practice, in a pilot project with Northern Health.
Kelly said video links and nurse practitioners are part of the solution to delivering rural and remote care, but the main obstacle is the business model for doctors that has them cycling through as many as 20 patients an hour to bill enough to cover their office overhead.
Committee members were also reminded that graduating doctors are increasingly reluctant to take on the demands of family practice, especially in smaller communities where they may find themselves on call around the clock.

Video links grow as rural health care shrinks


Small communities have more than 400 doctor vacancies, with 'telehealth' and visiting specialists filling gaps


B.C. Day, on Monday, Aug. 1, is an opportunity to celebrate this spectacular province. See how well you know British Columbia.

B.C. DAY TRIVIA QUIZ: How much do you know about British Columbia?


B.C. has 300 seniors' care facilities, and residents and their loved ones are to be surveyed on conditions.
More than 250 volunteers have signed up to compile a survey of seniors in residential care, and B.C.'s Seniors Advocate is looking for more.
The 27,000 seniors living in 300 residential care facilities around the province are being asked about their experience with care home staff, the quality of food, privacy, medications and other conditions.
It's the first comprehensive survey done in B.C., to measure resident satisfaction and provide a "roadmap" for improvements, said Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie.
Interviews will be conducted in person by trained volunteers, and a matching mail-out survey will be sent to each resident's most frequent visitor.
The project is seeking volunteers with a range of professional backgrounds, ages and ethnicities. To apply as a volunteer, visit www.surveybcseniors.org or call the Office of the Seniors Advocate at 1-877-952-3181.


Volunteers to ask seniors about staff, food, privacy, medications and other conditions in residential care