T: WOW! The DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS “PLANTED” CROOKED, LYING, IMMORAL AND CORRUPT HILLARY. The Democrats’ primary was totally RIGGED behind the scenes to PRE-SELECT crooked Hillary as the only nominee from the beginning according to leaked DNC emails. This is an election CRIME committed by the Democratic Party. CROOKED HILLARY should be a DISQUALIFIED DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE from the beginning. The Clintons are evil people and corrupt to the bone. SATAN IS TAKING OVER THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. Crooked Hillary is a CRIMINAL and should go to jail. “LOCK HER UP”. How could you let a criminal running for US president? This b**** has no morals, is a world-class pathological liar and corrupt to the bone. Look at what the Clintons DID not what they preached. The cancerous corruption of Democrats is so widespread all the way to the top. Below are just some of many immoral things that the corrupt Clintons did: - HOME EMAIL SYSTEM - Crooked Clinton installed a home email system FOR WORK that violated federal security protocol, record-keeping rules and jeopardized national security to hide shady communications between her and unfriendly foreign governments related to quid pro quo transactions to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for influence on U.S. policy while she was Secretary of State. Crooked HILLARY DELETED 33,000 emails to avoid criminal prosecution. Crooked Hillary would not delete these emails if they were truly personal and not related to shady quid pro quo deals. This b**** sold out USA and committed TREASON. COLLIN POWELL used private email for truly personal communication but still had GOVERNMENT EMAIL FOR WORK. Shame on crooked Clinton who is trying to blame on Collin Powell for her home email system FOR WORK. - LIES AFTER LIES - Crooked Clinton’s lies after lies to Congress, FBI and Americans on Bosnia sniper fire, Benghazi attack, her home email system, blamed on Collin Powell for her home email system FOR WORK, etc. The list goes on. - ELECTION RIGGING – Crooked Clinton colluded with DNC to rig 2016 primary according to 19,000 leaked DNC emails released by WikiLeaks. DNC PRE-ANOINTED crooked Hillary as the only nominee from the beginning according to leaked DNC emails. DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned after email release, and crooked Hillary immediately offered Debbie a job for keeping her mouth shut. The emails clearly showed a collusion of top DNC officials to plant and strategize to make crooked Clinton to be the ONLY nominee from the beginning. The DNC emails also showed that DNC is a racist organization which ridiculed Bernie's Jewish heritage and labeled him as an atheist to drive away his supporters. Crooked Hillary DID NOT win but stole the nomination. This was a rigged democratic primary. - CLINTON FOUNDATION – this is basically a front company so the immoral Clintons can pocket through implicit bribery and money laundering. While abusing the public office, the Clintons have used the Clinton Foundation, which is based in Canada for non-disclosure policy of charitable contributors, to make “quid pro quo” deals with special interests and foreign governments. The Clinton Crime Syndicate (Foundation) KEEPS 93% OF DONATIONS and only donates 7% to the charities. They list 93% of the income taken in as used for "Administrative Expenses". - CORRUPTION OF DEMOCRATS ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP - A FIX was in through a SECRET meeting between immoral Bill Clinton and corrupt AG Loretta Lynch NOT to charge Crooked Hillary on home-based emails and made her ABOVE THE LAW. AG Loretta Lynch is the boss of FBI director James Comey. - CROOKED HILLARY IS TRULY AN IMMORAL LOW-LIFE WHITE TRASH - After leaving the White House, crooked Hillary was forced to return an estimated $200,000 in White House furniture, china, silverware, and artwork that she had stolen. HOW COULD YOU VOTE FOR THIS TRASH TO BE US PRESIDENT? - QUID PRO QUO case out of many - THE CLINTON SCHOOL KICKBACKS. In April 2015, Bill Clinton was forced to abruptly resign from his lucrative perch as honorary chancellor of Laureate Education, a for-profit college company. The reason for Clinton’s immediate departure: Clinton Cash revealed, and Bloomberg confirmed, that Laureate funneled Bill Clinton $16.46 million over five years while Hillary Clinton’s State Department pumped at least $55 million to a group run by Laureate’s founder and chairman, Douglas Becker, a man with strong ties to the Clinton Global Initiative. Laureate has donated between $1 million and $5 million (donations are reported in ranges, not exact amounts) to the Clinton Foundation. - CLINTON THEFT OF RELIEF FUNDS FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE - Here’s what really happened. The Clinton Foundation selected Clayton Homes, a construction company owned by WARREN BUFFETT’s Berkshire Hathaway, to build temporary shelters in Haiti. BUFFETT is an active member of the Clinton Global Initiative who has donated generously to the Clintons as well as the Clinton Foundation. The contract was supposed to be given through the normal United Nations bidding process, with the deal going to the lowest bidder who met the project’s standards. UN officials said, however, that the contract was never competitively bid for. Clayton offered to build “hurricane-proof trailers” but what they actually delivered turned out to be a disaster. The trailers were structurally unsafe, with high levels of formaldehyde and insulation coming out of the walls. There were problems with mold and fumes. The stifling heat inside made Haitians sick and many of them abandoned the trailers because they were ill-constructed and unusable. The Clintons also funneled $10 million in federal loans to a firm called InnoVida, headed by Clinton donor Claudio Osorio. Osorio had loaded its board with Clinton cronies, including longtime Clinton ally General Wesley Clark; Hillary’s 2008 finance director Jonathan Mantz; and Democratic fundraiser Chris Korge who has helped raise millions for the Clintons. Normally the loan approval process takes months or even years. But in this case, a government official wrote, “Former President Bill Clinton is personally in contact with the company to organize its logistical and support needs. And as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has made available State Department resources to assist with logistical arrangements.” InnoVida had not even provided an independently audited financial report that is normally a requirement for such applications. On the basis of the Clinton connection, InnoVida’s application was fast-tracked and approved in two weeks. The company defaulted on the loan and never built any houses. An investigation revealed that Osorio had diverted company funds to pay for his Miami Beach mansion, his Maserati, and his Colorado ski chalet. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering in 2013, and is currently serving a twelve-year prison term on fraud charges related to the loan. And these are only 2 examples of the dozens of thefts the Clintons and their cronies did just to Haiti. TRUMP was NEVER labeled a racist by liberal media and crooked Hillary until his running for POTUS. DONALD TRUMP, as the Republican presidential candidate, is truly an OUTSIDER who goes against the corrupt PROFESSIONAL DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS who have led USA on a wrong track of economic and military disadvantage for the last eight years. SINCE CROOKED HILLARY BECAME SECRETARY OF STATE IN 2009 WITH FAILED FOREIGN POLICY, USA has been unsafe and being attacked by RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISTS MORE THAN EVER BEFORE. American citizens are ANGRY of these corrupt PROFESSIONAL politicians like crooked, lying, immoral and corrupt HILLARY. VOTE TRUMP 2016. The West has been blinded and lured by the big Chinese market. However, it forgot that it has been dealing with a Communist China inside its disguising Capitalist shell. The Chinese GDP has increased from $303B in 1980 to current around $11,000B, an increase of more than 35 times along with Intellectual Property thefts from the West worth a few trillions of dollars and millions and millions of job losses in the West. Only top few % in the West including the corrupt CLINTONS were significantly benefited from the BAD trade deals with China. The Americans are getting poorer while the Chinese are getting MUCH richer due to BAD trades deals with the West. That was why Donald Trump, who is NOT racist but puts USA first, said the trade deals with China are all BAD that cost millions and millions of domestic jobs. BOYCOTT Chinese-made products and BRING BACK JOBS FROM CHINA. VOTE TRUMP 2016 AND TRUMP WILL RE-NEGOTIATE ALL BAD TRADE DEALS, BRING JOBS BACK AND REBUILD US MANUFACTURING. The liberal mainstream media is pro-Clinton. It is getting paid big from the crooked Clinton campaign and putting out LYING POLL NUMBERS and ARTICLES TO BASH TRUMP. A majority of people thought crooked Hillary should have been INDICTED. People in government would be in JAIL or lose their jobs at least if they just have done 10% of what crooked Hillary has done. This is a tremendous US national security implication. HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT USA HAS BEEN ON A DOWN HILL BIG TIME IN TERMS OF BEING RESPECTED BY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AND FOREIGN DIPLOMACY SINCE CROOKED HILLARY BECAME SECRETARY OF STATE IN 2009 ??? Hacking of the crooked Clinton's home, low-secured private email system by foreign agents would have caused tremendous damage to USA since 2009. Russian agents along with agents from other countries like China or Iran most likely have hacked the crooked Clinton's home, low-secured private email system and retrieved all her emails including nationally sensitive emails, shady communications between her and unfriendly foreign governments related to quid pro quo transactions to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for influence on U.S. policy while she was Secretary of State. Crooked HILLARY DELETED 33,000 emails to avoid criminal prosecution, sold out USA and committed TREASON. Crooked Hillary would not delete these emails if they were truly personal and not related to shady quid pro quo deals.

Trump doubles down on ‘great wall’ amid latest policy confusion


Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment Tuesday morning to building a massive wall along the U.S.-Mexico border amid reports that the GOP nominee’s planned project might actually be a “virtual” rather than physical construction. Trump, whose proposed wall has been a centerpiece of his campaign since


A hand-made sign referencing consent in relation to sexual assault lays on the ground at the Stanford University commencement ceremony in Palo Alto, California, U.S. June 12, 2016. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California lawmakers, responding to outrage over the six-month jail term given to a former Stanford University swimmer after his conviction for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, passed legislation on Monday closing a loophole that allowed the sentence.
The bill now goes to Democratic Governor Jerry Brown for his approval. He has not indicated whether he will sign it into law.
The measure was introduced in response to the sentence given to 20-year-old Brock Turner by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky in June, which was widely condemned as too lenient.
Prosecutors had asked that Turner be given six years in state prison. He is scheduled to be released on Friday from jail in Northern California.
"Sexually assaulting an unconscious or intoxicated victim is a terrible crime and our laws need to reflect that," Democratic Assemblyman Bill Dodd, a co-author of the legislation, said in a written statement following its passage.
Turner was convicted of assault with intent to commit rape, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person in the January 2015 attack. Under California law, those charges are not considered rape because they did not involve penile penetration.
The uproar over the sentence, fueled in part by the victim's harrowing letter in which she detailed the assault in graphic terms, comes amid growing outrage over sexual assault on U.S. college campuses.
“This bill is about more than sentencing, it’s about supporting victims and changing the culture on our college campuses to help prevent future crimes," Dodd said.
The case has also led to efforts to remove Persky from the bench. Earlier this month, the judge asked for a transfer to civil court.
According to the legislators, current California law calls for a mandatory prison term in cases of rape or sexual assault where force is used, but not when the victim is unconscious or severely intoxicated and thus unable to resist.
The bill, which faced no serious opposition in the Democratic-controlled legislature, would eliminate a judge's discretion to sentence defendants convicted of such crimes to probation. Under its provisions, Turner would have faced a minimum of three years behind bars.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Leslie Adler and Peter Cooney)

California lawmakers pass rape bill inspired by Stanford case


By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California lawmakers, responding to outrage over the six-month jail term given to a former Stanford University swimmer after his conviction for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, passed legislation on Monday closing a loophole that allowed the sentence.


Maine governor says may not finish term amid racism flap


(Editor's note: This story contains language that may offend some readers in the fifth and final paragraphs adds background on LePage) By Scott Malone BOSTON (Reuters) - Combative Maine Governor Paul LePage said on Tuesday he would consider resigning as he faces a wave of criticism from both fellow


The Delta Islanders were beat by the Calgary Mountaineers 13-5 in the first game of 2016 Minto Cup on Aug. 20 at the Langley Events Centre. Delta was eliminated after the round robin portion of the tournament with a record of 1-3.
After four days of action-packed lacrosse on the green carpet at the Langley Events Centre, the Minto Cup best-of-five final series is set to begin on Thursday, but it won’t include the Delta Islanders.
The Islanders were fresh off winning their first ever BC Junior A Lacrosse League (BCJALL) provincial title but struggled to find their form in the first two games of the national championship. They lost 13-5 to the Calgary Mountaineers on Aug. 20 and were barely edged out by Ontario’s Orangeville Northmen 10-9 on Aug. 21.
A 7-4 win over the Coquitlam Adanacs on Monday night meant Delta finished the tournament tied with Orangeville for third place at 1-2, but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker.
“Obviously, we’re pretty deflated,” said Delta head coach Greg Rennie. “We shot ourselves in the foot on Saturday night losing to Calgary.”
An Alberta team had never defeated a B.C. or Ontario team until Calgary surprised many by beating the BCJALL champions. The Islanders found themselves down 3-0 in the opening 12 minutes of the game and despite scoring three unanswered goals of their own, couldn’t stymie a strong Mountaineers attack over the final two periods.
Delta Islander Chase Fraser tries to get one past Calgary Mountaineers goalie Doug Gardner on day one of the 2016 Minto Cup at the Langley Events Centre on Aug. 20. Fraser finished the game with 2 goals on 12 shots, but Delta ultimately lost the game 13-5. Image credit: Gord Goble
Delta looked to bounce back against the Northmen, who lost 8-7 to Coquitlam the previous night, setting up a loser goes home scenario. The Islanders were down four before coming back to take a 7-6 lead halfway through the game, but were outscored 3-2 in the third period, ultimately losing by just one goal.
The Minto Cup has traditionally been a best-of-seven series between the B.C. and Ontario league champions, but reverted to a four-team round-robin format for this year’s tournament.
“You have to learn to take advantage of every opportunity you get and we didn’t take advantage of the opportunity,” Rennie said.
That doesn’t mean they didn’t leave their mark. Orangeville head coach DJ Clevely was impressed by the physicality of Delta’s defence, saying they don’t see that level of intensity as much in Ontario.
“I give them credit, that’s how they play and had some success,” Clevely said. “They’re old school, I personally like that, but we don’t see that a lot.”
With 16 players now graduating from Delta’s junior program, Rennie anticipates that there will be a rebuilding period but was still optimistic that the Minto Cup experience will pay dividends in the future. Rennie says he will be with the Islanders again next year, although he isn’t sure if he will be back on the bench in addition to his general manager duties.
“Our feeder system is really good. Our Midget A1 team won provincials handily and our Intermediate A team graduates about 13 guys,” Rennie said. “So we feel pretty confident about what we have.”
The Coquitlam Adanacs will take on the Orangeville Northmen in the final series as they hope to win their second Minto Cup championship and first since 2010. Scott Wortley, Coquitlam’s general manager, believes that as long as the Adanacs stick to the gameplan and play with composure, a Minto Cup is well within their sights.
“It’s a big deal for a B.C. team to win but we know how difficult it is to win at this time of year,” Wortley said. “To win [a Minto] would just cap it all off.”
The Minto Cup continues at the Langley Events Centre until at least Aug. 27. Games four and five, if necessary, will be played Aug. 28 and 29, respectively.
Delta Islanders celebrate a goal during their 13-5 loss to the Calgary Mountaineers at the 2016 Minto Cup on Aug. 20 at the Langley Events Centre. Image credit: Gord Goble

LACROSSE: Delta Islanders fall at 2016 Minto Cup


After winning the club’s first BC Junior A lacrosse title, Delta was eliminated at the national championship after three days of play.


A new theatre company is premiering its opening play in September.
The Naked Stage Productions Society will perform Any Wednesday by Muriel Resnick on Sept. 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. at the Newton Cultural Centre, 13530 72 Ave.
The original show had 694 performances on Broadway in the 1960’s and led to a film starring Jane Fonda.
The comedy deals with four engaging people: A millionaire businessman, his disarmingly innocent mistress, his hoodwinked wife and an irate victim of his sharp practice, whose paths cross each other under the most unexpected circumstances.
The play, as well as the sockety's future productions, will be performed by actors in a “readers” format, with no costumes, props or lighting – think old time radio.
Any Wednesday is directed by Ed Milaney.
Tickets are $15 at the door or at brownpapertickets.com
The society plans on a performance every two months, and will consider local or other Canadian playwrights.
The goal of Society is to establish scholarships for Surrey drama students in 2017.
For more information, visit www.nakedstage.net


Naked Stage Productions Society's first show is from Sept. 16-18 at the Newton Cultural Centre.


The Vaudevillians regularly rehearse at the Kennedy Seniors Recreation Centre in North Delta.
A non-profit group billing itself as B.C.’s number-one seniors entertainment troupe is looking for new members in a variety of roles and positions within the organization.
The Vaudevillians have been performing throughout the Lower Mainland since 2002.
The group is currently restructuring and looking for personnel, including a new artistic director to oversee the 2016 show and rehearsals – and to write and cast the show for 2017.
The Vaudevillians are also looking for an M.C. – someone who’s comfortable on stage, able to relate to and connect with the audience, introduce numbers and tell some jokes.
New members are also needed to fill the following positions: sound tech, backstage manager, and as performers (singers, dancers, comedians).
Except for the position of artistic director, who is eligible for an annual honorarium, these are all volunteer positions.
For further information, visit thevaudevillians.com or contact entertainment@thevaudevillians.com


Vaudevillians entertainment troupe looking for new director, members.


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


Rod Sperling was surprised to find fruit growing on a banana tree in his Newton backyard this summer. He planted the tree six years ago.
While the bananas are too small to be edible at this time, they continue to grow new buds every few days.
Sperling, an avid gardener, has a dozen banana trees in both his front and back yards.


Surrey gardener finds bunches of bananas growing in his backyard.


Guns seized from visitors entering Canada at the Huntington-Abbotsford border crossing, 2014.
Canadian Border Services Agency has seen a 116 per cent increase in the number of firearms seized in the Pacific Region in the first half of 2016.
With a 10 per cent increase also recorded in the Prairie region, the CBSA is working with U.S. officials on a firearms awareness campaign to remind Americans about restrictions on bringing guns into Canada.
"Attempting to smuggle firearms across the border can result in immediate forfeiture, hefty fines and even significant jail time," said Kim Scoville, CBSA's regional director general for the Prairie region.
Visitors entering the border inspection line should declare any firearms at their first opportunity. Border services officers will take possession of the weapon if it is declared, but the visitor has the option of shipping it back under CBSA supervision or surrendering it without prosecution.
The RCMP has procedures for visitors bringing firearms into Canada


Guns intercepted at Pacific region border crossings up 116 per cent compared to this time last year


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.


Cameras were the focus as 70 photographers from across B.C., including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Kelowna and Nelson, competed in the fourth annual Next Generation BC Amateur Photographer of the Year Contest at the recent Abbotsford International Airshow.
Sponsored by London Drugs and Black Press Media, the contest took place Aug. 12-14, as participants captured their best air, crowd, static, and wildcard shots.
Photographers experienced close-up action at the airshow including Friday's twilight show, and earned the "hot-side" tour at the airshow where they shot exclusive aircraft including the F-35, CF-18, FA-18, Breitling Jet Team, the Snowbirds and more for a chance to win the title of B.C.'s next Amateur Photographer title.
Awarding categories also include The Best in-air photograph ($750 grand prize), The Best ground/static scene photograph ($500 prize),The Best crowd scene photograph ($250 prize ), The Best video submission ($500 prize) all courtesy of London Drugs and honorary acknowledgement for Best Wildcard entry.
For the People's Choice Award Winner, the time has arrived for the public to vote on their favourite photo and be entered for a chance to win BC Lions game tickets.
For voting and contest information, click here.

Voting open for People's Choice Amateur Photography Competition


Photographers from across the province competed in amateur competition


SURREY, B.C. – Fraser Health has launched a poster ad campaign bolstering its ongoing drive to raise awareness of what it says is the overdose crisis in British Columbia.
The posters will be displayed at transit stops, bars and restaurants, and are aimed at recreational and regular drug users, their families and friends.
One message on the stark, black and white posters says: "If you use drugs: Have a plan. Go slowly. Use with a buddy. Carry naloxone."
The posters also offer instructions for anyone finding an overdose victim, directing them to call 911, start emergency breathing and use naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Fraser Health says in a news release that it is confident about the effectiveness of the campaign because the posters were tested in focus groups of regular and recreational drug users.
In April, B.C.'s provincial health officer declared a public health emergency linked to the soaring number of opioid overdoses, and the declaration remains in effect.
Dr. Victoria Lee, Fraser Health's chief medical health officer, says the poster campaign is an extension of the health authority's ongoing public awareness campaign, but she says much more has been done to fight overdose deaths.
"We've created new substance-use beds to provide safe and supportive environments for people (who) require additional support on their road to recovery," Lee says in the release.
Over the last 12 to 18 months, Fraser Health has opened 50 new substance-use beds, including a three-bed program for youth and a 12-bed facility for women who are pregnant or have newborns.
A further 97 beds are slated to open by 2017 across the region, which stretches from Burnaby, through Surrey to White Rock and east to Hope.
The announcement of the poster campaign and the update on available substance-use beds comes as Fraser Health prepares to mark International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.
The Canadian Press

New Fraser Health poster campaign raises awareness of opioid overdoses


Stark posters warn of overdose dangers to be displayed at transit stops, bars and restaurants aimed at recreational drug users


Paul Calton was reported missing on Aug. 24 and has not been seen or heard from since. He was last seen in the morning in the 19100 block of 65 Avenue.
A 51-year-old man has gone missing near the Langley/Surrey border.
Paul Calton was reported missing on Aug. 24 and has not been seen or heard from since. He was last seen in the morning in the 19100 block of 65 Avenue.
Calton is described as a 51 year old Caucasian male, 5’10” tall, 185 lbs, with brown eyes and a bald/shaved head. He was last seen possibly wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans.
Police and family are concerned for his health and well-being.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of this person is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or go to www.solvecrime.ca quoting file number 2016-122732.

Missing man last seen near Langley/Surrey border


Paul Calton, 51, is missing and family is concerned for his health and well-being.


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


Vancouver Giants vice president Dale Saip and general manager Glen Hanlon (photo below) spoke at the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce meeting on Aug. 16 at the Langley Golf Centre.
In Glen Hanlon’s 14-year NHL career, he played for four teams: the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings.
Three of those stops — with St. Louis being the lone exception — were in front of passionate home crowds.
And having that support in the stands makes a big difference for players.
“The environment means everything,” Hanlon said on Tuesday night at the Langley Golf Centre.
Hanlon, the Vancouver Giants general manager, and Dale Saip, the major junior hockey club’s vice president, were the guest speakers at the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce meeting.
The pair were discussing the Western Hockey League club’s move from the Pacific Coliseum — their home for the team’s first 15 years — to the Langley Events Centre for the upcoming season.
“We are going from the St. Louis in my life … where the environment has worn itself out, to a place that is lively,” said Hanlon, the team’s rookie general manager.
And like it was when he was a player, Hanlon said the Giants players will feed off the atmosphere and excitement of the home crowd at the LEC.
“Believe me, the kids will eat this up,” he said.
The Giants played six games at the LEC in 2010, when the team was displaced from the Coliseum during the Vancouver Olympic Games.
“I have spent the past six years convincing my ownership group this is where we need to be,” Saip said, calling the LEC a wonderful facility.
In addition to a great facility, more of the team’s major sponsors — White Spot, Overwaitea Food Group and Tim Horton’s, to name a few — are out this way.
And while the Pacific Coliseum is a historic venue — it was also the original home of the Vancouver Canucks — it is lacking in viable transit options.
“It just made sense for us to be here (Langley),” Saip said.
“We are going to make sure this is a great place to watch hockey and have some fun,” he added.
The LEC is also undergoing some work to get ready for its new tenant.
The lighting system is being upgraded, a Triple O’s is being added to the concession, and more parking is being added.
The Giants have already sold out their platinum club seats and are nearing a sell-out on the club seats and centre ice back locations.
All that remains are centre ice front (the first six rows on one side of the rink and the first three rows on the other) and the end zone tickets on both sides of the rink.

Giants ready for 'lively' atmosphere at Langley Events Centre


Vancouver Giants players will feed off the home crowd energy predicts general manager


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


A totally spontaneous expression of gratitude breaks out for Premier Christy Clark and Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes at the Quesnel rodeo after a rural school fund was announced in June.
Comedian Steve Smith, better known as Red Green, is touring B.C. in September, reprising his popular TV series in which he fixes every conceivable problem with duct tape.
Green’s “I’m Not Old I’m Ripe” tour hits Chilliwack, Victoria, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Surrey, Vernon, Kelowna and Prince George.
His formula for deploying the handyman’s secret weapon has proven so popular that Premier Christy Clark may have been inspired. She’s had quite a flurry of hasty repairs in the last few months. Here’s a recap.
The B.C. minimum wage was starting to lag behind other provinces, even after the overhaul it received in 2015, where annual increases are tied to inflation.
Like Red’s truck tires, there has been a lack of inflation, and a surge of government spending back east leaving B.C. in the dust. B.C.’s wage rose 20 cents last year and was set to go up by another whole dime this fall.
There was that familiar ripping sound in May as Clark and Jobs Minister Shirley Bond announced the September increase will be patched up to 40 cents, with another 40-cent increase next fall. Two wraps should hold it until after the election.
Remember the episode where Red taped two old Hyundai Ponies side by side to make a handyman’s Hummer? The school system has seen that kind of work in recent months.
The first roll was applied by Education Minister Mike Bernier when he announced in March that the ministry’s “fix-it fund” was going from $35 million to $40 million. Then in mid-May, he announced 80 successful projects. The “fix-it fund” had fattened to $45 million, and Bernier was just getting his sleeves rolled up.
Hey school districts, remember the $25 million in “administrative savings” the ministry demanded for the second year in a row? Now that you’ve squeezed that from your budgets, Bernier’s good news at the end of May was that the government’s giving it back to use for “front line services for students.”
One of those services could be “maintaining schools despite falling enrolment in certain regions,” Bernier announced May 31, foreshadowing the next layer of repairs.
Sure enough, a “rural schools fund” was rolled out on June 15. Clark and Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes made the announcement in Quesnel, where Kersley and Parkland elementary schools were going to close.
Also eligible for a special fund was Okanagan-Similkameen, where Osoyoos high school students were going to be bused a half hour to Oliver. This is hardly unusual in rural schooling around B.C., but these are swing ridings, you see.
Kootenay Lake district declined the opportunity to keep Yahk elementary open, with an anticipated fall enrolment of zero students. This all comes during the annual ritual combat between the ministry and Vancouver school board over keeping half-empty schools open.
Bernier had one more roll in his overalls. School bus service, one of those things jettisoned or saddled with hundreds of dollars in fees per student as districts scraped up those “administrative savings,” was selectively saved with another $15 million fund announced last week.
There have been a few other country fixes. They’re not going to ban weddings on farms any more, for instance.
That old jalopy in the back yard you’ve been trying to soup up and get back on the road? Soon you can get a collector plate for that thing, which is perfect if you can only get it running once or twice a year.
To paraphrase Red, if the voters don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc

BC VIEWS: Premier Red Green’s fast fixes


Premier Christy Clark has pulled out the duct tape to fix up rural schools, school buses and the minimum wage


South Surrey's Luc Bruchet (left) stands with fellow Canadian Olympian Mohammed Ahmed during Canadian qualifiers earlier this summer.
When Luc Bruchet took off from the start line during the men’s 5,000-m race in Rio de Janeiro Wednesday morning, he had quite a cheering section a few thousand miles north.
A handful of his former Peninsula Runners colleagues – including store founder Paul Williams, a past Olympian himself – gathered early Wednesday at the home of Surrey-White Rock MLA Gordon Hogg to watch the 26-year-old South Surrey runner make his Olympic debut.
And though the preliminary heat did not go as planned for Bruchet – he finished 19th in his heat, in a time of 14 minutes, 2.02 seconds and did not qualify for the final – it did little to dampen the spirits of those watching at home.
“It was great that he got to go and experience it, even though he didn’t have the race that he might’ve wanted,” said Williams, a 5,000-m runner himself at three consecutive Olympics beginning with the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
“It was very inspiring too see him there, especially because it’s the 5,000, which is what I used to run.”
Bruchet qualified for the Rio Olympics earlier this summer, when he placed second in Canadian qualifiers behind Mohammed Ahmed. Ahmed ran the second 5,000-m heat immediately after Bruchet’s race Wednesday, and qualified for Saturday evening’s final after placing sixth.
Bruchet’s personal-best time in the 5,000-m race is listed at 13:24.10 – achieved last June at the Portland Track Festival – which leads Williams to believe that he was perhaps not 100 per cent for Wednesday morning’s race.
“Maybe he wasn’t feeling well – usually he’s in that lead group. But when it’s your first Olympics, you can get a little nervous. You don’t quite know what to expect,” he said.
The competition was extremely tough, too – Bruchet’s heat included defending Olympic gold-medallist Mo Farah of Great Britian as well as Bernard Lagat, who finished fourth in London.
The heat was won by Ethiopian runner Hagos Gebrhiwet, in 13:24.65.
Bruchet is the first Olympian to come from South Surrey/White Rock-based Ocean Athletics, which was formed in 2006.
“It’s very exciting to see somebody from Ocean Athletics make it all the way to the Olympics, and it just confirms that there’s a lot of talent (on the Semiahmoo Peninsula),” said Williams.
“It’s a great accomplishment… absolutely, we’re proud of him.”

Bruchet's Olympic debut 'a great accomplishment'


South Surrey runner Luc Bruchet competes in first round of men's 5,000-m race at 2016 Summer Olympics.


Danielle Ellis had her right leg amputated below the knee when she was just a couple months old. The 24-year-old is in Rio next week with the Canadian sitting women’s volleyball team.
Danielle Ellis never liked it when people stared at her, but she loved when they approached her and asked questions, especially when it was curious kids whose interest she had piqued.
The conversation starter — or in some cases the reason for the long glances — was the fact Ellis has a prosthetic leg.
“I always found that adults would more often sit there and stare, which for me when I was growing up, was frustrating,” she explained.
“I had always accepted my disability and I didn’t mind if people asked me what happened. It’s my story and I am doing great for myself — I have a job and a career and finished school and all this stuff,” she added.
“I would rather that kids know that even if something happens to you, you can do great things.”
And Ellis, who turns 25 in November, is doing something great: suiting up for Canada next week at the Paralympic Games (Sept. 7 to 16) in Rio de Janeiro as part of the women’s sitting volleyball team.
“Amazing is such a little word; it is exhilarating,” she explained.
“There is really nothing like being able to say you play for your country. Every athlete growing up wants to play for Team Canada and to be able to be here, to be working towards something and be going to the Paralympics and representing Canada, there are no words to describe the feeling.”
Diagnosed shortly after birth
Ellis was less than two months old when doctors had to amputate her right leg below the knee.
When she was two weeks old, her parents had discovered a lump on her right foot, no bigger than a quarter.
She was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of either soft tissue, connective tissue or bone.
“People always ask me my story and I say it is my parents’ story. I didn’t really go through much of it,” Ellis explained.
“They were strong and they had a really good support system.”
This was nearly 25 years ago.
“I remember always knowing that I had cancer. I was in the hospital for about a year, year and a half, going through chemo,” Ellis said.
She also remembers going for yearly check-ups at B.C. Children’s Hospital until she was 16.
Sports played big role
But her South Surrey childhood was no different than any other kid and sports were always a big part of it.
She did gymnastics, and then baseball, soccer and volleyball, always competing against able-bodied athletes.
It was at a volleyball camp in 2007 when she first learned about sitting volleyball. Sitting volleyball was different from what Ellis was used to, especially since she loved running around, whether on the volleyball court or on the soccer pitch.
“I definitely missed that aspect, but the more I played, the more the game evolved so it was really great to learn something new and I did fall in love with it,” she said.
This led to an opportunity to join the national women’s team program in 2008. And after graduating from Semiahmoo Secondary in 2009, Ellis put her studies on hold to move to Edmonton and train full-time — while taking post-secondary classes online — in an effort to help Canada qualify for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
The team was training six or seven days a week, with multiple workouts on most days.
Failure to qualify 'devastating'
When Canada failed to qualify, Ellis was devastated.
“I put my heart into it so when we (failed to qualify), it was pretty difficult for me. I tried to come back to the team but it just wasn’t the same for me,” she said.
“When you train all day, every day, and then you get to the competition and don’t succeed in your goals … for me, at that age, I couldn’t accept defeat.
“There was a lot of frustration and anger. I was a sore loser, in the most basic terms.”
Ellis returned home and shifted her focus to her career.
Since high school, the goal had been to become a paramedic, so she began working towards her Primary Care Paramedic licence, completing her studies last year.
With her focus on her studies, Ellis also turned an opportunity to rejoin the national team last year as Canada prepared for the Parapan Pan Am Games in Toronto since she knew she could not devote the necessary time to properly train while maintaining her coursework.
But after Canada finished third in Toronto to qualify for the 2016 Paralympics, Ellis was again invited to try out for the squad and was one of the dozen players named to the roster.
Ellis, who moved to Langley three years ago, is one of two Langley women on the roster, alongside Tessa Popoff. The roster was named back in July.
Ellis has spent the past few months juggling her time between training for Rio and working full-time as a dispatcher for the B.C. Ambulance Service.

Ellis thought national team days were behind her


After having to turn down an opportunity last year, Langley's Danielle Ellis determined to make most of second chance


The granddaughter of Wolf and Anita Gottschalk says this is the 'saddest photo I have ever taken.'
A South Surrey woman is fighting to reunite her elderly grandparents, who – after 62 years of marriage – are living in separate care homes.
“They cry every time they see each other, and it is heartbreaking,” said Ashley Bartyik in a Facebook post Tuesday.
Longtime Semiahmoo Peninsula residents Wolfram and Anita Gottschalk have been living apart for eight months – Wolfram, 83, in Yale Road Centre in North Surrey, and Anita, 81, at The Residence at Morgan Heights a half-hour drive away.
Wolfram is on a wait-list to move into the same facility as his wife in South Surrey, but his failing health prompted their granddaughter to speak out.
Bartyik told Peace Arch News Thursday that her grandfather was diagnosed this week with lymphoma, and his dementia is getting worse. Bartyik said her family fears if they are apart for much longer, his memory of her won’t stay.
“The point is for them to be together in their final days,” she said. “Now with the news of cancer, our fight to have them in the same facility is even more urgent.”
Bartyik said she’s reached out to her MLA and Fraser Health Authority, but her family’s questions and concerns remain. She said her family hasn’t been contacted by the health authority since her grandparents were separated.
“Our family is just desperate. If there’s anyone that can help us get him moved to our grandmother quicker, we’d just really like the help. We’re still not getting it from Fraser Health.”
Bartyik shared her story in a desperate bid to bring her grandparents back together. She didn’t anticipate her post would go “completely viral.”
As of Thursday morning her post had been shared by more than 2,900 people.
“It shows just how many families, not only in Canada but around the world are sick of health care systems,” she said. “It just kind of opened the door to people’s frustrations that maybe weren’t voiced before.”
Fraser Health Authority spokesperson Tasleem Juma wasn't able to return a call from PAN by press time, but told CTV News officials are working to reunite the couple and “hope to do so in the next few weeks.”

Family fights to reunite South Surrey couple


Wolfram and Anita Gottschalk are living in separate care homes after 62 years of marriage.


The B.C. government's plan B for income assistance cheques and other time-sensitive documents could be re-activated as the long-running Canada Post labour dispute reaches another deadline.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is in a legal position to strike as of Monday, but postponed threatened rotating strike action after weekend talks with a federal mediator. Its initial action would be an overtime ban rather than a full-scale walkout that would disrupt mail delivery.
Canada Post served lockout notice in July, with the two sides far apart on issues including pension changes for future employees and pay for rural carriers.
Income assistance, rent subsidy and other B.C. government payments are not affected if they are direct deposit. For mailed cheques and information, updates on possible postal strike effects to the Ministry of Social Development will be available as necessary at this website or at 1-866-866-0800.
Phone and online contacts are set up for questions about affected provincial departments:
• Ministry of Advanced Education and StudentAidBC online here.
• Ministry of Children and Family Development 1-877-387-7027
• Medical Services Plan payments online here or 1-877-405-4909
• ICBC inquiries 1-800-663-3051
• Family Maintenance and Enforcement program 604-660-2528
• Public Guardian and Trustee online here or 604-660-4444
• Vital Statistics 1-888-876-1633
• WorkSafe BC online here or 1-888-967-5377

B.C. prepares for possible postal disruption


Province has alternatives if Canada Post employees begin strike action


The Surrey Board of Trade is calling for nominations for its annual Surrey Innovation Awards.
The awards – to be presented Sept. 29 – celebrate, educate, and connect innovators across all industries, and aim to help make Surrey a recognized hub of innovation.
Nominations are sought for businesses and organizations that have invented a new technology, brought a new product to market, or enhanced processes around human resources, marketing, workplace safety, community development/social innovation.
Nominations are being accepted in four categories: Small Business Innovation Award, Large Business Innovation Award, Young Innovator Award and Organization Innovator Award.
Being innovative takes courage and determination to challenge the status quo and recommend a more efficient process or idea, according to Anita Huberman, CEO of Surrey Board of Trade.
Nomination forms are available at businessinsurrey.com; deadline is Aug. 19.


The Surrey Board of Trade is calling for nominations for its annual Surrey Innovation Awards.


A man has been arrested after a standoff in North Surrey.
On Saturday, at about 10:40 a.m., police responded to a disturbance, perhaps a domestic dispute, on Melrose Drive, near Grosvenor Road in Whalley.
A 27-year-old man had apparently barricaded himself in the home.
Surrey RCMP Emergency Response Teams descended on the home and began negotiations to have the man surrender.
Negotiations continued until 7 p.m., when the man was finally arrested.
David Unick has been charged with four counts, including assault with a weapon, uttering threats and two counts of fail to comply with recognizance.


Police responding on an assault at a North Surrey home find a man barricaded inside


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


RCMP have released these pictures of the Good Samaritan and his truck taken at the scene of the Aug. 14 Hwy. 1 crash that injured an officer.
If your name is Earl and you are the man who pulled over his semi to help an injured RCMP officer, the police would like to talk to you.
The man with the truck is one of two Good Samaritans who stopped to provide assistance the morning of Sunday, Aug. 14 when an RCMP vehicle was rear-ended at the scene of a rollover accident in the westbound lane of Highway 1, near the 232 Street overpass in Langley.
"Earl" may have important information about the collision or its aftermath, RCMP said.
RCMP released photos of Earl and what is believed to be his truck, a greyish-blue Volvo tractor trailer, hauling a white 53’ refrigerated. There is a silver logo on the tractor’s door.
Earl has a tattoo on his right forearm.
The second witness was an Asian man in his 50’s. He is described as short, wearing a white button down shirt and tan pants.
He was driving a model year 2000 or newer tan or gold sedan in good condition .
Police believe the second witness was traveling behind the grey pick-up truck that collided with the police vehicle.
Anyone with any information on these individuals is asked to contact Sgt. Patrick Davies at 604-539-2730.

If this is you, please call police about Langley crash


RCMP release photo of Good Samaritan who stopped to help injured officer


The B.C. government has approved a master development plan for a new year-round ski resort in the Cariboo Mountains west of Valemount.
Valemount Glacier Destination Resort is a $175 million project led by Oberto Oberti, who designed the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden and the controversial Jumbo Glacier Resort proposal west of Invermere.
The Valemount plan includes lifts and gondolas that would carry skiers and sight-seers to the summits of Mount Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Mount Arthur Meighen. Its vertical drop of 2,050 metres would be higher than Whistler-Blackcomb and the largest in North America.
"There are very few places in the world, and none in North America, where you go and ride a lift to the very top and the glacier is below you," said Jill Bodkin, a director of the company.
Valemount is a remote community of about 1,000 residents near the Alberta border east of Prince George. The region is west of Jasper National Park, which attracts visitors from around the world.
On the project's website, Oberti says people will travel to Switzerland for this kind of mountain resort experience, so a three-hour drive from Prince George isn't an obstacle to success.
Valemount Mayor Jeanette Townsend called the master plan approval "exciting news." She said the community attracts visitors who stay there to avoid the expensive accommodation in Jasper and the resort will take it to the next level.
Chief Nathan Matthew of the Simpcw First Nation said his community has been involved since the beginning, and he sees the project as an important economic development for the northern part of Simpcw's traditional territory.

B.C. approves Valemount glacier resort plan


Designer of Kicking Horse and Jumbo resorts gets approval to proceed with $175 million project east of Prince George


Tessa Popoff had her right arm amputated below the elbow following a car accident when she was 18. Popoff is playing on the Canadian sitting volleyball team at the Paralympic Games in Rio.
Tessa Popoff doesn’t think she is anything special.
“I know I am a role model but I don’t see myself as a role model. I don’t think I am all that great,” she said.
“I am just an average person making it through life but I know I set the bar for certain people.
“I do a lot more with one hand than what some people do with two hands.”
The 31-year-old Popoff is one of a dozen women — and one of two from Langley, along with Danielle Ellis — who will represent Canada in sitting volleyball at the Paralympic Games in Rio next week (Sept. 7 to 16).
And this is a long way from where Popoff was when she was 18 years old and had her life changed dramatically.
On a road trip with friends, their vehicle failed to navigate a bend in the road, and the car rolled.
Sitting in the middle spot in the back seat, Popoff braced herself on the headrest in front of her. The car’s roof caved in and her hand was severed immediately.
Of the five in the vehicle, she suffered the most serious injuries, spending a week in hospital and having her right arm amputated below the elbow.
But rather than wallow in self pity, Popoff — who was right-hand dominant — set about learning to do things either one-handed or with her left.
Two years ago, she also discovered sitting volleyball and in that short time has risen to be among the top dozen from across the country in the game.
“It was always a dream, but it is one of those things you never know if it is actually ever going to happen,” Popoff said about being named to the team.
“And look now, here we are. It is time to step up and represent.”
Popoff was on the nine-player Canadian side which earned qualification for the Rio Games by winning bronze at last summer’s Parapan Games.
But that didn’t mean she was guaranteed one of the dozen roster spots for Rio. The program had 14 players in the mix and the final team wasn’t nominated until early July.
“You spend a year and a half, training and travelling with the team and then knowing that your spot can be taken by somebody else, especially with some of the ones who just joined the team this year, who are younger and with more volleyball experience, so it was nerve-wracking,” she said.
“It pushed us to train harder, to be the best that we can, knowing that if we don’t push ourselves and train that hard, we can be taken out by someone else.
“It motivated me, specifically, to do the best that I can.”
When she was named to the roster, Popoff said it was a sense of excitement, not relief, she felt.
Her first phone calls were to her parents, Al Sleighthome and Debbie Popoff.
Her emotions got the best of her.
“It was just tears of joy, something you have trained so hard for,” she said. “You are among the best dozen (in your country) in your sport.”
Since being named to the roster, Popoff said not a day goes by where she hasn’t thought about Rio.
“It is just such an honour to be chosen to represent your country, to wear the flag on your uniform and go compete against the world on national television,” she explained.
While she is excited for the Games, it has been a whirlwind past few months, especially since Popoff also owns her own business, the Learning Circle, a Langley childcare centre.
She uses her disability as a teaching tool with the children.
“I get to show them that if they can’t do it with two hands but I can do it with one hand, then it is not really an acceptable excuse for them and then they try harder,” Popoff said.
The majority of her spare time is used to train or stay in shape, playing drop-in stand-up volleyball whenever she can.
In the week leading up to her departure for Rio (the players left on Aug. 27) she went every day to see her physiotherapist, massage therapist and/or chiropractor.
Meal preparation can also be a challenge, especially when Popoff is shuttling between work, training, or taking care of her daughter, Ella, as she wants to make sure to eat as healthy as possible.
None of this could be done without the help of her friends and family.
“My whole family has come together to support me. I feel kind of selfish, it really is all about me,” she said.
Sponsors have helped as well.
Back in April, in the midst of a training camp with her spot still not secured, Popoff’s prosthetic hand snapped in half. But Kintec Footwear and Orthotics, came through and had a new prosthetic ready for her within a week and in time for a tournament the players were attending.

Missing a hand hasn't slowed Tessa Popoff in life


A car accident when she was 18 dramatically changed the life of Langley's Tessa Popoff


The city and a rail company are struggling to keep homeless camps from settling near a Newton rail line.
It's a relatively new phenomenon in Surrey.
About three months ago, Southern Rail of British Columbia (SRBC) noticed homeless camps along it's rail line through Newton, particularly from 64 Avenue and 152 Street to 72 Avenue and King George Boulevard.
A large camp was also found by the South Fraser Perimeter Road.
J. Singh Biln, director of community relations for SRBC said it's of great concern to the railway because people could get hurt.
"It's really just the last three months that it's really, really increased significantly," Biln told The Leader Wednesday."It's so dangerous to be near trains."
He said it's too frequent that it happens where people throughout the world are injured or killed by trains.
Just last fall, near Old Yale and South Fraser Perimeter Road, there was such a tragedy.
"We had some young people who had been partying up by the (Fraser) river, and they went for a joyride on a train," Biln said. "And a young lady – 16 years old – lost her arm above the elbow."
Railway staff are all too aware similar injuries or worse could happen any time.
He is at a loss as to explain why the homeless population has become an issue on the tracks in the last few months.
"We're going to be working with the City of Surrey to find out what's happening," Biln said. "Maybe they have been moved out of some public area and end up on our private property."
SRBC has hired RECYCLE IT to keep the track clean, and he says the company is finding truckloads of garbage, metal, "and of course, lots of needles."
Another issue for people living around the track is extended train whistles through the night.
"At times we've had people right on the tracks, right on the right of way, and we have to sound the whistle, so that's what's been happening," Biln said. "Trains can't just stop on a dime."


Southern Rail is having to sound whistles more often to alert campers of coming trains


Major Jim Barrett, commanding officer of Alpha Company, presents Cadet Bae Keun Kim the plaque acknowledging him as the best cadet in the first intake of 4 Platoon of the three-week Basic Drill and Ceremonial Course at the Vernon Cadet Training Centre.
Cadet Bae Keun Kim of Surrey has been selected as the top cadet in 4 Platoon of the first intake of the three-week Basic Drill and Ceremonial Course at the Vernon Cadet Training Centre.
Kim is a member of 1867 Royal Canadian Army Cadets (Seaforth Highlanders) in Surrey.
Kim and 65 other army cadets attended the Basic Drill and Ceremonial (Army) Course that provides cadets with an opportunity to build on drill learned at the home corps, to participate in advanced drill and ceremonial activities and to develop leadership skills and knowledge while performing the role of a team leader.
Activities include commanding a squad on parade, drill with arms, flag drill and marksmanship training.
Kim’s Seaforth Highlanders regiment parades each Tuesday evening from 6:30-9 p.m. at 11584 Lyon Road, North Delta.
During the summer, more than 1770 army, navy and air cadets from western Canada will have spent up to six weeks in the Okanagan Valley training centre, expanding the training they receive at their home corps, developing new skills and forming friendships.

Surrey cadet aims high in summer training


Surrey's Bae Keun Kim selected as top cadet in his platoon at the Vernon Cadet Training Centre.


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


With less than two months to go until its grand opening, Tsawwassen Mills has unveiled a second large list of tenants. The additional 133 retailers bring the total of confirmed tenants to 160 thus far.
The 1.2 million-sq.-ft. shopping centre will feature nearly 200 stores, including a mix of outlet, first-to-market and premium fashion stores that will appeal to all shoppers, including 16 anchor stores.
“We are very excited about the high-quality, diverse mix of retailers we have assembled for Tsawwassen Mills. With even more to come over the next two months, there will be something for every shopping taste at Tsawwassen Mills,” said Roman Drohomirecki, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Ivanhoé Cambridge Retail.
The hiring process to fill the 3,000 full-time and part-time jobs at Tsawwassen Mills is ongoing. A second job fair will be held on Thursday, Aug. 18, from 1-7 p.m. at Tsawwassen Springs, located at 5099 Springs Blvd. in Delta. Job seekers will have an opportunity to discuss openings directly with retailers and are encouraged to bring their résumés.
Meanwhile, Final preparations are underway and on schedule for the mall's Oct. 5 grand opening. Construction is nearing completion on the interior décor of the shopping centre and work is underway to customize many of the stores. The parking lot is fully paved and the mall’s main entrances are nearly finished.
Below is the updated list of stores opening at Tsawwassen Mills:


Tsawwassen Mills lands 133 new tenants and will host a second job fair Aug. 18.


The Pattullo Bridge will be reopened to all four lanes of traffic one month ahead of schedule, easing commutes in September when traffic volumes normally rise.
Rehabilitation work on the bridge deck has been underway since April 29 and TransLink had warned drivers to expect five months of delays until early October, with traffic reduced to one lane each way weekdays and complete bridge closures about two nights a week and one weekend a month.
"Despite wet weather in June, crews were able to get more done in a shorter period of time by scheduling additional weekend and overnight closures and reducing the number of concrete pours," TransLink officials said in a release.
The return to four-lane traffic during the day happens Monday, Aug. 29. Regular overnight lane closures that reduce the Pattullo to one lane each way at night for safety reasons will resume.
The final complete bridge closures were to be tonight, Thursday night and from 8 p.m. Friday Aug. 26 until 5 a.m. Monday Aug. 29.
Crews repaired 1,180 square metres of bridge deck. The work included milling off the asphalt surface, removing all deck concrete down to the top layer of rebar. repairing delaminated concrete and cleaning or replacing rebar, and repaving the deck area with a concrete overlay.
The aim was to extned the life of the bridge deck with minimal maintenance to keep the bridge open while a replacement is desinged and built, a project expected to take up to seven years.
The $10-million project was dramatically scaled down from what was originally intended to be a $100-million rehabilitation lasting 18 months.
TransLink officials last fall ruled out seismic rehab work – they decided it was too expensive if it was even possible – and opted to minimize spending since it intends to replace the Pattullo with a new bridge as quickly as possible.

Pattullo Bridge work finishes a month early


TransLink says bridge repair work was done faster than expected over the summer, avoiding the need to continue closures in September


Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have reached tentative agreements, averting the prospect of a labour dispute that has loomed over the talks for months.
In a statement, Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says the agreements were reached "voluntarily," but provides no other details about the deals themselves.
The issue of differences in paycheques for rural mail carriers — most of whom are women — and urban letter carriers had been at the forefront of protracted contract talks between the two sides.
The negotiations were extended twice since the weekend, when a deadline expired on a 72-hour job action notice issued last Thursday by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The two sides were in talks nearly around the clock at the request of a special mediator appointed Friday by Mihychuk.
Canada Post described the tentative agreements as short-term. It said they are for two years and that four-year contracts were typically negotiated in the past.
"The agreements will avert a work disruption, bringing much-needed certainty in the postal system for our employees and customers," said Canada Post in a statement. "Canadians can now use the postal system with confidence."
The tentative agreements, however, still must be ratified by the members.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is Canada Post's largest union, representing more than 50,000 postal workers
The Canadian Press

Canada Post, postal union reach tentative deals


Two sides avert job action that has loomed for months


Karlene Bullock (left) and her mother Delores Johns have been working together for years. The pair have 30 years in the industry.
The new Bagheera Boutique in Fort Langley aims to fill the fashion gap created when Ella’s Clothes Closet in Brookswood closed by bringing back top European brands to Langley, with names such as Laurel, Luisa Cerano, Marc Cain, Wolford, Brax and Vince, along with local Canadian accessories like Suzi Roher scarves, and Vancouver’s Sheereen De Roussea jewelry.
It also brings back Karlene Bullock and her mother Delores Johns, who have dressed the Fraser Valley for over 30 years, the last 10 of them working as a team at Ella’s.
When Ella Little shut down her namesake shop on 200 Street and 40A Avenue just over a year ago, it left a large hole in the market, Bullock said.
“We used to have women coming from Langley, Maple Ridge, White Rock, Chilliwack and all over Vancouver, to shop, and all of a sudden there were no options.”
When the owners of the Victoria-based Bagheera Boutique, Nataliia Bahirova and Anton Solonnikov decided to open their second store in Langley, they reached out to Bullock and Johns after hearing Ella’s had closed.
“They know the market,” Solonnikov — Bagheera marketing manager — said of the mother-daughter team.
“They have a following from 30 years.”
Bullock said she has been flooded with phone calls and emails from people excited that the new boutique is carrying the same lines.
“We want to be the go-to place for shopping for all women in the Greater Vancouver area,” Bullock said.
“Fort Langley is such a beautiful and quaint place, and the perfect getaway for the weekend.”
Johns said service is the key to keep customers coming back.
“It has to be honest service,” Johns said.
“Honest and continuous.”
Johns has been known to do things like drive to Harrison Hot Springs to ensure a bow on a customer’s bridal dress was properly tied for her wedding ceremony.
“Mom’s good at sales, she is good at talking to the customers,” Bullock said.
“There is no one in the valley who can do displays like she does.”
Johns gives her daughter high marks for bringing in the best of fashion.
“She’s very good at the buying,” Johns said.
The Fort Langley Bagheera Boutique is located in the new Coulter Berry building at Glover Road and Mavis Avenue.
Solonnikov said the store doesn’t only cater to the high-end shoppers, but carries low- to medium-priced brands from Europe as well.
Store phone: 604-371-2879.

Familiar faces at the new Bagheera Boutique in Fort Langley


Mother-and-daughter team bring experience and expertise in high-end fashion


BC Ferries sailings have been busier this year, thanks in part to strong tourist traffic and no net fare increase.
BC Ferries plans to continue its campaign of price promotions this fall and next spring in an effort to maintain increased passenger and vehicle traffic.
First-quarter results for the Crown corporation show passenger traffic up 2.5 per cent and vehicle loads up 5.1 per cent for the three months ended June 30, compared with the same period in 2015.
Buoyed by a strong tourist year for B.C. and no net fare increase, BC Ferries carried 5.3 million passengers and 2.1 million vehicles in April, May and June. The 1.9 per cent average fare hike was erased by a reduced fuel surcharge due to long-term contracts for cheaper diesel fuel.
Helped by reduced operating costs and higher retail sales from terminals and on-board gift shops, net earnings were $27 million for the quarter, up from $18.8 million in the same period last year. Revenues were up 4.9 per cent to $219 million, while costs for the quarter went up 1.5 per cent to $178.6 million.
BC Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan released the first-quarter results at the corporation's annual meeting in Victoria, where he also announced that unspecified pricing promotions will be offered this fall and next spring. This year BC Ferries has been offering discounts on over-length vehicles pulling boats or travel trailers.
Corrigan also announced he will be stepping down as CEO at the end of the fiscal year next March. He was promoted in 2012 to replace former CEO David Hahn, and presided over a controversial service review that saw sailings reduced on money-losing routes.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone praised Corrigan for reducing operating costs and embracing new technology, including three new medium-sized ferries using liquefied natural gas fuel that have been built in Poland.
LNG retrofits are also scheduled for the Spirit of B.C. and the Spirit of Vancouver Island, the workhorses of the main Tswassen-to-Vancouver Island route.
Corrigan's term also saw the first cable ferry in the BC Ferries fleet, the Baynes Sound Connector to Denman Island. Stone said the cable ferry cut fuel costs by half.

More discounts coming as BC Ferries traffic rises


Vehicle traffic up 5% with no net fare increase and discounts offered for vehicles pulling boats and travel trailers


Toronto MP Carolyn Bennett is sworn in as Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, November 2015.
The federal government’s National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is preparing to get underway in September.
With five commissioners led by B.C. judge Marion Buller and a budget that has swelled by a third to $54 million before it even starts, this inquiry has one big advantage over all the previous studies of Canada’s intractable problems of poverty and violence in aboriginal communities.
In this case, the politicians all agree what the outcome is going to be. They’ve been saying so for months, since the Justin Trudeau government got elected on this and other passionate, if questionable, promises.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, a member of the We Wai Kai Nation on the B.C. coast, a former Crown prosecutor and chair of the B.C. Treaty Commission, announced the terms of reference last week. She stressed that the inquiry will not attempt to retry cold cases, but to examine the “root causes” of the high numbers of missing and murdered women.
Next up was Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, who has no doubt at all what those “root causes” are: racism, sexism and the lingering effects of colonialism. Bennett has been meeting steadily with grieving families since being appointed, and now accepts that racist, indifferent cops are the main “root cause.”
Bennett explained this conclusion from New York in April, while attending a “Women of the World” summit. It’s an “uneven application of justice,” she told The Globe and Mail, a phrase we’ll hear again and again.
“You end up with people who have been told it’s an overdose, or a suicide or an accident,” Bennett said.
RCMP have reported close to 1,200 unsolved cases of murdered or missing indigenous women since 1980, a figure that Bennett scoffs at. What’s her evidence? She’s talked to families, and knows it’s “way more” than that.
One of the previous inquiries was by a United Nations official, James Anaya, in 2014. He noted the alarming statistics of education outcome and violent offences against women, and referred to 660 cases documented by the Native Women’s Association of Canada. He also described being besieged by demands for a national inquiry, as he went through the stacks of studies that have already been done.
“Since 1996,” Anaya wrote in his UN report, “there have been at least 29 official inquiries and reports dealing with aspects of this issue, which have resulted in over 500 recommendations for action.”
As the latest inquiry was being launched, Perry Bellegarde, the current Assembly of First Nations national chief, recited Bennett’s speaking points about the conclusions it will reach.
Bellegarde told CTV the problem is vastly under-reported because “…oh, it’s an accidental death. Oh, it’s a suicide.” Then he called for more money for housing and other programs via the failed Indian Act system.
There are several glaring factors that apparently will not be discussed, because they fall outside the politically correct boundaries of this pre-determined narrative.
One is the even more alarming number of aboriginal men and boys who are victims of violent crime.
Another is the rate of domestic abuse reported by indigenous women, which Statistics Canada estimated this year at about 10 per cent of their population. That’s three times the national average, but it was not mentioned amid the demands for justice at the inquiry.
Another key issue that is forbidden from discussion is the social and economic viability of remote communities. Some of them haven’t been able to maintain clean water and safe housing, much less education and employment, despite billions in spending every year.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc

BC VIEWS: Missing women inquiry pre-determined


Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett's position boils down to blaming racist, indifferent cops


Falling can cause injury and loss of mobility and independence and is the sixth leading cause of death in seniors.
A Falls and Injury Prevention Workshop for seniors will take place Sept. 13 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Cloverdale Recreation Centre, 6188 176 St.
Falling can cause injury and loss of mobility and independence and is the sixth leading cause of death in seniors.
One in three adults over the age of 65 falls at least once per year. The good news is falling can be prevented.
Join the workshop to learn tips and tricks on how to stay safe and reduce the chances of injury through falls.
The free event is presented in partnership with Fraser Health.
Light beverages will be served.
To register call 604-501-5100 or click here with registration code 4499831.


Event to focus on safety, preventing injuries in seniors.


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


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


Re: Tree spikers cling to Lelu Island (B.C. Views, July 20).
Tom Fletcher seems to believe protecting salmon is not only bad, but dishonest. He suggests it’s an effort to cover up an international plot to kill B.C.’s oil and gas opportunities and Alberta’s oilsands.
His column falsely asserts that, along with other groups, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has “poured money into anti-LNG campaigns in B.C., as they funded opposition to oilsands development before them. Indeed, the record suggests the long project to establish what environmental front groups named the Great Bear Rainforest was a strategy to stop hydrocarbon exports from western Canada, even as U.S. sources ramped up production.”
The foundation’s Wild Salmon Ecosystems Initiative supports groups working to ensure that all factors – social, environmental and economic – are fairly respected in development decisions. It does not fund efforts to stop oil and gas development.
Salmon support a huge economy that provides jobs, social and cultural benefits. And, in British Columbia, unlike many other parts of North America, we still have a chance to keep most salmon watersheds intact. This is why the foundation supports the efforts of communities to protect these fish. This means ensuring that scientific evidence is fully addressed in project development, including siting decisions.
We are proud supporters of the Great Bear Rainforest, not because we are “anti” anything else, but because this is a unique region. Like the Amazon and the Great Barrier Reef, it is recognized by experts around the globe as one of the planet’s most important and unique natural wonders.
It is a region that deserved to be protected on its own merits – a fact so clear that federal, provincial and First Nation governments came together with industry and environmental groups to ensure it would be. To portray this impressive collaboration as an anti-oil and gas does a disservice to the broad array of Canadians and First Nations that prioritized its preservation.
The Moore Foundation supported this as part of our commitment to assist groups that seek to protect wild salmon habitats along the West Coast. People, issues, organizations and funds cross the Canada-U.S. border all the time. There isn’t anything unusual about Canadian environmental groups requesting and receiving donations from international foundations that share the same environmental goals.
Ivan Thompson, B.C. Program Officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Vancouver

LETTER: U.S. foundations protecting salmon


Representative of Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation says it doesn't support efforts to stop oil and gas development


Surrey Mounties are looking for public help in finding a man who has been missing for two days.
Paul Calton was reported missing on Aug. 24 and has not been seen or heard from since. He was last seen in the 19100-block of 65 Avenue.
Calton is described as a 51 year old Caucasian male, 5’10” tall, 185 lbs, with brown eyes and a bald/shaved head. He was last seen possibly wearing a dark t-shirt and jeans.
Police and family are concerned for his health and well-being.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of this person is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or go to www.solvecrime.ca quoting file number 2016-122732.


Paul Calton has been missing since Aug. 24, and was last seen in Cloverdale.