B.C. based lawyer-turned-music executive Jonathan Simkin issued an apology Wednesday for what he called a badly-worded tweet.
Simkin, the lawyer for the rock band Nickelback and a co-founder of 604 Records, where he manages acts like Carly Rae Jepsen and Marianas Trench, deleted his Twitter account this week after many took offense to a tweet in which he appeared to criticize the diversity and inclusivity of this year’s Juno Awards, which were held in Vancouver.
“Just signed a new band,” Simkin tweeted on July 10. “2 guys, 2 gals. One is Indian, one is Korean, one is black, and one is physically impaired. I call them ‘The Inclusive 4’. Their music sucks balls — just horrible — but I figure they are a shoo-in to get on the next @TheJunoAwards broadcast next year.”
Simkin was roundly criticized for the tweet, which seemed to take issue with the diversity on the Juno Awards stage this year, as up-and-coming artists of colour like Daniel Caesar and Jessie Reyez performed, as did the Northern Touch All-Stars, a collective comprised of Canadian hip hop pioneers Rascalz, Checkmate, Kardinal Offishall, Thrust and Choclair.
Simkin need not panic, however: the Juno award for album of the year has gone to a nonwhite artist just two times in its 40-plus years. If there’s a diversity problem at the Juno Awards, it isn’t manifesting in quite the way he thinks.
Simkin’s account reappeared Thursday, now with just one tweet — a written statement apologizing for the social media blunder.
“Last week I tweeted something about the Juno Awards that I wish to speak to,” Simkin said. “The tweet was a poor attempt made in bad taste to address a serious issue. I deeply regret my choice of words in trying to make that point.”
“Upon reflection, I can see that the comments were horribly insensitive, and I understand why some people have been hurt by those words. To those people, I apologize. It was not my intent to cause hurt, or to cause people who feel disenfranchised to feel even more disenfranchised.”
“So let me be clear, here and now. Inclusion is extremely important, and necessary. Inclusion needs to be a big part of any discussion when it comes to the music business, the media and the world around us. I feel confident that an examination of my decisions in hiring staff, in signing artists, and in how I conduct my affairs and personal life say much more about where my heart is on the issue of inclusion than a carelessly worded tweet sent from a hotel room after midnight.”
Speaking about inclusion with the Vancouver Courier earlier this week, Simpkin said, “When decisions are made just on the colour of someone’s skin, that scares me.”
It is worth noting that this scares people of colour too, especially as people of colour are far more often the victims of such decisions than benefactors.
I started the Real Scoop 10 years ago this weekend by doing a live blog on the 25th anniversary bash of the Hells Angels at the Langley property owned by the White Rock chapter.
So it’s appropriate that I cover the 35th anniversary party in Nanaimo this weekend. I am heading over tomorrow and will file stories on whatever transpires this weekend.
No one is expecting problems, but there will be a large contingent of police on hand monitoring the event.
Here’s my advance story on the anniversary:
Hells Angels still expanding after 35 years in B.C.
As the Hells Angels mark their 35th anniversary with a party in Nanaimo this weekend, police say the group continues to expand in B.C. despite a series of high-profile arrests and convictions over the last decade.
More than 300 bikers from across Canada are expected to attend the Vancouver Island bash to celebrate the day the first three B.C. chapters were formed, July 23, 1983.
Since the 25th anniversary party in Langley a decade ago, members of B.C.’s most notorious gang have been murdered, shot, charged with murder and convicted of international drug smuggling, extortion, manslaughter and more.
The B.C. Hells Angels started with branches in Nanaimo, Vancouver and White Rock, but have now expanded to 10 chapters and 114 members, entry-level prospects and hang-arounds — the term used for men hoping to join the HA.
Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, of B.C.’s anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said “it’s well-documented that many of the participants of these events are individuals and members of clubs associated to and who participate in criminal activities.”
CFSEU Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton noted the many high-profile cases in recent years that link the Hells Angels to violence, drug trafficking and other crimes.
• In 2013, Kelowna Hells Angels Norm Cocks and Robert Thomas pleaded guilty to manslaughter for beating Kelowna grandfather Dain Phillips to death as he attempted to resolve a dispute his sons had with some HA associates. They were sentenced to 15 years.
• In September 2016, two other Kelowna Hells Angels were convicted for their roles in an international cocaine importing scheme that had been cooked up by police as part of an undercover operation.
• A month later, prominent Mission Hells Angel Bob Green was shot to death at an all-night booze and drug party in Langley.
• Early this year, West Point Hells Angel Larry Amero was charged with conspiracy to commit murder for plots that left two rivals dead in 2012. And B.C.
• Hells Angels Jason Arkinstall and Chad Wilson were convicted in Spain of importing cocaine.
“I think it is fair to say that there’s a portion of the public who sees through their lies and sees through this free-living, charity-riding mystique that they want to portray and see them for what they are, a significant international criminal organization,” Houghton said.
Members of the Hells Angels ride to Oceanview Cemetery in Burnaby during their annual Screwy Ride to honour the murdered Dave “Screwy” Schwartz in Vancouver on April, 8, 2017.RICHARD LAM / PNG
“They are still expanding, they are still looking to shore up their power base and ensure that they maintain the highest levels of influence and intimidation within the criminal landscape, the organized crime landscape.”
Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay said Thursday that he doesn’t expect any problems at this year’s party.
“To be honest with you, they used to come to the city every year and have a big party out at Angel Acres. I don’t believe they were ever much of a problem,” he said of the bikers and their large property, which the B.C. government is trying to seize through a civil forfeiture case. “I don’t expect that they will cause the community any challenges.”
He said the provincial government would be covering the costs of the extra police in town for the weekend.
Asked if he considers the HA an organized crime group, McKay said: “Police would know better than myself, but I believe there are connections there, yes.”
“Police are doing their job to ensure the safety of our community and we thank them for that,” he said.
Hells Angels spokesman Rick Ciarniello did not respond to requests for an interview about the anniversary. Ciarniello has been a fixture in the courtroom during the civil forfeiture trial over the fate of three clubhouses which the government agency says would be used to commit future crimes if the Hells Angels were allowed to keep them.
The trial began in April, but has been adjourned until the fall.
The front entrance outside the Hells Angels clubhouse on Victoria Avenue in Nanaimo in 2004. BRUCE STOTESBURY / TIMES COLONIST
Houghton said that despite the efforts of the police, some in the public still support the Hells Angels and “think they are OK people.”
“We still see when they do these rides, that people come out to watch them because they are interested,” he said.
Seventy-one per cent of B.C.’s Hells Angels have criminal records for violence offences, Houghton said.
And the Hells Angels have links to other gangs, like the Red Scorpions, Independent Soldiers and Wolf Pack that have been directly involved in a violent gang war over the last decade, centred in Metro Vancouver.
“We know as the province’s gang agency that we have a lot of work to do to educate the public about what these people and the groups and what their reputations really are,” he said.
Timeline of some events related to the Hells Angels in B.C. over the past decade:
July 13, 2009 – Four Hells Angels were convicted on a series of charges stemming from the E-Pandora investigation targeting the East End Hells Angels in Vancouver.
Aug. 14, 2011 – Hells Angel Larry Amero was seriously wounded in a targeted Kelowna shooting that left Red Scorpion Jonathan Bacon dead and two others wounded.
Nov. 1, 2012 – Amero charged in Montreal with associates in the Wolf Pack with leading international cocaine smuggling ring.
Jan. 30, 2013 – Two Kelowna Hells Angels, Norman Cocks and Robert Thomas, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for beating Kelowna grandfather Dain Phillips to death as he attempted to resolve a dispute his sons had with some HA associates. They were sentenced to 15 years in jail.
Dec. 16, 2014 – Longtime Hells Angel Robert “Fred” Widdifield, a founding member of the Nanaimo chapter, was convicted of extortion and theft. He was later sentenced to five years.
Sept. 30, 2016 – Kelowna Hells Angel Dave Giles was convicted of one count of conspiracy to import cocaine, one count of conspiracy to traffic cocaine, and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine; Hells Angel Bryan Oldham was found guilty of one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine.
Oct. 16, 2016 – High-profile Hells Angel Bob Green, of the Mission City chapter, is found shot to death in Langley. A day later, his friend and gang associate Jason Wallace turned himself into police. Wallace later pleaded guilty to manslaughter after telling the court his and his family’s lives were threatened after the drunken, drug-fuelled shooting.
Oct. 26, 2016 – White Rock Hells Angels prospect Mohammed Rafiq, 43, was shot in the face while driving near his Burnaby home. He survived.
March 19, 2017 – The body of Nanaimo Hells Angels prospect Michael Gregory Widner is found near Sooke, days after he was reported missing. He was murdered.
Aug. 30, 2017 – Montreal conspiracy charges stayed against Hells Angel Larry Amero due to delays in the case.
Jan. 25, 2018 – Hells Angel Larry Amero is charged with conspiracy to kill rivals Sandip Duhre and Sukh Dhak. Both were shot to death months apart in 2012. The murders are believed to have been retaliation for the 2011 Kelowna shooting.
April 23, 2018 – Civil forfeiture case begins in B.C. Supreme Court, more than a decade after the case began. It has now been adjourned until fall 2018.
HellsAngels chapters in B.C.
Vancouver, opened in 1983.
White Rock, opened in 1983.
Nanaimo, opened in 1983.
East End Vancouver, opened in 1983.
Haney, opened in 1987.
Nomads, opened in 1998.
Mission City, opened in 1999.
Kelowna, opened in 2007.
West Point, opened in 2012.
Hardside, opened in 2017.
Here are two stories from 2008 that contains some of the original blog posts:
It’s time to party
Vancouver Sun
Sat Jul 26 2008
Page: A5
Section: News
Byline: Kim Bolan
Source: Vancouver Sun
The Sun’s Kim Bolan was outside the Hells Angels’ Langley clubhouse on Friday afternoon. Here are some edited excerpts from her blog, Real Scoop. She will have more coverage today at vancouversun.com/bolan.
12:50 p.m.
As of noon there is very little traffic outside the five-acre spread near 216th Street and 61st Avenue.
An RCMP command post can be seen behind a nearby chapel, but there is no visible police presence on the ditch-lined road.
Late in the morning, some bikers put huge white plastic sheets over the metal electronic gate to block the view of reporters and curiosity seekers. The smell of pot wafted from the clubhouse driveway.
2:09 p.m.
A lawyer for the Hells Angels arrives outside the clubhouse and is greeted by two large, vest-wearing men from inside.
They chat on the street in full earshot of a Sun reporter about how they believe the police are breaking the law by closing off a street to control which road the bikers use to enter the party. The lawyer hands around his business card and tells them he will be available if they need him.
An outdoor stage with a sound system can be seen through the chain-link fence before “hangarounds” are ordered to put up more plastic — this time black — to block our view.
Everyone on site appears to have a special ID pass for the party with the number 81 on it — code for Hells Angels (the eighth and first letters of the alphabet).
3:08 p.m.
The Angels are getting chatty with reporters, asking us to pick them up Starbucks coffee if we do a run.
Bikers from Alberta arrive in formation, their skull logos prominent on their vests.
About 10 bikers stand outside the front gate as the biggest police gathering of the day forms a few metres away.
There are RCMP officers and some riot-squad-like police sporting unfamiliar “BEU” badges. We ask who they are and they say they are the Biker Enforcement Unit from Ontario. They begin snapping photos of the bikers on their phone cameras.
3:30 p.m.
Let the party begin. About 80 bikers just arrived, the biggest group by far.
Some are from Sherbrooke, Que. Others are from the Angels’ Prince George puppet club, the Renegades. They are held up at the police barricade, but then are let through and are greeted at the gate by biker brothers with hugs and back-pats.
Police maintain a heavy presence at Hells Angel anniversary party
Vancouver Sun
Mon Jul 28 2008
Page: A1 / FRONT
Section: News
Byline: Kim Bolan
Source: Vancouver Sun
A heavy police presence outside a party marking the 25th anniversary of the notorious HellsAngels in B.C. paid off with an incident-free weekend, Sgt. Shinder Kirk of the B.C. Integrated Gang Task Force said Sunday.
Kirk said no one knows what would have happened if dozens of plainclothes and uniformed officers from across Canada had not been closely monitoring the party, held at the two-hectare Langley spread owned by the White Rock Hell’s Angels chapter.
HellsAngels members spent the weekend complaining to police about the level of scrutiny of the group and the fact the bikers were restricted from using the intersection of 216th Street and 61st Avenue to enter the party.
Kirk said the bikers were sent to a single entrance to keep the traffic flowing freely along the street for area residents and a couple of home-based businesses.
Curiosity-seekers who simply wanted to drive by the party were turned away at the barriers, Kirk said.
The Vancouver Sun monitored the party throughout the weekend and watched a number of heated exchanges between White Rock chapter members and police, who had a post immediately across the street from the clubhouse gate from Friday through Sunday.
Hundreds of people visited the compound throughout the weekend, with more than 100 Harleys on site. HellsAngels members from across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec rode in and out of the high-security gate both Saturday and Sunday, proudly wearing their leather vests with death head patches and labels of their chapters.
At least one British Hells Angel member attended, but several bikers from the U.S. who attempted to cross the border were turned away.
The party marked the founding on July 23, 1983 of the first three HellsAngels chapters in B.C.: Vancouver, White Rock and Nanaimo.
The tensest moment of the weekend came late Saturday afternoon when police attempted to ticket and remove the plates from an enormous monster truck parked across from the party and owned by Vancouver full-patch Angel Mike Robatzek.
Robatzek was furious and started swearing at the officers as a group of his buddies crossed over from the clubhouse to express their views. Robatzek also called his lawyer, having a conversation openly as he sat in the truck three metres above the police.
He was shirtless throughout the exchange, his entire back and chest covered with HellsAngels tattoos, as well as one of a handgun. He ended up pulling the vehicle into the compound, promising to get it inspected today.
“There was concern over the licensing and registration of a particular vehicle,” Kirk explained. “Officers went and spoke to the individuals there. Additional individuals came out. There was an exchange of words and that was the end of it.”
Here are excerpts from my blog posts from outside the party:
Noon Saturday: “It is still very quiet in front of the Langley HellsAngels clubhouse … Neighbours say the party went until 2 a.m. last night, music blasting from inside the compound. Most of the bikers did not sleep on site, but left pissed to the gills in chauffeured vans to nearby hotels where rooms have been booked.
A gatekeeper sporting a white T-shirt with RESPECT across the front and a gold death head pendant says tonight is the family dinner and the biggest bash of the weekend.
About 1 p.m., the police barricades go back up — this time not letting any of the bikers through; they must come and go in the other direction.
“They are fear-mongerers,” the RESPECT man says of police.
Bikers keep coming and going, revving up and down the quiet country road.
5 p.m. Saturday: Bikers and their girlfriends continue to arrive for “family night.” Some are on Harleys, but others are arriving in high-end luxury vehicles like Hummers and Lexuses. The music has started. One Hummer with Alberta plates advertises its business with detail painting: Showgirls Exotic Nightclub of Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie and Edmonton.
7 p.m. Saturday: One of the Angels is catering the big buffet dinner tonight. Two rows of metal serving dishes can be seen when the gate opens. The tables are all set and ready under white plastic canopies.
Noon Sunday: Life is back to normal on 61st in Langley.
The occupants of nearly 1,000 homes have either been forced to evacuate or must be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice as wildfires rip through the Okanagan.
A lightning storm earlier this week, sparking multiple wildfires including one major blaze that has grown to 10 square kilometres.
“Things are quite busy right now and the situation down there is pretty volatile,” said Kevin Skrepnek, the B.C. Wildife Service’s chief spokesperson.
The regions of B.C. highlighted on the map are being impacted or are likely to be impacted by wildfire smoke over the next 24-48 hours.
“The Okanagan is our main area of concern, given that we’ve got that cluster of fires between Kelowna and Penticton, and given how close a lot of those fires are to communities,” he said from Kamloops
Some 123 fires are burning across the province, of which 41 are in the Kamloops Fire Centre, which includes the Okanagan. There are also significant wildfires raging in central and southeast B.C.
The service is redistributing crews across the province to fight the fires. It will also pull back about 200 firefighters it sent to help with wildfires in Ontario and Quebec earlier than expected, returning them to B.C. by midway through next week, said Skrepnek.
The flames have prompted the regional districts of Okanagan-Similkameen and Central Okanagan to issue evacuation orders for 81 properties, among them two campgrounds at Okanagan Lake Provincial Park and at least one winery.
Campers at the park were allowed to return temporarily on Friday to retrieve their property after a frantic evacuation on Wednesday night.
The region is still open for business and has many spots that are safe for tourists, said Erick Thompson, information officer for Okanagan-Similkameen’s emergency operation centre.
“I think the most important thing for people who are thinking of coming to the area or have plans to come here is just to do their research and find out what is affecting or may be affecting their plans,” he said.
“But there certainly still are lots of opportunities in the Okanagan.”
More than 800 homes in the Central Okanagan district are under evacuation alert, meaning residents must be ready to leave suddenly if the situation deteriorates.
Both districts have opened reception centres for evacuees.
People in the Central Okanagan recall the 2003 West Kelowna wildfires, which destroyed 240 homes, so those under evacuation alert are being proactive and getting ready to leave, said Maria Lee, public information officer for the district’s emergency operation centre.
“They’re watching very carefully the situation unfold and preparing themselves accordingly,” she said.
B.C. residents are also bracing themselves after 2017 marked the worst wildfire season on record.
The situation in the Okanagan is serious but at this time last year, tens of thousands of people had been displaced and crews were battling “massive” blazes, noted Skrepnek.
But he added it’s hard to predict the future.
“It’s only mid-way through July. We’ve got a lot of fire season ahead of us one way or the other,” he said. “There’s definitely big potential for this to turn into a significant season.”
A brush fire that broke out Friday afternoon in West Vancouver’s Parthenon Park is under control, said West Vancouver Fire and Rescue.
According to assistant fire chief Jeff Bush, crews received a call about a developing wildfire at about 1:30 p.m. and arrived to discover a blaze making its way into the brush.
The fire’s location, on a ledge overlooking the sea at a popular spot for cliff-jumpers, posed problems for fire crews.
“It was extremely difficult for our crews to access because it’s pretty much a sheer cliff,” said Bush.
Two fireboats from Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services were brought in to assist with the battle.
— Fire Chief Darrell Reid (@FireChiefReid) July 20, 2018
An unwelcome sea breeze exacerbated the issue, threatening to push the fire towards residences nearby at 5500 Parthenon Place.
“Our crews set up a defensive line — got it knocked down very quickly,” Bush said.
Fire crews remain on scene, attacking all remaining hotspots and soaking the area thoroughly to ensure the fire stays out.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but as there were no reports of dry lightning, Bush suggested it may have been caused by humans.
“I would say it was likely smoking material, but it’s so difficult to tell at this time,” he said.
UPDATE: Parthenon place fire now extinguished. Quick work by West Vancouver Firefighters with help from Vancouver Fireboats #2 and #4 kept fire contained away from houses pic.twitter.com/ZtASYeIYNs
— W V Fire & Rescue (@WestVanFireDept) July 21, 2018
The Vancouver park board has approved a $399-million plan for the next four years that includes a new outdoor pool, a new community centre and more waterfront park land for the city.
The plan, which is the largest in the park board’s history and received unanimous support, includes $264 million for parks and open spaces, $126 million for recreation facilities and $9 million for service yards. It represents 14 per cent of the city’s $2.8-billion capital plan and will add new parks and amenities as well as upgrade existing ones, according to a report released at a special meeting Thursday.
The park and open spaces investment dwarfs the previous capital allocation of $91.2 million, mostly to meet demand created by growth (including 60,000 new residents expected over the next decade) and development in the city, board chair Stuart Mackinnon said.
“That’s just tremendous for us. As land values go up, of course, land acquisition gets more expensive so we have to try new things, and that’s making the parks that we have even better as well as seeking new park space.”
Some key projects include a new full-sized outdoor pool and extensive renovations at the Marpole Community Centre, a brand-new community centre in the fast-densifying Oakridge neighbourhood and the acquisition of waterfront park land along the Fraser River, also an area of frenetic housing construction.
The board said the plan emphasizes equity, inclusion and access by making parks and recreation facilities more welcoming and accessible; reconciliation through improving how the board works with local First Nations; and resiliency by focusing on future-proofing parks infrastructure for climate change such as storm surges and rising sea levels.
The largest expenses in the $399 million plan include $105.4 million for park amenities and $80 million for land acquisition. Another $24.4 million is allocated for programmed activity areas, $21 million for park buildings, $14.4 million for urban forest and natural areas, $10.9 million for general features and infrastructure, and $8.4 for upgrading seawalls and waterfront.
Mackinnon said he’s pleased the funding gives the board a chance to update old community centres and expand access to facilities.
“The last big growth we had were Olympic legacies,” he said. That included the Creekside Community Recreation Centre, and Killarney and Trout Lake rinks, he said.
“That’s quite a few years ago now and so it’s time — and I’m really pleased that the city understands it’s time — that we need to be re-investing in our parks and recreation system.”
Police are warning the public about a high-risk sex offender living in a halfway house in Vancouver.
Tristan Vickers, 25, poses a risk of significant harm to the safety of the public, says the VPD.
Tried and convicted as an adult, Vickers is serving a 10-year, long-term supervision order for breaking and entering, committing an indictable offence, and sexual assault causing bodily harm.
His supervision order has several conditions imposed by the Parole Board of Canada, including a 10 p.m. curfew, and a ban on the consumption, purchase or possession of drugs and alcohol.
Vickers is barred from entering any private homes without written permission from his supervising parole officer, and must immediately report all intimate sexual and non-sexual relationships and friendships with females.
Vickers is described as 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds, with blue eyes and short brown hair. He wears prescription glasses.
Anyone who witnesses Vickers in violation of these conditions is asked to call 911 immediately.
VICTORIA — When the New Democrats again this week stalled the implementation of ride-hailing in B.C., their partners in power, the Greens, tried to turn the news into a teachable moment about proportional representation.
“Ride-hailing has been treated like a political football by the two establishment parties due to its importance in swing ridings,” said the statement Thursday from Green MLA Adam Olsen.
“I encourage anyone frustrated by this delay to consider how this issue would have played out differently under a system of proportional representation.”
Later he expanded on the point about successive governments putting their partisan interests in protecting the taxi companies ahead of the public interest in ride-hailing services.
“This really is a result of the electoral system that we have right now,” he told host Jody Vance on radio station CKNW. “The former government kicked the can down the road. Now this government’s kicked the can. Time to stop kicking and get on with it.”
Nice try. But the argument sidesteps how the Greens could end the public frustration right now if they chose to make ride-hailing a condition of their continued support for the NDP.
They’ve not done so, even though Green Leader Andrew Weaver pioneered the enabling legislature for ride-hailing more than two years ago under the B.C. Liberals.
The Greens also hesitated to rein in their partners in power-sharing earlier in the week, when the New Democrats announced a sweetheart deal for the unionized building trades on public construction projects.
Under so-called community benefit agreements, workers on projects like the Pattullo Bridge replacement will have to join and pay dues to those unions (and only those unions) endorsed by the NDP.
Still, the initial statement from Weaver was pretty much an endorsement: “Community benefit agreements are a great way to invest in our province’s future and a key tool that government can use to advance social and environmental goals.”
Hedging slightly, he added: “I look forward to seeing the details of the government’s overall framework — to ensure that it is fair and effective from a policy perspective, rather than a political or ideological one.”
By Thursday, having got a whiff of the favouritism toward certain unions, he began to walk back his enthusiasm.
CBAs must not be used “as a tool to pay back political favours or to advance ideology at the expense of good policy,” said Weaver via a blog posting. “We have made this perspective clear to the government.
“We have also asked government to provide reasoning for why the two projects announced earlier this week had a unionization requirement for workers. CBAs should be applicable for both union and non-union trade shops.”
But it remains to be seen to what extent the Green view will prevail with the New Democrats — if at all.
For it would not be the first time that Weaver voiced a strong stand against something the New Democrats were intending to do, only to buckle when they went ahead and did it anyway.
On Site C, Weaver argued in the election the project should be killed outright. In negotiations on the power-sharing arrangement, he was placated by a clause that sent the hydroelectric dam to review by the B.C. Utilities Commission.
The commission reported back with what Weaver regarded as an open and shut case for cancellation. But when the New Democrats reached a different interpretation and decided to complete the project, the Green leader contented himself with accusing the New Democrats of betraying the expectations of voters.
“For us, the only correct decision based on the BCUC report was to cancel,” he told reporters. “Does this mean we are going to topple government? No.”
Earlier this year, he threatened to defeat the New Democrats over continued support for the development of a liquefied natural gas industry. He later put the threat on hold to give them a chance to reconcile the LNG plan with greenhouse gas reduction targets.
Last month, Weaver said the Greens don’t support the NDP speculation tax in the current form “because 1) it doesn’t address speculation; 2) there are too many unforeseen consequences; 3) it is administratively burdensome.”
But again, it remains to be seen how this will play out in the fall session of the legislature.
Complicating things for the Greens is the fall referendum on electoral reform. The change to PR would improve their chances of winning seats in the next election.
But even if the referendum passes, the switchover won’t happen until 2021. Should the Greens bring down the government before that, the election would proceed under the current system.
So the hesitation to rein in the NDP is understandable. But it doesn’t help the case for electoral reform.
Advocates of PR say one of the main advantages will be more minority governments and more power-sharing arrangements like the one between the NDP and the Greens, where parties have to put aside partisanship to get things done.
However, we are living in the reality of a minority government right now. And we are seeing that when partisan self-interest is taken into account, the junior partner gives way and the senior partner proceeds as he sees fit.
Most times the threat to bring down the government is a bluff. That’s true in the current circumstances and the Greens have scarcely made the case that it would be any different under proportional representation.
BURNABY — A union representing about 500 employees of Shaw Communications in British Columbia says they have voted in favour of strike action by a large majority.
The 98 per cent of votes cast in favour of a strike at United Steelworkers Local 1944 provides a clear mandate, said union chief negotiator Lee Riggs in a statement.
“Our members showed determination in defending their rights against an employer that is showing little respect to them. I am proud of this strong strike vote, which shows how united our members are and that they are ready to fight back.”
Riggs said the USW’s main goal is to negotiate a new contract, not go on strike, but the union says it plans to issue a 72-hour strike notice to Shaw on Sunday.
The USW says Shaw is demanding wage freezes, the elimination of job security and an erosion of work done by its members.
The union says both its Surrey-Langley and its Vancouver-Richmond divisions voted in favour of strike action. Unionized Shaw employees in the four B.C. cities haven’t had a contract since March 23.
The employees are technicians who install internet, phone and television services for both home and business clients.
Shaw closed a unionized call centre in Windsor, Ont., in March and consolidated its work in Victoria.
Earlier this year, about 3,300 non-union Shaw employees decided to take a voluntary severance package, which wasn’t open to employees covered by a collective agreement. Departures were to be spread out over 18 months.
In an email statement on Friday, a spokesman for Shaw said the company remains “committed to the process” of reaching a new collective agreement with employees.
“We have said to our employees and the union all along that we look forward to continuing the discussions and reaching an agreement that allows us to serve our customers,” said Chethan Lakshman, Shaw’s vice-president of external affairs.
A 19-year-old North Vancouver man was arrested earlier this week for sending a blow-up doll airborne into Vancouver Harbour flight paths earlier this month.
Just after 8 p.m. on July 3, West Vancouver police say one of their officers spotted two men on Ambleside Beach with 10 large helium balloons tethered to an adult-sized and adult-shaped inflatable.
After one of the men released the dirty dirigible, it floated several hundred metres into the air west of Lions Gate Bridge, prompting the police to report the incident to Transport Canada and the Civil Aviation Branch.
The officer believed the flying sex doll posed a hazard to seaplanes flying in and out of the harbour.
An immediate alert was issued for all aircraft in the area.
“The officer determined the balloon release was part of a video project,” said West Vancouver police Const. Jeff Palmer. “The pair was detained under the Aeronautics Act and a camera and cellphone being used to videotape the proceeding were seized.”
A YouTuber who broadcasts as BrodieTV took credit for the stunt on Twitter.
A censored Tweet from BrodieTV.
The two men were later released pending further investigation and their camera and cellphone were returned.
A video card remains under seizure.
One of the men, whose name was withheld, was arrested on Monday after turning himself in to West Vancouver police.
Got arrested yesterday and I'm going to court September 19th on a charge of mischief for letting a sex doll that was strapped to a few balloons fly away. Just wanted to let everyone know that in Canada you must have no fun. @KEEMSTAR WATCH ME NOW BOYYYY #DRAMAALERTNATION
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A 32-year-old man was found dead inside his Abbotsford home Friday afternoon and police have confirmed he was a homicide victim.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team identified the victim as Sukhpreet Grewal, who was found in his home in the 3100-block Consort Court.
Abbotsford police said no one else was in the home when officers arrived.
According to reports earlier Friday, police taped off a residential area south of Maclure Park and homicide investigators were called in.
IHIT spokesman Cpl. Frank Jang identified Grewal later Friday night, noting he was known to police and that investigators don’t think the murder was random.
Anyone with information is asked to call the IHIT information line at 1-877-551-4448, or email ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
This is the second time IHIT has been called to Abbotsford this month. On July 3, investigators took over a criminal investigation after a man was fatally shot on Canada Day. That shooting is believed to be an isolated incident, IHIT said.
A pleasure boat swooped in to rescue seven people on board a nearby sports fishing boat that was taking on water early Friday evening.
The 31-foot fishing boat was west of Pender Harbour when a mayday call was issued via radio at 5:20 p.m., reporting that the vessel was taking on water.
The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said rescue vessels from Powell River and Pender Harbour were dispatched.
About two minutes after the mayday broadcast went out, another pleasure boat in the area heard it and took all seven people on board, “just before the boat rolled over,” said marine search-and-rescue co-ordinator Dylan Carter.
The rescued boaters were taken into Pender Harbour.
The owner of the capsized boat arranged to have a salvage company retrieve the vessel, which did not sink, Carter said.
Crime reporter Kim Bolan is in Nanaimo to cover the 35th anniversary of the first Hells Angels chapters in B.C. She will be live-tweeting events Friday and Saturday.
Read her feature here, and follow her live updates below:
In some parts of the world, the island-studded fiord called Howe Sound would have been locked up as a national park long ago, given its astounding natural beauty on the edge of a metropolis of more than 2.5-million people.
It’s a special place where steep-sided mountains plunge almost 300 metres into glacier-fed waters that are home to a wide range of marine life, including salmon, herring, whales, dolphins, porpoises, and fragile glass-sponge reefs.
But full protection is not what happened to Howe Sound.
Industry indelibly made its mark on the shoreline in 1904, with the opening of the Britannia mine, toasted as the “largest copper mine in the British Commonwealth.” The mine closed in 1974. But it lives on today as a national historic site and tourist attraction clinging to a hillside and as a continuing source of so much pollution that a treatment facility had to be built in 2006, with a budget of $3 million a year to remove an average of 226,000 kilograms of heavy metal contaminants each year.
Over the decades, industry continued to come and go in the sound, including the Western Forest Products Woodfibre pulp mill, closed in 2006, on the same site where B.C. Sulphite Fibre Company began operations in 1912.
The place remains a contamination nightmare.
The list of nasties includes lead paint, asbestos, an old landfill that needs to be capped and closed, and some 3,000 creosote pilings that must be removed without stirring up old contaminants lurking in sediments on the ocean bottom.
Old creosote-soaked pilings that will have to removed as Woodfibre LNG takes over the old Woodfibre pulp mill site.
“A lot of crap,” confirms Byng Giraud, who is managing construction of the proposed $1.6-billion Woodfibre liquefied natural gas facility on the old pulp grounds that would ship out 2.1 million tonnes of product per year. “You need deep pockets to take over one of these old abandoned sites. We’ve inherited all those liabilities.”
The other major industrial development gearing up along Howe Sound is the Burnco Rock Products Ltd. gravel mine at McNab Creek, a salmon spawning stream. The company promises to enhance the site to create better habitat for salmon.
Residents fiercely protective of 44-kilometre-long Howe Sound are tired of fighting one industrial project after another, but they aren’t giving up.
“We go from defeat to defeat with undiminished enthusiasm,” said Eoin Finn, co-founder of the citizens’ group My Sea to Sky.
WILL INDUSTRY THREATEN ECOLOGICAL RESURGENCE?
The closure of Woodfibre pulp mill and opening of the Britannia treatment facility, along with herring habitat improvements by the community, are considered largely responsible for an ecological re-awakening of the sound at all levels of the food chain. Salmon have even found their way back to Britannia Creek to spawn.
A kayaker on scenic Howe Sound.
The fear is that these environmental gains are now threatened by industry’s hand.
Finn is a retired partner with KPMG who lives in Kitsilano but has a property on Boyer Island, between Lions Bay and Horseshoe Bay. He would like to see Howe Sound declared a no-go zone for industry, and reserve the fiord for nature and the recreational enjoyment of people. The sound could be managed collectively by local municipal governments, with senior governments compensating industry for lost opportunities, he suggested.
“It’s the re-industrialization of Howe Sound,” he complained. “It’s not just NIMBY. This is a resource that all of Vancouver enjoys and the people who live up and down the sound use. They have a right not to have it re-industrialized.”
More motorists, including tourists taking side trips from Vancouver to Squamish and Whistler, are using the corridor all the time.
According to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, traffic on the Sea to Sky Highway has increased 24 per cent — a daily average of 19,000 vehicle trips through Lions Bay and Squamish and 10,000 through Whistler — since 2009 when the province completed $600 million in highway improvements for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Industry has different thoughts.
During a Postmedia News tour of the Woodfibre site, Giraud argued that industrial operations have a long history in Howe Sound and that liquefied natural gas has a good environmental track record internationally. This particular project will operate on hydroelectricity from B.C. Hydro and on is an isolated stretch of the sound seven kilometres from downtown Squamish.
Old equipment at the defunct Woodfibre pulp mill, where construction on an LNG plan is to begin next year.
Unlike its pulp mill predecessor, the LNG plant also won’t be pumping pollutants into the sound.
Giraud notes that the presence of industrial activities in Burrard Inlet has not diminished Vancouver’s lure as a global tourist destination, evidence that industry and environment can work together. “I was born and raised in this province. There are lots of special and important places, but I don’t think industry and tourism and special places are incompatible.”
The project is predicted to employ about 100 workers during operation at salaries of about $100,000 a year. Some prospective employees already showing interest in a 1,000-unit housing development proposed for Britannia, right across the sound from the mine. Residential development is also being proposed for Furry Creek, a 10-minute drive south on Highway 99.
The Woodfibre LNG project is headed by Singapore billionaire Sukanto Tanoto of Royal Golden Eagle, a man with a checkered environmental record in Asia, including pulp operations accused by Greenpeace of destroying Indonesian rainforests.
“This is not the sort of character you’d invite to be your neighbour,” Finn said. “We certainly don’t in a place like Howe Sound.”
Giraud responds that this is Canada, and Woodfibre LNG commits to meet or beat environmental requirements for its operation.
LNG accidents do happen. In 2017, a contractor was injured during a fire at a refrigerant line at a FortisBC LNG facility on Tilbury Island in Delta. In March 2014, six workers were injured in an explosion at the Williams Northwest Pipeline facility in Plymouth, Wash. Police said it was a miracle no one died as 100-plus-kilogram pieces of steel were tossed close to 100 metres.
Canoeists head out on Howe Sound, a fiord beloved of nature seekers … and industry.
Critics fear that a fiery explosion at Woodfibre LNG might spark a major forest fire, with a potentially worse disaster at sea. “The consequences would be massive,” Finn said. “You’d toast Howe Sound.”
Woodfibre LNG hopes to break ground next year on a four-year construction project. KBR, an engineering and construction firm based in Houston, Texas, is expected to provide a detailed cost estimate of the project soon.
A rebound in LNG prices recently makes Woodfibre more optimistic about its operation, which would ship out three or four laden LNG tankers a month, with tug escorts to the open ocean, to Japan and China.
Shipping in Howe Sound is not without risks. A barge sank in Howe Sound near Port Mellon in early 2018, and a fuel tank on board leaked up to 200 litres of diesel fuel into the sound.
The Squamish Nation OKed Woodfibre LNG with 25 conditions, including that the plant be air-cooled, not water-cooled, and that an economic benefit agreement be reached. The company continues to work to resolve outstanding issues.
For a perspective on vessel traffic in Howe Sound: Squamish Terminals, which sustained major damage in a waterfront fire in 2015, receives about five cargo ships a month, mostly carrying less incendiary products such as wood pulp and steel products.
Additional shipping, however, affects whales buy raising the potential for ship strikes and by increasing underwater noise levels.
HOWE SOUND, B.C.: July 17, 2018 — Undated scenic photos of Howe Sound. For Larry Pynn story on the Howe Sound. Photo credit: Tim Turner [PNG Merlin Archive]
MINING SALMON HABITAT
At the Burnco site, south of Woodfibre, a family-owned Calgary company plans to start dredging McNab Creek next year. The site is on about 70 hectares of private land and would operate for 16 years at a maximum production of 1.6 million tonnes a year. The project will include a barge-loading site to move gravel to company operations in Langley and Burnaby.
Earlier this year, B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office supported the project despite “direct impacts from the permanent loss of fish and wildlife habitat, and some uncertainties about the time it may take for migration and offsetting to become effective.”
Critics say it’s just another example of a flawed environmental process, one that inevitably favours industry.
The 16-megawatt Box Canyon Creek run-of-river hydroelectric project — about 10 kilometres from Port Mellon pulp mill near Gibsons, the last remaining such operation in the sound — went ahead without a full environmental assessment because it was not large enough to require one. The Elemental Energy Inc. project, partnered with Squamish First Nation, launched in 2016.
The Burnco fish mitigation plan calls for a net gain of more than 700 square metres of in-stream habitat and 21,209 square metres of riparian habitat to the south of the mine site.
While supporting the project, the Environmental Assessment Office noted: “Socio-economic impacts would be most noticeable in areas adjacent to the mine, where a number of effects may occur concurrently, such as changes to air quality, noise levels, visual quality and real estate values.”
Critics sympathize with the owners of about 17 nearby recreational homes who came here for the peace and beauty. “It’s angered a lot of people,” Finn said. “Given how rich the B.C. coastline is in gravel deposits, why do they have to dig up a salmon bearing stream?”
Derek Holmes, B.C. land and resource manager for Burnco, said McNab Creek has several attractive attributes, including proximity to markets. “There are relatively few neighbours, it looks like it has the quality of sand and gravel deposits required for concrete, asphalt and general construction, and it seems large enough to be economically viable.
“It’s easy to say no to everything, and gravel seems to be one of those hot topics, but I don’t think people realize how much they use gravel, and how ubiquitous it is in our society. I’m curious to know how people … think you can do construction without it. Nobody wants it close to where they live or recreate. It’s a tough balance.”
Finn doesn’t toss a wet blanket on all industrial operations. He believes logging practices have come a long way, employing smaller and more creative clearcuts that help to protect viewscapes. “It’s a renewable resource and it’s improved greatly,” he said, adding that “logging is an industry that’s been part of the B.C. coast for a long time.”
Logging operations can also hurt the marine environment.
Environment Canada guidelines on log storage and handling warn such operations can cause local environmental damage if wood waste, such as bark and chips, get into the water. They can smother water plants, benthic invertebrates and fish eggs and also reduce the living space for juvenile fish.
Work is underway to document important marine sites that could be damaged by development.
Willem Van Riet, a spatial analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation, is working with the Vancouver Aquarium’s Coastal Ocean Research Institute on a conservation assessment, a reference guide to the most important and vulnerable sites in the sound.
Started in June 2017, the assessment is scheduled for completion this September. “We want to identify ecologically unique areas, then lobby for their protection” Riet said. The results will be available online.
Ecological features include plant communities (kelp, eel grass and seaweed), important areas for marine life (fish, birds, mammals, invertebrates and reptiles), the physical environment (bathymetry, seabed classification, tides and currents), and marine use and activities (traditional uses and value, recreation, leases and harvesting).
A kite surfer off the Squamish Spit.
Closer to Squamish, industrial impacts assume an unlikely face.
The Squamish Spit, a long dike or “training dike” created for a coal port that never happened in the 1970s, is a popular area for wind sports. Reconfiguration of the dike, including a bridge, is under discussion to improve the area for juvenile salmon between the Squamish River and Squamish estuary, with a new access point for wind sports.
The Squamish River Watershed Society has received about $1.5 million from the federal Oceans Protection Plan, said Randall Lewis, environmental adviser for the Squamish First Nation. Currently, juvenile salmon coming down the Squamish River are shot out into the salt water rather than adjusting slowly to salt-water life in the estuary. “The main objective is the health and safety of the young fry — that’s number 1,” Lewis said.
A NEW SUSTAINABLE VISION
One might think there is no common ground to be found between conservationists and industry — but that’s not entirely true.
Ruth Simons, a former Lions Bay councillor who heads the Future of Howe Sound Society, says it’s time for a new way of thinking, a holistic approach that considers cumulative impacts — a big-picture view, starting now and into the future.
One option is to officially designate Howe Sound a UNESCO biosphere reserve, similar to Clayoquot Sound and Mount Arrowsmith, both on Vancouver Island. Planning has been going on for two years, with the aim of submitting the official nomination in 2018.
UNESCO says that a biosphere reserve, in part, “promotes solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use” and includes “conflict prevention and management of biodiversity.”
The label cannot block development — that isn’t Simons’ goal — but it would set a tone for sustainability, letting industry and anyone who seeks to develop know that they are entering a special area that requires extra attention.
“It would support more research and education,” adds Simons, who regularly patrols the sound in her eight-metre power boat. “And anyone who came here would have an indication of what to expect.”
Giraud says he could live with the designation, noting that sustainable logging continues in Clayoquot Sound. “A biosphere in not a park,” he said. “We feel we could be compatible.”
B.C.’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development is completing assessment reports on the cumulative effects of human activities on different natural resources around Howe Sound: aquatic ecosystems, visual-quality old-growth forests, forest biodiversity, grizzly bears, Roosevelt elk, and marbled murrelets.
The reports are due for release this fall, and will likely set off a new debate on the future of Howe Sound.
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Saturday’s weather is expected to be a little cooler still with highs reaching 22 C and a mix of sun and cloud. Then starting Sunday, the mercury will start to rise again with temperatures hitting 30 C during the week. Environment Canada says Sunday should be clear and sunny with highs of 29 C inland, and 25 C closer to the water. Looking ahead to the week, there’s a stretch of hot summer weather, with temperatures hitting a high of 30 C inland until at least Thursday.
Weather: Vancouver, B.C.
Today: A mix of sun and cloud. Becoming sunny this afternoon. High 22 C. Humidex 25. UV index 7 or high.
Tonight: Clear. Low 15 C.
Tomorrow: Sunny. High 25 C except 29 C inland. Humidex 29. UV index 8 or very high.
Source: Environment Canada
Traffic: Lower Mainland
Here’s a live traffic map of what’s happening across the region’s roads. Use command + scroll to zoom in and out.
NANAIMO — Hundreds of Hells Angels from across Canada spent Saturday partying at the local chapter’s biker clubhouse right next door to the one raided by the RCMP almost 11 years ago.
Attendees from as far away as P.E.I. and Nova Scotia began arriving Friday under the watchful eye of B.C.’s anti-gang agency — the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit — and other police forces.
Dozens of additional bikers rode over on the ferry Saturday, arriving in almost procession-like fashion at the Nanaimo compound to celebrate the Hells Angels 35th anniversary in B.C.
The old Hells Angels’ clubhouse at 805 Victoria Rd. remains behind a blue metal fence, a large ‘No Trespassing’ sign hanging on the dilapidated building.
It is the subject of an ongoing court battle between the Hells Angels and the B.C. director of civil forfeiture that began with the clubhouse raid in November 2007.
The warehouselike structure, assessed this year as being worth $104,000, no longer bears any markings of the notorious biker gang.
But right beside it, the Nanaimo Hells Angels have established an even bigger compound in two houses surrounded by gravel.
One of the properties being used is owned by Angels Acres, the same biker-owned corporation that was named as a defendant in the civil forfeiture case. The house, which has a new garage added on with Hells Angels signs inside, has a current assessed value of $242,000.
The second house, assessed at $303,000, is owned by Jeffrey Scott Pasanen, according to land title records obtained by Postmedia News.
Pasanen, a convicted drug trafficker, is a full-patch member of the Nanaimo chapter.
CFSEU and the other agencies in town to monitor the event took photographs as bikers mingled, did curfew checks on known HA associates and patrolled the streets in and around the party compound.
“Part of their presence here is to intimidate the public, intimidate and cause fear among rival criminal organizations and to re-establish or reaffirm that they are essentially the top dog,” CFSEU Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said.
“We are here to keep them in check and make sure that nothing bad happens.”
Members Hells Angels gather out front of the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A members Hells Angels arrives at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members Hells Angels gather out front of the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members Hells Angels gather out front of the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members Hells Angels pose for a picture while gathering out front of the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members Hells Angels gather out front of the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members Hells Angels gather out front of the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members Hells Angels gather out front of the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members Hells Angels gather out front of the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A members Hells Angels arrives at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
A members of Hells Angels and a woman outside at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of the Horsemen Motorcycle Club arrive at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia keep watch as members of the Hells Angels arrive at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A member of the Hells Angels from Manitoba arrive at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
A member of the Horsemen Motorcycle Club arrives at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A member of the Horsemen Motorcycle Club is greeted by a member of the Hells Angels upon arriving at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of the Horsemen Motorcycle Club arrive at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of the Horsemen Motorcycle Club arrive at the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia monitors the Nanaimo Hells Angels clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia checks on known associates of the Hells Angels in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Sergeant Lindsey Houghton of The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia works from across the street of the Nanaimo Hells Angels clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A member of The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia monitors the Nanaimo Hells Angels clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of the Hells Angels arrive at the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of the Hells Angels arrive at the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A look inside the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A motorcycle with vanity plates HAFFHA (Hells Angels Forever Forever Hells Angels) is parked outside a motel in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
Hells Angels Robin Gauthier arrives at the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
A pair of riding gloves sits on the seat of a motorcycle parked out front of the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of the Hells Angels gather out front of the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Member of the Hells Angels welcomes the police and media out front of the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Member of the Hells Angels greet each other out front of the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Member of the Hells Angels greet each other out front of the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A member of the Hells Angels arrives at the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of the Hells Angels arrive at the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A member of the Hells Angels arrives at the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of the Hells Angels arrive at the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
Member of the Hells Angels arrive at the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
A member of the Hells Angels walks into the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
A motorcycle with the Hell Angels logo sits outside the Nanaimo Hells Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members of the Hells Angels walk inside their clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 20, 2018. RICHARD LAM/PNG
Members Hells Angels gather out front of the Nanaimo Hell Angels' clubhouse in Nanaimo, BC, July, 21, 2018.RICHARD LAM/PNG
The bikers seem to be friendly with many in the neighbourhood. Several area residents told Postmedia News they have no problem with the Hells Angels, but they didn’t want to be quoted.
Houghton said his agency is trying to educate the public about the Hells Angels’ link to organized crime in B.C., Canada and even abroad.
“British Columbia Hells Angels have a significant influence and presence worldwide, not just within the Hells Angels organization itself, but within criminal organizations worldwide,” he said, adding that they control the drug trade in most of the places they operate.
“The public needs to realize that this clubhouse isn’t just a clubhouse for fun. This is the clubhouse of a criminal organization and a major one at that.”
Asked about the fact the Nanaimo chapter re-established a clubhouse despite the civil forfeiture case, Houghton said: “It is continued motivation for us to not just target them overtly, but covertly as well. It is no secret that we look for every opportunity to investigate them.
“We will do everything we can to make sure their influence in communities like Nanaimo — or any community for that matter — is held in check.”
The bikers were on their best behaviour Friday and Saturday, though several were pulled over for alleged traffic violations.
A refrigeration truck was on the clubhouse grounds, as well as a stage, several tents and outdoor tables. Prospects and hangarounds — the lower-ranking people in the Hells Angels’ program — were doing security and arriving with supplies and stereo equipment.
While most Angels arrived on their Harleys, others came by taxi or passenger vans.
The first three chapters of the Hells Angels — Nanaimo, White Rock and Vancouver — started on July 23, 1983. Since then, the bikers have expanded with 10 chapters around the province and 121 members, prospects and associates.
Hells Angels B.C. spokesman Rick Ciarniello arrived at the Nanaimo clubhouse about noon Saturday. He did not respond to an emailed request for a comment about the anniversary party.
A Fraser Surrey Docks mechanic died on the job Saturday, according to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 502.
The mechanic, a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115, has not been identified out of respect for his family, nor has a second worker that was reportedly injured in the fatal workplace accident.
In a statement, ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton offered his condolences for the mechanic’s loved ones.
“On behalf of the rank and file of the ILWU Canada, I would like express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of our comrade,” he said.
Few details regarding the incident were provided, but an audibly shaken Ashton told Postmedia News the mechanic was working on a piece of equipment, a lift truck, and was crushed by a part of the machine.
Ashton said an investigation into what led to the accident was underway by the work site committee.
“This is a very sad day — a worker went to his job this morning and didn’t go home to his family,” he said in a news release. “We can and we must do more to protect all workers from deaths and injuries due to workplace accidents.”
Postmedia has contacted WorkSafeBC, the B.C. Coroners Service and RCMP for more information.
A runaway artillery gun slowed traffic Saturday in Nanaimo after coming unhitched from its transport vehicle and crashing into a taxi.
According to witnesses, around 2 p.m. the large military weapon came loose from a Canadian military vehicle leaving Maffeo Sutton Park and began rolling downhill in the Comox Road and Terminal Avenue area, chased by two members of the Canadian Forces, who were unable to keep up with it.
A driver makes a call after a Canadian Armed Forces artillery gun broke away from a truck and collided with a taxi in Nanaimo, B.C., July, 21, 2018.
The artillery gun was slowed when it scraped against the side of a taxi and shattered one of its rear windows, then came to a complete stop against the front bumper of a red Volkswagen Beetle.
No one was injured, said Nanaimo RCMP, who are on scene, along with Canadian Forces personnel, investigating how the towed gun managed to get loose.
Non-HA news in Nanaimo! An artillerary gun became unhitched, was rolling downhill with two miltary guys chasing it and hit a taxi! Passerby said: "try explaining that to ICBC!" pic.twitter.com/r6UvF3lRX0
Some residents displaced by a wildfire raging near Peachland were told they could go home Saturday, while hundreds more in the Okanagan remained either on an evacuation order or on alert.
A lightning storm earlier this week sparked multiple wildfires including the largest of the three, the Mount Eneas blaze, burning four kilometres south of Peachland. As of Saturday, that fire was estimated at 1,400 hectares.
Seventy-five properties remained under an evacuation order late Saturday because of the Mount Eneas fire, which crosses the Regional District of the Central Okanagan, the District of Summerland, and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen. Hundreds of additional properties were still on evacuation alert.
By Saturday afternoon, however, the Regional District of the Central Okanagan said residents of 38 properties in the Brent Road area could return home, but would remain on evacuation alert and may need to leave again at a moment’s notice.
The emergency support services centre, which was located at the Lakeview Heights Baptist Church in West Kelowna is now closed, but officials say it will reopen if needed.
Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading overnight, but they are concerned about the wind in the forecast Saturday, said Axelle Bazett, a public information officer for the Central Okanagan Emergency Operation Centre.
“There was no overnight growth on our three main fires but the fires are still very much active,” she said Saturday morning. “It’s a beautiful day here in the Okanagan and many people will be out on the water, so we are reminding everyone to stay away from the fire areas.”
Spokeswoman Noelle Kekula with the region’s complex incident team said that while some wildfires in the Okanagan stayed the same size overnight, others grew slightly.
“Over the last day we have seen that the (fires) have stayed within our containment lines,” Kekula said. “So they’re just growing a bit, but staying within our containment lines.”
Kekula said that about 200 firefighters and 18 helicopters were working to increase the containment of the fires and get water on the perimeter.
“In the Okanagan complex, our priorities are life, property and infrastructure, and with any of those three, that’s where we’re focusing our attention on,” she said.
Cameron Baughen, an information officer with the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, said there were some close calls overnight, and some additional spot fires to put out, but no houses burned down.
“Firefighters worked really hard to protect homes. This whole region is a priority,” he said.
RDOS Emergency Operations Centre update for Saturday July 21 at 10 am. All Evacuation Orders remain in effect for time being and will be assessed today. https://t.co/3WykumXlfi
Summerland resident Susan Johnston, who lives on Garnet Valley Road, is one of those residents who nearly lost her house. She was staying at her daughter’s place in a different part of Summerland, helping to move their border horses to a safer location, when the evacuation order was issued and she couldn’t get home. Fortunately, because she had experience with being on an evacuation alert last summer, she had already packed up her possessions in boxes, which were ready to go and stacked in the carport.
“The police escorted me to go in and get my stuff, although I didn’t get any clothes,” she said. “It really makes you think about what’s important. And it’s the people who are the most important.”
Johnston, whose grandson is a firefighter, doesn’t know for certain how close the blaze came to her house but estimated it was likely within half a kilometre.
“They were back burning near my property so it must have come close,” she said.
Baughen said crews were assessing the situation, but that they hoped to get some residents back into their homes later Saturday.
Environment Canada is forecasting a chance of showers late in the afternoon for the region, but with winds gusting up to 40 kilometres an hour. The agency is also predicting some wind overnight Saturday.
The federal weather agency also posted an air quality alert for the region, saying that the smoke from the wildfires is causing poor air quality and reducing visibility.
Highway 97 remains open but there is a reduced speed order through Peachland and Summerland because of the wildfires.
Also of concern is the Goode’s Creek fire, which is burning in Okanagan Mountain Park area near Kelowna. Though officials said Saturday that the fire did not grow overnight and remains at an estimated 400 hectares.
The Law Creek wildfire, burning six kilometres southwest of West Kelowna, is still mapped at around 10 hectares in size, and a number of residents were no longer on an evacuation alert. Of the 198 properties put on evacuation alert Friday night, 68 remained on alert Saturday, according to Bazett.
High winds created some problems for firefighters Friday night, but officials say the fire stayed within the containment lines and did not did not cross the highway.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says firefighters will monitor the progress that has been made by the crews and continue with air support.
Updated info on Goode’s Creek, Law Creek, and Mount Eneas #BCwildfires available here: https://t.co/pkIwmWhdzj . Evening winds have created challenging flying conditions resulting in some growth on several fires. This photo was taken yesterday evening over the Law Creek wildfire. pic.twitter.com/6ngjFkoOTf
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) July 20, 2018
B.C. Wildfire Service spokesman Kevin Skrepnek described the situation in the Okanagan on Friday as volatile.
Some 123 fires are burning across the province, of which 41 are in the Kamloops Fire Centre, which includes the Okanagan. There are also significant wildfires raging in central and southeast B.C.
The service is redistributing crews across the province to fight the fires. It will also pull back about 200 firefighters it sent to help with wildfires in Ontario and Quebec earlier than expected, returning them to B.C. by midway through next week, said Skrepnek.
The flames have prompted the regional districts of Okanagan-Similkameen and Central Okanagan to issue evacuation orders for 81 properties, among them two campgrounds at Okanagan Lake Provincial Park and at least one winery.
Campers at the park were allowed to return temporarily on Friday to retrieve their property after a frantic evacuation on Wednesday night.
For more information on alerts or evacuation orders, residents in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen can call the RDOS Emergency Operations Centre at 250-490-4225. Those in the District of Summerland can call 250-486-3765, and residents in the District of Central Okanagan can call 250-469-8490.
The City of Burnaby plans to turn to the courts and police to dismantle an anti-pipeline protest camp on Burnaby Mountain, where protesters refused to obey a city eviction order Saturday.
After the eviction order’s 72-hour deadline lapsed at 6 a.m. — with no police or city officials at Underhill Avenue and Shellmont Street to enforce it — protesters at “Camp Cloud” held a news conference where they reiterated their plan to stay put.
On Wednesday, city officials ordered them to immediately remove all structures, trailers and vehicles, as well as put out fires, tear down a shower and leash their dogs.
Kwitsel Tatel, court monitor for the camp, said Camp Cloud will “exercise the charter right” to peaceful protest and said a sacred fire and structures built around the fire must remain there to support the protesters’ work to protect water.
“Camp Cloud will not be evicted,” she said. “We call for mutual respect of our Coast Salish laws.”
Protesters are concerned about the potential environmental effects of the contentious Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, which would twin an existing pipeline and increase oil tanker traffic in Burrard Inlet nearly seven-fold.
Kinder Morgan obtained a B.C. Supreme Court injunction in March to prevent the protesters from interfering with its work. In May, Burnaby city manager Lambert Chu said the camp was protected by the injunction. Earlier this week, however, Chu said the camp’s growth had become a cause for concern after months of attempts by the city to bring it into compliance with its bylaws.
A camp representative who identified himself as “John Doe” told reporters his group will meet with city officials to discuss safety concerns and how the camp can come into compliance with those bylaws.
Chu, who could not be reached Saturday, has a meeting with the group scheduled for Monday.
“We are not going to put out the (sacred) fire and we are planning to make the neighbourhood a more safe and clean environment for everyone, all around,” Doe said. He said protesters will work to pick up garbage around the camp and engage the public in discussion.
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, who spoke with reporters at another event after the Camp Cloud news conference, said RCMP, fire officials, B.C. Hydro and Kinder Morgan believe the camp’s ceremonial fires and permanent structures present a danger, according to a report by the Burnaby Now.
Corrigan said city staff, not council, made the decision to enforce bylaws with support from the RCMP.
“Our CEO has indicated that the appropriate choice, in consultations with the lawyers, is to go to court and get an enforceable order that the RCMP feel comfortable in utilizing in order to complete the eviction from that area,” he said.
“I fully expect they’ll do everything they can to make this peaceful and to ensure it’s done in an orderly way.”
Stephie Pennycook can go back to being a tourist today, hanging with friends and taking it easy.
On a whim, the 22-year-old from Scotland figured she’d enter Saturday’s Summerfast 10K at Stanley Park, an oceanside sprawl she heard plenty about. Even she was surprised to win the overall women’s title in 34:27.
• FOR MY FACEBOOK PHOTOS FROM SUMMERFAST 10K, click HERE
“I had fun. This place is lovely. I didn’t know anyone here, or who runs fast, or what the course was exactly like, but it was great and the win was a nice surprise,” said Pennycook, who has won some cross-country titles back home in Edinburgh.
Dylan Wykes and Rob Watson both clocked 32:09 times in the overall men’s division, beating third-place finisher Anthony Tomsich to the tape by 25 seconds. Pennycook finished 28 seconds ahead of runner-up Robyn Mildren.
• RACEDAY TIMING SERVICES’ SUMMERFAST RESULTS, click HERE
“It was only my second 10K race ever, but I ran a 34:11 at home,” added Pennycook. “Not knowing the course here, or when to push for the finish, likely cost me a few seconds, but it turned out great.
“I was in Utah before I came to Vancouver visiting with a friend and we ran there at higher altitude so it helped me today. The seawall is beautiful.”
There were a number of personal bests set on the flat and fast course, and another winner was the charity of choice, the McCreary Centre Society, which is a non-government not-for-profit committed to improving the health of B.C. youth through research, evaluation and community-based projects.
Summerfast 10K race director Sabrina Wong and the Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club members were the perfect hosts Saturday at Stanley Park. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
Race director Sabrina Wong and the host Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club members were the perfect hosts, and the club’s baked goods at the finish line were as fantastic (I can verify this!) as the cheerful volunteers who worked the course.
Next year’s race is set for Saturday, July 20.
Here are a few other gems from Saturday morning:
Seann Sheriland was a quick-change artist on Saturday before the Summerfast 10K, much to the amusement of partner Judy Westacott. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
He was ‘panting’ before race even started
Normally he wears a Paparazzi hat and carries his camera to races, taking excellent photos of the slick running machine that is partner Judy Westacott and friends.
But on Saturday morning, 10 minutes before the start of the Summerfast 10K, I caught Seann Sheriland with his pants down. Like, really down, in the middle of Stanley Park.
“Yeah, I had a few comments about the hot chili peppers sprinkled on my shorts and my glaring legs being in desperate need of a tan,” laughed the good-natured Sheriland.
I told him after taking the picture that nobody will ever know. So please, don’t tell anybody!
It was difficult to tell if Bradley Cuzen and Jeannine Avelino were impressed or shocked with my CLIF Bar Shwings! (Gord Kurenoff photo)
Talking about new gear never gets old
They run, they blog, they tweet, they buy and test cool gear, they travel. Sometimes they even sleep.
The Clif Bar Shwings seemed to be the perfect addition for a race hosted by Falcons!
Bradley Cuzen and Jeannine Avelino, good athletes and better people, are what you call “running gear influencers” — or what my poor wife refers to as “hubby’s bank-account drainers!”
Bradley runs with favourite glasses, favourite underwear, favourite shoes, with favourite gadgets and glow-in-the-dark vests.
Jeannine, who does all this neat stuff too and travels to exotic places and races to fashion hot gear, never seems to wear the same things twice. How cool is that?
So, when I proudly showed the BibRavers my Clif Bar Shwings — wings for my runners — thinking that might impress the duo that has it all, I got a few strange looks, including one which I captured in the above photo.
Rick Horne of the Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club, left, and Maurice Wilson, formerly of B.C. Athletics, compare race notes on Saturday in Stanley Park. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
Heartfelt thanks to Horne, The Crew
Finally, one year ago Rick Horne of the Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club reached out to invite me to take part in the Summerfast 10K after reading I was about to become a casualty of the journalism industry.
With some luck and round-the-clock negotiations at Postmedia, I was spared the chopping block and seemed ready to run. Then, a month later my youngest brother died unexpectedly and I lost interest in running, and basically everything else over the summer from hell.
Well, Rick reached out again this spring and invited me to “take care of some unfinished business” promising he’d save some baked goods at the finish line in case the trek took a while. He was the first one I thanked Saturday after crossing the finish line with my best 10K time in 25 years.
Debra Kato of West Van Run Crew, who checked in all last year to see how things were going, made arrangements to have me run with The Crew team on Saturday. Getting to be a part of a team filled with class-act people was pretty cool, albeit you have to catch them to tell them that, and that’s usually impossible for this sloth in winged-sneakers!
The attractive finisher’s medal for this year’s Squamish Days 8K and Flashback Mile makes the scenic drive to Howe Sound much more sweeter.
Pining to log some flat, fast Ks in Squamish?
If you’re looking to “log” some flat and fast kilometres next month, and collect a sweet medal in the process, methinks we’ve got the perfect race and location for you.
Affable race director Tim Moore says Squamish is a must do event for age groupers seeking to secure points to compete for series-ending podium places.
“A number of wheelchair athletes are also set to compete this year. And there’s the Flashback Mile, open to all though dominated by kids,” says Moore.
The 8K race starts at Howe Sound Secondary School at 8:30 a.m. The Flashback Mile starts 10 minutes later.
The late Mae Palm took part in the Vancouver Paralympic Torch Relay in Squamish on March 7, 2010. (Nick Procaylo photo)
One special change this year is with the award presented to the top local woman finisher. The award is now called the Mae Palm Memorial Trophy. Mabel ‘Mae’ Palm, who battled lung cancer and died on May 31 at age 78, began running after moving to Squamish in the late 1970s.
She competed in races all around the world, including multiple finishes of the prestigious Boston and New York marathons.
Ms. Palm also ran the Western States 100 miler in California and the 89-kilometre Comrades marathon in her native South Africa.
“She was an accomplished triathlete, including winning her age group at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii during a stretch of five consecutive appearances. She inspired many locals to become more active,” says Moore. Steven Chua of The Squamish Chief newspaper wrote an excellent article on Ms. Palm, which you can read by clicking HERE. For more info about Squamish and to enter, click HERE.
The final race in the LLMRRS is the Under Armour Eastside 10K, set for Saturday, Sept. 15 in Vancouver.
Industry indelibly made its mark on the shoreline in 1904, with the opening of the Britannia mine, toasted as the “largest copper mine in the British Commonwealth.” The mine closed in 1974. But it lives on today as a national historic site and tourist attraction clinging to a hillside and as a continuing source of so much pollution that a treatment facility had to be built in 2006, with a budget of $3 million a year to remove an average of 226,000 kilograms of heavy metal contaminants each year.
