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From confidential informant to key police agent: Plante’s dangerous assignment
In part three of my series on police agent Micheal Plante, he describes the challenges of working with police – first as an informant in July 2003 and later as a police agent wearing a wire for hours...
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New report compares education systems around the world
A new report has joined PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) in comparing education systems. This latest effort,...
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Gang associate killed in Surrey survived Sept. 2011 shooting
He was lucky 16 months ago when he survived a targeted hit outside a Mr. Lube automotive centre in Coquitlam. But Jaskaran Singh Sandhu’s luck ran out this week when he was found slain on a rural...
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Charter rights on Prince Rupert teachers’ shirts = political messaging
Dr. Seuss’s Yertle the Turtle is not the only story that’s too political in Prince Rupert schools. So, too, is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, if displayed on the tee-shirts of protesting...
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Micheal Plante becomes an “official friend” in the Hells Angels program
In part four of my series about police agent Micheal Plante, the infiltrator finally makes it into the Hells Angels program as “an official friend.” He is called into the meeting room at the East End...
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Paying students to attend a Vancouver secondary school
My colleague Gerry Bellett, who has written many excellent stories about Vancouver’s inner-city schools as part of the Sun’s Adopt-a-School program, asked me recently if I knew of any B.C. schools that...
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Senior management shuffle continues in Mission school district
There’s been another senior management change at a B.C. school district. This time, it’s in Mission, where superintendent Frank Dunham has been replaced by Bill Fletcher. About two dozen of the...
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Tweet Alert: B.C. independent schools win funding for adult students
Has tweeting replaced the good old-fashioned news release? Last Wednesday, Liberal MLA Marc Dalton tweeted the following: ”Indep schools will now receive funding for adult non-graduated students, as...
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A police agent’s trials and tribulations
In part five of my series about police agent Micheal Plante, he describes the difficult months after he completed his undercover work with the East End Hells Angels. He struggled through months of...
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School calendars now under review across B.C.
With the end of the standardized school calendar last year, B.C. boards of education are now setting their own calendars for 2013-14. A number of districts are consulting their communities to see if...
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UN gangster Michael Newman should be convicted of murder: Crown
United Nations gangster Michael Newman should be convicted in a brutal 2004 murder because of strong forensic evidence and the fact he was later found with two guns used in the crime, prosecutor...
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B.C. company criticized for student recruitment practices in China
A Metro Vancouver company that recruits international students is in hot water in Montreal. Orchard Consultants Ltd. is losing a contract with Concordia University to recruit in China after an...
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RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson reflects on what E-Pandora accomplished
The final part in my series on police agent Micheal Plante is more of a look back by RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson and others involved in the historic investigation. Paulson was the RCMP inspector in...
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Cash-strapped B.C. school district spends $24K on new logo
The Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district has spent $24,000 on a new corporate logo. Created by Ion Branding Design in Vancouver, the new logo replaces one from 1980, which was considered out of date, says...
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Who is the guy in that Bar Refaeli Go Daddy Super Bowl ad?
Meet Jesse Heiman, the “world’s greatest extra” One of the most talked-about Super Bowl ads is a GoDaddy spot featuring Bar Refaeli. As part of its “smart meets sexy” campaign, the Israeli supermodel...
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New B.C. federal ridings benefit urban voters the most
Earlier this week, the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission sent its official proposals for redrawing B.C.’s electoral map off to Ottawa. The proposals would add six new federal ridings to B.C. to...
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Moving On: Sharon Cutcliffe, BC Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association
After many years with the B.C. Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association, Sharon Cutcliffe has resigned in search of new challenges and opportunities. Her last day of work was Thursday. Cutcliffe...
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Hells Angels maintain lower public profile than in the past: CFSEU head
Hells Angels in B.C. have reduced their public profile in reaction to police probes targeting them, as well as to protect themselves from rivals’ attacks, the head of the Combined Forces Special...
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Contract talks to begin today for B.C. teachers
A new round of contract negotiations under a new bargaining framework is expected to open today in Vancouver between B.C. teachers and their employers. As part of the agreement, approved by the B.C....
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Should access to Vancouver schools be restricted to improve safety?
The Vancouver board of education will consider Monday whether it needs to restrict access to its schools as a safety measure. A motion* by trustees Ken Denike and Sophia Woo suggests access should be...
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