Book selling season gets underway

The first book to make some waves this fall was Brian Mulroney’s weighty tome of a few weeks ago, a personal review (some say revision) of his days as Canada’s Prime Minister and singing partner to Ronald Reagan. Memoirs, 1939-1993, relives those key moments of the boy from Baie Comeau, both prior to his entry into politics and during the stormy years as Canada's Prime Minister through the eighties.

Not surprisingly for the guy with the gift of gab, Memoirs is a rather lengthy examination of his life, placing 1,152 pages worth of memories into a binding covered by the former Prime Minister's smiling face.

Not to be left for the remainder bins have been Conrad Black and Jean Chrétien, both of whom have books out for those looking for some snark in time for Christmas.

Lord (or is he a former Lord now?) Black’s latest release is an examination of the exploits of Richard Milhous Nixon and are a no doubt tad more erudite and verbose than the little guy from Shawinigan, but both it seems are ready to dish some dirt to send us to the book stores.

Black’s Nixon book which clocks in at 1168 pages, is by a smidgen the thickest of the three books vying for our attention, he traces the life and times of one of America’s most controversial Presidents from birth to death, it’s described as an opportunity to re-evaluate his remarkable “entire, eventful career” (Nixon’s that is, we think)

The Invincible Quest: the Life of Richard Milhous Nixon came out back in May, as his Lordship was occupied with some legal problems in the USA; in fact, those troubles have caused a few problems in the promotion of the book and have resulted in an unusual approach to the ever popular book signing circuit that all authors aspire to.

Due to the conditions of his legal worries, Lord Black can’t actually make a personal appearance at a book store near you, instead he plans on signing his books through a Canadian invention called LongPen, a remote signing device that scrawls an authors Conrad Black long distance in Toronto, while he sits in Palm Springs no doubt ruminating about the harshness of his quasi house arrest.

Douglas Pepper, Black's publisher and the president of McClelland & Stewart pointed out that it’s the best way to bring the author and his fans together at this time.

"Like any author, he likes to be able to sign his books for fans, and this was really the only way to do it, other than getting a planeload of his Canadian fans and shipping them down to Palm Beach."

Well I don’t know about those willing to line up in Toronto on Monday for their LongPen version, but if Lord Black was paying the tab and willing to wait a few months to sign some more, I think a trip down to Palm Beach would be nice, we could even buy his book there and get change back from our rocketing in value loonies…

It may even leave us with some left over cash to pick up My Years as Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien’s 435 page trip down memory lane. Compared to the girth of the other two efforts, we have visions of the Chretien book being knocked off over a weekend in between rounds of golf, but it still packs a bit of a punch, despite its comparatively thin offerings (though at 435 this is not your Coles notes for Prime Ministers!)

It is a remembrance which examines his ten years as Canada's twentieth Prime Minister and weighs in on such diverse topics as golf, sponsorgate, the strength of his wife Aline as an advisor as well a less than flattering account of his shared time with Paul Martin.

Mr. Chretien may wish to take advantage of the LongPen approach as well, just as his book was being made ready for shipment; the former Prime Minister was being rushed into a Montreal Hospital ten days ago for heart bypass surgery. A situation which makes the prospect of a lengthy and grueling cross Canada book tour probably off the agenda for the foreseeable future.

It will also be a way to keep the “self-serving goons” as he described the Martin hangers on, from crashing any book signings, seeking to challenge his interpretation of the events of those days.

For the moment, the Martin folks are taking the approach that “Undoubtedly there are clear differences in recollection between the two men.”

Hmmm, a most political understatement if ever there were one.

While the facts and interpretations are to be left in the eyes of the author, and the reviews left to those with the stamina to stay up late night after night, the release of such a collection of intellectual revelations has one giant booster, the pulp industry!

With a grand total of 2,755 pages of print between the three books, this fall’s book parade should give much hope for Canada’s struggling pulp and paper industry.

Outstanding leadership award given to Northwest Education Administrator

Northwest Community College President Stephanie Forsyth, has been honoured with the “Today’s Woman in Leadership’ award for 2007, sponsored by Dean Mason & Company Chartered Accountants the award is designed to recognize outstanding women from across Northern British Columbia.

Ms. Forsythe, who watches over the entire Northwest Community college system from her base in Terrace, was recognized for a number of initiatives that she has launched during her time at the helm of the College.

The Daily News featured some background the awards and on her accomplishments as part of the Friday paper.

College president is singled out for top accolade
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, October 12, 2007
Pages one and three

It is always a testament to the talent and expertise harboured within our community when professionals in Prince Rupert are given recognition for their achievements.

Such is the case for Northwest Community College President Stephanie Forsyth, who has been awarded the 'Today's Woman in Leadership' award through the Today's Woman Awards program.

Put on by Dean Mason & Company Chartered Accountants, the program is held annually in Prince George and was founded to recognize exceptional women from across Northern British Columbia.

"I was really honoured to win, there were a number of really great candidates," said Forsyth.
"So I felt quite honoured to be the one that they ultimately chose."

The Leadership award is given to a woman who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in her field or organization, and taken advantage of strategic growth opportunities for the organization and people, including expansion, mentorship, advancement and development.

Forsyth has been at the head of numerous programs that have benefitted the college and the people in surrounding communities, and it was for some of those that she was originally nominated. She helped establish the Freida Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, which is the first of its kind in Canada.

"The school was started to recognize the legacy of Frieda Diesing and to help in the revitalization and reclamation of art in the Northwest," said Forsyth.

"It's been a fairly significant initiative, and though it's based in Terrace, it has partnerships in New Zealand and Australia, with students and artists going on exchange programs back and forth."

Forsyth was also responsible for starting up the school of exploration and mining in 2005. It includes a program that provides mining knowledge and education training for people in the North. The school is run in partnership with the Smithers Exploration Group and with funding from the Ministry of Energy and Mines and has been a hugely successful program for providing people in Northwest communities with employment opportunities, particularly the Aboriginal students who make up 70 per cent of students in the program.

"It's been great, because as mining and exploration has opened the economy, we were concerned we wouldn't see the employment opportunities going to our Aboriginal communities, which really need a boost," said Forsyth. "But it has been a great success for that."

In addition to her long list of recent accomplishments, Forsyth was to be the first speaker at a NWCC-organized conference that began Thursday and continued today in Terrace entitled Challenging the Paradigm: Decolonizing Post-Secondary Education.

Yesterday, she gave an opening talk that set the tone of the conference, before other keynote speakers presented and attendees were then given the opportunity to explore and engage in workshops that challenge the current post-secondary education paradigm.

"It's a really important meeting to discuss the challenges that post-secondary institutions face in becoming more receptive to Aboriginal students. It's pretty well-known that Aboriginal students have not been succeeding at a pace that is really acceptable," said Forsyth.

"We're trying to be honest about the severe impact that colonization has had on these individuals, and what we should be doing in post-secondary education to address those issues."

We'll be right back after this short commercial message October 13

From the valley of the jolly green giant..

Now eat your vegetables or else!

"A Premier in a pickle"

Nathan Cullen, the NDP MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley seems to have perfectly described the situation that BC Premier Gordon Campbell finds himself in these days.

The Premier has been building up his environmental bona fides of late, with passionate speeches at the UBCM and a photo session with now Nobel Peace prize winner Al Gore, all part of his new found determination to protect the environment of "the best place on earth".

So it will be interesting to see how he handles the prospect of Northgate Minerals proposal to build the Kemess North project. That plan got a rather sudden jolt of reality recently when a joint provincial and federal environmental panel released a decision not to approve the Kemess mine.

A decision that has shocked the mining industry, which has been slowly rebuilding its presence in the province and an industry that has long been a supporter of the Liberal party and its candidates. While the mines proponents, Northgate Minerals haven't totally given up on the prospect of Kemess North, they seem a bit confused about where they stand on it now.

During the course of an event called the Denver Gold Forum, an exclusive by invitation only session which examines mining issues world wide. At the forum, Northgate Minerals CEO Ken Stowe expressed his concern over the BC environmental process and allegedly made remarks that have caused the local First Nations communities in the project area to express disappointment in his approach.

The controversial aspect of his speech apparently involved his questioning the spirit of the province's review forum participants in BC when asked about the review procedure in BC by a member of the Denver Forum audience.

The comments that have put him in hot water reportedly were: "There's things in there that went on the panel about people speaking to bears, so, it's pretty hard to talk science."

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Mr. Stowe's comments probably are not helpful to his cause or to a Premier, who one one hand is trying to rebuild bridges with First Nations communities across the province, nor does the mining strategy seem to twin with his Green agenda which seems to be one of his main concerns of late.

Where that leaves a traditional ally such as the mining sector is something that only the Premier's office knows, but as Mr. Cullen points out, it's a situation that certainly doesn't leave him with much wriggle room either way.

A complete look at "Mr. Campbell's pickle" was provided in Friday's Daily News as the front page story.

Campbell is facing tough choice over mine says MP
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, October 12, 2007
Pages one and three

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell is literally caught between a rock and a hard place over the joint federal and provincial environmental panel's decision not to approve the Kemess mine in northern B.C., said Skeena Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen.

"B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell is in a real pickle over this," said Cullen.

On one hand, Campbell is being pressured by the mining industry, which has strongly supported his Liberal party, and on the other hand Campbell is trying to build a new relationship with First Nations, said Cullen.

"When push comes to shove, I'm not sure which way the province is going to break on this," he said.

Northgate Minerals was proposing to build the Kemess North project, a second open pit, would have extended the life of the existing Kemess South project, 425 kilometres northwest of Prince George, by another decade.

However, the environmental review panel recently released a decision saying the mine's benefits did not outweigh long-term concerns.

First Nations in the region - including Takla Lake, Tsay Keh Dene and Kwadacha - were opposed to the use of Duncan Lake, called Amazay in their language, to dump mine waste.

Northgate said it was the best environmental option, and the only economically viable one: $200 million versus the next best option at $1 billion.

Since then, Northgate Minerals CEO Ken Stowe said he is concerned First Nations have won a "veto" over mining projects in British Columbia.

"I think this project, in a way, has been sacrificed on the alter of unresolved land claims in British Columbia," said Stowe, in the company's first public airing of its reaction to the panel's rejection.

Stowe called the panel decision unfortunate and illogical, while speaking at the Denver Gold Forum in Denver, Colo., an invitation-only event that attracts major global fund and portfolio managers, institutional investors and analysts.

The panel's rejection is considered rare - Stowe said the federal-level rejection was a first - as most provincial and federal environmental review processes give the greenlight to resource developments, although sometimes with conditions.

Cullen said the province has indicated that it does not this as a dead project just yet.

"What they would have to do is override the environmental assessment panel. That's pretty serious and the story's not over," Cullen added.

Stowe also made a number of comments at the mining event that have sparked ire among northern First Nations.

Stowe's view was that the project was essentially rejected for two reasons: The panel had no idea what would happen 10,000 years from now (which was true for probably anything in life, he noted), and that some people had said Duncan Lake had spiritual value.

"There's things in there that went on the panel about people speaking to bears, so, it's pretty hard to talk science," he said in response to a question from the audience.

Questioned following his presentation about whether Northgate had any legal recourse, Stowe said the company was not going to spend millions of shareholder dollars fighting "the unwinnable fight".

"We'll wait to hear what the governments say before we decide anything," he added.

With files from the Prince George Citizen.

Podunkian Music Club

Annie Lennox-Dark Road



Ever since we first heard Annie Lennox sing with The Tourists in the late seventies, it’s been about her emotion and her voice.

She has one of the most powerful deliveries in music, an amazing ability to pull you into whatever story she is weaving. A listener sits entranced by her vocal ranges, her styling of a phrase and the vivid imagery that her music leaves you with.

Lennox has a new solo recording out now, Songs of Mass Destruction, and for the Music Club tonight, we have selected Dark Road the first release from it.

It’s a fable of life's road traveled, not always clear in direction, a single traveler in search of something that seems at times to be far off and unattainable. The haunting opening with its simple musical accompaniment, is just the right mix with Lennox’s marvelous voice.

As the song builds up and reaches a sense of urgency, the drama of that moment is perfectly reflected in her lyrics and passion for them.

Now in her mid fifties, she is still perhaps one of the finest of singers around and while the numerous pop princesses have long since come and gone, her music is as dynamic today as when she and Dave Lennox were ruling the music universe as the Eurythmics. The pair had met during those days with the Tourists and left in the eighties to form one of the most significant groups to come out of Europe in that decade.

Their music brought a completely different sound for that era and was widely accepted and commercially successful. Part of their success was the honesty of their songs, a raw nerve that at times seemed to take its toll on the duo. They have been an off and on project ever since the early nineties, including a lengthy period of time where there was no communication at all between the two. A rapprochement came about in 1999 and since that time they have managed to produce both group and solo projects.

That honesty in lyrics and song has been a trait that has been repeated through the decades with her solo efforts, music that simply leaves you hoping for more and more.

It’s a long and treasured catalogue that her music has delivered over the years, each and every song, whether with a group or as a solo artist has its own relevance to the listener.

We share an emotional journey when we hit the play button, almost voyeuristic as we travel down this dark road with her.

It's a stark journey, one which she says she’s walking by herself, but it’s also one that takes us along, sharing a troubled soul’s walk looking for a sign of hope and a desire to make things better. Dark Road is an amazing song, an open book of emotion that makes you want to play it over and over again.

Artist- Annie Lennox
Recording- Songs of Mass Destruction

We'll be right back after this short commercial message October 12

Every joke has a story behind it.

Necessity is the father of all invention!

A good weekend for indoor activities

Hmm, looks like the Chances Gaming Centre picked the right weekend to open up.

The Environment Canada weather service is calling for a rather ugly weekend for North Coast.


Rainfall warning for: North Coast-Coastal Sections
Issued at 10:13 PM PDT FRIDAY 12 OCTOBER 2007

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 70 TO 110 MM EXPECTED FOR THE NORTH COAST COASTAL SECTIONS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 40 TO 60 MM EXPECTED FOR THE NORTH COAST INLAND SECTIONS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. THIS IS A WARNING THAT SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.

A FRONTAL SYSTEM APPROACHING THE NORTHERN COAST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA WILL SPREAD STRONG SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AND SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE TO SOUTHEAST 70 TO 90 KM/H OVERNIGHT TONIGHT FOR THE NORTH COAST COASTAL SECTIONS. WINDS WILL EASE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS THE FRONT WEAKENS. SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS ALSO EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY WITH TOTAL AMOUNTS OF 70 TO 110 MM FOR THE NORTH COAST COASTAL SECTIONS AND 40 TO 60 MM FOR THE NORTH COAST INLAND SECTIONS. THE RAIN IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF LATER SATURDAY AS THE FRONT WEAKENS.

PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST PUBLIC FORECASTS FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

Wind warning for: North Coast-Coastal Sections
Issued at 10:13 PM PDT FRIDAY 12 OCTOBER 2007

SOUTHEAST WINDS 70 TO 90 KM/H EXPECTED FOR NORTH COAST COASTAL SECTIONS OVERNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. THIS IS A WARNING THAT POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.

All in all, the perfect kind of weather to keep the players at the tables, all weekend long!

Highway of Tears list doubles

“We know there are people out there who know something, it may be a waitress who overheard a conversation, or maybe you heard something at a drinking establishment, it may seem like nothing to you, but those little tips, little bits of information are invaluable to us.”—Sergeant Pierre Lemaitre, RCMP

The scope of the investigation into the missing women on the Highway of Tears has been expanded, as the RCMP added nine more names to the original list of nine and expanded the area of interest along Highway 16 to the east into Alberta and along Highway 97 south and north of Prince George.

The RCMP held an information session in Prince George today, which provided no further clues into the mysterious deaths and reports of missing women along Highway 16.

In the last year, a review of over 200 cases gave investigators cause to add nine more names to the list, going back in one instance 38 years. The geographical area of interest now ranges from Prince Rupert to Hinton, Alberta and south as far as Merrit.

There have been no arrests made in connection with any of the eighteen cases now in the file, nor have any suspects been identified yet. Once again, the RCMP has asked anyone with any form of information on the file to contact their nearest RCMP detachment or contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Over the last few years, fears that a serial killer was prowling the Highway 16 corridor have become the common currency of the cases, however in today’s information session the RCMP continued to neither accept or reject that possibility.

The NDP called for a $200,000 reward to be posted for information leading to arrest on the cases, others have called for a dedicated task force or judicial inquiry into the cases of the missing women. Whatever methods to find answers should be attempted, eighteen names are too many and thirty eight years is too long a period of time.

As the Sergeant pointed out in the press conference today, there are people out there who know something, hopefully today's news will jog a memory or add some new piece of information to the growing case file.

The latest developments today won’t provide much comfort for the families of the original nine and indeed the developments bring nine more families into the inner circle of those that have suffered from the Highway of Tears.

For their sakes, you have to hope that there is a break in the following cases very soon:

- Gloria Moody - Homicide, Williams Lake - 1969
. Micheline Pare - Homicide, Hudson Hope - 1970
. Gale Weys - Homicide, Clearwater - 1973
. Pamela Darlington - Homicide, Kamloops - 1973
. Monica Ignas - Homicide, Terrace - 1974
. Colleen MacMillen - Homicide, One Hundred Mile House - 1974
. Monica Jack - Homicide, Merritt - 1978
. Maureen Mosie - Homicide, Kamloops - 1981
. Shelly-ann Bascu - Missing, Hinton, Alberta - 1983
. Alberta Willians - Homicide, Prince Rupert - 1989
. Delphine Nikal - Missing, Smithers - 1990
. Ramona Wilson - Homicide, Smithers - 1994
. Roxanne Thiara - Homicide, Burns Lake - 1994
. Alishia Germaine – Homicide, Prince George - 1994
. Lana Derrick - Missing, Terrace - 1995
. Nicole HOAR - Missing, Prince George - 2002
. Tamara Chipman - Missing, Prince Rupert - 2005
. Aielah Saric Auger - Homicide Prince George - Feb 2006

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Highway of Tears website

Below is some of the news coverage from today’s information session:

Opinion 250-Highway of Tears Investigation Expanded
CBC News-'Highway of tears' crime cases double

National Post- Police link seven new cases to B.C.'s 'Highway of Tears'

Vancouver Sun- Highway of Tears

Vancouver Sun-(archive piece on the Highway of Tears)

CTV.ca-List of women on 'Highway of Tears' doubles

Chances is set to open

The long delayed opening of Chances Prince Rupert is finally at hand.

As the workmen make their final touch ups and the shuttle bus driver familiarizes himself with the fastest route from the Rupert Hotel to the new gambling hall, the management and staff are getting ready for opening night.

The North coast's newest entertainment centre, is set to open its doors at 5:30 this evening as a a member of the Royal Canadian legion raises the flag at 5:40.

What will follow over the next two and a half hours will be a number of speeches and presentations for an invited VIP guest list, heralding the arrival of what is described by the BC Lottery Corporation as a "first-class gaming entertainment facility".

Superlatives it seems are a pre-requisite for the BC Lottery Corporation, similar announcements for centres recently opened in Fort St. John and Port Alberni are described as "one of a kind" and "World class".

The Prince Rupert announcement includes both "one of a kind" and "first class" in its description making ours extra special we guess..

The speechifying gets underway at 6:30, followed by the official ribbon cutting ceremony.

Scheduled to speak tonight are:

Craig Briere, President, Chances Prince Rupert,

Marsha Walden, Vice President of Bingo Gaming, BCLC,

Herb Pond, Mayor, City of Prince Rupert

Susan Marsden, President, Prince Rupert Bingo Association

Once the speeches are done and the ribbon is cut, the doors to the gaming centre will be opened to the public.

The Chances page on the BC Lottery website describes the Chances operations province wide, as featuring a number of activities for local residents:

Games available at Chances locations include paper-based and electronic bingo, a full range of lottery products and a selection of other gaming options, such as slot machines, off-track betting or electronic gaming that varies from location to location.

The Rupert operation will also feature a convention hall, lounges and dining area, all designed to add to the gambling experience and to live up to the branding statement that "fun is good".

Doors for the public are scheduled to open at 8, once all the VIP's have cleared out of the way. Hope they leave some winnings in the slot machines for the little people!

WANTED FOR MURDER: And maybe on the way to Prince Rupert!

WANTED By the RCMP: Emrah BULATCI, wanted first degree murder.

There may, or may not be an unwanted visitor to our town at this moment, as various news sources and the RCMP website advise that Emrah Bulatci, may be heading to the North Coast.

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Friday morning, the news broke that there was a suspicion that the accused killer of an RCMP constable in the Northwest Territories, may be on his way to Prince Rupert, but after those early reports came out, the Rupert connection has been scaled back a bit.

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Bulatci, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Const. Christopher Worden, who was shot dead in Hay River, N.W.T., on Saturday. So far, he has managed to elude the RCMP and other law enforcement agencies as they searched Northern Alberta trying to locate the 23 year old former resident of High Level, Alberta.

Bulatici may be traveling with a woman in a navy blue or green 2002 Ford Escape, according to the details on the latest update on the RCMP Web site.

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Bulatci, pictured above, is Five foot three, 190 pounds, his eyebrows and hair are dyed jet black and he wears his hair in a short buzz or spiked style. He has a lengthy criminal record, most of it in Alberta. At the time of Worden's killing, he was free on bail awaiting trial on drug charges laid in Edmonton in February.

Needless to say he's to be considered armed, dangerous and unpredictable and should not be approached, if you believe you may have information of interest to the RCMP, contact the Prince Rupert detachment.

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Preparations for Constable Worden's funeral are being arranged, the married father of one daughter, will be given a regimental funeral in Ottawa on Monday.

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More details on the search for Bulatci can be found on the official RCMP website, with further news stories listed below.

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National Post-RCMP say accused Mountie killer may be going to Prince Rupert

Edmonton Sun- RCMP shooting suspect may be headed for B.C.

Canadian Press- Police say RCMP shooting suspect may be heading to B.C. - but maybe not

Canada.com- Bulatci's bail doesn't raise red flags for lawyers

Edmonton Journal- Accused's bad reputation lingers in High Level

CTV.ca- Mountie shooting suspect may be heading to B.C.

Globe and Mail- Tactical team, robot, snipers unable to locate fugitive

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Update: Emrah Bulatci was arrested in Edmonton late Friday afternoon.

Not enough staff to count the cash…

“You have heard me say to council a number of times - the finance department is understaffed and this is in my view a direct symptom of the understaffing issue that has taken place there for some time."—Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond.

The Mayor has finally provided his take on the five million dollar budgeting error of a few weeks ago.

As things turn out, the problems are mostly related to staffing issues, as it seems that according to the Mayor staff turnover resulted in the error which saw numbers double counted, leaving the City 5 million dollars off target going into October.

While there was an apparent increase in the staffing levels of the Mayors office over the last year, it would seem that hiring on folks with calculators for the accounting department didn’t quite keep up with demands of the job.

In fact, the Mayor went so far as to almost say I told you so, by recounting a number of times at council that he has suggested that the accounting department was understaffed.

Since the Mayor has brought the topic up, this opens up an opportunity for some of that famous transparency we’ve been promised at City Hall.

Perhaps an evaluation of staffing levels at city hall is required, maybe eliminating jobs in some areas where they may be a little employee heavy and opening up those bean counting positions where they may be required.

While they’re at it, perhaps the city could present some background for the taxpayers and residents as to what the staffing levels in other towns of similar size to ours are at.

It would be interesting to see how each department stacks up compared to other cities, engineering, administration, even the Mayors office, a helpful comparison chart might give the residents of the city a better understanding of where the needs are, or aren’t in some cases.

It might also be helpful to learn why the City has gone through so many Chief Financial Officers in so many years; the turnover in that department does seem rather high. It might be of some benefit to the city’s residents (not to mention the employees) to have it explained why that department has become such a hardship post that people don’t seem to last very long.

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Finally while they've got their pencils out, maybe we can get a bit of an update on what to expect in the future from some revenue streams. The Pulp Mill which once paid over 2 million dollars in taxes when operating, has of late been delivering 100,000 dollars annually while Sun Wave deliberates on its options, next year should bring a change to that dynamic, as per that agreement that they signed with the City, perhaps an update on what we may expect is in order.

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This also seems as good a time as any to let us know when CityWest might return to providing more of a dividend to its main shareholders, the taxpayers of the city. The city owned telecommunications company has provided reduced dividends over the last two years, a valuable bit of money that probably could have be used by City Hall.

The Mayor provided his interpretation of the perils of municipal governance in the Thursday edition of the Daily News, the paper also provides some handy research for Podunkians examining the list of financial shortfalls and missing revenue streams that no doubt have an impact on the city's bottom line .

City blames staff shortages for $5.1m budget oversight
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, October 11, 2007

Pages one and five

A lack of staff in the city's financial department is being blamed for the duplication of utility revenues counted in the city's 2007 budget.

Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond said at this week's council meeting that the city has had a lot of staff turnover in that department, including the recent 14-month search for a new chief financial officer and this contributed to the city's $5.1 million budgeting error.

"This is an issue of when the budget was put together, numbers were double counted," said Pond.

"You have heard me say to council a number of times - the finance department is understaffed and this is in my view a direct symptom of the understaffing issue that has taken place there for some time.”

In late September, the city officials confirmed that, in the budget documents released in May, the utility revenues were counted,” said Pond.

“You have heard me say to council a number of times – the finance department is understaffed and this is in my view a direct symptom of the understaffing issue that has taken place there for some time.”

In late September, city officials confirmed that, in the budge documents released in May, the utility revenues were counted twice, resulting in revenues being over-estimated by $5.1 million. Staff then came up with cuts to their department to meet the revenue shortfall and Tuesday night, the city passed an amendment to the five year financial plan.

In the past four years, the city has had four Chief Financial Officers, including Corien Speaker, Lucky Butterworth, Jim Bruce and most recently, Dan Rodin.

“We’ve been looking for a Chief Financial Officer for 14 months and through all that, staff have done the best they could,” said Pond. “When they began to build some strength into the department that’s when the error was caught.”

He stressed there are no missing funds and people should have confidence going forward because they have retained a CFO.

“We now have the staff in that department going forward and it was our own staff who caught the error at the first opportunity, the first budget review we typically do,” said Coun. Sheila Gordon-Payne.

Dan Rodin, the city’s new chief financial officer, said the budget has been adjusted to balance the books as required by provincial legislation.

“The major change will be a significant number of capital works projects will have to be diverted until 2008,” he said.

Compounding the $5.1 million shortfall is the fact city’s revenues have decreased by a total of $2 million in the past two years. CityWest will only be giving the city a $1 million divided in 2007, instead of at $2 million dividend. This also occurred in 2006.

Coun. Tony Briglio said CityWest is going through a growth period and the reduced dividend does not reflect on the company’s ability to pay on its growth.

“We are seeing very positive moves from CityWest,” he said.

In addition to adjusting for the loss of $1 million from the CityWest dividend, the city’s revenues will decrease by $11,000 in expected grant money that the city did not receive for its website, $56,000 in overestimated payments in lieu of taxes, and $38,500 in over-estimated tax revenues.

However, there were some positive adjustments to the city’s revenue forecast.

Rodin said staff were able to come to a funding arrangement with Sun Wave Forest Products this year.

The company that currently owns the Watson Island Pulp mill, and has an agreement not to pay taxes, will contribute $100,000 under its funding agreement with the city. (The property used to contribute around $2 million in taxes annually and Sun Wave will have to resume paying taxes again if it does not commence pulp operations by the beginning of 2008.)

The city also received a $96,500 refund from Pacific Blue Cross, $50,000 in tax penalties and an additional $85,000 from its contract with the Alaska Marine Highway System.

On the expenditure side, the city cut its administrative support budget by $210,000, its public works operating (engineering, drafting and support) budget by $253,000, its water and sewer operating fund by $289,000, its fiscal expenditures by $591,000, its carry-over projects from (2006) by $535,000, its transfers to reserves by $1.3 million, its capital purchases by $198,000 and its public works projects by $1.9 million.

Rodin noted the original budget for capital works (water, sewer and street repairs etc,) was $4.1 million.

“That was significantly more than we spent in 2006,” Rodin noted.

Even though the public capital works program has been reduced to $2.2 million in 2007, it’s still above the $1.4 million spent in 2006.

Overall, Rodin described the budget as conservative – with the city expecting small surpluses in each department.

“Normally there is a tendency for people to budget for the worst case scenario, for every little contingency that could happen,” he said.

Hopefully, they will see a $300,000 or $400,000 surplus.

Nor has the city counted any of the 2007 tax revenues it expects to receive from Chances Community Gaming Centre or the Fairview Container Terminal.

“That’s perhaps another little piece of sunshine that will emerge,” said Pond.

We'll be right back after this short commercial October 11

Everything in moderation...

Here a splish, there a splash, everywhere a splish, splash.

Reviving the days of the Bullies?

Two ugly incidents in less than a month involving the Philadelphia Flyers have many hockey fans wondering if the era of the Broad Street Bullies has returned to the NHL.



Not since Schultz, Kelly, Dupont et al brought terror to NHL rinks on a nightly basis, have the Philadelphia Flyers found themselves the focus of so much attention.

Over the off season the Flyers proclaimed that they were returning to the values that made Flyer hockey famous; tough, physical play and a pre season of fight filled games seemed to testify to the change of direction in Flyer hockey from recent years.

Gone it seems will be the free wheeling, skating game that the NHL promised after the lock out year came to an end. Anaheim marched, hit and fought their way to a Stanley Cup last year and this year’s version of the Philadelphia Legions seems determined to return to the era of intimidation and cheap shots.

Colin Campbell, Chief Justice of the NHL Supreme Court may want to keep Friday’s open for Flyers, (Flyer Friday's has a nice ring to it doesn't it?) as he once again finds the e mail clogged with missives about seemingly out of control hockey players decorated in orange and black.

On September 20th Campbell had to deal with the horrifying to watch hit of Steve Downie on Ottawa’s Dean McCammond, as Downie became a human missile and literally launched himself into the air and took out McCammond in an explosion of violence.



McCammond lay on the ice without movement for far too many minutes and to this day has not returned to the line up for the Senators and is not expected back for the next two to three weeks at the earliest.

For his transgression of not only civil behavior but common sense, Downie has found himself suspended for twenty games, a punishment that many have deemed as too short considering the nature of his brutal hit on McCammond.

So, if twenty games is not considered a strong enough deterrent for this kind of unwanted behavior in the game, whatever is Campbell to do with Jesse Boulerice, who on Wednesday night provided a sickening cross check to Ryan Kessler's face, dropping the Canuck forward to the ice in a heap.



It was a particularly ugly aspect to what had become a very ugly game, the Flyers running ahead on the scoreboard and both teams running around the ice, taking shots at forwards, defencemen and a goaltender before the cage match came to an end.

Boulerice has the unique entry on his resume of being banned by the OHL for an entire season, after a nasty episode in his junior days, which found him in trouble with the law when he was charged with assault to do great bodily harm less than murder after hitting Andrew Long of the Guelph Storm during the OHL final in 1998.

So far this season he has been busying himself by racking up the majors at a pretty good clip and portraying the role of Vlad the Impaler for the Flyers, just look up his name in a YouTube search engine and you'll quickly learn that Jesse ain't in the line up for his scoring touch .

The calls for swift and definitive justice have come from across the NHL. A 20 games suspension is the apparent benchmark, but no one it seems would have a problem if Justice Campbell were to double that punishment, in order to set an example and highlight the fact that the senseless violence of the last few weeks has to end now.

Hockey has always been a tough and at times violent game. The bone crushing checks, nasty stick work and even full scale brawls have long been documented in past eras, as an aspect of the game that while unseemly were accepted as part of the sport.

As the NHL entered the new era of enlightenment of the last four or five years the attempt was made to try to reign in the wild marauders, in order to allow the artistic play makers some room to operate. The last couple of seasons however have seen the more physical part of the game begin to regain more and more of a foothold in the sport, now the physical nature has given way to the blatantly violent.

While the body checks are welcome, the stick work and disrespect of fellow players must be exorcised from the play. The NHL has been lucky so far, no one has been seriously injured or God forbid killed by one of these senseless acts of stupidity, but you have to think that the odds against that get slimmer with each violent act on the ice.

The Flyers may like to reminisce about the Good old days when the toughest of the tough could lay waste to team after team in quest of the Stanley Cup. But for the future of the sport, the time is now to get some control over the madder dogs from all teams that are patrolling the ice. It's hard to believe that the Flyers and the other teams, didn't get the message that the goonery was no longer acceptable back in September, the Boulerice incident should be the last time a message needs to be sent.

The league office needs to reclaim the ice, making it clear to all teams that the lack of respect being shown by players to their competitors must end. The ugly head shots of the last month have no place in hockey, Colin Campbell and Gary Bettman must make that stand and do it now, if for no other reason than the fact that if they don’t, there are surely any number of politicians or law enforcement agencies that will be more than ready to step in and take charge.

Hockey is getting back into the mainstream spotlight, but once again it’s not for amazing goals or talented personalities. Instead, the media glare is focusing on brutal assaults that on any Canadian or American city street would probably have the offender spending time in a prison.

The time is now to send a strong message that the sudden violent turn that the game has taken has no place in the NHL of today, if they miss this opportunity then once again the NHL will have only itself to blame for the troubles that will surely follow.

The above post first appeared on my HockeyNation blog, for more items about hockey check it out!

Chamber of Commerce prepares for year’s major fundraiser

Saturday October 20th will be auction night in Rupert as the Chamber of Commerce presents its annual dinner and fund raising auction night.

It’s always a much anticipated evening of food, entertainment and the chance to pick up some great prizes or goods through auction. With proceeds destined to help the Chamber continue to provide support services to Prince Rupert's merchant class.

The Daily News had details on the night’s planned events in the Wednesday paper.

Chamber auction tickets an easy sell
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Pages one and three

Businesses large and small are being encouraged to support their chamber during the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce annual auction Oct. 20.

At the September Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Wendy Prystay, chamber president, explained that the entertaining evening will be the chamber's major fundraiser for the year.

Money raised allows the chamber to continue to promote and improve the business climate for those operating in Prince Rupert.

"This year's auction should be a very exciting evening," she said.

The line-up includes dinner, a live-auction with dynamic auctioneers, silent and 'toonie' auctions and entertainment.

Whether guests come on their own or with a group of friends, everyone who attends is automatically entered into the draw for the Grand Door Prize - two return tickets to Vancouver, sponsored by Hawkair.

The selection of goods and services up for auction this year is extraordinarily varied and consequently, whether people are looking for items for work, home or recreation, or if they are just trying to get in a little early holiday shopping, there will be many items to spark the interest.

On the block are a variety of tours - helicopter, whale and grizzly bear - golf packages, excavating, automotive and marine services, wonderful gift baskets, adult cheer, framed photographs, electronics, a downrigger rod, dinning certificates and much more.

In past year's, tickets have always gone quickly, so people are being encouraged to book early.
The Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce acts as the voice of business at all three levels of government, facilitates business events and offers members the opportunity to promote their businesses and find cost-savings through chamber programs.

"We hope to make this the most successful auction to date," said Prystay.

Anyone who would like tickets or who needs more information can contact Lynne at the Chamber of Commerce at 624-2996.

Meanwhile, the chamber is also looking for volunteers to host the first event associated with the B.C. Chamber of Commerce 2009 Annual General Meeting in Prince Rupert.

At the 2008 AGM in Whistler, the Prince Rupert Chamber will host an evening to invite people to the 2009 event, said Prystay. The 2008 AGM takes place in May.

"We are looking for members to help plan an event to put Prince Rupert on the map," said Prystay.

The chamber announced in June that it has successfully won the bid to host the 2009 BC Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting in Prince Rupert. The annual general meeting regularly attracts more than 400 business leaders from all parts of the province, provincial ministers, and representatives from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Nisga’a Treaty back in the spotlight

A case originally dismissed two years ago, has been give a second life as the B. C. court of Appeal set aside the 2005 ruling that dismissed the Nisga'a treaty challenge court case of that day.

At the time a court challenge was launched to in court to see if the 1999 Nisga’a treaty violated the constitution. The original case was launched by two Nisga’a elders who had concerns over the negotiated treaty. The case was thrown out because the plaintiffs had failed to comply with orders of the court in respect to pre-trial procedures.

Tuesday’s reversal clears the way for a resumption of legal motions to have the treaty terminated, however, in the interim Nelson Leeson, president of the Nisga'a Nation said that The Nisga'a Treaty will remain fully in force as the court case heads towards the courts again.

The Daily News featured the details and provided some background on the controversy as the front page story of the Wednesday paper.

SIDES HEAD BACK TO COURT IN DISPUTE OVER NISGA'A TREATY
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Pages one and three

The fact that the B.C. Court of Appeal has officially breathed new life into court action by a group of Nisga'a elders seeking to have the Nisga'a Treaty dismissed has stiffened the resolve of elected Nisga'a leaders to defend the treaty.

On Tuesday, three justices overturned a 2005 ruling dismissing the application. This will allow the case brought by James Robinson, known as Chief Mountain, and Mercy Thomas to be heard in B.C. Supreme Court.

The case was originally dismissed in 2005 by the British Columbia Supreme Court because the plaintiffs had failed to comply with orders of the court in respect to pre-trial procedures.
In 2006, B.C. justices ruled Chief Mountain's side deserved a chance to explain what happened and that the constitutionality of the Nisga'a Treaty was an important national issue that needed to be heard.

Yesterday, the court ruled to officially set aside the 2005 motion dismissing the action, noting "while procedural wrangling and foot dragging may precipitate an order dismissing an appeal for procedural reasons, that result is to be avoided where it is reasonable to do so."

The 1999 Nisga'a Treaty saw Canada and B.C. cede to the Nisga'a 2,000 square kilometres of land, pay $253 million in cash and grant some self-governing powers.

The key question in the suit being brought by Chief Mountain and Mercy Thomas is whether the Nisga'a treaty violates the constitution by creating a third order of government.

Nelson Leeson, president of the Nisga'a Nation, reacted to the ruling by expressing the resolve of the Nisga'a Nation to defend the treaty.

"Today's ruling does not address the substance of the Nisga'a Treaty, but merely makes it possible for the plaintiffs to resume their challenge in the British Columbia Supreme Court," said Leeson. "We are fully prepared to defend the constitutionality of our treaty, as we have previously done, and we are confident that the Nisga'a Treaty will withstand this legal challenge. At the same time, we would rather get on with living our lives under the treaty than continue with lengthy and expensive litigation."

He added that contrary to statements made by the plaintiffs, under the Nisga'a Treaty every Nisga'a person has the right to be a Nisga'a citizen.

"The Nisga'a Treaty remains fully in force, and the Nisga'a Nation as well as the federal and provincial governments will defend the validity of the Treaty when the litigation resumes in the British Columbia Supreme Court."

Mounties plan information session on Highway 16 murders and disappearances for tomorrow

The unsolved cases of missing and murdered women along highway 16 is one of the highest profile crimes in Northern BC and one of the most frustrating and worrisome situations for the victims families, authorities and northern BC communities.

With that in mind, the RCMP has announced that it will hold an update on its Investigation into the Highway 16 (Highway of Tears) murders and disappearances.

The information session is to take place at the North District Headquarters in Prince George.

The RCMP were quick to advise that no arrests or charges have been laid in the course of the investigation and it would seem that the session planned for Friday is to be more of an overview of the process thus far, as opposed to providing details about any major breaks in the mysterious cases.

The murders and dissappearances over the last few years have left many in the North wary of what is going on along the Highway 16 corridor and anxious to have some kind of answers provided by authorities.

The announcement was posted on the RCMP website yesterday.

RCMP to provide one year update on Highway 16 Investigative Review
2005E-3580
Thursday October 11, 2007

RCMP to provide one year update on Highway 16 Investigative Review Vancouver, BC:

The RCMP will be available on Friday October 12, 2007 in Prince George to provide an update into the on-going review underway into those women that have gone missing or murder along Highway 16. Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre will be providing a general update on the overall investigative review.

Please be advised that there have not been any arrests or charges laid in connection with the on-going investigations.

Date: Friday October 12, 2007
Location: North District RCMP Headquarters
Address: 4020 5th Avenue, Prince George, BC
Time: 12:00 Noon

Released by: Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre "E" Division Strategic Communications Phone: (604)264-2929

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-->Pierre Lemaitre, Sgt."E" Division Strategic Communications
5255 Heather StreetVancouver, B.C. V5Z 1K6
Phone: (604)264-2929 Fax: (604)264-3200
Email: pierre.lemaitre@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

A Call for action on vandalism

Does something need to be done around town, before it comes to this?



While the downtown business merchants might put a Robocop on their wish list to sweep the downtown streets of all malcontents, the solution to the vandalism in Prince Rupert will most likely be a little less mechanical and more socially interactive.

Local merchants, weary of the string of vandalism in the downtown area have banded together to try and come up with a collective solution to the troublesome nature of some youth at night.
Options ranging from a private security patrol to high frequency noise generators and curfews were discussed at a recent meeting of the downtown merchants.

Of particular concern to the merchants and city residents, is the lack of accountability of the youth and the apparent lack of interest by their parents or guardians.

The curfew option seems to be the favored approach by the merchants though it was an option that the RCMP approached with caution, suggesting that it’s a development that the city government would want to become involved with.

While the merchants have a legitimate reason to be concerned about the recent spate of vandalism downtown, before we start sending waves of private security battalions onto the downtown streets, perhaps city hall could address the staffing levels of the RCMP detachment.
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Considering the amount of increased revenue that has been generated by the vigorous approach to traffic enforcement, perhaps some of that revenue could be recycled into a youth squad for the downtown area at night and increased numbers for the always interesting bar crowd scene .

That is an issue for city council to debate; they are the ones that have reduced the staffing levels of the detachment over the last few years. Clearly there is a need for a new approach to policing the downtown area as the residents can see that there is a problem, now its up to city council to take the advice of the citizens (and voters!).

Setting up a squad of officers that would become a fixture on the street scene in the evening could become a very proactive approach to the problem. They would be able to identify the troublemakers and move them along. At the same time they could develop a relationship with those youth who may be on the street for no other reason than it’s a safer place than their homes.

There also needs to be some kind of support system in place for those kids that have no safe place to return to, something that is probably beyond the reach of the city and would require provincial and federal invovlement.

While a curfew sounds like a quick fix, it’s really not the ultimate solution to the problem. For it tends to punish the good kids, for the misdeeds of a small number of troublemakers. That being said, parents or guardians need to become more involved and accountable for what their children are doing on the streets late at night. There is really no real reason for a teenager to be out wandering the streets after 11 pm or midnight.

But in the short term there is a desire to try and reclaim the downtown area and re-establish the area as one that isn't to be trashed by bored or impaired offenders.

The downtown vandalism and rowdyism problem isn’t limited to just teenagers however, a trip downtown to survey the bar scene at closing time on a late night, will show a different Prince Rupert than many residents might recognize.

Providing the resources to the RCMP to enforce a zero tolerance approach to the issue might go a long way to reducing the problems in the downtown area.

This week’s edition of the Northern View featured some of the ideas from the downtown merchants.

Merchants seek a vandalism solution
By Brooke Ward The Northern View
Oct 10 2007

Responding to an overwhelming string of vandalism throughout the downtown core, several business owners throughout the community assembled last week to brainstorm solutions for the increasingly costly problem.

Addressing primarily the issue of hoards of youth congregating in downtown parking lots, alleyways and street corners at all hours of the night, the business owners sought to find viable solutions for the problem which, according to them, goes largely unnoticed in the community.
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Citing a lack of respect for authority and others’ property amongst these adolescents and an even more troubling lack of accountability for young offenders in the judicial system, the business owners say they’re tired of shelling out their hard earned money on window repairs and shoplifted goods.

The gathered individuals expressed a desire for a more visible RCMP presence during bar crowd, saying that it wasn’t enough for their squad cars to be parked along the high activity areas. The area needs beat cops and bike patrol, say the local business owners.

The merchants discussed the idea of the formation of a Prince Rupert Merchants Association that could hire private security guards to patrol the downtown core at night. Several other ideas surfaced including the installation of high frequency sound devices like those used in many places throughout the United Kingdom to ward off troublesome youth. Audible rarely to those over the age of 20, the sound is not painful, but so bothersome that teenagers cannot stand it for very long.

Perhaps the most controversial of suggestions, however, was the implementation of a downtown curfew for youth, which was seemingly favored by the merchants.

Although in theory a good approach because it gives the police officers the authority to remove kids from the downtown late at night, it can also be more like a dispersal of the problems says RCMP Sergeant Pierre Lemaitre, who is responsible for provincial strategic communications.
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“Something like that, which would restrict the liberties of individuals, even though they’re young people, is something that obviously the municipal government has to be involved with because they represent the citizens.”

If that were to be a solution that the residents of Prince Rupert felt like testing the RCMP would be right on board, though, says Lemaitre.

“Certainly the RCMP wants to be a part of the solution. We want to be at the table, we are a part of the community.”

Lemaitre emphasizes that the other key component at the table are the youth themselves.

“The youth groups that are involved in the community, that are proactive need to be included in the discussions because they will bring great insight into what’s happening. They have the essence of a barometer,” he said.

“The sad part is that [the damage] is the work of probably such a small minority of kids and the fact is that there are a lot of other great kids out there and its frustrating for them because it gives them a bad name.”

Like the merchants, Lemaitre sees poor leadership and lack of parental involvement and accountability as contributors to the problem.

“Realistically they shouldn’t be out on the street at that time of night, but maybe the fact is that we need to address the underlying issue and give them somewhere to be or something to do.”

We'll be right back after this short commercial message October 10

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No siree to MMP!

Ontario's experiment in electoral reform received a rather strenuous thumbs down on election night.

The proposed Mixed Member Proportional System was declined by Ontario's voters, as 63% of those voting chose NO, while only 37 % voted in the affirmative during Wednesday's referendum on change.

The measure required a double positive to pass, 60% of the vote and majority approval in at least 64 ridings, a standard which the plan never came close to achieving.

The proposal to change the first past the post system in Ontario was described on the Globe and Mail website as an ‘unmitigated disaster', as a fog of confusion and apathy seemed to envelop the first attempt at election reform in Ontario.

A poor education program was blamed for the less than enthusiastic interest in the proposed changes as voters chose instead to focus on the race in its more traditional first place takes all process.

Despite fancy websites , blogs and numerous forums on the issue, in the end Ontario chose to stay with the familiar and traditional, complete with its potential to deliver overwhelming majority governments like the one elected on Wednesday, which all but shuts out the Opposition parties.

Ontario joins BC and PEI in rejecting electoral change, although BC residents will get another crack at changing the electoral dynamics in the next BC election expected in 2009.

In Ontario however, the decision has been made. There will be no rewards for second best.

If you can't make it past the post, you're bid for electoral success is now toast!

Dalton's Day!

He’s far from the reapers’ grasp yet, but if Bill Davis were dead, he would most likely have rolled over in his grave at the electoral results in Ontario Wednesday night. Fortunately (especially for Mr. Davis we suspect), the former Ontario Premier is still among us, though he probably spent Wednesday night shaking his head at what has become of his once omnipotent Big Blue Machine, as the 2007 Ontario election results came streaming across his television set.

The Big Blue roadster, once a finely tuned machine that never got so much as a flat tire, now suddenly looks like an aging gas guzzling memento of the eighties, a vehicle that is need of more than a tune up.

Not since Mitch Hepburn in 1937 led the Red tide of Liberalism to back to back victories, has Ontario returned a Liberal Premier to office. 70 years would pass as the natural governing order of Ontario would be a blue machine, which occasionally would be replaced with a short Liberal and even an NDP interruption.

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That era received a definitive ending on Wednesday, as Dalton McGuinty joined the Liberal legends with an impressive hold on the seats at the Ontario Legislature.

By 9:34 Eastern time, the CBC had already decided that Ontario was McGuinty’s as they projected the second consecutive majority government for the Liberals. And while the success at the polls didn’t quite have the man who best resembles an undertaker doing an Irish jig, it did bring a smile to his face and gave cause for his supporters to relish yet another strong showing.

At last count the McGuinty forces had corralled 71 of Ontario’s 107 seats and 17 more than the 54 required for the majority.

There were a few chinks in the Liberal run for power this time, they managed to lose some of the popular vote from the last election and watched the NDP begin to chip away at some more of the vital urban ridings that have become swing seats in Ontario’s urban landscape.

Howard Hampton, while in that traditional territory of the NDP as the best second choice on the leadership scene, managed to hold the NDP seat count to 10, while they increased their popular vote count by three percent it did not translate into a jump in seats, which must be a bit of a disappointment we suspect for a party that had lobbied hard against the decline of Ontario’s economic base under the Liberals.

The Conservatives failed to capture the tide of the population and retake some prime Ontario landscape inside and outside of the big urban areas. Most of the responsibility will fall at the feet of John Tory, who politically is now a two time loser having previously lost a bid to become Mayor of Toronto and now coming up far too short again, this time provincially having lost the race for his own riding .

The one identifiable issue that seemed to be his largest mis-step was the concept of 400 million dollars in funding for Faith Based schools, a project that Tory championed during the campaign only to quickly learn that the prospect didn’t resonate very well with the Conservative base. The damage control began a few weeks ago when he suggested that no changes would take place without a free vote, but by then the political horses were out the door and the poll numbers plummeted. The Conservatives picked up one seat from last years totals, a definite step backwards for a party that should have been able to capitalize on the lukewarm endorsements that many gave the McGuinty government prior to the election.

The Green party had high hopes for a breakthrough in this election, but while they have attracted some higher support numbers, they have yet to actually claim a seat in the Ontario Legislature. The NDP most likely suffered the most from the bump in Green support which jumped from close to three percent to nudging eight, had some of those votes migrated to the Hampton side the NDP may have claimed a few more seats.

In the end it seems that the Ontario voters provided McGuinty with the healthy middle of the road vote, not straying towards socialism, still contemplating what the Greens are all about and rejecting the latest incarnation of the once mighty Conservatives.

McGuinty has more than the required seats and a fair amount of the popular vote, but not enough to truly believe that Ontario has begun to sip from the Liberal Kool aid jug. In the end the voters there felt that the status quo was much preferable to what the Conservatives had to offer, while the third and fourth parties still need to find a way to break through from their traditional nice guys finish last positions.

Final Ontario results page.

With the Ontario election out of the way, the political machines of Ontario can now get back to their Federal planning. It will be interesting to see how the recent results of Quebec, Newfoundland and Ontario will be interpreted by the various War Rooms.

The number crunching and analysis of the whims of the Ontario voter, may just decide whether the rest of us get to trundle off to the polls to exercise our Federal responsibilities any time soon.

(Picture above appears on the Globe and Mail website)

Looking at the past, in order to move on to the future

Northwest Community College will be hosting a conference this week designed to examine the issue of colonization of Aboriginal people and the role that the post secondary education system should play in redressing the ongoing effects of it.

The conference which will include speakers and workshops will get underway at the Terrace campus on Thursday October 11, as organizers challenge participants to find new ways of teaching and learning that support all members of the population.

The Daily News featured a comprehensive look at the background of the conference and what organizers hope to achieve over the course of the three days that it takes place.

College grapples with colonization
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Pages one and three

Educators and First Nations will gather in Terrace this week at a landmark conference that aims to deal directly and honestly with the issue of colonization of Aboriginal people and the role the post-secondary education system should play in addressing that.

"NWCC serves a region of B.C. that has the highest percentage of Aboriginal people than any other area of the province," said Stephanie Forsyth, NWCC president.

"Over 44 per cent of our student population is of Aboriginal descent and we see first-hand the effects colonization has had on them, both individually and within their communities.

"As a public post-secondary educational institution with a mandate to serve the communities and people in our service area it is incumbent on us to find ways to redress the ongoing effects of colonization through our educational system."

The event will take place Thurs. Oct 11 in Terrace and is being jointly hosted by NWCC, in partnership with the Gitksan Wet’suwet’en Education Society, Kitimat Valley Institute Corporation, and the Wilp Wilxo’oskwhl Nisga’a Institute.

The college’s Challenging the Paradigm: Decolonizing Post-Secondary Education conference promises to take a hard look at the role of post-secondary education in the history of Aboriginal people and will challenge participants to find new ways of teaching and learning that support all members of the population.

“The workshops will put a focus on education programs that are integrating, Aboriginal cultural values and working in meaningful ways with Aboriginal communities to change the traditional approaches to post secondary education,” said Jim McDonald, executive director of NWCC’s House of Learning.

“Themes will include integrating Aboriginal paradigms in education, enhancing aboriginal access, redressing colonization in education, and best practices in designing cultural relevant curriculum.”

The two keynote speakers are Dr. Leroy Littlebear, professor in the Native American Studies Program at the University of Lethbridge and Dr. E. Richard Atleo, research liaison at the University of Manitoba and associate adjunct professor at the University of Victoria. Both bring many years of experience studying and teaching ways of integrating aboriginal perspectives into post-secondary institutions.

“This conference is a very important meeting to discuss the challenges and successes that post-secondary institutes face in being more receptive to aboriginal cultural values and needs. We are very excited by the high caliber of the featured speakers and the workshops that will be presented,” said McDonald.

The conference is open to teachers, faculty and Aboriginal Support Workers and runs from Oct. 11 to 12, with a First Northern Collaborative Learning Forum on the 13th.

“Challenging the Paradigm provides an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the issues surrounding Aboriginal education, to learn about best practices being discovered in various projects and programs, and to provide attendees an opportunity to discuss issues arising from the conference proceedings,” said Forsyth.