B.C.

The politics of liquor and sex have collided with the values of Christian fundamentalism in British Columbia's Bible belt, forcing organizers of an adults-only trade show to cancel a three-day event.

For the past four years, the Fraser Valley Taboo Naughty But Nice Show has offered patrons the opportunity to shop for sex toys, watch fashion shows and live demonstrations and participate in seminars.

But Canwest Productions Inc. announced Friday that the fifth annual show at the Abbotsford Tradex is history because the company couldn't secure a roaming liquor licence between March 29 and March 31 and because of "push back" from a "vocal group of Christian fundamentalists."

The company said a roaming licence allows patrons to carry their drinks around the event, instead of being restricted to a beer garden in the corner of the trade show's floor.

"Based upon the restrictions placed upon us concerning our ability to serve liquor and the negative push-back we were getting concerning our show's entertainment and educational offerings, we do not feel that we can meet the expectations of our guests or our exhibitors," said Peter Kiddell, the company's president, in a statement.

Kiddell said the company has repeatedly asked the city for the roaming liquor licence but has been turned down.

The organizers have also faced a backlash from Christian fundamentalists led by former mayoral candidate Gearda Peachy, he said.

In fact, Peachy has lobbied Abbotsford's city council to ban the event.

"This obsession with deviation, it does nothing to help, it does nothing to enhance humanity," said Peachy, explaining why she opposes the event.

Dan Stefanson, executive director of Tourism Abbotsford, said the community will feel the effect because the exhibition attracted many visitors.

"People would come and stay in our hotels and rent cars and fly into the airport, and that's going to be very sadly missed in our community in a few weeks when the events not here," he said.

Kiddell said his company hopes to work with its opponents and city officials so the show can return next year.

Abbotsford wasn't the only location for the Taboo Naughty But Nice Show. The event also runs in each of the western provinces.

(CKNW AM 980)

A massive piece of concrete tumbled into the Fraser River on Friday when part of a crane collapsed during construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Metro Vancouver.

The horizontal crane, used to install the 90-tonne precast sections of the bridge, fell off a support leg, releasing one of the concrete slabs into the water below.

Max Logan with the Port Mann Highway One Project said no one was hurt in the incident.

"That area would have been closed to marine users specifically because there was overhead working taking place."

The crane, or gantry, was built specifically for the Port Mann project and weighs more 700 tonnes.

"There's no damage to the gantry itself but the blue footing sustained some damage," Logan said. "It's leaning to the south."

He couldn't say if the crane was in operation when the incident occurred.

The new 10-lane span is being built to replace the current five-lane bridge that carries Trans-Canada Highway traffic over the river between Surrey and Coquitlam, B.C.

The work site was closed Friday while investigators looked for a cause.

WorkSafeBC spokeswoman Donna Freeman said an engineer for the agency was on the site to determine if it was safe to go back on the partially constructed bridge.

"The first step is always to ensure the site is safe for our officers and the other parties that should be there," she said.

The toll bridge for the estimated $3.3-billion project is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.

Mounting bills and uncertain futures are putting pressure on out-of-work mill employees suffering the after-effects of last month's deadly workplace blast, says Burns Lake Indian Band Chief Al Gerow.

Gerow and five other area First Nations chiefs presented Jobs Minister Pat Bell with a plan Friday to help rebuild the Babine Forests Products mill.

Two workers died and 19 others were injured in last month's unexplained explosion that levelled the north-central B.C. mill, putting 250 people out of work indefinitely.

Hampton Affiliates, the Oregon-based owners of the mill, said they have yet to decide whether to reopen the mill, but have indicated the lack of a guaranteed timber supply in the area is one of their concerns.

The chiefs asked Bell to award the First Nations the rights to 1.1 million cubic metres of available area timber to ensure there's wood to supply a new mill.

"We cannot afford to wait six months, 12 months or even 18 months," said Gerow.

"This needs to happen now so that we can begin planning a new sawmill for Babine Forest Products Company," said a support letter the chiefs circulated in Burns Lake and planned to present to Bell.

The First Nations want Bell to allocate the timber for the next 15 to 20 years.

"In the Lakes Timber Supply Area, there's a two million (cubic metres) annual allowable cut that's set for harvesting," said Gerow. "Presently, there are 900,000 cubic metres in forest licences that have been issued to different businesses, and so that leaves about 1.1 million that's unallocated."

Gerow and the chiefs want Bell to grant them the rights to that timber to provide a "stable fibre supply to Hampton."

He said the community needs to move quickly to rebuild the mill as the shock of the explosion begins to wear off on workers and other Burns Lake residents.

But Bell was taking a slower approach.

He said after the Friday meeting that participants agreed it was too early to talk about a specific timber-supply volume. What must come first, said Bell, is a timber-supply analysis in the region.

That analysis would take between six and eight weeks, he said.

"We did agree, though, that the First Nations would play a key role in any incremental tenure that's associated if the Hampton mill attempts to rebuild," he said.

"In our meetings with Hampton, clearly, the timber supply security is a key issue.

"I think Hampton is keenly interested in working with First Nations to acquire that tenure and have the security of supply that will be necessary. And certainly, we agree with that."

Gerow said he was at a breakfast meeting with mill workers recently where he heard them raising desperate concerns about missing mortgage payments and putting food on the table.

Despite massive community relief efforts that include the donation of a truckload of food to the local food bank by grocery store Overwaitea, sped up Employment Insurance and WorkSafe BC injury claims, workers are beginning to worry, said Gerow.

"They're asking how do we pay for our rent? How do we pay our bills? How do we get food for our families?" he said in an interview.

Mill worker John Ruffell, a saw filer with almost 40 years experience at Babine Forest Products, said he hasn't heard deep concerns from workers, but he's fearful for the future of some of his younger co-workers.

Ruffell, 54, his mortgage paid and wife working, said he is confident he can ride out the situation, but it may be tough on young families.

"There's lots of younger guys out there who have mortgages, truck payments and kids," he said. "I know if this was 15 years ago, I'd have been a lot more panicky."

Steelworkers spokesman Steve Hunt said fear and confusion reigns in Burns Lake as people attempt to deal with physical and emotional injuries connected to the explosion.

"People are terrified up there over what the future holds," he said. "I don't think there's a person in town that's not affected."

To settle some of those fears, a jobs fair was held in the community Friday, said Bell.

Attending the event were 25 different companies offering 1,307 jobs for labourers, skilled trades persons and even managers.

The majority of those jobs were within an hour's drive of Burns Lake and in communities like Houston or Vanderhoof.

During a separate meeting with municipal officials, Bell said the province agreed to do a detailed analysis on transportation assistance and it will now try to find funding.

Bell also said there are jobs available with the forest service as part of a program to clean up areas impacted by a massive forest fire two years ago in an effort to reduce the risk of a future fire.

"There is funding available for that and we committed to work with them on that," he said.

The first application to put cameras in the court during hearings for suspects in Vancouver's Stanley Cup riot appears to be heading for failure.

Provincial Court Judge Malcolm MacLean said Friday he had concerns about the technology, the costs, the safety of the court and the chilling effect the cameras may have on witnesses.

MacLean peppered Crown lawyer Trevor Shaw with questions throughout the hearing about the impact of the cameras.

"The problem I have is lack of information," he said. "I think it's not fair to ask the court to speculate on these things."

MacLean said he had difficulty making such a decision without the help of an amicus, or a lawyer appointed to act in the assistance of the court.

The judge will deliver his decision on the issue on Monday.

No matter what he decides, MacLean said he doesn't want the sentencing hearing for admitted rioter Ryan Dickinson to be held up on Tuesday.

Dickinson, who is in custody, appeared in court with a dark bruise under his left eye and wore a prison-issued red T-shirt and pants.

His lawyer, Greg DelBigio, told the court there was a perception that his client was being singled out by politicians such as Premier Christy Clark and Attorney General Shirley Bond.

"There is a very strong political motive for the broadcast application," he told the judge. "It undermines the appearance of fairness."

Dickinson pleaded guilty to participating in the June 15 riot and to breach of recognizance related to a previous assault charge.

MacLean also voiced concerns about witnesses wanting to come to the court to speak in favour of Dickinson when they have to face a camera.

"I can imagine it's tough enough to get character witnesses without broadcast and rebroadcast. Is that not just a bit chilling on witnesses," he wondered.

Shaw told the court the riot was of great notoriety and the broadcast of the hearing would have broad public interest.

"It's exactly the type of circumstance where the most benefit will be derived from such a broadcast."

The rioters tore through the city June 15 last year, smashing windows, looting and burning after the Vancouver Canucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Bruins.

In the days after the riot, Clark vowed rioters would face justice and said the government would ask the courts to broadcast the hearings of those expected to be charged.

The Crown has approved 129 criminal charges against 47 accused rioters, and Vancouver police say many more charges are coming.

MacLean said he could see the entire process getting bogged down if there are hundreds of applications to broadcast moving through the provincial court.

The Crown Lawyers Association also had representation at the hearing, asking that the court make sure prosecutors weren't shown during the broadcasts.

The association's lawyer, Richard Peck, said there was an alarming trend in the last decade of increased violence toward prosecutors around the world, in Canada and in B.C.

MacLean admitted the issue of security wasn't an issue he had considered until Peck's argument and he wondered about the safety of other workers in the court if they're shown on broadcasts.

"At the end of the day we leave this courthouse and we live in the community," he added.

Note to readers: This is a corrected version. A previous story incorrectly spelled Greg DelBigio's name.

PITT MEADOWS, B.C. - A teenaged boy who posted images on the Internet of a 16-year-old girl being gang raped in Pitt Meadows, B.C., has been sentenced to 12 months' probation.

A provincial court judge has also ordered the boy to write an apology to the victim and compose an essay on the pros and cons of social media in connection with the September 2010 incident east of Vancouver.

The youth was initially charged with making and distributing child pornography and distributing obscene material, but pleaded guilty to the latter charge last December.

Mounties have said the girl was drugged and repeatedly raped during a rave at a rural property, where onlookers snapped photos and later posted them to Facebook.

Colton Ashton McMorris was charged with sexual assault and Dennis John Allen Warrington was charged with making and distributing child pornography and both have yet to go to trial.

Police have said as many as 12 people saw what happened but that a code of silence among witnesses prevented them from coming forward. (CKNW, The Canadian Press)

A mountie in Nanaimo faces assault charges stemming from an incident inside the detachment in August of last year.

The charge alleges Cst. Derek Brown used excessive force during the fingerprinting process of a 47-year-old woman.

Police say the woman was not injured during the altercation and did not require medical attention.

The incident was reported by another RCMP member.

An RCMP Internal Code of Conduct and Criminal Code investigations were conducted.

Police officers are not above the law," says Nanaimo RCMP Supt. Norm McPhail.

"Where there are allegations of excessive force, those allegations will be investigated and the police officer will have to account for the level of force used."

A charge of Assault was sworn against Brown on February 6.

Brown remains on administrative duty pending the outcome of both the criminal and internal processes.
 

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Radio Station Wolf FM supplied this photo of the aftermath of an accident between a tractor trailer and an SUV collided on Highway 97 near McLeese Lake, which is located between Quesnel, B.C., and Williams Lake, B.C., on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ho, Wolf FM

A newspaper employee and his family travelling to Vancouver to fulfil a lifelong dream to see an international tennis match were killed in a blazing crash with a semi-trailer, says a colleague of the man.

Colleen Sparrow, interim publisher of The Prince George Citizen, said in an article on the paper's website the dead are Matt Altizer, 40, his wife Leah, their two children, Jonathan, a Grade 8 student, Emily, in Grade 6, and adult family member Heather Kress.

Matt worked with the newspaper as an information-technology specialist, generating ideas and solving problems, Sparrow said in a separate interview, and Leah worked with the local school district.

She said the entire community has suffered a great loss.

"I often will say that, you know, everyone is replaceable, but I don't know that this guys is," she said. "His presence will absolutely be missed, not only on a professional level, but again for me a friendship level."

"Our team is suffering and so is his family. They're a very tight-knit family. His family and Leah's family and friends are very close."

The family was on its way to Vancouver to fulfil a lifelong dream of Altizer, a huge tennis enthusiast: attending a Davis Cup international match. Canada plays France in Vancouver this weekend.

RCMP confirmed five died in the crash.

The Thursday-morning collision outside the small community of McLeese Lake, located between Quesnel, B.C., and Williams Lake, B.C., killed everyone in the Altizer SUV and sparked an intense blaze that reduced both vehicles to shells after burning for hours.

"We do know that the SUV crossed the centre line and collided with the semi," RCMP Corp. Madonna Saunderson. "The crash resulted in a fire, we're not sure what sparked the fire. We do know that both vehicles were engulfed in flames."

She said the driver of the tractor trailer was taken to a hospital in Williams Lake as a precaution, but was not injured.

The roads were bare, the sky, cloudy and overcast, but Saunderson said police don't know why the SUV crossed the centre line.

Saunderson said an independent witness who was driving behind the SUV said there was no indication the driver of the SUV was driving erratically or irresponsibly.

"For whatever reasons that are unknown and probably won't be known, it (the SUV) crossed right over into the semi," she said.

Greg Foster, a local pub owner who is among a group of people trying to organize a volunteer fire department in McLeese Lake, said he heard about the crash while listening to a police scanner.

Foster said he jumped in his vehicle and drove to the scene, arriving at around 9:30 a.m., but he said emergency officials may have taken as long as 40 minutes to get there because the tiny town of 300 has no RCMP detachment or volunteer fire department.

He said debris was spread over an area of 55 to 65 metres, the semi was sprawled half onto the north-bound lane and half into a ditch and the SUV was invisible, either trapped under the semi or in front of the semi and out of view.

"The trailer had burned up," he said. "The truck was still on fire at that time, and like I say, the materials and that kind of stuff were just (scattered) all over the highway."

The air reeked of the smell of burning oil and tires, he added.

After spending some time on scene, Foster went to an area where the community keeps a fire truck, even though it doesn't yet have a volunteer fire department, he said.

The vehicle was snowed in and inaccessible, a fact he reported to police.

Foster said he returned to the crash scene about three hours later and the vehicles were still smoldering.

He said he didn't see any survivors but talked to a truck driver who was in the waiting line of traffic, and she told him the driver of the crashed truck was taken away from the scene in an ambulance.

Less fortunate were the occupants of the SUV, said Foster.

"There would have been no way they could have gotten out of that situation," he said.

Another crash occurred nearby three years ago, when a pickup truck and semi collided, killing two.

Foster said he's lived in the community for years and has never seen anything as bad as he saw Thursday.

"This is definitely the worst scene."

Barbara McClintock, a spokeswoman for the BC Coroners Service, said a coroner is in McLeese Lake, and there will be an investigation.

Because the fire was so hot and so large and took so long to get under control, there are "problems with the scene," she said, and the coroners service will have to meet with police to decide the next course of action.

Sparrow said she heard about the crash during the day, and one coworker even texted Altizer to see if he was OK.

When she heard about the deaths, Sparrow said she was in a state of disbelief, in part because the two had worked together for years.

She said Altizer started his career at the paper in graphic design, while she began on the clerical side of the business.

Once Sparrow regained her composure, she said she called workers together, closed the paper's doors -- it was almost 5 p.m. -- and explained the situation.

The physical reaction of workers was shock and disbelief.

"He's a huge loss for us, not only because of his friendship, his compassion, the gentle soul, and amazing guy that he was, but, you know, he's ... glue in our building. So we're suffering a huge loss."

She said Altizer was a tennis enthusiast who designed a portable tennis net that could be removed from city courts when the weather turned bad and is now installed at the nearby university.

Sparrow said she worked with Leah on handing out scholarships the newspaper offers to employees and newspaper carriers.

"She would present all the potential (scholarships) and we would select them. Great lady."

"The citizen is a strong team and family. We're going to bond together and get through this and it's not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination but together we will all make it through this and be there for each other."

Earlier this week, a crash between a passenger van and a flat-bed truck killed 11 in Hampstead, Ont.

- by Keven Drews in Vancouver

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Radio Station Wolf FM supplied this photo of the aftermath of an accident between a tractor trailer and an SUV collided on Highway 97 near McLeese Lake, which is located between Quesnel, B.C., and Williams Lake, B.C., on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ho-Wolf FM

A newspaper employee and his family travelling to Vancouver to fulfill a lifelong dream to see an international tennis match were killed in a blazing crash with a semi-trailer, say colleagues of the man.

Colleen Sparrow, interim publisher of The Prince George Citizen, said in an article on the paper's website the dead are Matt Altizer, 40, his wife Leah and their two children, Jonathan, a Grade 8 student and Emily, a Grade 6 student.

Altizer worked with the newspaper as a systems manager, Sparrow said, adding the entire community has suffered a great loss.

"I know that I speak for everyone here at The Citizen, and across Glacier Media, when I say that we have not only lost a colleague but a great friend today," she said.

"He is someone who was dear to all of us. Matt was a kind and gentle man who would go out of his way to help anyone, and patience was his hallmark.

"We grieve over the loss of Matt and his family in this difficult time."

Family members were on their way to Vancouver to fulfill a lifelong dream of Altizer, a huge tennis enthusiast: attending a Davis Cup international match. Canada plays France in Vancouver this weekend.

RCMP said five died in the crash. It's unclear who the fifth victim is.

The collision outside the small central British Columbia community killed five people and sparked an intense blaze that reduced both vehicles to shells after burning for hours.

RCMP Corp. Madonna Saunderson said the crash Thursday morning was on a rural stretch of Highway 97 north of McCleese Lake, which is located between Quesnel and Williams Lake.

"We do know that the SUV crossed the centre line and collided with the semi," said Saunderson. "The crash resulted in a fire, we're not sure what sparked the fire. We do know that both vehicles were engulfed in flames."

She said all five occupants of the SUV were killed on impact, and the driver of the tractor trailer was taken to a hospital in Williams Lake, B.C., out of precaution but was not injured.

The roads were bare, the sky, cloudy and overcast, but Saunderson said police don't know the cause of the crash.

Saunderson said an independent witness who was driving behind the SUV said there was no indication the driver of the SUV was driving erratically or irresponsibly.

"For whatever reasons that aren't unknown and probably won't be known, it (the SUV) crossed right over into the semi," she said.

Greg Foster, a local pub owner who is among a group of people trying to organize a volunteer fire department in McCleese Lake, said he heard about the crash while listening to a police scanner.

Foster said he jumped in his vehicle and drove to the scene, arriving at around 9:30 a.m., but he said emergency officials may have taken as long as 40 minutes to get there because the tiny town of 300 has no RCMP detachment or volunteer fire department.

He said junk was spread over an area of 55 to 65 metres, the semi was sprawled half onto the north-bound lane and half into a ditch and the SUV was invisible, either trapped under the semi or in front of the semi and out of view of passersby, said Foster.

"The trailer had burned up," he said. "The truck was still on fire at that time, and like I say, the materials and that kind of stuff were just (scattered) all over the highway."

The air reeked of the smell of burning oil and tires, he added.

After spending some time on scene, Foster went to an area where the community keeps a fire truck, even though it doesn't yet have a volunteer fire department, he said.

The vehicle was snowed in and inaccessible, a fact he reported to police.

Foster said he returned to the crash scene about three hours later and the vehicles were still smoldering.

He said he didn't see any survivors but talked to a truck driver who was in the waiting line of traffic and she told him the driver of the crashed truck was taken away from the scene in an ambulance.

Less fortunate were the occupants of the SUV, said Foster.

"There would have been no way they could have gotten out of that situation," he said.

Another crash occurred there years ago, when a pickup truck and semi collided, killing two.

Foster said he's lived in the community for years and has never seen anything as bad as he saw Thursday.

"This is definitely the worst scene."

Barbara McClintock, a spokeswoman for the BC Coroners Service are in McCleese Lake, and there will be a coroners investigation.

Because the fire was so hot and so large and took so long to get under control, there are "problems with the scene," she said, and the coroners service will have to meet with police to decide their next course of action.

Earlier this week, a crash between a passenger van and a flat-bed truck killed 11 in Hampstead, Ont.

Earlier this week, a crash between a passenger van and a flat-bed truck killed 11 in Hampstead, Ont.

- by Keven Drews in Vancouver

The B.C. government has appointed a fact finder to determine whether a negotiated settlement can be reached between the teachers' union and the province's bargaining agent.

Assistant deputy labour minister Trevor Hughes will meet with the teachers' federation and the B.C. Public School Employers' Association over the next two weeks and provide a report to Labour Minister Margaret MacDiarmid by Feb. 23.

Education Minister George Abbott has not ruled out a legislated end to the stalemate, and said Thursday that the two sides are oceans apart after 11 months of collective bargaining.

"I have grown increasingly pessimistic about the outcome of those discussions," he said.

Abbott said he's concerned about the possible loss of an entire academic year, particularly for vulnerable students, and the wear and tear on principals, vice-principals and superintendents as the dispute drags on.

Teachers are asking for a 15 per cent wage increase over three years but Abbott has said that won't happen because of the government's net-zero wage policy.

He said he spoke with B.C. Teachers' Federation president Susan Lambert on Monday and she said the union wouldn't budge from its position.

"This is not an acceptable situation for me," Abbott said. "It has to find a remedy one way or another in the relatively near future."

Lambert said in an interview Thursday that the government should have hired an independent person to conduct the review.

"I'm concerned that there's a predetermined outcome to this action," she said of Hughes' appointment.

"The government hasn't shifted from its position at all, not since the get-go of these negotiations," she said.

"Why are they afraid of putting a mediator into the process?"

But Abbott said the two sides are too far apart for a mediator to get involved.

As part of their limited strike action, teachers have not written report cards all year and are refusing to do administrative duties.

A senior Mountie has been reprimanded and will lose 10 days pay for having a sexual relationship with a fellow officer, but the head of an RCMP disciplinary panel suggested he could have faced much worse.

In his ruling, Supt. John Reid says that for unknown reasons, Staff Sgt. Travis Pearson did not face disciplinary action for abuse of authority, sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexual discrimination and lying to a superior officer.

"If this board were to sanction Staff Sgt. Pearson for totality of his conduct over the period in question there would be no hesitation to demote him to the rank of corporal," Reid said while making his ruling.

But Reid repeatedly said he didn't have the more serious allegations in front of him, so "it would be contrary to the principles of natural justice" to use them as factors in determining Pearson's punishment.

Assistant Commissioner Craig Callens, the top Mountie responsible for British Columbia, said he can't comment on why more serious charges weren't levelled against Pearson.

"Decisions were made at the time based on a number of factors which would have included the information he had before him, legal advice, provisions in the RCMP Act, and precedents," he said in a statement.

He also said whether he wanted to or not, he was not able to add to the charges against Pearson because the one-year time limit for mounting such charges had passed by the time he was appointed to his job late last year.

During a lengthy hearing last year, the three-person RCMP disciplinary panel heard Pearson engaged in an affair with Const. Susan Gastaldo, which included having sex in a police car during work hours and exchanging intimate messages over an RCMP BlackBerry.

Both officers were found guilty of the offences.

Gastaldo had claimed that Pearson had used her fragile mental state to coerce her into the affair.

In a civil lawsuit, Gastaldo claims she suffered a number of traumatic and violent incidents as part of her job and developed an anxiety disorder which Pearson, as her supervisor, was aware of.

She eventually took a medical leave, and Pearson promised her an easy transition when she returned to work and also assured her he could arrange a schedule for her that would accommodate her childcare concerns.

Gastaldo claimed in her lawsuit that Pearson persisted in contacting her while she was on medical leave, ostensibly to discuss her eventual return to work. Instead, her suit claims that he used his position to eventually manipulate her into an affair. At one point, he raped her, her suit claims.

The suit was filed last August and was amended on Jan. 20. A statement of defence from Pearson was not available in the online court files.

The discipline panel concluded the affair was consensual.

But Reid said it's clear Pearson abused his authority.

"The abuse of authority was taking those meaningful meetings and turning them into a personal relationship, once again abuse of authority was never alleged by the appropriate officer."

The loss of 10 days pay for Pearson will amount to about $3,900.

But Reid said the panel was gravely concerned that when Pearson was confronted by a superior officer about his conduct, Pearson replied "it was simply flirting."

Pearson has two weeks to appeal.

Gastaldo will receive the panel's decision on her conduct in two weeks.

Callens said in his statement he is reviewing active files to "determine if the allegations and sanctions being sought are consistent with my view and expectations regarding member conduct and discipline."

"Going forward, I have been clear that accountability is my top priority."

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - As many as five people have been killed in a highway crash in central B.C.

The RCMP say the collision involved a tractor trailer and a passenger van on Highway 97 near McLeese Lake.

The van is said to have crossed the centre line of the road and was struck by the truck.

All the victims were in the van. (CKWL,CKIZ,Global-TV)

VANCOUVER - The B.C. government has appointed a fact finder to find out whether a negotiated settlement can be reached between the teachers' union and the province's bargaining agent.

Assistant deputy labour minister Trevor Hughes will meet with Teachers Federations and the Public School Employers' Association over the next two weeks and provide a report to Labour Minister Margaret MacDiarmid by Feb. 23.

MacDiarmid is encouraging the union and the employers to reach a resolution to the dispute that has dragged on since last September.

Education Minister George Abbott has not ruled out a legislated end to the stalemate.

Teachers are asking for a 15 per cent wage increase but Abbott has said that won't happen because of the government's net-zero wage policy.

As part of their limited strike action, teachers have not written report cards all year and are refusing to do administrative duties.

A mountie in Nanaimo faces assault charges stemming from an incident inside the detachment back in August of last year.

The charge alleges Cst. Derek Brown used excessive force during the fingerprinting process of a 47-year-old woman.

Police say the woman was not injured during the altercation and did not require medical attention.

The incident was reported by another RCMP member.

An RCMP Internal Code of Conduct and Criminal Code investigations were conducted.

"Police officers are not above the law," says Nanaimo RCMP Supt. Norm McPhail.

"Where there are allegations of excessive force, those allegations will be investigated and the police officer will have to account for the level of force used."

A charge of Assault was sworn against Brown on February 6.

Brown remains on administrative duty pending the outcome of both the criminal and internal processes.
 

If British Columbia's crime rate and legal case loads are going down, why are court delays and costs going up?

The question has prompted a wholesale review of the provincial justice system, a system a B.C. top judge has already warned is in peril because of lack of funding.

Critics say the time for study is long over, and that Premier Christy Clark's announcement Wednesday to review the crisis is "a bit like asking the corpse to sing."

Clark said Wednesday she expected the review might set off some criticism.

"In this case, we are not going to close our eyes and decide it's only money that is the problem," the premier told reporters after she announced the study.

The number of new provincial court cases going into the system, both for adult and youth, is down and figures show B.C.'s crime rate has dropped by 33 per cent over six years. Yet spending is increasing every year.

"We need to get to the bottom of that."

On Tuesday, the B.C. government announced the appointment of nine new judges to the provincial court, but that still doesn't bring the number of judges back to the 2005 level.

Several provincial court judges have been especially critical of lack of government funding for new judges in their rulings.

A convicted cocaine dealer, a man accused of killing a little boy's puppy and many others have walked free because their cases took too long to get to trial.

Last year, 109 cases were stayed because of court delays, almost double the number in 2010.

Government statistics also found there are about 2,500 criminal cases that have been before the provincial court for 18 months or more.

Further slowing the system is unprecedented job action by B.C.'s Trial Lawyers Association over what it says is a lack of funding for legal aid.

Escalating job action is planned through to April in dozens of provincial courts. The trial lawyers are angry that the provincial government collects a tax on lawyers fees meant for legal aid, yet the money goes into general revenue.

Attorney General Shirley Bond, whose new job as justice minister was also announced along with the review, said that wouldn't change.

"Let's be clear about that. The tax was created in the 1990s and never has it been a dedicated tax," she said, adding B.C. spends almost $70 million a year on legal aid.

Bond will be freed of responsibilities for the Insurance Corporation of B.C., gaming and liquor to allow her to focus more on the newly-created Justice Ministry. She remains attorney general.

The government has asked Geoffrey Cowper to conduct the study and to get back to government by July.

Cowper is the former head of the Legal Services Society, the group that administers legal aid services in the province.

He will use for guidance a paper issued Wednesday by the government outlining many of the problems and suggesting areas for reform, such as addressing case management of files for Crown and judges and improving legal representation for an accused.

Bond has also asked Alberta lawyer Gary McCuaig to review of B.C.'s charge-approval process, which could mean a change of the charge process that currently sees police recommend criminal charges to the Crown and the Crown having the final say on whether charges are laid.

New Democrat Opposition Leader Adrian Dix said the Liberal government has promised reforms and conducted reviews dating back to 2007, yet nothing has been done and now the system is in crisis.

"Unfortunately, this is a government that is bereft of leadership on these questions at a time when we need better."

What we need are to put in place measures, not more reviews on top of reviews, Dix said.

NDP justice critic Leonard Krog believes the Liberal government's 40-per-cent cut to legal aid back in 2001 started a large part of the problem and funding still isn't back up to that level.

"And to turn to the Legal Service Society and now say 'Find efficiencies' is a bit like asking the corpse to sing," he said. "It is totally unrealistic to ask for further efficiencies from the Legal Services Society, just as it is to ask the Crown to do a better job when you cut the number of prosecutors."

B.C.'s top judges issued a joint news release in response to the announced review, saying suggestions for improvements to the system merit serious consideration.

Chief Justice Land Finch, Chief Justice Robert Bauman and Chief Judge Thomas Crabtree cautioned that the system works under a constitutional framework.

"That framework places certain responsibilities on the participants and is founded on an independent judiciary," the statement said.

Last November, Bauman said in a speech to the Canadian Bar Association that the justice system is threatened, if not in peril, and is slowly being eroded by a lack of funding.

Premier Christy Clark is launching a sweeping reviewing of British Columbia's justice system that includes shaking up government ministries with the goal of clearing up court backlogs and delays.

Clark says systemic changes are needed in B.C.'s justice system when crime rates are dropping but court delays and costs are increasing.

Clark appointed Geoffrey Cowper, the former head of the organization that provides legal aid in British Columbia, to undertake the review and report back to government by July.

The premier says the review includes consultations with the judiciary, Crown counsel, lawyers, police and others to improvement and modernize the justice system and to ensure timely access.

As well, Clark says she's adjusted the workload for Shirley Bond, who has been serving as attorney general, solicitor general and public safety minister.

Bond will now serve as Attorney General and as minister for the newly created Justice Ministry, while other parts of her former job such as responsibility for gaming and for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia are moved to other ministers.

Emergency officials in Coquitlam have been forced to evacuate several residences and businesses following a gas leak.

Staff Sgt. Mark McCutcheon of the Coquitlam RCMP says the leak occurred Tuesday afternoon after an excavator hit a gas line.

He says the leak has impacted several city blocks, and emergency officials have been forced to close one major road.

McCutcheon says police are helping fire officials with traffic control, and the road will likely be closed for several hours.

Translink spokesman Drew Snider says busses have been rerouted around the area, and the transit service has cancelled 16 stops on the effected road.

A teenager from Trail faces almost four dozen charges including child luring, extortion, uttering threats and invitation to sexual touching.

RCMP allege the 17-year-old male targeted children ranging in age from 10 to 14 on social media sites.

Police say the charges are a result of an ongoing investigation into inappropriate behaviour by the suspect in connection to children who live in the Trial area.

They allege the teen - who can't be named - communicated with the children for the purpose of having them perform sex acts over their web cameras and to arrange face-to-face meetings.

The allegations span a period of time between June of 2009 and November last year.

The teenager is set to appear in court on Thursday and police say more charges may be laid against the young man.

A man has been rushed to hospital after an early-moning shooting in Metro Vancouver.

Surrey RCMP Cpl. Drew Grainger says the man, in his late 20s, was shot several times in the upper body as he stepped out of his rental car.

The incident happened in a residential area of Surrey just before 7 a.m.

Investigators at the scene haven't released the name of the victim but say he is well known to them and has links to the drug trade.

They also say the lone gunman fled in the man's rental car, a blue, 2012 Hyundai Elantra with B.C. licence plate 147 PFM.

Two men died and another was critically wounded in separate gang-related shootings in Metro Vancouver, last month. (CKNW, News1130)