News

Loge your complaint: Some Winnipeg NHL fans upset with new obstructed views

WINNIPEG — Ron Wersch got a surprise when he walked up to his usual seat for the first NHL exhibition game in Winnipeg this season: a wall of Plexiglas and metal to his front and side that blocks his view of a good portion of the ice.

"In my wildest dreams, I never imagined it would be this bad. Never, ever," Wersch said Thursday.

He is one of many Winnipeg Jets fans who have found their view of the ice obstructed this year thanks to a new section of pricier loge seats that has been added to the upper deck.

Wersch's two season tickets used to be in the front row of the upper deck, with Plexiglas in front of him. Now, there are loge seats in front of him, a staircase beside him, and thick metal rails to keep everything in place.

He can't see one of the faceoff circles and he has to lean forward to see the net closest to him. That creates tension with people behind him, who then have to lean forward to see past him.

"We start a domino effect going up behind us. If we lean forward, now we're obstructing the people's view behind us."

True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Jets and the 15,000-seat MTS Centre, didn't advise fans that their views were going to be obstructed, according to Wersch and several other fans who took to social media to vent their frustration.

A True North spokesman said fewer than 200 seats have had their sightlines directly affected by the renovations, and efforts are underway to address concerns, although he would offer no details.

"We are now in a better position to identify the location of those seats whose sightlines have been negatively impacted by the addition of the loge seating," Scott Brown wrote in an email after declining an interview request.

"We are currently reviewing the specific locations and are working on a plan to address the concerns. As you might appreciate, a number of factors must be taken into consideration as we navigate next steps, including compliance with building codes to ensure the safety of our customers."

Given that Jets games sell out, it's unlikely that Wersch and other fans can be moved to different seats.

Uunless the guard rails, stairs and Plexiglas can be removed, Wersch feels the only option is a partial refund on his tickets.

Prices in the upper deck start at about $80 a game, although season-ticket holders get a discount. The loge seats run about $100 more.

"You pay based on your location in the arena. And now that the location is the same — but the view is dramatically affected — I'm not sure how they cannot say, 'Well, we're going to offer you a discounted price.'"

 

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press

Eleven days in, Canada’s veteran ‘keeper LeBlanc “doing good” in retirement

TORONTO — The moment every athlete dreads came just 11 days ago for Karina LeBlanc, when she walked off the pitch as a player for the last time.

The 35-year-old from Maple Ridge, B.C., officially retired when her Chicago Red Stars were eliminated in the semifinals of the National Women's Soccer League semifinals, and said Thursday, so far so good.

"You never know how you're going to handle it, you never know what it's going to feel like. I know I'm doing well now, But I know there will be moments when it won't be easy," LeBlanc said. 

The veteran goalkeeper was in Toronto for the Canadian Olympic Committee's announcement of Game Plan, an initiative to help athletes transition through to successful post-athletic careers. LeBlanc, who made her debut for Canada at 18, also had meetings scheduled for potential work — including in broadcasting — while in Toronto, and also in New York.

"I think it's like with any athlete, you just want to do the next steps," she said. "Trying to figure out the next step, but at the same time I'm excited about what's next, because I was able to prepare a bit. It wasn't an injury that pushed me out, or I didn't go because I wasn't good enough, and as an athlete I think that's a big thing too, I left feeling good enough.

"That's huge. I know so many of my colleagues have had different ways of exiting."

LeBlanc, who played in two Olympics, retired from the international game at what would be her fifth World Cup last summer in Vancouver, announcing her plans prior to Canada's opening game. Canada was ousted in the quarter-finals by England.

"It's been bittersweet. . .Getting to that last lap in Vancouver on home soil and doing it front of the Canadians, it was what I always wanted. I wanted it in the final, but it was emotional. It's hard as an athlete to say this, but I was actually proud," she said.

"Then I went to Chicago and ended my professional career. It's interesting because exactly what Game Plan is about, that preparation, I think I've had some time to prepare. I'm a week out, and I'm doing good."

LeBlanc has done sideline commentary work for Fox TV. She's also done a great deal of work with young players.  

"It goes back to the greater purpose, I want to impact for the positive, and I think that's my clear vision," she said of her future. "Hopefully that's on television, and I get to express myself on camera, which I kind of like.

"But it's also even a bigger purpose and bigger picture. The future athletes who are going to retire, the future generation, the young kids, that's still a huge passion of mine. And I don't want to leave that. Literally every day I wake up ready to be inspired by something new and it's not just going to be one thing now. The world is my oyster, and it sounds like such a huge cliche, but that's really my mentality, I'm thinking 'Wow, it's going to be exciting.'"

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press

U-17 ticket packages 90 per cent sold

A look at some of the charges in absentia that Mounties have laid in 2015

CALGARY — RCMP in Alberta have laid terrorism charges in absentia against a Calgary man they believe has gone overseas to fight with the Islamic State. Here's a look as some other absentia charges the RCMP have laid this year.

Ahma Waseem: The 27-year-old from Windsor, Ont., was charged in June with facilitating a terrorist activity, participating in terrorist activity and leaving Canada to participate in the activities of a terrorist group. RCMP allege he used a reported lost passport to travel to Syria in November 2013 to fight for the Islamic State. There have been reports he died while fighting in Syria, but the RCMP have been unable to confirm the information.

George Salloum: The former Syrian military intelligence officer believed to be in his mid fifties, was charged in February with the torture of Canadian Maher Arar. Arar gave false confessions under torture in Syria about supposed involvement with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. A federal inquiry later concluded that the faulty information the RCMP passed to the United States very probably led to Arar's ordeal.

Khadar Khalib: The 23-year-old from Ottawa was charged in February with leaving Canada to participate in a terrorist group, participating in terrorist activity and counselling a person to participate in terrorist activity. RCMP allege he travelled to Syria in March 2014 to join the Islamic State. 

John Douglas Maguire: The 24-year-old from Ottawa was also charged in February with the same offences, as well as with facilitating an activity for a terrorist group. RCMP allege he travelled to Turkey in December 2012. There have been reports of his death, but RCMP say they can't confirm it. Maguire gained notoriety last year when he appeared in an extremist recruiting video that urged Muslims to launch attacks against Canadians.

The Canadian Press

Tourism business seminars just around the corner in October

B.C. childrens’ advocate says she was deceived about teen who died in care

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — British Columbia's representative for children says her trust in the provincial government has been shaken after she claims she was misled into believing that no children in care were being housed in hotels.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond issued a sharp rebuke following the death of 18-year-old Alex Gervais, a First Nations teen in care who was killed after falling from the fourth-floor window of an Abbotsford hotel last Friday.

Turpel-Lafond says Gervais had been living in a hotel for about two months after the province shut down the group home where he was living over safety concerns.

She says Gervais moved 16 times before taking up residence in the hotel.

Turpel-Lafond says the young man was in distress and may have taken his own life.

Abbotsford police say they don't suspect foul play in the death.

Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux has issued a statement saying information recently brought to light has caused her great concern but she declined to comment on specific cases.

The Canadian Press

Delay in approval of settlement fund for victims of Lac-Megantic rail disaster

PORTLAND, Maine — Final approval of a massive settlement for victims of the 2013 train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Que., has been delayed.

The delay is to provide time for the only party that's opposed to the fund to either join in the settlement or negotiate terms to withdraw its objection.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge ordered the parties Thursday to reconvene Oct. 5, and Robert Keach, the court-appointed monitor for Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway's bankruptcy proceedings in the United States, is confident the settlement will be confirmed.

MMA is the railway that was at the heart of the disaster that killed 47 people when a runaway train with 72 oil tankers derailed on July 6, 2013 and wiped out much of downtown Lac-Megantic.

Keach said the settlement was worth $450 million as of Wednesday but that the figure would fluctuate over the next few weeks.

The agreement was the issue of negotiations with about two dozen companies.

The only party with potential liability that declined to participate is Canadian Pacific, which contends it wasn't treated fairly under the deal.

At a court hearing in Canada earlier this year, a lawyer for CP said the disaster did not involve the company's tracks, rail cars, products or employees.

MMA, train driver Tom Harding, railway traffic controller Richard Labrie and Jean Demaitre, the manager of train operations, have all been charged with 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death.

Harding's lawyer has said he doesn't expect a trial to begin before the fall of 2016.

The case is proceeding under a preferred indictment, with no preliminary hearing.

A charge of criminal negligence carries a maximum sentence of life in prison upon conviction.

The charges were laid in May 2014 following a Quebec provincial police investigation into the derailment.

 

The Associated Press

Alberta Premier Notley wants to see at least one ‘drama-free’ pipeline project

CALGARY — Alberta's premier says she wants at least one new "drama-free" pipeline built that will carry the province's oil to new markets.

Rachel Notley told delegates to an Alberta Urban Municipalities Association convention on Thursday that she plans to achieve that through ongoing discussions with British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

It is essential for Alberta, with its reliance on resource revenue, to get access to overseas customers, she said.

Canada's premiers signed a Canadian Energy Strategy in July to get energy products to global buyers.

"This ... strategy will also help ... as we address a key challenge facing the energy industry in this province, which is the need to improve our access to new world markets, which means essentially getting at least one new pipeline built to tidewater," Notley told the association.

She later told reporters she has never suggested she is opposed to pipelines as a general rule, but has never advocated for the Keystone XL line through the United States, because there was little chance of influencing American decision-makers.

It also goes against the NDP's goal to keep domestic jobs.

"Keystone is about providing massive capacity to get bitumen to a competing refinery hub ... a refining hub that competes with any potential development that we could hope for here in Alberta or in Canada."

During a campaign stop in Iowa this week, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she opposed the controversial pipeline project.

The former secretary of state said she wanted to outline her position now after deciding the debate over the pipeline had become a distraction to larger efforts to fight climate change.

Notley said Alberta needs to prepare for renewed growth in the energy industry as prices improve, but only in tandem with greater efforts on the environment.

"It's long past due for the government of Alberta to clean up its environmental act.

"If we don't get it right on this issue, quite frankly, a solution is going to be imposed upon us sooner or later by others — by a federal government and/or our markets, which will increasingly insist that energy products that they buy be mined and processed responsibly."

With oil prices currently under US$50 a barrel, the Alberta government has faced criticism for moving forward with a royalty review even though rates wouldn't be affected until the end of next year.

Notley defended the move in her speech as necessary for the government to collect and save an "appropriate share" of Alberta's resource wealth.

"The royalty review is about modernizing and updating our system, so it fits our future energy industry instead of its past," she said.

"This review is about ensuring that as prices recover, we collect and begin to save an appropriate share of our own resource wealth in the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund for the future of our children and our grandchildren." 

Notley expects to have the review completed by the end of the year.

Follow @BillGraveland on Twitter

 

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

Canadian Kajan Johnson survives string of injuries, says he is stronger for it

TORONTO — UFC lightweight (Ragin') Kajan Johnson is a walking, talking advertisement for modern medicine. And perseverance.

The charismatic 31-year-old from Burns Lake, B.C., who fights out of Montreal, has survived a longterm shoulder problem, broken orbital bones and a shattered jaw among other injuries.

"My whole career has kind of like been up and down, and up and down. But I think that's how life is," said Johnson.

On Saturday, a healthy Johnson (20-12-1) takes on Japan's Naoyuki Kotani (33-12-7) at the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

Josh (The Warmaster) Barnett, ranked eighth among heavyweight contenders, faces No. 11 Roy (Big Country) Nelson in the main event of the televised card.

Johnson is coming off a unanimous decision over Zhang (The Warrior) Lipeng in May in Manila. Prior to that he was knocked out by Tae Hyun Bang at UFC 174 in June 2014 after appearing on "The Ultimate Fighter Nations" where fellow Canadian Chad Laprise broke his jaw in three places in the welterweight semifinal.

Johnson, who trains with Laprise at the renowned Tristar Gym, admits to being in "a really dark place" in 2012 after surgery to repair a second orbital injury. His facial injuries meant he couldn't be a doorman at a club or teach martial arts.

"I wasn't really able to sustain life," he said.

His mother begged him to come back to B.C. "But I knew if I left and I went to Burns Lake, I would probably never make it back here.

"I did what I had to do. Not all of it was good but I did what I had to do and I was able to stay in Montreal and continue learning and continue on my path."

Johnson did not fight for 11 months after UFC 174, his return to action slowed in part by a severe concussion. He would get headaches when he returned to training. He says he used the time to study his sport, to see who was doing what and what was working.

"I think it all happened for a reason," he said. "It all helped me to evolve at a very very very fast pace. So it's not like I changed my style, it's not like I changed the way I fought. It was like I grew very very fast in that year. And now I'm continuing to grow."

He was able to survive financially thanks to a US$50,000 fight of the night bonus.

The Zhang win that followed was vindication. "It definitely was. It felt amazing," he said.

While he continues to train at Tristar, Johnson has added to his routine. That includes spending time in a chamber that simulates the oxygen deprivation at 10,000 feet.

It's a far cry from when he began his pro fighting career in February 2002.

He also looks to meditation. And Johnson, who is one-eighth Blackfoot, has gone back to his native roots, taking part in traditional fasts in 2008 and in 2014 after the 2-14 loss to Bang.

The fasts are in the bush, with a small shelter called a hogan. "You sit there four days, four nights, no food, no water, no talking ... It's a very difficult experience."

The most challenging aspect, he says, is "being alone with your thoughts."

Johnson, who has also helped elders co-ordinate fasts for others, says he is in a good place these days.

"I'm in the light and I'm not going back to the dark."

In an interesting twist, Johnson and Kotani both excel in the kitchen as well as the cage. Johnson has a culinary school diploma while Kotani has studied to be a pastry chef.

"That's really cool," said Johnson who normally walks around at 180 pounds before cutting down to fight at 155.

 

Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

 

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

Provincial government proclaims this week as British Columbia Coaches Week

Steelhead LNG signs agreement with Höegh LNG and Bechtel for pre-FEED work on Malahat project

Habs Galchenyuk’s move to centre looking good so far with Eller and Semin

BROSSARD, Que. — When the Montreal Canadiens announced that Alex Galchenyuk will play centre this season, most assumed David Desharnais would be the one moved to left wing.

Not so. It was Lars Eller, the team's dependable third line pivot who has been a centre for nearly all his five seasons in Montreal, who was bumped to the wing on what coach Michel Therrien hopes will be a strong second line with Galchenyuk and new right-winger Alex Semin.

For the 26-year-old Dane, it must have felt like a promotion and a setback at the same time.

"I'm not going to go into what my feelings were at the time," Eller said Thursday. "All I'm going to say is I'm excited to be in this position and I think it can be really good.

"I've played wing before. The majority of time I've played centre but it's not unfamiliar territory for me."

The line that has been lighting it up in training camp scrimmages was scheduled to see its first pre-season action Thursday night against Washington.

The move makes sense all around and, if it works, the Canadiens may end up with a second consistent scoring threat behind the top unit of wingers Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher, with either with veteran Tomas Plekanec or Desharnais.

The Canadiens feel they are getting close to Stanley Cup contention with Hart and Vezina trophy winner Carey Price in goal and a solid defence led by P.K. Subban, Andrei Markov and Jeff Petry.

A weak spot was the attack, where they were 20th in the 30-team NHL in goals scored with 214 and 23rd on the power play at 16.5 per cent last season.

They addressed the power play by putting assistant coach Jean-Jacques Daigneault in charge, with help from new consultant Craig Ramsay, and moving Dan Lacroix to handle penalty killing.

Boosting the attack meant Galchenyuk moving to centre after spending most of his three NHL campaigns on left wing. The 21-year-old drafted third overall in 2012 has the skills to be a top point producer, and now he's been put in the hotseat as centre of one of the top two lines.

"Each day I'm learning the position more," he said. "I'm really focused on it and I'm really enjoying it."

The Canadiens signed Semin to a one-year contract worth US$1.1 million in hope he can rediscover the touch he used to produce 40 goals and 84 points with Washington in 2009-10. The 31-year-old had an awful 2014-15 season with Carolina, scoring just six goals in 57 games, although he was coming off wrist surgery.

"He brings so much skill and he's so dangerous in the offensive zone," said Galchenyuk. "We're trying to make room for him because he'll make sure he's open and ready for the shot.

"We all have skill and we're pretty good skaters, but we still have to go out and compete and not just rely on our skill. Still, it's a pretty exciting line."

All three were first-round draft picks, with Eller going 13th overall to St. Louis in 2007 and Semin 13th overall to the Capitals in 2002.

Eller has never scored more than 16 goals in a season, but he is strong in the corners and on the defensive side. He can also move back to centre should Galchenyuk falter.

"We can all pass and we can all finish," Eller said. "We're all three good skaters. Semin has shown in the past he can shoot. One of his strongest assets is his ability to finish and to do unexpected things that few players can."

 

Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press

Oilsands monitoring group votes not to disband despite funding crunch

CALGARY — An oilsands environmental monitoring group has voted not to disband despite having no secure source of revenue next year.

The Fort McMurray, Alta.,-based Cumulative Environmental Management Association learned this past summer that the province would make industry funding of the group optional next year. 

The organization relies on industry funding for almost all of its $5-million budget.

CEMA spokeswoman Carol Christian confirmed the vote to dissolve was defeated, but she declined to release the voting results citing confidentiality rules.

In recent years industry has argued against funding the group, saying other initiatives like the Joint Oil Sands Monitoring program and the Canadian Oil Sands Innovation Alliance fulfil a similar role.  

CEMA has argued it is the only independent monitoring group and better represents aboriginal stakeholders.

The Canadian Press

BC Hydro releases photos from Site C construction site

Jurors at Guy Turcotte trial see knives found near his slain children

SAINT-JEROME, Que. — Jurors at Guy Turcotte's first-degree murder trial have been shown two knives that were found near where his two slain children were discovered.

The former cardiologist is charged in the deaths of Olivier, 5, and Anne-Sophie, 3, in a residence north of Montreal in February 2009.

He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.

One of the knives displayed today by Quebec provincial police investigator Sylvain Harvey was found underneath Olivier, while the other was located on the side of a bathtub in a bathroom adjacent to Turcotte's bedroom.

He testified that both children were in their beds and covered in wounds to the stomach and abdomen.

The Crown has said it intends to prove that Olivier was stabbed 27 times and Anne-Sophie 19 times.

Quebec Superior Court Justice Andre Vincent has ordered that witnesses not be allowed in the courtroom before they testify. They will after they have taken the stand.

The Crown has said the children's mother, Isabelle Gaston, will testify early in the trial.

 

The Canadian Press

Media companies ask judge to unseal documents in Hulk Hogan sex tape trial

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A group of media outlets is asking a Florida judge to make records in the Hulk Hogan sex video case public.

Hogan, a former WWE wrestler whose real name is Terry Bollea, is suing the news website Gawker for posting a video of him having sex with the then-wife of Hogan's friend. He's claiming that Gawker invaded his privacy when it posted a clip of the video that showed him having sex with Heather Clem, the then-wife of radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge Clem.

Gawker and its owner, Nick Denton, maintain that the New York-based company had the right to publish the sex video of Hogan because the wrestler lost any expectation of privacy after making sexually explicit comments during media appearances. Hogan is suing for $100 million.

The trial is scheduled for March 2016 in Pinellas County Court in St. Petersburg.

The video was delivered to Gawker anonymously in 2012, and the FBI investigated the leak. Gawker filed a public records request in federal court for more information about the investigation, and the judge ordered it released. But when it was put into public record in the civil suit, the judge sealed the records.

Media companies, including the Associated Press, asked Thursday to open those records.

"It's highly unusual for this much secrecy to surround a civil proceeding," said Charles Tobin, a lawyer for Holland and Knight who is representing the media companies. "Ordinarily, whether it's a celebrity or an average citizen, once you ask the court to help solve a dispute you open the proceedings up to public review. What's going on in Hulk Hogan's case certainly is not the norm when it comes to public transparency of the courts."

Hogan, perhaps the biggest star in WWE's five-decade history, was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years in its signature event, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon.

He won six WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

But he was able to transcend his "Hulkamania" fan base to become a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including a reality show about his life on VH1, "Hogan Knows Best."

___

Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush

Tamara Lush, The Associated Press

Women’s soccer league registration closes Sunday

Delivery for blue bins will start tomorrow

Toronto Argonauts sign veteran kicker/punter Palardy to practice roster

TORONTO — Justin Palardy is back in the CFL.

The Toronto Argonauts added the veteran kicker/punter to their practice roster Thursday.

The five-year veteran has spent time in the CFL with Hamilton, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Saskatchewan, making 114-of-139 career field goals (82 per cent).

Palardy also sports a 42.1-yard career punting average.

With veteran kicker/punter Swayze Waters (groin) injured, Toronto (6-5) is looking for options heading into a crucial game Saturday against the Ottawa Redblacks (7-4).

The Argos also have punter/kicker Michael Palardy — no relation to Justin — on their roster.

 

The Canadian Press