news // 6

Kwesi Millington found guilty of perjury

» RCMP officer involved in death of Robert Dziekanski in 2007

  

-, Angela Espinoza
[ ¥. News Editor
EE i

Mi news

@theotherpress.ca
Anes trial over the death

of Robert Dziekanski via

taser in 2007 came toa verdict
on February 20, with Constable
Kwesi Millington having been
found “guilty of perjury.’

Three other RCMP officers,
Constable Gerry Rundel,
Constable Bill Bentley, and
Corporal Monty Robinson,
were also charged with perjury
regarding the case.

Dziekanski, a Polish
immigrant, was killed at the
age of 40 on October 14, 2007

: via use of taser by Millington.

: Dziekanski was confronted

: by the officers after waiting at

: the Vancouver International

: Airport for roughly 10 hours

: for his mother, Zofia Cisowski.
: Dziekanski reportedly began

: tossing furniture, as caught on
: video by one Paul Pritchard,

: which resulted in the use of

: taser to incapacitate Dziekanski;
: Dziekanski died shortly after.

Changes to airport and

: RCMP regulations were made

: in an attempt to prevent a

: similar incident from happening
: again. The use of tasers was

: restricted to being used on

: those “displaying combative

: behaviours or actively resisting

: officers,” according to the Globe
: and Mail.

An inquiry by BC

: Attorney-General Wally Oppal
: and Thomas Braidwood

: was launched as a result of

: Dziekanski’s death, with

: concerns that poor judgment

: and excessive force were

: contributing factors to the

: incident.

In December 2008, the four

RCMP officers involved were

: found not guilty of Dziekanski’s
: death, and instead recognized

: the taser as only one of several

: contributing factors, reportedly
: including “heart disease and

: alcohol withdrawal.’

However, despite the

: verdict, the inquiry was

: reopened and eventually lead

: to the charges of perjury against
: the four officers, with Oppal and
: Braidwood believing the group

: lied during their testimonies in

: the earlier inquiry.

Amongst other statements,

Millington argued Dziekanski
: was standing when tasered

: a second time, despite video

: footage showing Dziekanski

: lying on the ground.

“The Crown has proven

: beyond a reasonable doubt that
: Constable Millington gave oral

: evidence under oath which he

: knewat the time to be false, and :
: he did so with the intention to

: mislead the inquiry,’ ruled Judge

theotherpress.ca

: William Ehrcke.

Bentley was acquitted of

: his perjury charge in 2013, but

: according to the CBC, the Crown
: has decided upon appealing the

: previous verdict.

When reports of

: Dziekanski’s death were first

: made in 2007, the Globe and

: Mail published an article stating
: that his “death was the 16th

: taser-related fatality in Canada

: ... in four and 1/2 years.” The

: number of taser-related deaths

: contributed to the ensuing

: debates over use of the weapons
: in Canada.

Trials will still be occurring

: regarding the other officers’
: charges of perjury.

 

Anvil Centre sitting idle

» New West conference centre remains tenantless

  

, Angela Espinoza
News Editor

Mi news
@theotherpress.ca

ee"
September 14, 2014, New
Westminster’s $41.5-million
Anvil Centre has yet to receive
tenants now six months later.
Business Vancouver
reported that the building
has been “vacant” since its

has served as a conference
centre for past events and has
future bookings, no businesses
are located within the centre’s

: office tower structure.

Boasting 137,000 square

: feet, the 14-storey building was
: built with the intent of being

: a multi-purpose centre for the

: city. CRS Group of Companies
espite officially opening on co-owns the centre, with CEO

: Suki Sekhon telling Business

: Vancouver, “This is a long-term

: vision.

“You don’t want to put in

: tenants for the sake of putting
: them in. We prefer to have a

: good tenant mix there.”
completion. While the building :

Reportedly Sekhon stated

: getting tenants will likely bea
: one-to-two-year process.

   

PCD ke

Image from PhoenixGlassINC.com

 

Several culls to see animals shot throughout BC

» Some culls have been in progress since 2013; others starting soon

  

», Angela Espinoza
ey: News Editor
EE i

M4 news
@theotherpress.ca

AQ of animal culls

re occurring throughout
BC, catching the attention of
animal rights groups such as
the BCSPCA. The culls involve
several species of animals being
hunted, including wolves,
cougars, and deer.

The wolf cull began in
January, with the intent of
protecting endangered caribou
in the Selkirk Mountains and
South Peace areas of BC. The

: specific group of caribou has

: reportedly dwindled in numbers
: over the past five years, with

: CBC writing that biologists

: claim wolf attacks are the reason :
: for the decline.

There are concerns the
caribou herd will be extinct

: within “three to five years,”

: according to Tom Ethier,

: assistant deputy minister for

: the Ministry of Forests, Lands,
: and Natural Resources, in an

: interview with CBC.

Over 180 wolves are planned

: to beshot and killed from

: helicopters over the course of
: the cull, which is expected to
: last five years.

A separate cull is currently

: in place regarding cougars and
: more wolves, also in the South
: Peace region.

The cougar and wolf cull has :
: been taken on by cattle ranchers
: in the area. According to CBC,

: the ranchers were paid $266,000
: in order to execute the animals,

: which has been ongoing since

: 2013.

Reportedly on February 20,

: over 400 “predator” animals

: have been killed asa result of
: the cull. The goal has been to
: protect livestock belonging to
: ranchers in the area, and has

: been labeled the “Livestock

: Protection Pilot Program.”

CBC reported the wolves

: being hunted in the rancher-
: headed cull are separate from
: the caribou-protecting cull.

A third cull has been

: planned for Oak Bay, Victoria

: since 2013, in which the numbers
: of deer are reportedly high. Up

: to 25 deer are planned to be

: killed as part of the cull, which

: CBC reports will end on March

: 15. Unlike the predator culls, the
: deer cull is in part an attempt to
: lower the amount of accidental

: deer deaths that occur each year
: in the city of Oak Bay.

While the culls have been

: dubbed “necessary” in order to
: protect other species of animals,

: many have protested over
: concerns for animal cruelty in
: regards to those being hunted.

The deer cull specifically has

: met with vocal protest from the

: BCSPCA. Sara Dubois, chief

: scientific officer of the BCSCPA,

: told CBC, “We don't think the

: cull is going to work to reduce

: deer conflict in Oak Bay because
: the deer population is transient

: and moves in Saanich and

: Victoria”

Amongst other reasons, the

: BCSPCA found the suggestion
: of letting the deer die slowly

: upon an unsuccessful death via
: gunshot to be unnecessarily

: cruel.