richmond news january 1 2014

HomecomingThis weekend’s Great NorthwestShowcase will provide U.S.college hockey players Sean Bonarand Troy Stecher an opportunity toplay in front of family andfriends.

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INTERACTIVE PRINT Question: You’ve been in the job eightmonths now, what’s life been like for you?

Answer: It’s been hectic, for sure. Icame into politics by accident after beingapproached by the Premier last year and I’mdifferent from other politicians, many of whomprepare for this for many years. It’s been a biglearning curve, not just becoming an MLA,but also getting used to the (B.C. Legislature)and the cabinet job, all at the same time.

It’s been a total change; I spend more timein Victoria now than I do with my family. Ilive with my elderly parents, who are aged 89,and I’m lucky that they’re both still healthy.

My neighbour calls in to check on themwhen I’m in Victoria and my mom com-plains to her that her daughter doesn’t talkmuch when she gets home. I think I’m just soexhausted and I’ve done so much talking dur-ing the day, that I’ve got nothing left to say.

Q: Were you surprised to get your dualcabinet post as Minister for InternationalTrade and Minister Responsible for the AsiaPacific Strategy and Multiculturalism?

A: Yes, I was. I had hoped to get a positionlike this in a few years, but not straight away.

Even though I know the Premier values mybackground and experience, I was totally takenby surprise, but also very honoured. It’s beenvery demanding of me, but I’m determined toprove the Premier was right to appoint me.

Q: What’s been the most surprising aspectof your role as an MLA?

A: I expected life as a politician to be veryhectic, but not as hectic as it has actually been!

Q: What has challenged you the most?A: The amount of functions I’m required to

attend. There’s simply not enough time in theday to be at all these places and I’d still like tohave a balanced life in there as well. Actually,it will be my New Year’s resolution to lead amore balanced life and I’ll try to spend at leastone day a week with my parents, they’re nothere forever.

Q: Why go on the recent trade mission toAsia?

A: We have to promote our products tothe Asia Pacific; we are the province’s salespeople.

We can’t put all our eggs in one basket withthe U.S. and we need to continue to broadenour reach.

Q: Who did you meet on the mission?

A: Petroleum and bank bosses mainly. TheBank of China is now moving its internationalfinance centre from Toronto to Vancouver; thatkind of thing is why we go there. We’re tryingto make B.C. and Vancouver the Asia Pacifichub.

My ability to speak fluent Cantonese andMandarin is also one of the reasons I got thispost and I go on these trips.

Q: How can you justify the cost of thesetrips?

A: We’re working over there from morningto evening, even through jet lag, meeting peo-ple every hour of every day. It’s very importantthat we’re in the face of the Chinese govern-ment and industry.

The more we promote our exports to thelikes of China, the more revenue will be gen-erated and, with that, more jobs.

If we don’t go out to these places, theywon’t know we exist. Government to govern-ment relationships are so important becausethe private sector tends to follow on from that.

Q: You were in Kamloops recently to talk

to people about the government’s upcom-ing apology to B.C.’s Chinese community fordiscriminations that were outlawed almost 70years ago. Is it too late to say sorry?

A: We’re working on a meaningful apol-ogy for the historic wrongs committed on theChinese community here. There have beenmore than 100 examples of discriminationagainst the Chinese people: They couldn’tvote, they weren’t allowed to do certain jobs,they couldn’t own property.

Is it too late? Any time is a good time.I feel proud to be a Canadian, but history

can help us learn. Many non-Chinese peopleat the meeting in Kamloops didn’t even knowwhat went on more than 100 years ago, rightup until the ‘40s.

We’ve apologized to the Japanese commu-nity and the Indo-Canadian community, butnot to the Chinese community. It’s time to putthat right.

Teresa Wat defends mission, Chinese apology

For this week’snews stories,visit www.rich-mond-news.comand join thediscussion.

BY ALAN [email protected] Rookie MLA reflects on new life during Q & A session

Richmond RCMP have charged a pairof men with robbery with a firearm follow-ing an early morning attack on a man at theBrighouse Canada Line station.

The victim said the two men who robbedhim on Dec. 12, hit him and used a gun in therobbery, took his cell phone and other personalbelongings.

Police managed to track the suspects to

the area of Westminster Highway and CooneyRoad, where they were taken into custody.

Charged are 21-year-old Abdullah Cogoand Mahamed Halane, 23, both of Richmond.

The victim’s belongings were located alongwith other items, which have been identifiedas stolen, including at least one cell phonelocated on the “blacklist.”

“The officers investigating this incident

acted quickly in identifying and controllingthe alleged suspects,” said Richmond RCMPspokeswoman Cpl. Stephanie Ashton.

“If you lose your phone or it is stolen fromyou, go to the blacklist website and register itbecause it could lead police to a suspect andpotentially get it back to you.”

—Philip Raphael, Richmond News

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Richmond Centre MLA Teresa Wat, pic-tured above and right on her recent trade missionto China, has found her new life as a politicianvery hectic, especially all the functions she’srequired to attend.

Two men charged in early morning armed robberyGot a story orpictures you wantto share with theRichmond Newsand its readers?

Email us editor@richmond-news.

com

Tell us howyou think

Teresa Watis doing?

The Richmond News January 1, 2014 A3


News

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Staff at the Richmond Centre White Spot location donated their time andtips on Christmas Day to help raise $10,228 for the Richmond Hospital Foundation.Staff at the restaurant have been carrying out the charitable tradition for 15 years.

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Alternatively, join the RichmondFirefighters Association at their annual char-ity tree chipping events on Saturday, Jan.4 and Sunday, Jan. 5. Bring your familyand your tree on either day, between 9 a.m.and 5 p.m., to Garry Point Park (corner ofMoncton Street and 7th Avenue) or to SouthArm Community Centre (8880 Williams Rd).Donations are welcome for the RichmondFirefighters’ Society charities.

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That was 2013

JanuaryTroubled that many of their concerns

about a jet fuel pipeline proposal have beenleft out of an environmental assessment, citycouncil demanded a meeting with provincialministers.

Chief among the concerns was adequatefire protection for the project’s accompanyingtank farm to be situated at the southern footof No. 7 Road.

A group of Richmond farmers rolledalong to city hall in a convoy to protestdumping demolition waste on a Finn Roadfarm in mid-January. The action spawns thegroup Farm Watch BC as its members set upa vigil outside the property. The group alsorolled the convoy right to Premier ChristyClark’s office, which at the time was inKitsilano.

A shooting at the Riverside Banquet Hallsends four people to hospital. Police arresteda suspect not far from the site which washosting a gathering of about 150 longshore-men. Vancouver resident Sukhdeep SinghSandhu is later charged with attempted mur-der and aggravated assault.

The RCMP recover human skeletalremains on the west dyke near BlundellRoad. Work crews in the area made the grislydiscovery and called police.

FebruaryDozens of community social ser-

vice workers, including those from theDevelopmental Disabilities Association,staged a one-day strike to protest low wages.One DDA official said some workers aremaking less than the clients they serve.

The Richmond News, along with othercommunity papers belonging to GlacierMedia, launched the incorporation of Layarin their publications. The smart phone appbridges print with digital media allowingreaders to access websites, photo galleriesand videos by scanning page of the newspa-per.

The Scotiabank Hockey Day cameto the Richmond oval and brings with ita celebrity ball hockey game featuringVancouver Canucks’ first ever captain OrlandKurtenbach.

Traffic heading southbound along

Highway 99 was delayed for hours after a carslammed into the guard rail of the StevestonHighway overpass, dislodging it and leavinga section dangling over the highway.

A minor hockey coach was jailed afterbeing found guilty of tripping two Richmondplayers during a post-game handshake.Martin Tremblay was handed a 15-day sen-tence following the incident at the UBCThunderbird Arena in June 2012.

MarchRichmond-Stevston MLA John Yap

resigned his cabinet post as MulticulturalismMinister pending a review into the so-called“Ethnic-gate” controversy. The schemeinvolved the BC Liberal Party’s strategy togain ethnic votes that was devised by govern-ment staffers.

Later in the month, Yap declared he willnot step down and he intends to run in theMay provincial election.

A pair of Richmond residents appealedto city council that the predominance ofChinese-only signage in Richmond shouldbe addressed. Kerry Starchuk and AnnMerdinyan presented council with a 1,000-name petition supporting their concerns.

Later in the month, city council backedaway from introducing a bylaw to regulatethe inclusion of English on local businesssignage.

AprilAn 80-year-old local inventor shared his

creation with the News ahead of the broadcastof his appearance on TV show Dragon’s Denhe hoped would revolutionize the way tennisplayers practise.

Tony Lloyd demonstrated his inventioncalled the Practice Hit at the Minoru Parkcourts which allows players to improve theirstrokes and footwork without the need of apartner or chasing down tennis balls.

A Richmond runner managed to escapeinjury after bombs were exploded close to thefinish line at the Boston Marathon. StevestonAthletic Association member Tracy Marshall,48, had completed the course and was seek-ing treatment in a first aid tent about fiveminutes before the blasts went off, killingthree and injuring hundreds more at the worldfamous event.

A local travel agency shut its doors, leav-ing its customers’ holiday plans in ruin andout of pocket. In mid-April, Alameda TravelsLtd. shut down without warning.

A Richmond runner was stripped of hismedal after video after eye witness evidencecaught him cheating in the Vancouver SunRun. Mohammed Razak, who had placedfirst in the 55-59 age category, was judged tohave taken a short-cut along the course.

MayThe News kicks off its Friday Feature sec-

tion with reporter Alan Campbell’s look atthe contentious Chinese signage issue.

City hall protest, hockey coach jailed, Wat winsREVIEW

FILE PHOTOS

Farmer Ray Galawan, left, leda protest to city hall against ille-gal dumping on agricultural land.Above, former minor hockeycoach Martin Tremblay.

FILE PHOTO

Teresa Wat celebrates her May victory inthe provincial election.

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OpinionT H E R I C H M O N D N E W S

EDITORIAL OPINION

For the record, nobody alive today really knows for certainwhere Boxing Day came from – or how it got its name.

Mostly recognized in countries that, like Canada,belong to the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly known as theBritish Commonwealth, in recognition of their birth in subservi-ence to Mother Britain), versions of Boxing Day are also markedin a number of European countries.

Whether traced back to Britain or Europe or elsewhere,Boxing Day has origins that go back to the Middle Ages… orstill more centuries beyond that.

Somehow and at some time (and for whatever reason) theday after Christmas was a time for employers and gentlemen– business owners and landholders – to give gifts or (in today’sparlance) monetary bonuses to their servants and any contrac-tors who provided them with services, such as delivering milk orbread, or did odd jobs, for instance window-hangers or chimneysweeps.

The traditions may well go back beyond Medieval times,indeed beyond the beginning of Christmas itself, to the mid-December celebration of Saturnalia in ancient Rome.

The Saturnalia festivities, as in many of the related Medievaltraditions, involved affluent folks filling alms boxes with moneyto be dispersed among their poor and needy neighbours.

Generally, most of the traditions that have arisen from theday-after-Christmas celebration continue to involve people whohave more acceding some of their wealth to those who have less,either through direct gifts, or simply by making goods or almsmore accessible on Boxing Day than they would be any othertime of the year.

And in that sense, perhaps the Boxing Day sales that are sopervasive in retail commerce these days are not entirely out ofplace. They’re actually just another manifestation of a traditionthat is at least centuries – and perhaps millennia – old.

Forget the past, look to mega future

Sales make historical sense

CHOICE WORDS

Train our own tradespeople

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There’s not much pointat looking back at the bigpolitical stories of the pastyear. The stunning result ofthe May provincial electionpretty well dwarfs every-thing else.

The election resultalmost redefined B.C. poli-tics, or at least many of itsconventions.

The future of the NDPis now very uncertain,political polling may nolonger be reliable, oldervoters appear to hold a dis-proportionately high level ofpolitical power because theyactually cast ballots, and alot of issues and controver-sies the media and politicalopposition make hay overdon’t seem to count withmany voters.

So instead of dwellingon the past, let’s look aheadat what are expected to besome key issues and deci-sions in the coming year:

1. To build or not tobuild: megaprojects areeverywhere!

The federal govern-ment will announce some-time this spring whether theEnbridge Northern Gatewaypipeline will get the greenlight to proceed. Althoughthe project has been metwith overwhelming opposi-tion from First Nations andmuch of the general public,it is commonly thought theHarper government stronglybacks the idea of buildinga pipeline through remotenorthern wilderness to hookup with oil tankers along apristine coastline that hasnever seen a tanker.

In the coming year,focus will also shift towardsthe other big pipeline pro-

posal: Kinder Morgan’s planto twin its existing pipeline.The bigger issue here is thefive-fold increase in tankertraffic that will result fromthe new pipeline, but KinderMorgan has done a betterjob of “selling” its projectthan Enbridge did when itcomes to garnering publicsupport for it.

Nevertheless, look fora lot of public protests anddemonstrations targeted atKinder Morgan over thenext year.

Other big projects totake significant stridesforward this coming yearinclude a number of mines,and expansion of port facili-ties in Metro Vancouver.The B.C. Liberals will sup-port all of them, while theNDP will tie itself in knotsas it tries to accommodateboth the environmentalmovement and the privatesector unions.

Speaking of the NDP:2. Doesn’t anyone want

this job? NDP leader AdrianDix announced back inSeptember he would stepdown to make way for anew leader, and so far theonly thing notable about acontest to replace him is thefact that no one seems towant the job.

The number of potentialcandidates has dwindled tojust a handful, with long-time MLA Mike Farnworth

heading the list. Othersmay include rookie MLAsDavid Eby, Judy Darcy andGeorge Heyman.

But none of these can-didates appear to scare theB.C. Liberals whatsoever.

Farnworth, if he wins,will be painted by themas a nice guy who is con-trolled by the special inter-est groups who control theNDP. Heyman and Darcyare former leaders of publicsector unions, which arehardly viewed as repre-sentative of most peoples’interests. And Eby has alaundry list of unpopularpositions he took when heran the B.C. Civil LibertiesAssociation.

3. Everyone wants moretransit but doesn’t want topay for it.

That, in a nutshell, is theconundrum that Translinkfinds itself forever mired in.But next fall’s pivotal refer-endum on how to fund tran-sit operations may finallyprovide some clarity.

We haven’t seenthe question yet, andPremier Christy Clark andTransportation MinisterTodd Stone seem to be ondifferent pages on the issue.

Nevertheless, the transitreferendum has the potentialto have more impact onMetro Vancouver than anysingle municipal election.

4. Enough of the talk,let’s see some results.

As in, just one contractsigned, sealed and deliveredto build a liquefied naturalgas plant in B.C. would benice.

Keith Baldrey is chiefpolitical reporter for GlobalBC.

The Editor,Recently, we read about Canada sending a trade fair to

Ireland to recruit tradespeople.We have facilities right here in Richmond which could be

utilized as a trade school. Steveston Secondary School has beenlying empty for years.

All the student facilities are already in place. A new technicalschool would cost a lot more than it would cost to convert thefacility mentioned into a full-time technical school for male andfemale students.

Training our own apprentices would, in time, eliminate theneed to trek around the world, embarrassing ourselves, lookingfor tradespeople we could, with a little imagination, have trainedourselves.

For years, we hear Jim Sinclair, leader of The Federation ofLabour, complaining about the government’s inability to provideenough tradespeople to meet the needs of our industries.

Well, now is the opportunity for him and his powerful federa-tion to run their own trade schools to their own specifications.

We are going to need all the help we can get if we are goingto meet the future needs of our ever-expanding industries.

Vincent MurrayRichmond

Letters policyThe editor reserves the right to editletters for brevity, clarity, legality

and good taste. Letters must includethe author’s telephone number for

verification. We do not publishanonymous letters.

Send letters to The Editor,Richmond News,5731 No. 3 Road

Richmond, B.C. V6X 2C9Fax: 604-270-2248 or

e-mail:[email protected]

IN THE HOUSE

KeithBaldrey

That was 2013

Ikea staff begin fight, badminton players brawlREVIEW

A high-speed collision involving mul-tiple vehicles claimed one life and criticallyinjured three others along WestminsterHighway at Knight Street. According topolice, a speeding Aston Martin convertibleslammed into a stationary SUV.

Godzilla stomped his way throughSteveston as film crews shot a segment ofthe feature film reboot of the famous char-acter that first appeared on screen in 1954.The streets of the historic fishing villagewere transformed into a veritable war zonefor the shoot with burned out cars strewnacross Moncton Street.

While Richmond voters did the antici-pated and voted back in three BC Liberalcandidates, the party under Premier ChristyClark stunned the political pundits by post-ing a big win over the BC NDP on electionnight.

Retaining the Liberals’ grip on Richmondwere incumbents Linda Reid (RichmondEast) and John Yap (Richmond-Steveston),while political newcomer Teresa Wat earneda pair of cabinet posts that come with thelengthy titles of Minister of InternationalTrade and Minister Responsible for AsiaPacific Strategy and Multiculturalism.

Unionized workers began walking thepicket line outside the east Richmond loca-

tion of Ikea. Among the issues keeping the350 or so employees from working are atiered wage system and benefit eligibility.

A local acupuncturist was alleged tohave bilked B.C.’s medical services planout of more than $1 million after investiga-tors for the College of Traditional ChineseMedicine Practitioners discovered the clinichad been over billing. At one point, Mu BaiEnterprises Corp., run by Dr. Mubia Qiu,claimed to have seen 461 patients in a singleday.

JuneA stretch of sunny summer weather pro-

duced a bumper crop of strawberries abouttwo weeks earlier than normal. The sunshineforced some local farmers to open their U-picks early.

The city announced a $110 million listof building plans to replace the MinoruAquatic Centre, Minoru Place Senior’sCentre and Firehall No. 1. All three facilitieswere considered to be ageing and in need ofreplacement.

Richmond-East MLA Linda Reid landedthe role of Speaker of the House in theB.C. Legislature. Reid previously served asdeputy speaker and was selected tops from alist of 14 candidates.

JulyThe sun and the crowds came out to

Steveston for Canada Dayand Salmon Festival celebra-tions on July 1. Temperaturessoared to 28 degrees as anestimated 100,000 took in theevents.

School board trusteeKenny Chiu came under firefor comments made on aChinese language radio sta-tion criticizing environmentalgroups, while supporting fed-eral policy on the oil sands.

Chiu responded by say-ing he was not speaking as atrustee and is entitled to hisopinion.

The union representing picketing work-ers at Richmond’s Ikea store expelled agroup of its members after they returnedto work. The labour dispute at the Swedishhome furnishing giant started in mid-Mayafter the company and union could notcome to a contract agreement.

The badminton court could have easilybeen mistaken for a boxing ring after a pairof elite players taking part in a tournamentat the Richmond Oval dropped their rac-quets and put up their dukes.

Bodin Issara and Maneepong Jongjit,

Continued from page 5

see Dogs dumped page 11

FILE PHOTO

Stunned fans at the Olympic ovallooked on as two players started fighting.


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That was 2013

Dogs dumped, legion flags stolen, Walmart gets green lightREVIEW

former teammates who representedThailand, were disqualified for theirantics. A video of the incident wentviral on Facebook and Youtube.

The 13-acre site of StevestonSecondary school was finallysold to a developer, although theprice paid was not immediatelymade public. But in October itwas revealed the price tag paid byPolygon Pacific Homes Ltd. was$41 million.

AugustA Transportation Safety

Board investigation ruled that aThunderbird Air plane crash inOctober 2011 short of a runway atYVR was survivable. The judge-ment was based on TSB’s sugges-tions to limit post-crash fires.

A group of 180 dedicated vol-unteers who could hold a tunesmashed a Guinness Book of WorldRecords mark for singing a song inseries during the Maritime Festivalin Steveston.

SeptemberThe Richmond Animal

Protection Society was left scram-bling to care for 38 dogs droppedoff in cages at its facility in dead ofnight.

A picture of a young boy urinat-ing into a garbage can at RichmondCentre went viral and caused astorm of controversy on socialmedia.

Some of the sheep a local land-scaper had used to keep a centralRichmond property from beingovergrown were stolen. SandyChappel had 31 sheep on the lotadjacent to the McDonald’s onAlderbridge Way and had beenordered by animal welfare officials

to remove them since their pres-ence contravened city bylaws.

Mayor Malcolm Brodie decriedthe province’s plan to build abridge replacing the GeorgeMassey Tunnel. Brodie said a newspan would only shift the trafficcongestion a short distance alongHighway. 99 to the south end of theOak Street Bridge.

OctoberA central Richmond gym

was the target of a late eveningshooting Oct. 7. RCMP investiga-tors believed the exterior of theWestminster Highway location ofSteve Nash Fitness World was hit

with as many as six bullets. Staffwere inside the gym at the time,but no one was injured in the inci-dent.

Police raided a Steveston homein connection with a suspectedstolen toy ring. Boxes of toys wereremoved from the residence. Thegoods were believed to have beensold through a Facebook page.

A wealthy couple in Texas claimthey were duped into loaning afamily member of an award-win-ning Richmond printing firm $8.5million and launched a lawsuitto try and retrieve the funds.Several family members who ownBlanchette Press were named in thelegal action and launched a defenceof their own soon after.

NovemberDespite having a collection

of their flags stolen, members ofthe Royal Canadian Legion onBridgeport Rd. marched in theannual Remembrance Day parade,thanks to an outpouring of helpfrom numerous groups to replacesome of what was taken by thieves.

The new Target department

store opens its doors at LansdowneCentre to customers.

The long-awaited Walmartanchored shopping mall in the westCambie area is given the nod fromcity council in a 6-2 vote. The plan,10 years in the making after beingmulled by city hall over issues suchas traffic and its effect on the envi-ronment, is expected to produce1,000 jobs and open in 2016.

DecemberA man was shot outside a

Bridgeport Road tile business onDec. 6, but managed to get acrossthe street and seek help fromemployees at an adjacent store.Police said the incident did notappear to be a random event.

The province approved a jetfuel delivery plan by a consor-tium of airlines developing anew source for YVR. Oppositiongroup VAPOR condemned thedecision to bestow environmentalapproval for the project that willsee large tankers ply the watersthe Fraser River’s south arm andhas vowed to fight the matter incourt.

FILE PHOTO

38 dogs weredumped overnightat the RichmondAnimal ProtectionSociety’s shelteron No. 5 Road inSeptember.

Continued from page 7


A12 January 1, 2014 The Richmond NewsT H E R I C H M O N D N E W S

SportsEditorial enquiries?

Please contact The Richmond News5731 No.3 Road V6X 2C9

Phone: 604-998-3615 (ext: 3615)Fax: 604-270-2248

Email: [email protected]

Greater Vancouver Canadianswill enter the new year playingtheir best hockey of the season.

The B.C. Major MidgetHockey League squad closed outthe 2013 portion of their regularseason schedule by earning a splitwith perennial powerhouse anddefending champion VancouverNorthwest Giants. The Canadiansroared back with five answeredthird period goals to win theseries opener 6-4 at the RichmondOlympic Oval before droppingthe return match by the identicalscore.

The split leaves them in fifthplace in the league standings witha 13-12-1 record — an impres-sive feat after a tough stretch inOctober which saw them dropeight of 10 games. They are threepoints back of the Valley WestHawks and will resume actionJan. 11-12 against the third placeValley West Hawks.

The Canadians looked to be ontheir way to a third consecutiveloss to the Giants when the visi-tors opened up a 4-1 lead in theearly stages of the third period.However, the hosts then came to

life with goals from Owen Seidel,Justin Schwartz and Josh Murphywithin a four minute span to pullon even terms. Sean Gillespiethen completed the comebackwith 5:09 remaining and Seideladded an insurance tally 1:24later.

Murphy also scored twice,while Dante Hannoun and KyleUh chipped in with three assistseach.

The second game saw GreaterVancouver trail 4-2 after 40 min-utes before making things inter-esting on Alex Whitwham’s goal

with 9:47 remaining. However,the Giants responded 45 secondslater and the visitors would get nocloser.

Whitwham finished with a pairof goals, while Gunnar Wegelitnerand Gillespie had the others. Uycapped a productive weekend withthree more assists.

Icing....Canadians alumni Glenn

Gawdin (Richmond) and AdamMusil (Delta) are playing TeamPacific at the World Under 17Hockey Challenge in CapeBreton.

The B.C./Alberta combinedsquad opened against TeamQuebec and team West beforeclosing out round-robin play onWednesday against the CzechRepublic and Thursday versusSweden. The tournament con-cludes with the gold medal gameon Saturday.

Gawdin has 15 points, includ-ing five goals, in 38 games sofar in his rookie season in theWestern Hockey League with theSwift Current Broncos. Musil has13 points, with five goals, withthe Red Deer Rebels.

Major Midget Canadians take momentum into new year

Showcase puts Stecher & Bonar back on home iceNorth Dakota and Princeton hockey teams make rare north of the border appearance to face UBC and Simon Fraser

A pair of former Greater VancouverCanadians standouts will get the rareopportunity to play on home ice this week-end at the Great Northwest Showcase inBurnaby.

The four-team event features SimonFraser University and UBC hosting apair of high-profile NCAA Division Oneschools — University of North Dakota andUniversity of Princeton.

SFU faces Princeton on Friday (4 p.m.)and UBC battles North Dakota at 7 p.m.The Showcase concludes Saturday withUBC taking on Princeton at 4 p.m. andSFU facing Princeton at 7 p.m. All gamestake place at Bill Copeland Arena. Ticketprices range from $10-20 and are availableat the door.

For Sean Bonar and Troy Stetcher, thetournament means they will be playingin front of family and friends for the firsttime since their days in the B.C. HockeyLeague.

For Stetcher, the wait hasn’t beentoo long. The standout blueliner fromRichmond is in his freshman season atNorth Dakota after three productive sea-sons in the BCHL with the PentictonVees. He has already been recognized forhis play — earning National CollegiateHockey Conference (NCHC) Defencemanof the Week honours last month.

The Richmond Minor Hockey Alumniwas considered a bluechip collegiate pros-pect after having a leading role in the Veescapturing the RBC Cup national junior “A”championship in 2012. He was named topdefenceman of the playoffs and captainedPenticton last season before heading south

to play for one of the top programs in U.S.collegiate hockey.

The Fighting Sioux regularly sell outtheir games at the 11,000 seat RalphEngelstad Arena in Grand Forks. NorthDakota alumni Jonathan Toews, ZachParise and TJ Oshie.

Like Stetcher, Bonar was named theCanadians most valuable player beforegoing to Penticton where he enjoyed acouple of outstanding seasons between thepipes. The Tsawwassen native compileda 39-15 record and six shutouts over twoseasons and was tournament MVP forTeam Canada West at the World Junior AChallenge. His stellar play not only earnedhim an opportunity at Princeton, he wasinvited to the LA Kings and PhiladelphiaFlyers training camps.

Even more impressive is how Bonar hasjuggled his studies at a world renownedIvy League school. He is a three-timeAll-Academic Team Conference selectionand will earn a degree in Mechanical andAerospace Engineering when he graduatesin June.

The plan is to pursue pro hockey oppor-tunities once his senior season has con-cluded. He is looking forward to his firstgame in B.C. since 2010 and is expected tostart in both games.

“It’s going to great,” said Bonar. “Thelast time I played (in the Lower Mainland)was probably against the good old SurreyEagles,” he laughed. “This is something Ihave been looking forward to for a while.”

Being home with his family forChristmas didn’t mean Bonar was waiitngfor his teammates to arrive in Vancouver.

He flew out on Boxing day to rejoinPrinceton for the Florida College HockeyClassic. They played a pair of games on the

weekend then headed north in time to prac-tice at the Burnaby Winter Club tomorrowafternoon.

SHELLEY M. SZWAST/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS

Sean Bonar is in his senior year at Princeton University. He will be playing in B.C. forthe first time in four years this weekend at the Great Northwest Showcase.

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