Thursday March 7, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 20)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Ethereal thought: Great performances in Peninsula Productions’ challenging Agnes of God highlight a successful exploration of the power of pure theatre. › see page 39
3 months after arrest
Still no hit-run charge Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Dan Ferguson photo
The U.S. government’s failure to avoid sequestration last Friday will mean layoffs of American border guards and longer waits into the country.
Reduced staffing expected to take toll at lineups
U.S. economy bites border travellers Jeff Nagel Black Press
Border crossings that are often jammed with shoppers heading south may soon get even more congested as the U.S. government is forced to lay off thousands of border employees. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has begun cutting employee hours and is slated to furlough 5,000 more staff by early April, after Congress and President Barack Obama failed to reach a comprehensive deal by March 1 to reduce federal spending, triggering automatic spending cuts. The initial cuts at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are already resulting in reports of longer processing lines at some U.S. airports. CBP officials predict waits of up to 50 per cent longer at major airports – four hours or longer at peak times – and a doubling of peak waits to five hours or more at the busiest land crossings. “Travellers should adjust their trip itineraries to account for unexpected delays,” the department warned in a statement. The longest southbound lines at Lower Mainland crossings are weekend mornings, and they could get much longer because the use of overtime is now banned.
Buyers wary Most Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley residents regularly cross the border to shop in the U.S., according to a recent poll. Nearly three-quarters of respondents to the Insights West poll (www.insightswest. ca) said they drove south to shop in the last year, and many are making frequent forays. On average, those polled drove to the U.S. more than five times in 2012, about half had crossed at least three times and 15 per cent said they’d crossed 13 times or more. Lower prices were cited by 85 per cent, and more than a third of those polled said they have a U.S. mailbox for ordered goods. About 70 per cent agreed that Canadians shopping in the U.S. hurts our economy, and about half said it may mean job losses here. The online survey of 1,077 adults was conducted Jan. 30 to Feb. 3.
“They hold shifts over longer or call shifts in earlier to keep as many lines open as possible – that won’t be happening,” said Ken Oplinger,
We’re Back!
president of the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce. “We’re thinking it could add an extra 15 to 30 minutes onto the regular lines.” Nexus card holders should continue to get speedy clearance, but new applicants face longer approval times due to an expected surge in demand. It’s hoped the arbitrary across-the-board cuts will be unpalatable to both Republicans and Democrats, spurring them to reach a deal before border slowdowns cause serious economic damage. “If this goes on into the summer, that’s when we’re really going to have an issue,” Oplinger said. “On a summer weekend we can get two- to three-hour lineups and we could be adding 45 minutes to an hour on top of that at those peak times.” One factor that might slow cross-border shopping is the recent slide of the loonie. The dollar is down to around 97 cents U.S., and Oplinger said a further drop to below 95 cents may begin to reduce the number of shoppers from Canada. › see page 4
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It’s been three months since a 53-year-old man was arrested after two women were struck while jogging in a South Surrey crosswalk, and police say it may be a few more before any charge is laid. Surrey RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet told Peace Arch News this week that investigators “are still going through all the legal requirements and judicial authorizations” needed to forward charge recommendations to the Crown. “The investigator, he expects Nola Carson that charges will be laid for hitand-run causing bodily harm, but at this point in time, charges have not been officially laid and we expect this process to happen over the next few months,” Paquet Shelley Lammers said Tuesday. Runners Shelley Lammers and Nola Carlson were hit just before 8 p.m. Dec. 3, as they jogged across 152 Street at 32 Avenue. A trafficcamera recorded the impact and – about 25 seconds later – a figure on foot approach the women and lean over them before rapidly departing. Lammers suffered a collapsed lung, two broken vertebrae, a lacerated liver, a concussion and fractured ribs. Carlson’s injuries included a broken nose and cheek. Dec. 6, police announced the arrest of a Surrey man and seizure of a BMW X1. A May 13 court date had been announced but, Paquet said, no appearances are scheduled.